Rant Review: Masters of the Universe Origins Castle Grayskull playset with Temple of Darkness Sorceress figure

Whenever MOTU is revived in toy form, there are a handful of questions you can count on hearing repeatedly. One of the foremost: Do you think we'll get a Grayskull? Whereas this seemed like a pipe dream in a line structured the way MOTU Classics was, we even managed it there. But with Mattel making a major push to return the brand to prominence by blitzing the retail aisles? It was a no-brainer! Still, with the chaos of the past year, the tedium of trying to order online via some of Mattel's retail partners, and, let's face it, Mattel's knack for generally finding a way to muck things up, finding this thing has been a good bit tougher for many people than it really should be. When you get down to it, many of us collectors already have a Grayskull or two in our collections that would work perfectly well with the Origins figures, so is this new version worth the trouble? Read on...

The fortress of mystery and power has an absolutely iconic facade, and each version has tried to capture its mystique in its own way. Many of us were hoping for a design that hearkened back to the Alcala art, and were promptly disappointed when the final design was revealed. I saw several describing it as having a Playskool quality, and honestly, I can see what they mean. This iteration of Grayskull has a more symmetrical, almost friendly look compared to the haunted, crumbling ruin of the vintage version. That said, it's not bad... it just takes some getting used to. The sculpt has some nice detailing that is right in line with the figures that are meant to inhabit the castle, and this even extends to the interior: The floors actually have sculpted floorboards and nails, with some nice wood grain detailing. The bottom floor has sculpted bricks, as well. No matter how much I love my vintage Grayskull, this is an objective improvement. Assembly is very easy, and you'll have the whole thing together within minutes. 

The paint apps are simple and sloppy. This isn't much of an issue when it comes to the nose and eye sockets, as the paint masking doesn't need to be precise; the paint apps on the vintage Grayskull facades were all over the place, so the bar is set pretty low on that score. The wooden roofs actually get some brown paint apps, but they don't cover the entire area. It looks worse than leaving them unpainted, frankly. There are also some odd light green highlights on the facade that don't seem to be there for any reason other than to look strange. These are easy issues to fix, thankfully. There are a few paint apps on the computer, which are much neater. That's right, the computer is an actual piece of plastic, rather than a piece of cardboard. The hanging banners are actual fabric, and the double-sided flag is a pair of stickers that are applied on either side of a plastic flag. This is much sturdier than just wrapping a sticker around a plastic rod, as with the vintage version. Other accessories include the throne, laser turret, combat trainer, ladder, and two weapons racks. There are pegs on some of the floor sections to attach the flag, turret, and trainer, and the throne snaps easily into place on the main floor. It's cool to have a pair of weapons racks, but unfortunately, Mattel didn't include enough weapons to fill even one of them. I suppose they want us to use some of the weapons we already have to fill them out. There are notches into which the ladder can fit, which makes for much sturdier play. There is also a sticker sheet, which features art that is clearly inspired by the vintage playset without copying it exactly. They're nice enough, but some of them lack the cool psychedelic quality of the vintage ones.

One "accessory" deserves its own paragraph. The Sorceress is included in her all-white incarnation as seen in the Temple of Darkness minicomic. I've seen a lot of grumbling about this, but as this is my preferred version of the Sorceress, I'm quite happy with her inclusion! Her sculpt is exactly what can reasonably be expected from a Sorceress figure in this line, adhering very closely to the vintage figure, with slightly sharper detail in a few spots. The falcon headpiece is the standout here, with some nice texture work on the feathers. Her wings, molded in translucent plastic, are separate pieces on hinges, independent of her arms. Considering the monstrosities we ended up with on the MOTU Classics Sorceress, it's nice to see this issue handled so well here. The paint apps are minimal, but neat. The face is pretty much perfect, though there is a tiny bit of slop around the edge of the headpiece. Still, this is well within the bounds of what I consider acceptable for a mass-produced retail toy. The line's standard articulation is present, with swivel & hinge shoulders, elbows, wrists, hips, knees, and ankles, swivels at the waist and boot tops, and a ball-jointed head. The head's range of motion is severely impaired by the falcon headdress, which is unfortunate, but not surprising. 

