Wrapping Up 2022: Stratos from Masterverse/ Masters of the Universe: New Eternia by Mattel

 

   The New Eternia releases in the 2022 Masterverse line seem to have been very well received. While I love the character selection and variety of the Masters of the Universe: Revelation and Princess of Power subsets, the New Eternia designs made for some of the coolest figures of last year. I mean, they've even made Stratos really interesting. I've talked before about how I've never been a big Stratos fan; I didn't have him as a kid, he doesn't usually have any weaponry, and he's usually a bit dull to me. This one's a real winner, though. Ready for a look at a Stratos figure who really soars? Then join me after the break...

The Facts:

Height: 7 inches

Articulation: Swivel/hinge ankles, calf 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: 4 interchangeable hands, 2 piece left wing, 2 piece right wing, harness, belt, mask, wand, collar, and jetpack

Non-Scalper Price: $22- $23 dollars

The Positives:

* One of the cool things about New Eternia is that you can typically gear the figure up to look more like their vintage counterparts. Here's Stratos looking like a really nicely detailed modern update of the vintage figure. He's using a "furry" body but sporting his red wings, feathered trunks, and his jetpack harness. One thing I love about this version of Stratos is that instead of having plain feet, he actually has clawed feet. All of his gear is easily removable and looks great on him. He quite fun and comes with a ton of stuff. 

* His portrait is great, too. I love his big, bird-like eyes and the really cool goggles he's sporting. His helmet is crested, kind of like a bird, I guess. It's really nice looking. Honestly, this might be the best Stratos headsculpt I've ever seen. If there's a better one, remind me of it. 

* I'm loving his feathered trunks. It's a cool new upgrade for the character, the sculpt is really sharp, and Stratos even gets some different colored feathers here. That belt is really nice, too. Very detailed. 

* On each arm Stratos is sporting wings. They're removable and they're jointed at the "elbow" area, so they can move with his arm movements. If you wanted shorter wings, which might be closer to the vintage look for some people, you could remove the upper wing portion. 

* Stratos doesn't just fly with wings or magic; he's got some technology, too. The back of his harness has an attachment point for his jetpack that's decorated with some little tech greeblies: wires and circuitry and stuff. 

* The jetpack is really cool and has an excellent sculpt. It just looks so sharp in metallic blue, doesn't it? I also really like how it attached to the harness; it has two tabs that slide in it latches in place.

* If you want Stratos to look a bit more like the vintage Mark Taylor art, there's a feathery collar that can fit around his neck. He sported this in some of the earliest minicomics, too.

* The red belt from the concept art is included her but now there's also a dark blue gas mask that can plug into it. Fit it over Stratos' head and he's ready to soar even higher into the air. MOTU often features characters using technology to augment their natural abilities and this seems like a natural extension of that. It also reminds me of elements of Stratos' design in the 2010s DC Comics series, where Stratos often wore a full head covering. 

* The articulation is excellent on Stratos. Durable, and with a great range of motion. He's really fun to pose and his long limbs make flying and battle poses look pretty cool. 

* Stratos comes with two sets of hands: The standard gripping hands and a pair of open palms for swooshing around Avion. 

* Stratos comes with what looks like the Staff of Avion, but it's smaller. More like a wand or a scepter than a staff. It's really nice and captures the colors and some of the shapes of the previous incarnations of the staff, but more compact and far less cumbersome. 

   Stratos is Epic. He's one of the best figures from Masterverse from 2022. He's just a solid figure, sure, but I'm more impressed by all of his gear and how many different ways you can display them. Mattel is knocking the New Eternia subset of Masterverse out of the park and I'm really hoping we keep getting more. I recently picked up a Two-Bad, so expect a review of him (them?) soon, too. They're another New Eternia release, so I have high hopes. I'm not sure many figures soared higher than Stratos in 2022, though. He's incredible.





   If you're a Stratos fan then check out my review of MOTUC minicomic inspired Stratos, Trap Jaw, and Prince Adam, the Origins Stratos and Stratos (Minicomic), the Netflix He-Man 8 inch Stratos and 5.5 inch Stratos, the M.U.S.C.L.E. green Stratos from series #2, the minifigure Stratos from the 200x Heroes Vs. Villains Gift Pack #1, the Mega Construx Stratos and the Mega Construx Heroes Stratos, the ReAction Stratos (Blue Wings), the deluxe Play Set from Colorforms, the Monogram International Stratos bag clip, the Club Grayskull Stratos, and Super7's Neo-vintage Stratos.

For more Masterverse reviews check out the following:

Masters of the Universe
He-Man vs. Skeletor: 40th Anniversary

Masters of the Universe: New Eternia
Battle Armor He-Man
Beast Man
He-Man

Jitsu
Skeletor
Zodac
Masters of the Universe: Revelations

Andra

Battle Cat

Beast Man 

Evil-Lyn

Evil-Lyn (SkeleSorceress)

Faker

Fisto

He-Man
He-Ro

King Grayskull

Man-At-Arms
Mer-Man

Moss Man

Savage He-Man

Scare Glow

Scareglow (Mattel Creations) 

Skelegod  

Skeletor

Spikor

Stinkor 

Teela (Modern)
Teela (Classic)

Trap Jaw

Tri-Klops
Princess of Power
Catra
Frosta
Hordak

She-Ra