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Let me start by saying I have always loved Masters of the Universe.
It was my number one favorite toyline as a child, and I was over the moon with the 2002 commemorative line, the 200X line,
and thought Masters of the Universe Classics was the ultimate incarnation of these characters which could never be topped.
BOY, was I wrong. Mattel has created something truly extraordinary with their Origins line, and if the quality of this set is any indication,
we are in for something special that I can scarcely contain my excitement for.
First, the packaging. The artwork on this new packaging is nothing short of spectacular. It is all-new art, yet looks and feels exactly like the early
Alcala mini-comics. I couldn't find who the artist was, but they found someone who is able to mimic Alcala's style perfectly, and I couldn't be happier.
Best of all is the coloring of said artwork. Instead of the usual sleek computer coloring we see in most comics today, the coloring here is hand painted,
retaining that visceral, fantasy element that MOTU has always been known for. The interior of the box is a four page oversized mini-comic retelling the origin
story of how Prince Adam becomes He-Man. His origin is slightly revised here, harkening back to the original mini-comics, DC comics mini-series, with just a hint of Filmation.
It feels simplified and polished, unlike the extremely convoluted MOTUC bios from the last series. Most impressive of all, is the fact that the Prince Adam and He-Man figures
are displayed in such a way that they are actually incorporated INTO the comic! Each figure tray features an elaborate background and acetate overlay creating an opening and closing
"splash page" for the story. It begins with Skeletor attacking Prince Adam on the first "page", and then finally fleeing from He-Man at the end. Absolutely ingenious packaging.
Hands down the best I've ever seen for ANY toy. It's all completely collector friendly too, with NO tape, twist-ties, or plastic fasteners. Everything can be safely removed and put back with ease.
Now onto the main course. The figures. These are literally toy perfection. They immediately feel familiar and new at the same time. In your hand, they evoke the same feeling as the vintage figures.
Close your eyes and you're holding a vintage MOTU figure. Your brain can't tell the difference. The newly designed body has 26 points of articulation. Twenty-six. The head is on a ball joint, giving a full range of motion
and the ability to tilt the head up or down, cocked to one side or the other, and adds a tremendous amount of expressiveness. Each shoulder has two joints, and can swing backwards and forwards as before, and now can swing out from the sides as well. The elbows each have two joints, moving up and down as well as swiveling side to side. He-Man can now hold his shield in front of him! The wrists also have two joints each, and can turn and pivot, enabling the figure to hold the various weapons in many poses. There is a waist swivel, but sadly no more spring loaded power punch...the one thing I do miss. The hips are on ball joints, similar to the head and can swing freely outward and sideways. Each knee has two joints and bend and pivot, there is a cut joint where the boot attaches, and lastly each ankle has two joints, a pivot plus a rocker joint allowing for deep stances while keeping the figure's feet planet firmly on the ground.
The articulation works perfectly. I had no issues with loose joints or alternately, stuck joints. The figures held every pose I put them in with ease.
The paint apps were minimal, but perfectly applied. Everything was so clean in fact I looked and looked but couldn't find any defects. Much of the figure's components such as boots, crotch piece, etc. are color cast, which is great. They could stand up to pretty rough handling without worrying about paint loss. Even the hair on the heads is a separate piece molded in color. The result is an incredibly clean and vibrant looking figure. The plastic itself is very high quality, with rich, opaque colors and a nice matte finish. The weapons have all been slightly redesigned with a more realistic look, but again still closely resemble and feel just like the vintage ones. The two-tone shield is now beautifully panted instead of a carboard insert, and the figure holds it perfectly. Likewise the blade on the battle-axe has a dull metallic paint applied to it, enhancing the detail. The figures also come with a brand new version of the Power Sword, accurate to the early mini-comics. As with the vintage figure, He-Man's power harness is removable. Another great feature is that each figure comes with a total of six interchangeable hands. Right and left fists, gripping hands, and open hands. The gripping and open hand sculpts are identical to the vintage figures, with the addition of new fists, so He-Man can actually PUNCH! The really nice thing about the extra hands is that weapons can now be held in either hand. Lastly, each figure comes with two head sculpts. The classic vintage head, and a newly sculpted mini-comic head. I wasn't sold on the new head sculpt at first, but in person it looks much better than it does in photos. Still, I'll be displaying my figures with the vintage heads, purely for nostalgic reasons, but that doesn't diminish the quality of the new one. And it's nice to have the option of further differentiating Prince Adam from He-Man, instead of him being obviously the same guy with a tan.
In closing, I have to give this set a full 10/10 It checks off every box for me. High nostalgia factor, yet feels fresh and exciting. Extremely high quality in design, sculpt, articulation, paint, accessories, and most importantly FUN factor. These figures are the perfect marriage of vintage styling with modern action figure playability. It's clear that Mattel has put a LOT of effort into this line and we're in for a treat as it grows. I can't wait for these to hit stores next year.
If you're on the fence about picking this set up, don't wait too long. I have a feeling secondary market prices for this are going to go through the roof once word spreads about how nice it is. Mattel has a winner on their hands.
Highest possible recommendation!
