The Masters of the Universe/She-Ra Thread!

[Mew]

MOTU collectors, WE HAVE THE POWER!
And honor.....
NOT NOW SHE-RA!
Come here to talk about collecting He-Man And She-Ra toys!
From today, or yesterday!

[Super Goku]

I like the Masters of The Universe action figures. Most of my figures in this line are from Masters of The Universe Classics, the 6" to 7" figures with pretty good articulation. I wish these figures weren't so expensive. Mattycollector.com exclusives make them harder to get.

This topic reminds me that I should re-organize my collection. :)

Have you seen Shokoti?

[Mew]

I have a good bit.
No, not yet.

[Leo656]

I like the Masters of The Universe action figures. Most of my figures in this line are from Masters of The Universe Classics, the 6" to 7" figures with pretty good articulation. I wish these figures weren't so expensive. Mattycollector.com exclusives make them harder to get.


You ain't F***IN' KIDDING.

If I'm not THE biggest He-Man fan ever, I'm definitely Top 5, and I don't have ONE of these damn things because of how rare/expensive they are.

...Although, given my current budget/lifestyle situation, even if they were mass-produced and sold at Toys R Us or whatever I may not be able to get them. :ohwell:

Still, knowing that actually having the complete set is gonna be more or less impossible for me now, it's kind of discouraging to even try and get into it. Which sucks, because those figures are really great and I love how they've "completed" the MOTU mythology with them.

I have a bunch of the original figures - mostly mangled from how much they were played with... most of them had multiple trips through the ol' Horde Slime Pit :lol: - and about 3/4 of the 2003 line. Right when they introduced the Snake Men stuff was where I fell out, because all the figures were disappearing off shelves and showing up on the other side of the mall behind the counter at the comic book store for $50 each within a day of being released. I even got the Castle Grayskull with the voice chips in it. F*cking BOSS. I really wanted to have the entire line since I'd come so far; maybe one day, since I"m not missing that many from that set.

[Mew]

You ain't F***IN' KIDDING.

If I'm not THE biggest He-Man fan ever, I'm definitely Top 5, and I don't have ONE of these damn things because of how rare/expensive they are.

...Although, given my current budget/lifestyle situation, even if they were mass-produced and sold at Toys R Us or whatever I may not be able to get them. :ohwell:

Still, knowing that actually having the complete set is gonna be more or less impossible for me now, it's kind of discouraging to even try and get into it. Which sucks, because those figures are really great and I love how they've "completed" the MOTU mythology with them.

I have a bunch of the original figures - mostly mangled from how much they were played with... most of them had multiple trips through the ol' Horde Slime Pit :lol: - and about 3/4 of the 2003 line. Right when they introduced the Snake Men stuff was where I fell out, because all the figures were disappearing off shelves and showing up on the other side of the mall behind the counter at the comic book store for $50 each within a day of being released. I even got the Castle Grayskull with the voice chips in it. F*cking BOSS. I really wanted to have the entire line since I'd come so far; maybe one day, since I"m not missing that many from that set.
Yes too expensive.
For the 200X line, the over packing of He-Man and Skeletor variants didn't help your collection, I assume?

[Leo656]

Well, I bought 'em, I tried to get one of every single figure, but it got to a point where you'd go to Toys R Us or Kay-Bee Toys, and ALL that would be on the shelves were dozens of He-Mans and Skeletors. Mattel completely ruined their own line by not shipping enough of certain figures.

What would happen is, a new wave would come out with a character everyone wanted, like Evil-Lyn, I remember that was a big one, and Mattel would ship the cases with ONE of those figures per case, and the rest would be all He-Mans and Skeletors. And these middle-aged "collectors" would get to the store the second they opened and wait for the stuff to be put on shelves, OR have one of their "friends" working stock pull all the Evil-Lyns or whatever and keep them in the back room for them, and these guys would literally buy all 5 or 10 or however many the store would get the day they came out, and then sell them all on Ebay for two or three times the regular price. So the store would be stuck with just the figures everyone already had, and regular shoppers had to wait for the next shipment to come in, which could be who knows when, OR pay the inflated Ebay prices.

I got lucky, my wife briefly worked at Toys R Us and so she was able to pull a couple for me. Plus, I was friends with the guy who ran my local comic shop, and he'd let me know in advance what days the new figures were going to be shipped to all the stores - like, "Everyone's getting the cases with Beast-Man tomorrow. I'll try and hold one for you just in case." And so my wife and I would go all over to like 5 stores trying to find that one figure. Sometimes we got lucky, and sometimes I'd have to go to the comic store and pay an extra $5-10 bucks.

None of it needed to happen like that, though. All Mattel had to do was ship more than one of those "rare" figures per case. Once word got out that you basically couldn't find the "good" figures in stores at all, people completely stopped buying the line, and when that happened, Mattel cancelled the whole thing and the cartoon show as well.

It sucked. At the end of it I'd go into a (different) comic shop - even my buddy decided ordering them for his store was too much of a hassle anymore, since he'd be stuck with a dozen unsold He-Mans - and see King Hiss or someone on the top shelf for $30 the same day it came out. I was sad, but I just couldn't justify it anymore.

What makes me sad NOW is, realizing how long ago that was since it feels like just a little while ago.

[Candy Kappa]

MOTUC figures aren't that expensive, it's $27 in the web store, where they have the "essential" figures in stock. Although, I might have a skewered idea what's expensive for people on countries where toys are cheaper.

Where I live TMNT figures goes for $13 and Marvel Legends figures goes for $40, and that's TRU prices.

I was lucky to get Castle Grayskull while it was still only $200.

[Mew]

Yes.
Seems like TMNT is doing that with the new light skined Bebop.
I've seen the dark one EVERY time at Walmart, but yeah, getting off topic.
:\

[Mew]

WHAT!
Marvel Legends are usually 20, and TmnT is 9!

[Candy Kappa]

Not where I live.

[ProactiveMan]

I love Masters of the Universe Classics, but I realised early on that I was never going to get a complete set. They weren't too expensive in the beginning, but with shipping at $10 a pop, I couldn't bring myself to pay for variants and characters I didn't really like the look of.

It was a bitch to buy them in the first couple of years too. From where I live, they go on sale at midnight, or 1:00am depending on US daylight savings, and I spent many a workday dead on my feet because I was up half the night at mercy of Digital River.

I think they are a trifle too expensive now, and the exchange rate isn't as favourable as it was a couple of years ago. I still by them, but I skip a lot more than I used to.

I have a fair whack of the 200X figures, including Grayskull, but nowhere near a complete set. I think I had more fun collecting this line than the Classics, as they were available in retail stores, so I could hunt around. It's not as exciting buying toys on the internet every month. Their style hasn't aged well for me, but I still think they're cool. 200X Whiplash is one of my favourite figures of all time.

I still have a lot of the original figures that I got as a kid, but for whatever reason, I'm not interested in collecting them now.

[Candy Kappa]

Due to cautionary tales from a friend of mine, I jumed right on subs for MOTUC when I could afford it. The online store is/was a nightmare, and new figures vanished in mere minutes at times...

[Mew]

Yes.
I would just get a He-Man, Skeletor, She-Ra, and Hordak to display.
I would also want Ram Man.

[ProactiveMan]

Due to cautionary tales from a friend of mine, I jumed right on subs for MOTUC when I could afford it. The online store is/was a nightmare, and new figures vanished in mere minutes at times...

I did pretty well without a subscription, i.e. I never missed out on something I wanted because it sold out, but that meant chaining myself to the computer one night a month. Obviously I missed out on all the subscription only stuff, which was disappointing. They killed me with Two Bad, but I guess that's just too bad... :cool:


I would also want Ram Man.

Good luck with Ram Man.

[LincolnHawk]

MOTUC figures aren't that expensive, it's $27 in the web store, where they have the "essential" figures in stock. Although, I might have a skewered idea what's expensive for people on countries where toys are cheaper.

Where I live TMNT figures goes for $13 and Marvel Legends figures goes for $40, and that's TRU prices.

I was lucky to get Castle Grayskull while it was still only $200.

ha..I was subbing a few years ago and the price was 20 bucks, and even at that price I thought they were expensive, I finally stopped giving mattycollector my money

[AT-Man]

I love the MOTUC line, but never had the money to actually collect them. I did, however, get a hold of King Grayskull, who is my favorite new character from the 200X series. I would like to have Unnamed One too, for I'm one of the few who think he's just awesome! But the next best thing is to watch Pixel Dan's thorough reviews of the figures, so I've got that going for me.

I was a fan of the vintage line back in the day, and the 200X just blew me away when I saw it! I've collected every basic version of the 200X figures (minus Moss Man and She-Ra and other exclusives who I don't think are "official") and tried to get all the vehicles and accessories too. I think I'm only missing the Dragon Walker and Battle Bones. Not interested in the repaints and I've gotten just some of the variants, if they were cheap and I thought "why not?"

The vintage figures aren't in very good condition, so I wouldn't display them unless I got better replacements. I'd really like to put all the 200X figures on display though, but got no space.

I think Scott did mostly very good job with the MOTUC bios and building the lore, even though he unnecessarily killed off one of my favorite bad guys, Mer-Man! :x I mean, WTF Scott??? But at least everyone's got their own "official" canon for the figures, and I'm just glad the MOTUC line includes pretty much everyone. I would have liked all of the New Adventures figures also, but those aren't too important for me.


edit: also, MewMeow, I think it's great the younger generation are still interested in MOTU! I mean, I think you were barely born when the 200X series aired, right? How did you become interested in them?

[AT-Man]

http://toynewsi.com/ig.php?mode=album&dispsize=600&album=2015_New_York_Toy_Fair%2FMattel%2FMOTUC&start=0&sl=24242

New figures, some of them from the 200X cartoon! They all look fantastic, but I hope they also add a 200X head with Sssqueze.

[Mew]

I love the MOTUC line, but never had the money to actually collect them. I did, however, get a hold of King Grayskull, who is my favorite new character from the 200X series. I would like to have Unnamed One too, for I'm one of the few who think he's just awesome! But the next best thing is to watch Pixel Dan's thorough reviews of the figures, so I've got that going for me.

I was a fan of the vintage line back in the day, and the 200X just blew me away when I saw it! I've collected every basic version of the 200X figures (minus Moss Man and She-Ra and other exclusives who I don't think are "official") and tried to get all the vehicles and accessories too. I think I'm only missing the Dragon Walker and Battle Bones. Not interested in the repaints and I've gotten just some of the variants, if they were cheap and I thought "why not?"

The vintage figures aren't in very good condition, so I wouldn't display them unless I got better replacements. I'd really like to put all the 200X figures on display though, but got no space.

I think Scott did mostly very good job with the MOTUC bios and building the lore, even though he unnecessarily killed off one of my favorite bad guys, Mer-Man! :x I mean, WTF Scott??? But at least everyone's got their own "official" canon for the figures, and I'm just glad the MOTUC line includes pretty much everyone. I would have liked all of the New Adventures figures also, but those aren't too important for me.


edit: also, MewMeow, I think it's great the younger generation are still interested in MOTU! I mean, I think you were barely born when the 200X series aired, right? How did you become interested in them?
I had a McDonald's toy of 200X Ram Man, and I took it EVERYWHERE.
I have a new one now.
That stupid little toy made me like He-man.

[Candy Kappa]

The new King Hsss, broke a bit off the peg when I tried out his Snake mode. I managed to glue the piece back on, but the waist swivel is a lot more looser now, such a bummer. the fugyre is superb besides that.

[Walkabout]

I used to have a great collection of the original MOTU toys as a little kid.

My mum and dad still laugh about this story:

It was the night before my birthday (I was about 5 maybe?) and my folks were assembling the Castle Greyskull they had bought me and I walked into their bedroom...the look on my face said "so THIS is what you do once I've gone to bed!"

They had to let me stay up and play with it :lol:

[ProactiveMan]

Two Bad sold out during the early access period, so I blew it again.

I get it, I don't have a subscription so I can't really complain, but I'm seeing people on He-Man.org buying 10 of them and it's getting me a little steamed. Can I just have one please?

Anyway, stupid, no subscription having me.

[ProactiveMan]

Hey, did anyone pick up anything from the After-Party sale? I didn't know it was on until I woke up this morning, so unfortunately no Hover Robots for me.

[Hamato Yoshi]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eOKNDXDykvE

PC '17 haul :D

(almost 30 yrs later I met Blade & Teela :o

[ProactiveMan]

That's pretty cool.

[Candy Kappa]

Super7's SDCC '18 Exclusive is amazing

http://thefwoosh.com/index.php/2018/06/super-7-masters-of-the-universe-classics-laughing-prince-adam-sdcc-2018-exclusive/

[Candy Kappa]

Watching Pixel Dan's SDCC18 interview with Super7, and I do feel bad for Super7 with all the negativity they get with people thinking they're Mattel. They don't deserve the flack when they're keeping the Classics alive.

And that Snake Mountain... wow I want it badly

[ProactiveMan]

Yeah, Snake Mountain looks sweet. Sooo good!

I don't know if I can swing it though. My guess is it's going to be considerably more expensive than Grayskull was, and then add 25% for the exchange rate and $50+ shipping and I'm in the poor house.

I don't know where to put it either. I still keep Grayskull on the floor.

I like what Super7 are doing. They had some QC problems, but so did Mattel.

[Leo656]

Anybody pick up any of the Super7 Filmation-style figures in the "classic" 80s molds? I got He-Man and Skeletor for Christmas and aside from He-Man's shield being completely useless, I'm in love with 'em. Really looking forward to getting the others.

Can anybody smarten me up on about what I can expect, if I try and get into collecting the MattyCollector/Club Grayskull stuff at some point? As a huge fan, I feel it's my birthright to own them, but I'm well aware that prices "in the wild" are... kind of crazy. At the time the MattyCollector stuff was fresh, I was simply not in any position to take advantage of it, or I would have, for sure.

Any figures or whatever that are just "impossible" to find for anything reasonable? I know I have my work cut out for me, but I'd like to know just how high the mountain is.

Thanks in advance.

[Candy Kappa]

If you're looking for MOTUC figures, the Mattel online store have some leftover stock and they're fairly well priced (especially compared to 2nd hand marked)

[Leo656]

Thanks, I'll take a look after I get my refund check. :)

[ProactiveMan]

I haven't bought any of the Super7 stuff - it's too expensive to ship, and the exchange rate is always in the crapper nowadays.

[Leo656]

Aww, that's a bummer. :ohwell:

I recently opened the He-Man and Skeletor that I got for Christmas, and everything about it felt like I was 4 years old again. Filmation sculpts and paint jobs aside, of course. Hordak and She-Ra are next on my list; the FYE over here might still have a few, I'm hoping to check them out this weekend.

They're really spiffy if you're at all a fan of the classic line. Hopefully you'll find a good deal somewheres.

[AT-Man]

I think I'm gonna want a Dolph He-Man & Frank Skeletor(s).


koKZZuIOZhg

[Vegita-San]

I think I'm gonna want a Dolph He-Man & Frank Skeletor(s).


koKZZuIOZhg

are these based off the four horseman design, or the original series figures design?

some seem like re releases.

also, where do we get these from these days?

[AT-Man]

are these based off the four horseman design, or the original series figures design?

some seem like re releases.

also, where do we get these from these days?

They're based on the 1987 movie. Karg was originally released with comic book accurate paintjob, so he's only a repaint. I'm not entirely sure how pre-order these, but probably from Super7 website.

[Vegita-San]

They're based on the 1987 movie. Karg was originally released with comic book accurate paintjob, so he's only a repaint. I'm not entirely sure how pre-order these, but probably from Super7 website.

yeah, those i know.

I meant the ones next to them. shadow weaver, prince adam, buzz off..etc.

[Leo656]

Good lord! :teek:

[Candy Kappa]

Finally, Gold God Skeletor is a reality

[Leo656]

My wife just popped a lady boner for those :lol: Especially Dolph He-Man.

Might be tough to get my hands on these if they're online-exclusives, but Life Finds A Way, and all that.

[AT-Man]

yeah, those i know.

I meant the ones next to them. shadow weaver, prince adam, buzz off..etc.

Those are made in the Filmation style.

[Vegita-San]

Those are made in the Filmation style.

I give up :)

Four Horsemen design = motuc line. 2012-. Original Series toys as released in 1983 means just that. I can't tell if those toys are the former, or the latter based on the new packaging 'as seen on tv' they have that resembles the original toyline.

[Candy Kappa]

Super7 is doing vintage 5.5" styled figures with a more Filmation accurate sculpt instead of toyline accurate sculpt.

[Vegita-San]

ok, so those are totally new sculpts, not rehashes from 1983. that's what i wanted to know.

[Candy Kappa]

Correct. It's a continuation of the two-packs where you got 5.5" He-Man vs. Skeletor and She-Ra vs. Hordak, but single carded with vintage style cardbacks.

https://www.bigbadtoystore.com/Product/VariationDetails/76048

[MikeandRaph87]

Leo656, I decided to rent He-Man and The Masters of The Universe (1987) from Netflix thanks to you.All I know is Skeletor's 2002 origin and He-Man is a guy named Prince Adam. Anything else I should know before watching this said to be cult-classic?

[Candy Kappa]

You can watch the 1987 movie with no prior knowledge of the property.

[ProactiveMan]

Goddammit! I really want those movie toys...

[Leo656]

Leo656, I decided to rent He-Man and The Masters of The Universe (1987) from Netflix thanks to you.All I know is Skeletor's 2002 origin and He-Man is a guy named Prince Adam. Anything else I should know before watching this said to be cult-classic?

Yeah, the movie actually has very little to do with the familiar He-Man lore. Practically nothing; for example, "Prince Adam" isn't even a concept in this movie. It was developed completely separately from the cartoons, so a lot of things people expect from something with the "He-Man" label simply aren't there. Which is a little disappointing, but it actually was put into development before the cartoon existed - despite coming out after it was over - so there were always going to be huge differences. The original comics that came with the toys in 1982 had their own unique lore as well, which was mostly abandoned when the cartoons came out. So there's a few parallel He-Man mythologies out there. The movie is completely its own, but it borrows a lot of the most familiar bits and pieces, enough to be at least recognizable.

Nobody's costume is correct, though, which is weird. But if you can ignore that, you're halfway there. It differs greatly from the cartoons but it explains itself pretty well. If you're not overly familiar or in love with the cartoons, you may actually enjoy it more. Most people really couldn't get around how different it was from the cartoon.

Since they're pretty different and unique mythologies, all anyone would really NEED to know before watching the movie is:

- Whoever controls Castle Grayskull, controls the Universe.
- The Sorceress of Grayskull chose He-Man to defend Grayskull and all of Eternia from the evil forces of the dark wizard Skeletor.
- He-Man's Power Sword channels some of Grayskull's power - which is Infinite - into himself, which is why he's such a badass.
- Skeletor's origins are vague - he's had several, all conflicting - but ultimately, he's evil, he's Frank Langella, and he's a WAY better movie villain than Darth Vader. At the least, he's the most QUOTABLE movie villain ever. "I am NOT in a giving vein this day...!" Even people who HATE this movie, still love Skeletor.
- Skeletor wants to take Grayskull's power for himself, so he can conquer the universe and become a God. He-Man, obviously, is not thrilled with this idea.
- The bald guy from "Back to the Future" actually appeared in at least ONE other movie.
- Courtney Cox was really hot when she weighed more than 98 pounds.
- He-Man's catchphrase is, "I Have The Power!" In the cartoons, he says it constantly. In the movie, he says it exactly once, and when it finally happens, it's totally perfect.
- Stay through the credits. You didn't know it, but every single movie since like 1999 has been ripping this one off. But none of them do it as well.

It gets a lot of sh*t, but I love it. Like, it shamelessly rips off Star Wars, but it does it really, really well. It's a better "Star Wars" movie than like half of the Star Wars movies have been. And it's earnest as hell. Unlike a lot of "toy movies", it doesn't feel like it has to make fun of the material; it's got that veneer of 80s cheese, but it takes itself TOTALLY seriously, and the film is better for it. I genuinely rank it as one of the best sci-fi/fantasy films of the 1980s.

It's amazing it turned out as well as it did, because they actually ran completely out of money before it was finished, and had to shoot most of the final fight scene literally in the dark. But it actually creates a nice atmosphere, as its creatively shot and it's easy to get caught up in what's happening to the point where you stop noticing that anything's amiss.

I'm interested in hearing your thoughts. I love this movie unironically. :tgrin:

[MikeandRaph87]

Yeah, the movie actually has very little to do with the familiar He-Man lore. Practically nothing; for example, "Prince Adam" isn't even a concept in this movie. It was developed completely separately from the cartoons, so a lot of things people expect from something with the "He-Man" label simply aren't there. Which is a little disappointing, but it actually was put into development before the cartoon existed - despite coming out after it was over - so there were always going to be huge differences. The original comics that came with the toys in 1982 had their own unique lore as well, which was mostly abandoned when the cartoons came out. So there's a few parallel He-Man mythologies out there. The movie is completely its own, but it borrows a lot of the most familiar bits and pieces, enough to be at least recognizable.

Nobody's costume is correct, though, which is weird. But if you can ignore that, you're halfway there. It differs greatly from the cartoons but it explains itself pretty well. If you're not overly familiar or in love with the cartoons, you may actually enjoy it more. Most people really couldn't get around how different it was from the cartoon.

Since they're pretty different and unique mythologies, all anyone would really NEED to know before watching the movie is:

- Whoever controls Castle Grayskull, controls the Universe.
- The Sorceress of Grayskull chose He-Man to defend Grayskull and all of Eternia from the evil forces of the dark wizard Skeletor.
- He-Man's Power Sword channels some of Grayskull's power - which is Infinite - into himself, which is why he's such a badass.
- Skeletor's origins are vague - he's had several, all conflicting - but ultimately, he's evil, he's Frank Langella, and he's a WAY better movie villain than Darth Vader. At the least, he's the most QUOTABLE movie villain ever. "I am NOT in a giving vein this day...!" Even people who HATE this movie, still love Skeletor.
- Skeletor wants to take Grayskull's power for himself, so he can conquer the universe and become a God. He-Man, obviously, is not thrilled with this idea.
- The bald guy from "Back to the Future" actually appeared in at least ONE other movie.
- Courtney Cox was really hot when she weighed more than 98 pounds.
- He-Man's catchphrase is, "I Have The Power!" In the cartoons, he says it constantly. In the movie, he says it exactly once, and when it finally happens, it's totally perfect.
- Stay through the credits. You didn't know it, but every single movie since like 1999 has been ripping this one off. But none of them do it as well.

It gets a lot of sh*t, but I love it. Like, it shamelessly rips off Star Wars, but it does it really, really well. It's a better "Star Wars" movie than like half of the Star Wars movies have been. And it's earnest as hell. Unlike a lot of "toy movies", it doesn't feel like it has to make fun of the material; it's got that veneer of 80s cheese, but it takes itself TOTALLY seriously, and the film is better for it. I genuinely rank it as one of the best sci-fi/fantasy films of the 1980s.

It's amazing it turned out as well as it did, because they actually ran completely out of money before it was finished, and had to shoot most of the final fight scene literally in the dark. But it actually creates a nice atmosphere, as its creatively shot and it's easy to get caught up in what's happening to the point where you stop noticing that anything's amiss.

I'm interested in hearing your thoughts. I love this movie unironically. :tgrin:

My head is spinning right now. Between you and a work colleague claiming its a movie that can be watched on loop yet stuck in the 80s' unable to adapt like everything after it Transformers, TMNT,Power Rangers, and Pok'emon. If I do not go into work because of weather tomorrow I will watch it then, but if I do then I will watch it on Saturday.

[Candy Kappa]

Disappointed we did not see anything Netflix She-Ra related from Mattel.

But the Power-Con exclusives MOTUC Slamurai and two Snake Troopers 3-pack and Horde Zombie He-Man looks pretty neat.

[Candy Kappa]

The preorder for the 87 movie figures is up, but yikes the po promo cis are vastly different then what we saw on display at Toy Fair, almost looks like different figures type of paint job...

Edit. Super7 claims it's the lighting, ait...

[Leo656]

Going through my boxes of stuff that's been in storage for over ten years, taking inventory and whatnot, and I came across a couple boxes of my 2003 He-Man collection. I know I must have at least one more box somewhere, because I had almost all the variants and stuff like the "Samurai" figures but I can't locate them at the moment. But I managed to find most of the main figures from the first two waves - He-Man, Skeletor, Teela, Man-At-Arms, Battle Cat, Panthor, etc. - along with the electronic Castle Grayskull! :tgrin:

Since I hadn't looked at them in so long, I forgot how much I really liked these figures. The only real negative is that they came out just before lots of articulation points became a standard, so they're a bit dated with the lack of knee and elbow joints, but it kinda fits given that the whole line was like a simple "update" of the original line, which didn't have a ton of articulation, either. But I really love the sculpts and the level of detail in the outfits. I know not everyone liked the "anime"-style head sculpt for He-Man, but it doesn't really bother me and the other figures' features are a bit more "natural". Skeletor's face is great. Some of the poses are a bit weird, but again, like the limited articulation that kind of thing was pretty standard at that point in time.

I have most of the vehicles, too; everything still works great. I only ever really had them on display, so everything has very little wear, if any. Castle Grayskull is of course the biggest deal; to my surprise, the voice stuff still works great. I used to have the original Grayskull and Snake Mountain, but I think my Dad sold them or one of his friends stole them, because I can't find them anywhere. The original castle definitely had more cool action features, like the Throne trapdoor and the elevator, but it also had a ton of tiny parts to break or lose. This one was the First Series version of the 2003 Castle, with the chip-activation action features. I haven't tried them out but I remember they worked fine last time I bothered with them. It kind of lacks in features compared to the original, but it's a nice size, with tons of room to display figures on, so that and the fact that it talks kind of makes up for whatever it lacks in other areas.

