Recommended music: Peter Gabriel – Shock The Monkey
Happy Monday! For this #MastersMonday post from the archives, don’t be shocked as we’re continuing with 1982 releases from the vintage Mattel Masters of the Universe line. Today, we’re taking a look at Stratos!
The design of the original Stratos figure is interesting to me as it’s Beastman, but with a different head and wing attachments to make him an Avian warrior. Even with a jetpack, I cannot seem to make this guy even as cool as the flying monkeys from The Wizard of Oz, no matter how much labor I put in. He is possibly the most boring figure to me in the vintage MOTU toy line.
Recommended music: Bonnie Tyler – Holding Out For A Hero
Happy Monday, MOTU fans! Tonight for #MastersMonday, we’re pivoting from Princess of Power and taking a look at the Mattel Masters of the Universe Masterverse: Revelation He-Ro!
He-Ro is a character that was planned for the vintage Masters of the Universe toyline in 1988, but never made it past the prototype stage. He finally received an official action figure release in 2009, as part of the Masters of the Universe Classics line. He’s also received 5.5″ vintage-style figures from both Mattel and Super7.
The character was an exciting addition to the Netflix Revelation series; however, he only appeared in the fifth episode, The Forge at the Forest of Forever. Phil LaMarr did a great job with the role in his brief appearance, as the character made a big impact on the episode.
After appearing in the first two issues of the Dark Horse Comics limited series that serves as a prequel to the Revelation animated series, it was weird he didn’t show up more. He did have a new backstory as the comic reveals He-Ro was the son of King Grayskull, an interesting change from the previous continuity for those characters.
It’s hard not to compare this version of the figure to the Masters of the Universe Classics version. While the MOTUC He-Ro is still likely my favorite, this version offers the improved articulation of the Masterverse line, as well as a cloth cape, extra hands and optional wrist bracers, along with his signature armor and staff. While the paint job is also a bit dull on this figure, the likeness is still pretty accurate to the show, and I’m really glad Mattel included the character in the line.
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!
Happy Monday! For this #MastersMonday post from the archives, we’re continuing with 1982 releases from the vintage Mattel Masters of the Universe line. Today, we’re doin’ some time with Skeletor!
Long before the Skullhead became a villainous staple with humorous quips in the Filmation He-Man and the Masters of the Universe animated series, the character was part of a different narrative. The Lord of Destruction was a mysterious, spooky skeleton in the early mini-comics.
In reality, the look of the character was inspired by a mummified corpse that designer Mark Taylor saw as a child when visiting an amusement park funhouse in Long Beach.
Happy #WhateverWednesday, He-Fans and She-Ravers! Here’s one bit of Princess of Power from the archives. Today, we’re talking about Arrow!
This is a custom Arrow, the steed of Bow, based on his appearance from the Filmation She-Ra: Princess of Power animated series.
For the vintage POP toyline, Mattel turned Arrow from a normal horse into a transparent blue Pegasus for some reason. I wanted something to match up with how the character looked in the cartoon. This would go with my Masters of the Universe Classics Bow (which looks a bit cartoony).
After an official Arrow was made for that line, this custom (made from a Lord of the Rings Brego with a broken hoof) was paired up with this vintage Bow figure instead (I think it still works).
Once again, if you’ve made it this far, I’ve included one last (not so) hidden Loo-Kee in today’s picture.
Happy Monday, He-Fans and She-Ravers! I hope your week is starting off light as this #MastersMonday, we’re still talking about the vintage Mattel Princess of Power toyline. Tonight, we’re taking a look at the Crystal Castle!
Similar to how Castle Grayskull was the only playset available for the first year of the vintage Masters of the Universe toy line, the “Shimmering Castle of Fantasy and Fun doe She-Ra and Her Friends” was the big playset for the Princess of Power line, and the only backdrop for your POP figures until the much smaller Crystal Falls playset was released with wave two in 1986.
The Crystal Castle was featured in books, comics, German audio plays, magazines, minicomics, and 10 episodes of the Filmation She-Ra: Princess of Power animated series. Although Castle Bright Moon was featured in more episodes, including the 1985 feature film He-Man and She-Ra: The Secret of the Sword, which launched the series, the Crystal Castle was also an important location for She-Ra. It served as a refuge for She-Ra and the home base for the character Light Hope, who was basically the POP version of the Sorceress from MOTU. Though the character was never completely defined until he received an action figure in the Masters of the Universe Classics line, he served as a source of wisdom to She-Ra while being represented by bright, talking colors on the screen.
The castle was loaded with unique accessories, most of which I have been able to accumulate over the years, including: a bedspread, a canopy bed, a clothes stand, a fireplace, a flag, a pillow, a plush rug, a table and two chairs, a treasure chest and jewels, and a vanity mirror. While the playset serves as much more of a doll house than Castle Grayskull, and looks nothing like the Crystal Castle in the Filmation animated series, it was an entertaining and important part of the toy line.
