Rant Review: Masters of the Universe Origins Eternian Goddess figure

One of my earliest memories is looking at the very first MOTU minicomic, He-Man and the Power Sword, in the car on our way home from TG&Y, or possibly Howard's. (I'm not 100% sure which it was, as we frequented both stores in my youngest days.) I had just gotten the last figure the store had, He-Man himself, from the new MOTU line. As I looked at the art in the included storybook, I fixated on this image.

The green woman in the snake armor seemed infinitely cool and mysterious to me, and I wondered when there would be a toy of her. As it turned out, I only had to wait a few decades, as the Classics line delivered one in its first full year, though that figure was sadly compromised by production issues. And now, more than a decade after that, we have one in the style of the vintage toys in the Origins line! Now renamed the Eternian Goddess, she serves as the sole heroic character in wave six. Is she good enough to hold the line on her own, or is this figure saddled with its own equivalent of ECS*? Read on...

It's been awhile since I gushed about the packaging art for this line, as its consistent awesomeness can just be assumed at this point, but this figure features such excellent cardback art that it stands out even in this line! Axel Gimenez has channeled his inner Alcala, delivering a piece of art homaging the climactic scene from He-Man and the Power Sword! Check it out:

The figure's sculpt, unsurprisingly, is 100% reuse from Teela. I would have liked to see a new head here, as the original plan for the Goddess/Sorceress back in the day called for that, but Mattel's gonna Mattel, so what can you do? For those of us who haven't been lucky enough to snag a Teela from the newer production run, there is a vital difference: This figure has the new female knees! These knees look so much better, and correct THE major flaw that female figures in this line suffered from. We have presumably seen the last of the original knees, and that is a very good thing! I'm also glad that the figure is not molded in translucent plastic, as the Classics figure was. While the translucent look was cool, it didn't really make any sense, and I'm glad they went with a simple light green skin tone instead.

The paint apps in this wave seem to be much sloppier overall than previous waves, and that's no different here, unfortunately. There's a general slop and overspray in numerous areas of the figure, with the "belt" and furry parts of the boots as the worst offenders. The fur suffers from overspray, lack of full coverage, and such a thin coat of paint that the underlying red bleeds through in multiple areas. The face is very neat, at least, though that hardly makes up for the relative horror show the rest of the paint apps are. 

The Goddess has the line's standard articulation, with swivel & hinge shoulders, elbows, wrists, hips, knees, and ankles, swivels at the waist and calves, and a ball-jointed head. As ever, this is a very good articulation model that is lots of fun to play around with, and the parts pop apart at the usual spots for easy swapping, though I recommend heating the elbows, hips, knees, and ankles before popping them apart. My figure's right arm refuses to stay in its socket, and tends to fall out whenever you touch it, look at it, breathe near it, or think about it too hard. There's nothing visibly different about it, so I'm not sure what the problem is. The Goddess shares the same trio of accessories that we've seen with Teela, and they all function the same. The shield still has a tendency to fall out of the figure's hands, and the addition of a clip for the forearm would have been most welcome. It would have been nice to get the spear so we could give it to Teela in exchange for her snake staff, but again, Mattel doesn't tend to give us something new if they can avoid it. 

Despite being a 100% recolor of a previously released figure, the Goddess has been a highly anticipated figure for many collectors, myself included. There are a couple of alterations I'd have liked to see, but the figure does work as a simple recolor, and I'm glad to have her in the collection. And hey, no ECS*, so that's always a plus! Unfortunately, the paint apps are among the worst I've seen in the entire line, and on a figure that was so cheap for Mattel to produce, seeing them cut corners so obviously really rankles. Whenever costs are cut on action figures, the quality and quantity of paint apps are the first thing to suffer, and we're really seeing that in action here. I can fix these issues, but the fact is, I shouldn't have to. I still recommend picking up this figure, but just be aware that you'll likely have to either live with sloppy paint apps, or take the time to correct them. Once again, Mattel's cheapness has marred a figure I otherwise really like, and that's becoming a very disturbing trend with this line. That's all for today, but head back over next week for more! Until then, stay safe out there, and happy hunting!

