As many figures as Mer-Man has been given, many of us have never gotten the exact early minicomic version we wanted. As seen in the first three Alfredo Alcala-illustrated minicomics, this design was based on the character's B-sheet design and prototype figure. The 2002 version was a step in the right direction, giving us a head sculpt that was directly based on the cross sell art for the first time. The Classics figure got us much closer, looking as if he had stepped right off one of the vintage cardbacks. Still, as it drew directly from the cross sell art, it had some key differences from the Alcala version that so many of us had wanted for decades. Now, at last, Mattel has finally give us this figure. (Well, sort of.) There was a bit of a stink when it became clear that at least two of the figures from last year's horrifically expensive Lords of Power convention exclusive set would be reissued in the retail line, but the general reaction has been surprisingly positive. It seems that the color differences, as well as the lack of the exclusive version's amazing packaging, is enough to satisfy most.
The sculpt utilizes many parts we've already seen many times over, with a few key newly-tooled pieces. The head sculpt is fantastic, capturing the design's distinctive look. The goofy expression is just perfect. There are also new forearms and calves, and smooth MOTU WWE trunks are used in place of the traditional furry loincloth. This should have a scaly pattern, but Mattel went the cheap route here. It's unfortunate, but an easily overlooked detail. The hands are a bigger issue. Instead of tooling new webbed four-fingered hands, the standard He-Man hands were reused. They also neglected to include a new "gills" piece, as the Classics figure had. Looking at the art and prototype, it's something that was clearly needed for total accuracy. This is a great-looking figure, but it's frustrating to have it fall just short of perfection thanks to cost cutting.
Most of the figure's paint apps are on its head, and they're very neat and clean. Mer-Man has the line's standard articulation, with swivel & hinge shoulders, elbows, wrists, hips, knees, and ankles, swivels at the calves and waist, and a ball-jointed head. All joints move easily and hold poses well, and pop apart easily at the shoulders, wrists, waist, calves, and neck for easy part swapping. With a bit of applied heat, you can separate the other parts, too. Mer-Man has the same sword as the previous figure, and two new pieces of armor to replicate the prototype's appearance. The sword isn't totally accurate, but it's close enough, honestly. These new armor pieces are great, though the little shoulder flaps recall the vintage toy more than the prototype, to my eyes. Given Mattel's reluctance to invest in new tooling any more than absolutely necessary, it wouldn't have shocked me if they'd simply re-used the existing Mer-Man armor, so it's very nice to see that they went the extra mile here. It helps make up for the cost-cutting in other, less vital areas. The wave five minicomic is also included, but poor Mer-Man is relegated to simply standing around in a couple of panels.
Any figure with so much anticipation is bound to disappoint some, but even with a few imperfections, I'm damn happy to finally have it. It's not 100% accurate, but it's the closest we've ever gotten, by far. The imperfections are small enough that I can overlook them. It's unfortunate that costs were cut at all, but since they were, at least the design team chose the right pieces to focus on. I won't be ditching the wave three version, but this will be the standard Mer-Man in my Origins collection going forward. It's very cool that the Origins line has a Mer-Man for you, whatever your preference! That's all for today, but head back this way in four days for more! Until then, stay safe out there, and happy hunting!
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