I love everything He-Man, and I really dug this line and was sad that it didn't last longer. They didn't get too deep into the character list, and that was disappointing. I know MOTU Classics and Club Grayskull more than made up for that, but I never got to collect those and they're pretty damn expensive now. I'll definitely pick up some of those one day, but in the meantime, I already have about 3/4s of the 2003 line, and one of these days I should get around to finally finishing it.

I just got a new bookshelf so tomorrow I might put some of these on display. Sadly, I got no room for Castle Grayskull, so that'll have to stay in the box for now. :ohwell:

[Candy Kappa]

The 200x toyline came and went so fast where I live that I found one store having figures, and I only got to buy 1 Skeletor to my then youngest brother. It was the ice variant of Skeletor with flame armor.

[Leo656]

At first it was pretty easy to find in NJ, but by Season 2 of the show interest had dropped quite a bit and a lot of the "Vs. The Snake Men"-branded toys were very hard to find.

For Wave One, all the Toys R Us and K-Mart stores had almost an entire aisle dedicated to the He-Man toys, just like the good old days. But then Mattel started short-packing new characters and only shipping tons of He-Man and Skeletor variants, and that killed the line dead. For example, I only have Evil-Lyn because my wife worked at Toys R Us at the time, and only found Ram-Man because my comic book guy grabbed one for me. Scalpers were picking out the one-per-case new characters that everyone actually wanted and immediately selling them on eBay for $30-50, leaving nothing left on shelves but the infinite He-Man and Skeletor variants. When those didn't sell, the cartoon and toy line were unceremoniously scrapped.

In defense of Mattel, they supposedly did tons of market research among children and that research told them that kids love buying a ton of different variants of the main one or two characters. The most successful 90s toyline was probably the Batman Animated Series line, which would reinforce that theory with its "Tons of Batman and Nobody Else" approach, which made Kenner tons of money. But I think Mattel seriously disregarded the then-just beginning Adult Collector market, and failed to realize that 1. People over age 8 buy toys, and 2. They want to actually have a figure of every character, not just a handful. In hindsight, it's obvious why the line failed despite a great start, but at the time Mattel was simply following the market trends. They didn't realize that lines like this may be marketed to kids, but are REALLY for adults looking for a nostalgia fix. That is the standard now, but in 2002 there was still a little bit of "I'm buying them for my niece and nephew" justification going on. By the time they realized that more adults were buying the toys instead of kids, it was too late to course correct.

Real shame. I'm poking around on eBay and thankfully a good number of the ones I'm missing are pretty reasonable, even in the package, so that's good to know.

[Hamato Yoshi]

Some of the Batman TAS variants I kinda dig :oops:

Love the movie , seen it like 50 times.....I liked the new characters and Gwildor was just as cool as Orko imo ;)

[Leo656]

I put the figures I managed to dig out on display, and took some pictures. Please excuse the crappy lighting from my phone's camera, I don't know where the good camera is and I took these at like 4 in the morning when I was way too tired to give a sh*t.

https://scontent.fewr1-3.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/53819565_1787908811308770_7662294361270386688_n.jp g?_nc_cat=110&_nc_ht=scontent.fewr1-3.fna&oh=8c4b15ce85ad810b832e044f412840e7&oe=5D249474
https://scontent.fewr1-2.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/54215015_1787908824642102_5705190576094183424_n.jp g?_nc_cat=106&_nc_ht=scontent.fewr1-2.fna&oh=814321c7c15cb31405064835ca43065b&oe=5D1BA5B3
https://scontent.fewr1-4.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/53839955_1787908777975440_1725185236343455744_n.jp g?_nc_cat=109&_nc_ht=scontent.fewr1-4.fna&oh=7ffeef988d4cf764c6bb9a16601340f0&oe=5D259AC3
https://scontent.fewr1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/54278094_1787908784642106_7876355698806751232_n.jp g?_nc_cat=100&_nc_ht=scontent.fewr1-1.fna&oh=4f74a267fea3a75e317647b3eb241419&oe=5D18CBB3

I cheated a bit; Hordak isn't from the Mattel 200X line, it's one of the mini-statues that NECA put out with the Four Horsemen after the toyline was cancelled.

I really love the sculpts, and the colors, and the action features... almost everything, really. But holy hell, I had completely forgotten what a BITCH these figures are trying to get them to stand up! :flaming: Seriously; Prince Adam, Teela, and Man-At-Arms can NOT be posed to stand under their own power and have to be leaned on something else. I remember now that I had to pose like half the figures in the line that way when I had them set up at my old place. Real bummer, but they're set for now. Guess I'll pick up some peg stands one of these days. Anybody recommend any specific ones? I know NECA does some and I see a few others, but I don't know if one type is really much better than another.

Aside from that, I really love these figures. They're definitely "toys first" (since they sincerely don't want to stand up and be display pieces), but they look great on display as you can see. Just about all the "updated" characters are generally a big improvement over the originals (except for aforementioned balance issues). Battle Cat and Panthor are particularly good (although I like the faces and armor on the originals better), with their weaponized armor and the jaw that opens when you move the one front leg. Good stuff. This whole line was about making small improvements to the original stuff whenever they could, and for the most part I think they did a good job.

When I have a lot more room, I plan to put Grayskull out, and place the 1983 and 2003 versions of some of the characters beside each other. But this'll do for now.

[Hamato Yoshi]

Nice collection :)

[Leo656]

Thanks!

I recently found a box with about 99% of the toys I had from the original line, cataloged them and gave them all a thorough scrubbing. Almost none are near-mint, sadly, and a lot of the legs are either loose or flat-out broken.:ohwell:

The real heartbreaker is The Sorceress, who's in pretty decent shape BUT her legs are pretty loose. Turns out that she's one of the most rare and expensive figures in the line, with even loose figures going for over $100. I wish I knew that, but then again, that stuff has been in a box since like 1996. It's probably a small miracle it's all in half as good of shape as it is.

My life's dream is to one day own the full original line in at least acceptable condition. Same for the 2002 series. I'd kill to have all the MattyCollector and Club Grayskull stuff as well, but I don't know if I can afford it in this lifetime.

[ProactiveMan]

I have the Sorceress and her legs are still good, but her wings don't retract anymore... that is to say they don't stay retracted, they always spring back out.

I was really into the 200X stuff when it was coming out. They were a bit of a pain to find at the time, but I have a small collection of them. There's something about the weird, squared off anatomy that is very appealing.

[Leo656]

There was a mini-"convention" at my local mall today and one vendor was selling a random variety of toys and stuff. He only had one MOTU-related piece, the MOTU Classics "Serpentine King Hiss". It only cost me $20 since I bought something for my wife, as well. The package is a little dinged up but I don't care about that.

SO, I finally have ONE MOTU Classics figure! :lol: You have no idea how much it kills me not to have been able to collect these, or the Club Grayskull stuff. They're really amazing.

[Candy Kappa]

I love Serpentine King Hissss' accessories, mostly cause I missed out on the Snake-Men 2-pack. Kinda felt giving 200x Hissss' snake body a separate release was a bit bs, but I guess packaging it with the Snake He-Man & Battle Armor King Hssss 2-pack would be too much, and the snake-ed up legs are neat for a more complete look for Hissss

I'm still waiting for prices for Clawful to be at reasonable prices, the Filmation Clawful can be found at $20 but that version has a terrible design


There's also some cheap figures on bigbadtoystore, Double Trouble or Mischief for legal reasons are there for $19, kinda tempted since I lost mine in the mail when I moved. Sadly missed out on Goat Man, he's sold out. And Granamyr is sold out... finding something on BBTS and trying to save up for it does not work out for me, tried that with Gothitropolis Decimus Hrabban by Four Horsemen, got super stroked that they actually had him, had to wait for my pay and boom he's gone.

Makes sense though, the second marked on the Gothitropolis Ravens are insane so him being scooped up for around $40 was a given. Probably got resold on eBay for $140 :lol:

[Leo656]

Was going through my storage again and taking inventory. Just for fun I decided to take a few pictures of some of the cooler-looking MotU figures that are still in great shape (not missing armor, etc.). I still have a lot of the weapons, they're in a bag separately.

BATTLE CAT and PANTHOR!
https://scontent.fewr1-5.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/119066295_2861942190572088_5941017560444931313_o.j pg?_nc_cat=105&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=wwNl3c7wnO8AX_a9nrO&_nc_oc=AQkl2J-PcdqJziLA066gRsT6MAx4TIgPTc888nlmSxhK6_rz3c-qrg6UBMGQ44B23lY&_nc_ht=scontent.fewr1-5.fna&oh=3a7cd4dbff93b70e6d4f1a0cb70cf16e&oe=5F802C38
They're both holding up well. Panthor still has most of his flocking. Battle Cat's saddle peg broke like forever ago but if you double the strap through the buckle it holds in place fine. The other side of his mask is a bit chewed on, just a little - the puppy I had in Kindergarten took a liking to poor Cringer's face armor - but I just say it's "battle scarred". :lol:

Speaking of flocking, I don't see too many Moss Man figures in this great of shape!
https://scontent.fewr1-5.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/119135716_2862190030547304_6880586885673582596_o.j pg?_nc_cat=111&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=5CJtIoVgZBoAX_uLqHP&_nc_ht=scontent.fewr1-5.fna&oh=6d24b6257bba4fa9a8fd779e96384525&oe=5F7E0A8B

Leech, from The Evil Horde... one of the sturdiest figures in the line!
https://scontent.fewr1-6.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/118955668_2862202417212732_3206741720661538859_o.j pg?_nc_cat=102&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=B6tH8k--DcQAX8OehOU&_nc_ht=scontent.fewr1-6.fna&oh=6d53c34541426271663b2402d8df41ea&oe=5F814100

Tri-Klops is still looking great as well!
https://scontent.fewr1-5.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/119079843_2862197130546594_5837941130447038009_o.j pg?_nc_cat=104&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=5UR6VVHaJAUAX8oaTAu&_nc_ht=scontent.fewr1-5.fna&oh=0a64fcfd35375bec012a377faac01e31&oe=5F7DD0ED

Faker! This one could be tough to get sometimes. Almost positive this was the 1987 re-release.
https://scontent.fewr1-6.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/119056858_2861968050569502_3068730103624781553_o.j pg?_nc_cat=100&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=xQA1_JvtpYYAX---D-0&_nc_ht=scontent.fewr1-6.fna&oh=69acebcac9ad77e605dc0166c290aba5&oe=5F7F64FF

The ones most kids who jumped in after 1983 got "stuck with"... Battle Armor He-Man and Battle Armor Skeletor!
https://scontent.fewr1-6.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/119036408_2862012590565048_1294830061158824544_o.j pg?_nc_cat=109&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=vurwjY5-JWcAX-8mWtT&_nc_ht=scontent.fewr1-6.fna&oh=fc0cc487fc75e13a489e6327fc2de17e&oe=5F80979F

TRIPLE the Power with "Flying Fists" He-Man, the Original He-Man, and everyone's favorite variant, "Thunder Punch" He-Man!
https://scontent.fewr1-6.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/119043707_2862047503894890_3052064544202583160_o.j pg?_nc_cat=101&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=T1RWQXniuJ0AX_0Kjr7&_nc_ht=scontent.fewr1-6.fna&oh=efcf2f6b51eedd131888a31b5765c8c5&oe=5F813054

MAN I wish Original He-Man wasn't so expensive to find. Because if I could change ONE thing I would love to paint his goddamn wrist gauntlets. That's always bothered me a whole lot, but I don't want to do that on my one and only Original He-Man figure. If I ever get another one, then definitely.

Just for fun, here's 2003 He-Man in his Golden Battle Armor, looking slightly reminiscent of "Flying Fists He-Man" from the original series:
https://scontent.fewr1-6.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/119059530_2862159557217018_7197209392126643828_o.j pg?_nc_cat=103&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=vNwX9jAaUNUAX8NLE9e&_nc_ht=scontent.fewr1-6.fna&oh=448c819ecb120bb0cf5ee885f1f4fef8&oe=5F7EB711
His voice chip still works just fine! That's awesome.

I have a LOT more figures from both the original and 2003 lines; those were just some that struck my fancy as I was organizing them. Sadly, like ten or so of my original series figures are missing most/all of their armor and weapons, so I might end up replacing them altogether as in some cases a Loose/Complete figure is not much more expensive than just getting the accessories.

The biggest heartbreaker is The Sorceress; she's not "broken" but her legs have turned inward at an odd angle and she simply will not stand at all. :ohwell: Very frustrating considering how rare and expensive she is. I doubt I'll buy a replacement, but I imagine the legs' rubber bands will eventually break anyway, at which point I'll just do a full repair job. I'm not about to "break" the figure on purpose in the meantime just to fix it, though; I wasn't going to display it anytime soon so as of now I'm planning to just let nature take its course.

I do have quite a few weapons left but not as many as I'd like, so that's gonna be a small project unto itself. Ah well.

[Leo656]

Going through some more storage stuff... BEHOLD, the original 2003 Action Chip Castle Grayskull, 100% complete and in pretty much mint condition!

https://scontent.fewr1-5.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/119156339_2873939276039046_5318072918559127082_o.j pg?_nc_cat=107&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=Hzt7Ns0nJwIAX-qYRw5&_nc_ht=scontent.fewr1-5.fna&oh=1a3a534faaf5dc460f12d0ff3aa32f07&oe=5F84D081
https://scontent.fewr1-5.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/119061964_2873939189372388_6664309336055054111_o.j pg?_nc_cat=107&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=UiE96kQBnOEAX88g8f2&_nc_ht=scontent.fewr1-5.fna&oh=d6e73dde35e7695a3c08649971d245f9&oe=5F857A51
https://scontent.fewr1-6.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/119126277_2873939269372380_4416346924985909333_o.j pg?_nc_cat=102&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=V1X9-6EwG20AX-LPq9r&_nc_ht=scontent.fewr1-6.fna&oh=70cb1247621de0037c3bb24f8d746fe1&oe=5F84319C
https://scontent.fewr1-6.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/119065799_2873939082705732_213243598084840637_o.jp g?_nc_cat=102&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=5bblHcJptB4AX-Kws7k&_nc_oc=AQnruqOod25vIR4pABjEOpTX1a-X36mG8M1327dqgp4hn9Hpdk__SJhhsdrLv-_5TnY&_nc_ht=scontent.fewr1-6.fna&oh=419a5cad673266b679957bde2148a80c&oe=5F8579AF

Ain't she beautiful? :tgrin: I messed with it a little bit before I re-packed it, and the electronic features still work like new! It's lacking some of the features and charm of the original Grayskull, but it's still pretty amazing!

Trying to save up some money for a used and complete vintage Grayskull. They ain't TOO bad on eBay but I definitely need to save up a bit first. Soon!

[Leo656]

The two most recent additions to my vintage MOTU line arrived... Fisto and Zodac! :tgrin:

https://scontent.fewr1-5.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/119844922_2889035001196140_3382369401539212821_o.j pg?_nc_cat=111&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=5jLo402WFcQAX-Y5Z3y&_nc_oc=AQmSKxj9GGl2NShmI5r_HdkmVyUrBcfwAtsNAahB_os Yz8OnnARqN4Ek91-K2EJaVcc&_nc_ht=scontent.fewr1-5.fna&oh=cf2bea094b0b1c2e864ea327b0e7e97a&oe=5F8AEE96
https://scontent.fewr1-5.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/119707585_2889035024529471_1159829433720035218_o.j pg?_nc_cat=104&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=h_jdMVv19N4AX9nrPD2&_nc_ht=scontent.fewr1-5.fna&oh=0f92e9fb9e50cad0372897d78b91fb03&oe=5F8CC81F
https://scontent.fewr1-5.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/119897971_2889035011196139_4663128636338317656_o.j pg?_nc_cat=104&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=Q8LxdIIouwMAX_-ujR3&_nc_ht=scontent.fewr1-5.fna&oh=1955395417bbda285e60fa8ad04f338d&oe=5F8CCD1C

Zodac is new to my collection; for some reason I never acquired him as a kid. As I mentioned elsewhere, his harness is broken in the back with a piece of the clasp missing, but a replacement should be here shortly.

I already had Fisto, and in good shape, too; but he was missing his armor and sword, and for SOME reason it was much cheaper to just buy a complete loose figure rather than just the pieces I need. This one's in near-perfect shape too, though. His arm spring is still nice and tight and his armor and sword are pristine!

I think the only missing figures I can afford to pursue from the original line are Gwildor and Blade; past that, it's all just replacing broken figures and missing parts. I need:
- Armor and club for Mekaneck
- Belt and arm attachments for Trap Jaw
- Sword for Tri-Klops
- Belt for Prince Adam
- Webstor's rifle
- New Modulok (I'm missing more than half the pieces)
- Arm attachment for Roboto
- Rokkon replacement w/Blaster
- Mace for Spikor
- Blaster for Stonedar
- Replacement Sy-Klone (Mine's missing the chest hologram)
- Right arm cover for King Hiss
- New Multi-Bot
- Replacement Hurricane Hordak (mine's broken)
- Several guns for Rio Blast

In some of those cases, I can get the parts I need cheap, but in a few cases it's cheaper just to buy a replacement figure. I also need a few characters like Dragon Blaster Skeletor, Terror Claws Skeletor, and almost everyone from Wave 6, but all of those are over $100 loose so I'm pretty sure I'm just gonna have to let those go. I can get most of what's on the list above for around $20-50 each, but I don't think I'm inclined to drop $300 on goddamn Mosquitor, y'know?

I also need parts for a few vehicles and a couple replacement playsets, but thankfully most of that stuff remains fairly reasonable. I'm really thrilled with my vintage collection!

....Now if only the MOTU Classics stuff wasn't so damned expensive! :tgrumble: I have about a dozen of them so far but I don't know when I can get back into buying more... almost ALL of them start at around $100 and go up from there. :ohwell:

From Mattel's Classics line, so far I've managed to snag:
- Adora
- Battleground Teela
- Dark Despot Skeletor (1987 movie)
- He-Man
- He-Ro II
- Rebel Leader He-Man (1987 movie)
- Serpentine King Hiss
- Skeletor

And from Super7's Filmation/"Club Grayskull" series, I've managed to pick up:
- Prince Adam
- She-Ra
- Ultimate He-Man
- Ultimate Skeletor

That's not a bad start, but I want to at least get more of the basic main characters in either/both lines, like Teela, Evil-Lyn, Man-At-Arms and Beast Man, but they're all SO expensive in either series. :ohwell:

Trying to stay up to date on the new Origins line as well, but I'm "not allowed' to buy any more until after my Birthday next week since my wife most likely got me a couple. I don't want to fall behind!

[Galactus]

The thread about how many TMNT figures we all still have from when we were kids actually made me think and be sad that when I moved to the UK when I was 8 almost all my MOTU figures were left behind in Spain.

It was quite a collection that included Scare Glow, Laser Power He-Man and Laser Light Skeletor. I could kick myself for not bringing them along with me. I don't know if I'd ever have the heart to part with them but just knowing how valuable they are now makes me sad.

[Leo656]

Yeah, that's a real bummer. Of all the ones to leave or lose, of course it'd be the most valuable and rarest ones. Oooooof.

I'm still smarting because SOMEone made off with my Grayskull and Snake Mountain during one of our many moves. I have a few small assorted parts but the shells disappeared a long time ago. Those are gonna be tough to replace, but I'm saving up.

In the meantime, another replacement figure came today... RATTLOR! :tgrin:
https://scontent-lga3-2.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/119889240_2900584366707870_6431488410988860651_o.j pg?_nc_cat=109&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=3sSyhXHW4VoAX8N0xq-&_nc_ht=scontent-lga3-2.xx&oh=bb6c921ba4c451419c1b8d780a3a4979&oe=5F8F1ECF

He was always one of my favorites as a kid but mine broke when I was very young. Thankfully, this new one is in great shape aside from a little bit of paint rub. Neck still works great!

A couple replacement parts are on the way as well. It was impossible to find just the belt and/or sword for Prince Adam at a reasonable price - I'd have to buy an entire Loose Complete figure and I already have two Adams, one with no accessories at all and one that's just missing the belt and sword, and also that'd be around $40. So I broke down and ordered some Repro ones. I don't care, really, I just want to have "complete" figures with all their accessories to have on display. It's nice if I have original authentic weapons, 99% of which I already have or can get rather easily, but in the case of a few things like Power Swords and Sorceress's Staff I'd honestly rather just pay $5-10 and have something that at a glance looks the same as the original. I mean, $40 for a dinged-up He-Man sword, or $25 for a repro Sword, Axe and Shield together? I do stick to the authentic weapons whenever possible but sometimes it's just a pain trying to track them down for a reasonable price.

Thankfully, I can find most of the parts I need for around $10-15 apiece. I'm looking at a few lots, also, but most of them are full of stuff I have and I'd still end up paying like $40+ for one or two things, and at that point I'd just as soon pick them up one at a time. I'unno. Either way, getting there!

[garsh]

I know it's really just an accommodation for his spring neck feature, but I love the look of Rattlor's bulky torso and stunted legs. To me those less uniform anatomical features are a lot more interesting.

[Leo656]

Yeah, he's an awesome-looking figure, I'm glad to have him back in great shape, finally. He was cheap, too, like $20 I think.

I always loved the Snake Men. Unfortunately they all ended up stolen or broken or in King Hiss's case, missing a single part that I can't find by itself now. :tgrumble: But I've done well in rebuilding the army thus far. They were some of the coolest-looking figures with some of the neatest gimmicks in the line. Going through my storage stuff and picking up missing figures has really brought me back in touch with why I loved this whole line so much in the first place.

From the sculpts to the crazy characters to the awesome gimmicks, I just love everything about the MOTU line(s). "New Adventures" doesn't count; I never got any of that stuff.

[Leo656]

For my Birthday, my wife got me Teela and Evil-Lyn from the new Masters of the Universe: Origins series!
https://scontent-lga3-2.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/120169211_2907382022694771_6922681281550354897_o.j pg?_nc_cat=106&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=Khw1IrDf0NkAX8-XD98&_nc_ht=scontent-lga3-2.xx&oh=f32bd4efb88c6c9d803ca5be8c53cc7f&oe=5F94F514

I haven't been "allowed" to buy any for the last couple weeks just in case I accidentally bought ones that she already got me, so now I can get caught up! :tgrin: It's so exciting to be getting in on the ground floor of a MOTU line again; I managed to hang in for the first several waves of the 2002 series but didn't manage to complete it, and I literally only got my first MOTU Classics figures a few weeks ago even though they've been coming out since 2008. Hopefully I'll be able to get everything in this line!

[Leo656]

He-Ro finally showed up today! :tgrin:
https://scontent-lga3-2.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/120227696_2910316335734673_4577299552292044883_o.j pg?_nc_cat=109&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=mGzM5WaVk2sAX8n3rem&_nc_ht=scontent-lga3-2.xx&oh=6dcd23fd36e162ba2f8517bfd9eff4fa&oe=5F92C9E0
https://scontent-lga3-2.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/120189356_2910316432401330_6700315582632482019_o.j pg?_nc_cat=101&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=9XoenCg-X4EAX9tJteR&_nc_ht=scontent-lga3-2.xx&oh=0cbf4259de32d6a2ac785bd644dc31db&oe=5F961297

For those who may not know, this figure is kind of a big deal. He-Ro and Eldor were supposed to be two of the first figures in the "Powers of Grayskull" line in 1987, before Mattel abruptly pulled the plug on all things He-Man. Thus, neither figure ever made it past the prototype stage, and were never produced in the vintage 5.5 scale or style until the 2018 Super7 line finally made it a reality.

I love all the details of the packaging, right down to the "Coming In 1987" cross-sell artwork. They really knocked it out of the park on this.

Eldor and Shadow Weaver should be here by Monday if not sooner. After that, I'll only need Buzz-Off and Evil Seed and I'll have all the main Super7 5.5s, not counting variants. Oh, and the Three Terrors-related figures, I gotta get them too, eventually. Anyways, we're getting there! :tgrin:

[garsh]

I realized I ended up derailing the topic in the Funko Savage World thread to all MotU, so I figured it would be better moved here. Hope that's cool.

For a while I was pretty much on the same page as you about the color schemes; not necessarily bothered. Once I got my figures in hand, though, it started nagging at me, and I considered painting them. Like I was getting at, though, the WWE guys have much more natural skin tones and such, so having those to fall back on for easy custom solutions has been nudging me toward learning to appreciate the new color scheme for its own merits and just keep them as is, enjoying them for what they are. Like you said, ultimately it does them their own unique style instead of just slavishly re-treading what's already been done. I'm still pretty adamant on touching up Battle Cat, though.

So far He-Man and Skeletor are the only two characters to show up at my one and only local Walmart. Teela is the one I've been most anxious to get all along. What do you think of those knees? They seem to be a little divisive. I wasn't bothered, but I've seen some modification done by He-Bro on youtube that might be preferable. I have a Dremel of my own, so it's tempting to try it myself.

I agree that it's really surprising how quick and comprehensive they're fleshing out the releases. Honestly I'm a little worried by it. They're putting out so many toys in advance of the new shows or movie, it has me concerned they won't see the sales numbers they're aiming for in time to keep things moving. I really want it all to succeed! I've been craving decent barbarian figures for quite a while, and I've deeply missed the MotU property, so I want it to carry on for a good long while, and deliver lots of my favorite characters, vehicles and playsets! I want to see The Horde again -- not least of all the Fright Zone and Slime Pit!

It's easy to keep forgetting there's also the Masterverse series coming up. If I understand right, those are also supposed to be affordable and available at retail. I doubt I'll dive deep into that, but at the very least I'm hopeful for bits and pieces that would expand custom options. Have you seen the leaked Moss Man yet? It suggests Masterverse will offer a fairly substantial re-imagining of assets. I'm eager to see what that might mean for yet another Grayskull!

