Malevolent May: Hordak from Masters of the Universe Classics by Mattel

 

   It's time for another Hordak review for Malevolent May and today I'm checking out the original Hordak figure from Masters of the Universe Classics by Mattel. It's no secret that Masters of the Universe Classics is my favorite toyline of all time so it's always exciting to go back and review one of the figures released before I started reviewing them. Hordak was released in June 2009 and was one of the original figures planned for release before the line turned into an ongoing juggernaut. Hordak's a great example of the early years of MOTUC and the superb work of the Four Horsemen and the Mattel design team at the time. He's a great update of the vintage figure but with improvements! Rather than just having the bat creature shield of the vintage toy Hordak has an actual little minion perched on his arm. His crossbow is improved from the vintage toy and he comes with the staff from his 200x incarnation. Rather than just plain black armor he has the red ribs from the Malaysian Hordak variant. There was a lot of creativity and blending of eras in the early days of the line, some of which sadly disappeared for a bit during the middle years when upper management supposedly became overly involved. Hordak is just excellent, though, so let's take a look at him after the break...

Toy Review: Skeletor from Masters of the Universe Magnets by Monogram International

 

      A couple months ago I reviewed two of the Masters of the Universe Magnets from Monogram International. These little guys are based on the Masters of the Universe Figural Bag Clips from 2020 and, like the bag clips, were sold in foil blind bags. Interestingly, the magnets have been appearing in little clear plastic bags as well. My parents were at an FYE a week or two ago and called me to ask if I had any of the Masters of the Universe Magnets as they had found some. I assumed they were referring to the blind bags but when they sent a picture and I was surprised to see the magnet visible. I've seen these at a Hot Topic as well so it seems they're being sold alongside other Monogram International magnets on little hanger tabs. I didn't have a Skeletor from my blind bag pulls so that's been rectified! Interestingly for this set Monogram went with the Battle Armor Skeletor design which was one of the "chase" variants from the Figural Bag Clips series. That's pretty cool! Let's take a look at this super attractive (Get it. Attractive). Skeletor magnet after the break...

Action Figure Review: Tri-Klops from Masters of the Universe Origins by Mattel

 

   Today I'm checking out the last figure from series 4 of Masters of the Universe Origins and it's one of Skeletor's most loyal warriors: Tri-Klops! Despite not being one of the original eight characters in the line (he was released as part of the second series in 1983) Tri-Klops definitely "feels" like he's always been a part of Masters of the Universe. That's why it's so odd, then, that I never owned him as a kid. Despite not really being into MOTU until around 1985 and 1986 I had most of the 1982 and 1983 figures but I never owned Tri-Klops. My first Tri-Klops figure was actually the 200x version. I love the guy, though, and he just has a wonderful classic MOTU feel to him. MOTU Origins is definitely making sure to knock out as many figures as they can who use the basic bodies so Tri-Klops was guaranteed sooner rather than later. Let's take a look at the master swordsman who is "Evil & Sees Everything!"

Minifigure Review: Battle Armor He-Man from Masters of the Universe Eternia Minis by Mattel

 

  

    I've finally been able to acquire some of the third series of Mattel's Masters of the Universe Eternia Minis! Before we kick things off with a look at Battle Armor He-Man allow me to rant for a moment: Why does Mattel have such poor communication with collectors and retailers? When Hasbro makes a big announcement their retail partners are typically all ready at the same time for preorders with official press photos and estimated release dates. Mattel showed off the third series of Eternia Minis last year at Power-Con and they recently showed up in stores with no fanfare, a different assortment of figures, and missing the cool Slime Pit themed cases that they were originally shown with. Oh, and retailers selling these or offering preorders had no images until fairly recently. Seriously, Mattel, get someone to handle this stuff! Anyways, on to He-Man! Battle Armor He-Man is another "re-do" of one of the figures from the 2014 MattyCollector exclusive Masters of the Universe minis line. The first two series of the Eternia Minis came "blindboxed" in plastic cases although they did have a code identifying the figure inside so you could make sure not to get duplicates. Now they're sold on little mini blister cards so you can pick exactly who you want (if you can find them). Let's take a look at Battle Armor He-Man after the break...

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

   

   I'm currently finishing up my reviews of the fourth series of Masters of the Universe Origins figures and today I'm checking out Stratos, the Winged Warrior of Avion! Stratos was one of the original eight figures released in the 1982 Masters of the Universe line and now, with his appearance in series 4, we have the original 8-back figures. That's a pretty cool little milestone for Origins! Stratos had a few vintage variants, the most common being whether he had red wings and a blue jetpack or blue wings and a red jetpack. For the series 4 figure Mattel went with the blue wings and red jetpack which is the same as the vintage Stratos figure I own. I've never been a huge Stratos fan and about the only time I've ever found him overly interesting was during the 200x era due to his characterization in the Mike Young Productions animated series. Still, I'm not passing him up, so here he is! Let's take flight with Stratos after the break...

Malevolent May: Hordak from Masters of the Universe Origins by Mattel

 

   It's time for the second installment of Malevolent May and today's Hordak tribute is from the Masters of the Universe Origins line. Hordak is one of the figures in the fourth series of figures which have been showing up on store shelves over the past month or so. I managed to walk into a Target one day and find the whole set in one go which is pretty incredible. Since then I haven't seen a single one. What the heck, Mattel? Also, why are these figures shipped in cases of four? They're fairly small! Why not cases of 8? Anyways, Hordak is the first member of the Evil Horde to appear in MOTU Origins and hopefully he won't be the last. I had both the standard Hordak and Buzz-Saw Hordak as a kid although at some point my original Hordak disappeared or got sold off. Bummer, huh? This guy does a pretty good job of capturing the spirit of the vintage toy although I'm not completely sold on the headsculpt, particularly the eyes. Let's see what the Ruthless Leader of the Evil Horde brings to the Origins line after the break...

Action Figure Review: Firestar from Marvel Legends Series by Hasbro

 

      While most of the Marvel Legends Series figures I've been picking up lately are from the past couple years when I was sort of doing my best to ignore the line to focus on DC Comics stuff I have purchased a few 2021 figures recently. I looked at the Infinity Gauntlet inspired Thanos last month as he was one of the main reasons I got back into Marvel Legends and today I'm checking out Firestar. Angelica "Angel" Jones, AKA Firestar, was created for the 1981 Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends animated series. Over time she slowly made her way into the mainstream Marvel Universe and has been a member of many different teams including the Hellions, the X-Men, the New Warriors, and the Avengers. Why did I buy Firestar? Well, for one she's a really nice looking figure. For another, I wanted to display her with Spider-Man and Iceman. For a third my daughter has this really cool Marvel biography book that we've read through together a few times and Firestar is one of the featured heroes, so that was an influence. Firestar is a Hasbro Fan Channel exclusive meaning she has showed up at places like GameStop, fine e-tailers, and Hasbro Pulse. She's not part of a build-a-figure series but she does come with her doggie companion. Ms Lion! Let's take a look at Firestar after the break...