Recommended music: Ennio Morricone – Humanity (Pt. 2)
Happy Monday, MOTU fans! I hope you had a great weekend. For this #MastersMonday, we’re checking out another 1985 release from the vintage Mattel Masters of the Universe line. Let’s take a look at Modulok!
The “Evil beast of a thousand bodies” was a Horde villain action figure that I don’t believe I owned as a kid. It had a unique sculpt, but the creepy monster design wasn’t as appealing to me. What set Modulok apart from other figures was its body, made of 22 “modular” pieces that “lock” together. There are over a thousand ways to combine these parts, but the action figure always looked like random pieces from an ant or other exoskeleton insect instead of a creature that posed a legitimate threat to the Masters of the Universe.
The animated version of Modulok is also unique from other Evil Horde members, as the character debuted on the original Filmation He-Man and the Masters of the Universe cartoon, appearing in three episodes during season two. He was not affiliated with the Horde in this series, but later defected to work with Hordak in five episodes of the She-Ra: Princess of Power cartoon and in the He-Man and She-Ra: A Christmas Special. The Filmation version gave him a very different backstory than the Mattel figure’s mini-comic origins. He started out as a human scientist named Galen Nycroft, and his design was simplified to a single body form in his animated appearances.
Modulok did not appear in the 2003 Mike Young Productions He-Man series, the Netflix She-Ra series, or in the Netflix Masters of the Universe: Revolution series. He did show up in a couple of flashback panels in the Revelation comic book.
Unlike the other Evil Horde members who debuted in 1985, Modulok was not sold on a standard-sized card; it was only available in a box. In Argentina, he came on a standard card for the Top Toys release, but the number of parts was reduced, and some limbs were green.
Though he came with a unique double-sided laser rifle that could split into two parts, the figure never seemed like a full-fledged member of the Horde to me. I’m glad I picked him up as an adult collector to complete the team, but I think all his little parts may have been hard to keep track of as a kid.
#ActionFigurePhotography
#MastersOfTheUniverse
#MOTU
#ToyPhotography
Dale's Toys 