Unfortunately, I did run into a couple of significant quality control issues with the figure. First, when I removed the Sorceress from the packaging, she couldn't keep her legs together! Now calm down, this isn't a judgement on her character, but an issue with the figure's construction. I finagled the hips for a minute and managed to get them to click into a better position, but whenever I adjust her pose, they lock back into the splayed position. I'll have to heat & disassemble the hips to figure out what the problem is. The other QC issue will be tougher to fix. There's a little piece of excess plastic stuck to the front of the figure's abdomen. I've seen this sort of thing before; it likely happened when the pieces were removed from the mold at the factory. The sprue has a bit of melted plastic on the tip when it's removed from the mold along with the pieces, and sometimes some of this sticks to one of them. This one went unnoticed, and it's stuck quite firmly to the figure. It won't be easy to remove it without damaging the figure. This really shouldn't have made it past QC. 

The castle has a few cool action features. There is the trap door, of course, which has a much simpler mechanism than its vintage counterpart. It works well, and my little niece and I have had no issues with it functioning as it should. Unfortunately, this can not be said for the elevator. This damn thing works about as well as a submarine with a screen door. It constantly hitches when going up, and does it even worse when descending. All play involving the elevator stopped pretty early on, as my little niece got sick of struggling with it. I've checked to make sure it's assembled properly, and it is. It's just lousy. Thankfully, the jaw bridge works perfectly. Inserting the Sword of Power (or anything that fits into the slot, really) triggers a spring-loaded mechanism that unlocks the bridge, allowing entry into the castle. This is a fun feature that my niece loves playing with, and so far it has held up over dozens and dozens of uses without any issues. 

Putting aesthetics aside for the moment, there are quite a few little improvements over the vintage Grayskull. I've already mentioned the additional sculpted details on the interior, better versions of accessories that were formerly made of cardboard, and additional paint apps. There is also an additional bit of floor space, as the right hand turret actually has a back half now. This is a nice touch that improves the overall look and adds a bit more play, or display, space. The jaw bridge is molded in different colored plastic, so you don't have to repaint it or rationalize having a green wooden door. (Personally, I never had any problem believing that there were green trees somewhere on Eternia, but this has long been a sticking point for a lot of people.) Accessories such as the laser turret and combat trainer are better built, and feel much less flimsy than the vintage versions. The hinges and latches are also vastly better, and look to be far sturdier than the vintage designs. 

Conversely, there are still a few things the vintage castle has over the new kid. Most obviously, the plastic quality of the new castle is simply not as good. You can feel how flimsy some of the parts are, and the middle floors are already sagging slightly. The vintage castle had a little lever on the inside of the jaw bridge, which was very handy for closing it without having to reach around to the front of the castle. This is totally absent on the new version. The vintage castle also included enough weapons to actually fill the damn weapons rack. Items like the space suit are missing from the new version (unless you lucked out on the Power Con exclusives, but I'm not about to open that can of worms here), but as it was just a piece of cardboard with the '80s Grayskull, I think we can consider that a wash. Bringing aesthetics back into it, the facade and sticker art looked much cooler. Like I said earlier, the new castle's facade doesn't look bad at all, it's just that the vintage one looked about a billion times more foreboding. 

With all that said, I still recommend hunting down an Origins Grayskull if you have the slightest urge to own one. The vintage one is still cooler, but the new one is no slouch, and it does have quite a few features that are objective improvements. If you have any children in the family, you can let them play with it without constantly suffering from a clinched sphincter over worrying that they'll break your badass vintage Grayskull. So, it's got that going for it! It also has a very cool pack-in figure, whether or not it's your preferred version. The price is also quite reasonable; I expected we'd be shelling out at least $100 for a Grayskull in this line. Playsets in toylines are a rarity these days; reasonably priced ones are damn near nonexistent! It's also worth mentioning the beautiful box art, which pays homage to the Rudy Obrero original while remaining its own thing. The side panels also recreate the photos on the sides of the vintage box. It feels weird to be touting packaging as a reason to shell out $75 for a toy, but here we are! When you get right down to it, any Grayskull is a good Grayskull. The Origins Castle Grayskull may not be the coolest one ever made, but it's still pretty damn cool. They're currently popping up with increasing frequency at Walmarts across the country, so if you haven't seen one yet, remain vigilant, and your luck is bound to change. If you don't want to hunt for it-- and I really don't blame you if you're in that camp-- BBTS is always an option! That's it for today, but keep scrolling for plenty more photos, and be sure to cross the jawbridge next week for more! Until then, stay safe out there, and happy hunting!

