Tuesday, August 4, 2026

Action Figure Review: Ram Man and Fist from Masters of the Universe Chronicles by Mattel

 

   Now that Masters of the Universe (2026) is on Amazon Prime, I've had the chance to watch it again. The second viewing has been incredibly enjoyable and I really do like the movie quite a bit. It's so much fun and the costume designs are incredible. Take Ram Man and Fisto here, who were released as a two pack exclusive to Amazon; Don't these guys look almost exactly like their toy and cartoon counterparts? There's no way anyone familiar with MOTU could look at these guys and not know exactly who they are, which I appreciate. I love MOTU because the characters are wild and over the top. One of my few criticism of the movie is that the jokes over Fisto's name got overplayed a bit and it would have been funnier to me if the joke was that no one on Earth believed that these guys' names were Ram Man and Fisto but, once Adam arrives back on Eternia, they proudly go by these wild names. Still, the character designs were great and Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson and Jon Xue Zhang were both excellent in the roles and brought a lot of power and physicality to the characters. At SDCC 2026 last weekend we learned that Mattel has plans for Masters of the Universe Chronicles and will be mixing up the line with new takes on classic characters and more movie based figures, so we'll hopefully be able to nicely fill out the movie roster in the next year or so. For now, let's check out this powerful duo after the break...




The Facts: Ram Man

Height: 6 3/8ths inches

Articulation: Double swivel/hinge ankles, boot swivels, double hinged knees, balljointed hips w/vertical drop down hinges, balljointed waist, balljointed mid-torso, balljointed shoulders w/ balljointed sockets, bicep swivels, double hinged elbows, double swivel/hinge wrists, balljointed neck, and a barbell jointed head.

Accessories: 4 swappable hands, 2 leg extensions, and axe.







The Facts: Fisto

Height: 6 7/8ths inches

Articulation: Double swivel/hinge ankles, boot swivels, double hinged knees, balljointed hips w/vertical drop down hinges, balljointed waist, balljointed mid-torso, balljointed shoulders w/ balljointed sockets, bicep swivels, double hinged elbows, double swivel/hinge wrists, balljointed neck, a barbell jointed head, and a swivel visor.

Accessories: 4 swappable hands and punching effect.

Non-Scalper Price: $54 dollars






The Positives:

* Ram Man looks awesome! Mattel has really went all out on the Masters of the Universe Chronicles releases this year when it comes to unique sculpts and paint applications and both Ram Man and Fisto are evidence of that. Ram Man is slightly shorter than most other characters. He's not crazy short, but he's noticeable a bit smaller. Still, he's not small by any means since he's pretty brawny and beefy. I mean, he's a heroic human battering ram, so you know he's jacked. His outfit looks incredible with so many unique details and textures and lots of unique paint applications. Even his shiny bracers have a bit of a tint to them, almost like a patina or something. His shoulder armor isn't removable but it is a separate piece attached to the figure which looks like it's made of a completely different material than the rest of his outfit. 







* Ram Man's metal harness looks like it's older with lots of nicks and dings on it and a great metallic sheen. It's not shiny and new or anything but it's clearly metal. His tunic also has a great texture with little brass studs all over it. You might also notice that there are some paint applications on Ram Man's biceps, shoulder armor, and on his boots that look like ash or debris that has smeared on hi during combat. He's definitely been fighting and ramming away!













* Here's a shop from the back that shows more of the detail and the paint effects. That armor and the dry brushing effects just look really impressive. 










* Ram Man definitely looks like actor and stuntman Jon Xue Zhang. It's a solid likeness with some excellent face printing on it. While Ram Man's helmet is not removable, it is clearly a separate portrait underneath the helmet piece. That always gives the figure such a better appearance. 











* Ram Man has his coiled pants that look like gutter extensions. They're solid and there is lots of dirt and such all over his boots. 










* Ram Man includes a set of leg extensions that fit between his boots and legs. Just pop them off, add these on, and now you have an effect that shows Ram Man using his legs to spring forward. You can kind of see this in the movie, so it's a cool extra that allows his vintage action feature to be depicted without having a physical action feature in place.  






* Ram Man is a stout fellow with some bulk gear, sure, but I don't think it inhibits his articulation much. Most everything still moves incredibly smoothly. Smooth like butter, really. This might be the most well articulated Ram Man action figure ever. While his neck and head joints are impeded a bit by his helmet and collar, you can still get him in some great ramming poses. He'd honestly look pretty cool with those launching effects on his legs and posed in midair using a flight stand as if he's ramming his opponents. 






* Two swappable hands are included: A pair of gripping hands for holding his axe and a pair of fists for punching. Nothing too fancy, but it does give you a couple display options. 











