Splinter-Skull [Turtles of Grayskull]

Master Splinter followed the call of the Turtles to Eternia and appeared at Castle Grayskull as the spiritual embodiment of the Power of Grayskull itself.

I think that scene in the original TMNT movie where Splinter appears to the guys as a vision through meditation stays with everyone who've seen it. Using those same abilities, Splinter travels to Eternia and his ethereal form is a hybrid of himself and King Grayskull! This figure is a great way to work Splinter into the MOTU. Splinter-Skull is a very neat looking and very buff rat mutant wearing King Grayskull's outfit. I'm not sure just how much of this toy is reused parts, though the chest armor is certainly from the Origins version of King Grayskull and maybe 2002 He-Man.

His staff/spear is a cool mixture of walking stick and removable Power Sword. I really like the slightly translucent blues of the sword tip... it looks like a mint candy. Splinter features a tail that can articulate at the base and a really near head sculpt. I really appreciate the braids. Frankly, they look so at home on Splinter that I wish future figures of him would have them. He comes with an additional open palmed hand and a really neat cape. I'd like to think one could put him in some really neat mystical poses using those. Splinter-Skull is another Turtles of Grayskull figure that feels like it should be a higher priced boutique item.

Jungle Warrior Man

When it comes to He-Man, we've all pretty much know what to expect. However, it wasn't always that way and was a more grim affair initially. He-Man himself was a barbarian from a jungle tribe off on adventure to fight evil when he ran across the Sorceress who gave him weapons to fight Skeletor (said evil). If you've ever wondered about the mix of mid-evil fantasy and sci fi in Masters of the universe, the original setting had Eternia left as sort of a wasteland and all the high tech stuff was leftovers from the previous more advanced society. He-Man's power weapons were some of these leftovers.

The Power Sword originally wasn't really that much of a big deal. It was literally half a sword. The full Power Sword had been split in half as it is the key to Castle Grayskull. Skeletor has the other half and really wants control of the magical castle. The armor provides He-Man with a protective force field. There's another identical set of armor that makes him stronger. I have no clue how he tells them apart. He-Man mainly used his battle axe, and shield as he was a barbarian. You know like that guy he totally isn't supposed to be. In the first mini comic appearance, He-Man has a knife stowed away in his boot. If you get his Micro Action figure, it comes with that little knife. Neat huh?

Weekly Halloween: The Haunting of Grayskull

 

Castle Grayskull is a spooky place. It's a big, old,and decrepit castle with a freaking skull for a front door. Inside is all sorts of magic and sorcery. Hard to believe this is the good guys place, but it is... well unless Skeletor takes over and becomes Master of the Universe. While there's all sorts of scary things within, one particular ghost serves a purpose. The Spirit of Grayskull is the voice of the castle itself. He serves to guide those within on matters like the power sword and becoming King of the Castle. 

Originally the spirit was depicted as a cloud like skull face and was a more involved  fictionally in the early days, but did stick around. He appears in the original Filmation cartoon as a disembodied head. Later in Classics, it was established to be the ghostly form of King Grayskull himself. Personally I prefer those earlier depictions. Eternia and all it's citizens were more raw and that floating skull coming out of a skull shaped haunted castle was just perfect.

Laser Bolt, Because Why Not?

Anything goes on Eternia. One can ride a giant cat or a robot horse, maybe a satanic lawn mower or a shark tank into battle. Whatever the deal with the Dragon Walker is, anything is fair game in a fight. Sometimes He-Man just feels like riding a damn tricycle into battle. Before I go any further, I'll remind you he's royalty. He's the prince of Eternia and one day will be king. Combine that with also being a super powered being made of magic and they just let him do whatever the fuck he wants. 

*sigh*

In his damn underwear.

The Laser Bolt is three wheeled with laser guns with a dragon's head. It can be ridden laying down or stood up on it's wheels. All jokes aside, that kinda makes sense. Ride in, raise up and fire away while the rest of the vehicle acts as a shield. The dragons head doesn't really serve any purpose other than looking cool. I'd like to think the eyes are a way to see while driving that thing. I'd also like to think 'Heaven's on Fire' by KISS is playing on the stereo as He-Man rides into battle... or the drive through at Taco Bell. Weirdly enough, the Laser Bolt was only featured in the Christmas special episode of the cartoon. It uh... flew.

Masters Of The Mall

Mattel took it upon themselves in 1986 to set up a mall display in Indiana. This display was nothing short of amazing and maybe a little crazy. To start off, you've got a meet and greet with Hordak. One of the bad guys. There he is, just shaking hands with small children. Scary demon monster kissing babies. He-Man was a pretty big target of the satanic panic of the 80's and sometimes when looking back... you kinda see where those folks were coming from.

I can't mention Masters of the Universe without comparing it to a bunch of Halloween decorations, so I'll just point out the obvious spookiness of a skull faced mountain in the middle of a mall courtyard. A skull faced mountain that you enter through it's mouth. I can't say that without picturing a Castle Grayskull haunted attraction. Dang.

Inside the attraction a mountain scene with many of the 1986 MOTU toys on display, complete with narration and lights showcasing each one! This is pretty darn cool, especially with the Eternia play set on display. That thing was always amazing and looks fancier than the rest of the display. What takes it to another level is the projections of He-Man and Skeletor fighting it out on the mountain. That's theme park level stuff in a mall food court.

He-Man's Power Sword is off model though. They'll have He-Man appear and I'll usually make sure the sword looks right. If Hordak's outside recruiting new members of the Evil Horde at Panda Express, the sword is the least of our problems. The least of yours anyway, I'm nonsensically specific about a few things and that's the wrong fucking sword.

By The Power of Poseidon's Fury

If you've ever been to Universal's Islands of Adventure, you've probably found yourself marveling at the gorgeous Poseidon's Fury facade. It's truly a sight to be seen, while opinions of the attraction itself may vary, there's no lack of love for the look of the place. It's awesome. Set in the ruins of a temple where a battle of good and evil takes place over a magic weapon... does that sound familiar?

 

All the Powers of Grayskull

Man... man... MAN I want this. I've been a steady fan of the Mega Construx Masters of the Universe figures, they're exactly what I've wanted in a He-Man line as an adult. The upcoming Castle Grayskull set looks amazing. I'm firmly rooted in classic He-Man and this nails that right in the head. Not just is it a great recreation of the classic play set, but it's even full of nods towards the original mini-comics and toys.

The included figures not only contain the Sorceress, but figures of Man at Arms, Teela, and Beastman as they originally appeared in those mini-comics. Man at Arms doesn't have his mustache like the original toy! Of course this version of Duncan also comes with the Battle Bones set, so they'll make for some great soldiers.

Things like this are really fun and get me excited anticipating future releases. I'll be honest though, Grayskull commands a hefty price and I'm likely to wait for a sale or even an appearance at Ross to get mine. Regardless, it's things like this I really like seeing and can only hope for more great stuff like this in the future.