(And yeah, the interior of my vintage castle is dusty as hell. Cut me some slack, I never look inside the thing anymore!) 

Rant Review: Masters of the Universe Origins Panthor figure

Never as ubiquitous as a certain orange-striped green tiger, Skeletor's purple pawed pal has nevertheless managed to amass quite a following of his own. As I mentioned in my review of Battle Cat, whenever a new MOTU line is launched, Battle Cat will be there to accompany He-Man. To add to that statement, whenever a new incarnation of Battle Cat is produced, you can bet that Panthor will be close behind. Back in the '80s, Panthor at least had that swanky purple flocking to offset his status as a purple Battle Cat, and it also gave him a cool premium feel. With the flocked version of the Origins Panthor relegated to an overpriced Walmart exclusive in the US, the general mass release version, i.e. the version most people will get, is lacking one of the character's main selling points. While this isn't entirely unprecedented-- witness the Classics line's Panthor for evidence of that-- it's still a sticking point for many collectors. How does he fare without that swanky velvety feel? Read on...

This entire line boasts the general look of the wonderful vintage packaging as a selling point, and that's readily apparent with Panthor. The box art is fantastic, paying homage to the original toy's packaging, and it's also distinct enough to please entirely on its own merits. Again, I am not a MOC collector, but I really have to fight the desire to keep the large items in this line inside their packages simply because they look so damn good! Since Panthor is Battle Cat molded in purple plastic, there's not really anything new to say about the sculpt. It's evocative of the vintage toy, with some sharper detailing, such as much more fur texture. There's also some nice detailing in the mouth, with the tiny teeth between the canines and the bumps on his tongue. 

Panthor is almost devoid of paint apps, and the few that are present are neatly done. His yellow eyes with their black slits are flawless, and his teeth have a minimum of slop. There's a nice gloss coat on his eyes and part of his mouth, lending them an appropriate sheen. Gloss is also present on parts of the saddle, giving them a nice "pop." That saddle is Panthor's lone accessory, and it definitely feels rather light. Why not include an Origins version of the helmet the Four Horsemen created for the Classics Panthor? Sure, this line is mostly an homage to the vintage line, but we've seen elements and figures based on more recent incarnations of MOTU that such a thing wouldn't be entirely out of place. As a straight re-use of Battle Cat's tooling, with fewer accessories, and lacking the character's trademark flocking, this simply feels like you're not really getting your money's worth. 

As with his feline predecessor in this line, the articulation is so close to giving Panthor everything he needs that it's very frustrating. He has swivel & hinge tail and knees, swivels at the hips with the barest hint of outward movement, a hinged jaw, and a ball-jointed neck & head. The lack of ankle articulation is a huge issue, imposing severe limits on the poses you can get him into. All that range of motion in the knees is basically useless when the ankles are completely immobile. The range of motion on the head is very good, however, and helps to alleviate his general immobility a bit. The ability to fine tune the head's pose to such a degree adds much to the figure's expressiveness. 

This review probably makes it sound like I regard Panthor as a total turd of a figure, but that's not really true. It's a pretty nice piece, and I'm glad to have it, but as with the other big cat in this line, it's just a damn shame that some questionable decisions by the design team hold it back so much. With a few minor tweaks, this could have been a great toy. As it is, it's just "good enough." If  you are lucky enough to have an extra Panthor from the Classics line, I do recommend that you just dig that out and use it instead. This one is okay, but it's strictly a pinch-hitter. There is also the flocked Walmart exclusive version on the horizon, but frankly, it's overpriced at $40, and I won't be buying one unless I find it on clearance or something. Whichever version you end up with, I don't think you'll regret it, and kids will certainly care far less about the compromised articulation than we adult collectors do. This isn't a bad toy by any means, but it's certainly not what it could have, and should have, been. Let's all hope that the Origins design team will do a better job if and when they get to steeds such as Stridor and Mantisaur! That's it for today, but be sure to ride your stiff-legged feline back this way next week for more! Until then, stay safe out there, and happy hunting!

