Tag: Masters of the Universe

From the Archives: Trap Jaw

Recommended music: Mayk Mayk – ARRGH It’s a Pirate Ting

Happy Monday, MOTU fans! I hope you had a fantastic weekend. For this #MastersMonday post from the archives, we are continuing with 1983 releases from the vintage Mattel Masters of the Universe line. Today, we’re taking a look at Trap Jaw!

“Evil & armed for combat,” Trap Jaw came with his signature iron jaw and a menacing cache of weapon attachments (which mine seems to have misplaced for this shot). These weapons include a laser blaster, a claw grabber, and a pirate-like hook hand. Each of these can be stowed away on his skull and crossbones belt when not in use.

There is actually a James Bond connection for this MOTU character, as his look can be attributed to a never-released concept from Mattel’s Big Jim toyline. Also in early 1982, a character known as Iron Jaw was scheduled to be included in the Big Jim line, featuring an articulated jaw and a briefcase of arm attachments, including a hook hand. The character resembled a pirate but was also reminiscent of the villainous henchmen, Jaws, from the James Bond films ‘The Spy Who Loved Me’ and ‘Moonraker’.

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Revelation Horde Skeletor

Recommended music: Savatage – Gutter Ballet

Howdy MOTU fans! This #MastersMonday post, we’re taking a look at the Mattel Masters of the Universe Masterverse: Horde Skeletor!

During the eighth episode of the Netflix Masters of the Universe: Revelation animated series, “The Gutter Rat,” Skeletor has a slightly different look. This look is quite distinct from what was seen in animation for the previous 40 years. In a flashback scene, Evil-Lyn (the gutter rat) reminisces on a very different backstory. In Revelation canon, Evil-Lyn runs away from her starving parents as they are going to eat her and finds herself in a life of crime and magic on the streets. When her back is against the wall against a couple of tough characters, Skeletor saves the day by showing up via a magic portal and steering Evil-Lyn’s life down a very different path.

Fortunately, the Skeletor design seen in this scene was captured in this Masterverse figure. Mattel labeled this figure simply as ‘Skeletor,’ but the ‘Horde Skeletor’ nickname has stuck due to the Horde bat emblem on Skeletor’s belt. The expanded backstory of The Evil Horde was eventually revealed during the Masters of the Universe Revolution follow-up series on Netflix.

The fun thing about this design is that once you’ve removed the soft goods cape, it’s easy to see the black and red outfit is basically an update of the ‘200X’ Spin Blade Skeletor figure. Only this time, instead of a silly accessory on a repaint that practically spelled the end of the 2002 toyline, this figure includes a havoc staff with a semi-transparent ram head.

Not only does the weapon get an upgrade from the wave one Skeletor, but the paint applications on the face are also a big improvement. The figure comes with 30 points of articulation, an extra set of hands, and a much better soft goods cloak than what was included with the first release. The biggest downside to this figure is that the skin tone is slightly too purple compared with the traditional blue-skinned skeleton.

Thankfully, Mattel included this one last Revelation figure in Masterverse Wave 10 before moving on to Revolution and ‘New Eternia’ designs.

Masters of the Universe Revelation/Revolution turned four years old this year! I “figure” there’ll be a new figure from this series to share here for the rest of the year!

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From the Archives: Ram-Man

Recommended music: Alice In Chains – Man in the Box

Happy Monday! I hope you had a great weekend, as the seasons are changing. For this #MastersMonday post from the archives, we are continuing with 1983 releases from the vintage Mattel Masters of the Universe line. Today, we’re taking a look at Ram-Man!

“The heroic human battering ram” was a very unique figure in the second wave of the vintage MOTU line. He shared no parts tooling with other figures in the line. His legs were fused together for his springing action feature, he had lightweight arms, and his head was sculpted into the torso. Mattel saved some money on the arms, with Rammy’s silver arm bracers being stickers rather than another paint hit. It’s also interesting that they chose to paint the legs green, which matches the Filmation look of the character, rather than the red/orange look of Ram Man’s pants from the prototype and mini-comic.