Eh, the knee joints on the females are rather prominent but I'm not very bothered by them. It's always something, and you'll never please anyone anyway. I personally am not a big fan of "ab crunch" joints, for example; they rarely seem to contribute much and they're very often prominent to the point of ugliness, like the new AEW figures where guys look like they were sawed in half and spliced back together. Point being, when it comes to articulation, it's all very subjective and there's no way to please everyone.

They're definitely doing a lot very fast, but sadly, I have a nagging feeling that the Kevin Smith MOTU project isn't going to be what anyone hopes for. I *like* Kevin, and I do like much of his work - the early stuff, like any sane person does, before he went nuts and completely lost the plot about 15 years ago - but I've seen his Batman. I've seen how he tackles the "Iconic And Beloved Characters From Yesteryear." And that has me more frightened than enthusiastic. I suspect that Mattel knows more than we do and may be suffering a bit of "buyer's remorse" on the project, or at the very least they expect it to be HIGHLY divisive. Therefore, what I suspect is happening, is that Mattel is pumping out a ton of MOTU stuff NOW, just in case Smith's project sh*ts the bed and renders the entire property radioactive for another ten years. Which let's be honest, has a really good chance of happening.

As for the live action movie... I'll believe that's a real thing when I'm finally in the theater, I've been saying that since they announced it in goddamn 2001. Likewise, I'll also believe that it won't be complete garbage when I see that with my own eyes, as well. I can't tell you how afraid I am of that movie. A lot can go right, but even more can go wrong. And right now, Hollywood is firmly in "Let's Do Everything Wrong" mode. They missed the boat by not going full-blown Epic Fantasy and putting out the live-action movie in 2003 when the cartoon was out and Lord of the Rings was still hot. It's way more of a risk Now than it was Then, but back then it was dismissed (despite a really good script premise from Goyer) because it would have been Too Expensive. That doesn't give me any hope at all for what we might get NOW. Aside from wanting it to be made cheap, right now Hollywood is leaning hard on remakes that do little but remind you how stupid the original was and what an idiot you were for liking it. I really don't want that to happen to he-Man, but I have a bad feeling it might.

But anyways, if and when the live action movie comes out, IF it ever does, the toys that come with it will probably be completely different from the Origins line, so I doubt one will affect the other very much. Origins might be done by then, we don't know.

But yeah, I feel like Mattel is trying to give us as much as they can NOW in case those future projects don't pan out. Which honestly makes sense.

I haven't seen any of the Masterverse stuff. I honestly don't keep up on things as much as I should. I gotta do better at that.

As for the Origins figures and their availability, "techincally" they're available at the Walmart over here but ours sucks. I've seen pictures online of many Walmart stores getting great big end-of-aisle displays holding dozens of MOTU figures; we get a single hook that's always empty and gets restocked "whenever". I broke down and got He-Man and Skeletor online a few months ago when I just couldn't find the first wave anywhere after weeks of trying. They've since popped up a few times since then, but I've only encountered those two figures at Walmart. Everything else get snapped up immediately. I managed to get Battle Cat and the Sky Sled with Adam at the flea market over here because I'm friends with one of the vendors and they hold stuff for me when they can.

Likewise, they just got in Beast Man and Man-At-Arms, the two I still need, and are gonna try and hold them for me until I can get there, hopefully by Sunday.


I've pretty much given up on ever finding any of these at Walmart and paying $15 each for them; that's just not how the world works, anymore. "At Walmart for $15" is code for "$30 on eBay" and everybody knows it.

Gah that's so cynical. I expect they'll all show up in time.

https://i.imgur.com/j8vxNgN.jpg

Here's that Moss Man leak I was talking about. As far as I know, this is the very first sneak peek at anything Masterverse. He looks closer to Classics, ab-crunch and all, but clearly an entirely new interpretation of the concept.

Industry insiders always talk about how crucially vital "the entertainment" is. They stress how a cartoon or movie, or at least a comic book, is effectively essential to sell an action figure series. MotU and TMNT (as action figures) never would have existed in the first place if they hadn't both "scammed" their way into animation, if The Toys That Made Us is to be believed. So it baffles me that they're so out of sync on this launch. That's actually the same scenario they blame for the failure of 200X; they say the show came too late and was never able to catch up like it needed.

Last I heard, I thought the movie had been pushed to Netflix. I remember hearing about it and feeling like it was a condemnation that the movie was doomed to be low budget and crummy. Then I thought more about it and realized big budget cinema releases are all garbage now anyway, at least as far I'm concerned, so a Netflix release might actually be a saving grace.

I wonder, if or when they get around an Origins Moss Man if he'll be flocked (and scented) or if they'll pull another Panthor and offer two separate skus. Fifteen bucks extra for flocked Panthor!

I agree, the timing of this whole effort seems really odd to me.

[Leo656]

Don't worry about being "off-topic", I do that more than anyone. :trazz:
This will be a long-winded, two-part post as I have a lot to say about the things you've presented.
---------

That's a very interesting Moss Man. Quite different but overall I like it. I looked up Masterverse briefly and it sounded quite a bit similar to Classics, aside from the $20 price point (HOW is that gonna work, exactly? Cheaper plastic and fewer accessories, I guess, but we'll see), and I was gonna ask "Why not just keep Classics going instead, then?" but that makes me think that the characters will mostly be dramatically redesigned, to various degrees. In that case, an entirely new line does make more sense.

I am forever in favor of more MOTU so whatever, bring it on! All of it!
----------

What's so funny is, brands like MOTU and TMNT had such a symbiotic relationship between their toys and their cartoons, as you pointed out, to the point where one was essentially a commercial for the other. BUT, fast forward to modern times, and neither of those brands can hold a TV show and seem destined to remain nothing but an eternal string of successive toy lines. I've said in other threads many times, in 50 years I definitely don't see people still making TMNT cartoons or movies anymore, especially at the rate they've been going since the Nick sale with each new version being worse than the last. But the NECA and Super7 toys have generated a ton of interest, and it seems to me like that is the future of the TMNT brand: a never-ending series of toy lines aimed at nostalgic adult collectors, just like MOTU has been for the past decade (and may remain if other projects fail to pan out).

I mean, let's be honest, when the news about Smith's animated MOTU project came out, the reaction wasn't exactly rapturous. It was mostly split between people biting their nails over how bad Smith might screw it up, and the rest were people saying "A new MOTU series? Seriously? People still care about that?" It hurts, but it's the truth. And I think even Mattel knows that, since they solicited a limited-run series and not a multi-season ongoing. They know that not enough people would watch a new MOTU cartoon in the 21st century to make it worth the investment. Therefore, as symbiotic as the relationship between the toys and the cartoons was back in the 80s, MOTU is almost certainly going to remain predominantly JUST a line of nostalgia toys that can't even sustain a cartoon show anymore.

TMNT will get there, too, if it's not there already. The movies tanked and nobody watched "Rise", so the future looks bleak. One day, that brand too will be "JUST a toyline" and the idea of a new cartoon will be laughed at because "Who even cares anymore?"

Maybe that's cynical, but hey... Entropy is the One and Only Constant in the entire known universe. :tgrin:
-----------

I feel like quality-wise, the MOTU movie might end up the same even if it ends up on Netflix. It was obvious from the years of pre-production hell that the main thing is, the studio doesn't expect it to make a lot of money and therefore does not want to sink a ton of money into it. That right there puts a ceiling on how good it can be. And they're probably right, it probably would not make a ton of money because of how small the fanbase really is, but it's a shame that they're afraid to aim high all the same. I mean, how many people even knew "Lord of the Rings" before those movies came out? Lots of people, sure, but not the same audience that goes to the movies, very generally speaking, not by half. Not a single person I knew even read those damn books before; the movies became a phenomenon just by being Really Good, not because there was a huge audience for the property beforehand, and thus they created an entire new audience for the property out of literally thin air. Millions upon millions of people who in 1999 wouldn't have read those books if you put a gun to their head, a few short years later went out and bought them all after being blown away by the movies.

I very firmly, very strongly believe that the same thing CAN happen with MOTU. People say that it's silly; it's not, they're ignorant, but that's how they feel. But that can be changed very easily with a really good live action film that treats the property with the reverence it deserves instead of treating it like a campy extended gay joke. For whatever reason, people treat films as if they have greater "legitimacy" than other forms of media. You can have a successful video game, cartoon, or comic book, but the general thinking of the mainstream is, "If you were any good, you'd have a movie, and that movie would make one-point-six billion dollars and not a penny less." Again, it's a bullsh*t way of thinking, but it's the consensus. Your brand ain't sh*t unless it makes a billion at the theater; otherwise, it's kids' stuff. A MOTU film CAN "legitimize" the entire property in the eyes of the general public, but it has to be done properly and taken seriously, first. If it ends up being something like "Transformers", or god forbid the "Jem and the Holograms' movie, well... then absolutely nothing was gained and we're arguably worse off than we started.

Perhaps the fact that there's "less pressure" around a Netflix release means it may turn out even better than a theatrical release. One can hope. There are so many variables in play that it's tough to predict. My problem is, again, Perception Is Reality, and most people look at Netflix movies and say, "Those aren't Real Movies." I'd hate it if after 30 years of waiting for it, it finally comes out but people ignore or dismiss it because of the distribution model. It may be good for the film, but not for its perception and reputation, sadly. Even if it came out and was great, people would say it "doesn't count". Because that's how people are.

I don't know. I don't honestly think about it too much, because like I said... they "promised" a new movie 20 years ago and we're like three inches closer Now than we were Then. I'll get excited when I see something concrete. yeah, they hired a guy to play he-Man... that really doesn't mean much, sadly. Especially with the pandemic turning the entire industry upside-down.

Frankly, I expect the latest version of the movie project to be one of the many, many movies that will inevitably become a victim of the pandemic. It'll be very quietly cancelled because there's no money to spend on it and no audience willing to pay to see it. It sucks, but seriously, the entire industry is gonna have a near-impossible task in trying to crawl out of the wreckage from this disaster, and MOST of the announced movie projects from the last year or so simply aren't going to happen, now.

The movie industry is in a shambles and even Disney is tightening their belt. That tells me, there's simply not going to be any place for a He-Man movie once the smoke clears. Maybe not even if they huck it to Netflix. I'd love to be wrong, but... we'll see.
-----------

(Cont.)

[Leo656]

Circling back to the earlier assessment of my cynicism, I proudly cop to that. :tgrin: I am most likely THE most cynical person you've ever spoken with, just to be clear going forward. I didn't come out of the box like that, but many, many years of Observe and Report have worn me down, to the point where I have to concede that quite simply, in life, there is What is, and there is What We Wish Were So, and that they're almost never the same thing. And that's just the way it is.

As far as my cynicism towards toy collecting, well, I've been doing it a long time and seen way too much sh*t go down. Christ, look at all the NECA TMNT figures that are allegedly "in stores" and yet you have to jump through a hundred hoops to find them anywhere except eBay. Or even the Mattel WWE figures, particularly the Elite series; oh, they come out in stores, but unless you want to poke through 87 identical AJ Styles figures, you're not buying them at the stores, you're buying them at the flea market or on eBay, no exceptions. Before that it was the Jakks WWE Classic Superstars figures. Even when there was more than just Target and Walmart, and you still had Toys R Us and Kay-Bee Toys and these figures were sold everywhere, you STILL had guys like Zeus or Dr. Death who most people will swear they never saw on a toy shelf at any store, ever. "$15 action figures" that were immediately $50 on eBay the day they were released and go for over $200 now. That's just the way it goes. It was like that with the 200x MOTU line, as well, which was the only reason I stopped collecting it 2/3s of the way through. I WANTED to keep getting the figures, but none of the stores near me had them except the variants I already had, and I didn't have the internet at the time so eBay was not an option, so I had no choice but to stop altogether. :ohwell:

I mean, sure, some of it is location. But there's fewer stores stocking toys than ever before and every single town has a scalper, now. For every Walmart that gets a case of MOTU Origins or Masters of the WWE Universe or WWE Elites, there's at least ten people living within a five-minute drive whose sole mission is to hawk that place, buy up all the stock as soon as it hits the shelves, and then flip it on eBay. It's an unwinnable war.

I do occasionally find something good "in the wild", and am always happy when I do so. A few months ago I found the entire set of Ghostbusters Plasma Series at Walmart, and that was wonderful. But I never, ever expect that anymore. When a new toy is announced, I know that my first step is to hope my flea market buddy gets them in, and Step 2 is to buy it online and eat the shipping charges. I never, ever expect to just stumble across it at Walmart. I'd have to go there twice a day every day for that to end up working in my favor, and I just can't do that. I have enough gray hair. :trazz:

I mean, that's the entire rub. Beast Man wouldn't be $35+ on eBay if you COULD simply buy him at Walmart right now for $15 the way you're "supposed" to. These people know you can't do that, because they themselves already cleaned them all out. I can only imagine what an ordeal Scare Glow is gonna be. He's always the one everyone wants, which is why I guess they're putting him out so early. He's gonna be showing up online for $50+ at launch, mark my words. It's discouraging, but I've come to accept that it's simply the name of the game ever since Toys R Us went under.

I do kinda think or HOPE that some of the heat will cool down as Wave 2 and 3 come out. Then again, we're on Wave 5 or something of "Masters of the WWE Universe" and those things still vanish immediately and go for $50 online and stay that way. So who knows? In the case of that line, the opposite of what you'd expect happened: the first few weeks, they kind of just hung on the shelf since nobody knew they were gonna be a thing. Then once people became aware of them, they became a hot item and now they're impossible to find at retail. At least in my area.

It is what it is. So yeah, I'm very cynical about it. :trazz: But what else can I do? I just Observe and Report, I don't make things be this way. :lol: I'd very much wish it were different, but that's not how it goes, unfortunately.

If nothing else, my buddy at the flea market has had an easier time getting the MOTU Origins lately. So at least I've got that going for me! :tgrin: I do hope it becomes less of an ordeal though. For you, for me, and for everyone. It's a great line, I want people to be able to support it properly. It just sucks that people insist on making that difficult.

[Leo656]

Eldor from Super7's "The Powers of Grayskull" line arrived today! :tgrin:
https://scontent-lga3-2.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/120272171_2915937531839220_4729350316992469670_o.j pg?_nc_cat=102&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=oJk6Wmb3aTQAX-GEleP&_nc_ht=scontent-lga3-2.xx&oh=bab622ee62de9481b5b9dfa4d27150e0&oe=5F95EAC0
https://scontent-lga3-2.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/120197016_2915937625172544_3801391388836625589_o.j pg?_nc_cat=100&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=Ii6_mYSzCbgAX-QLgbz&_nc_ht=scontent-lga3-2.xx&oh=e321fb6b0c7297aa0ed32f9ef09105ae&oe=5F96E873

Shadow Weaver should be here tomorrow I think. After that I need Buzz-Off and Evil Seed, and I forgot about Robot He-Man (although I almost count him as a variant).

[neatoman]

Eldor from Super7's "The Powers of Grayskull" line arrived today! :tgrin:
https://scontent-lga3-2.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/120272171_2915937531839220_4729350316992469670_o.j pg?_nc_cat=102&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=oJk6Wmb3aTQAX-GEleP&_nc_ht=scontent-lga3-2.xx&oh=bab622ee62de9481b5b9dfa4d27150e0&oe=5F95EAC0
https://scontent-lga3-2.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/120197016_2915937625172544_3801391388836625589_o.j pg?_nc_cat=100&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=Ii6_mYSzCbgAX-QLgbz&_nc_ht=scontent-lga3-2.xx&oh=e321fb6b0c7297aa0ed32f9ef09105ae&oe=5F96E873

Shadow Weaver should be here tomorrow I think. After that I need Buzz-Off and Evil Seed, and I forgot about Robot He-Man (although I almost count him as a variant).

... Is that... Is that T-Rex shooting Slimer from Ghostbusters out it's vagina?

[Leo656]

:lol::lol::lol::lol: No, but I love the way you think!

[Leo656]

As predicted, Shadow Weaver arrived today!
https://scontent-lga3-2.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/120528257_2919012164865090_8021098914103724686_o.j pg?_nc_cat=102&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=Z2nSl9ifm1IAX9_fCNB&_nc_ht=scontent-lga3-2.xx&oh=4aacb12b57351159b57e320236c42be5&oe=5F97C144
https://scontent-lga3-2.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/120467943_2919012251531748_2387901111690031452_o.j pg?_nc_cat=110&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=9vmfYjWHsfgAX9wTDbg&_nc_ht=scontent-lga3-2.xx&oh=5961400b98a22ac335a35598ad563ce7&oe=5F98A03E

Yet another character who never had a figure during the 80s run of toys. Probably for the best, as frankly I kinda think the original She-Ra toys were not very good, or at least they were very poor representations of their on-screen counterparts. Even She-Ra looked a mess in her own line, nothing at all like the cartoon with her ridiculous giant headdress and poofy scarves, and the same was basically the case for everyone else in the line. So I can't see how Shadow Weaver would have turned out any different. I suppose that like most of the Horde did, there was a small chance she could have appeared in the "real" MOTU toy line, but I doubt it, as most of the female characters were strictly part of the She-Ra toy line by that time with the exception of Sorceress. So this is one more example of Super7 correcting something that Mattel dropped the ball on back in the 80s.

Incidental, but... anyone have any idea what the hell Shadow Weaver looks like under that getup? The fact that I can't see her makes me nervous, because watching the cartoon back in the day I could never get past the fact that while there's always a chance she's some kinda squid monster under there... her tits were definitely immaculate. Can't anybody argue with that. She easily had the best rack on the show after She-Ra herself. That said... I'd still hope she's not all gross under there. :trazz:

[Leo656]

Repro Power Sword for my vintage Prince Adam came today. It's a different shade of pink than the original sword that came with the figure, but it's fine, at least he finally has a sword.

Given how hard to find some of the characters' weapons and accessories have become, I'm really glad there's people out there doing repro's. When I get done buying my wife's Birthday presents I need to get a repro He-Man Power Sword and Shield. They're about half as much as buying an authentic original, and they look the same to my eye so whatever. Be nice to have the authentic sword that came with the figure but I don't wanna pay $50 on a tiny plastic sword.

$25 for a tiny plastic sword and shield and ax is already kind of a bummer but at least it's not AS bad. :lol:

I think the repro belt I ordered for Prince Adam is supposed to show up tomorrow. I had to order a new Mekanek even though I already have one, just because mine didn't have armor or his club and of COURSE, it's cheaper to just buy a loose complete figure than try and track down the parts separately. Sigh.

[garsh]

That's a great Shadow Weaver! I'd love to have that, especially if we don't get an Origins version, which I expect we won't. Are you gonna show that repro sword? I'm curious to see if it's a half sword and whatnot.

[Leo656]

You can find that Shadow Weaver at bigbadtoystore.com for about $20 and shipping. You never know, they might do some She-Ra characters in "Origins" if they keep it going long enough.

Sure, I took some pics, although it's late and the light's off and I used the flash so it's not 100% accurate to the color the plastic really is. But it looks good. I also took a picture of the note they sent with it so you can look them up if you wanna look for any of their other MOTU repro weapons. They apparently do a lot of good stuff.

It's a half-sword but I think they make whole swords too if you ask.

https://scontent-lga3-2.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/120366652_2922647604501546_7919071743534877325_o.j pg?_nc_cat=109&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=jCrjPQhxIG8AX_bgSU4&_nc_ht=scontent-lga3-2.xx&oh=c7bab7eddfb58998218cf4bf921a7d86&oe=5F9ADD89
https://scontent-lga3-2.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/120601949_2922647904501516_8665648102965482027_o.j pg?_nc_cat=109&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=sPp_Utg53V0AX8NCWQa&_nc_ht=scontent-lga3-2.xx&oh=7627f67ab2fdebb5fc2954de0af0fe08&oe=5F9AC37A
https://scontent-lga3-2.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/120560367_2922647847834855_8468893884348281270_o.j pg?_nc_cat=111&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=Oh6uQAjsPOMAX9wB8pV&_nc_ht=scontent-lga3-2.xx&oh=4cd09bf27e065452082e51f3a04ff6b3&oe=5F9AA012

It's definitely made out of a harder plastic than the original swords were but it feels good. As mentioned, there's a few other things I plan to order from them in the future. Like I need a Skeletor Power Sword, the He-Man accessory set, and the Sorceress Staff. They're all way cheaper than finding the originals and they look just as good anyway. In the case of those specific things, anyway. Some of the other weapons I need are cheap enough to find the authentic ones, but those specific items are often pretty expensive so $10 or so for a repro isn't bad, I think.

[garsh]

You can find that Shadow Weaver at bigbadtoystore.com for about $20 and shipping. You never know, they might do some She-Ra characters in "Origins" if they keep it going long enough.

Sure, I took some pics, although it's late and the light's off and I used the flash so it's not 100% accurate to the color the plastic really is. But it looks good. I also took a picture of the note they sent with it so you can look them up if you wanna look for any of their other MOTU repro weapons. They apparently do a lot of good stuff.

It's a half-sword but I think they make whole swords too if you ask.

https://scontent-lga3-2.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/120366652_2922647604501546_7919071743534877325_o.j pg?_nc_cat=109&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=jCrjPQhxIG8AX_bgSU4&_nc_ht=scontent-lga3-2.xx&oh=c7bab7eddfb58998218cf4bf921a7d86&oe=5F9ADD89
https://scontent-lga3-2.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/120601949_2922647904501516_8665648102965482027_o.j pg?_nc_cat=109&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=sPp_Utg53V0AX8NCWQa&_nc_ht=scontent-lga3-2.xx&oh=7627f67ab2fdebb5fc2954de0af0fe08&oe=5F9AC37A
https://scontent-lga3-2.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/120560367_2922647847834855_8468893884348281270_o.j pg?_nc_cat=111&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=Oh6uQAjsPOMAX9wB8pV&_nc_ht=scontent-lga3-2.xx&oh=4cd09bf27e065452082e51f3a04ff6b3&oe=5F9AA012

It's definitely made out of a harder plastic than the original swords were but it feels good. As mentioned, there's a few other things I plan to order from them in the future. Like I need a Skeletor Power Sword, the He-Man accessory set, and the Sorceress Staff. They're all way cheaper than finding the originals and they look just as good anyway. In the case of those specific things, anyway. Some of the other weapons I need are cheap enough to find the authentic ones, but those specific items are often pretty expensive so $10 or so for a repro isn't bad, I think.



Dude that sword is awesome! I'm really impressed with the quality of the cast. Personally I always liked the feel of the more gummy accessories, but I can't deny it can be really frustrating when they warp into a wrong shape and resist correction, so more I'm confident a more rigid material is more practical. I appreciate the note so I can look into getting some if the need comes up. Thanks!

[Leo656]

No problem! Yeah, these seem pretty solid. You can definitely tell it's not an original when you touch it firmly but at a glance they look the same and they don't even feel all that different, just barely enough to tell. I definitely wouldn't be worried about warping. The hand guard, in particular, feels much more solid.

I haven't tried to match-up Adam's Repro sword with my original Skeletor Power Sword to see how they fit together yet, if they do, so I'll let you know how that goes.

When the repro belt comes I'll be sure and take a picture of my "restored" Prince Adam. Again, I'm trying to be as authentic as possible when tracking down the spare parts but I know that's a lost cause on some figures' accessories, so I'm fine settling for repros for a handful of things. I think they even make the little red clips for the back of Flying Fists He-Man and Terror Claws Skeletor. Pretty sure they make a repro lock for Dragon Blaster Skeletor, too.

God's work, to be sure. :lol: I'm just glad somebody's doing it!

EDIT:

Tried matching up the repro Adam Power Sword with an authentic Skeletor one. They fit, but not 1:1; the repro swords are like a tiny hair smaller but they'll hold together.

[Hamato Yoshi]

When i see frozen pizza 30% off i buy in bulk , perhaps not scalping since i dont resell the food , lol (food is expensive in Norway so can you blame me ;)

Leo , youre not cynical , sadly youre right on those points......i agree a MotU movie shouldve been done when LOTR was hot - but maybe , just maybe , it could be a modest hit

[Leo656]

Got a few new and awesome things over the last few days.

First up, my replacement Mekaneck from the original series came in, and WOW! He's in great shape! There's a tiny bit of paint rub on his boot (not visible in the photo) but that's easy to fix, and otherwise he looks great!
https://scontent.fewr1-6.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/120996776_2940627016036938_9076591121093405081_o.j pg?_nc_cat=109&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=m7ftjKw9Jy8AX-10PW2&_nc_ht=scontent.fewr1-6.fna&oh=ef2a2bdf81d7d032e1b730e26b9dc442&oe=5F9FF977

One step closer to finishing my Super7 Filmation collection of 5.5s with Evil Seed!
https://scontent.fewr1-5.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/120997644_2940630112703295_897435683135144002_o.jp g?_nc_cat=111&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=FBt-43qVe5YAX8v5iNZ&_nc_ht=scontent.fewr1-5.fna&oh=f483073dd96ee76e0e22da4484fdac67&oe=5FA1615E

I just need Buzz-Off and I'll have all the individual characters from that line, depending on whether you call Robot He-Man a variant, since I still need him too. I don't have any of the variants, yet, as I was focusing on getting all the main characters first.

Finally, I can say "Wave One COMPLETE!" on the Mattel "Origins" line, as I picked up Man-At-Arms and Beast Man at the flea market! :tgrin:
https://scontent.fewr1-5.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/120867040_2940633699369603_6653713796931004708_o.j pg?_nc_cat=106&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=SCrbaB8VYZYAX_Zqmry&_nc_ht=scontent.fewr1-5.fna&oh=5ed4e25ad06a082451ad4a721a57527b&oe=5FA123E0
https://scontent.fewr1-5.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/121016249_2940633776036262_8652163930173357715_o.j pg?_nc_cat=104&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=tq_iJ8US1PcAX9cRVKI&_nc_ht=scontent.fewr1-5.fna&oh=d509625d903cae5c1228c6499ee47621&oe=5FA3421D
https://scontent.fewr1-6.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/120970574_2940633779369595_7586311007147290579_o.j pg?_nc_cat=100&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=Bxn8ninMkfIAX-rVviJ&_nc_ht=scontent.fewr1-6.fna&oh=eab75bf01318445eabfed1a0342ab704&oe=5FA10C8F

That is so close to the original Man-At-Arms head (plus moustache) that it's uncanny. :lol:

Can't wait for Wave 2! Hopefully I'll be working again soon so I won't have to dip into my savings. I'll figure it out.

