Masters of the Universe Month: Sorceress (Classic Deco) from Masters of the Universe by NECA

 

   For today's installment of Masters of the Universe Month 2021 I'm checking out the Sorceress in her classic paint scheme from NECA's 2005 Masters of the Universe "staction" line. Now if you've been keeping up with Masters of the Universe Month 2021 you're probably wondering why I'm reviewing the Sorceress, a character originally released in the 1987 series of figures. Isn't the focus of this year's MOTU month the figures and toys from the vintage 1983 series of figures? Yes it is. So why am I reviewing the Sorceress? Because she comes with Zoar the falcon, who was a vintage 1983 release. Further showcasing the theme of symmetry in the 1983 line Mattel released both Zoar and Screeech, the heroic and evil falcons. Originally Zoar was a male bird who was a messenger for the Goddess/ Sorceress but the Filmation series introduced the idea of Zoar as being a form of the Sorceress herself. The Mike Young Productions cartoon also retained the idea of Zoar as being the spirit form of the Sorceress and it's been a pretty prominent part of the MOTU mythos ever since. 

   Anyways, here's a great history of NECA's 2005 Masters of the Universe line to get you up to speed if you're unfamiliar with the "stactions." The line was intended to complement/ complete Mattel's 200x line which was missing some key characters from the MYP cartoon and never got the chance to cover other fan favorites. The Sorceress was released in the third series of figures in 2006 but this version is the Classic Deco or Vintage Colors Variant. It was released as an exclusive through Action Figure Xpress which, so far as I can tell, doesn't exist anymore. NECA took a few of the MOTU mini-statues/ stactions and gave them paintjobs to match the vintage toyline colors and these proved to be pretty popular with fans. Let's take a look at the Sorceress and Zoar in their classic colors after the break...

Toy Review: Mer-Man from Vinyl SODA by Funko

 

   

   Mer-Man isn't my favorite of the Evil Warrors or anything but, man, do most Mer-Man products end up looking fantastic or what? Today I'm checking out another figure from Funko's excellent Vinyl SODA line and it is of course Mer-Man. Interestingly, this Mer-Man Vinyl SODA figure wasn't an exclusive from an online convention or something and just kind of popped up on the second hand market. Did Mer-Man even show up on sites like Big Bad Toy Store and Entertainment Earth? I never saw him anywhere! He wasn't expensive when I got him, though (standard retail price, really) so I have no clue how Funko directly got him out for sale. Funko is putting out a nice assortment of the Masters of the Universe crew in this line and it's nice to have another of the original 8 figures in this line. Let's dive in and check out Mer-Man after the break...

Action Figure Review: Goldberg from Masters of the WWE Universe by Mattel

 

   Who's next? Why it's Goldberg, of course! I recently stumbled upon most of series 6 of Masters of the WWE Universe while checking out an out of town Walmart. I found everyone but Kane, so I'm still on the hunt for him. Which Masters of the Universe character is this version of Goldberg inspired by? Ram Man! Billed as the Heroic Human Jackhammer Goldberg is ready to plow his way through his enemies! Ready for another interesting amalgam of the MOTU aesthetic with the star power of the WWE? Then join me after the break....

Action Figure Review: Ice Mario from Super Mario by Jakks Pacific

 

   I've loved Super Mario Bros. ever since I was a child. Honestly, it's probably up there with G.I. Joe, Ghostbusters, and Masters of the Universe as the properties I've loved the longest. My seven year old is nuts about Mario and the Nintendo characters too and so we spend a lot of time playing the Nintendo Switch. I loved Jakks Pacific's World of Nintendo line and collected it pretty steadily for years but the distribution was never great on it and the line really started getting to be filled with too many repaints. A few months ago my daughter and I switched out a display shelf in the living room and filled it with the World of Nintendo and Super Mario figures (it looks so good that my wife approved!). Now we've been going back and picking up a few figures we missed out on over the past year or so. Recently GameStop has been getting these in again in their own unique exclusive boxes and we stumbled upon an Ice Mario. This guy was originally released in wave 1-5 of World of Nintendo but it was also released in the Super Mario line a year or so ago. I never picked this version of Mario up previously but seeing him in GameStop a month or so ago while with my daughter convinced me to snag him. Ready to check out the powered up Ice Mario? Then join me after the break...

Masters of the Universe Month 2021: Panthor from Pint Size Heroes: Masters of the Universe by Funko

 

   Saddle up and let's take a look at another toy or collectible based on one of the 1983 additions to the Masters of the Universe line for today's installment in Masters of the Universe Month 2021! I've mentioned multiple times this month that the 1983 MOTU line really focused on creating symmetry between the Heroic Warriors and the Evil Warriors and today we're checking out Panthor, the evil counterpart of Battle Cat. Last year I looked at the Pint Size Heroes Battle Cat for Masters of the Universe Day so how about we check out Panthor for this year's celebration? The vintage Panthor was a purple, flocked repaint of Battle Cat without a helmet and that goes for this tiny version of Panthor as well. Ready for a look at Skeletor's loyal and ferocious flocked feline? Then join me after the break...

Action Figure Review: Land Shark from Masters of the Universe Origins by Mattel

 

   

   Mattel is really pumping out Masters of the Universe Origins product in 2021 and one of the coolest items that's come out so far is a remake of the Land Shark. Based on the original 1985 vehicle, the Land Shark isn't too different from the original toy at all. It's a little larger, a little brighter, and it has fewer separate pieces than the vintage toy but otherwise it's quite similar. The Land Shark is my favorite of the vintage vehicles (I think; I really like the Roton, too) and I'm thrilled to get it this early in the line. The other good thing about the Origins Land Shark is that it works pretty well with Masters of the Universe Classics, too. Ready to take a spin in the Land Shark? Then join me after the break...

Toy Review: Man-At-Arms from Vinyl SODA by Funko

 

   Ready for another Vinyl SODA review? Good because I am too! Today I'm checking out the Vinyl SODA Man-At-Amrs, one of the four Masters of the Universe items that Funko offered up at the Spring 2021 Funko Virtual Con. For a line that's only a little over a year old now The Vinyl SODA MOTU offerings are fairly robust. Man-At-Arms was released as a "limited" run of 7,500 with part of that run being a chase variant based on snake Man-At-Arms from the Mike Young Productions animated series. So far as I can recall Snake Man-At-Arms and Battle Mode Kobra Khan are the first chase variants in this line to have unique sculpts. That's kind of frustrating, really. The paint variants were OK but new sculpts seems kind of frustrating, especially due to how limited these are and the fact that they come blind packaged. Oh well, at least Man-At-Arms himself is really cool. Let's check this one out after the break...