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.

Fish Lips

This past weekend the Mrs. picked up the Lords of Power version of Merman up for me. I've been trying to find these guys (damned elusive Beastman) and was very thankful for her efforts. If you didn't already know, Lords of Power was the original name for Masters of the Universe during it's development. These LOP versions are based on the mock-ups for the developing line. MOTU Origins is a very neat line like that, G1 He-Man stuff to the weirdest detail. However in the Masterverse line, they're doing the Barbarian He-Man. I honestly don't know what extent Mattel has in mind with all this. Either way it's super fun.

The most noticeable difference between this and the standard Merman is his head. The sculpt is more detailed and closer to his depiction in the original paintings. That old concept figure was mostly modeling clay meant to sell an idea. Details like the fishy bits stood out more as they were basically glued onto the base toy. Aside from that, Merman is the standard Origins figure with all the bells and whistles you'd expect. As an adult, I really appreciate the weirdness of classic MOTU. Merman is a good example of that.

Shut your Trap

The new He-Man and the Masters of the Universe toys have finally started showing up at my local stores and I was happy to see them. I loved the show and couldn't wait to get a few of the figures. Honestly this new He-Man renaissance is pretty great. There's so much new stuff available that it's a MOTU fans dream come true. It's been super fun in the MOTU groups talking the various different toys. I grabbed Trap Jaw this past weekend happily. He's my first figure from this new line and what a cool toy he is. These new figures serve as a core class for MOTU at $10 each and more basic articulation. It's not much of a concession as they look great and even have gimmicks. 

Trap Jaw is a departure from his classic look, while still looking familiar. He's a nice mix of cyberpunk and fantasy with that robot arm and goblin boots and stitched tights. The helmet is a play off the original design while being more scary. There's even a throw back to his classic zip line loop. Trap Jaws gimmick is that energy projectile can be shot. It's not on a spring, instead if you twist him at the arms and waist, he'll bend around as if putting some effort into the attract. Let go and the toy swings around flinging the blast out towards the Masters. Pretty neat.

Notice I said Masters? That's because in this new series there's no more Heroic and Evil Warriors. Instead we have the Masters fighting the Dark Masters. You can guess which side Trap Jaw is on. It's a reinvention of a classic story that still manages to homage the original. Obviously intended for smaller kids, but so far us adults seem to really like it. I've even been seeing adult fans praise it over Revelation. I'm sure that's pretty surprising to Mattel who you can bet are paying attention. I'm usually very G1 about MOTU, but am happily enjoying this new series a lot. 

He has CLAWS and he's AWFUL

Sometimes I'll completely miss something obvious. It took me forever to realize the pun in Clawful's name. You see, he's a bad guy, so he's awful. Also has claws. Admittedly it's because he came out when I was a kid and completely oblivious to such things. Regardless, despite being such a silly idea, Clawful is a pretty great toy. 

As a member of the Evil Warriors, Clawful is a crab/human hybrid. You'd think he'd be more aquatic based, but nope. He's just walking around anywhere. Ready to pinch Fisto's ass and hit him with that shell cracker. Considering the majority of clothing on Eternia, it makes sense as to why he's so threatening. 

Depending on the fiction, Clawful is either a serious threat or an idiot. Sometimes Skeletor's right hand monster and other times not trusted. I'm pretty sure they wanted to eat him. The right claw alone could feed Snake Mountain for days!

Meister der neuen Woche

It's a new week here on Planet Zone! I've got some fun posts in mind that I hope you all enjoy. I've still got my hands a little extra full, so there might be some shorter posts here and there. I didn't do much this weekend, but I did watch the new Muppets Haunted Mansion (loved it) and picked up a Fright Features Slimer. Spooky fun! Thanks for supporting Zone Base and please share with your friends!

Beastly Sled of War

It's been far too long since I've talked about Eternia Minis. This set is Beastman with the War Sled, which is part of the Revelation series. Like Fisto, Beastman is available carded but has some deco differences here. It's small, but just enough to make it different. Also like his case mate, Beastman doesn't come with his whip weapon. It's too bad as he'll have both hands on the handlebars. Let's get down to the star of the show here. 

THE WAR SLED IS AWESOME. Normally the War Sled is a slight variation of the Sky Sled used by the Evil Warriors. A little different looking but really it's the same thing. Not anymore! Now a cobra headed, bat winged air scooter of doom! Cast in a glittery purple with awesome green highlight and look at the decals! Holy shit this is a damn fine vehicle for villainy. It's just so freaking cool looking! I'd be super happy with multiple releases of this thing in different colors. Just look at that thing!

I'd Buy Those Masters For A Dollar

I'd been looking for these Micro Collection MOTU figures for what felt like an eternity. Fortunately on a random swing by the Dollar Tree, the wife saw picked them up for me. In the grand tradition of producing discount versions of mainline toys for dollar chains, Mattel released these figures at stores like the Dollar Tree and 99 Cent store. They're mini figures of some of the base characters in action poses. You know I love them. 

Each figure is on a rocky base with the MOTU logo proudly displayed. You could easily display them with a Castle Grayskull and they'd blend in... of course the castle may look huge in comparison, but shouldn't it? They're a soft plastic with pretty good sculpting and decent paint. For a dollar each they look pretty good. My favorite is Orko, who came out perfect. Man At Arms unfortunately is the worst. His sculpt is ok, but there's just something off about him. He's not terrible, just could have used a little extra work overall.

I'm super happy to have these and hope there's another series. Even if it's just repaints, I'd be down. I love little oddball things like this. For the price they're hard to beat and fun to collect. I could see if there's ever a time that I slowed down on my toy collecting, things like this would likely be my outlet for toys. I'd be happy with mini figures and keshi. Especially when the quality is as good as it is here. This is a great little set of figures for a total of $5. They totally have the power. I'm not apologizing for that, you saw what you saw.

The New, New, Newer Adventures Of He-Man

He-Man and the Masters of the Universe debuted on Netflix this past weekend and boy was it a fun time. It's funny that I spent extra time with The New Adventures of He-Man this summer, because it's really hard not to draw comparisons between this new show and that old one. On top of the classic He-Man formula is sci-fi and anime influences with a healthy dose of comedy. The show is a mix of action, adventure, laughs, and even feels. It's pretty damn good. 

It's not the same old He-Man either, a complete reboot. I'm surprised I like it as much as I do, because I'm very G1 with my MOTU. It's just the way I prefer it, but man, they did a great job. He-Man is the leader of the Masters of the Universe on Eternos. Once again he's Prince Adam given super powers with the power sword and Castle Grayskull. He shares this power with his friends giving them super powered forms as well creating a team to fight Skeletor who's mastered the forces of Havok and created his own Dark Masters. It's a new twist on some familiar faces that's a lot better than I expected it to be.