He-Man [MOTU Core Class]

The new Masters of the Universe Core Class toys are pretty great, as I said when talking about that initial Skeletor figure a little while back. Now that the movie is here, the size class is hitting shelves hard with a really solid line of figures that I really enjoy.

I picked up the initial He-Man figure over Memorial Day weekend and can't put him down. It's a solid representation of Nicholas Galitzine as He-Man that looks pretty good. Like, it's a good representation of him that isn't a higher-priced Chronicles/Masterverse, or Mondo figure. This is literally the base model, and it's pretty nice. Decent paint, sculpting, and articulation.

Core Class is a lower-priced line, so He-Man only comes with his Power Sword as an accessory, but it's also nicely sculpted and can store on his back.

Like I said in the Skeletor post, I hope they include more than just the new movie characters in this line because it's perfect. I'd love to see original Masters of the Universe or New Adventures of He-Man characters done in this format.

As I'm writing this, the movie hasn't come out yet, but it will have by the time you read this. Hopefully opinions of the new film are as positive as these toys are.

I can't wait to get the Core Class Battle Cat to pair him with. These are so good that I'm not even thinking about Origins or Chronicles/Masterverse. I'd be more than happy to buy Mighty Masters and Core Class figures for my MOTU toy fix.

That's just me, not a flex... He-Man does enough of that on his own.

Skeletor [Mighty Masters]

Skeletor is a lot of things. Originally an evil demon before his origin was later rewritten into him being the former Keldor, who had been transformed into Skeletor, a skull-faced man. I've made countless jokes before about He-Man fighting an army of Halloween decorations, but the thing with Skeletor is... he was actually inspired by a haunted house prop.

Mark Davis has said that when he was designing Skeletor, he took inspiration from a neon-painted skeleton that scared the crap out of him as a kid in the Laugh in the Dark haunted house. Turns out, that skeleton was a little scarier than anyone knew. The same prop was later discovered not to be a dummy, but an actual corpse that had somehow found its way there. This was discovered when an episode of The Six Million Dollar Man was being filmed and the crew accidentally broke its arm off. Turns out, it was the body of Elmer McCurdy, a Wild West bandit whose corpse became a sideshow attraction that eventually found its way into that haunted house. Skeletor doesn’t just look spooky, he’s tied to a legitimately spooky true story.

This Mighty Masters figure of him is great and, just like the others, is a nice little replica of his original toy. He has the same swinging waist gimmick He-Man has and comes with his trademark Havok Staff to swing around while using it. It’s an extremely likable mini figure of Skeletor and... you know what? I always liked his demon origin better. You didn’t ask, and that was abrupt, but thug life.

I’ve always been a fan of Skeletor’s armor. Faker uses it in orange colors, and it looks fabulous. This is a great little figure to keep you company at your desk or even carry around in a cargo pocket. Just the right size and neatness.

Unfortunately, it’s also the last of the Mighty Masters for the time being. I really hope Mattel continues making these and that there are future series with more Heroic and Evil Warriors. I’ve heard talk of 3D prints of Castle Grayskull out there that are in scale with this... and honestly, that’s awesome.

He-Man [Mighty Masters]

He's the most powerful man in the universe, he's He-Man! The main hero of Masters of the Universe of course is in the initial Mighty Masters series and looking great.

I was pleasantly surprised to learn that he doesn't have the same swinging arm gimmick Man-At-Arms and Beast Man have. Instead, he features a pull-back waist similar to the original Masters of the Universe figures! I had wrongly assumed the swinging arm gimmick was line wide and am very happy to see variety like this. Considering the size and price, I'm impressed they even included gimmicks.

He-Man, like the others, is a fairly decent reproduction (there's some differences) of the original toy in mini figure form. He's got his trademark Power Sword, which even has a little holster on the back of his hardly-there armor.

So here's where I make an admission. MOTU came out when I was very young... and I totally thought he was the bad guy at first. Yep, you heard me. I thought Skeletor was the good guy.

That first commercial featured a skull-faced castle with a skull-faced guy and some normal dude threatening him. To be fair, I was 4 and completely not listening to or comprehending the dialog. I also liked monsters, which clearly has never left my system.

Well, it didn't take me much longer to realize He-Man was the good guy and the army of Halloween decorations were the villains. Who knew?

Oh... yeah. This Mighty Masters figure of the apparently good guy is pretty great.

Man-At-Arms [Mighty Masters]

Like Beast Man, Man-At-Arms was one of the first MOTU toys I ever got, even before He-Man and Skeletor (my older brother got those). So I’ve always naturally gravitated towards him, just like with Beast Man. His inclusion in the initial batch of Mighty Masters was pretty obvious, and welcome too.

