Action Figure Review: He-Man from He-Man and the Masters of the Universe by Mattel

 

   Mattel's He-Man and the Masters of the Universe line, based on the Netflix animated series of the same name, is a completely different animal from Mattel's other MOTU lines out on store shelves right now. Masterverse, Masters of the Universe Origins, and even the Mega Construx line, are obviously strongly marketed towards collectors. He-Man and the Masters of the Universe is clearly aimed at strictly at kids, though, and it feels like many of the other lower-budget that are out on shelves chasing kids dollars. With two scales (5.5 inch and 8.5 inch), open packaged deluxe items, figures on motorcycles, and large, colorful, chunky figures with simple articulation, this line definitely seems designed to attract the attention of the kiddos. The 8.5 inch line is an example of what is often  referred to dismissively by collectors as "shampoo bottle" figure: Hollow plastic figures designed to be oversized while still sold at a "budget" price. I've already reviewed the Battle Armor He-Man 8.5 inch figure so today I'm checking out the basic 8.5 inch He-Man. Let's take a look at this guy and see if he's worth picking up after the break...

Action Figure Review: Man-At-Arms and Sky Sled from He-man and the Masters of the Universe by Mattel

    Today I'm looking at the third of the bike and rider sets from Mattel's He-Man and the Masters of the Universe line and this time it's Man-At-Arms and the Sky Sled. I was kind of surprised when I stumbled upon this guy at my local Walmart a couple weeks ago as I didn't even realize that this set was available. I still haven't found the standard 5.5 inch Man-At-Arms figure yet so I was extra excited to stumble upon this guy. While He-Man and the Masters of the Universe is really built around a team of heroes, the first series relies very much on He-Man and Skeletor though there are three Man-At-Arms items available currently. In the new show Duncan is about the same age as Adam (he might be a little older) which is a huge change from how the character has always been portrayed. Initially Duncan is the assistant to Kronis (who was once the Man-At-Arms for King Randor) but soon joints up with the Adam and the other heroes. Once Adam/ He-Man discovers how to power-up his friends with the Power of Grayskull Duncan armors up and takes on the name Man-At-Arms for himself. This version of the character is wearing blue armor which seems to be a made up variant for the toyline and he's riding the Sky Sled, which doesn't look at all like the Sky Sleds from the show. How weird that Mattel is making stuff up already from a show that has pretty solid character and vehicle designs, huh? Let's check this set out after the break and see how it compares to the rest of the line so far...

Ornament Review: Castle Grayskull from Hallmark Keepsake by Hallmark

 

   Well, Halloween has come and gone but today I've prepared a very special review today to help bridge the link between the Halloween season and the upcoming Thanksgiving and Christmas seasons. Let's look at a Christmas tree decoration that ties in with the 31 Days of Toy Terror: Skeletober theme: Castle Grayskull! Hallmark has released two previous Hallmark Keepsake ornaments but this Castle Grayskull is without a doubt the best yet. I'm not sure there's anything more iconic to Masters of the Universe than Castle Grayskull and this ornament is one of the most impressive renditions of the castle that we've seen. While my vintage Castle Grayskull came from a yard sale when I was a child (I wasn't born until 1983, so I'm a bit younger than most MOTU fans) it doesn't take long to find other fans posting childhood photos of them happily receiving Castle Grayskull on Christmas morning. This is an incredible ornament that I'm so thrilled to have. Let's get ready to deck the halls of this ancient fortress of mystery and power after the break...

Action Figure Review: Trap Jaw from He-Man and the Masters of the Universe by Mattel

 

   The marathon of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe reviews continues and today I'm reviewing a figure that's neither He-Man nor Skeletor: It's Trap Jaw! I've only watched 7 of the 10 episodes available so far and, as of yet, I haven't actually seen Kronis turned into Trap Jaw yet. In the Netflix series He-Man and the Masters of the Universe Kronis was once the Man-At-Arms to King Randor before conspiring with Keldor and Evelyn to overthrow Randor. When the series begins Trap Jaw is still Kronis and he's working with Eveleyn and his young apprentice, Duncan, to get revenge on Randor. The show does a great job of fleshing out Kronis/ Trap Jaw and he's one of the best villains on a show that has had very strong villains so far. The Evil Warriors ought to be proud of themselves and I'm hopeful that this toyline lasts long enough to get us non-transformed versions of the villains, too. Keldor, Kronis, Evelyn, and R'Qazz all have fantastic designs. Trap Jaw is definitely recognizable from his vintage toy and from other MOTU media, though, and he's the only help Skeletor has in series one of the toyline. Let's check him out after the break...

Action Figure Review: Skeletor from He-Man and the Masters of the Universe by Mattel

 

   As I continue on my marathon of reviewing figures from Mattel's He-Man and the Masters of the Universe toyline based on the Netflix series of the same name it's time for us to look at the basic 5.5 inch version of Skeletor. Skeletor looks quite cool in this show though he's been used rather sparingly thus far (I just finished episode 7 a few hours ago). A variant of this figure is also available with the Panthor motorcycle which I reviewed Thursday but it's the same sculpt with a slightly different paintjob. This one has a better, slightly more intricate paintjob and just looks better. Let's take a look at the evil Skeletor after the break...

Video Review: Chaos Snake Attack from He-Man and the Masters of the Universe by Mattel

 

Yes, I actually did a video review of the He-Man and the Masters of the Universe Chaos Snake Attack Playset. I don't do video reviews often but I did one here. Check it out!

Action Figure Review: He-Man from He-Man and the Masters of the Universe by Mattel

 

   

   My review marathon of Mattel's He-Man and the Masters of the Universe line based on the Netflix series of the same name continues with a look at the standard He-Man from the 5.5 inch line. Yes, Mattel has divided this line up into two scales, 5.5 inch and 8.5 inch, which always seems like a strange move to me. With a toyline based on a cartoon on Netflix that is largely untested with today's kids, is there really a need for multiple scales? I really think the idea behind this is that having different scales creates more SKUs for store shelves but that's at the expense of a more robust toyline. Still, despite my complaints there it does seem that Mattel has lots more figures in store if the line is successful. I've already talked quite a bit about the new He-Man design in my review of the He-Man and Ground Ripper set so for this one we'll just jump right in and look at the basic He-man for this line. Let's check him out after the break...