[garsh]

https://i.imgur.com/bWIkcef.png


box / illustration (https://i.imgur.com/9qeERWQ.jpg)
promo photo (https://i.imgur.com/ELtI0UM.jpg)
contents (https://i.imgur.com/v4h3n59.jpg)
interior / reverse (https://i.imgur.com/OLW2WN4.jpg)
series collection (https://i.imgur.com/XUu33rM.jpg)

[Leo656]

My poor boner. :lol:

F*ck it, pre-ordered. $80 after shipping, should be here by April 20th. :tgrin:

[Leo656]

Picked up a few new figures over the last couple of weeks, I just kept forgetting to post pictures.

First up, Buzz-Off from the Super7 Filmation "Masters of the Universe" 5.5-inch line!
https://scontent-lga3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/124851258_3044161849016787_6241050727632807009_o.j pg?_nc_cat=101&ccb=2&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=tXIo1OgiZ40AX9Npc0H&_nc_ht=scontent-lga3-1.xx&oh=55ecf9087f6095ab6c77a421e995befa&oe=5FD6EAF4
Not a bad figure; I just wish his wrists were articulated so that he could hold his lance any position but sideways. :ohwell: Not a huge deal, though.

Aside from "Robot He-Man", I have all the unique characters from this line, now. So one of these days I'll start picking up the variants like "Transforming He-Man", "Crystal Statue Man-At-Arms", and so on.

Next up, King Hssss from the Masters of the Universe Classics line!
https://scontent-lga3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/124954775_3044167535682885_6909631008514143244_o.j pg?_nc_cat=111&ccb=2&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=PKjCfCyST7sAX_yYTb5&_nc_ht=scontent-lga3-1.xx&oh=b2f9eae1f5121864919eef2e1eac8899&oe=5FD5BDF9
Always one of my favorite characters. The "Serpentine King Hssss" figure of him in his snake form was the first MOTU Classics figure I ever got, when I found him cheap at a toy show. This guy was pretty cheap also, so I snapped him up.

Finally, we have "Intergalactic Overlord" Skeletor from Masters of the Universe Classics!
https://scontent-lga3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/125238156_3044169239016048_6743751850301420332_o.j pg?_nc_cat=103&ccb=2&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=ZJEuohx7qYAAX-f7nBC&_nc_ht=scontent-lga3-1.xx&oh=1f81f3eaa39b2ed8306b7d6ed957c994&oe=5FD5F0D5
I never cared much for the "New Adventures of He-Man" cartoon, but I like what the Classics series did with the character designs. This one was also really cheap, and I plan on getting as many He-Man and Skeletor variants as I can anyways, so this was an easy buy.

I found a few other "Classics" figures that weren't too pricey, so I have another three on the way. I just wish that all the characters I REALLY want like Teela, Man-At-Arms, etc., weren't around $100-200. :ohwell: There's still a bunch of good characters for around $50-80, and I guess that's not TOO bad, but I really want the "main cast" and I wish I could get them for less than a friggin' grand. One day, hopefully.

I didn't take pictures yet, but I also got a few of the vintage Mattels, such as Trap Jaw with belt and weapons, Teena with full weapons and armor, and Sy-Klone with his chest hologram. I've already had each of these for a long time but I'd lost some or all of the accessories over time, and it was cheaper to just buy the replacement figures than trying to scrounge for parts.

I'm also chipping away at the replacement weapons I need for some of my vintage figures. I was able to find a gold Power Sword for Thunder Punch He-Man pretty cheap, as well as Tri-Klops's sword. I also got repro versions of He-Man and Skeletor's Power Swords, as well as the Sorceress's Eagle Staff, which are pretty much identical to the real thing (only much cheaper).

For anyone in need or interested, the same guy I got the repro weapons from ALSO makes Power Swords in ANY color, not just the ones that match the originals. He can also make them in see-through translucent plastic, as well as in both "male" and "female" versions, so if you ever wanted your He-Man or Skeletor to have a full Power Sword in one color rather than a half-sword OR a Silver/Purple hybrid sword, there ya go. I gotta remember to get a "female" He-Man sword and "male" Skeletor sword, for that exact purpose. But yeah, check around on eBay if you're interested, the guy does good work.

[Leo656]

Something else rather spiffy came in today's mail. I mentioned that I'd found a good deal on some "Masters of the Universe Classics" figures, and the first arrived today. For about $20 I was able to pick up one of my old favorites, Rio Blast!
https://scontent.fewr1-5.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/125872785_3057262701040035_3942064018507990457_o.j pg?_nc_cat=105&ccb=2&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=rvdoGf38sUMAX9i9MHV&_nc_ht=scontent.fewr1-5.fna&oh=1b1173ddb0695d783362ac53424140a0&oe=5FDB5D22
I always had a real fondness for this guy. His original figure was always one of my favorites, even though it had SO many parts to lose and now I need replacements. I'll take much better care of this guy, I swear!

I got a couple more from a different seller, which should be here tomorrow or the day after. They were cheaper than normal because the plastic bubble was pushed in a little bit near the bottom. I really don't care about that, but I care immensely about MOTUC figures for under $25! Hopefully they'll be here tomorrow.

[frank_one]

That was one of my favorites too! $20 is a very good deal.

[Leo656]

Over the last month or so I picked up a few more vintage Mattel figures, but I hadn't gotten around to cleaning them up or taking pictures. So I finally did that. Getting down to the wire on the ones I need, now, and only missing a few more accessories, too. The stuff I don't have is pretty much the stuff I simply can't afford, give or take a Gwildor or whatever.

Vintage Mekaneck with club. I only needed the club and the armor BUT as is often the case it was just cheaper to buy a whole new figure.
https://scontent.fewr1-6.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-0/p526x296/126477838_3070158096417162_174049866692922637_o.jp g?_nc_cat=108&ccb=2&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=emylMC7pl40AX9ZdIGi&_nc_ht=scontent.fewr1-6.fna&tp=6&oh=bf6cb6e1ac3e4ce695697a128d7b854d&oe=5FE0EECF
EDIT: I forgot that I already posted this guy a while ago. :lol:

Sy-Klone with Shield. Another one I've had since I was about two, but I lost his chest hologram (and his shield) almost immediately, somehow. Again, cheaper to by a whole new replacement figure.
https://scontent.fewr1-5.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-0/p526x296/126998419_3070159333083705_3014446160033317462_o.j pg?_nc_cat=106&ccb=2&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=UeI5P3lnmHEAX_xjjY2&_nc_ht=scontent.fewr1-5.fna&tp=6&oh=6e50848807a4db8ffc05bdc933a64418&oe=5FE0F376

Vintage King Hiss. Mine actually stands up much better than this guy does, and I had most of his armor minus just the right arm piece and shield. Apparently EVERYONE lost the right arm cover, so you guessed it, easier to buy a whole new one.
https://scontent.fewr1-6.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-0/p526x296/126500747_3070161093083529_7994802984701650466_o.j pg?_nc_cat=102&ccb=2&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=Of4GqZh7t8YAX_W0Jtb&_nc_ht=scontent.fewr1-6.fna&tp=6&oh=e35ed1ad8cfe943336b1643424d5836d&oe=5FE3FC8F

Vintage Trap Jaw. Needed the belt, hook, and claw; you can guess the story by now. My original is in better shape, particularly he still has the little loop on his helmet intact. But this one didn't set me back too much all things considered.
https://scontent.fewr1-5.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-0/p526x296/126575167_3070163313083307_4746183660807053962_o.j pg?_nc_cat=107&ccb=2&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=1hKmyNsN7_cAX-fKPYj&_nc_ht=scontent.fewr1-5.fna&tp=6&oh=efd9a2646ad60f7e7c1b544ce26e0c63&oe=5FE3B6F6

Finally, vintage Teela with full armor and weapons. One of the few I never had as a kid. Finding one without the tab on the back of her armor broken was a pain in the ass, and I almost accidentally clicked on a few other ones that looked pretty fine until I took a closer look at the seller's pictures. Always zoom in! Anyways, she's in GREAT shape.
https://scontent.fewr1-5.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-0/p526x296/127211610_3070165233083115_9077939382718774075_o.j pg?_nc_cat=106&ccb=2&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=wS8Y7QZfyZEAX84RCMQ&_nc_ht=scontent.fewr1-5.fna&tp=6&oh=db5d986f2b580b6b5ea1b021be4dfae6&oe=5FE21FA0

I don't know if I'll ever have a "complete" collection - for one thing, Eternia, Tytus and Megator are probably out of my grasp forever - but I'm getting super close to having all the main figures, at least!

Figure-wise, I only need:
Stratos w/Blue Wings
Modulok (have one, lost half the parts)
Rokkon (have a broken one)
Dragon Blaster Skeletor
Hurricane Hordak (ALL the limbs on mine fell apart)
Multi-Bot (lost half his parts, same as Modulok)
Dragstor
Horde Trooper
Terror Claws Skeletor
Blast-Attack
Clamp Champ
Buzz-Saw Hordak
Mosquitor
Ninjor
Rotar
Scare Glow
Snake Face
SSSqueeze
Twistoid
Blade
Gwildor

Of those, I will probably only be able to pick up Gwildor, Dragstor, Rokkon, Modulok, and the Stratos variant anytime soon. They're all pretty reasonable, but the rest of the ones I'm missing generally START at around $100 loose and go up from there (sometimes WAY up from there, like Scare Glow). :ohwell: Although in some cases, they're easier to find without weapons and/or some of the tiny accessories, and 3D-printed reproductions of those parts are very prevalent now, so I might be able to "cheat" a little bit just to get the damn figures I need once and for all. I would LOVE to at the very least have a complete character collection.

Weapons/Accessories I need:
- He-Man's Shield
- Ram Man's Ax
- Buzz Off's Helmet & Ax
- Battle Armor He-Man's Sword & Ax
- Kobra Khan's Gun
- Orko's Ripcord & Magic Trick pieces
- Grizzlor's Crossbow
- Thunder Punch He-Man's Shield
- Leech's Crossbow
- Modulok's Gun
- Moss Man's Mace
- Roboto's Ax & Claw
- Rokkon's Blaster
- Spikor's Mace
- Stonedar's Blaster
- Two-Bad's Shield
- Extendar's Shield
- Flying Fists He-Man's Shield & Red Clip
- Multi-Bot's Gun
- Rio Blast's Chest & Leg Guns
- Snout Spout's Ax
- King Randor's Cape

...Along with several of the Grayskull and Weapons Pack items. I HAD all of that stuff, but across multiple toy boxes and several moves, little by little they vanished. Thankfully, most of them are very easy to find cheap, and the more difficult ones people make cheap repro's of, anyway. Believe it or not, the hardest thing to find so far has been Randor's cape. I can't even find a reproduction of it, I might need to either make one or try and find a similar style blue cape for another action figure and put it on him. Anyways, now that I have most of the figures that I can actually afford, Phase Two is going to be about replacing all those weapons bit-by-bit.

I also need a few beasts, playsets and vehicles, but right now I'm mostly focusing on just getting my figures in top shape, and going from there. Thankfully, much of that stuff is still pretty reasonable as well.

Whew! Gettin' there!

[Leo656]

I keep forgetting to post my He-Man pickups here, and instead I keep posting them in the regular Toys thread. D'oh! This time I remembered to do it right. :lol:

First up, another addition to the 1980s vintage line, with ZOAR, "The Fighting Falcon" who went on to be retconned into being the secondary form of The Sorceress:
https://scontent-lga3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-0/s600x600/148413529_3258431547589815_3264484281047379082_o.j pg?_nc_cat=105&ccb=2&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=Z6WuYYgN8RgAX-opUB8&_nc_ht=scontent-lga3-1.xx&tp=7&oh=cecebd55e6c20dde27d6b3c2b9c06170&oe=60496BE0https://scontent-lga3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-0/s600x600/148184911_3258431360923167_5992440544454538680_o.j pg?_nc_cat=107&ccb=2&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=K1m3mQ7dmVEAX9iT6zB&_nc_ht=scontent-lga3-1.xx&tp=7&oh=bddccc342fc44ffeb507c070d38fe75b&oe=60474476
I gotta clean it up a little bit, and it's got some paint bleed under the wing (although not as bad as a lot of these do), but overall it's complete and in great shape! The wings aren't too bent and they still flap just fine. I had this one as a kid but somehow broke/lost it. Really glad to have it back, finally, especially in such great shape.

Next up, thanks to my pals at the flea market, I was able to pick up all of Wave 3 in the new Origins line!
https://scontent-lga3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-0/s600x600/147152921_3258433724256264_8386490820522811735_o.j pg?_nc_cat=106&ccb=2&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=PnYflNahJiAAX-9dJE0&_nc_ht=scontent-lga3-1.xx&tp=7&oh=548284d28551f45f127a151e11f6790e&oe=6046BC64https://scontent-lga3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-0/s600x600/146935564_3258436444255992_1452176307886322312_o.j pg?_nc_cat=110&ccb=2&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=bAv7PtczJRoAX9lWrjq&_nc_ht=scontent-lga3-1.xx&tp=7&oh=07c9f70d908bccfa15b8344fd6d3ecd3&oe=604974E6https://scontent-lga3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-0/s600x600/148174629_3258433934256243_8586650738354033417_o.j pg?_nc_cat=107&ccb=2&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=E1_dfcBWOp0AX_pzdRW&_nc_ht=scontent-lga3-1.xx&tp=7&oh=ff12714a79a2ca7b441bd5dc51f3cf78&oe=6048EACFhttps://scontent-lga3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-0/s600x600/147414102_3258433947589575_6057076603751466625_o.j pg?_nc_cat=110&ccb=2&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=6ytZ5rTkqZ8AX_lYRlm&_nc_ht=scontent-lga3-1.xx&tp=7&oh=c1c3ce4d9ee74546038d59de8d99d38f&oe=6045BB21https://scontent-lga3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-0/s600x600/147735793_3258436767589293_7504549744104187313_o.j pg?_nc_cat=106&ccb=2&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=0aOqjQsZ7CcAX8PwLDa&_nc_ht=scontent-lga3-1.xx&tp=7&oh=4a615e0c631b99c5240365c73a8539d5&oe=60470D57https://scontent-lga3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-0/s600x600/148631262_3258436750922628_2676744382090449055_o.j pg?_nc_cat=102&ccb=2&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=Ajc4bsoU2rcAX_7B9If&_nc_ht=scontent-lga3-1.xx&tp=7&oh=672d2e45c520d0996b0b5b0ab3ff1d2a&oe=60490AB3
They're all pretty cool, but I think Roboto might be my favorite of this Wave, he always just looks really cool. Sadly, I think She-Ra could have been a LOT better. It fits what they're going for with the whole "vintage-inspired" aesthetic, and it definitely conjures up images of the original She-Ra figure, but sadly, that figure just wasn't that good, objectively-speaking, which is why they kept tweaking the design all the way up until the Filmation cartoon debuted. I definitely would have preferred that they gave this figure her Filmation outfit, with the smaller tiara, solid white skirt and larger emblem on her torso, and it seems most fans agree with me. The giant crown/mask (nobody liked that gimmick for her) and the mesh skirt just don't do the trick. Really hoping for a reissue done in Filmation attire somewhere down the line. Otherwise, I might get a second one just to do a custom.

Nitpicks aside, I really do like all of these figures and am really happy with this line so far. I have Wave 1 and 3, and now I gotta try and find 2. And the Battle Armor figures. And Panthor. Holy sh*t, this line blew up fast. :lol: Couldn't be happier, though!

[IMJ]

It's your fault I'm buying these bastards now.

I can't find wave 2 anywhere. Then again now that I think about it, I can't find anything anywhere - I only have He-Man, Skeletor and that Mer-Man I mentioned in my PM rant.

[Leo656]

Yeah, Wave 2 skipped the U.S. apparently and Wave 3 is juuuuust trickling out now. People are hoping Wave 2 hits American stores eventually BUT most people are just going to BigBadToyStore since they're only a buck and change over retail per figure. Nobody wants to fall behind, since Wave 2 has Scare Glow in it and he ALWAYS shoots up in price. Wave 5 or 6 will be out before the end of the year, along with the Wind Raider, Land Shark, and several of the Deluxe and Battle Armor figures. And they're mixing up the Waves so they generally have a mix of "early" (1982-1984) and "late" (1985-1987) characters in each one, which is cool.

When in doubt, BBTS is the way to go for MOTU stuff if you can't find it on the shelves. Pretty much all MOTU fans make that their main destination for action figures nowadays. I've ordered a ton of stuff from them over the past year and can recommend them wholeheartedly. You might even get an order delivered on Sundays! My orders from them show up on Sunday more often than not, for some reason. Mattel insists on sending stores one or two cases of He-Man, one or two cases of Skeletor, and only one "mixed" case of either Wave 1 or Wave 3 figures, so most people so far can only find He-Man and Skeletor. Which has people annoyed, BUT, even if you find them in the wild the cardbacks are generally bent and roughed up from people handling them. I know you're looking for stuff as close to "pristine" as possible, and all of my stuff from BBTS is nearly flawless. My Super 7 5.5s even came almost entirely unpunched.

I'm just gonna go ahead and start ordering Wave 2 and 4 from BBTS and see if the situation in stores clears up, as it's "supposed" to by Spring once more than just Walmart start getting orders in. It's just good to know that there's a super easy and reliable way of getting them all without paying an arm and a leg. It's crazy to see certain figures on eBay for like fifty bucks, when those same figures are on preorder on BBTS for $16. Maybe take a few weeks extra to get there for back-ordered stuff, but it beats paying scalper prices!

And yeah, that's what I do. Lots of sh*t is my fault. I'm like a drug dealer, except instead'a crack I get people hooked on He-Man. :lol: No shame! :tgrin:

EDIT: AAARRRRGH, The Wave 2 Pre-Orders on BBTS sold out sometime after I typed this. :tgrumble: I snagged Man-E-Faces for now; I think my wife got me Scare Glow, and Trap Jaw and Orko will turn up again soon. Even the Lords of Power box set turned up briefly today before selling out again, so I know Wave 2 will be up again soon.

I went ahead and ordered Wave 4, just in case. HORDAK! Next week I'll pick up Battle Armor He-Man and Skeletor, probably.

[IMJ]

Yeah, Wave 2 skipped the U.S. apparently and Wave 3 is juuuuust trickling out now.

Oh this was news to me. I was wondering WTH happened. Where did you find this out?

[Leo656]

I'm not sure if it's hard fact or just a rumor. I know for a fact that on various FB groups people in other countries (I forget which ones) were showing pictures of Wave 2 showing up in Walmart stores in abundance as far back as November but nothing in America. Pretty sure everybody on the .org just bought them online already.

Nobody seems to know exactly what happened, and obviously Mattel isn't going to say much about it. People are hoping that Wave 2 gets a more widespread release in America now that Wave 3 is popping up, but just in case everybody's been buying them online anyway. Trap Jaw has become one of the "must-buy" characters in every line that comes out, and of course Scare Glow remains THE figure to get with every release, from vintage to Classics to now. Kinda glad they got him out of the way early this time. Orko and Man-E-Faces are generally popular, too, but I have a feeling that it's Trap Jaw and Scare Glow that are pushing people to snap up Wave 2.

They'll turn up, though. BBTS gets restocked pretty often. For all Mattel's faults in mismanaging case ratios, they're not NECA. :trazz: They don't manufacture three of something and then blame you for not being able to buy it. :lol: They'll make/ship more. :)

EDIT: I broke down and bought Orko and Trap Jaw on Amazon. Orko was retail price at $15, Trap Jaw was $35 which is still less than eBay. Can't help it, I need Kronis in my life! I'm weak! :lol:

By buying them together I qualified for Free Shipping. Neat! :tgrin: It'll apparently take a few weeks to get here, but we'll see. My Amazon orders almost always come earlier than estimated. But I've already waited this long, if I have to wait until March, so be it. Long as I don't miss them.

[IMJ]

Decided to give the awkwardly timed mid-day Target run a try and pretty much filled in all of wave 2 completely, punched and unpunched.

https://i.imgur.com/AiQb2BJl.jpg

[Leo656]

You mean Wave 3. :) BUT regardless, great haul!

Aaaaaand HOLY SH*T, Grayskull is showing up in stores despite the earliest preorders still saying they're not shipping until April (in some cases, August)! :o

duoGMPXQMfA

k-r8U2UEeQQ

Jesus, that thing is awesome. I agree with some folks that the paint and general color of the plastic could be darker, but on the whole, it looks even better than the original, with stuff that was once cardboard inserts now actual plastic parts and additions like the cloth flags, extra Weapons Rack, and so on. I feel like people's fears that this would be so similar to the original as to be redundant can be put to bed. It looks really great!

My pre-order still says it's not shipping until 4/20. :tgrumble: It's gonna be a huge test of willpower not to buy this damn thing if I actually see it in the store. So far it sounds like it's only in Canada, but it's just a matter of time until it hits over here.

This thing just dropped like a bomb today, people are freaking out. No warning, no build-up, just "Ah, here ya go." Weird!

At least it's out, and it's awesome! Even more pumped for it, now.

[Leo656]

Got a couple of new additions to my vintage line in the mail today!

First up, Screeech!
https://scontent.fewr1-6.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-0/s600x600/148698576_3265523140213989_2815296056831556607_o.j pg?_nc_cat=101&ccb=3&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=rcpZwK1OVv0AX9Abs-d&_nc_ht=scontent.fewr1-6.fna&tp=7&oh=878ddb485bcf16035c215b84bf5d4904&oe=604AC5D8https://scontent.fewr1-6.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-0/s600x600/148666640_3265523146880655_2330352538094102313_o.j pg?_nc_cat=100&ccb=3&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=IiUy3zRJi6AAX8qOGaq&_nc_ht=scontent.fewr1-6.fna&tp=7&oh=9189832683bba62b567d4d0f25e1fbe0&oe=604C60A7
This thing looks like it's barely even been touched; the wings are nearly straight (very rare for Screeech and Zoar) and the accessories are still bagged and not assembled (I used Zoar's perch for the photograph). It looks practically new!

Next up, one I never had as a kid and am really thrilled to finally have, the original vintage Gwildor!
https://scontent.fewr1-6.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-0/p526x296/148580194_3265524666880503_7136341622448877712_o.j pg?_nc_cat=108&ccb=3&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=x6n5hVWslsEAX-MSzDb&_nc_ht=scontent.fewr1-6.fna&tp=6&oh=c7e834399eef7f830469f3a70d2e3ffa&oe=6049C525
He needs a few drops of touch-up paint on his face, but otherwise he's in great shape too. I was a huge fan of the movie as a kid, so I'm not sure how I missed getting him, other than I think he and Blade were kind of rare at some point. I had Saurod and I think he was kind of easy to get, but I don't remember seeing Gwildor or Blade very often, if at all. I didn't know anyone else who had them, either.

Better late than never! Hopefully I'll be able to get Blade soon, so I can complete the trifecta of movie figures from the 1988 line.

[Leo656]

So I was at Walmart, and I ended up picking some stuff I hadn't planned on. They had these Mega-Construx sets, and I generally don't care. But they had this one here for FIVE DOLLARS, for some reason. So I said why the hell not?
https://scontent.fewr1-5.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-0/s600x600/149471758_3268137029952600_1943668702205017176_o.j pg?_nc_cat=105&ccb=3&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=m-4D7wQOZjgAX-yJtVs&_nc_ht=scontent.fewr1-5.fna&tp=7&oh=7c1fce6e61137dd592f806800d38d813&oe=604B7C90
https://scontent.fewr1-5.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-0/s600x600/149261816_3268137293285907_4489851527950364170_o.j pg?_nc_cat=106&ccb=3&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=nBjVVG5w3oQAX912s-P&_nc_oc=AQlA_mROJ5yTartxCxQnZQSMrUZOPr-LMxrsYY-IpFSTYybfwiSArb-7Bllimgl0q2Y&_nc_ht=scontent.fewr1-5.fna&tp=7&oh=5545d560dafabb66778b3b5784d28ac6&oe=604C0B5D

Since I was already getting that one, I picked this one up as well. This one was about $30, and I have no idea why since the much bigger set was only FIVE. But whatever. They're neat.
https://scontent.fewr1-6.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-0/s600x600/149335978_3268140836618886_5019344761071580654_o.j pg?_nc_cat=100&ccb=3&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=B-cy-yaMyjIAX_l_kVc&_nc_ht=scontent.fewr1-6.fna&tp=7&oh=72a584dc8d72e49a143ef1f0cc7f0602&oe=604ED51Chttps://scontent.fewr1-6.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-0/s600x600/148702999_3268141059952197_4310260850746695264_o.j pg?_nc_cat=108&ccb=3&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=H0oyYZSAxkkAX-NbodE&_nc_ht=scontent.fewr1-6.fna&tp=7&oh=17df402abd980dad2d94aec650831772&oe=604B1498

I didn't get around to messing with them yet, maybe tomorrow. They do seem pretty neat, though. In looking around online it seems like I got a helluva deal on the Point Dread one.

Sadly, I came in way late to the party on these, and the Castle Grayskull set is like FOUR HUNDRED DOLLARS now, so I don't think I'll end up being a "completist" on these. Looks like there's already a bunch of sets I missed, so I might just grab a few here and there if I find them kinda cheap.

[Walkabout]

My brother and I had **** tons of the original MOTU line as a kid, reading through this thread drives me wild.


I think Gwildor was the last figure I ever got.

[IMJ]

My brother and I had **** tons of the original MOTU line as a kid, reading through this thread drives me wild.


I think Gwildor was the last figure I ever got.

