Action Figure Review: Clamp Champ #84 from POP! Retro Toys: Masters of the Universe by Funko

 

   A new series of Masters of the Universe POP! vinyls has started showing up and so far I've managed to get my hands on four of them. Let's start things off by checking out Clamp Champ, one of the new characters introduced in the 1986 toyline. Clamp Champ has appeared in quite a few different MOTU comics over the years but hasn't made it into any of the animated shows until Masters of the Universe: Revelation last month where he appeared briefly in the first episode. The bios for Masters of the Universe Classics really did a lot to build up Clamp Champ's character (real name Raenius) and he tends to show up in most toylines based on the classic line. Ready for a look at the new Clamp Champ POP! vinyl? Then join me after the break...

Minifigure Review: Mer-Man from Masters of the Universe: Micro Collection by Mattel

 

   It's almost been a month since I last reviewed one of these Masters of the Universe: Micro Collection figures so I guess it's about time I checked out another. Remember that these are Dollar Tree exclusives and they're only a buck! Today we're going to be diving in and looking at Mer-Man! One of the original 1982 figures Mer-Man is one of Skeletor's most prominent lackeys who tends to show up in most MOTU toy offerings. Of course, most of the time Mer-Man toys are based on his appearance in the Filmation cartoon or on the cross sell art from the back of the package. Mer-Man's vintage head has often seemed like his least popular look which is unusual for a vintage toy but since Mattel seems to be going almost straight vintage with these little guys this Mer-Man is about as vintage as you can get without traveling back in time to watch Rocky III, listen to Thriller, and bite the head off of a bat with Ozzy! Let's check it out after the break...

Action Figure Review: Dormammu from Marvel Legends Series: Super Villains by Hasbro

 

    Yesterday I reviewed the Hood from the recent Super Villains/ Xemnu series of Marvel Legends figures and today I'm reviewing the source of the Hood's hood: Dormammu! OK, so Dormammu is far more than just the source of the Hood's hood but it is a connection to the previous figure so I went with it. I was quite excited for the release of this Dormammu as the last Dormammu was a modern styled build-a-figure from the series of figures released with Doctor Strange back in 2016. Dormammu is one of the big bads of Doctor Strange (perhaps his primary antagonist?) and getting a classic version is a welcome addition to the Marvel Legends ranks. While I'm still waiting for a classic Doctor Strange from Hasbro a classic Dormammu helps to bring in some old school Marvel goodness. Let's see if Dormammu is a good bargain after the break...

Action Figure Review: The Hood from Marvel Legends Series: Super Villains by Hasbro

 

      I'm slowly making my way through the Xemnu/ Super Villains series of Marvel Legends figures and today for my third review from the set I'm checking out The Hood! There are a couple characters in this set who I wasn't aware of before the series was announced and the Hood is one of them. Created in 2002 by Bryan K. Vaughan, Kyle Hotz, and Eric Powell, the Hood is the name give to smalltime criminal Parker Robbins after he acquires a magical hood and decided to go big time. Even though he's been around for nearly 20 years at this point I can't recall ever seeing or hearing about the guy. I still picked him up, though, because I was planning on buying over half of the figures anyway and I wanted to build Xemnu, he was one of the first figures I found from this series back in late June, and he just seemed like a fun toy. The Hood has become somewhat of an action figure punchline lately because what do you get when you remove his hood and pistols? A screaming average guy. Need a regular criminal for your figures to fight? Why not the Hood? Want to represent an action figure collector ranting about exclusives or fighting with a Target employee about the release of G.I. Joe figures? here comes the Hood! He's far more versatile than you might think! Let's check out a rather interesting Marvel Legends Series release after the break...

Action Figure Review: Asajj Ventress from Star Wars: The Black Series Phase IV by Hasbro

    New figures from Star Wars: The Black Series Phase IV have been very tough to find this year and somehow I managed to stumble upon Asajj Ventress when she was listed on Amazon at a regular price. While she's never appeared in any of the live-action films Asajj Ventress is a popular character with an excellent storyline spanning The Clone Wars animated series and some of the best books in the new canon, particularly Dooku: Jedi Lost and Dark Disciple. This is probably the most classic and recognizable look for Ventress and it was a great choice for her first Black Series figure (I'd love a Dark Disciple "hero" version of Asajj Ventress along with Quinlan Vos, too) and Hasbro did a pretty nice job with it. Let's take a look at one of the popular non-film characters of the Prequel era after the break...

Action Figure Review: "Buzz Saw" Hordak from Masters of the Universe Origins by Mattel

 

   Buzz-Saw Hordak was released in 1987 as the third and final Hordak figure released in the vintage line. While he has a cool gimmick I've always found it kind of odd that Buzz-Saw Hordak didn't really look any different from regular Hordak. At a glance he's the exact same figure. That's the direction that the Masters of the Universe Origins version of "Buzz Saw" Hordak has gone in as well: He's very similar to the standard Hordak from the fourth series of figures but with a new torso and some new heads. "Buzz Saw" Hordak is one of the deluxe MOTU Origins figures which was definitely the right way to release him. Not only have the deluxe figures included lots of extra pieces and alternate heads but the figures also mostly have functioning action features. That's pretty cool! And, yes, it means "Buzz Saw" can actually launch saw blades from his chest. Let's jump in and see what all of the....buzz...is about after the break...

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

 

   Ready for an all new He-Man review? Of course you are! I watched all five episodes of the first half of Masters of the Universe: Revelation with my family on Friday and while I am really enjoying the series so far I understand some of the reasons why it has been so divisive. It's a bold, interesting take on MOTU that draws from multiple sources and tries some new stuff. At this point I'm going to avoid spoilers as much as possible since the show hasn't even been out for a week yet. So, where to start? Well, this is He-Man from the new show. While the style is a bit different overall he looks like the He-man you remember, particularly if you're most familiar with the cartoons. There are some minor differences but overall he feels like a combination of the Filmation character design with some elements of the 200x style. I like the look of these Masterverse figures overall and am really enjoying the line. While I was watching MOTU: Revelation I kept seeing characters in the show and adding them to my mental wish list of figures I hope to see in Masterverse. Of course, who would collect this line without picking up He-Man? Let's take a look at He-Man after the break...