Thursday, July 22, 2021

Action Figure Review: Evil-Lyn from Masterverse/ Masters of the Universe: Revelation by Mattel



   The release of Masters of the Universe: Revelation on Netflix is almost here and I am absolutely thrilled! I'm also pretty excited that Mattel actually managed to get the figures out in time for the show. I didn't have a hard time at all finding the first series of Masterverse figures and since it seems like they're reliably popping up in large display bunkers at Walmarts I'm guessing lots of you are having success as well. I'm super excited that MOTU:Revelation seems like it will do some pretty exciting things with the property while still being a semi-transitional MOTU show. While some of the characters look very traditional (He-Man and Battle Cat) others are getting some different looks that seem to signify new roles and directions for them. Today I'm checking out Evil-Lyn and of the four basic figures in the first series of figures I think she's the least traditional looking. I've tried to keep myself fairly in the dark about most story elements of the new show but I'm speculating that at some point Skeletor becomes so powerful that Evil-Lyn turns against him or attempts to usurp his power. It's a look for Evil-Lyn that retains some of her classic design elements while also offering up something new. Let's take a look at the Masterverse Evil-Lyn after the break...


The Facts:

Height: 6 1/2th inches

Articulation: Swivel/hinge ankles, boot swivels, double hinged knees, thigh swivels, balljointed hips, swivel waist, balljointed mid-torso, swivel/hinge shoulders, bicep swivels, double hinged elbows, swivel/hinge wrists, and a barbell jointed head.

Accessories: 6 interchangeable hands, 2 interchangeable heads, 2 wands, and a satchel. 

Non-Scalper Price: $20 dollars
Comparison:

* Here's a quick comparison of the Revelation Evil-Lyn (left) with the Battleground Evil-Lyn variant from Masters of the Universe Classics. The size isn't as different as I thought it would be although the Masterverse Evil-Lyn is definitely thinner with more angular features. If you wanted to display this version of Evil-Lyn with your MOTUC figures (maybe as the Evil-Lyn during the He-Ro, son of He-Man era?) I don't think she'd look too out of place.

The Positives:

*Rather than wearing her traditional one piece or the gothic dress of the 200x figure this version of Evil-Lyn is sporting what seems like more of a traveling outfit. Clad in dark blues and greys Evil-Lyn seems more subdued and perhaps a bit more serious. That's not a knock on her traditional costume in any way, but this outfit definitely seems to convey a different attitude for the character. The sculpt and paintwork on Evil-Lyn's outfit is all quite neat and clean and there are quite a few more details on the outfit than you might expect at first. Also, I should mention Evil-Lyn's skin: It's not as yellow as the vintage toy but it's still yellow, more in-line with the Filmation version of the character.



 

* Evil-Lyn comes with two heads, the first of which is a very classic head. She's wearing a spiky looking helmet with an elaborate headpiece which is very classic. The helmet actually looks to be a separate piece, though, and Evil-Lyn's face is perfect. Still lovely but vert severe with strong, angular features. The paint on her eyes is excellent and really makes her quite intimidating.



 

* The second portrait is actually my preferred of the two as it shows an un-helmeted Evil-Lyn with long, white hair. I love this look for her! I've never been a huge fan of Evil-Lyn having short hair (as depicted in the Filmation series) so this one absolutely does it for me. She looks fantastic, right? The heads swap really easily, too, so changing up portraits is a breeze!




 

 

 

* There are some really cool details on Evil-Lyn's outfit and in particular I want to point out the cool loop on her robes, the sculpted in detail on the robes, and her really cool leather boots. The texture on the boots is great.

 * While not every joint is as perfect you might expect from a modern 6-7 inch figure Evil-Lyn made out pretty well. She has a fantastic range of joints, most of which have an excellent range of motion. You can really have fun posing her in all sorts of spell casting poses. Her robe is also nice and pliable and has two long slits in the sides to ensure a full range of leg motion.




 * Mattel really seems to be putting some effort towards making Masterverse a solid toyline and the accessories included with some of these figures are definitely a draw. Evil-Lyn comes with six hands: Two gripping hands, two gesturing hands, and two fists. They swap in and out well and she looks perfect with them. My favorites are the gesturing hands as they're great for spell casting!

 

* Evil-Lyn's outfit is complemented by a brown satchel that's carrying some mysterious red object inside. What is it? Who knows! The satchel fits around either shoulder and really completes her look.






* Evil-Lyn comes with two magic staffs, both of which seem heavily inspired by her Filmation staff. The first one is a short wand, similar to the wand included with the vintage toy. The bony claws holding the translucent purple orb in place look pretty spooky!