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Revelation Clamp Champ

Recommended music: O Fresh – The Champ is Here (Remix)

Happy Monday, MOTU fans! This #MastersMonday post, we’re taking a look at the Mattel Masters of the Universe Masterverse: Clamp Champ!

Clamp Champ, also known as Raenius per his Masters of the Universe Classics bio, appeared in the very first episode of the Netflix Masters of the Universe: Revelation animated series. The character’s design is a very familiar look that we’ve seen since 1986, and it was great to finally see him in animated form.

Unfortunately, his vintage action figure came out a year after the Filmation He-Man animated series ended, so he was limited to comics and newspaper strips in the 1980s. According to the producer of the 2002 Mike Young Productions Masters of the Universe cartoon, he was the next vintage character planned to appear in that series before it was canceled. The character also did not make it into the accompanying ‘200X’ Mattel toy line but did get made in the NECA Toys “staction” line shortly afterward.

Mattel not only nailed the look of the Clamp Champ from the Netflix series for this figure but also provided a modern rendition of the character for fans who missed out on the MOTUC version. The well-painted sculpt contains 31 points of articulation, and Champ comes with an extra set of hands, as well as a redesigned spring-loaded techno clamp. This weapon gets a big upgrade and actually fits all around his hand.

Unfortunately for the character, after protecting the royal family a couple of times, he was basically killed off mid-way through Revelation, as his character became a skeletized minion along with Fisto. There was a chance the characters would have their souls reborn later in the season, but it didn’t happen. Thankfully, Mattel included the figure in Masterverse Wave 10 before moving on to Revolution designs, but I guess I’ll need a second one to make a custom of the skeletized minion. 😜

Masters of the Universe Revelation/Revolution turned four years old this year! I “figure” there’ll be a new figure from this series to share here for the rest of the year!

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From the Archives: Evil-Lyn

Recommended music: Electric Light Orchestra – Evil Woman

Happy Monday! I hope you had a great weekend. On this #MastersMonday post from the archives, we are moving on to 1983 releases from the vintage Mattel Masters of the Universe line. Today, we’re taking a look at Evil-Lyn!

In 1983, Evil-Lyn was added to the Masters of the Universe toyline for its second wave. This addition ensured there would be at least one female character in the ranks of the Evil Warriors. The figure serves as an evil warrior-goddess to complement Teela, and is nearly identical to Teela’s figure except for the head sculpt, her staff, and, most obviously, bright yellow skin.

Thankfully, this attribute was dropped for the Filmation He-Man and the Masters of the Universe animated series. For the cartoon, she was given paler skin tone, but like the toyline, she remained the only female henchman of Skeletor, and served as his right hand throughout the series’ 130-episode run.

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It’s the Time to Disco

Recommended music: Earth, Wind & Fire – September

“Do you remember…The 21st night of September?” This #SomethingElseSunday, we’ve got another Masters of the Universe collaboration with Eternian Epic Imagery. This week’s theme is “It’s the Time to Disco.”

While our theme this round is based on a 2003 song title, I thought I’d go back another 25 years. What better song to hear today than the 1978 Earth, Wind & Fire classic ‘September’, which mentions today’s date in the opening line?

My picture idea is based on the concept of Trap Jaw being a DJ and leading a dance party at Snake Mountain for the other Evil Warriors. Not a storyline we’ll likely see in next year’s Masters of the Universe live-action film, or any official medium, that is for certain.

