Way back when I first started
collecting… wait – that’s not even right. When I bought my
first Masters of the Universe Classics figure, I had no intention of
collecting the line. I bought Scareglow because he looked awesome. A
glow-in-the-dark skeleton with a purple cape is not something I am
capable of passing up. So I was going to buy just that one figure.
Then they offered Trap-Jaw.
Trap-Jaw is also something I am not
going to pass up. He’s my favorite character from Masters of the
Universe and the newest version looked awesome. So I decided I would
buy some of the villains from MOTUC, but that would be it. I had
always loved the crazy creatures that comprised Skeletor’s goon
squad when I was a kid, but I hadn’t cared too much about He-Man
and his boring human friends. Well, except for Man-At-Arms. He was
pretty rad.
So before I knew it I was collecting
the whole line. I subscribed in 2011 and 2012. I don’t remember
exactly when I decided I might as well get a He-Man, but it was
inevitable I was going to have to get the big, blond goof. I finally
pulled the trigger when the first wave of DCUC vs. MOTUC 2-packs got
marked down to $19.99 at Toys R Us. Lord knows I didn’t need a
Superman, but twenty bucks was the cheapest I was going to get a
He-Man for. I knew that one had a slightly different deco, but I
didn’t really care. I just needed him to stand on the shelf and
look like The Most Powerful Man In The Universe. So I bought the
Superman vs. He-Man 2-pack.
I thoroughly enjoyed the comic bookthat came with it, so it was well worth my money.
So that pink-hued He-Man has sat atop
Battle Cat on my shelf for quite some time now. It had always been in
the back of my mind that I might need to get a proper He-Man one day,
but not with any real urgency.
Finally, after totally failing to get
the stuff my wife wanted from Matty’s post-SDCC sale I did get the
Tiny Titans set for Lil’ Troublemaker and threw a He-Man in the
cart as well. He was as cheap as I felt like he was going to get and
I was halfway planning to give the other one and an extra Skeletor to
Lil’ Troublemaker (still thinking about that one – the last thing
I need is for him to want the rest of these grotesquely expensive
figures).
I like the concept of He-Man as a
character very much. I’m just not crazy about Prince Adam.
But if you just take barbarian He-Man
and plop him down on top of his giant green tiger I’m good.
Sculpt: He-Man is as
basic as basic gets in this line. He is the base. Well, the 2-apck
version is actually even more basic, but I’ll get to that.
Just like every other MOTUC figure,
He-Man has ball joints at the head, shoulders, and hips. There are
swivels at the biceps, wrists, waist, thighs, and at the tops of his
furry boots. His elbows, abdomen, and knees all have standard pivots.
His ankles are the old style rocker ankle with the visible peg. That
peg doesn’t really bother me. Don’t get me wrong – I prefer the
closed joint we now have – but so many of my figures do have the
open one.
However – I do have an issue
with Matty raising the prices on the (whatever) figures. It has
already been established that these are $20 figures (and $30 beasts).
Now, if Mattel has actually gone back into production on these then I
understand the price hike. But at the same time, if they have gone
back into production then the heroes should sport the closed ankle
joint. I cannot claim to know the ins and outs of toy manufacturing
and marketing, but it sure seems to me like Matty just jacked up the
price because they could, something they claim they do not do. I
wonder if these will go up to $27 next year. Meaning the exact
same figure will cost thirty-five percent more than it did
just one year ago.
Okay, anyway – He-Man looks great.
The human sculpt on these figures is just as flawless and powerful as
the others. All of the joints on mine work well except for the
ankles, which are quite loose. It’s a good reminder that there are
QC issues that have been addressed. It’s just unfortunate that
they’re not being addressed on the main character of the entire
franchise.
Sculpt-wise there is a difference
between the 2-pack He-Man and this one. 2-pack He-Man (Tupac He-Man?)
has matching wrist bands while regular He-Man has a studded wrist
band on his right arm and a bracer on his left, just like the
original figure. I hadn’t even noticed this until I got regular
He-Man
.
He-Man’s harness looks like it
should. I do like that the new one isn’t as ugly as the old one. It
always bothered me that the straps stuck out so far. I like the
Horsemen’s version. The slot in the back can hold either He-Man’s
battle axe or the Power Sword.
Design: This He-Man’s
skin is slightly darker and has more of a wash than Tupac He-Man. It
is way darker than Thunder Punch He-Man. The skin looks good,
as do the boots and furry underpants, which are also quite different
from Tupac He-Man. The paint on the boot straps is tight and clean,
as is the belt where it meets the underpants.
I also like that there is detailing on
the studs on the belt and right wristband, as well as the left
bracer. It all looks very good and make this figure another example
of how good the Four Horsemen can make even the simplest toy look.
He-Man’s face is accurate and
precise. No derpage or wacky eyebrow action. His hair looks good with
a wash to give it some character. Regular He-Man’s locks are a bit
more orangish, while Tupac He-Man’s is more of a true blonde. I
think I might give this one that head. I like it better.
The Power Swords and battle axe look
great. They’re sharper sculpts than the original toys, but look
basically the same. Each is painted with shiny blades and flat
detailing.
Same goes for the shield. It, too is a
cleaner, more mature sculpt. It still has the same old arm clip,
which fits snugly over He-Man’s left wrist. Oh, and he can hold his
weapons just fine.
Packaging: The nigh unto
perfect Masters of the Universe Classics blister card. It’s a big,
thick plastic blister attached to a card with some beautiful graphics
and a classic cardback featuring other figures in the line and a bio.
Overall: He-Man is
excellent. I am very glad I went ahead and ordered this guy, because
he really is very different from the one I was using before. This is
truly a great He-Man figure. Even though he’s just a boring human,
I really do feel he is a must-have for any toy collection.
5
out of 5
You can buy He-Man right now from
MattyCollector.com, along with several other major MOTU characters
that are constantly available. At the very least every toy collection
should have the MOTUC He-Man and Skeletor.
Side Note: I
don’t know if this He-Man did it, or ToyGuru’s videos, or just
the thought of not getting these guys in the mail every month, but I
went against my better judgment and subscribed again. To this and to
DC.
Look, what it
comes down to is this: I really enjoy these toys. I have found
something to like out of almost every figure I have gotten (Clawful
and Snout Spout are the exceptions). These are possibly some of the
best, most exciting toys I have ever collected and I’m not going to
stop just shy of the end. Because honestly, I feel like 2013 may be
it. After all of the drama with next year’s sub, I really can’t
imagine 2014 is going to happen unless 2013 really is the line’s
best year ever. And I don’t see how that can happen. But I’m
going to hang in there.
As far as the DC
sub, I want all of the figures they announced and if I’m paying for
MOTUC shipping already I might as well do it. Because I don’t think
this one is even going to happen. But maybe people who subscribe will
get something.
Like a price break. I don’t know. Probably not. We’ll probably
just get dicked like the Ghostbusters people did.
But once again,
I’m all in.
Well, except for
the Watchmen. They should have done a build-a-figure space squid.
Especially if they’re charging $25 apiece for those fuckers.
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