Ninjor [Masterverse / New Eternia]

The demon king from the Dimension of Noir silently searched the scattered remains of New Eternia for the Power of Grayskull so he may become an immortal force of evil.

It’s been way too long since I’ve talked about Masters of the Universe here on the site, and like many of you, the upcoming movie has me pretty excited. So what better time to get back into the He-Man groove than now?

I received this Ninjor from my mother as a birthday gift, and I was immediately into it. The New Eternia figures in Masterverse have been a real sweet spot for me since they were introduced, and Ninjor—already a favorite—fits right in.

New Eternia takes a more fantastical approach to the MOTU characters, often pulling from concept art or expanding on ideas that were only lightly touched on before. Ninjor has always been a demon ninja, but here they really lean into that concept. He’s got additional armor, more dramatic claws, and an overall design that pushes him further into that supernatural space.

There are some really nice details throughout. The red eyes stand out immediately, and he comes with alternate face options. One of them is a snap-on face showing Ninjor without his zukin, revealing a mean expression with solid white eyes that really amps up his spookiness. He also includes an Oni mask, which I absolutely love. Between that, the claws, and the armor design, the Oni influence is very intentional. There are even small touches like an Oni face sculpted onto his nunchuck holster.

I say this a lot with recent MOTU releases, but this feels more like a designer toy. It’s just a really good-looking figure.

Ninjor comes with his traditional weapons—nunchucks, katana, and a bow and arrow—all styled to match his look with red flame effects and sculpted demon details. Everything about it feels cohesive and well thought out.

This feels like a high-end figure, and it’s easily my top-tier Ninjor now that I have one.

Battle Armor He-Man (New Eternia/Masterverse)

The New Eternia Concept is a fun extension of Masters of the Universe. Based on a blend of concept art and more mature takes on the characters, we're able to get some neat new twists on some classic designs. Masterverse is a nicer MOTU figure line in that coveted 6" scale so many toy collectors love these days and the perfect outlet for these cool figures. Battle Armor He-Man takes the classic Battle Armor and adds a Celtic or Nordic slant to the design. This plays well as they've also made He-Man more mature looking with a beard, clearly representing an older version of the character. Like other New Eternia figures, you can remove the additions to create a more traditional version of He-man if you choose. The packaging's included text creates a fun scenario of this toy of He-Man on an adventure. It's definitely fun to give the armor a reason fictionally.

The Battle Armor has exchangeable plates to recreate the original toy's gimmick without any springs. There's also extra armor pieces and a cool new shield design that's seen some battle. Of course the extra hands, which is a requirement for this sort of toy. Then there's the Power Sword and Axe. I feel the axe fits this look a lot more. The shield can be worn on his left arm via a peg, or mounted on his back. There's a little dagger that can be stored in He-Man's boot. It's a small thing, but I always appreciate when it's included. I believe there's 30 points of articulation, great for all sorts of dynamic poses. This is a great figure of He-Man and I really enjoy the New Eternia series. It's a cool concept that makes for some neat looks for the characters. I was fortunate enough to score this one on clearance off the Walmart app and with some saved rewards points he worked out to be only $2. To be fair, it's really hard to find anything to complain about when you get it for $2. However he really is a cool toy. He has the power and a neat outfit as well.

The evil of Hordak!

The new Masterverse Hordak is something special for me. Hordak is one of my favorite MOTU characters and on my top list of ultimate badass things. There's been a few Origins Hordak figures (and I have them), but this one is particularly nice. Like other Masterverse figures, Hordak comes with a plethora of extra parts. His laser cannon arm from the cartoon (with blast effect), alternate hands (including robotic), and the cape, shield, and crossbow his original toy came with. They are stylized to match the more serious look of the Masterverse figure... but it wouldn't be a tribute to him without them. Most Evil Horde members come packing that crossbow and that bat shield just completes Hordak's look. The cape is cloth and extra long giving him that classic evil villain look.

Like other Masterverse figures, Hordak has a ton of articulation. Since this is specifically meant to represent his appearance in the She-Ra cartoon, Hordak has his blue skin instead of the gray skin his orignal (and Origins) toy has. It does look good, but what looks great is the pearlescent quality to his skull like head. I probably appreciated that more than I should, but it looks really great. I've raved before about just how good Masterverse figures look and this is no exception. The Mrs got me Hordak as a Christmas gift as she knows just how much I like him and this is a GREAT higher quality toy of him. I can't find anything bad to say about this toy, it just feels like art.

The Beast Man of New Eternia

I've got a soft spot for Beast Man. He was one of the first MOTU figures I got as a child and still love him to this day. One of Skeletor's original gang of Evil Warriors and a classic member of the cast. This toy of Beast Man we're talking about today is a more recent figure of him from the Masterverse line. Specifically in the New Eternia setting, which is a more medieval fantasy take on the characters heavily based on the lines original concept art. He's also a larger figure than your standard Masterverse toy.... in case the picture doesn't show it well, he's freaking huge.

His New Eternia look is a fur made of the hide of some Eternian animal including its head as a crude hat. Beast Man is also sporting Lord of Power style leather straps and spikes type of armor mixed with his traditional garments. He really looks like a wild jungle warrior from some post apocalyptic war zone... which is exactly the original theme of Masters of the Universe. There's a spiked club as well as Beast Man's signature whip with multiple types of hands to swap out for holding the weapons. Masterverse toys are usually loaded with accessories, so there's also Beast Man's original outfit. Just in case you'd rather the figure represent it's classic roots.

Masterverse is a higher quality, more premium line. There's several points of articulation of a variety of poses. The figure is pretty large as I mentioned above... which feels right. He's a big brute. They toy isn't just big either, there's noticeable heft. The weight and size are pretty satisfactory. This is a nice toy. Beast Man feels like a much more premium toy than the premium toy he already is. The extra parts and accessories give you a range of options to display him in. Personally, I like this New Eternia theme. I've always been a big fan of the original direction of MOTU and like this focus on it. Beast Man was another Christmas gift from the Mrs and a really great one at that.

When you got the (Scare) Glow

Here to ring in Halloween is Scare Glow, the ghost of Skeletor! Not Skeletor's actual ghost, but a ghost under his service. Glow in the dark skeletons are a staple of the season and this phantom is exactly that! I've briefly talked about Scare Glow and his demonic friend before, however today we're taking a look at his Masterverse representing the spooky one's appearance in Revelation. This is the standard retail version available at regular retail, however there is a SDCC 2021 exclusive version with slightly different paint in cool evil book packaging. They are ultimately the same toy, I just thought pointing that out would be appropriate.

Appropriate is the word for Scare Glow at Halloween. Like i said, he's a glow in the dark skeleton wearing a Dracula cape while caring a scythe. Why a bigger deal isn't made of him this time a year I'll never know. Just picture it, an orange version with a black cape! Really, why Mattel doesn't have a Halloween edition MOTU toy each year is perplexing. I mean, the bad guys are literally walking Halloween decorations and the play sets are haunted houses. Yo Mattel, next time you need a fans input hit me up. 

*sigh, they won't*