That's how I felt. I abandoned MOTU almost twenty years ago when I sold my entire vintage collection (that I had in storage since I was a kid). I even sold a complete Snake Mountain and this was back when MOTU wasn't so desirable - now people want 80 bucks for a vintage, complete He-Man.

But I got suckered into the Origins line and I can't believe it. And now, what's worse is that I'm doing the logistics and list-making to figure out how I can put the Filmation set together at the best possible cost.

[Leo656]

$80?! :lol: I want THAT deal. I generally see original "vintage" He-Man complete with weapons and armor for like $130+. For $80 he'd be missing parts, probably.

But yeah the demand for all things MOTU has skyrocketed in recent years. All the 80s kids having YouTube channels is probably a lot to do with it. Same reason why every time AVGN and Sega Lord X talk about a game or system, it shoots up in price online because now everybody wants it.

[Leo656]

SUNDAY MAIL CALL!
https://scontent.fewr1-6.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-0/s600x600/149391154_3272543166178653_4518775986990075782_o.j pg?_nc_cat=108&ccb=3&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=DsJ2_O8X8KQAX-Ndqwf&_nc_ht=scontent.fewr1-6.fna&tp=7&oh=a642f99f1c5682a94d3a7152c4f90673&oe=604D57AE
https://scontent.fewr1-5.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-0/s600x600/150244788_3272543429511960_7137242789072931519_o.j pg?_nc_cat=110&ccb=3&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=_bUpIvb04zkAX-qatau&_nc_ht=scontent.fewr1-5.fna&tp=7&oh=3434a7e3a8078e69b8785162a7bfe4d7&oe=605055A2https://scontent.fewr1-5.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-0/s600x600/150271327_3272543419511961_6197723423172561141_o.j pg?_nc_cat=105&ccb=3&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=Dv6CGxDYgJIAX_SA_IF&_nc_ht=scontent.fewr1-5.fna&tp=7&oh=e28450804e5b9f9c3a7e68a75c87613a&oe=6050E939
I normally swear by Big Bad Toy Store, but they were sold out of these two so I broke down and bought them on Amazon. They came about four days earlier than it said they would which is awesome. As is common for ordering action figures from Amazon, though, the cards a re little banged up; not TOO bad but some bent corners, etc. If you just want the figures fast and are gonna open 'em anyway, they're alright, but for anyone who wants their figures minty, definitely stick with BBTS.

I will say, I've ordered all of my MOTU hardcover books off of Amazon and so far they've all been terrific. I guess they just take more care with books or something than with action figures.

Anyways, these guys are awesome! I'm really loving this line and can't wait for my other pre-orders to show up.

[Leo656]

Today's mail: Mega-Construx Wind Raider!
https://scontent-lga3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-0/p180x540/151832713_3284533488312954_1629116513146724567_o.j pg?_nc_cat=109&ccb=3&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=OZ7Kiue9ZlcAX_nZOEU&_nc_ht=scontent-lga3-1.xx&tp=6&oh=391182247313473c93d5aaa52a4511c9&oe=6055105C
Yeah, I guess I'm into these now. :lol: Putting Roton together was fun, even though it was missing a piece (which they said they're gonna mail to me). So I'm gonna mess with this one and then the Point Dread/Talon Fighter set.

[neatoman]

Is it a coincidence that Orko looks like a Black Mage?

[Leo656]

Probably. MOTU predates Final Fantasy and such. Although I don't know what D&D Black Mages looked like in the tabletop games circa-1983. I only know FF Black Mages, and those came way after Orko did.

[neatoman]

But what if Square copied Mattel?

[Leo656]

Possible, but I'm still inclined to lean towards coincidence.

I clicked a few links after Googling the subject, and apparently He-Man/MOTU is a non-entity in Japan. So it's pretty doubtful that Orko had anything to do with the design of the FF-style Black Mages as designed by Square.

Apparently Filmation just wanted a very simplistic design that clearly made you think "wizard", but would be easy to animate and perfectly symmetrical so that they could flip the animation cells.

Who knows? But apparently you're not the first one to ask about this. :lol:

[Galactus]

Apparently Filmation just wanted a very simplistic design that clearly made you think "wizard", but would be easy to animate and perfectly symmetrical so that they could flip the animation cells.

RIP Gorpo.

[Leo656]

"Gorpo" turned out to be "The Unnamed One" later on in the Classics line, anyways, so at least he finally turned up someplace. :lol:

Of course, in that storyline he eventually ended up getting slain by He-Man's son, Dare, so... R.I.P. Gorpo, indeed.

[IMJ]

You found wave 2 you bastard.

[Leo656]

I had to cheat and go on Amazon, though. :lol: Good luck finding Trap Jaw for less than $30! Orko is still around $15, though. I have Man-E-Faces on the way and I think my wife ordered Scare Glow, so I'm almost caught up.

Meanwhile, I spent all night f*cking with these Mega-Construx. Totally awesome, so much fun.

First I did the Wind Raider set. It was only 198 pieces so I figured it would be a good "warm-up".
https://scontent-lga3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-0/p180x540/151266661_3284780604954909_2267284129442890389_o.j pg?_nc_cat=103&ccb=3&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=HZETtcgGrZ4AX8PWorO&_nc_ht=scontent-lga3-1.xx&tp=6&oh=d474b091f78b9be72a2a658c622c887e&oe=60557B09
https://scontent-lga3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-0/p526x296/151779346_3284974158268887_9168717475147479074_o.j pg?_nc_cat=102&ccb=3&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=wRF7kx1dc50AX_GJhT0&_nc_ht=scontent-lga3-1.xx&tp=6&oh=0e19eb6c79b5cb2c9ae2cc961568492f&oe=6056D3B2https://scontent-lga3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-0/p180x540/151299490_3284982871601349_2507484214144867087_o.j pg?_nc_cat=105&ccb=3&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=ToODepYY9QMAX85aMA0&_nc_oc=AQkgcEK4-CfY82ADFmZJBYm5gxmwZ0imYpKL8WqQXv7atVAAwc5XH3fI7q8 9gGFrTuk&_nc_ht=scontent-lga3-1.xx&tp=6&oh=1ecd058ba7dcf079f6be5d349a58c678&oe=6055CF78
This is a great set. It does an amazing job of recreating the original vintage toy, down to the smallest detail. The wings and tail fin rotate slightly, and it even has a retractable anchor! It also comes with He-Man (with his Axe, but no Power Sword) and Skeletor (with his Power Sword, but no Havoc Staff). See, if you want a He-Man with a Sword and Skeletor with a Staff, you gotta buy them in a separate set. That's how they get ya! But the colors on this Skeletor are a bit brighter than the ones you get in other sets, so that's kinda neat as it sets this one apart.

In the one picture I just decided to get the stuff that came with the Roton set in there, too. That's another great set with a lot of fun bonuses, as it comes with Mer-Man, Battle Cat, AND Battle Armor He-Man, so that's pretty awesome.

After that, it was only about 10pm and I was all fired up from doing the first set, so I decided to just push through and put my Point Dread set together as well. That one was a bit more challenging and time-consuming, with about 557 pieces (although it also came with a bunch of extras, which was nice of them).:
https://scontent-lga3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-0/p180x540/151492494_3285147401584896_8135348464433669017_o.j pg?_nc_cat=107&ccb=3&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=vx5My1-IqYkAX8iX3sD&_nc_ht=scontent-lga3-1.xx&tp=6&oh=2d4f7223c758142625b0fbd524f7ea2f&oe=60548691
https://scontent-lga3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-0/s600x600/152344958_3285640254868944_2034675903932081294_o.j pg?_nc_cat=109&ccb=3&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=6yzfax7aL3YAX-zqXJl&_nc_oc=AQmYIaKUM0DH9DG67SCDHRClsA3INYPEl4UMpLAJ9G2 B_xPmhIZDQOA4VfDQ6mK1gKc&_nc_ht=scontent-lga3-1.xx&tp=7&oh=f8d691d4da5795101b3d14e9e0d79de3&oe=6056441C
https://scontent-lga3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-0/s600x600/152872421_3285640414868928_2447409449245441637_o.j pg?_nc_cat=101&ccb=3&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=Izq8mp1sLXAAX8ZPqoz&_nc_ht=scontent-lga3-1.xx&tp=7&oh=b88cf6f7ecfcb92fc5a1d5be118746f7&oe=6057B847https://scontent-lga3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-0/s600x600/151465355_3285640548202248_8067106018117892134_o.j pg?_nc_cat=105&ccb=3&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=d27AUkGGyhMAX8WAiN_&_nc_ht=scontent-lga3-1.xx&tp=7&oh=5fde805cda24e93aa72e5c7474600dc1&oe=60576B53
This set is awesome! First of all, you get a TON with this set: The Point Dread tower, the Talon Fighter, the Weapons Rack, 8 weapons, Zodac, Panthor, Battle Armor Skeletor and "Temple of Darkness" Sorceress (along with Zoar). WOW! The Talon Fighter can sit on top of Point Dread or detach from it, the claws and radar dish are adjustable, the cockpit opens, AND it can actually shoot missiles! The computer inside of the tower also spins around, which is kinda neat.

Just for the record, I haven't done anything Lego-like in about 30+ years, but I had no trouble at all with these as the instructions are really in-depth and easy to follow. So I wouldn't say one would need to be an expert to assemble these sets. At first I was a bit overwhelmed by the sheer size of the Point Dread kit, with all of its tiny, near-identical pieces along with TWO big instruction manuals, but the manuals do a great job of walking you through the steps. The bags of parts are numbered in some of these kits, and the manual will even go so far as to tell you when to open each numbered bag to find the next batch of parts. There's still a few mixed bags of "Misc." parts so you still have to dig around a little bit to find what you need but as long as you don't skip steps or make a mess and lose anything, these things go together really fast and easy.

I definitely recommend checking these out. Some places have a few different sets marked down right now so it's worth looking into - I still can't believe I got that massive Point Dread set for FIVE DOLLARS at Walmart; that's what got me into buying these in the first place, I normally don't bother with these kinda things but at that price I couldn't say no. They're more typically around $20-30 but that really isn't bad at all for what you get. I know there's a few more I gotta pick up, still; Grayskull has gotten pretty outrageously priced but I'm gonna need to find a way to get it, so I can stick Point Dread on top.

I can't believe I was just ignoring these. They're really awesome.

[Leo656]

Today's mail came with another long overdue addition to the collection, one I've wanted my whole life and never managed to get until now - the evil bionic horse, Night Stalker!
https://scontent.fewr1-5.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-0/s600x600/152815814_3287568691342767_3247935479948897248_o.j pg?_nc_cat=107&ccb=3&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=sO4cq701EZoAX9dwBHk&_nc_ht=scontent.fewr1-5.fna&tp=7&oh=ab4a51a7f937fbd2a16f66590556f4af&oe=605805E6
https://scontent.fewr1-5.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-0/s600x600/152704430_3287568664676103_3347422072153644169_o.j pg?_nc_cat=104&ccb=3&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=f_7d6ZxRhGEAX9oE5Vg&_nc_ht=scontent.fewr1-5.fna&tp=7&oh=6bb629d426201c5995b12c3943ab58ca&oe=60566075

I've had his heroic counterpart Stridor for as long as I can remember - although I think I'm missing a few parts from him - but I never managed to pick up Night Stalker. The stores around here never seemed to have him when I was a kid; I'm not sure if he was rare or not, doesn't seem like it, but I only knew a couple of kids who had one. I always liked Stridor a ton, but I always wanted this one, too; let's face it, Night Stalker's color scheme is about ten times more awesome.

He was a little dusty but I scrubbed it up nice; I was really glad to find one in such great shape, the stickers are near-perfect and everything. I gotta check and see what kinda shape my Stridor is in, so I can see if I need a new one or just a couple of parts.

[Leo656]

Some new pick-ups!

First up, when I was at Wal-Mart I grabbed the Skeletor and Flocked Panthor pack for my Mega-Construx collection:
https://scontent.fewr1-5.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-0/p526x296/152375252_3292250160874620_7394188348585992383_o.j pg?_nc_cat=107&ccb=3&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=sMfyuxSmHh0AX-rQGPD&_nc_ht=scontent.fewr1-5.fna&tp=6&oh=817994f346098b317d1a5b757819ce92&oe=6059065F
If you scroll up to an earlier post, you can see that this Skeletor has a much darker purple costume than the one that came with the Wind Raider set. And also, the BIG selling point on this set is the flocked Panthor, which everybody wants in any scale (the Origins one is supposed to be a hot ticket item once it comes out, too).

Next up, a nice vintage piece I won in an auction for about $13 + shipping, a near-mint condition Roton!
https://scontent.fewr1-5.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-0/p180x540/153149507_3292254530874183_8578733283272292434_o.j pg?_nc_cat=105&ccb=3&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=aVh4Mh0YcNgAX_LoopP&_nc_ht=scontent.fewr1-5.fna&tp=6&oh=64f2894a3daf0348e96fe463d3723308&oe=605AFE14
One of the stickers is a bit askew, but otherwise it's perfect. I've had one for ages but mine has a few pieces snapped off, and I think I'm missing a gun, so this was a steal.

Finally, something I picked up at Big Bad Toy Store for my Classics/Club Grayskull collection, this really awesome Shadow Weaver!
https://scontent.fewr1-6.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-0/s600x600/153861025_3292257094207260_3898071758930636771_o.j pg?_nc_cat=101&ccb=3&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=GjGOzNkQWQEAX-T4NPA&_nc_ht=scontent.fewr1-6.fna&tp=7&oh=c283cb26881870894cd70f57e9c6dc5a&oe=605ADBC1https://scontent.fewr1-6.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-0/s600x600/152589250_3292257147540588_3552362678652343444_o.j pg?_nc_cat=103&ccb=3&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=omhmQWawoxIAX-2KlC5&_nc_ht=scontent.fewr1-6.fna&tp=7&oh=444902a4b960358bc3d65473fb12d94e&oe=60595890
What a great figure. After re-watching "Secret of the Sword" and then reading the DC MOTU Omnibus recently, I was heavily inclined to grab this one.

Incidentally, as a kid I was kinda too afraid that she might be all "Night of the Living Dead" under there to even notice that she's got a smokin' little body. As an adult, I don't even care; she's got a killer rack, and I respect that. :lol:

[ZariusTwo]

Masters of the Universe: Revelation figures unveiled

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EvAldsaXMA0xLDm?format=png&name=900x900

[Vegita-San]

looks like a cross between classic and 2k3

[Leo656]

Interesting.

Not a fan of "classic" He-Man having Battle Armor He-Man's chest logo. Otherwise, pretty neat!

EDIT: Everybody seems to hate that Evil-Lyn. I've seen everything from "Looks like a man" to "I had no idea Evil-Lyn was such a huge fan of 'Legend of Korra'." :lol: That totally is a Korra Cosplay Evil-Lyn, though.

I'unno, they're alright. Lots of people were hoping that these were going to simply pick up where "Classics" left off and are pretty annoyed that it's not that. I personally never expected that from the "Masterverse" line, so it doesn't bother me as much. Could be better, but they're alright.

[Leo656]

There's also an image they revealed for the design of He-Man and Battle Cat from the other upcoming Netflix series, the full reboot one NOT the Kevin Smith "Revelations" one. It's getting a pretty mixed reaction so far.
https://www.he-man.org/assets/images/home_news/new-cg-motu-cartoon-feb24_full.jpg

To Copy/Paste what I said on the He-Man forums:

Well, it's certainly very interesting. Can't say as I love it, but I'm always more of a traditionalist/"If it ain't broke, don't fix it" type of guy so any type of redesign had an uphill battle with me ANYway.

I can see where it's like an amalgamation of sorts between the original, the 200X style, and the DC/"Eternity War" style - the sword immediately reminded me of the re-forged sword from the DC comics. So I guess it's good that they pulled from a lot of influences for it.

It's definitely very "busy", though, and I can't say I love that. Part of the appeal of the MOTU characters, to me, was in how they all had such a "clean", streamlined design. Like sure, a lot of that probably had to do with being developed as potential characters for the Filmation show and so their designs had to be "simple" so that they would be easier to animate, but at the same time it just plain "worked". I've always loved to draw, and I've always loved to draw characters like He-Man and Superman because of their bold, yet simple designs. I frankly wouldn't jump to try and recreate this look, on account of how busy it is.

I can see what they're going for, but I can't say I'm incredibly excited for it, in and of itself. If these were the ONLY MOTU toys and He-Man figures we'd be getting, I'd probably be pretty mad. But since it's just one of three, with Origins out there as well as the upcoming ones based on the "Revelations" series, I can live with it. As I said, reboots and redesigns are always a hard sell with me anyway, so I was never expecting to fall in love with whatever they came up with. But since it's just one of several options available, I can deal.

I will probably pick them up, but based on what we've seen so far I can honestly say that I'm most excited for more Origins stuff, compared to these figures or the "Revelation" ones. I'm grateful for all of it and will try and get as much as I can from everything, but I think it's safe to say that Origins will remain my preferred line going forward. Unless we see more of the "Revelations" figures and they manage to really hit a home run somehow. And these will most likely be in third place, for me.

[Leo656]

Man-E-Faces from the Origins line finally showed up a few days ago!
https://scontent.fewr1-6.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-0/p526x296/161122023_3364686773630958_4844551016811255583_o.j pg?_nc_cat=100&ccb=1-3&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=JGbcXWXRkFAAX8vQWrs&_nc_ht=scontent.fewr1-6.fna&tp=6&oh=5e9feb6ca30ea8a02ed1d39428b617bc&oe=607C66F0

Still waiting on all the other stuff I ordered from BBTS, like Wave 4, Battle Armor He-Man and Battle Armor Skeletor. It all originally said it would ship in February, but then everything got pushed back to March and now we're three weeks into March and people are saying their pre-orders are just now trickling out. :ohwell: Apparently it's a problem on Mattel's end. Still annoying, but it'll be worth it in the end once they finally arrive.

[IMJ]

Man-E-Faces from the Origins line finally showed up a few days ago!

This is cool.

The remainder of my wave 1 finally showed up from BBTS. It was weird that they were able to suddenly offer wave 1 without He-Man and Skeletor, so now I've got that whole wave unpunched. I still need a Man-At-Arms loose to put that wave to bed.

I still have no idea how I'll go about picking up Wave 2 at all. I've never seen them and you can't order them from BBTS, which means that putting together an unpunched set of wave 2 is going to be a real chore, possibly.

Any word on when Wave 4 is going to ship? I'm pre-ordered through wave 6.

[Leo656]

No idea. Mattel apparently didn't ship things out on time so everything's pushed back.

Wave 2 will almost certainly show up on BBTS again eventually, I think. Just might take a bit. That Wave definitely was a pain in the ass. I still need Scare Glow - I think my wife pre-ordered him but she's waiting on that one still - but I broke down and got Orko and Trap Jaw off of Amazon because I just couldn't wait any longer. Man-E-Faces was the only Wave 2 figure that BBTS still had.

[Leo656]

After over 30 goddamn years, my vintage He-Man figure is WHOLE again, as I was able to find the shield for him on eBay for a not-outrageous price and it finally arrived today. I never lost the Battle Axe, and I was able to find a Repro Sword for a good price a while back (I'll be damned if I'm paying $40+ up for a little plastic sword; $20 for a repro, I can live with), but his shield is f*cking RIDICULOUS - especially since most ones you find are all chipped up.

This one has some scuffs on the orange part but nothing major, and I can fix it up with a tiny lick of paint if I want and it'll look good as new. It also came with the gray Grayskull Shield, which I already have but for whatever reason this was cheaper than getting just the He-Man shield by itself. $40-50 for just the He-Man shield, I refused to do. $30 for both, though, is actually rather decent.

I'm just waiting on the shield for Flying Fists He-Man, and Buzz-Off's stupid helmet (I hate it, but I need it for the sake of "completion"), and I'm 99% done with the figure accessories and weapons I need and all the vintage figures I own will be "complete". Except for a couple of Rio-Blast's guns and the stupid red clip for Flying Fists He-Man's back; I'm gonna get a Repro of that clip when it turns up again, though. People 3D-print those now and then and I am absolutely not paying $50-80 for that stupid red clip.

Still missing most of the Wave 5 and Wave 6 figures, but any of those I get, I will buy complete. Hunting down the weapons loose is a BITCH and I'm glad I can finally almost be done with it.

I also finally got the set of MOTU Uno cards I ordered! :tgrin: So rad.

[Coola Yagami]

After over 30 goddamn years, my vintage He-Man figure is WHOLE again, as I was able to find the shield for him on eBay for a not-outrageous price and it finally arrived today. I never lost the Battle Axe, and I was able to find a Repro Sword for a good price a while back (I'll be damned if I'm paying $40+ up for a little plastic sword; $20 for a repro, I can live with), but his shield is f*cking RIDICULOUS - especially since most ones you find are all chipped up.

This one has some scuffs on the orange part but nothing major, and I can fix it up with a tiny lick of paint if I want and it'll look good as new. It also came with the gray Grayskull Shield, which I already have but for whatever reason this was cheaper than getting just the He-Man shield by itself. $40-50 for just the He-Man shield, I refused to do. $30 for both, though, is actually rather decent.

I'm just waiting on the shield for Flying Fists He-Man, and Buzz-Off's stupid helmet (I hate it, but I need it for the sake of "completion"), and I'm 99% done with the figure accessories and weapons I need and all the vintage figures I own will be "complete". Except for a couple of Rio-Blast's guns and the stupid red clip for Flying Fists He-Man's back; I'm gonna get a Repro of that clip when it turns up again, though. People 3D-print those now and then and I am absolutely not paying $50-80 for that stupid red clip.

Still missing most of the Wave 5 and Wave 6 figures, but any of those I get, I will buy complete. Hunting down the weapons loose is a BITCH and I'm glad I can finally almost be done with it.

I also finally got the set of MOTU Uno cards I ordered! :tgrin: So rad.

I bet Teela loved 'Flying Fists' He-Man alright.

[Leo656]

:lol::lol::lol:

Teela had an amazing ass. And that's like her one canon trait across ALL media. Her clothes, her hair color, her weapon of choice, all of that stuff changes frequently. But Teela ALWAYS has an incredible ass, no matter what version you're talking about.

That's awesome.

[Iroh]

:lol::lol::lol:

Teela had an amazing ass. And that's like her one canon trait across ALL media. Her clothes, her hair color, her weapon of choice, all of that stuff changes frequently. But Teela ALWAYS has an incredible ass, no matter what version you're talking about.

That's awesome.

You got that right, brother! Teela was the one that made me interested in redheads when I was a wee lad. :tcool:

[Leo656]

Yeah, timeline-wise that had to be what did me in, as well. :lol:

[Leo656]

Picked up this Mega-Construx figure set the other day!
https://scontent.fewr1-6.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.6435-0/p526x296/165841037_3391828337583468_6080748093447537636_n.j pg?_nc_cat=108&ccb=1-3&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=xR_qeYcU0W8AX-JtrNB&_nc_ht=scontent.fewr1-6.fna&tp=6&oh=56cb20a422853b8bc473458ba4af32f3&oe=6088DDFA

[Leo656]

FINALLY, after a lifetime of wanting and waiting, I got Blade from the vintage line the other day!
https://scontent.fewr1-5.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.6435-0/p526x296/168285209_3401945739905061_1700425349644152836_n.j pg?_nc_cat=106&ccb=1-3&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=f_tkX0j6qwkAX_-fj0s&_nc_ht=scontent.fewr1-5.fna&tp=6&oh=26338df85cd4656d0ec23b22cd139463&oe=608E35D5
When I was a kid and the movie figures came out at the very end of the MOTU craze, Saurod was a constant peg-warmer but Blade and Gwildor were really hard to find; Blade in particular was practically IMPOSSIBLE. I mean NONE of my friends who collected MOTU had Blade, and I've never even come across him at a flea market or anything.

I paid more than I wanted to - less than $80 is impossible and around $125 is fairly common; I paid in the middle - but it's good to just be able to FINALLY say I have it, since he was always one of my very favorite characters. He's also in GREAT shape, which is a nice bonus.

Pretty much all that's left for me to collect from the vintage line are the over-$100 figures. :ohwell: But that can be a "lifelong journey"; I have most of the figures I actually wanted most, give or take two or three, so I can pick up the others here and there and not sweat it too much. This was like the last MUST-Buy character, for me.

[Leo656]

Some of the stuff I pre-ordered on Big Bad Toy Store came in the mail recently. They're being really slow about fulfilling pre-orders, allegedly because of a lack of stock coming in from Mattel. Most of it, I ordered back in January, was supposed to ship in February... then March... then April... now April is about to be over with and I've only gotten two of the things I ordered. I'm not in a rush but it's slightly annoying. I'll just be happy to get them, though; I've got the entire revealed line on order up through Wave 6. Can't wait!

In the meantime, first up is the new Origins Land Shark!
https://scontent.fewr1-5.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.6435-0/s600x600/178820825_3468576866575281_3606238198616514858_n.j pg?_nc_cat=111&ccb=1-3&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=OQh1MxNRFEUAX9RAqxC&_nc_ht=scontent.fewr1-5.fna&tp=7&oh=83f810d6ee520147db3710013b29de19&oe=60ADAFD0
https://scontent.fewr1-5.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.6435-0/s600x600/174168782_3468577069908594_7127865579537247027_n.j pg?_nc_cat=107&ccb=1-3&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=QMQSI-_E93AAX-WIU_y&_nc_ht=scontent.fewr1-5.fna&tp=7&oh=7e7ae4b37277c7b48df940f3fa7eff31&oe=60ACFE50
I LOVE this thing! I still remember getting the vintage one as a kid. My old one is missing pieces now, so this will be a fine upgrade/replacement. I wonder what other vehicles they'll reveal for this line? I have the Wind Raider pre-ordered; I doubt we'll see stuff like Spydor or Blaster Hawk, but I can see Stridor, Night Stalker, Roton, Point Dread/Talon Fighter and Battle Bones all showing up. Fingers crossed!