* While this axe isn't used in the film (this seems to be based on concept art), I'm still happy that the Ram Man action figure comes with an axe. It's a double-headed axe, which is different from Ram Man's usual bearded axe, but it has a ram head design on the hilt. That's a cool little detail!








* Fisto is another of my favorite vintage characters and I really liked his portrayal in the film. Yes, the Fisto jokes in the film were a bit overdone, but the character looked awesome and was an absolute powerhouse. He's instantly recognizable whether you're familiar with him from the vintage toyline or the 200x series. His armor is fantastic and the plastic and paint mimic the look of metal over his tunic. He's also wearing plenty of armored straps to help give him some protection while still keeping him mobile. Another Fisto is supposed to show up within the next year with some slightly different paint deco, a new portrait, and a posable hand, though this set is still the only way to get Ram Man that I'm aware of.










* Here's a look from the back so you can see the detail on Fisto's armor all around. The variety of unique textures, sculpted elements, and paint applications on the MOTU Chronicles so far is really impressive. Mattel has definitely taken a huge step forward with this line. 











* Does Fisto look like actor Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson? I think so. It's a pretty solid likeness! They picked a very solid and massive guy to play Fisto in the film and he definitely has the physical presence you'd expect for the character. The hair looks good and the likeness is pretty decent. It definitely looks better in person than in most shots but I think it captures Jóhannesson's likeness quite well. The upcoming single release of Fisto is supposed to have a revised portrait with a different expression, so that's an option in the future. 






* Does Fisto come with a massive, mechanized fist? You'd better believe it. The sculpted detail on the individual fingers looks pretty solid and I like how there seems to be an access panel opened up so he can tinker with the inner mechanics. 










* Fisto has armored kneepads, armored shin pads, and some wicked cool boots that are covered with muck, grime, and mud from his battles against Skeletor and the forces of Snake Mountain. 








* Like Ram Man, Fisto's articulation is excellent. Mattel really designed and committed to a new articulation model with Masters of the Universe Chronicles that borrows elements from import lines like S.H. Figuarts with joints that are designed for smooth movement. The waist and mid-torso have balljoints with a great range of motion and the shoulders have the imbedded balljoints with an exterior swivel/hinge joint. They're solid, sturdy figures and they pose fantastically well. I did hear about some QC from some of the Skeletor figures back in May but I never experienced any issues.





* Fisto comes with swappable hands: Two metal fists for his right hand and two regular hands for his left. There's an open palmed metal hand and a closed fist, both with excellent details. On the left hand there's a standard fist and a grip, though he doesn't come with anything to hold. Apparently the upcoming revised movie Fisto will have some articulated fingers, so that will be interesting to see how it turns out. 







* Fisto doesn't come with his classic sword or anything (which wasn't in the film) but he does come with an energy effect to replicate a powerful punch from his metal fist. It slides over his right fist and looks pretty cool, kind of like a hadouken from Street Fighter, but delivered via a powerful punch. 






   Ram Man and Fisto are both really good figures and they make for a powerful two-pack. I think I like Ram Man a bit more than Fisto, but they're both incredibly well made figures with excellent articulation and detailed sculpts with plentiful paint applications. The extra parts to show off their special abilities/ vintage action features aren't bad, either. This is a Great and a 1/2 set and well worth picking up, particularly if you're a Ram Man fan. I haven't heard about Ram Man releasing on his own at any point so I'd rather have this pair than just the updated Fisto coming out. Mattel has plans to continue this line both with new characters and movie characters, so it seems that eventually we will be able to fill out the movie roster. 


  If you're a fan of Ram Man/ Krass, I've also reviewed the 200x Ram Man, the Origins Ram Man, the Masterverse: New Eternia Ram Man, the Netflix Ram Ma'am (a Rule 63 Ram Man), the M.U.S.C.L.E. green Ram Man and traditional pink Ram Man, the ReAction standard Ram Man and Ram Man (Mini Comic), the Loyal Subjects Ram Man, the Eternia minis Ram Man, the Hot Wheels Ram Man emblazoned '41 Willys Coupe 2002 #91, the Turtles of Grayskull Ram Man, and the MOTUC Ram Man.

   
  If you're a Fisto/ Malcom fan, check out my review of the Origins Fisto, the Masterverse MOTU: Revelation Fisto and New Eternia Fisto, the MOTU: Revelation Eternia Minis Fisto, and the Fisto and Stridor set, Fisto from the M.U.S.C.L.E. Masters of the Universe #1 set, the Loyal Subjects' Fisto and Hot Topic exclusive Fisto (Black Boots), the Mega Construx Fisto and Fisto & Cliff Climber, and the Club Grayskull Fisto.

For more Masters of the Universe Chronicles figures check out the following:










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