This is a pretty nice mini figure recreation of the original toy, with the addition of his mustache. That’s something that was lacking on the original figure, but ever since its addition in the cartoon, it’s been present ever since. I actually used to draw it on mine with a felt tip pen. I say used to because as a kid I had no clue the ink wouldn’t rub off and redid it multiple times. For a while, Duncan found himself with a variety of different colored mustaches... which, to be honest, would be awesome if he did that in fiction.

A neat thing I’m finding with this toy is how his armor piece rides high, allowing the face guard to partially cover his face. That was something usually featured in the earlier mini comics that I always thought was neat and normally doesn’t happen on his toys. In fact, I don’t think it’s even intended on this one and mine could possibly be defective. It’s not on any pictures I’ve seen of these guys online. If mine does have weirdly molded armor... it’s welcomed.

Like all Mighty Masters figures so far, he has the swinging arm gimmick, which works well with his trademark mace. I’ve always enjoyed MOTU’s weird mixture of fantasy and sci-fi, and Man-At-Arms was an early example of that.

This little line has been a case of “Whoops, all bangers,” and I’m holding out hope that this will be an ongoing series. I can see it becoming my main MOTU toy focus.

Beast Man [Mighty Masters]

When I first learned about Mighty Masters, it was one of those moments where it feels like I slipped into a parallel universe and toy companies are suddenly dialed directly into my specific tastes.

That’s been happening a lot lately.

Mighty Masters is a new expression of Masters of the Universe, featuring small-scale, fairly faithful recreations of the classic characters. After taking a little too long to show up at my local Walmart, I managed to complete the first series—and we’re going to take a look at them over the next few weeks. 

Because they’re awesome.

I’m starting with Beast Man for a specific reason. He was one of my very first MOTU toys back when they originally came out, along with Man-At-Arms. So yeah, there’s a little bit of attachment here. 

This is a really solid recreation in miniature form. It’s small, but it captures the look of the original toy surprisingly well—with a few tweaks. The original had more human-like feet, while this version gives him clawed feet like he had in the mini-comics, which I actually like.

He’s got articulation in the arms, legs, head, and waist. No rubber bands (thankfully), and no spring-loaded waist either. His right arm features a line-wide gimmick where it can be raised and then brought down in a swinging motion—kind of like a Super Powers Collection figure. 

He also comes with a tiny version of his whip, which feels essential. You can’t have Beast Man without it—it’s how he keeps all those creatures in line. 

For five bucks, this is a great little toy. Honestly, it’s exactly the kind of thing I’ve been wanting—especially after the disappearance of the Mega Construx Masters of the Universe figures.

Like I said, I’ve got the full first series, and we’ll be taking a look at the rest over the next few weeks. Hopefully this line sticks around, because it’s hitting a really nice sweet spot.

Skeletor (Alcala Face) [Masters of the Universe]

I’ve been looking forward to this new “kids core” size class in Masters of the Universe—which, interestingly enough, is just labeled as standard MOTU without any extra branding like Origins or Masterverse.

These figures are slightly smaller than Origins. They’re still around 5.5 inches tall, but physically less bulky. It’s hard to describe exactly—they just feel closer to a more typical action figure in terms of mass. A big part of that comes down to the price. At $9.99, Skeletor is a welcome break from the higher costs of Origins and Masterverse/Chronicles figures. Despite the lower price, he’s not lacking. You still get around 14 points of articulation. There are fewer paint applications, but honestly, I didn’t really notice. He’s a good-looking figure—but we’ll get to that in a bit.

As for accessories, Skeletor comes with just his Havoc Staff. That might be the standard going forward at this scale. His armor is removable, and he includes a soft goods cape, which may be taking the place of extra accessories. There’s also likely some shared mold use here to keep costs down, similar to how the original MOTU line operated. Skeletor has the classic “bad guy” hands and feet, while the rest of the body appears to use more standard parts.

From what I’ve seen so far, a lot of this line is focused on movie versions of the characters, but this particular Skeletor pulls from classic MOTU. Specifically, this is a Walmart exclusive featuring a head sculpt inspired by the artwork of Alfred Alcala from the original mini-comics.

I’ve always preferred that earlier, more demonic take on Skeletor over the later Keldor-based version, so this really hits for me. He’s done in his traditional colors, but this exclusive version adds gold-painted accents and a gold skull. The packaging follows suit with a black-and-gold presentation, which looks really sharp.