…

After all the fighting and defending, it’s time to relax. Let your hair down, take your tiaras, crowns, cowls, and helmets off. It’s time to get down to disco! Join our multi-talented photographers showcase some awesome dance moves in this month’s collab

#eternianepicimagery

“It’s the Time to Disco”

Collaborators:
@cob_web_collector
@oldmanwithalawn
@the_thanoscopter
@emerald_knight_photos
@eternianroyalty
@raw_photoygraphy
@takemoretoyphotos
@kidult_1983
@phoenix_of_grayskull
@dalestoys
@b.a.dtoyphotos
@raoof7136
@glare_foe
@opt975

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#He-Man
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Revelation Prince Adam

Recommended music: Electric Light Orchestra – Livin’ Thing

Happy Monday, MOTU fans! For today’s #MastersMonday post, we’re taking a look at the Mattel Masters of the Universe Masterverse: Prince Adam!

In the Netflix Masters of the Universe: Revelation animated series, the character design for Prince Adam was a very recognizable and classic look for Adam. Unlike the Filmation He-Man animated series, which used the same character model for Adam and He-Man, and simply replaced hair and skin-tones post heroic transformation, this Adam is noticeably smaller. Also, his hair curls in more like a mop top than the flowing look used for the Revelation He-Man.

This was a very smart move for the show creators as Prince Adam can’t rely on glasses like Clark Kent hiding he’s Superman. While we don’t know how often Prince Adam had to run off screen to become He-Man prior to the first episode, it seems like the secret identity was only figured out by Queen Marlena in this canon.

Mattel really nailed the look of the Prince Adam figure for the Masterverse line. Not only does he have an accurate paint job and sculpt with over 30 points of articulation, but Adam also comes with a set of fist hands, an alternate smiling head, and two versions of the Power Sword. One sword is painted with an accurate metallic look, but we also get this speckled semi-transparent “powering up” version as well.

The biggest downside to this figure is his availability. Despite being a main character in the series, Adam was saved until the last wave of Revelation characters in the Masterverse line. It appears this wave was short-packed as the packaging quickly changed over for wave 11 and the debut of Masters of the Universe: Revolution figures. Unfortunately, I had to spend quite a bit over retail to pick him up, but I’m so glad to have this version of Adam of the House of Randor in the collection.

Masters of the Universe Revelation/Revolution turned four years old this year! I “figure” there’ll be a new figure from this series to share here for the rest of the year!

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#MOTU
#ToyPhotography

From the Archives: Faker

Recommended music: Faker – Hurricane

Happy Monday! I hope you had a great weekend. On this #MastersMonday post from the archives, we’re continuing with 1982 releases from the vintage Mattel Masters of the Universe line. Today, we’re taking a look at Faker!

While I usually display my “Evil Robot of Skeletor” with 1983 figures, he technically came out earlier and features the same “8-back” card back of the original eight figures in the line. The figure itself uses the same parts as the original He-Man, except with a blue, purple, and orange paint scheme, with Skeletor’s sword and armor also cast in orange plastic. The only unique piece to this figure is a small sticker of a control panel hidden behind the armor.

For the Filmation animated series, the only Faker character looks much more like He-Man, as the blue skin really shouldn’t fool anyone into thinking he is actually He-Man if you think about it.

The Daily Toy From The Archives will return on Saturday…

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UNO Fandom She-Ra: Princess of Power Deck

Recommended music: Shuki Levy and Haim Saban – She-Ra: Princess of Power Opening Theme

Happy Monday, He-Fans and She-Ravers! I hope your weekend was as fun as mine was on the West Coast. On this #MastersMonday, we’re taking a look at the Mattel Creations UNO Fandom She-Ra: Princess of Power Deck!

You may be wondering why we’re taking a break from talking about Masters of the Universe Revelation this week. Well, tomorrow marks the 40th anniversary of the Filmation She-Ra: Princess of Power animated series. That’s right, on Monday, September 9th, 1985, the first of 93 She-Ra episodes aired in first-run syndication across the United States.

To celebrate 40 years of He-Man’s long-lost twin sister, Mattel has released a few exclusives, including this UNO deck. Now, I do already own a couple of versions of Masters of the Universe UNO, but this one is pretty unique. While Mattel states that this entire UNO deck is dedicated to the original animated series, that is not entirely accurate. The deck actually features artwork from the first minicomic, The Story of She-Ra. It also includes other mini-comic art from the Princess of Power action figure line.