I'll be adding a bunch of pics to this thread later today.
It was my number one favorite toyline as a child, and I was over the moon with the 2002 commemorative line, the 200X line,
and thought Masters of the Universe Classics was the ultimate incarnation of these characters which could never be topped.
BOY, was I wrong. Mattel has created something truly extraordinary with their Origins line, and if the quality of this set is any indication,
we are in for something special that I can scarcely contain my excitement for.
First, the packaging. The artwork on this new packaging is nothing short of spectacular. It is all-new art, yet looks and feels exactly like the early
Alcala mini-comics. I couldn't find who the artist was, but they found someone who is able to mimic Alcala's style perfectly, and I couldn't be happier.
Best of all is the coloring of said artwork. Instead of the usual sleek computer coloring we see in most comics today, the coloring here is hand painted,
retaining that visceral, fantasy element that MOTU has always been known for. The interior of the box is a four page oversized mini-comic retelling the origin
story of how Prince Adam becomes He-Man. His origin is slightly revised here, harkening back to the original mini-comics, DC comics mini-series, with just a hint of Filmation.
It feels simplified and polished, unlike the extremely convoluted MOTUC bios from the last series. Most impressive of all, is the fact that the Prince Adam and He-Man figures
are displayed in such a way that they are actually incorporated INTO the comic! Each figure tray features an elaborate background and acetate overlay creating an opening and closing
"splash page" for the story. It begins with Skeletor attacking Prince Adam on the first "page", and then finally fleeing from He-Man at the end. Absolutely ingenious packaging.
Hands down the best I've ever seen for ANY toy. It's all completely collector friendly too, with NO tape, twist-ties, or plastic fasteners. Everything can be safely removed and put back with ease.
Now onto the main course. The figures. These are literally toy perfection. They immediately feel familiar and new at the same time. In your hand, they evoke the same feeling as the vintage figures.
Close your eyes and you're holding a vintage MOTU figure. Your brain can't tell the difference. The newly designed body has 26 points of articulation. Twenty-six. The head is on a ball joint, giving a full range of motion
and the ability to tilt the head up or down, cocked to one side or the other, and adds a tremendous amount of expressiveness. Each shoulder has two joints, and can swing backwards and forwards as before, and now can swing out from the sides as well. The elbows each have two joints, moving up and down as well as swiveling side to side. He-Man can now hold his shield in front of him! The wrists also have two joints each, and can turn and pivot, enabling the figure to hold the various weapons in many poses. There is a waist swivel, but sadly no more spring loaded power punch...the one thing I do miss. The hips are on ball joints, similar to the head and can swing freely outward and sideways. Each knee has two joints and bend and pivot, there is a cut joint where the boot attaches, and lastly each ankle has two joints, a pivot plus a rocker joint allowing for deep stances while keeping the figure's feet planet firmly on the ground.
The articulation works perfectly. I had no issues with loose joints or alternately, stuck joints. The figures held every pose I put them in with ease.
The paint apps were minimal, but perfectly applied. Everything was so clean in fact I looked and looked but couldn't find any defects. Much of the figure's components such as boots, crotch piece, etc. are color cast, which is great. They could stand up to pretty rough handling without worrying about paint loss. Even the hair on the heads is a separate piece molded in color. The result is an incredibly clean and vibrant looking figure. The plastic itself is very high quality, with rich, opaque colors and a nice matte finish. The weapons have all been slightly redesigned with a more realistic look, but again still closely resemble and feel just like the vintage ones. The two-tone shield is now beautifully panted instead of a carboard insert, and the figure holds it perfectly. Likewise the blade on the battle-axe has a dull metallic paint applied to it, enhancing the detail. The figures also come with a brand new version of the Power Sword, accurate to the early mini-comics. As with the vintage figure, He-Man's power harness is removable. Another great feature is that each figure comes with a total of six interchangeable hands. Right and left fists, gripping hands, and open hands. The gripping and open hand sculpts are identical to the vintage figures, with the addition of new fists, so He-Man can actually PUNCH! The really nice thing about the extra hands is that weapons can now be held in either hand. Lastly, each figure comes with two head sculpts. The classic vintage head, and a newly sculpted mini-comic head. I wasn't sold on the new head sculpt at first, but in person it looks much better than it does in photos. Still, I'll be displaying my figures with the vintage heads, purely for nostalgic reasons, but that doesn't diminish the quality of the new one. And it's nice to have the option of further differentiating Prince Adam from He-Man, instead of him being obviously the same guy with a tan.
In closing, I have to give this set a full 10/10 It checks off every box for me. High nostalgia factor, yet feels fresh and exciting. Extremely high quality in design, sculpt, articulation, paint, accessories, and most importantly FUN factor. These figures are the perfect marriage of vintage styling with modern action figure playability. It's clear that Mattel has put a LOT of effort into this line and we're in for a treat as it grows. I can't wait for these to hit stores next year.
If you're on the fence about picking this set up, don't wait too long. I have a feeling secondary market prices for this are going to go through the roof once word spreads about how nice it is. Mattel has a winner on their hands.
Highest possible recommendation!
I'll be adding a bunch of pics to this thread later today.
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