For what is essentially a budget figure, this is a very nice release. The cape is pretty basic—doesn’t bother me at all, but I can see it being a sticking point for some. Mileage may vary there.

Overall, my first experience with this new MOTU format is a positive one. I’ll still be picking up Origins and Masterverse/Chronicles figures, but I can definitely see this line—and Mighty Masters—becoming my main focus going forward. The price is right, and the toys are fun. Not to mention… they feel just right for a Wednesday post here on the Base.

I’d end this by saying something like “they have the power”… but seriously.

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.

Mighty Man of Moss

I've had Moss Man on my mind a lot lately. Which is odd, because in the past I never paid him much attention (until I got the Origins one for Christmas from the wife). In some folks eyes, he's something of a cheap repaint/line filler type toy. Which is fair as many mold reuses as Masters of the Universe has, toys like Mossman can seem even more blatant. However, Like Stinkor, sometimes a 'cheap repaint' can still work out to something special. Moss Man, the toy, is a green Beastman with some extra details to differentiate the two. Most notably, he's flocked. This gives him that cool 'mossy' look. Also like Stinkor, he's scented.... but doesn't stink. Moss Man is pine scented, something I never noticed much as a kid. Of course I never had one of my own and most of my time spent with one was my specifically grubby cousins toy. So... maybe he was initially pine fresh.

I've always loved how each MOTU character has their own gimmick, even the 'cheap repaints' and this one is pretty inventive. Moss Man is a pretty decent reinvention of an established figure. For example, they put a little extra detail on his face. Beastman had an open mouth with fangs. The fangs are painted over a little to give Moss Man flat teeth (some versions still have the fangs) and his eyes are painted to be looking to the side. Now that open mouth looks more like a reaction to something over there. Pose him to the side and it could look like he's looking directly at whomever is about to get hit with his mace. Which was a brown version of one of the weapons originally included with Castle Grayskull.

In the orignal line, Moss Man was kinda just there. He had a bigger role in his introductory mini-comic, but was mainly an extra from there on. He did appear in the Filmation cartoon, but in mostly smaller appearances. I'm not the biggest fan of the 2002 MOTU, but do like how they used Moss Man. He was a bit of a bad ass. Not to mention, also something of a cryptid that joined up with the Heroic Warriors. It might just be the paranormal fan in me, but I look at Moss Man and that's exactly what I think. Some local legend that turned out to be true and joined forces with the good guys. He has a good bit of toys. I've mostly focused on the smaller ones until the more recent Origins release which is really awesome despite still being another Beastman repaint. For a 'just there' guy, Moss Man is pretty awesome on his own. That's a neat thing with MOTU, there's so many characters that ones I've prior looked over can be fun little rabbit holes on their own. 

Meteorbs- Watch the Battle Unfold!

Masters of the Universe Meteorbs, 1987

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.

(Scare) Glowing with Evil

Scare Glow is one of those MOTU characters I just can't get enough of. Sure, I like scary things, but he's got a charm to him outside of that. In a line where the bad guys are usually pretty gnarly monsters... a freaking skeleton wearing a purple cape is just *chefs kiss*. If Skeletor wasn't already a grim reaper type. having an outright ghost in the Evil Warrirors is a great touch. Not to mention his awesome glow in the dark gimmick... I always fall for that. This Origins version of him was another of my Christmas gifts from the Mrs. She has a knack of getting the ones I can't normally find.

Scare Glow is your typical MOTU Origins figure, a complete update of a classic MOTUF figure with modern articulation and the interchangeable parts to allow for customizes easy access. He's compatible with vintage vehicles and newer ones. Origins is such a neat line. A key difference in other of his figures, Scare Glow has a plastic cape. The Original has cloth and the Masterverse has a mixture of plastic and cloth. I'm pointing this out mostly because it looks like cloth and feels like cloth... but is some sort of plastic/vinyl material. I do like it better than a cloth cape, but worry that it's additional weight will put too much strain on the string around the collar.

You guys know I'm hurting for it to be Halloween time (which it will firmly be in a few months, but still), so Scare Glow is just the toy for such a hankering. Just like the vintage toy, Origins Scare Glow is literally a Halloween decoration made into an action figure. I'm not being silly old me here, just look at this thing! Everything about just screams spooky season. He looks like something you'd pin to your hoodie in October (or December, yolo). While it may not reflect well in the picture, the Scythe of Doom's bright green is so bright, it might as well be the glow stick Scare Glow is carrying while trick or treating... aside from already glowing in the dark.