In addition to the cool art throwback, the deck features an exclusive “Unite Etheria” card, which adds a special rule to the game. Additionally, the set includes a foil version of that card, which may remind you of Bubble Power She-Ra’s crown and other reflective surfaces from the original toy line.

Once again, if you’ve made it this far, I’ve included one last (not so) hidden Loo-Kee in today’s picture. Happy birthday, She-Ra!

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#SheRa40
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From the Archives: Battle Cat

Recommended music: Guns N’ Roses – Welcome To The Jungle

Happy Monday, and I hope you had a great weekend with some toys! On this #MastersMonday post from the archives, we’re continuing with 1982 releases from the vintage Mattel Masters of the Universe line. Today, we’re taking a look at Masters of the Universe Battle Cat!

Perhaps you’re wondering why this steed of the heroic warriors appears to be so out of scale with the 5.5” figures in this toyline??… Well, the mold for this 5” tall fighting tiger was initially cast as a regular orange tiger. This was done for Mattel’s Big Jim toyline back in 1976. It was then used as a black jungle cat for a Tarzan toyline the following year. These are both 12” scale, so when the idea came to reuse the cat mold for the first wave of the vintage MOTU line, he definitely needed to be saddled up to become He-Man’s faithful companion.

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Revelation Mer-Man 2.0

Recommended music: ZZ Top – La Grange

Happy Monday, MOTU fans! I hope your day didn’t involve too much labor. For today’s #MastersMonday post, we’re taking a look at the Mattel Masters of the Universe Masterverse: Revelation Mer-Man 2.0!

In the Netflix Masters of the Universe: Revelation animated series, viewers got a new look at Mer-Man sans armor, which varied from his typical design seen for the past 40 years. Before Skeletor’s disappearance, Mer-Man was the Lord of Destruction’s reluctant ally. He commanded an army of Aquaticans, terrorized the Crystal Sea, and proved to be a valuable resource in the fight against He-Man and the Masters of the Universe. However, Mer-Man’s inability to see eye-to-eye with other Evil Warriors typically led to his downfall.

Though Mattel simply labeled this figure as “Mer-Man,” the unofficial fan name of “Mer-Man 2.0” is very accurate to the flashback scene in Revelation episode three. If you remember, Mattel released a Revelation version of Mer-Man back in Masterverse wave four that was missing his armor and signature “corn cob” sword. While it came with extra hands and weapons, the figure was given a battered and damaged look that really called for an additional upgrade like this one.

This version of Mer-Man has a really sharp paint job and is a great translation of the character from the animated series. In addition to extra hands for either an open web hand, gripping, and fist options, he sports his classic sword. The colors of the weapon, armor, and gloved hands all work well together. The traditional armor even has a transparent jewel added to the front, a feature I don’t think I’ve previously seen on a Mer-Man figure.

This is another character I’m glad Mattel went back to in order to give us a more definitive figure. Now I really wish Mattel made some Aquaticans, so Mer-Man could lead an army of fish people in my display. 😄

Masters of the Universe Revelation/Revolution turned four years old this year! I “figure” there’ll be a new figure from this series to share here for the rest of the year!

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#MOTU
#ToyPhotography

From the Archives: Zodac

Recommended music: Blasterhawk – Cosmic Enforcer

Happy Monday! On this #MastersMonday post from the archives, we’re continuing with 1982 releases from the vintage Mattel Masters of the Universe line. Today, we’re taking a look at Masters of the Universe Zodac!

The design of the “Cosmic Enforcer” figure was quite boring to me as a kid, only packed with a mini-comic featuring more interesting characters and a laser pistol (I swapped out the original red version for the black Weapons Pak version here).