I think that’s enough She-Ra talk for now. I’ll have some more next month for the 40th anniversary of the series, but otherwise, I will be covering a very different line from the franchise starting next Monday.
Once again, if you’ve made it this far, I’ve included one last (not so) hidden Loo-Kee in today’s picture.
Happy Monday! I hope you had a marvelous weekend. For this #MastersMonday 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 Mer-Man!
The design of the Mer-Man figure varied quite a bit between the original concept art, mini comics, and animated series. The final figure ended up featuring what I think of as a little cat head and a corn cob sword. At least Mattel got the moniker right for this underwater foe of He-Man, and didn’t stick with one of the preliminary name options: Sea-Man.😄
Better late than never, this #SomethingElseSunday, we’ve got another Masters of the Universe collaboration with Eternian Epic Imagery. This week’s theme is “Beast Mode.”
My picture idea is based on Masters of the Universe: Revelation season 1 episode 4 “Land of the Dead.” In this episode, Evil-Lyn and Orko are separated from the other heroes in Subternia. The Masters are forced to confront their biggest fears, and for this pair of wizards, their fear is manifested in the form of a gigantic Shadow Beast.
The creature has only been made in action figure form once, for the Masters of the Universe Classics line. With a design that represents the Filmation version of the character, a little tweaking on my end helped make it look more like the terrifying re-imagined version from the newer Netflix series. I thought it would be a good time to share this vision of the character, as I’m prepped to start sharing all the action figures from the Masters of the Universe: Revolution series starting up in about a week. 😎👍
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In the world of The Masters of the Universe, we have swords and sorcery mixed with technology wielded by characters, many of whom appear human, like us. But there are those who are truly animalistic in appearance whom you may refer to as being BEASTLY.
Eternian Epic imagery presents some of the best beasts (not completely forgetting the steeds) from the world of MOTU. Join us for BEAST MODE!
Happy Monday, He-Fans and She-Ravers! Clearly, on this #MastersMonday, we should keep talking about the vintage Mattel Princess of Power toyline. Today, we’re taking a look at the “Glamorous Cat Carries Catra to Adventure,” it’s Clawdeen!
Just like how the majority of figures in the vintage POP line are members of the Great Rebellion, the creatures in the line overwhelmingly align with the good guys, too. Catra’s horse, Storm, was the only Evil Horde creature included in the first year of the line. Wave two brought just one Evil Horde creature with Catra’s lion, Clawdeen.
Clawdeen was featured in books, comics, minicomics, and magazines. She was even in the German Audio Plays. However, she actually had a very minor role in the Filmation She-Ra: Princess of Power animated series. That’s right, Clawdeen appeared just once, in episode 66, ‘One to Count On’, which kicked off the second season. In addition to the Clawdeen cameo, the episode is also the first appearance of Entrapta. It’s a pretty great story where the Great Rebellion has to learn to make responsible decisions in their fight against the Evil Horde without relying on She-Ra to bail them out all the time. If you haven’t seen it in a while, it’s a good episode. Though both the script and model sheets for the episode show Catra riding Clawdeen, this idea never made it into the finished episode.
The creature included familiar accessories with the standard brush and a comb, but also a harness, hair ribbons, and a saddle. I seem to have misplaced everything but the saddle, but neither Catra nor Clawdeen seems to mind.
Once again, if you’ve made it this far, I’ve included another (not so) hidden Loo-Kee in today’s picture.
Happy Monday! I hope you had a powerful weekend. For this #MastersMonday 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 Man-at-Arms!
Not the only cool thing to debut in 1982😉, like me, Duncan also arrived on the scene sans mustache. The facial feature was added to the character in the Filmation He-Man and the Masters of the Universe animated series to give him an older look as he and other characters had their backstories fleshed out beyond the stories previously just told in mini-comics.
Happy Monday, He-Fans and She-Ravers! On this #MastersMonday, let’s keep talking about the vintage Mattel Princess of Power toyline. Today, we’re taking a look at Scratchin’ Sound Catra!
The vintage POP line was filled with characters from the Great Rebellion. Catra and her horse, Storm, were the only members of the Evil Horde included in the first year of the line. I guess many Horde characters had already debuted in the concurrent Masters of the Universe line, and POP just needed to add in the missing female characters.
Besides Clawdeen and Entrapta being made into Evil Horde action figures in 1986, Mattel also made an updated version of the “Jealous Beauty” seen here. This new version of Catra not only features a new head, but she also has an action lever on her back that moves her arm and produces a “scratching” sound.
Catra had a pretty big role with the Evil Horde. The minion of Hordak appeared in 36 of the 93 episodes of the Filmation She-Ra: Princess of Power animated series. In the cartoon, Catra magically transforms into her cat form. I’m not really sure how that makes sense with this figure’s design. Releasing a new version of her each year was a great way for new viewers to jump into the line. Mattel did the same with a new version of Hordak in the MOTU toy line. This ensured there was always a main antagonist to She-Ra on the pegs at retail.