Rant Review: Masters of the Universe Origins Deluxe Battle Armor Skeletor and Battle Armor He-Man figures

 Variants tend to be a standard feature of mass retail toylines, and one with which adult collectors have a love/hate relationship. Variants are not inherently bad; refreshes of the main characters in a line help keep them available for purchase in one form or another, enabling new customers to get into a line and begin building their own collection. But there are times when toy companies go overboard, and any longtime collector can surely name a few examples of this right offhand. Batman lines, for instance, are infamous for basically being entire lines of variants, with a handful of unique characters peppered in here and there. This can work with a character as huge as Batman, particularly since there is a precedent for him using a variety of different costumes in his war on crime. However, this mentality does not apply to all lines, as we sadly witnessed with the 2002 incarnation of Masters of the Universe. Despite the peg-clogging glut of He-Man and Skeletor figures in an array of outfits that would make Barbie red with envy, which eventually strangled the line at retail, there were still a pair of variants collectors actually wanted to see: The Battle Armor figures. While there was a pair of figures released under that moniker, they were Battle Armor figures in name only, as their designs had virtually nothing in common with the beloved vintage versions. We would have to wait until the MOTU Classics line entered its second full year to get true Battle Armor variants again, and even those lacked the action feature that longtime MOTU fans remembered so fondly. At last, the MOTU Origins line has brought us new fully functional versions of the Battle Armor figures as part of their subline of deluxe figures. Can they possibly live up to their vintage inspirations? Read on...

The Battle Armor figures were hugely popular back in the '80s, even becoming the standard version of the characters for much of the promotional and package art, as well as in the hearts of many fans. They cast a very long shadow, and the announcement of these figures was met with a predictable mix of excitement and apprehension among the collector community. While it was awesome that we would be getting them as part of the line, there were some nitpicks that many of us noticed. Why are the rotating parts of the armor so much smaller? Why is He-Man's armor a matte gray instead of metallic silver? Why does He-Man have a DBZ effect on his sword? Having these in hand, I'm thankful that these issues, while they may continue to annoy some, fade far into the background in light of how cool these figures are. 

The majority of the sculpts are very familiar to anyone who has been collecting this line, as the arms, legs, and crotches are the same ones we've already seen so many times. The heads, torsos, and some of the accessories are new. The armored torsos are based on their vintage counterparts, of course, with a few modifications to accommodate the different construction of these figures. This results in the infamous shrunken "drums," as that rotating piece had to be narrowed because of the way the arms are attached to the Origins figures. It looks fine on Skeletor, as the design of his armor allows it to blend in better than it does on He-Man's. Big blondie's armor does indeed look a little odd to those of use who are accustomed to how the battle armor is "supposed" to look, but honestly, it's not that bad, and I've gotten used to it. Your mileage may vary, of course, but it no longer bothers me. The feature works perfectly on three of my figures, while one of my Skeletors has a drum that tends to stick a bit sometimes. The detailing on Skeletor's armor is a little soft, particularly on the skull that adorns the front. As always, I expect the detailing on these figures to be a bit sharper than on the vintage figures. We've seen them achieve that on several of them, and it's always a bit disappointing to see them fall short of that standard. The armor now has a loop on the back to hold a weapon, a nice change that I was glad to see. Not all weapons will fit, but the swords slip in and out easily, and I was able to get He-Man's axe in there with no trouble. 

The new heads have been the source of much debate. Each figure has a head inspired by the vintage figures, and while neither of them are exact duplicates, they do look very close. I didn't dislike the heads on the standard Origins figures the way many collectors did, but I do prefer these. Each figure also has a more expressive head attached to the figure in the package. He-Man is either yelling a battle cry or gasping in astonishment, depending on how well the paint was applied, while Skeletor has a delightful exaggerated frown. I've seen a lot of criticism for these new heads, but I quite like both of them. He-Man's really lives or dies based on the quality of the paint apps, as we'll see in a bit, but I unabashedly love Skeletor's pissy frown. I really enjoy having different expressions to choose from with these figures, and it's awesome that Mattel is giving us so many options. Keep 'em coming! 

