Action Figure Review: Mer-Man (Lords of Power) from Masters of the Universe: Origins by Mattel

 

   The mini marathon of Masters of the Universe Origins reviews continues with the final figure from series 5: The Lords of Power Mer-Man variant. A classic toy version of Mer-Man was released in series 3 this year but last year Mer-Man was also included as part of the PowerCon 2020 exclusive Lords of Power set. The Lords of Power collection were essentially the prototype versions of some of the earliest Masters of the Universe characters and while they were included in last year's PowerCon exclusive set Mattel seems intent on releasing them in the mainline as ways to continue to refresh main characters like Mer-Man and Beast Man. Mer-Man's Lords of Power/ prototype looks closer to the cross-sell art on the back of the vintage packaging which seems to be more popular for modern depictions of the character. While this is the same sculpt as the exclusive from last year this version of Mer-man does have a slightly different paint job and fewer paint applications, differentiating him from the rarer and far more expensive exclusive. The Lords of Power set was definitely for the most hardcore fans so its nice that Mattel is giving everyone a chance to own a much cooler version of Mer-Man. Let's take a look at the Lords of Power Mer-Man after the break...

Flick or Treat Episode #1: Halloween Kills

 

   Hey everyone! My and my friend The Reel Brad have just posted the first episode of our new podcast Flick or Treat! What's Flick or Treat? It's a podcast dedicated solely to movies that take place at Halloween. There are plenty of horror movie podcasts out there but ours is strictly about movies set during the Halloween season so we're going to work really hard to keep up the Halloween vibe all year long. 

In this episode we chat about Halloween Kills, Spawn toy and comics, the Dark Horse EC Comics collections, me coming in third place in a Halloween Haiku contest at HalloweenHorrorHaiku, and the 1962 Halloween Massacre urban legend. 

   You'll also get to hear Brad's impersonation of Todd McFarlane, me doing a terrible Donald Pleasance, and us butchering the names of half of the cast of Halloween Kills. It's a spooky good way to spend 1 hour and 54 minutes! Check it out and let me know what you think! 

Action Figure Review: Fisto from Masters of the Universe Origins by Mattel

 

 

     I guess it's time I finished reviewing series 5 of Masters of the Universe Origins, huh? If I were giving out an award for the most improved toyline of 2021 I think I would choose Masters of the Universe Origins. Last year the line felt like a standard "retro" line with little character of its own. This year Origins has really grown on me, however, and it's become a very fun and rather unique toyline. Series 6 and Series 7 are hitting stores now which means this line has had a bunch of figures released. Figures, vehicles, and even a playset make for a really fun toyline sold at mass retail for a pretty decent price. Today I'm checking out Fisto who was always one of my vintage favorites. Let's check out this power punching warrior after the break...

Action Figure Review: Snake Face #95 from POP! Retro Toys: Masters of the Universe by Funko

 

    Lately it feels like Mattel and most folks making licenses merchandise have been neglecting the Snake Men. Mattel hasn't released any Snake Men since Masters of the Universe Classics and Super7 never made any of the Snake Men in the M.U.S.C.L.E. or ReAction lines. Neither has anyone else. Funko is currently the only company giving the Snake Men any attention, thus it's very cool to be getting one of the later Snake Men like Snake Face here. Snake Face was an exclusive for NYCC 2021 that is shared with GameStop and you can still find him there in store if you shop around. With some similarities to the mythical Medusa such as the ability to turn heroes to stone, Snake Face is known as the "Most Gruesome of the Snake Men Warrors." I never had him as a kid which is surprising as I loved the Snake Men and I was really into MOTU around 1986 and 1987. It's great to get some of the underappreciated characters from Funko as POP! vinyls and today Snake Face is getting some attention. Join me after the break as we check out Snake Face....

Action Figure Review: Zodac #94 from POP! Retro Toys: Masters of the Universe by Funko

 

   

   The set of the original eight Masters of the Universe figures is one of the most recognizable action figure casts of all time and in most Masters of the Universe toylines they're the first ones to get made. Funko has oddly spaced out the original eight, however, and they still haven't made Teela. That's crazy to me! She has to be coming soon, right? Anyways, as I was saying, the original eight figures usually are the first toys to make it into new MOTU lines but if there's an outlier there, it's typically Zodac. He's a fantastically cool character and maybe it's the fact that he's been portrayed as a bounty hunter, an Evil Warrior, a heroic ally, and a neutral Cosmic Enforcer that has made him an odd character to get a handle on who hasn't been as predominant in as much media as the other original seven characters. The POP! vinyl Zodac is fantastic, though. Released as a NYCC 2021 shared exclusive (he was also sold through Toy Tokyo) Zodac is yet another exclusive. Let's check him out after the break...

 

Action Figure Review: Mer-Man #91 from POP! Retro Toys: Masters of the Universe by Funko

 

   Now that Funko has placed the Masters of the Universe license under the POP! Retro Toys banner they've been going back and redoing some previously released characters in the style of the vintage toys rather than their Filmation looks. Today I'm checking out the Funko Shop exclusive Mer-Man #91 which is a variant of the standard release Mer-Man #88 that I reviewed back in early October. This guy is mostly a blue-green repaint of the previous Mer-Man with a new weapon. It's not a terrible variant as Mer-Man being depicted as blue has a long history in MOTU art and advertising, plus he has the spear from the 200x line to further spice things up. The last time I checked he was on sale for Black Friday as well, so you ca now pick him up for about $9 bucks instead of the usual exclusive price. Let's dive in and check out Mer-Man after the break...

Action Figure Review: Whiplash #82 from POP! Retro Toys: Masters of the Universe by Funko

 

   There were two Masters of the Universe POP! vinyls released for Funkon 2021: Roboto and Whiplash. Since I've already reviewed Roboto it's now Whiplash's turn in the spotlight at Action Figure Barbecue. Whiplash was part of the third series of vintage MOTU toys (from 1984) and is a really common vintage figure to find. He's very recognizable, has a great name, and is well know but he doesn't tend to show up in MOTU merchandising that often. That's why it's so cool to see that Funko seems to be trying to make everyone. Well, except for Teela. Clearly I'm going to have to summon the power of my big ol' boot and go to Funko headquarters to explain why Teela needs to be made in POP! form ASAP. Anyways, we're talking about Whiplash today, the evil tail-lashing warrior who assist Skeletor and the Evil Warriors. Let's take a look at the Funko POP! Whiplash #82 after the break...