*Exploding Crotch Syndrome, of course!

Thoughts on the Masters of the Universe Origins Castle Grayskull leak

 Within the last 24 hours, a photo of what appears to be the MOTU Origins Castle Grayskull has been making the rounds online. It was apparently found in the files of a German retailer's website, promptly uploaded to PlanetEternia.de, and from there, it quickly spread across the 'net. Note that while this seems legit, it is not official, and even it is is real, we don't know how close to this image the final product will be. 

There's a lot to unpack here. At first glance, it bears a strong overall resemblance to the vintage Grayskull, which should come as no surprise to anyone. That said, there are enough differences to make it distinct and interesting in its own right. One of the first things I noticed is the brown jawbridge. This seems an odd decision, as the vintage castle looked fine with it molded in the same green as the rest of the castle. I had no problem believing there are green trees on Eternia! While the brown chosen might make the door look better from the outside, the jawbridge itself suffers. Hopefully this is something that will change before this version of Grayskull, if it is indeed legitimate, enters production. If not, it can be repainted, so it's really not a huge deal. The weapons rack is present, though it has fewer weapons included than any previous version of Grayskull. The ladder is much wider, and actually looks functional for the figures. It's a bit difficult to make out, but behind the ladder, we can see what appears to be the torture rack that was scrapped from the final version of the vintage Grayksull! That is a very interesting inclusion, if that is what it actually turns out to be. The dungeon sticker appears to be on the floor underneath it. Finishing off the first floor is the elevator, looking very much like its vintage counterpart.

On the second floor, we have a sculpted version of the viewscreen, which was represented by a cardboard cutout in the vintage castle. The Sorceress appears in her Temple of Darkness minicomic color scheme, presumably as a pack-in figure. I'm glad to see her in the white costume, as that has long been my preferred version of her. The banners hanging on the wall look very similar to those included in the MOTU Classics Grayskull, and may well be reused from it. The control console, like the viewscreen, is sculpted, instead of a simple cardboard insert. The space suit, sadly, is not present. The throne looks very much like the vintage version. The sticker over the trapdoor appears to be on the floor, and we can only assume that it works as the vintage version did. On the castle parapets we have the laser cannon, flag, and, oddly enough, the combat trainer. I like the addition of a third platform here. 

A few more general observations: The overall shell seems much more shallow than the vintage version, though it's difficult to tell for sure. There also doesn't appear to be an actual hinge, but just a seam in the plastic that allows the castle to open and close. If this photo is legit, let's hope that this is a prototype version, and that the final toy will have actual hinges. I was hoping for a Grayskull that looked far more like the early Mark Taylor prototype and Alfredo Alcala's rendering of it, but that doesn't seem to be what we're getting here, though the torture rack is a nice (and surprising!) homage to it. The inclusion of the "chess piece" on top of the facade and the ledge on the right side would go a long way toward achieving a middle ground between vintage toy and that prototype version. While I'm glad to see the ToD Sorceress, I would prefer a pack-in figure to be a character we're not likely to get as a single-packed figure, like a King Grayskull statue figure, Castle Grayskull Man, or an actual figure version of the space suit that seems to have been nixed altogether. The prototype version of the throne would be nice, as well. Extending the top ledge all the way across would also increase play and display space. I'd also love to get the Spirit of Grayskull piece that was slated for inclusion with the MOTU Classics Grayskull at one point! 

While there's quite a bit we can see in this low-res photo, it's important to keep in mind what we cannot deduce. Most obviously, we can't see the front of the castle. Here's hoping it has some of the more ghoulish teeth and detailing seen in the vintage Taylor prototype and Alcala renderings, but we really won't know until more photos surface. This castle isn't perfect, but I do dig it. It's different enough from previous Grayskulls to have its own charm and identity, and should hold plenty of appeal to any kids who have bought into the Origins line. (Kids are the primary audience for this line, after all. Adult collectors have a tendency to forget that the toy world doesn't revolve around them!) According to a Target listing found earlier this year, the castle may retail for $75. Given what we see here, that seems about right. For now, we'll just have to wait until more details surface, hopefully in an official capacity from Mattel itself. That's it for today, but feel free to share your thoughts in the comments, and trek on back in two days for another MOTU Origins review. Until then, happy hunting, and stay safe out there!