The articulation is standard. Both figures have swivel & hinge shoulders, elbows, wrists, hips, knees, and ankles, swivels at the waist and boot tops, and ball-jointed heads. Note that the waists don't seem to be designed with easy part-swapping in mind. At least, mine don't simply pop apart, and I didn't want to risk breaking any of them by applying too much force. The other parts pop apart as normal, and as always, I recommend heating the hips, elbows, and knees before separating them, just to be on the safe side. Each figure has an array of accessories to help justify the higher price. In addition to the extra heads, each figure has a grasping left hand that can be swapped with the gesturing hand. I really like seeing this, though I would also like to have a gesturing right hand for each figure to give us even more posing options. Skeletor also has his standard Havoc Staff and half sword, and for the first time, a shield! He-Man has his half sword and axe. The shield has been omitted in favor of a cool translucent energy effect that can be slipped over the sword. If you remove Skeletor's hand, you can fit it over the stump so that it looks like he's blasting someone. This is a cool piece, and I hope we get more accessories of this nature. I've said it before, but I really believe that accessory-light figures such as Stratos and Zodac should be coming with stuff like this. (Unfortunately, my little niece made off with both of my energy blast pieces, so they were unavailable when I was photographing the figures for this review.) It's also worth noting that both figures' weapons (with the exception of Skeletor's Havoc Staff) have a cool metallic finish to match their battle armor. This is a nice touch, and gives us more display options. The minicomic for the first wave of deluxe figures is also included. It's decent enough, though the difficulties of telling a halfway decent story in just a few pages continues to be a problem. Also, Skeletor does. Not. GROVEL!!! Anyway, it's still awesome that we're getting actual minicomics with these. If these figures had also had the gesturing right hands I mentioned and a full version of their respective swords, they'd be a slam-dunk on the accessory front. As it is, they're pretty damn good! 

The quality and consistency of paint apps is proving to be the bane of this line-- aside from actually finding them, of course-- and that is on full display here. I ordered two sets of these figures from BBTS-- One for me, and a pair for  my little niece to play with-- and the contrast between the two sets really shows the inconsistency in the quality of paint apps in this line. Most of the paint work is neat enough, certainly for what can reasonably be expected from a mass-produced toy, but there are some issues. there is a bit of slop here and there, most noticeably on He-Man's boots, but nothing too bad. One of the biggest and most consistent problems with these figures is with He-Man's yelling head. I have seen many, many photos in which this head looks... let's be nice and say "odd." One of mine falls into this category, and it's entirely due to the paint apps/tampo on the face being misaligned. The other one is aligned properly, and that head looks good! This shows that there is nothing wrong with the underlying sculpt, and really drives home how the quality of paint apps can make or break a figure. One of my Skeletor heads also has a slight tilt to the paint apps, making him look slightly cockeyed. Thankfully, the black apps on the teeth are aligned well on all of the Skeletor heads, correcting a pervasive problem that afflicted the standard Skeletor figure. The green on the fringe of Skeletor's skull has a nice gradient fade into the yellow, as opposed to the abrupt cutoff on the standard figure. The chest emblems for all these figures are applied perfectly, including the paint on the dented portions. While I don't expect uniform perfection on a cheap mass-produced toy, I would like to see more consistency than this line is currently managing, particularly with the relatively few paint apps these figures require. This is all the more crucial since so many of us are forced to order these online, sight unseen, because the retail supply chain is doing such a poor job getting the product on store shelves.

These figures have a lot to live up to, and they pretty much manage it. There are a few things I personally would have liked to see done a bit differently, and the inconsistent paint apps are a shame, but these are just so damn fun that it really just feels like nitpicking. If you're lucky enough to come across these figures in a store, be sure to take a moment to look at the faces and pick out the best one. Apart from that, buy these with confidence, as they are standout releases in a line that I am thoroughly loving. Watching my little niece's delight in playing with the battle armor feature shows that these have recaptured the fun of the originals, and the bonus parts are a serious draw for adult collectors who enjoy having as many display options as possible. These are a rock solid value for the price, whether you're a longtime fan in whose heart they occupy a special place, or someone new to the brand who's just checking 'em out to see what all the fuss is about. As for where to buy, if you're not among the lucky ones whose local Target has been stocking them, BBTS still has them available as a pre-order. That's it for today, but be sure to battle your way back here next week for more! Until then, happy hunting, and stay safe out there!

