Action Figure Review: Fortress Armory Manhole Cover for Castle Grayskull by BadVermin

     Today's review is an interesting piece by custom toymaker and He-Man.org member BadVermin that's designed to fix a problem with the upcoming Masters of the Universe Classics Castle Grayskull. It's the Fortress Armory Manhole Cover, a double sided manhole cover that will fill in a gap in the floor of the interior of the Castle Grayskull playset. In the new Castle Grayskull, there is an extra floor piece that has a hole in it which was designed to hold the arm of the Wind Raider stand so that the Wind Raider can be docked inside of the castle. It seems that many fans weren't happy with the feature, however, and lamented the fact that the floor extension would have an ugly hole in it. Well, not any more! With this double sided piece you can cover that hole with either a rusted metal seal or a worn wood cover. Want to learn more about a simple way to improve your Castle Grayskull? Then read on after the break....  

     The Fortress Armory Manhole Cover is cast in plastic resin and colored with Cartoon Colour* Cel-Vinyl and metallic paint. It's a very high quality, durable piece that really matches the aesthetic of MOTUC and Castle Grayskull. Side one (above) is a rusted metal seal that features the He-Man cross emblem. This would seem to be a great side to display if you're interested in portraying the cover as securing some ancient passage containing mysterious secrets. It really does look like a solid metal piece with an effective worn look.  My favorite is the wooden side, however. It really does look like it's made out of old warped wood, possibly concealing a passage that leads down into the dank, dark sewers underneath Castle Grayskull. There's a fantastic wash on the wood and the nails on the edges of the boards are given a great metallic paint job. 

     While Castle Grayskull hasn't been released yet, BadVermin was able to design these based on the dimensions of the Wind Raider flight stand base. As you can see, the manhole cover slides right in. Because the piece isn't perfectly round you will have to use just a little pressure to get it in there and you'll want to use a thin, blunt object to push it out from the other side when you want to swap it out or switch sides as it has a nice, tight fit. It looks great, however, and I'm pretty excited about seeing how it will look inside my Graskull.

     I think Grayskull is going to be a really fun piece that many collectors will customize to their liking and thus a piece like this is a great way to start giving your castle a unique touch. They cost $10 each and can be ordered from BadVermin himself right here. This is a Great item and I'm happy to own one! Now, bring on Castle Grayskull, Mattel!