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*

Just sitting here, thinking about Spikor

A couple of months ago, my mom called me. She was at Walmart picking up a few things. They had some MOTU toys and she asked me if I wanted Moss-Man or Spikor. "Spikor!" I said with excitement, I wasn't aware he was available. "But he's stupid looking?", she said. Clearly, Mom didn't appreciate the glory that is Spikor. Speaking of glorious, ever have a Kinder Bueno with a cup of coffee? Absolutely wonderful.

Spikor is a member of the Evil Warriors that as you can see, is covered in spikes (not sure if the name gave that away). He may look like a porcupine, but that's actually his armor. In newer fiction it was revealed that the armor is magically bonded to his body making him a walking wall of spikes. He may look silly, but you try punching that. Spikor also has that trident for a hand. It's obviously handy (lol) in combat and depending on who's writing, can shoot lasers. When used in tandem with his mace, Spikor's a pretty big threat. Fortunately in the cartoon, he's an idiot.

Of course all the Evil Warriors are idiots in the old cartoon. A running theory is that the producers of the show dumbed down things to make them not as scary for small children. I've talked about how He-Man and his gang were often in the cross-hairs of the Satanic Panic groups. It's not hard to see looking back where they were coming from, MOTU is pretty line crossing at times. Spikor is essentially a walking Iron Maiden that works for a skeleton faced demon. That's a little harsh for a 6 year old.

Outside of the cartoons, Spikor is portrayed as a master of combat and a blacksmith. In fact he created the Terror Claws for Skeletor. Part of me finds that really interesting. Ultimately Spikor is a background character that just pops up every now and again, but he still has a use other than just another soldier. That's neat. Spikor may be one of the more under the radar characters in Masters of the Universe, but sometimes, those are the more interesting ones.

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.

Summoning Monstroid

 

Not too long ago I talked about the Monstroids here. It was always odd that there was a groups of 'evil transforming robots' in the cartoons, but in the toy line Monstroid was an individual robot monster who worked with the Evil Horde. If you've never seen him, Monstroid is a really large toy that looks like a crab. The top half spins around chaotically which make the body rock around. Said rocking makes Monstroid walk around on his long legs in whatever direction gravity takes him. Stick a figures arms or legs in those claws and watch them be flung around like rag dolls. It's pure insanity and maybe a broken lamp if the figure flies loose from the evil grip of MONSTROID.

The big guy didn't get much fiction time aside from random art appearances. However he did show up in a comic story in which The Evil Horde summons him from Sea of Rakash. Under Hordak's magic spell, Monstroid attacks He-Man and Skeletor. Orko and Extendar save the two and Multi-Bot is eaten in the process. It's nice that such a chaotic toy is just as out of control in his fictional debut. I like that without a doubt, Monstroid is a monster. He's aligned with The Evil Horde, but that's basically thanks to a spell. In any other situation, there's just a giant robot-crab thing that's going to kill everything in it's path. I also like the fact that a living robotic creature that lives in the sea without any explanation and we're just supposed to go with it. Pure chaos on every front.

Motorcycle at Arms

 

Recently my mother gifted me the Man-At-Arms with Sky Sled set from the He-Man and the Masters of the Universe toy line. I've been a fast fan of this show and the toy's I've purchased from it. Admittedly, I initially wasn't interested in the motorcycle set's I'd been seeing. I mainly want the Eternia Minis and am happy to get a few regular figures (and Battle Cat, whom is awesome). That opinion has now changed after spending an entire day driving this silly little motorcycle around. Let me explain why.

I've always had an appreciation for classic MOTU vehicles. The mixture of fantasy, sci fi, and bizarre designs appeal directly to my tastes. I'm also a fan of clever design. The 'character on a motorcycle' style toy has been ever present in most children's toy lines. So what if instead of sticking a figure on the same bike as the other ones (maybe in different colors) in the series, what if each figure came with a different bike? Well, ok, but what if each different bike was specifically styled after a classic MOTU vehicle? NOW you have my attention. 

Man-At-Arms for example comes with a Sky Sled inspired motorcycle. He-Man, the Ground Ripper which is themed after the Road Ripper. Get it? It's neat and pretty well done. The included figures are also standard figures in different decos than their carded counterparts. Usually they come with weapons, however Man-At-Arms here didn't come with his big mace. I'm assuming this is the toy that took a hit for the rest of the case assortment to fit the budget. Considering his design probably requires additional molding, I guess I can see why. 