Rant Review: Masters of the Universe Origins Scare Glow figure

Today we're looking at the final figure from wave two of Mattel's Masters of the Universe Origins line, and one of MOTU's most mysterious characters: Scare Glow! Judging by the chatter online, there is a sizeable presence of people collecting the Origins line who have no idea who this fella is. Coming at the tail end of the vintage line, Scare Glow had a very limited media presence, so this isn't very surprising. That said, he was a skeleton monster who glowed in the dark, so he was much beloved by people who were lucky enough to own one back in the day, and sought after by many who never saw one in person, like me. He also had the somewhat vague title of "Ghost of Skeletor," which led many to question his origins, which only enlarged his mystique. This, coupled with his relative rarity, led to him gathering a large following over the decades since the vintage line's demise. In recent years, this has seen him elevated nearly to A-list status when it comes to MOTU merchandise, as he now is among the first characters to be produced in most any MOTU venture. His spot on the roster of the upcoming Netflix series will surely raise his profile even further. Mix this together, toss in a pinch of Walmart's less than stellar handling of the line's distribution, and you have a big ol' steaming "Why the hell can't I find this figure anywhere??!?" pie. A mysterious villain, a fan favorite, a scalper's dream... But does the figure measure up to his hype? Read on...

Scare Glow's sculpt is no surprise to anyone familiar with how MOTU lines tend to work. As with every previous iteration, the figure is Skeletor from the neck down, topped off with a new head. The sculpting is quite good overall, following the line's general standard of recreating the vintage sculpts with slightly sharper detail. The head has some nice detailing that's slightly tough to see, given the type of plastic used, and the lack of anything beyond basic paint apps. The boots remain a standout on this body, sharply detailing what was only hinted at with the vintage figures that made use of the Skeletor legs. 

Paint is a bit of a sore spot with this figure. Aside from issues with the general design-- see the photo above for a look at the prototype, which many feel had torso and arm paint apps that were far better designed than those of the actual released figure-- there are multiple areas that have not been filled in completely. (See the photo below for examples.) It's a shame, because the paint apps are nice and sharp otherwise, with the shapes of the "bones" clearly delineated without slop or overspray. Some of the bone designs are just weird.

Articulation is standard for the line, with swivel & hinge shoulders, elbows, wrists, hips, knees, and ankles, swivels at the waist and boot tops, and a ball-jointed head. It's a very nice articulation model that I continue to like quite a bit, and the easy part swapping is appreciated. 

Scare Glow has his usual accessories: His Scythe of Doom, so called despite it being a halberd, and his removeable cloak. The cloak is particularly nice, made of a soft, pliable plastic, with a sculpt that gives it the appearance of fabric. It would have been a very nice surprise for them to include the Grayskull reliquary that originated with the Classics figure, but as this is primarily a vintage-based line, I can understand its absence. The wave two minicomic is also included, and while I still feel the page count is too small, it is an improvement over the first one. 

Scare Glow is one cool figure, make no bones about it. He has definitely been overhyped, and over-scalped, to the point where the figure itself is being overshadowed in all the fuss. At its core, this is a cool toy, whether or not you knew who the hell he was when wave two was announced. The furor over his extremely messy release is sure to die down after Xmas, when the general shopping frenzy subsides. If nothing else, we have only twenty short days until this line will be carried by other retailers, and hopefully wave two will be well-stocked and plentiful. Just be patient, and don't lose your head over trying to get this cool toy. I have a feeling that most people who are paying through the nose for it will be sorely disappointed in a month or so, when the stock is more easily available, and the prices come tumbling down. In the meantime, just keep checking Walmart's website, and you may just luck out. This will likely be the final review for 2020, so until the new year, enjoy whatever holiday you happen to celebrate, happy hunting, and stay safe out there! 

Rant Review: Masters of the Universe Origins Man-E-Faces figure

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! 

Rant Review: Masters of the Universe Origins Orko figure

 

