Action Figure Review: Wun-Dar from Masters of the Universe Origins by Mattel

 

  Wonder Bread He-Man. Wun-Dar. Savage He-Man. No matter what you call him, the brown haired He-Man has long been one of the most mysterious figures in the history of toy and action figure collecting. Long believed to be a mail-away promotional item from Wonder Bread (he wasn't), an early prototype for a Conan based toyline (nope), an early version of Prince Adam, a recolored figure for Asian markets, or just a flat out hoax, back in 2020 the mystery was seemingly solved when former brand manager Scott "Toy Guru" Neitlich found a series of correspondences that seem to definitively identify this figure as "Special Edition He-Man." According to the letter addressed to from an upset mother, Barb Hackenburg, the figure was received by her son and nephew as part of a "buy 3, get 1 free" Mattel promotion but disappointed then because it was a figure they didn't recognize who came with no weapons or armor. From follow up letters from Mattel President Ray Wagner and Mark Ellis, Vice President of Marketing, it does seem the idea was to create a unique figure that kids wouldn't already have when they ordered for this promotion. It may have just been a cheaper was to make a new character that kids presumably could outfit with extra accessories they had. I mean, the 1982 G.I. Joe toyline shared headsculpts between multiple characters (Short-Fuze, Flash, Hawk, and Steeler; etc.) so maybe Mattel just thought this was an easy way of making a new, more generic figure and offering up something new?
   While the mystery has seemingly been solved, fans still have a passion for the incredibly rare figure. Named Wun-Dar in Masters of the Universe Classics (due to early speculation about his connection with a Wonder Bread promotion), Wun-Dar, the Savage He-Man, has become a character with his own story who even appears in Masters of the Universe: Revelation. This Masters of the Universe Origins version was sold as a Mattel Creations exclusive. It was kind of a disaster, though, as many of the figures seemed to leak out well before the figure was even announced (presumably they "fell off" the truck) and then on the day of sale he sold out in less than 2 minutes. Maybe even less than 1. According to the Origins team, they claim they didn't realize how popular he'd be. I'm not sure whether or not I believe that but it's possible those figures that seemed to show up early maybe have really depleted the supply for sale. I got an order in on a second batch but it was cancelled shortly afterwards. I finally managed to get one, though, so let's take a look at Wun-Dar, the Savage He-Man, after the break...

Action Figure: Mer-Man from Masterverse/ Masters of the Universe: Revelation by Mattel

 

   With Masters of the Universe: Revolution coming in the future, it still seems timely for Mattel to continue to release figures based on Revelation. I've been itching to watch Revelation again now that I've had some more time to process it (I like it quite a bit even if it wasn't necessarily the story I would have told), and perhaps some of that desire is driven by getting some new action figures. Mer-Man is part of the most recently released series, though he has been available from some retailers since early Spring. My case of Masterverse figures arrived near the end of June, though, and I'm slowly making my way through them. Mer-Man is branded under the Masters of the Universe: Revelation banner and is based on Mer-Man's "modern" look in the story (after the death of He-Man and Skeletor). Mer-Man didn't play a major part in MOTU Revelation, he did show Teela, Evil-Lyn, and Man-At-Arms the way to Subternia. I liked the character in the show but it was weird to hear Kevin Conroy voicing Mer-Man. Conroy's voice just isn't how I've ever imagined Mer-Man voice. Still, I like the ragged and weathered Mer-Man we've got here. Let's take a look at Mer-Man after the break...

Action Figure Review: A.C.R.M. Razor from Final Faction by Greenbrier International

 

   Today I'm reviewing the final accessory set from the newest series of Final Faction releases. It's also the last item currently available as we haven't seen anything else revealed yet, so I guess we're all waiting to see what happens with the line. Let's check out the A.C.R.M. Razor, an accessory pack to add more aerial prowess to the A.C.R.M. Let's take a look at the Razor set after the break...

Action Figure Review: Ragnarok from Marvel Legends Series: Ragnarok from Marvel Legends Series: Thor by Hasbro

 

   Hasbro did release a few comic based figures outside of the Thor: Love and Thunder movie based series and one of them is Ragnarok, a clone of Thor who, ironically, did not appear in the film Thor: Ragnarok. I'm passingly familiar with the comic Civil War but I wasn't aware of Rangarok's presence in the story. Built by Tony Stark, Reed Richards, and a Skrull disguised as Hank Pym from a lock of Thor's hair that Tony's been holding onto for years, Ragnarok looks like Thor but is wildly unpredictable. He seems to go on killing sprees often before getting defeated by Hercules and then Thor himself. Ragnarok is a Target exclusive and comes in an oversized box since he's a fairly hefty figure with a really cool accessory: A swinging Mjolnir effect. Ragnarok was cool on his own but if it weren't for this Mjolnir effect I probably wouldn't have picked him up. Accessories matter, people! Let's take a look at Ragnarok after the break and see how he fares. 

Action Figure Review: Ruck Rampage from Final Faction by Greenbrier International

Ruck is a lucky guy, isn't he? This is his second accessory pack in the line and they're both pretty good. This one is called the Ruck Rampage and it's a heavy armor set for Ruck. Parts of Ruck's armor remind me of Jake Rockwell's gear from Centurions, particularly the Wild Weasel due to the funky helmet. This one's a solid set so let's check it out after the break...

Action Figure Review: Talon Fighter from He-Man and the Masters of the Universe by Mattel

 

 

   Maybe I just forgot I saw it somewhere before but I was pretty surprised to walk into a Walmart a couple weeks ago and discover a Talon Fighter on the shelf. Based on the new Netflix CG animated He-Man and the Masters of the Universe series, this is a slightly more futuristic take on the Talon Fighter that really does have some of the characteristic of the vintage vehicle. It's a sleek, single pilot flying vehicle that is bright, colorful, and perfect for swooshing around the house. I'm pretty sure I've talked about swooshability before, right? That's the satisfactoriness level of a toy based on something that flies. You know, how fun is it to take it in one hand and make it "swoosh" around the house or yard. I was never a big Captain Planet fan but as a kid I had the Geo Cruiser from Tiger Toy's Captain Planet toyline and, man, that thing had some major swooshability. I used to pick that thing and up and rollerblade around my cul-de-sac with it, pretending like I was flying it. I was definitely influenced by Star Fox. When I discovered Star Wars I was definitely met with no end of swooshable vehicles but, being a bit older and starting to consider myself a collector, my swooshing was mostly reserved for inside the house. That little trip down memory lane is simply to say that while this is meant for kids and completely different than the excellent MOTUC Talon Fighter from 2015, this is a very swooshable toy. is it worth picking up? Let's take a look at it after the break...

Action Figure Review: Steel Dragonfly from Final Faction by Greenbrier International

 

  

   Only three more accessory packs left to review in this most recent series of Final Faction toys and today I'm checking out the Steel Dragonfly, an armored flight suit for Steel. For this most recent series of accessory packs Greenbrier International really increased the quality of the designs and included some really impressive and complex upgrades for the Alpha Team 1 heroes from the first series. They also changed the plastic, making things a bit rubberier and more flexible. That actually has worked well for the sets I've reviewed so far but it causes some real problems for today's set as it makes the connections between the wings and the pack far too flimsy. This one is a bit of a disappointment, especially for how cool the design is. Let's take a look at the Steel Dragonfly set after the break...