Friday, April 28, 2023

Masters of the Universe Day 2023: Frog Monger from Masters of the Universe Origins by Mattel

 



   Happy Masters of the Universe Day 2023! Whie I didn't do a month long event this year (since I ended up getting sick right at the end of March and was on vacation for a week or so in April), I still have one or two Masters of the Universe reviews lined up for you today. First up is a look at a mostly all new character in the line: Frog Monger, Dungeon Dweller of Castle Grayskull. I saw mostly all new because an image of this character does appear on the dungeon grate sticker in the vintage Castle Grayskull playset, so while he now has a name and a body, in some ways he's been around since 1982! Interestingly, Frog Monger isn't a villain. He's not a Heroic Warrior either, though. He's a random frog guy who dwells in the depths of Castle Grayskull in his own kingdom of frogs. Normal frogs, not frog people. Originally he was a human. Wealthy and a powerful sorcerer, he sold magic to the both sides of a conflict between the Snake Men and the Eternians. Defeated by the Snake Men, he tried to gain the help of the Eternians (he calls them "Abovers") but they turned him into a frog person and exiled him into the depths of Castle Grayskull. Now, he just hangs out like Gollum, master of his own little world and somewhat out of touch with reality. Frog Monger was sold exclusively through Mattel Creations on January 17th and mine was delivered right at the end of March. Let' take a look at Frog Monger after the break...






The Facts:

Height: 5 3/4ths inches

Articulation: Swivel/ hinge ankles, calve swivels, swivel/hinge knees, balljointed hips, swivel waist, swivel/hinge shoulders, swivel/hinge elbows, swivel/hinge wrists, and a barbell jointed head.

Accessories: Jetpack, pistol, and minicomic.

Non-Scalper Price: $18 dollars







The Packaging:

* Like many of the other Mattel Creations exclusive MOTU figures, Frog Monger comes in really nice packaging. Within the shipping package is a separate shipper box with a drawing of Frog Monger on the front. The figure is carded inside, much like a basic figure, but the back of the package has an incredible image of Frog Monger and the other Caste Graykull dungeon dwellers from the Dwell of Souls. 

The Packaging:



* And here's a shot of the front of Frog Monger's packaging along with the art from the other side of the shipper box. 
The Positives:


* I honesty thought that Frog Monger would share a lot of parts with Tung Lashor, but that's not the case. Frog Monger has an a new torso, and I believe his hand, and lower legs might be a new as well. He looks really cool and definitely feels like he could have been a figure from the vintage line. That's a fantastic accomplishment and always just makes me like an Origins figure more. He's got lots of sculpted warts on his chest, fins and ridges on his arms and legs, and little yellow spots painted on his limbs. The mixture of green and dark green makes him really stand out nicely.  




* While he's clearly a frog guy, Frog Monger could definitely fit in with the Snake Men if you wanted to have him join them. I mean, Tung Lashor is a frog, too. He's got some seriously bulgy eye and four fang-like teeth. Hey, there are some frogs that have teeth or fangs, so it's cool. 


* Frog Monger doesn't hop, because most people in Eternia use things to augment their natural abilities. Stratos has a jetpack, Fisto wears a giant metal glove over his massive fist, and Frog Monger has a jetpack to give him more of a boost. It comes attached but it is a separate piece that fits over his neck (just pop his head off). Pretty cool to have another frog guy in the collection with augmented jumping abilities. 



* The MOTU Origins figures are built like the vintage toys but with more modern articulation. While their bulky frames make the articulation a bit clumsy, they do feel like an evolution of the vintage line. Imagine what you would get if you mixed a vintage figure with a MOTUC figure. They're quite fun to play with.

* They're also modular. and can be easily separated to make your own lazy boy customs!



* Frog Monger comes with a pistol like weapon that definitely brings to mind the retro sci-fi guns included with figures like Zodac and Man-E-Faces, but it has a very unusual. Anyone thing this is a reference to a frog gig, the spear-like weapon used in frog gigging? 




* Frog Monger comes with a unique minicomic, "Hoard of Frog Mongr," a full-sized minicomic. It's a tale of He-Man having to work with Frog Monger to rescue King Randor from  Xeno-Dominus, the Dragon Snake. It includes the Snake Men, a look into the Masterverse, and some ships from the New Adventures of He-Man.

   I'm very pleased with Frog Monger and he adds a fun new character to Masters of the Universe. I've missed two of the Mattel Creations figures so far that I can remember (Origins Grizzlor and Origins He-Skeletor), but I really wanted this guy so I'm glad I managed to grab him. His weapons are very cool, his color scheme is excellent, and he really feels like a vintage figure that just never got made. This guy gets a Great and a 1/2 rating from me. This is actually my first MOTU Origins review of the year, but I've got a few figures still sitting here to review. Maybe another review will pop up later today? Stay tuned!



   Are you jumping up and down for Frog Monger? He also appeared on the dungeon sticker for the Masters of the Universe Classics Castle Grayskull

For more Masters of the Universe Origins reviews check out the following:


3 comments:

  1. That's a cool callback for fans. Kudos to Mattel.

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  2. He'll look cool hanging out with Moaty from Eternia for sure. Yeah, I could see him being this weird little frog guy just bouncing around causing trouble for the Masterverse crew. I dig it.

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  3. And yes, I love stuff like this that hearkens back to the earliest elements of the line. I'd love to see more creatures from the Dwell of Souls as figures in the line.

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