Today we're looking at the newest plastic incarnation of one of the most polarizing of all MOTU characters, Orko! Loved and loathed in seemingly equal measure by the MOTU fandom, Orko is nevertheless a fixture in the mythos, so it's not at all surprising to see him recieving a figure so early in the Origins line. Personally, I hated Orko when I was a kid. I always disliked the so-called "child identification" characters because it felt like I was being pandered to, and really, that's exactly the idea behind those characters. In my mind, Orko was the worst offender of them all, because he was plopped smack dab in the middle of my beloved MOTU. By the time he made the scene in the Filmation cartoon, I was already way into the more hard-edged world seen in the early minicomics. Orko was emblematic of the shift into a blander, more toddler-friendly version of MOTU that I didn't like nearly as much. While I enjoyed the animated show well enough for what it was, it was never the "real" MOTU to me, and Orko was a big part of why I felt that way. The vintage figure suffered countless tortures at the hands of Skeletor, culminating in his murder for "being a tosser," at which point he was buried in the front yard. As far as I know, he's still down there! (Side note about the "tosser" thing: I picked that up somewhere, doubtless from a movie or something, and just liked the sound of it. My Mom either found out what it meant, or just decided it was likely something her five-year-old didn't need to be saying, and promptly put a stop to my useage of it. For a little while, however, it was my insult of choice!) My feelings about Orko have softened over the years, but he remains far from one of my favorites. So, was buying this figure just a huge brain fart on my part, or what? Read on...

Where the Origins figures have mostly emulated the vintage figures, Orko is a big departure from that approach. He's based entirely on the Filmation design, and looks as if he floated right off the TV screen! While I don't consider the Filmation designs preferable to the figures or minicomic designs, they are the ones who created this character, so deferring to their design was definitely the right approach here. Orko still features a level of detail on par with the rest of the line, with wrinkles and such sculpted where the design allows, chiefly on his scarf and the back of his hat. The sculpting of the eyes is just about perfect. This is a crucial element of the character's design, yet it is something nearly every figure of the character has struggled to get right. Scale continues to be an issue with the character, as he his simply too large compared to the rest of the line. This is a persistent issue with the character, as Mattel presumably makes him large enough that he can be sold as a separate figure without being perceived as a poor value. (Only the Classics version was nicely scaled, but he had the advantage of being a con exclusive packaged with an entire extra figure as his "accessory.")

Unlike other wave two figures I've seen, Orko has very neatly applied paint apps. the colors are appropriately bright, and pop nicely on the shelf. I like the bright colors on this line in general, but they seem especially appropriate for this character! Orko's articulation is as close to the line's standard as his design allows, with a ball-jointed head and swivel & hinge shoulders, elbows, and wrists. All points of articulation have a wide range of motion and hold poses well, especially the head. Orko's head has a hole that is slightly smaller than that of the other figures. With a bit of heat, however, it can be swapped with the line's other figures, so you can easily create some truly nightmarish mashups! Sadly, Orko's scarf prevents other figures' heads from popping into place atop his body. It's worth pointing out that the figure does feel rather top-heavy. The solid head and had atop a hollow body creates this issue, though it's alleviated by his body's width at the bottom. The figure can feel a little weird in-hand because of the wonky weight distribution, but it doesn't really affect posing. 

Orko only has one accessory, but it's a big one. His display base is a large glittery purple cloud with a clear stand rising from it. There are two pivot points, allowing for many posing opportunities. the base's width makes it stable enough to support even the most extreme angles without issue. Orko also includes this wave's minicomic, which features him prominently. Despite the base's size, Orko still feels pretty light for a $15 figure. The inclusion of his wand (which was added in the 2002 line, I know) or some alternate hands would have gone a long way toward sweetening the deal here. As it is, it feels like you're paying a few dollars too much for him compared to the other figures. 

While the individual merits of Origins figures to their vintage versions continue to be heavily debated,  Orko is easily the biggest improvement over his vintage counterpart that we've seen in this line to date. There are aspects of some of the vintage figures I prefer to the Origins versions here and there, but Orko is a grand slam all the way. The one big issue is his scale, but even that is better than it was with the vintage version. Unless you can lay hands on the Classics Orko, scale issues are simply something that have to be accepted with this character. I'm someone who doesn't even like Orko much, and I debated whether or not to get the figure, as I usually skip him. (The only other Orko I currently own is the 2002 figure, which is in storage as I type this.) I'm glad I got him, though. While he'll never be a favorite character of mine, he's a wonderfully designed figure. While taking photos for this review, I was surprised at how photogenic he is, and how much fun I had putting him in various poses. If you flat-out loathe the character, this figure won't change your mind, but if you're on the fence about this figure, go ahead and get it. Orko is one of the unmitigated triumphs of the Origins line to date. That's all for today, but scroll down for more photos, and be sure to float back over this way next week for the next review! Until then, happy hunting, and stay safe out there!