The figure included a new mini-comic, A Born Champion, that featured her and other wave two characters. For accessories, she also came with a repack of her wave one shield and a comb, now painted silver, which I seem to have misplaced. Fortunately, I do still have the new soft goods, including a fabric mask, skirt, and tail, which really help her stand out from the first release.
Once again, if you’ve made it this far, I’ve included another (not so) hidden Loo-Kee in today’s picture.
Happy Monday! I hope you had a powerful weekend. On this #MastersMonday from the archives, we’re continuing with the original 1982 release of the “most powerful man in the universe.” It’s He-Man!
While many creative types had a hand in the origin of the character and development of the Mattel toyline, most credit must be given to Mark Taylor, who started sketching similar barbarian characters starting in the 1970s. Mattel needed something to be a success in-house with boys’ toys, as they had famously passed on the Star Wars license a few years earlier.
He-Man was definitely a hit on store shelves. The Masters of the Universe toy line sold more than five million figures in its first 10 months at retail. It was named “Toy of the Year” for 1982. All of this happened before having any entertainment support like the soon-to-debut syndicated animated series from Filmation.
On this #SomethingElseSunday, we’ve got another Masters of the Universe collaboration with Eternian Epic Imagery. For our “The Best from the Best” theme, my contribution is based on the intro to the 1980s classic Filmation He-Man and the Masters of the Universe animated series:
“I am Adam, Prince of Eternia, Defender of the secrets of Castle Grayskull.
This is Cringer, my fearless friend.
Fabulous secret powers were revealed to me the day I held aloft my magic sword and said, “By the power of Grayskull, I have the power!”
Cringer became the mighty Battle Cat, and I became He-Man, the most powerful man in the universe.”
I came up with the picture idea last year after getting this cartoon-style Cringer and Prince Adam, and used a very similar pic for my 2024 Top 10 list. Our theme for the week allowed group members to reuse their favorite older photos, and the talent level in this group continues to amaze me!:
This week, we celebrate the photographers in the group and their love of MOTU! See the following members and their ongoing tribute to MOTU and their fabulous creative setups: @new.eternia @phoenix_of_grayskull @g1_arcee_pictures @dalestoys @shadowfigurephotography @the_thanoscopter @1981_eternal @eyesonthescreen @cob_web_collector @b.a.dtoyphotos @emerald_knight_photos @shindanrod @backyardeternia @raw_photoygraphy @glare_foe @takemoretoyphotos @raoof7136 @kidult_1983
Recommended music: Martin Denny – The Enchanted Sea
Happy #MastersMonday, He-Fans and She-Ravers! Let’s keep talking about the vintage Mattel Princess of Power toyline. Tonight, we’re taking a look at Enchanta.
The “Beautiful Swan [Who] Flies She-Ra and Her Friends on Amazing Adventures” was a steed for the Great Rebellion figure. I’ve seen Enchanta listed as both a wave one and a wave two vehicle for the Princess of Power toy line, so I’m still not 100% sure she was a 1985 release or not. Unlike the horses in the first wave that carry a single figure, and not quite as crazy as the Butterflyer, which holds eight figures, Enchanta can easily hold 2-3 figures on the silver cushioned saddle.
Enchanta had just one appearance in the Filmation She-Ra: Princess of Power animated series. During the second season episode “Sweet Bee’s Home,” not only does Sweet Bee make her debut, but Enchanta aids the Rebellion by hauling Mermista (who appears to be Enchanta’s neighbor or something), She-Ra, He-Man, and Frosta until a Horde freeze-ray slowly knocks her out of the sky. It’s a hilarious episode with Frosta swooning over He-Man while the most powerful man in the universe appears to be smitten with Sweet Bee. Check it out!
Besides the saddle, the giant talking swan comes with a bridle with reins, a prism skirt, and a removable tail and wings. She also came with a brush and comb to groom her stylish pink mane, but I seem to have misplaced those accessories. 😛
Once again, if you’ve made it this far, I’ve included another (not so) hidden Loo-Kee in today’s picture.
Back at it this #MastersMonday from the archives, we’re taking it back to 1982 with the Mattel Masters of the Universe Beast Man!
This Savage Henchman from the first wave of MOTU figures came with a lone accessory – his whip. This weapon was actually reused from a figure called The Whip in the Big Jim toyline released in 1976!
Beast Man was initially considered for the reuse of a 1974 gorilla mold from the Big Jim line. However, he was ultimately scaled down to fit on the same cardback as the rest of the wave.
Recommended music: BODYWORX x MOTi – Hustle For That Muscle
On this #WhateverWednesday from the archives, we’ve got these Super7 Masters of the Universe M.U.S.C.L.E. mini-figures!
As thousands of pop culture fans are looking forward to descending on Southern California for San Diego Comic-Con later this month, I’ve got some of these convention exclusives to share from the collection.
Also known as M.O.T.U.S.C.L.E., the slime green variants of all these characters came as convention exclusives at Power-Con for a few years. They made for a great way to collect all the individual characters without worrying about blind boxes. Each of the four trash cans contained the full wave of character designs available.
Dale's Toys 