Next up, the new Battle Armor Skeletor!
https://scontent.fewr1-5.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.6435-0/p526x296/178687231_3468579279908373_456040197406771258_n.jp g?_nc_cat=105&ccb=1-3&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=vOs0KT5ofRwAX-wyYRO&_nc_oc=AQnt33f5OYck_GRNaaVFEmg1QWtDM-J6zUMxzlejTiU9uNd202yS5D3QRsK3XmZIM18&_nc_ht=scontent.fewr1-5.fna&tp=6&oh=611e8b87a2777594313472d142cd3035&oe=60ADB431
Pretty cool extras. It always bothered me a little that none of the vintage Skeletors had a shield to counter He-Man's. And an extra right hand that can hold either the staff or the sword is great; I always hated as a kid that Skeletor's left hand was pretty much useless; if the handguard broke off of his Power Sword, he could only hold one weapon at a time since only his right hand had a molded grip. This solves that problem. And the extra head is a nice touch, although so far none of the Skeletor portraits has truly thrilled me in this line. But I can live with 'em.

I ordered Battle Armor He-Man at the same time as Skeletor, but he hasn't shipped yet. Hopefully I'll get him soon.

[Leo656]

Got my flocked Panthor in the mail today!
https://scontent.fewr1-6.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.6435-0/p180x540/179942608_3473784149387886_646590020125367087_n.jp g?_nc_cat=103&ccb=1-3&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=Zf68fJuHtGEAX-iGzGE&_nc_ht=scontent.fewr1-6.fna&tp=6&oh=9015ff9a0e814b278793d540b44f253d&oe=60B01707

[IMJ]

They should've done a flocked Battle Cat too. I know the Panthor is a nod to the original, but still...

[Leo656]

I bet the stripes would've rubbed off on Battle Cat if they tried that.

Could've tried it, I guess. I just don't know if it would've worked as well.

[IMJ]

I bet the stripes would've rubbed off on Battle Cat if they tried that.

Could've tried it, I guess. I just don't know if it would've worked as well.

Actually I never thought of that, but yeah. I guess the threading and manufacturing process would be a huge pain because he's multi-colored.....

[Leo656]

People are super-pissed that they didn't even articulate the ankles on Panthor and Battle Cat, since they did so for the more high-end MOTU Classics versions. The limbs move but admittedly the lack of ankle articulation does limit things a bit.

Mattel is deliberately trying to keep costs down as much as possible on this line, so frankly we're lucky we even got a flocked Panthor. The non-flocked one is the default and they easily could've just left it at that. I'm glad they didn't, but I don't expect too many "extras" in this line. There's already a ton of speculation that some figures from the vintage line might not end up getting made, since they'd require a lot of unique (and expensive) tooling and it's clear that Mattel is trying to stretch every piece as far as they can.

So yeah, flocked Panthor is probably just about as "fancy" as they wanna get.

[IMJ]

People are super-pissed that they didn't even articulate the ankles on Panthor and Battle Cat, since they did so for the more high-end MOTU Classics versions. The limbs move but admittedly the lack of ankle articulation does limit things a bit.

Mattel is deliberately trying to keep costs down as much as possible on this line, so frankly we're lucky we even got a flocked Panthor. The non-flocked one is the default and they easily could've just left it at that. I'm glad they didn't, but I don't expect too many "extras" in this line. There's already a ton of speculation that some figures from the vintage line might not end up getting made, since they'd require a lot of unique (and expensive) tooling and it's clear that Mattel is trying to stretch every piece as far as they can.

So yeah, flocked Panthor is probably just about as "fancy" as they wanna get.

I saw that flocked Panthor at retail one time. Once. I think it was a Wal-Mart. I hope I don't regret passing it up.

[Leo656]

I paid about $75 online, so you might. :lol:

In other news:
- A few people got their Castle Grayskulls, despite the pre-order delay email saying to expect them by May 28th (and others having their pre-order cancelled entirely). I haven't gotten any updates since the delay email, but hopefully mine will come soon. GRAYSKULL! Whooooooo! :tgrin: I have a backup pre-order on BBTS, just in case; if the one from Wal-Mart actually ships then I'll just cancel the other one. Either way, no chance I'm missing out on that one.

- Recent cardback art suggests that Jitsu is a lock for an upcoming wave, but also that we might be lucky enough to get Stridor and Night Stalker, too! Now, obviously just because they draw stuff on the package for "action scenes" that doesn't mean that they're obligated to produce it in plastic. But so far they've been pretty consistent.

- They've also shown Blond Teela on her mount, Charger, in the cardback artwork. Neither Blond Teela nor her steed was ever produced in the vintage line, but both are something fans have wanted for ages. Since they're doing variant figures of Beast Man, Mer-Man, and Evil-Lyn, it's not 100% out of the question that we might finally get Blond Teela. And if we get Charger, too, then that's awesome. Fingers crossed!

- In spite of how impossible these toys are to find at retail, according to the latest Mattel Earnings Conference Call, the "Origins" line has been incredibly successful and MOTU is one of Mattel's Top 5 earning brands right now. Great news! Distribution still sucks, but so long as they're making money Mattel will be more likely to keep investing in the brand.

[IMJ]

Dude.

https://i.imgur.com/seFaBKZl.jpg

[Leo656]

Yeah, people are going nuts about that, too. It's spiffy! The one my wife got me is almost as nice, and looks a little bit more like the cartoon while this one is explicitly based on the original mini-comic artwork. But even she says we really ought'a get one'a these. Since they do payment plans, I think we might have to.

I'll try really hard not to f*ck it but I don't know if my willpower is that strong.
---------

Forgot to mention earlier, the "Rise of Evil" Keldor and Kronis two-pack is the new hotness that everybody wants and nobody can find. It's a Target Exclusive and people are driving themselves mad trying to find them. Online prices were pretty nuts last week, but they seem to have stabilized at around $80 or so, so I think I'm just gonna bite the bullet this weekend and snag one. No chance I'm gonna find one at the sh*tty Target over here.

People online are saying that there are groups of 4-5 people camping outside their local Target at the asscrack of dawn so they can get first dibs on it, and in some cases they're STILL "all sold out" before the store even opens. Which means they're going out the back door. Crazy!

But yeah bro you might wanna get ya'self a Keldor/Kronis two-pack while the getting's good. Target Exclusive + "pre-Crisis" versions of Skeletor and Trap Jaw that were never produced in the vintage line = Hot. I know that you look at toys as an investment as well as fun, and this is only gonna go up over time.

[IMJ]

Yeah, people are going nuts about that, too. It's spiffy! The one my wife got me is almost as nice, and looks a little bit more like the cartoon while this one is explicitly based on the original mini-comic artwork. But even she says we really ought'a get one'a these. Since they do payment plans, I think we might have to.

I'll try really hard not to f*ck it but I don't know if my willpower is that strong.
---------

Forgot to mention earlier, the "Rise of Evil" Keldor and Kronis two-pack is the new hotness that everybody wants and nobody can find. It's a Target Exclusive and people are driving themselves mad trying to find them. Online prices were pretty nuts last week, but they seem to have stabilized at around $80 or so, so I think I'm just gonna bite the bullet this weekend and snag one. No chance I'm gonna find one at the sh*tty Target over here.

People online are saying that there are groups of 4-5 people camping outside their local Target at the asscrack of dawn so they can get first dibs on it, and in some cases they're STILL "all sold out" before the store even opens. Which means they're going out the back door. Crazy!

But yeah bro you might wanna get ya'self a Keldor/Kronis two-pack while the getting's good. Target Exclusive + "pre-Crisis" versions of Skeletor and Trap Jaw that were never produced in the vintage line = Hot. I know that you look at toys as an investment as well as fun, and this is only gonna go up over time.

K, I'll keep an eye out for it too....

[Leo656]

Hopefully your local Target stores aren't staffed by f*cking jackals taking them all for themselves to flip on eBay. :tgrumble: It's goin' around!

[IMJ]

Hopefully your local Target stores aren't staffed by f*cking jackals taking them all for themselves to flip on eBay. :tgrumble: It's goin' around!

They have had them for years. These are the same guys that act like they aren't sure about what you are talking about when you go there.

"Hi brother, do you know off hand if you have any NECA TMNT in the back?"
"TMNT?"
"Yeah, green toys, two in a box, look like turtles or other animals."
"Oh yeah those, I'll go check."

OR

"Do you think the NECA rep maybe left any inventory in the back from the TMNT line?"
"Oh yeah -the ummm... the turtles, those things."

Note the last example was a response from a super late middle aged weirdo that doesn't remember me at all, but I used to frequent the small comic shop he managed about 15 years ago. So... you know... "the turtles, those things".

[Leo656]

People on the He-Man board have described experiences where they were in-stock on a pallet in the back but the employees couldn't be bothered to get them. In one case it was "My supervisors are back there and I'm supposed to be doing something else", and in another it was an actual manager - a woman, naturally - refusing to get them because there was something else in the way and "I'm not bothering with that just for a collectible toy."

Definitely shady sh*t going around. That manager could very well just be a bitch, I can believe that. But in the other case, either the employee or his "supervisors" (or both) were definitely swiping them for themselves, I have no doubt of that.

If the website says "In Stock At (store location)" at 6:30am, the store opens at 7 and they're already "sold out" before the doors even open - as has been the case according to multiple reports from people who made it a point to be there for the store opening - that means they're going out the back door the second they hit the loading dock. There's no other explanation.

Which is supposed to be completely against store policy, but we all know how much Target (and Wal-Mart for that matter) gives a sh*t about THAT. As long as it's a registered sale I doubt they give a sh*t at all that their employees are cheating "real" customers out of stock. They're only getting two or three per store anyway so actually I bet they encourage the practice; just let the stock boy buy them right off the truck, saves the hassle of putting them on the shelves. They're probably not gonna enforce "store policy" on an item they're only getting two of.

Such bullsh*t.

[Leo656]

I got an email this morning saying that my Grayskull shipped and should be here Monday! WHOOOOOOO! :tgrin::tgrin::tgrin:

Also, bit the bullet and got a Keldor/Kronis "Rise of Evil" pack on eBay for $75 after shipping.

[joe-eyeball]

I got an email this morning saying that my Grayskull shipped and should be here Monday! WHOOOOOOO! :tgrin::tgrin::tgrin:

Also, bit the bullet and got a Keldor/Kronis "Rise of Evil" pack on eBay for $75 after shipping.


Damn I just walked into an Akron area Target today and there was just one Keldor/Kronis pack. I got lucky on that but I’ll be damned if I can find Clamp Champ or Ram Man!

[IMJ]

Damn I just walked into an Akron area Target today and there was just one Keldor/Kronis pack. I got lucky on that but I’ll be damned if I can find Clamp Champ or Ram Man!

I just found two Clamp Champs at a Northwest Burb (Chicago) Target. I bought one, opened him. Left the other on the pegs. Both were unpunched.

It's the fist time I've even seen a deluxe figure at retail and maybe the sixth time ever I've seen any MOTU O other than He-Man and Skeletor.

[Leo656]

There was ONE (1) Teela at Wal-Mart today next to the 20-something He-Man and Skeletors. :lol:

[IMJ]

There was ONE (1) Teela at Wal-Mart today next to the 20-something He-Man and Skeletors. :lol:

That tends to be similar to what I see. Lots of He-Man and Skeletors amidst usually several Battlecats and the occasional Panthor. And then now and again a stray figure or two from one of the other waves.

[joe-eyeball]

I just found two Clamp Champs at a Northwest Burb (Chicago) Target. I bought one, opened him. Left the other on the pegs. Both were unpunched.

It's the fist time I've even seen a deluxe figure at retail and maybe the sixth time ever I've seen any MOTU O other than He-Man and Skeletor.

I have seen wave 4 at three different stores but I never saw wave 2 at all. Would love to snag a flocked panthor at retail but who knows?

[IMJ]

I have seen wave 4 at three different stores but I never saw wave 2 at all. Would love to snag a flocked panthor at retail but who knows?

In hindsight I can't believe I left a flocked Panthor on the shelves at wal-mart but that was before Leo and I had one of our chat sessions where he sort of got me into this line.

If I saw one now, I'd buy it right away.

[Autbot_Benz]

Here are some of the Revelation Masterverse figures

https://i.imgur.com/Ptv2dLw.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/D1T0Lfb.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/rAgIdY6.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/gaGq5jY.jpg

[Leo656]

Those look WAY better than the crummy photos that came out a few weeks ago.

Also, my Grayskull order says it was shipped, but now the "Arrives By" date got pushed back to the end of the month even though it originally said it was coming today. Ah well.

[Leo656]

So I had a GREAT day for mail-drops, to say the very least.

First up, my Rise of Evil two-pack showed up, and it's a beauty!
https://scontent.fewr1-6.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.6435-0/p180x540/182699256_3492925944140373_3620065959976883418_n.j pg?_nc_cat=102&ccb=1-3&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=0fesdSnEK4wAX9f6ThD&_nc_ht=scontent.fewr1-6.fna&tp=6&oh=aa3637afa4590922cb93cd9829ef9d8b&oe=60B8A1EB

More Skeletors need to come with capes, I swear. And that Alcala Skeletor head is gorgeous.

SO THEN, I ended up going to the gym, coming home and finding THIS F*cking Thing on my front porch:
https://scontent.fewr1-5.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.6435-0/s600x600/182560100_3493308224102145_4307779876811461381_n.j pg?_nc_cat=106&ccb=1-3&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=1sJbn2ORIwwAX-9PlKJ&_nc_oc=AQmZhGQwE19BYVzzn5YHdcG14uY7er9wOYEZVWZE0_A CwHNmGR_jTBQleoe0m5qvGKk&_nc_ht=scontent.fewr1-5.fna&tp=7&oh=bf64b879fa5a0d81ec0f368e9598fd29&oe=60B90B93
https://scontent.fewr1-5.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.6435-0/s600x600/182901763_3493308367435464_5019423947156788860_n.j pg?_nc_cat=106&ccb=1-3&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=coCEwZDRLqQAX_QubkK&_nc_ht=scontent.fewr1-5.fna&tp=7&oh=fc6b253263ddda210e04a62724c98147&oe=60B9BA0D

So beautiful. I can't wait to actually open it and dig in, but I'm gonna save that for a video tomorrow (I hope).

Only problem is some jagoff (either a Wal-Mart jagoff or a FedEx jagoff) put a huge gash in the top rear corner of the box, but so long as everything inside of it is okay I'm not super-concerned, especially since it's on the back and not the front. But yeah, the ol' "Wal-Mart Caveat Emptor" strikes again.

It's whatever. I have a new f*cking Castle Grayskull and I am so f*cking hard right now.

[IMJ]

What?!?! are those Masterverse figures? Those look awesome... are those basically Mattel's "Marvel Legends" of He-Man or something?

That's no good - ever since getting into the Origins line I've resisted going full bore into the Super 7 Filmation stuff, but now those Masterverse? LMAO! Better yet - don't tell me about what they are. I don't need to know.

On that note, I got my Man-At-Arms origins today which was intended to be opened. I'm now sitting on a MOC unpunched set of every wave released, and a loose set of all but wave 2.

[Leo656]

It's funny, several people are making the comparison between "Masterverse" and "Marvel Legends". But so far the reaction to the Masterverse figures has been mostly tepid-to-negative.

People aren't liking the packaging, which they think is boring. They don't like how small He-Man and Skeletor's heads are, the body proportions, and the lack of muscular definition in the midsection area ("Dad-Bod He-Man", people are calling him). From the out-of-package photos that leaked a few weeks ago, Skeletor's cape is made of some pretty cheap fabric. They REALLY hate Evil-Lyn's "Legend of Korra" cosplay outfit, especially. And they're pretty iffy on He-Man having the "H" logo instead of the cross on his harness, as well.

Personally, I think they look "okay", and I'll almost certainly pick them up, but I get why people are unhappy, as they're a far cry from MOTU Classics. And to be perfectly blunt, the fanbase at large is still rather furious at Mattel for pulling the plug on that line to do Masterverse and Origins instead. If you ask most MOTU fans, Classics is the greatest action figure line ever made of ANYTHING, period, and they don't mind telling you how anything that isn't that line is a gigantic waste of time, in their eyes. Seriously, there's tons and tons of people out there who are boycotting EVERYTHING Mattel's doing with the new MOTU lines because "I'm not paying for anything that isn't Classics, until they bring that line back I'm out." I'm not quite as fanatical about it, but I do see their point because those Classics figures are quite good and anything else would objectively be a step backwards. But I choose to make peace with the fact that the collectors-only Classics line had to be sacrificed so that Mattel could bring the line back into the retail space with Origins and now Masterverse and actually make a lot more money with it. So far, it sounds like it's working, based on their recent earnings reports.

As for Masterverse in the grand scheme of things, we really don't know a whole lot, still, because supposedly Netflix won't let Mattel talk about it until the "Revelation" cartoon is ready to debut, because at least the first one or two waves of Masterverse are going to be based on that show. All we really know is:
- They'll be about 6-inch or 7-inch scale with generally 30 POA
- Most figures will come with a variety of weapons and accessories like extra hands, heads, etc.
- The first wave(s) will be based on the Revelation cartoon, but supposedly other waves will be a mix of variants from other iterations of MOTU. We don't know which ones, yet, but people are speculating that Filmation, the DC Comics run, and the upcoming CGI reboot cartoon are all very likely to be among the first ones to hit.
- The Reboot figures will probably come out before most of the others because that show is coming out soon and so far they haven't announced a dedicated toy line just for that show, yet, but obviously they'll want to have figures on the shelves as soon as it comes out. So assume that the first three or four Waves of Masterverse will be almost entirely a mix of Revelation and Reboot figures, possibly alternating between them (For example: Wave 1 = Revelation, Wave 2 = CGI Reboot, Wave 3 = Revelation, and so on).
- They were originally announced as costing $20 at retail, but now they're saying they might be $25, with "Deluxe" figures possibly being around $35.

It'll basically be like Mattel's version of the "DC Multiverse" line from McFarlane, with using different variants from across their own "MOTU Multiverse", but probably lower-quality. That's basically what it feels like, to me; Mattel wasn't thrilled at all with DC taking their business to McFarlane, so this is their way of "getting even". "Multiverse", "Masterverse"... it's too similar to be just a coincidence.

I'll probably pick up at least most of them, but so far they haven't exactly bowled me over. That very well can change, though. We'll see.

[IMJ]

Well if they include solid Filmation releases that don't utterly pale in comparison to the Super 7 stuff, then I'll probably be on board for those.

Biggest grip about the MOTU O - no paint apps on any bracers and why in the hell are Man-at-Arms hands green? They should've just packed him with He-Man hands.

[Leo656]

Man-At-Arms always has green hands in every cartoon and action figure he's ever been represented in. :) I assume they're super-tight gloves.

Meanwhile, the pic of me with Grayskull has gotten the biggest response of anything I've ever posted on FB, with over 600 Likes on the MOTU Classics Group page. Awesome! Wasn't expecting quite such an enthusiastic response BUT He-Man fans tend to be the best fans. :tgrin:

Hopefully I'll have a video up by the end of the weekend because I can't wait to mess around with this thing.

[joe-eyeball]

Leo I officially hate you now!!!???? where did you score Castle Grayskull? And did you snag it at a reasonable price? I’ve been looking everywhere and I’m not paying what everyone is asking!

[Leo656]

I pre-ordered it on the Wal-Mart website for $75 plus shipping the same day pre-orders went up (I said Amazon by mistake in my earlier post), on October 9th. Some people had their pre-orders cancelled so I took out a back-up pre-order on Big Bad Toy Store just in case.

They're about $80 on BBTS and the rumor is that the retail price in-store is gonna go up to $100 or more, soon - "allegedly" Mattel has regrets about making the original MSRP $75-80 and that's why some of the pre-orders got cancelled, so they can sell those items at retail for a higher price. Who knows if that's true but this is easily a $100-ish item so I can definitely see that. At $75-80 it's a steal.

Most Wal-Marts that are getting the new Castle Grayskull, are only getting one or two in at a time and they disappear fast. Most people are finding them stocked in the Lego/Mega-Construx section, not with the other MOTU toys. I guess because the box is so large (about two feet tall by three feet wide, roughly).

Good luck, but I'd just recommend to everyone that they pre-order on BBTS while supplies last. It's the cheapest you'll find and the only way to guarantee getting one. The stores are a total crapshoot with this line as it is, and seeing how large the box is I can't see them devoting a lot of shelf space to it. BBTS orders for Grayskull say they might not ship until August but it's worth the wait just to ensure you'll get one.

[joe-eyeball]

Leo, I appreciate the heads up on the retail price increase on these. I just went ahead and pre-ordered through BBTS. I’m an impatient bastard and wanted one now but ah screw it, August will be here before you know it.

[Leo656]

Glad to help! MOTU is back in a huge way and I want everyone to have a chance to be involved. :tgrin:

[Leo656]

I took my Castle Grayskull out of the box today to assemble and do a review video.

I love it. It's awesome. It's everything the vintage one was but with some minor improvements.

There are a few things the original did slightly better, as I address in the video (hopefully posted within a couple of days). For example, the green could be darker with more black shadow/detail, but it's a MUCH "Earthier" green than what early pictures suggested, nowhere near as bright or "blue-green" looking as some photos showed. It's a lot closer to the original than one might think, so for those who said the color was a huge turn-off, you may be pleasantly surprised. The weapons rack could definitely be bigger, and there could be a couple of more weapons, but it works fine. And the bird on the elevator could be larger, like the original.

That's really it for nitpicks, though. Objectively, I feel like everything about this Grayskull takes everything the original one did and moves it a step forward. Wood- and stone-grain floors, over the smooth plastic of the original. A bigger, sturdier ladder that slots neatly into grooves in the floor which hold it in place. Nice, thick pegs on the tower platforms to hold the flag and the turret gun securely in place, but can still smoothly pop on and off without fear of breakage. The gun is larger and moves up and down better; it's more of a snug fit so it can be positioned better, rather than just loosely flopping up and down like a see-saw. The locking mechanism on the Jaw-Bridge works great and feels like it will hold up well to lots of use. The peg that holds the throne in place is much thicker and more durable than the original, and the trapdoor mechanism also feels like it's a lot better-executed. Little pegs on the tower platforms to better hold the figures in place while they're manning the gun or stationed by the flag, or whatever. The elevator glides nice and smooth, and the pulley works great. And even though the weapons rack is smaller, with fewer weapons and fewer places to put them, like everything else the clips to hold the weapons feel more sturdy and very unlikely to break. It's very lightweight but doesn't feel at all brittle or prone to breakage; all of the plastic feels solid but just pliable enough. It doesn't snap shut like the original, but instead there are sturdy pegs that slide into receiving holes and two hooks that securely hold it shut. Ultimately, I think it works better because of the new mechanism and the newer plastic; the tabs on the vintage castle were pretty easy to snap off, but this feels "safer" as there's less stress on the hooks than there would be on the original tabs. And obviously, the computer panels actually being molded plastic that snaps into the wall are way cooler than some flimsy cardstock cut-outs. And the little fabric/ribbon flags are a super nice touch. Plus, the Sorceress figure is a terrific bonus.

Now, don't get me wrong, I love and adore the original Grayskull; some jerk stole mine at some point, but I played with that thing to the death, and it had a bunch of broken pieces to show for all the playtime it got. But this one really does feel like someone said, "How can we do the same exact thing we did Then, without changing it too much, but still taking Every Single Thing about the original and improving it by a step?" Obviously the Classics Grayskull is like taking the original and improving everything about it by about ten steps, but I feel like it's an apples-to-origins comparison. But keeping it strictly to how this new one compares to the original... yeah, I think it's objectively better in every way except the color, and even that to me isn't a big deal at all.

If a person already has a Classics Grayskull, you probably don't need this one, unless you have kids and are nervous about letting them play with it, in which case this should do the trick nicely. But if you still have an original vintage Grayskull... y'know, I still think this is worth getting. Not only are there a ton of small but noticeable improvements, but the fact is that it's getting harder and harder to find the originals in near-pristine condition for a reasonable price. So for example if you have a vintage Grayskull that's incomplete, this is still a pretty good buy at the price. And if you don't have ANY Grayskull at all, well, this is a Must-Buy for sure. And I think if a person is new to collecting and isn't in love with the idea of paying eBay prices for the original Grayskull, they could sleep easy buying this and not feeling like they were missing out on anything.

I still hope/plan to get a replacement vintage Grayskull in "complete" condition one day, but if for any reason that couldn't happen... I'd still be very happy with this one being all I had.

I think it's great value for the price, and I'm seriously in love with it. Not sure where I'm gonna display it yet, but it's awesome. Way better than I expected it to be, even. If you've been on the fence at all about getting one, I say go for it.

I'll try and get some pictures later or tomorrow; been kinda busy the last couple of days.

[Leo656]

POWER CON EXCLUSIVES!!! :o

From Power-Con:

Mattel has provided us with a look at the Power-Con 2021 exclusives. Once again, they have delivered some incredible fan collectibles that are sure to be exciting for many MOTU fans!

