I was all set to wax poetic about the concept of the villainous double that occurs repeatedly throughout entertainment, all the way back to the myths that were passed down orally millennia ago. But c'mon, when you get down to it, Faker came to be because he was a figure Mattel could crank out quickly and cheaply to help capitalize on the surprise hit their MOTU line had become in 1982/3. This oddly compelling blue duplicate of He-Man proved to be elusive for many of us back in the '80s. I personally have no memory of ever seeing him in a store, and my own childhood Faker came from a garage sale. Only one of my friends had one. His appearances in media were also pretty rare, including a single appearance on the Filmation animated show, with an off-model (though far more effective for his intended purpose) appearance. This rarity gave the character a certain mystique even back in the day, and that has only grown in the decades since. Faker is often doomed to be an exclusive in modern MOTU lines, as his ease and low cost to produce makes him an ideal candidate for such low-run items. It's nice to see him back in a normal retail wave of toys, where he belongs!
The sculpt is identical to that of He-Man, of course. The head is the vintage-style sculpt that made its retail debut with Battle Armor He-Man earlier in the year. I'm glad they went with this option, as that head is my favorite of the current options. (I do like the head on the original release He-Man, but I like this one more.) The head isn't a perfect match to the vintage one, but it's pretty close, and certainly an improvement on Mattel's earlier attempts. (Take a gander at the commemorative reissue from 2001 to see what I mean!) This sculpt has become very familiar, but it remains a good sculpt, effectively capturing the essence of the vintage toy while embellishing the details a bit here and there.
As is standard for this line, most parts are molded in the appropriate color, so only a few paint apps are necessary. What's here is neatly applied, and the black belt and bracers have a nice gloss sheen. Faker also has a tampo on his chest that emulates the control panel sticker found on the vintage figure. Like the figure's sculpt, it doesn't duplicate the original exactly, but it captures the overall design while riffing on it a bit.
Faker has the line's standard articulation, with swivel & hinge shoulders, elbows, wrists, hips, knees, and ankles, swivels at the waist and boot tops, and a ball-jointed head. As always, this is a very good articulation model, and the figure is a lot of fun to pose. The pieces pop apart in the usual areas for easy swapping, though I recommend heating the elbows, hips, knees, and ankles before popping them.
Faker has his orange version of the Power Sword, and it is the full version, rather than the half-sword that has been packaged with most of the He-Man figures released so far. While I've always liked the "two halves of the power sword" concept, Mattel has never really done a great job realizing it in toy form, so I'm glad they went with the full version here. Faker also has the wave five minicomic, in which he serves as the main villain. As a figure that is 100% re-use, he really should have included more accessories. He-Man's other weapons in Faker orange are an obvious inclusion, one of the energy blasts seen with the battle armor figure, or even the wave one He-Man head in Faker blue. Like his wave mate Evil-Lyn, he just feels lacking in this area. Wave five as a whole is mighty light on new tooling, and there's really no excuse for not giving this figure something more.
Despite his lack of accessories, Faker is a figure I have really enjoyed posing and photographing. The character is intriguing, and the figure is just cool as hell. There's something very appealing about the evil duplicate concept, and even in a cast as eclectic and colorful as MOTU's, Faker stands out. His recent appearance in the Revelation animated series has undoubtedly raised his profile, so if you have the chance to grab one for a decent price, I recommend you go for it. He likely won't be getting any easier to find, and he makes a nice, colorful addition to the shelf. That's it for today, but be sure to head back in four days for more! Until next time, stay safe out there, and happy hunting!
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