Playing with my new figure across my counter while air frying some lunch, I found myself remembering Spawn Nitro Riders. I was a big fan of this little toy line in the early 2000's. Even though these figures are a little simpler and more chunky (it's not exact). Once I mentally made the comparison, I couldn't ignore the similarities. He-Man Nitro Riders? Sold. Now I find myself wanting more. There's the He-Man and Skeletor sets out there as well as a Trap-Jaw incoming. I wish there was a King Hiss one, just so I could make the obligatory "call me Snake' biker joke.

Land Shark

 

Somewhere within Skeletor's forces of Evil Warriors they got something right. Someone created the Land Shark. In a world terrorized by living Halloween decorations, somebody made a shark tank. A shark tank with a giant mouth that opened and closed. In the original cartoon the Land Shark was seemingly alive. A primitive robotic shark creature that lived to ride around and eat what it couldn't shoot. Or eat what it did shoot. Basically a death machine.

Outside of the cartoon, the Land Shark was just a vehicle that Skeletor used often in the mini comics. In Revelation, the Evil Warriors had a fleet of them, which was just great. Despite being totally ridiculous, it's also completely bad ass. If I described it to you, you'd probably laugh. However, if you saw it coming after you, you'd run in terror. Such is the weird world of Masters of the Universe. It's absurd, but in the most awesome way.

There's a new Origins toy I must get. I do have an original and the Hot Wheels mini. Something about a little die cast version of this horror show is impossible to ignore. I love the colors too. The purples and dark blue contrast nicely on the awesome look of it all. Something about a robotic shark tank being driven by a buff living skeleton is just so hard to express fully how awesome it is. I'm just in awe of it all.

RK-o

 

I've mentioned before how the merging of fantasy and sci fi makes Masters of the Universe so fun. The newest re-imagining, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe is a fun reboot that dives deeper into the sci fi side of things while still blending fantasy into the mix. It's in that environment that we get RK-o, a new version of Orko who isn't exactly what you'd expect. In this new version MOTU, Orko was a legendary magician that's long gone. Duncan (Man at Arms) finds himself in possession of a broken TO security robot. 

While attempting to fix the robot, Duncan uses a magical core found in a chest in Castle Grayskull. Doing this downloads all of the former Orko's memories and knowledge into the little robot who now believes himself to be Orko. RK-o is a fun twist on an existing character that I have a hard time not loving. It's also pretty hard not to love his action figure.

The He-Man and the Masters of the Universe toy line is aimed at a younger group than Origins or Masterverse. Though RK-o is still a pretty neat toy. It is released as Orko and not RK-o, but I'm being specific to the fiction. I might talk about another Orko and it keeps things separate pretty simply. If you came looking for a lot of articulation, you've come to the wrong place. His arms move at the shoulders and the wrists swivel. I've heard some folks say the head turns, but mine didn't. Mine could be a stiff joint or somebody else broke theirs.

As well all know Orko floats, RK-o is floating on a translucent poof of air with a small ball bearing on the bottom. The ball bearing allows the figure to roll easily on most surfaces. Like Trap Jaw, you can twist RK-o and he swings forward. This is used to launch his magic attack which is that energy ball you see in the picture. It's a hollow little thing that easily sits on his fist. It's a simple little play gimmick on a simple figure that's full of character.

Phony Baloney

Faker is another MOTU character I wasn't concenred with as a kid. He was just this oddball evil blue He-Man clone that wasn't given much focus. Not to mention, he pretty much flew under the radar. Honestly, I don't remember ever seeing his toy at the store. As an adult toy collector, I'm aware he was just case filler and the most blatant repaint in the line. Also as an adult, I fully recognize just how awesome he actually is. 

Depending on the fiction Faker is a robot either created by science or magic. I like the magic origins because it makes him seem like some weird Eternian Golem. This new toy follows the Origins model perfectly in that it's literally a blue He-Man with red hair and an orange Skeletor outfit. Of course there's the requisite sticker of all his circuitry. How else would you know he's a robot? He has the 'vintage' He-Man head that comes with some figures on the standard He-Man Origins body. There's a ton of articulation included with that. Of course he's sporting his orange take on Skeletor's outfit with a fake orange version of the Power Sword. There's a Powercon Exclusive version of Fake with a slightly different deco and Dupli-Cat. Dupli-Cat is his evil robot clone of Battle Cat. The pun based names never end... thankfully. It's hard not to like Faker, he's a Halloween colored evil robot clone of He-Man that relishes in it's ridiculousness. In the included mini-comic of this wave, it's shown that Skeletor has an army of Faker clones. There's not one fiber of my being that doesn't love that.