Reveal #1
MOTU Origins: Horde Multi-Pack
$150.00 each plus S/H
Nothing can stop the Evil Horde, and that goes for their awesome figure variants. This MOTU Origins 4-Pack will contain blue-skinned Hordak, dark Grizzlor, a crimson Horde Trooper, and a shadow Horde Trooper.

https://www.he-man.org/assets/images/home_news/pc2021-horde-4pack_full.jpg

Reveal #2
MOTU Origins: Faker 2-Pack
$60.00 each plus S/H
What’s better than a MOTU Origins Faker that comes with an orange cingulum militare and Havoc Staff? How about a beast his can call his own? That’s exactly what you get with this 2-Pack of “Leo” Faker and Dupli-Cat, his robotic feline mount.
https://www.he-man.org/assets/images/home_news/pc2021-faker-2pack_full.jpg

Reveal #3
MOTU Origins: “Secrets of Grayskull” Accessory Pack
$30.00 each plus S/H
Now that fans have the outstanding Origins Castle Grayskull available for their collection, Mattel expands upon it to make it even better! This pack comes with the castle’s humanoid robot, a 3D dungeon grate that includes a tentacle, and the Spirit of Castle Grayskull. These accessories are a must-have to complete your Grayskull display.
https://www.he-man.org/assets/images/home_news/pc2021-accessories-grayskull_full.jpg

Pre-orders begin next Saturday, May 15th! Details will be posted very soon about the pre-sale. Keep an eye out for more Power-Con 2021 updates, and we hope to see you this September 11 & 12 in Anaheim, California.
------------

Holy SH*T, I have to get all of those. Jesus CHRIST, that's awesome sh*t.

[Leo656]

So I took some Grayskull pics. :tgrin:

https://scontent.fewr1-5.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.6435-0/s600x600/184638119_3504826646283636_133628259089659093_n.jp g?_nc_cat=105&ccb=1-3&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=36AjLVaKNvgAX8yxORs&_nc_ht=scontent.fewr1-5.fna&tp=7&oh=0bc79f1e91bb86bf08651d903d3a7bd9&oe=60BF98FD
https://scontent.fewr1-6.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.6435-0/s600x600/184979828_3504826892950278_2154953241518244834_n.j pg?_nc_cat=100&ccb=1-3&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=t3v1iVJ6mecAX_HTXO2&_nc_ht=scontent.fewr1-6.fna&tp=7&oh=05494d2047c4536c113e58d92618458e&oe=60BED61B
https://scontent.fewr1-5.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.6435-0/s600x600/184688828_3504827236283577_839189008100043768_n.jp g?_nc_cat=111&ccb=1-3&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=2ld5irAPX-IAX-DuRhD&_nc_ht=scontent.fewr1-5.fna&tp=7&oh=79acc8d61e87ec549484b39a46662d6a&oe=60BF190B
https://scontent.fewr1-6.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.6435-0/s600x600/184210542_3504827916283509_5767045210172624257_n.j pg?_nc_cat=100&ccb=1-3&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=oP-_IH8tXe8AX-IPjk0&_nc_ht=scontent.fewr1-6.fna&tp=7&oh=561afd52719e68dbbc5a0c34d64888fb&oe=60BF2A04
https://scontent.fewr1-6.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.6435-0/s600x600/184318488_3504828122950155_3120272831533339142_n.j pg?_nc_cat=109&ccb=1-3&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=Ri1zJKsGIcAAX8XnrLf&_nc_ht=scontent.fewr1-6.fna&tp=7&oh=5ef7059d68c19c9615328be4b2562128&oe=60BE64C5
https://scontent.fewr1-5.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.6435-0/s600x600/184205835_3504829329616701_2958843199525226393_n.j pg?_nc_cat=106&ccb=1-3&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=_dMUGrZz4_0AX9sfsoR&tn=PA9TgKfffmZtfPhW&_nc_ht=scontent.fewr1-5.fna&tp=7&oh=1bcd50ab7018dffbdd8b4bf52e6945aa&oe=60BE1092
https://scontent.fewr1-6.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.6435-0/s600x600/182609619_3504829209616713_3829306004583591855_n.j pg?_nc_cat=102&ccb=1-3&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=H902udFTj8UAX9xiwBx&_nc_ht=scontent.fewr1-6.fna&tp=7&oh=06e7ed0ec2143b59e965d464ca26a318&oe=60BFD8C8

I don't know what kind of paint they used for those light green "highlights", but the flash makes them stand out a lot more than they actually do in real life. At regular room lighting they're barely even visible. Tons of people online are really hating on this Grayskull because of how the colors look in flash photos, but honestly the pictures don't do it justice at all. The main green is much more "earth tone" than it looks and the light green is a lot more subdued and barely shows up. I'll try and take some no-flash pictures later so you know what I mean. I understand why people have the reaction they do based on pictures but I swear to God the thing doesn't actually look like that in "real life".

[IMJ]

Art of Chris Anderson (https://www.chrisandersoncomics.com/s/search?q=Masters%20of%20the%20Universe)

Stumbled upon this guy's work. Interesting stuff - the link should take you directly to the MOTU search on his site.

[Leo656]

WIND RAIDER PIC!
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20210511/5c6a181bb2f635a65e4f984fb114b9f9.jpg

That is SO cool. Glad I pre-ordered it. I love that it comes with a display base, and has a little more color detail than the original. If it's anything like most of the newer updated toys in this line, most of the brittle/breakable parts will probably be more durable, fingers crossed on that. Finding a vintage Wind Raider with both its wings is getting harder and harder, but the plastic from the Origins line seems like it's got just enough give to avoid snapping, most of the time.

Glad I've got this pre-ordered. Once the pre-orders for the Con Exclusives go up I'll have everything that they've announced so far on order. Really exciting!

[IMJ]

I'm not really diving into the vehicles for this line, but I never had a Wind Raider as a kid.... I'll probably be down for this one.

[Leo656]

I played with mine until it broke, like a lot of the sh*t I had. :lol: I still have it in a box, I think, but it's busted.

I had most of the vehicles, actually, but unfortunately thanks to my Mom's typical housecleaning method of "Throw everything haphazardly into the toy box and whatever happens, happens", most of them are broken now. Thankfully, most of them aren't actually that expensive to replace; I got a near-perfect Roton off of eBay a couple months ago for $20, the only thing "wrong" with it is one sticker being askew.

I loved all the vehicles, beasts and playsets from the original line; that's part of what made it so special. G.I. Joe obviously had tons of awesome stuff like that, too, but the MOTU toys being so big and "beefy" by comparison gave them a totally different feel. Thankfully, my Dad loved He-Man and MOTU so I never even really had to ask for any of that stuff, he just bought much of it for me unsolicited. He was great at keeping track of what I had and what I didn't and he constantly surprised me with new stuff.

The updated vehicles they've done are a nice upgrade over the originals, though. So I'm definitely all-in on everything they end up doing. There's a few things that I highly doubt they'll reproduce, either for size, mechanical issues, etc., but I wouldn't doubt that most of the "basic" vehicles are reasonable to expect. Like I don't think they're going to do Spydor, unless it's like $80 or more, because that thing would be a nightmare to produce. And I'm not too sure that they'd do a Dragon Walker, although if they did make one and it would work for more than an hour without breaking that would be kinda neat. But I think stuff like Bashasaurus and Road Ripper are probably pretty likely.

They're getting pretty deep into recreating the original line already, plus a few extras. So cool.

[Leo656]

Wind Raider in-package photo:
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E1JL0GQXsAQJj1r?format=jpg&name=900x900

Neat!

[Leo656]

Actual hi-res pictures came out today of the first Wave of the "Masterverse" line, which apparently is coming out next month:
https://i.imgur.com/s5TpAlr.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/Swntxst.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/QslWSwI.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/XMoKIVU.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/go9wnMM.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/9ZcJahD.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/JPznJWg.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/bsqqaSb.jpg

Those cloth-goods capes are pretty crummy, and Evil-Lyn with her variant helmet head on looks like she has no neck, but otherwise they look MUCH better than all of those leaked pictures have suggested. I'll be picking these up.

[Autbot_Benz]

That MossMan root arm is cool wish they would do that with a Swamp Thing figure

[Leo656]

Everybody's joking that it basically IS a Swamp Thing figure. :lol: On account of it honestly looks way more like Swamp Thing than it does Moss Man. :trazz:

[Leo656]

Today's Mail!
https://scontent.fewr1-5.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.6435-0/p526x296/186472687_3520115264754774_7263284617104118775_n.j pg?_nc_cat=111&ccb=1-3&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=U_w1F-YMVyEAX8riaKS&_nc_ht=scontent.fewr1-5.fna&tp=6&oh=ee6e74b17569140e1be922996e6a0843&oe=60C538A4
Once a month or so I try and pick up a Classics figure, preferably an important character who isn't super-expensive. That's getting harder and harder to do. :tgrumble: But Randor was "only" about $100, and he's pretty important, so I went with him this time out. I still need Teela, Man-At-Arms and the Sorceress, but I need to save up for any of those since they all hover at the $200-250 range. :ohwell:

That said, super happy with this guy! They also did a version of Randor that comes in his vintage Mattel costume with the "armor", but I wanted this one more, for now. I might get the other one eventually but this one was preferable to me because it's how he looked in the cartoons. Price was about the same so that's what it came down to.

I'm gonna try really hard to commit to saving up, so I can get either Teela or Sorceress next.

[Leo656]

Pictures of the crummy toys from the crummy Netflix hard-reboot that's due out in the Fall.
https://news.toyark.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2021/05/Netflix-CGI-MOTU-Figures-001.jpg
https://news.toyark.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2021/05/Netflix-CGI-MOTU-Figures-002.jpg
https://news.toyark.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2021/05/Netflix-CGI-MOTU-Figures-003.jpg
https://news.toyark.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2021/05/Netflix-CGI-MOTU-Figures-004.jpg

Blech. I mean, I guess they're not terrible, and I get that they're "for the kidz" and it's a "new reimagining" and all that. But they make Masterverse look like Classics by comparison. And I just plain don't like these "reinvent the wheel" type of reboots in general.

Maybe if they're super-cheap, like ten bucks or something. So far everything about the reboot sounds lousy, to me. But admittedly it's early yet.

[neatoman]

Pictures of the crummy toys from the crummy Netflix hard-reboot that's due out in the Fall.
https://news.toyark.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2021/05/Netflix-CGI-MOTU-Figures-001.jpg
https://news.toyark.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2021/05/Netflix-CGI-MOTU-Figures-002.jpg
https://news.toyark.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2021/05/Netflix-CGI-MOTU-Figures-003.jpg
https://news.toyark.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2021/05/Netflix-CGI-MOTU-Figures-004.jpg

Blech. I mean, I guess they're not terrible, and I get that they're "for the kidz" and it's a "new reimagining" and all that. But they make Masterverse look like Classics by comparison. And I just plain don't like these "reinvent the wheel" type of reboots in general.

Maybe if they're super-cheap, like ten bucks or something. So far everything about the reboot sounds lousy, to me. But admittedly it's early yet.

Is He-Man with the red armor meant to be him having done the Battle Cat sword laser on himself? Because the imagery of powering up by doing what looks like seppuku sounds funny.

[IMJ]

SO do we think that those Power Con exclusives are going to be sold eventually as wave figures at retail?

[joe-eyeball]

SO do we think that those Power Con exclusives are going to be sold eventually as wave figures at retail?

I’d bet at least some version of them will be released at some point. I mean the last round of power con figs were released with some different paint apps.

[IMJ]

I’d bet at least some version of them will be released at some point. I mean the last round of power con figs were released with some different paint apps.

I'm really considering picking them up, but it's a whole thing - close to an unplanned 300 bucks, getting up on the day to be online, going through the "refresh the screen" thing... you know.... all of it together.

If it was simply "order these", then I'd probably do it, but it's the whole thing.

[joe-eyeball]

I'm really considering picking them up, but it's a whole thing - close to an unplanned 300 bucks, getting up on the day to be online, going through the "refresh the screen" thing... you know.... all of it together.

If it was simply "order these", then I'd probably do it, but it's the whole thing.

I hear ya! I’m going to go through the process and pre order through BBTS. The Power con stuff is supposedly easier to snag through pre order than a lot of other cons that have exclusives? Hoping that holds true this Saturday for me.

[Leo656]

I doubt the Grayskull accessories will be released by themselves. Copy-Cat might be. I doubt Leo Faker will, or Filmation Hordak (they're already doing two other Hordaks). Actually I kinda doubt any of the figures will, the more I think about it. LoP Beast Man and Mer-Man had unique sculpts but all of these are mostly just repaints. Black Face Grizzlor is a nice homage to a vintage variant, but is so similar to regular Grizzlor that it probably won't make a dent as a regular retail figure.

I'm mostly excited for the Grayskull accessories but I definitely hope I can swing all of them. I'm most excited by the figure set because it confirms Grizzlor and Horde Trooper will both be figures in the regular line, soon. That's awesome.
---------------

Copied from the Books thread, since it's toy-relevant:

The books I ordered from Power-Con came yesterday: The Toys of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, and the Character Guide and World Compendium Supplement Vol. 1
https://scontent.fewr1-6.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.6435-0/p180x540/187865062_3531925916907042_5724975560911134929_n.j pg?_nc_cat=102&ccb=1-3&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=VSXUWBlLFEkAX-ARatD&_nc_ht=scontent.fewr1-6.fna&tp=6&oh=bed195c682ca74436ea904fd2a8aae5a&oe=60CCD467

The Supplement is simply an add-on to the original Character Guide, with some updates and additional information the original book didn't have. Cool stuff.

But the BIG item is the Toy Guide. At 750 pages, it covers EVERY He-Man, She-Ra and MOTU toy line in existence (pre-Origins, so from 1982 through 2018 when production on the book started), and the level of detail is absolutely insane. Figure and packaging photos, background information, variant and re-release comparisons, Trivia Facts, release timelines, interviews with the creative staff and more. Every single figure, playset, beast mount, vehicle, and accessory pack ever released for the original MOTU, She-Ra, New Adventures of He-Man, 2002 Commemorative Sets, 200X reboot, MOTU Classics, Club Grayskull, and Super 7 Filmation figure lines is covered in detail. It's truly amazing.

That said, it doesn't cover EVERY single thing, such as kids' roleplay toys and other licensed items, as the thing would have more pages than the Bible if they literally covered every toy ever released. But even "just" focusing on everything released in the various action figure lines is a massive undertaking, and you have to figure that's what most people would be most interested in, anyway.

An easy recommendation for collectors and casual fans alike. It's available on its own through various retailers, but I pre-ordered the two books together through Power-Con (for about $100 altogether) to ensure that the people who worked on these books (as well as the previous several Dark Horse MOTU hardcovers) would be paid for their hard work and dedication in putting all of these things together. The staff who've worked on these hardcovers have lost money on each of them, pretty much doing them out-of-pocket as a labor of love for the fans, and the results have been incredible so I was more than happy to go with the "premium" option to ensure they get a little something for all their efforts this time.

[Leo656]

Update: My wife got me Scare Glow!
https://scontent.fewr1-6.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.6435-0/p526x296/186546276_3534875899945377_5348272428205447809_n.j pg?_nc_cat=101&ccb=1-3&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=xYS1gOi5DCIAX_p5J_N&_nc_ht=scontent.fewr1-6.fna&tp=6&oh=747239bfefa685fd04379c30bab7f7ba&oe=60CBB99C

She technically ordered it for me before Christmas, and it finally showed up a few days ago.

[joe-eyeball]

Power con pre orders for non attendees was a sh!t show. The BBTS pre order was going fine for me even at a ridiculously inflated price and I added items to cart and hit place order and then it said NOPE! And then the Power con website wouldn’t load for about the first twenty minutes and then I was able to add items to cart and checkout only to be told SORRY ALL SOLD OUT! Screw It man most of that crap will get a retail release with minor changes anyhow but I really wanted the Grayskull accessories.

[IMJ]

Power con pre orders for non attendees was a sh!t show. The BBTS pre order was going fine for me even at a ridiculously inflated price and I added items to cart and hit place order and then it said NOPE! And then the Power con website wouldn’t load for about the first twenty minutes and then I was able to add items to cart and checkout only to be told SORRY ALL SOLD OUT! Screw It man st to f that crap will get a retail release with minor changes anyhow but I really wanted the Grayskull accessories.

Same thing happened to me. Power Con site wouldn't even load, BBTS was sold out... I don't know how quickly that was.

I was going to go in on all three ex's, but the only one I was really hoping for were the Grayskull accessories. But honestly, I was going to pick up a Grayskull after I found out about that pack, but without it and given the $3!(show you mentioned above, I won't fork over for it now.

I wonder how long it will be before all of those figure offerings are available at retail....

[Leo656]

Yeah, I wasn't even home all day. That's a real bummer. :ohwell: Sounds like I wouldn't have had a chance anyways.

[Leo656]

But honestly, I was going to pick up a Grayskull after I found out about that pack, but without it and given the $3!(show you mentioned above, I won't fork over for it now.


That seems like cutting off the nose to spite one's face. Yes, those three plastic trinkets would definitely improve on the entire aesthetic of the Castle, but it's still worth picking up on its own. It's an objective improvement over the original Grayskull in nearly every single way except the color, and I don't say that lightly as Grayskull is my favorite toy playset of all time. But improvements are improvements, I gotta call it like I see it.

You can't have a MOTU collection without Grayskull, man. Don't do that to yourself over a plastic spacesuit and a clip-on ghost. You'll regret it. Plus we might get those things later, hopefully.

You don't wanna have to pay $200-300 (or more) for the thing in a couple'a years when you can get it for $80 right now. Vintage Grayskull prices are ridiculous and they're not gonna make half as many of these. Big Picture, man. Big Picture.

[IMJ]

That seems like cutting off the nose to spite one's face.

It totally is! :lol::lol:
If I find a Grayskull of opportunity, I'll pick it up. 8)

[Leo656]

I'm a little bit amazed I haven't gotten mine pregnant by now.

[IMJ]

I'm a little bit amazed I haven't gotten mine pregnant by now.

heh, oh God.

I'm amazed by that too, man. 8)

Leo must be skull-fu(%!#g his Castle Greyskull....

[Leo656]

We left that part out of the upcoming review video. :lol:

[joe-eyeball]

I wanted that accessory pack badly as well and got screwed but I’m still going all in on Grayskull! It looks awesome!

[IMJ]

Looks like Ram Man shipped from BBTS today......

[Leo656]

ORIGINS GRAYSKULL REVIEW!!!
yQxn7Elh5eU

[IMJ]

Cool video review man. That Castle is so well done that it's led me to some "criticisms" that I wouldn't have thought of if it wasn't so well done. A few thoughts that came to mind:

-it would've been a great addition to have a piece of plastic that connected the two floor pieces at the top so that it was more of a "level" than two weird floating platforms.
-it's always driven me crazy that those platforms were up there and you were just supposed to sort of "float" or "fly" your figures up there, lol! Another ladder or even a plastic winding staircase would be great. Actually if I owned a 3-D printer I'd engineer a winding staircase accessory that sort of butt up to each level of platform at the appropriate places but in one unit and probably make a fortune in that as a custom add-on.
-as for the weapons rack thing you were mentioning - they could've doubled the storage space on the same rack simply by making it double sided. Weird that they didn't.
-and then, much like how detailed paint apps change the character of vintage TMNT toys completely, some silver paint apps on anything considered "metal" would change the character of that entire set completely.

But again, these points are born of the fact that the new Castle is so good that you can't help but start to think about what it would take to put it over the top. If I was setup for the space I'd honestly order two and butt them up together to make a square with one open end.

[Leo656]

Thanks! Very much appreciated.

Regarding the floor platforms, it's certainly related to how the playset folds up for storage. More of a "practicality/ease of use" thing than a "realism" thing. I guess they could have finagled some kind of removable piece that slotted between the two to connect them but I imagine that outside of looking more cohesive visually it wouldn't have had much practical use, and probably would have broken easily. I'unno.

Contrary to that, I think the Weapons Rack not being double-sided IS a "realism thing". Obviously most kids play with it free-standing, but if it were a real rack it would be butted up against a wall, and therefore only have one side to it.

Anyways, yeah she's a real beauty.

[IMJ]

Wow.

https://i.imgur.com/RGFehLlm.jpg https://i.imgur.com/qSEMezQm.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/OG0Xc55m.jpghttps://i.imgur.com/GB7K4mCm.jpg

[Leo656]

Yeah, people do some goddamn amazing stuff.

[IMJ]

Finally picked up another Prince Adam and Skysled from Target. I've been meaning to grab a second one to keep the "MOC" and "Loose" motif going. Target had them marked down to $14.99, so it seemed like great timing.

https://i.imgur.com/frikZECm.jpg

I also passed up a Stratos on the pegs for the second time. He's the only wave 4 figure I've ever seen at retail, but I've got the wave pre-ordered for whenever BBTS decides to send them out.

Also got a notice that the BBTS Fisto has shipped. I'm a little confused as to how I wound up with a random pre-order Fisto when A) I ordered the wave 5 from BBTS as well, and B) wave 5 hasn't shipped but Fisto has. :o

[Leo656]

Big Bad Toy Store finally sent me my Origins Ram-Man!
https://scontent.fewr1-5.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.6435-0/p526x296/201869944_3605854432847523_3156878790472716783_n.j pg?_nc_cat=111&ccb=1-3&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=mfkRo8TIQKgAX-VtRk6&_nc_ht=scontent.fewr1-5.fna&tp=6&oh=381f2a55b41a5c399dc5486d66d78c81&oe=60CD9C7A

I happen to have my vintage one out (I need to put some super glue on the wristband stickers; f*ckers refuse to stay on) and the resemblance is really uncanny. Aside from the elbow joints (and the extra head and weapons) it's practically identical to the original.

Really love that extra "armored" head and the double-sided axe, as well as the fact they were nice enough to include an alternate left hand so he can dual-wield both axes at the same time. Bad-Ass!

Never a huge Ram-Man guy, honestly (never even owned his vintage figure until a few months ago), but this is a perfect example of what Origins is all about: Keeping the original vintage aesthetic but making all the requisite "modernized" improvements. Love this line.

Still waiting on Wave 4, Wave 5, Battle Armor He-Man, Clamp Champ, and Buzz-Saw Hordak. But it's whatever, at least stuff is starting to trickle out. And it's all incredible, so it's worth the wait in my humble opinion.

[IMJ]

I got my BBTS Ram Man about a week and a half ago and landed Fisto the other day.

More and more I'm convinced that this awkward trickle out strategy from BBTS is to curate seperate shipments to discourage the "Pile of Loot" function which might cost them more on shipping.

No one wants to use "pile of loot" because BBTS is so sporadic that half your stuff could be sitting there waiting for other stuff to show up.

[Leo656]

Very possible!

I don't bother with Pile of Loot. I just pre-order everything separately and it comes when it comes. Sure, at $4 a pop I pay more for shipping on separate items but I really don't care, it's a pittance.

[IMJ]

Saw this in a Facebook group and thought it was brilliant. I never thought of doing this before, but what a great way to have your cake and eat it too!

Guy nicely box-knifed his box into a frame for wall display. Brilliant.

https://i.imgur.com/AQebhawl.jpg

[Leo656]

Saw this in a Facebook group and thought it was brilliant. I never thought of doing this before, but what a great way to have your cake and eat it too!

Guy nicely box-knifed his box into a frame for wall display. Brilliant.

https://i.imgur.com/AQebhawl.jpg


F*cking brilliant.

MOTU fans are the coolest. I was looking on the .Org at some guy's foamcore Grayskull Dungeon diorama and I must've jizzed at least twice. These cats are nuts, in a good way.

[IMJ]

Managed to stumble upon a Battle Armor He-Man and two of the Deluxe Hordak's at a local Target today, which were good finds because they were sitting there unpunched, which means that I can also cancel my (more expensive) BBTS pre-order on those....

[joe-eyeball]

Managed to stumble upon a Battle Armor He-Man and two of the Deluxe Hordak's at a local Target today, which were good finds because they were sitting there unpunched, which means that I can also cancel my (more expensive) BBTS pre-order on those....

I just found both of those at target yesterday. I also found a Castle Grayskull at Wal-Mart which allowed me to cancel that on BBTS. I remember Leo said they were placing the Grayskull boxes in the mega construx section instead of the figure aisle and when I checked , there one sat!

[Leo656]

Despite some foolish rumors, Mattel insists that the Origins line is continuing, and apparently they now can do more She-Ra characters if enough people ask.

http://thefwoosh.com/2021/07/mattel-more-masters-of-the-universe-origins-questions-answered-ahead-of-sdcc-event/

As I suspected, they kind of dulled the roar for "Origins" a little while they prepared to release "Masterverse" alongside the new cartoon series but they presently have no plans to end it, with more stuff to be announced soon.

The brief bit about playsets not being a good fit for the modern retail market kind of makes me think they won't end up doing a Snake Mountain or anything, but we'll see. I mean, he's not wrong - the cost of decent-sized playsets nowadays means that most people just won't buy them; one of the few cool things from the "Rise of TMNT" toy line was the sewer playset but that thing just sat around for months until it got Clearance'd - but since they did Grayskull I'd love to see them do Snake Mountain even if it's the only other one they do.

[joe-eyeball]

13109

Not crazy over these and certainly not going to bite given the price! Don’t hate the designs but I definitely don’t love them and I don’t like the scale. I’ll stick with origins.

[Leo656]

So this is interesting. Mattel recently filed trademarks for the following character names:

Swift Wind
Snout Spout
Faceless One
Whiplash
Eldor
Rio Blast
Entrapta
Despondos
Kol Darr
Ram Ma'am
Songstro
Madame Razz
Queen Marlena
Mantenna
Flutterina
Modulok
Dylamug
Flogg
King Grayskull
Double Mischief
Evelyn Morgan Powers
Vikor
Shadow Beast
Battle Lion
Unnamed One
Questor
Scorpia
Mosquit-Ra
Phibian

This is very interesting for multiple reasons. First of all, it's a mix of characters who had vintage figures, characters from the original She-Ra cartoon and toyline, some "New Adventures" characters, some who were created for MOTU Classics, and some who never had toys at all.

Most of these, if not all, are most likely going to be released in the Origins line, which is very exciting. But some of them could very well come out in the Masterverse line, as well, since it's been said that once they get done doing "Revelation" they'll be using Masterverse to explore some of the other MOTU iterations.

Seeing some of the She-Ra and New Adventures characters in the same scale and style as the Origins/vintage figures for the first time is VERY exciting.

For those unaware, "Evelyn Morgan Powers" is Evil-Lyn's real name. I wonder what that figure would look like.

