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Masters of The Universe

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Masters of The Universe

I have been a huge Masters of The Universe fan since I was a child, and I was thrilled when I learned that they would be making new figures with all new sculpts! Sadly, this line was cancelled before all the planned figures were produced. I have reviewed all the figures I own so far, but hopefully I will be able to buy some more online soon. Until then, enjoy the reviews!

Skeletor

Skeletor has 8 points of articulation at the wrists, head, legs, waist, and arms. 4 accessories are included with Skeletor: The Havok Staff, a sword with two halves, and his amour. Some people may not consider the removable amour an accessory, but I do. The action feature old Skelly has is when you press a button on his back; His right arm comes swinging down. This is a very cool toy and looks great when posed fighting He-man.

 

C+

Trap Jaw

Trap Jaw is a very cool character because of the arm. 3 different arm attachments are included with Trappy: A hook, a claw, and a laser gun thingie. His arm swings forward when pulled back and released. Trap Jaw's jaw is also spring loaded. The arm action feature does not work very well, but nonetheless the figure still looks good in spite of it. The best thing about this figure is the detail; it really makes the figure look evil. This is one of my favorite Masters of the Universe figures in my collection.

 

B

Two Bad

The thing I love about this figure is that it has two heads; yes that’s right, two. The action feature is very similar to other Masters of the Universe figures: the right or left arm come crashing down when pulled back. The detail on the purple half of this figure in particular is outstanding; there are all of these little lines and stuff sculpted on. Two Bad is packaged with a club that has two moving sections on the top. He has nine points of articulation: arms, wrists, legs, heads, and waist. I also really like the armor on this guy. To sum up, a very detailed toy but I can’t see having much play value for kids.

 

C+

He-man

I know I should have reviewed He-man from the start as he is the main character, but all of those other figures that looked so cool were just begging me to review them and I couldn't say no. Anyway, to the figure. He-man looks okay I guess. The look is much more improved over the eighty's one though. He doesn't have the bowl cut and the muscles are not huge and rippling like they used to be, but he is still very muscular. He-man comes with a large axe, his power sword, and removable armor. The sword is hinged at the part where the handle and blade connect, so that it can turn when Prince Adam changes into He-man. The action feature is when you turn He-man's waist; His torso comes swinging back in a slashing motion. Now I am not a huge Masters of the Universe fan, I am much more of a Spawn fan. That doesn't mean that I'm not going to collect the figures though; they are great. I just prefer the cool looking evil characters. 

 

C-

Mer-Man

Aside from Skeletor, this is the best villain in the new Masters of The Universe series. Mer-Man includes a trident and a sword. Both can fit into a loop on the back of Mer-Man's removable armor. The "action feature" for this figure is the left arm jutting forward in a stabbing motion when the button on Mer-Man's back is pushed. I like this feature better than many others, such as Man-At-Arms'.  The sculpt for this figure is amazing, the four horse men have done an excellent job on this figure. The head in particular is outstanding, much better than the original Mer-Man figure from the 80's. The only bad thing about this figure is that it is short packed, at only 1 per case. I had to order my figure online. If you are lucky enough to find Mer-Man, pick it up. It is definately worth spending an extra buck for this one.

 

A-

Beast Man

Beast man was one of my favorite characters as a kid, and his new figure is really great. First off, his action feature. When you press a button on his back both of Beast Man's arms come swinging down. This is supposed to be him whipping something with a whip, and it actually works quite well. He has the standard MOTU articulation with eight points at his hips, waist, shoulders, wrists, and head. His only accessories are a whip and the removable armor hanging on his shoulders. Beast Man's whip has chunks missing from it so it can bend. While this does work, I think that some kids could break it after awhile of play. This action figure's likeness to the cartoon is simply fantastic, great work 4 Horsemen.

 

B

Man-At-Arms

Once again, this line has not disappointed me. Man-At-Arms is extremely detailed everywhere I look. His mace is especially battered looking. In the 80's Man-At-Arms’ only accessory was a mace. Now in 2000 he has a gun that can shoot a red missile and clip onto the back of his removable armor. I am not going to write out the eight points of articulation again, you know where they by now. I don't know if it was just with my figure but his mace seems a little droopy. Perhaps it was the kind of plastic they used. But other than that there were no major problems with my figure aside from the sloppy pre-series 7 Marvel Legends paint job on his face. I really like the packaging for Masters of The Universe; the shape of the bubble looks really nice. Man-At-Arms has been majorly updated over the 80's version; I can't believe this line died :(.

 

C+

Orko

Orko isn't quite in scale, but I guess Mattel thought no body would buy the toy if he was really small. He comes with a blue thing that launches an orange orb, and his wand. The 4 Horsemen gave him a blue plastic stand to give the illusion that he is hovering. I like this, but for some reason when you turn the stand Orko's torso turns as well. This is really no problem, and you can just hold his torso still if you need to move the stand. I love this action figure so much more than the one in the 80's, he is actually cool this time! I am convinced that these sculptors can make anything sweet. Oddly I had a lot of trouble finding this guy, until one lucky day when is noticed the corner of his package poking out from under the rack at the store... seems that someone was trying to hide him. So if you have trouble finding Orko, be sure to look on the floor or underneath heavy objects at the store. Just kidding. Anyway, on to the grade.

 

B-

Mekaneck

Mekaneck is one of the coolest figures made in this line. However his action feature could be better in that his waist must be turned in order for his neck to extend. His only accessory is a club that can kinda swing forward when you pull back the spring loaded right forearm. Mekaneck's goggles are see through from the back of his head, but stuff isn't very clear when looked at through the goggles. Mekaneck is also another dorky character made cool for the new series. As usual, he has the normal eight points plus the cut forearm making nine. When these figures are new you may have to break through the paint a bit to turn the waist, you shouldn't get this problem with Mekaneck but if you do make sure to try and turn his waist as the action feature is the best part about this figure.

 

B

Snake Crush Skeletor

Snake Crush Skeletor is really cool; some consider him to be even cooler than the regular Skeletor toy. First off, he has the same articulation as the previous Skeletor from the waist down. Above the belt buckle it is a little different. He has the same shoulder and head joints, but his arms are completely bendy up to the snake heads that replace his hands. The right snake head is spring loaded, and snaps shut when you release it from the open position. SC Skeletor’s other claw is permanently sculpted open. The loin cloth and armor is colored green, and the armor is removable. I am so sorry, but this is the last MOTU review for awhile. I didn't get a chance to buy many figures before the line was cancelled. There is a chance I will order some toys online but it will definitely be awhile :(.

 

B+

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