* The second staff is a full sized magical staff like the 200x cartoon version of Evil-Lyn. Since they look so similar I'm curious if Evil-Lyn will be able to change the size of her wand at will in the new show. That could be a pretty cool feature!
   So far Evil-Lyn is hands down the best figure in the series that I've reviewed. She really is a fantastic looking toy and one of the best collector targeted figures that Mattel has put out. An interesting new costume, two fantastic portraits, multiple hands, cool accessories, and useful, well designed articulation. The Masterverse: Revelation Evil-Lyn is Epic and she's definitely the figure I'd recommend the most. I should be reviewing some of the other series one figures here shortly so stay tuned for those reviews. Don't bother me tonight around midnight, though. I've got plans!


   If you're a fan of Evil-Lyn I've also reviewed the Masters of the Universe Classics Evil-Lyn, the M.U.S.C.L.E. Evil-Lyn from the Masters of the Universe green boxed set, Tweeterhead's Evil-Lyn bust, the ReAction Evil-Lyn, the Eternia Minis Evil-Lyn, Super7's neo-vintage Evil-Lyn, the Monogram International Evil-Lyn bag clip, the standard Evil-Lyn POP! + Pez dispenser and the Evil-Lyn (Metallic) POP! + Pez Dispenser, the Rock Candy Evil-Lyn, the MOTU Origins Evil-Lyn, the Mega Construx Evil-Lyn and Evil-Lyn (series 2)and Mega Construx Heroes Evil-Lyn.

For more Masterverse reviews check out the following:
Masters of the Universe: Revelation








 



10 comments:

  1. Loving these figures! Can't wait to watch the cartoon this weekend with my kids!!!

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    1. Me too! I've watched two episodes so far and I'm really enjoying it.

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  2. That is wild! Reminds me of the old light piping tricks that Kenner used on figures like the Jawas, R2-D2, and the T-800 endoskeletons.

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  3. MekaneckfrenchiefrogFebruary 27, 2023 at 4:29 AM

    It's amazing how well this one turned out, considering it came so early in the line. Also, many of those early Masterverse figures didn't appeal to me at all visually (Moss Man, Mer-Man, first Beast Man..), which might explain why it took me so long to get into the line. Last but not least, I think Evil-lyn might have the best face of all the Masterverse girls (certainly better than Catra and Teela, and more expressive than She-Ra.. and I haven't seen Frosta yet). I saw Evil-Lyn ver. 2 a few days ago in a Paris shop, and she looked fantastic - I like how they made the colours a bit brighter this time around. (Couldn't buy her on the spot though, as I had just bought the deluxe "Jake Sully & Banshee" Avatar set for my daughter, and this damn box is huge..).

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    1. MekaneckfrenchiefrogFebruary 27, 2023 at 2:59 PM

      Yep, that's true - that's because I don't like the character at all. In "human" form she looks like something out of the X-Men. And with her cape and mask on, she looks like a bounty hunter in Star Wars..

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  4. MekaneckfrenchiefrogFebruary 28, 2023 at 2:04 AM

    Well, nothing wrong with either Star Wars or X-Men, mind you - it's just that she didn't look very MOTU to me.. Roboto doesn't look Star Wars-ish to me though, he looks like he was inspired by one of those 1980's Japanese live action shows, like Gavan (remember him ?)..

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    1. I've definitely given up on trying to figure out what looks like MOTU and what doesn't. I mean, yeah, muscular guys and ladies in furry clothes or bizarre gimmicks, sure. But once you get past that MOTU is all over the place. I do see Andra looking like an X-Men character (she'd be right at home in the future of Days of Future Past) and like a Star Wars bounty hunter, but she also kind of covers the fantasy archetype of the Rogue as well. There haven't been too many MOTU characters who I'd classify as rogues (maybe Seahawk), so I dig her.

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    2. Robot works really well in MOTU because he's definitely simpler, though. Yeah, he's technically a "droid" too, but he's got gears and stuff, even though he's quite complex. While he doesn't really have a steampunk aesthetic, I guess the fact that he looks like he could be built with parts and gears still gives him that same feeing.

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    3. MekaneckfrenchiefrogMarch 3, 2023 at 1:45 PM

      Not so much into Star Wars these days, either (I only like the first trilogy, anyway - New Hope, Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi) - but there are certain obscure characters I still really, really dig. Like, do you know the obscure and super mysterious bounty hunter Zuckuss, and his droid comrade called 4-LOM ? These two are absolutely killer - especially Zuckuss.

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    4. I love all of those TESB bounty hunters. Probably my favorite group to complete in any Star Wars line I delve into. I'm all about the bounty hunters, scoundrels, and fringe characters like that.

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