ALSO. They're apparently going to be doing He-Man and Skeletor figures for Origins based on the 1987 movie, as well. Neat!

Lots of interesting things coming up, it seems.

[IMJ]

So this is interesting. Mattel recently filed trademarks for the following character names:

Swift Wind
Snout Spout
Faceless One
Whiplash
Eldor
Rio Blast
Entrapta
Despondos
Kol Darr
Ram Ma'am
Songstro
Madame Razz
Queen Marlena
Mantenna
Flutterina
Modulok
Dylamug
Flogg
King Grayskull
Double Mischief
Evelyn Morgan Powers
Vikor
Shadow Beast
Battle Lion
Unnamed One
Questor
Scorpia
Mosquit-Ra
Phibian

This is very interesting for multiple reasons. First of all, it's a mix of characters who had vintage figures, characters from the original She-Ra cartoon and toyline, some "New Adventures" characters, some who were created for MOTU Classics, and some who never had toys at all.

Most of these, if not all, are most likely going to be released in the Origins line, which is very exciting. But some of them could very well come out in the Masterverse line, as well, since it's been said that once they get done doing "Revelation" they'll be using Masterverse to explore some of the other MOTU iterations.

Seeing some of the She-Ra and New Adventures characters in the same scale and style as the Origins/vintage figures for the first time is VERY exciting.

For those unaware, "Evelyn Morgan Powers" is Evil-Lyn's real name. I wonder what that figure would look like.

ALSO. They're apparently going to be doing He-Man and Skeletor figures for Origins based on the 1987 movie, as well. Neat!

Lots of interesting things coming up, it seems.

Wow. And also the '87 movie thing is incredibly cool. It seems as if "Origins" is really becoming a "Masterverse" line just stuck in the "origins" theme by virtue of the design architecture.

We had a decent convo on a MOTU Facebook group where an O.P. asked the sort of childlike, cliche "will Origins Scareglow be worth a lot of money in the future?". Many of us, including myself talked about the current nostalgia trends and the "aging out" of collectors. And now after considering my own words, I'm also considering abandoning my "loose and unpunched" build of this collection for just "loose".

But the catch-22 is that the longer a niche line goes on, the more of the 'fringe buyers' trail off which leads to later waves of stuff become the key pieces. I'm pretty sure that if anyone does care about this figure line in 10 or 15 years, it will more likely be for the HTF Clamp Champ or Mosquitor deluxe figs or the upcoming "Green Goddess" for example, than it will be for the peg warming He-Man and Skeletors. But then again, who ever cares about that? I'm not going to retire on these things.... I'm already doing that with vintage TMNT.... :lol::lol: :P

[Leo656]

As a general rule, Scare Glow always goes up. He has a neat look, he's always hard to find, and the figures always have a reputation for being even more scarce than they really are. Taken together, he's always predestined to become one of the "hottest" characters from any MOTU line.

I wouldn't recommend anyone plan to build a nest egg around Origins. BUT, every MOTU line has only gone up in price, sometimes skyrocketing out of nowhere. So anything MOTU is guaranteed to appreciate in value no matter what.

Twenty years ago, you could get a loose/complete vintage He-Man for about ten bucks. Now it's around a hundred. Even the New Adventures figures, which NOBODY wanted back in 1990, are starting to get up there now.

There's a ton of speculative inflation happening right now with all the hubbub surrounding the brand, so secondary prices are artificially high right now. But I do think the Origins figures will go on to fetch decent prices in the years to come. Especially given that they're "Just like the vintage ones, but better."

Consider that "Classics" came out for $20-30 each in 2008, and now average around $200-300 for any "main" character. Now, that's "collector line" vs "retail line", but frankly these Origins figures probably aren't being produced in numbers that are astronomically higher than Classics were. Just something to consider. I don't see this line going that way but you never know. I can see in-package figures going for over a hundred within a few years, for sure.

[IMJ]

I'm still waiting on my Zoloworld pre-order for their new case....

I love the Zoloworld stuff, but with two caveats - they really dropped the ball on never making cases for 90's Marvel and you have to wait longer for them to fulfill an order than NECA and that's saying a lot....

[Leo656]

Just like with the other stuff, I've been letting my MOTU stuff pile up for a few weeks. Tons of great stuff!

I got the new Origins Wind Raider a few weeks back, and it's AWESOME!
https://scontent.fewr1-5.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.6435-9/s600x600/228829575_3733108750122090_5023493020981279506_n.j pg?_nc_cat=104&ccb=1-3&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=3ufRETRN82EAX8KOKG_&_nc_ht=scontent.fewr1-5.fna&oh=f24b2a8ccb8a3ea582e924fd58b19e74&oe=612B6378
https://scontent.fewr1-6.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.6435-9/s600x600/228607512_3733109620122003_2031768345548571512_n.j pg?_nc_cat=108&ccb=1-3&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=Kmejqv2HCiYAX8MmNRq&_nc_ht=scontent.fewr1-6.fna&oh=95518c704dea75e0cf5ddc99a099454b&oe=612E78D9
Like a lot of Origins, it improves on the original in just about every way. It's a good bit bigger than the vintage one, there's a button that launches the grappling hook, there are handlebars for the figures to hold and it comes with a display stand. Super cool.

CLAMP CHAMP!
https://scontent.fewr1-5.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.6435-9/p526x296/230384523_3733112183455080_3090077966322369767_n.j pg?_nc_cat=104&ccb=1-3&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=EREQm4Vw31sAX9qqX60&_nc_ht=scontent.fewr1-5.fna&oh=509403655f7559d1221e831fe622b09e&oe=612E51FD
Never had him as a kid, cool to finally have him.

Time for variants! First up, the "Lords of Power" Mer-Man!
https://scontent.fewr1-5.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.6435-9/s600x600/223701232_3733115556788076_2116442932526747022_n.j pg?_nc_cat=107&ccb=1-3&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=VRV2TtlI9mMAX8QCxi6&_nc_ht=scontent.fewr1-5.fna&oh=48f42a68ad41900fc02c4677bb8daf1a&oe=612CF07B
Honestly, I like this one better than the regular one. It's got the superior head that the original artwork teased way back in the day (before cheaping out and giving us the standard "cat's head" sculpt), the extra bits of flair on the belt and the boots. When you put this one and the regular Mer-Man next to each other, it's no contest.

Next up, the 200X version of Evil-Lyn!
https://scontent.fewr1-5.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.6435-9/s600x600/229557882_3733115570121408_4700141355213332220_n.j pg?_nc_cat=105&ccb=1-3&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=Ruf5F-zmc9AAX9YBBNu&tn=DG24Nj8pmn6ROat5&_nc_ht=scontent.fewr1-5.fna&oh=e0a4f84f384027b22b9392515b487bc1&oe=612BA582
Just a straight recolor of the regular figure, but still cool.

Some regular Origins figures with Fisto and Faker!
https://scontent.fewr1-6.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.6435-9/s600x600/228764663_3733118856787746_3756955117196249939_n.j pg?_nc_cat=101&ccb=1-3&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=JE4GJu0cvQIAX9O7eHz&_nc_ht=scontent.fewr1-6.fna&oh=cb428f30f7e7aac9aab55bca968fb497&oe=612C1BB3https://scontent.fewr1-6.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.6435-9/s600x600/223498480_3733118823454416_3559546905900420195_n.j pg?_nc_cat=100&ccb=1-3&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=cYhKicN-fkwAX9SB4nl&_nc_ht=scontent.fewr1-6.fna&oh=392f886ef84d93b29519b4aad9b20c43&oe=612BEF4A
I got one of the weird Fisto figures that only has one sideburn. Weird.

Stratos! Ninjor! Tri-Klops! Whooooo!
https://scontent.fewr1-5.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.6435-9/s600x600/222154197_3733121823454116_7227818609246768670_n.j pg?_nc_cat=105&ccb=1-3&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=tlsT1lODPnoAX_XyuoA&_nc_ht=scontent.fewr1-5.fna&oh=64e6e4ddc786f23b3f71a97370dec43a&oe=612AF3E3https://scontent.fewr1-5.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.6435-9/s600x600/225327069_3733121770120788_4167452518480674122_n.j pg?_nc_cat=106&ccb=1-3&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=GnjfPIkavuMAX903xwZ&_nc_ht=scontent.fewr1-5.fna&oh=925c12a75a0df99b26683214d16929a0&oe=612BCB49https://scontent.fewr1-6.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.6435-9/s600x600/228394998_3733121803454118_1740853873033998868_n.j pg?_nc_cat=102&ccb=1-3&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=CALjUSybFUEAX9s96_K&_nc_ht=scontent.fewr1-6.fna&oh=88736053bb51f35d888eb367f5ed032f&oe=612CF0B4
Pretty straightforward stuff. Ninjor is another one I never had as a kid, so it's great to have this one!

(Cont.)

[Leo656]

Time for a double-dose of Hordak! We've got both the standard-issue and Buzz-Saw versions here.
https://scontent.fewr1-6.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.6435-9/s600x600/228738782_3733125880120377_5538784255921424075_n.j pg?_nc_cat=101&ccb=1-3&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=ICn31_fcXokAX8NBpsH&_nc_ht=scontent.fewr1-6.fna&oh=e4d6969efbdc23f36fc63f9628b401f9&oe=612BFE53https://scontent.fewr1-6.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.6435-9/s600x600/223280469_3733125870120378_1446003864428203383_n.j pg?_nc_cat=103&ccb=1-3&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=3_rT2npfDSQAX_8pKqO&tn=DG24Nj8pmn6ROat5&_nc_ht=scontent.fewr1-6.fna&oh=8cf3766814b65cb7991d1aeae7b8375a&oe=612ADAEC
I love how happy the alternate head on Buzz-Saw Hordak is. :lol:

A few months after I got Battle Armor Skeletor, I finally have the accompanying Battle Armor he-Man!
https://scontent.fewr1-6.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.6435-9/p526x296/229696710_3733128936786738_8877143607479649311_n.j pg?_nc_cat=103&ccb=1-3&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=UUxKmAM8NwQAX84JNNb&_nc_ht=scontent.fewr1-6.fna&oh=3eaa960e27bca2759b949cd9486f34d8&oe=612B0853
The extra vintage head is a nice bonus for people who hate the Origins He-Man head. Much has been said about how the chest plates on these figures are a lot smaller than the ones on the vintage figures, but I'm honestly not gonna cry about it.

It's been a while since I bought any MOTU Classics figures - mostly because they're all so crazy expensive. But I couldn't help but splurge on Teela... even though I did buy her loose/complete so I could save about fifty to a hundred bucks...
https://scontent.fewr1-5.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.6435-9/p526x296/228366961_3733130380119927_1464003555656451524_n.j pg?_nc_cat=110&ccb=1-3&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=9kZlmCgJiIoAX8dVOqp&_nc_oc=AQmULxz0IcPz3uqhCOprOtK9Vj5uibtRZQU2DnjeXkg AlQZmMW8qqwzLQx5o40Nf7K4&_nc_ht=scontent.fewr1-5.fna&oh=6269ad688532ba63dd37967572ddbb82&oe=612DEB45
This is the first MOTU Classics figure I've bought loose, and therefore the first one I've actually had my hands on. She's great! Although apparently her head being a bit loose is just something that happened to all the Teela figures in that line; it's not too bad, though. There are a couple of tiny dark spots on her - one on her neck and a couple on her back - looks like something that just happens naturally with the plastic. But it came with all the accessories - alternate "snake armor" head, sword, shield, Staff of Ka, Zoar, Zoar's perch and Zoar's armor - and the seller even threw in the cardback, which was nice of them. One reason I've been avoiding buying these loose is because I really want the cardbacks and Bio cards, so that was a nice bonus.

With most of the "main" characters in Classics going for $200-300 lately, I'm going to have no choice but to go this route for some of them. Thankfully, most people who bought these and opened them just stuck them on a shelf and never moved them, so they tend to be in great shape even used.

Finally, I went to Target today hoping to find a few things. They didn't have exactly what I was looking for, BUT they did have the new "Masterverse" Battle Cat based on his "Revelation" design!
https://scontent.fewr1-6.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.6435-9/s600x600/223895960_3734791099953855_8253752453374913523_n.j pg?_nc_cat=109&ccb=1-3&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=XOa4JS2paGcAX9X2__0&_nc_ht=scontent.fewr1-6.fna&oh=6ec0e3f17d2a6732ecd0d5c36c98dfe7&oe=612DB5E3
https://scontent.fewr1-5.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.6435-9/s600x600/223063530_3734791293287169_8226149088585068766_n.j pg?_nc_cat=110&ccb=1-3&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=461ym6ycmgYAX_Kpih9&_nc_ht=scontent.fewr1-5.fna&oh=797c78684c46c877b90af83db4b1a7cf&oe=612AF2FD
This thing is HUGE! Almost twice as big as the standard Battle Cat from the vintage and Origins lines. I knew it was big, but actually seeing it up close was a shocker. Tons of articulation, too.

I'm all caught up on Origins, for now, so I'm going to be looking for the Masterverse stuff. So far nothing from Wave 1 has been at Wal-Mart when I've gone there, and Target didn't have Skelegod like some others have. I'll wait a few weeks, see if they turn up, and if they don't I'll just order them online.

[IMJ]

Just like with the other stuff, I've been letting my MOTU stuff pile up for a few weeks. Tons of great stuff!

CLAMP CHAMP!
Never had him as a kid, cool to finally have him.

Me neither - by the time he was released I had sort of moved on from MOTU as a kid. I'm glad that they put him in the series so early with Origins!

Time for variants! First up, the "Lords of Power" Mer-Man!

Honestly, I like this one better than the regular one. It's got the superior head that the original artwork teased way back in the day (before cheaping out and giving us the standard "cat's head" sculpt), the extra bits of flair on the belt and the boots. When you put this one and the regular Mer-Man next to each other, it's no contest.

Exactly. I feel exactly the same way. I'm sort of ready to pick up a bunch of the first MOTU O Mer-Man and call him the "generic army builder fish guy" and make the LOP figure the Mer-Man!

Next up, the 200X version of Evil-Lyn!

Just a straight recolor of the regular figure, but still cool.

I like this one better too - colored like the cartoon instead of the weirdo yellow Lyn....

Some regular Origins figures with Fisto and Faker!

I got one of the weird Fisto figures that only has one sideburn. Weird.

Fisto was actually my first MOTU toy as a kid. It was hard to find He-Man but Fisto was around at the time! Love that character!

Stratos! Ninjor! Tri-Klops! Whooooo!

Pretty straightforward stuff. Ninjor is another one I never had as a kid, so it's great to have this one!

I can't wait - I've got a pretty ginormous pile of loot building up at BBTS right now. I'm waiting on some more Iron Man stuff to show up before I ship, but this wave of MOTU O is there waiting to come home.... 8)

[Leo656]

Yeah, I love that Origins isn't doing a "straight" reissue of everything in the vintage line in the order they came out, and instead is mixing it all up. It's nice to get some of the late-release guys so early in this line. Plus, looks like we might get Rio-Blast after all! At least if the recent trademark filings are anything to go by.

Getting a bunch of She-Ra characters in MOTU-scale for the first time ever would be awesome, too. Something tells me that's what they were trademarked for (although some of them will probably show up in Masterverse as well). I wasn't allowed to go down the "pink aisle" at the toy store when I was a kid so I wouldn't have been able to get the She-Ra toys anyway, but my cousin had them and when I finally saw hers I was immensely disappointed that none of the characters were in-scale with the regular MOTU toys. So here's a chance for Mattel to right a wrong. Fingers crossed!

[IMJ]

Well got everything, including Sun-Man from the Mattel Creations drop today except for Faker with his cat, which is weird that sold out literally while I was checking out.....

[Leo656]

Damn you. :lol: Nah I'm only a little jealous, good for you man.

I never did one'a these before. Their store clock was initially screwed up until like an hour before! Thank God I was on the .org and someone pointed it out in a thread, like "It says it's in two hours but it's only an hour, guys, just FYI" but then the thing was fixed like two minutes later so someone caught it in time. But I was planning to be ready for 1pm EST and it was 12.

You (and others) must've been a little quicker on the draw than me; I had everything loaded up, but one by one stuff got Sold Out; first the Horde set, then the Faker set, then Sun-Man... I ended up getting Tri-Klops and the Secrets of Grayskull pack, and that one is the thing I wanted most anyway so I could "finish" my Castle Grayskull, so I'm okay. :tgrin:

Mattel announced at the Con that the line will be going on for a long time to come, so some less-exquisite versions of some of the stuff I missed should come out eventually anyway even if it's not as nice. Sun-Man in regular Origins packaging is already confirmed; that Con packaging is neat but I'm not gonna cry about not having it. They've already done two Hordaks and several recolored versions of other characters, so I can definitely see Blue Hordak coming out on a single card. Regular-colored Horde Troopers are a sure thing; I really like those red and black versions but they're "not canon" so I'll be okay if those don't come out again. :lol: Grizzlor's coming for sure. I can see Leo Faker and Dupli-cat getting single-pack releases.

The only thing I don't think will come out again in any form at all is the stuff in the Grayskull pack, that's why I was nervous to not get it. The rest, I'll be shocked if it doesn't come out in the regular line with some minor cutbacks. Like I don't think Faker and Cat will come out in a box together but they'll probably come out separately with maybe a little less detailing.

If they keep in line with how they've already managed things, I can see most or all of the Exclusives coming out in retail form sometime in 2022, given how the variants from the "Lords of Power" box set ended up coming out about a year and change later.
-----------------

Some nice news about the future of the line coming out of the Con, too, apparently. Stuff lined up for 2023 at the least, two vehicles per year... this thing is turning out to be HUGE! I can't believe it. Playsets aside, we might end up getting more figures and stuff in this line than we did with the original!

[IMJ]

Damn you. :lol: Nah I'm only a little jealous, good for you man.

I never did one'a these before. Their store clock was initially screwed up until like an hour before! Thank God I was on the .org and someone pointed it out in a thread, like "It says it's in two hours but it's only an hour, guys, just FYI" but then the thing was fixed like two minutes later so someone caught it in time. But I was planning to be ready for 1pm EST and it was 12.

You (and others) must've been a little quicker on the draw than me; I had everything loaded up, but one by one stuff got Sold Out; first the Horde set, then the Faker set, then Sun-Man... I ended up getting Tri-Klops and the Secrets of Grayskull pack, and that one is the thing I wanted most anyway so I could "finish" my Castle Grayskull, so I'm okay. :tgrin:

Mattel announced at the Con that the line will be going on for a long time to come, so some less-exquisite versions of some of the stuff I missed should come out eventually anyway even if it's not as nice. Sun-Man in regular Origins packaging is already confirmed; that Con packaging is neat but I'm not gonna cry about not having it. They've already done two Hordaks and several recolored versions of other characters, so I can definitely see Blue Hordak coming out on a single card. Regular-colored Horde Troopers are a sure thing; I really like those red and black versions but they're "not canon" so I'll be okay if those don't come out again. :lol: Grizzlor's coming for sure. I can see Leo Faker and Dupli-cat getting single-pack releases.

The only thing I don't think will come out again in any form at all is the stuff in the Grayskull pack, that's why I was nervous to not get it. The rest, I'll be shocked if it doesn't come out in the regular line with some minor cutbacks. Like I don't think Faker and Cat will come out in a box together but they'll probably come out separately with maybe a little less detailing.

If they keep in line with how they've already managed things, I can see most or all of the Exclusives coming out in retail form sometime in 2022, given how the variants from the "Lords of Power" box set ended up coming out about a year and change later.
-----------------

Some nice news about the future of the line coming out of the Con, too, apparently. Stuff lined up for 2023 at the least, two vehicles per year... this thing is turning out to be HUGE! I can't believe it. Playsets aside, we might end up getting more figures and stuff in this line than we did with the original!

I'm glad you got the Grayskull pack - I know that one was huge for you!

I was really on the fence for how to do this for many of the reasons you mentioned above and then some. By the time it wrapped up this is how it played out for me:

-I watched the countdown timer on the creations site with a separate window opened for each item and I made sure I was logged in on each window about a minute before the timer ended.
-I bought one Tri-Klops rather than two because I've got the Origins Tri-Klops and having a loose example of the colored variant would have done nothing for me
-I bought 2 of the Sun-Man because I thought he was pretty cool and I figured one would be worth opening. But now I'm second-guessing doing that because he isn't on a standard MOTU O card back and I can't help but wonder if he will get a regular release at some point. So most likely the second MOC Sun-Man I picked up will become eBay store fodder, although that wasn't my initial plan.
-Picked up 2 of the Grayskull accessories pack because that was a truly useful and neat set and I can see myself picking up a Castle at some point. I've never owned a Castle Grayskull before, so if I do I'll open one of the packs for it. If I never do, I can see this particular pack being the aftermarket mover forever.
-I bought 1 Horde set. This was the one I figured I'd want multiples of, but honestly, it was just too expensive for me to buy another one right now, and quite frankly (and unfortunately) I can see that whole set getting standard releases at some point. So I've got one. It will stay MIB with the rest of my carded set.
-I had a Faker in the cart, but when the checkout page loaded, it was noted that he was sold-out. That was crazy - at that point I thought my whole order was a done deal.

On that note, I received my order of newly designed MOTU cases from Zoloworld, so my MOC set is looking really pretty. While residing in a crate. In storage. Probably forever. :lol:

[Leo656]

I forget when it's coming, and I forget when they announced it, but Sun-Man is definitely getting a single-card release in the Origins line, along with two other characters from that line ("Rulers of the Sun"), the villain and one of the other heroes. I think back in the 80s that line only had 6 characters produced out of 10 advertised, no word yet on if the others will be integrated into Origins down the line but Mattel does have the rights to them now, so if the first three do well then they'll probably hit the others too.

They'll be on a regular Origins card and not the Con Exclusive "Sun-Man" packaging, though, so even when the retail Sun-Man comes out the collectors will still have something to crow about.
--------------

Tons of stuff is going to be coming out for both Origins and Masterverse, all through 2022 and even 2023. What we know about for the next 12 months so far is:

ORIGINS

- Buzz-Off
- Jitsu
- Flying Fists He-Man
-Terror Claws Skeletor
- Mini-Comics Trap Jaw (first appearance recolor)
- Mini-Comics Stratos (first appearance recolor)
- Anti-Eternia He-Man
- Clawful
- Sorceress
- Kol-Dar (created for the Filmation cartoon; notable because it shows that Mattel can now do figures that were created for or only appeared in that cartoon show, which they weren't able to before)
- Stridor (which means Night Stalker can't be far behind as they're literally the same sculpt in different colors)

MASTERVERSE
- Fisto
- Andra
- Stinkor
- Scare Glow
- King Grayskull
- Trap Jaw
- Tri-Klops
- "New Eternia" He-Man & Skeletor, with some sort of Viking aesthetic. Still not entirely sure what the "New Eternia" sub-line entails

I think I also read that "Classic Teela" will be available in Masterverse as well but it's not on the list I'm looking at right now for this.

Yeesh! What a time to be alive.

[IMJ]

Yeah at some point I'm going to have to cut off compiling both a loose and Mint-on-unpunched-card set that I've been working on with the MOTU O line.

But even that's a tough call because the longer a line goes on the more people abandon the 100% collections and later wave stuff always becomes the pricier pieces. But at some point, something is going to have to give where I'm buying only to open or I buy to keep MOC and that's that. All of my loose stuff is in the acid-free bags that I sell and in an action figure briefcase right now. It's going to be possibly years before I rotate them into a display.

So I'll keep supporting this line because it's just a lot of fun, but right now my MOTU O collection is more like a.... -ahem- Horde.

[IMJ]

Haven't been into this thread in a month or so as things have been quiet, but I did pick up a Castle Grayskull from Target tonight using their 25% off a single toy coupon. It wasn't planned, but it was sitting there on a shelf inches away from the discount sign, so I loaded the coupon into the Circle app and said "f it, now I've got a Grayskull".

[Leo656]

That's awesome. They're going up, so good on you. I saw one at the flea market today for $150.

Can't have a MOTU collection without at least one Grayskull. It's blasphemy.

[IMJ]

That's awesome. They're going up, so good on you. I saw one at the flea market today for $150.

Can't have a MOTU collection without at least one Grayskull. It's blasphemy.

I could see a cool display actually using two or three of those things to create a square or semi-open shape with a skull face at the front and the back....

You know? Like a real building instead of just a front facing facade......

[joe-eyeball]

That's awesome. They're going up, so good on you. I saw one at the flea market today for $150.

Can't have a MOTU collection without at least one Grayskull. It's blasphemy.

The is true! So iconic! I picked one up at Walmart back in the spring because somebody on this forum said that Walmart was stocking them in the mega blocks section in the store. Now every Target has like ten of them sitting on the shelves.

[Leo656]

I could see a cool display actually using two or three of those things to create a square or semi-open shape with a skull face at the front and the back....

You know? Like a real building instead of just a front facing facade......

Oh yeah, lots of people do that. Complete (or even near-complete) Grayskulls are pretty expensive, but just the shell without the parts inside is pretty easy to find, so lots of people just get a few and do as you've described. Always neat-lookin'.

[IMJ]

https://i.imgur.com/NNF04grl.jpg

We talk about this a little bit here (https://wave1collectibles.com/blogs/w1c-market-watch-hot-comics-cards-toys/mattel-creations-offers-masters-of-the-universe-origins-he-man-40th-anniversary-4-pack-for-how-much)....

[joe-eyeball]

https://i.imgur.com/NNF04grl.jpg

We talk about this a little bit here (https://wave1collectibles.com/blogs/w1c-market-watch-hot-comics-cards-toys/mattel-creations-offers-masters-of-the-universe-origins-he-man-40th-anniversary-4-pack-for-how-much)....

I want these bad but that price sucks big time!!! I am likely to pass on this one.

[IMJ]

I want these bad but that price sucks big time!!! I am likely to pass on this one.

The MOTU O line was everything in toys making a stand against boutique to manufacturing. And now this. :lol: