We're rolling right along with Mattel's new-ish Masters of the Universe Origins line! Today, we're taking a look at the master of disguise-- as long as you only look at his face, that is--Man-E-Faces! I've written before about my initial disappointment when first finding the vintage figure, though I quickly grew to like it quite a bit. I still always held a preference for the figure's design on the cross sell art, however. In a line that is based primarily on the vintage figures, is this one bound to disappoint? Only one way to find out!
Man-E's sculpt is mostly unique, though he does share legs and part of his left arm with Trap Jaw, as usual. This sculpt breaks away from the vintage figure more than the other figures we've seen thus far; whereas most may have a different head or a few tiny details that differ, Man-E features numerous details that deviate from the original figure. The overall effect is closer to the vintage cross sell art in many ways. This is most obvious with the upper set of piping, the area where the headgear attaches to the body, and the figure's back. Collectors who want these figures to be literally the vintage versions with added articulation may be disappointed by this, but I quite like the changes in the sculpt. They allow for more detail, and frankly, I think it's just a better design. I want this line to draw from the original cross sell art and prototypes in cases where it can improve the final figure, and I'm glad to see they did that here. On a somewhat odd note, Man-E has no nipples. If you assume the yellowish areas are supposed to be his skin, this throws things off a bit. (The vintage version had them.) This is obviously not a big deal, just a little oddity that's worth pointing out. The sculpting in some areas is noticeably softer than with the vintage figure, however. This is most obvious with the monster and robot faces, but this persists in areas on the legs and arms, as well. It's particularly disappointing to see this on a figure's face(s), as that makes it impossible to overlook. The sculpting team really needs to tighten up and ensure this doesn't become a trend with this line.
Man-E's paint apps are crisp and neat, particularly for a kid-friendly mass retail line. This is particularly evident on the faces, where the paint apps, minimal though they are, have been applied pretty much perfectly. As is common with this line, the colors are much brighter overall than previous Man-E-Faces figures. The skin, in particular, if far brighter than the vintage figure. Some Man-E-Faces figures in the vintage days had bright pinkish-purple piping, but none had skin this bright! You definitely won't be getting this one mixed up with the vintage version! One area where they skimped is on the interior of the figure's elbows. Owing to a different joint design, when his arms are straightened, there's a large blue area in the middle of the "skin" of his arms! It looks very odd, and Mattel really should have applied some paint here to make it blend with the rest of the arms. Man-E's lone accessory is his gun. It's a good deal smaller than the vintage gun, and I find that this smaller scaled weapon looks better with the figure. The sculpt is very detailed, and the design is tweaked a fair bit from the vintage version. The standard wave two minicomic is also included.
Man-E's articulation differs a bit from most of the figures in the line, owing to his design. He has the standard swivel & hinge shoulders, elbows, wrists, hips, knees, and ankles, and waist swivel. His elbows are constructed differently, but they have the normal range of motion. The ankles are limited by the design, as previously seen with Trap Jaw. The biggest difference, obviously, is Man-E's head. Due to the figure's design, this is limited to a swivel, with an independent interior swivel for the faces within it. The 2002 and Classics figures both featured a similar design, but it works a bit better here. It appears that the head is not designed to be removed, unlike the line's other figures. It can still be removed if you really want it off, of course, but it won't pop on and off easily like the others. Even with the limited range on some of the parts, this remains a very good articulation model, and I like it quite a bit!
Even with a few drawbacks, Man-E-Faces has emerged as one of my favorite figures in the line to date. Once I have the chance to do some repainting, he'll be even cooler! A cardback colors version is definitely in the works once I manage to grab an extra. Keep checking Walmart.com if you haven't had any luck yet, as he continues to pop in and out of stock at maddeningly random intervals. If all else fails, at least we'll be able to find these figures at other retailers in a few short weeks! Scroll down for more photos, and be sure to pop in next week for the next review! Until then, stay safe out there, and happy hunting!
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