The Top Ten Posts of 2018

(Yes, it's weird that this didn't get posted until two weeks into 2019. I had it all typed up and ready to go, but had a brain fart and forgot to set it to auto-post. Only just noticed and  manually posted it. Whoops!)

Another year has ended, so it's time once again to take a look at the most popular posts of the past year. Pointless? Yep. But still kinda fun? You betcha! Let's roll!

10. Man-E-Faces

9. Geldor

8. Extendar

7. Despara

6. Strongarm (Strong-Or)

5. Skeletor's Pal figure comic story

4. Blade

3. Wind Raider with Eternian Death Race figure comic story

2.  Lodar

1. Entrapta

Do note that the Free Comic Book Day guide cracked the top ten, but I decided not to list it since it always gets tons of views due to being swept up in the media surrounding the event. It didn't seem fair to stack the "normal" posts up against it. (Though it didn't quite crack the top ten last year, that seems to have been a one-time anomaly.) There are definitely some surprises here. The full-length figure comic stories ranked in the top five, as I expected. (More of those are coming, I promise! Real life has been so crazy that I don't get to devote the time I want to doing them, but they are in progress.) Entrapta snagging the top spot was definitely a shock! I don't remember her review generating much of a reaction, but apparently lots of people at least read it!

So, that's another year in the bag. I didn't get to post as much as I wanted--those aforementioned real-life commitments getting in the way again-- but I really enjoyed what I was able to do. It was especially fun to return to doing the full-length figure comics again! As always, this stuff is a lot of work, but it's also a lot of fun, and I'll keep doing it as long as I'm able. :) Happy 2019, and I'll see you all again soon!

Rant Review: Masters of the Universe Classics Intergalactic Skeletor (New Adventures of He-Man)

In today's review, we return once more to the most maligned corner of the MOTU universe: New Adventures! Like many MOTU fans, I wasn't too enamored with NA when I first saw the figures on the pegs back in 1989. As much as I missed MOTU, and wanted more, this just wasn't MOTU to me. The toys were completely different from a stylistic standpoint, and virtually none of the familiar and beloved characters were present. It felt like a poor man's Star Wars with my beloved Skeletor and He-Man wedged into it, complete with new looks that didn't measure up to the classic ones. Full of the sort of bitterness that can only be summoned by a child, I turned my back on the new toys, resigned to the death of my favorite toyline.

Obviously, I have a much more positive outlook on NA these days. (My review of Optikk makes that clear.) The Four Horsemen work wonders with their designs, and their takes on the handful of NA characters we've gotten in the MOTUC line have resulted in some of its coolest figures. Prototypes of the NA version of Skeletor were absolutely awe-inspiring, and this looked to be the figure of the year. The released version, sadly, falls quite a bit short of that promise.

I'll say this first: The sculpt is fantastic. There is intricate detail covering the figure from head to toe, so much so that many collectors feel he looks out of place in this line. While I love extremely detailed sculpts such as this, he does have much in common with the detailed sculpts of the 2002 MOTU line. Personally, I think the sculpt is phenomenal, and I wish there were far more figures in the line with this level of detail! Looking over the figure, you'll find intricate circuitry and metal parts everywhere, even lurking underneath the figure's helmet, and behind his cape. IG Skeletor would be a strong contender for the greatest figure in the entire line if not for one problem that reared its ugly head with frustrating regularity in this line: The dreaded Mattel design team.

Mattel's designated designer took the incredible Four Horsemen sculpt and decided that this figure would have a torso overlay, rather than a new torso. This technique has been used since the early days of the line to keep costs down, and a certain designer seems incapable of designing these overlays in such a way that they work properly. This has led to the "fat armor" syndrome, as well as figures with the inability to relax their arms. Unfortunately, IG Skeletor has what is quite possibly the worst case of FAS I've ever seen. The overlay is ridiculously bulky, and making matters worse, it goes all the way to the top of the figure's neck, so that he is stuck permanently looking down. This also renders that particular point of articulation a swivel joint, as the overlay restricts all other motion. On top of that, it leads to some awkward moments when the navel on the torso shows underneath the overlay. The overlay is supposed to be Skeletor's body, not armor, so this is even more odd-looking than it usually is when it happens to other figures. (Poor IG Skeletor not only suffers from FAS, but also DBS: Double Belly Syndrome!) This figure has a lot of new tooling, so I can understand the desire to cut costs, but this is Skeletor. He's the main villain of the entire MOTU mythos. He's probably the most popular of all MOTU characters. This is not a figure to cheap out on. The fact is, this figure needed a newly tooled torso to be done properly, and that is what Mattel should have done. Their cost cutting has reduced a figure that should have been a perfect 10 to a 6 or 7 at best. There are various tutorials floating around the net on how to alter the figure's torso overlay to make the figure look much better, and you better believe I'll be going that route. This figure is too amazing overall to be held back by a poor design decision. 

Paint apps are pretty good overall, with lots of the small details painted in, and a nice metallic blue used over much of the circuitry on the "skin." There are a couple of areas where the paint doesn't quite cover the entire piece of circuitry, but that can be easily fixed, at least. Articulation is a bit different than usual, owing to the torso overlay. The ball-jointed head becomes a swivel head, as mentioned above, and the torso hinge is rendered immobile unless you're reeeeeaally motivated to use it. (The back of the overlay is shaped to avoid blocking that joint, so my figure may just have a stuck joint. Even if it could move, the cape would get in the way.) The wrist swivels are at the tops of the gloves, rather than the hand plugging into the end of the wrist. Everything else is standard, with ball joints at the shoulders and hips, swivels at the biceps, thighs, calves, and waist, and hinged elbows, knees, and ankles.

Accessories include his helmet, if you count that, an alternate head, and his Havoc Staff. The staff is a perfect update to that of the original figure, right down to the odd creature clamped onto the back of the skull. With a blade on one end and what appear to be electric prods on the other, this incarnation of the Havoc Staff looks like a very nasty weapon! The alternate head is not for Skeletor himself, but for Faker. This is the much-requested battle damaged Faker head that fans have wanted since at least the 2002 days, and it's awesome to finally have it! The non-damaged half of the head is a very good match for the original head sculpt, and the skeletal half has some great details. The only issues with the head are with the paint. It was molded in silver with the other parts painted in, but they neglected to paint the teeth. This doesn't really bother me, but it has been an issue for some collectors who want the undamaged side to match the normal Faker head perfectly. Thankfully, this is very easy to remedy if it bothers you. The other issue is with the hair, which is a completely different shade of orange, without the paint wash that is present on other Faker heads. It's basically emulating the vintage colors, and it looks fine on the figure, but it will be a bit odd if you display this head alongside one of the standard ones. I do prefer the darker reddish-orange with  the blackwash, but again, this isn't really a problem for me. (A bigger issue is the very obvious mold line on the hair piece!) It would be nice if Skeletor had included a sword of some type, but I find that the 2002-style tech sword of power looks great with him! The only problem is that I had Faker wielding it until now... now he needs a new weapon!

Ultimately, IG Skeletor is a divisive figure. That great sculpt is marred by poor design decisions, but there is still so much that is awesome about this figure. I'm annoyed that I'll have to go to significant trouble to correct the design team's error, but this is a cool enough figure that I think he's worth it. Whether or not that holds true for you, or if you feel capable of taking those measures to improve the figure, is a decision only you can make. I do recommend snagging one if you find him for a decent price, and see if he grows on you despite the design issues. If nothing else, you'll get a cool extra head for Faker. That's it for today, but be sure to swing back by in two weeks for more! And there just might be a bonus feature next week, so be sure to check back for that! (I'm not being coy, I'm really not 100% sure I'll have it ready by next week. I'm gonna try, though!)  In the meantime, have a great Thanksgiving! And if you don't celebrate Thanksgiving, then have a great Thursday tomorrow anyway!

Here's a bonus version of one of the Faker pics from when I was screwing around with the colors and wound up with a slightly unsettling reverse colors version.

Rant Review: Masters of the Universe Classics Collector's Choice Karg figure

Karg has been a long time coming! I've spoken about my feelings on the MOTU movie before; suffice to say, regardless of the movie's quality, I'm interested in figures of the various villains it introduced. Karg got the shaft back in the vintage days, for whatever reason, so he was considered off-limits for inclusion in the MOTUC line. As has happened before, however, a loophole was found: Karg's appearances in the UK MOTU comics made him fair game, as long as that design was used. Hooray for loopholes! Not only does Karg complete the MOTU movie "new villains" trifecta, he also appears to be their field commander, making him pretty essential to anyone who already has Blade and Saurod. The bio gives him the additional role of Skeletor's chief interrogator, which suits the character nicely.

The sculpt is phenomenal, even by the standards the Four Horsemen have set with this line. There's some nice texture work on several different areas of the figure, giving them the look of different materials. Various instruments of torture are sculpted on the belt, and the chest armor is situated in such a way that it mostly avoids the "fat armor syndrome" that plagued many of the Mattel figures. Despite using the comic design, Karg's face is a near-perfect rendition of the character's look in the movie; only the color is different. The 4H's work here is excellent, with Karg's sunken eyes, crinkly skin, and jagged teeth giving him a leering visage that would be right at home on the cover of a vintage heavy metal album.

Do you like blue? I hope you do, because Karg is one blue figure. Very, very blue. Fortunately, blue is my favorite color, so I'm happy to see Karg climb upon the blue train! The metallic shade used for most of the figure looks fantastic, and he really stands out on the shelf. Paint apps are pretty nice for the most part, with minimal slop and bleed, aside from the silver on and around his belt. Most of the individual tools are nicely done, but there are other areas where the paint is applied too thinly, and the blue is showing through. There are also more areas here where blue creeps up onto some of the tools, as the silver was not applied as far down as it needed to be. I'll definitely have to touch up the whole belt area, but given the choice, I'd much rather have sloppy paint apps on something like a belt than on the face. Oh boy, that face. They really nailed it! The sickly shade of yellowish-green chosen is wonderful, and there's a nice light wash to bring out the sculpted detail. The eyes and the Austin Powers teeth are done perfectly. My only gripes here are the lack of paint wash on the ears and hair. There's some wash on the hair right around the face, but the bulk of it goes without. Thankfully, this is something that'll be very easy for me to correct myself. One oddity with the paint is the red areas on either side of the amulet on his chest armor. They're bright red on the left side, but more of a copper color on the right. I'm not sure if this was a mistake, or if it was intentional and I just hadn't noticed it in any of the photos. It's certainly possible I just failed to notice before, as they're quite small, and easy to miss.

The articulation is mostly standard for the line, with ball joints at the head, shoulders, and hips, swivels at the biceps, upper thighs, calves, left wrist, and waist, hinges at the elbows, knees, ankles, and torso, and a nice swivel/hinge right wrist. Well, in theory, anyway, as the right wrist is completely stuck on my figure. Hopefully I can free it up with some heat without tearing the peg. The head also suffers enormously due to the figure's design, as the furry cape, large frilly ruff, and Tina Turner hair renders it almost completely immobile. The hair is actually made from a pretty soft plastic, but it's so massive that it still just doesn't have the flexibility it needs. It's an unfortunate consequence of the character's design, and I'm not sure what else Super 7 could have done to alleviate this issue.

Karg comes with three accessories, or perhaps two, depending on how you count them. His pistol is based on the design of one seen in the movie, and his nasty dagger/icepick thingy is called the Dagger of Agony. I must say it does look pretty agonizing, and I think we can rest assured that anyone who pays a visit to his torture chambers gets well-acquainted with it. The third accessory is his hook, which plugs into his left arm stump. Since the hook is essential to his look, I can see why some might not count it as an accessory, but since it removes, I'm counting it. Unfortunately, the prototype and cardback art shows Karg wielding a barbed hook that looks infinitely cooler, and it's a damn shame it wasn't included as well. I would hazard a guess that its barbed design violated safety codes if we were still back in the Mattel era, but Super 7 doesn't seem to be beholden to those limitations, so I'm not sure why the hook was changed. Attachments from earlier figures such as Trap Jaw won't fit into Karg's arm stump either, which is another disappointment. These aren't things that seriously hurt the figure, but they are annoying missed opportunities.

Karg is a pretty great figure overall, and his movie buds will definitely be glad to have him join them at last! Super 7 has had some issues translating the 4H's sculpts into the production figures, particularly with females, but that wasn't an issue in this case. Karg was a friggin' awesome looking figure at the prototype stage, and he's a friggin' awesome looking figure now. I'm very pleased that Super 7 found a way to get us Karg, and I'm hoping a similar loophole can be used to get us a movie Skeletor. (Seriously, the Skeletor seen in the final issue of the Star comic series is basically the movie version with a different color scheme. It could totally work!) That's it for today, but be sure to swing back by in two weeks for the next review!

Something a bit different

At long last, you stumble from the darkness of the tunnel into a dimly lit room. Alas, the light provides you no comfort as you see the being seated before you. Its skeletal visage seems set in a permanent expression of contempt, as if all it surveys are beneath its notice. A red point of light blazes hellishly in each socket, these "eyes" regarding you as they would an insect. Your blood turns to ice as you realize where you are, and who you now face. This is the enemy of all that is decent and good. This is the relentless fiend who devotes his every moment to dominating all that lives. This is the indomitable force of pure malevolence that ruthlessly destroys all who dare oppose it. 

This is Skeletor. Where his gaze falls, babies are stillborn, crops wither and die, the elderly and infirmed breath their last, and the bravest of warriors succumb to utter terror. Even the mighty He-Man has admitted that he feels the icy grip of fear close around his heart when he faces this demonic foe. Yet, unlike everyone else, He-Man always stands his ground, and lives to fight another day.

But you, unfortunately, are no He-Man. As the Lord of Destruction rises from his throne, you know that you will not live to see the light of day again. 

The text above is a modified passage from a MOTU story I wrote years ago. Maybe someday I'll post the entire thing here, if there's enough interest. For now, this is just a tidbit to hold you over until normal reviews and comics resume. The next review should be posted next week. See you then!

Skeletor's Pal: A Masters of the Universe comic story!

It's time for another full-length MOTU comic story created with action figures! First, a bit of background. As some of you may recall, I used to do these about fifteen years ago. Sadly, nearly all of those are no longer available to read online. (The photos were atrocious anyway, due to the low-grade digital camera I was stuck with at the time. The one on a typical phone these days is about a thousand times better!) As part of my return to telling goofy stories in that format, I wanted to do new versions of those old tales. This is proving to be far more difficult for some than others, as the scripts and original photos were lost about a decade ago when the hard drive in the PC I'd been using for years suddenly went kaput. So, for most of these old stories, I'm having to reconstruct them from memory, and I recall some of them better than others.

Fortunately, the tale I'm sharing with you today was one of the most popular at the time, and I remembered it quite clearly. The basic story is exactly the same, but the dialogue and many of the jokes have been tweaked and punched up a bit. All of the photos are newly taken too, of course. (Do keep in mind, however, that I had to use a different room to take these photos, and the lighting was nowhere near as good as my usual space. The photos suffered a bit for that. I'll be sure to go back to my old setup for the next one.) Think of this as the "special edition" of that older tale. Enjoy!