Originally meant to be some kind of bounty hunter, Zodac was then conceived as an evil warrior. Notice who he is shooting at in this Errol McCarthy cardback art. He ultimately became known as a neutral character, as later seen in the Filmation He-Man animated series.

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Revelation Dark-Lyn

Recommended music: Collegium Musicum Berlin – Mozart’s Requiem in D Minor K. 626: Lacrimosa

Happy Monday, MOTU fans. I hope you had a great weekend! For today’s #MastersMonday post, we’re checking out the Mattel Masters of the Universe Masterverse: Revelation Dark-Lyn!

Starting in 1983, Evil-Lyn has been a familiar character in the Masters of the Universe toyline, and nearly all her action figures over the years have featured the familiar design of a repainted version of the Teela sculpt. Now, you may have noticed last week that the Netflix MOTU Revelation series had problems giving viewers a fresh new look for the character. Well, here is another design from the ninth episode that really pushes the boundaries for what we know to be Evil-Lyn.

Powerhouse Animation labeled this version of Lyn as “Godlyn” as she has taken her Eternian Goddess form. This Mattel Creations exclusive is packaged as “Dark-Lyn,” and represents when Evil-Lyn completely turns her back on Skeletor and claims the Power of Grayskull for herself.

Dark-Lyn stands out in the display at an impressive seven and a half inches tall, and sports 30 points of articulation, so you can definitely get her into the right pose, looking ready to kick someone’s butt on the toy shelf.

In addition to extra hands for either open palms, grabbing, and fist options, she sports a new crowned head, energy effects, a weird spiky collar piece, a cloth skirt piece, and a beautiful wired cape painted like the stars of the universe. I initially hesitated to pick this one up, but I’m so glad Mattel gave us this impressive design in action figure form.

Masters of the Universe Revelation/Revolution turned four years old this year! I “figure” there’ll be a new figure from this series to share here for the rest of the year!

#ActionFigurePhotography
#MastersOfTheUniverse
#MOTU
#ToyPhotography

From the Archives: Teela

Recommended music: Tears For Fears – Everybody Wants To Rule The World

Happy Monday! This #MastersMonday post from the archives, we’re continuing with 1982 releases from the vintage Mattel Masters of the Universe line. Today, we’re taking a look at Teela!

Teela is one of just three female characters released in the vintage MOTU toy line. In the original minicomic stories, Teela was also known as a goddess that Skeletor wanted to clone and make his bride. This plotline was quickly abandoned, with The Sorceress taking over most of the role as Mattel seriously downplayed the impact of the toyline on young girls who would make up approximately one-third of the audience playing with Masters of the Universe toys.

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Revelation Evil-Lyn 2.0

Recommended music: Joan Jett & The Blackhearts – Bad Reputation

Happy Monday, MOTU fans! For tonight’s #MastersMonday post, we’re checking out the Mattel Masters of the Universe Masterverse: Revelation Evil-Lyn 2.0!

Evil-Lyn is a character who has been part of the Masters of the Universe toyline since 1983, but nearly all her action figures over the years have featured a very familiar design. Originally a repaint of Teela, this outfit is the biggest departure from that classic design.

Lena Heady did an impressive job of bringing the character to life, as the character really had an interesting story in the Netflix Revelation series. Evil-Lyn also received several outfit changes throughout the series, including this design. While at first glance, it may appear she is wearing bat lingerie, she is actually in her Sorceress Evil-Lyn form, AKA the Skelesorceress, as first seen in the sixth episode.

In addition to an extra set of hands, she sports a new bat-adorned head, sculpted collar, cloth cape, and a new short scepter – just an excellent look for this sorceress. The sculpt is detailed, with a solid paint job and articulation as well.

Masters of the Universe Revelation/Revolution turned four years old this year! I “figure” there’ll be a new figure from this series to share here for the rest of the year!

#ActionFigurePhotography
#MastersOfTheUniverse
#MOTU
#ToyPhotography