Toy Review: Masters of the Universe Classics He-Man Review

The Masters of the Universe Classics line kicked off in earnest back in December, 2008 with the release of the new He-Man action figure. Many new collectors came on board in the subsequent months after He-Man had sold out and missed their chance to pick up this character. Mattel has recently announced the long awaited reissue of He-Man for November 16th 2009. If you missed out on him the first time, this will be your chance to pick up the action figure of the most powerful man in the universe.




As Mattel begins reissuing its hit 2008 and 2009 figures, this is as good an opportunity as any to look back on the first batch of figures in this line. Unlike the subsequent figures in the MOTUC series, He-Man (along with the new Beastman) went on sale on December 1st and stayed available for a what seems like an unimaginable three weeks. Many of the later figures were produced at greater numbers and did not last three hours. This is a testament to how popular the line has become in a relatively short amount of time. MOTUC is now notorious for fans having to be online at the right time to get these figures. Mattel has remedied this with a subscription plan but the figures are still somewhat difficult to get do to their limited online distribution. This has created a hot secondary market on places like eBay.

He-Man features a bio that nimbly includes material from the various Masters of the Universe continuities. There are references to the mini-comics, with the quest for the two halves of the power sword. Prince Adam is clearly referenced in a nod to the Filmation series (so we will be getting a Prince Adam figure at some point). Since he was the introductory figure, King Grayskull is also referenced as Adam’s ancestor, as he was in the 2002 series. Although some have been controversial, I am a big fan of the MOTUC bios and I like the way that they draw from the many incarnations of Masters of the Universe. It helps make the line feel deeper and richer than if they were to just base it on, say, the 1980’s cartoon series.

This figure answered a lot of questions about what MOTUC was going to be. He has some of the nice chunky look of the old figures but with modern detailing and articulation. While the line as a whole includes visual references to the popular 2002 series (Grayskull, Zodak), the core aesthetic is rooted in classic Masters of the Universe. Appropriately, He-Man is the best example of this. He is highly poseable, with tons of articulation but still retains the look of the 1980’s figure, with coloration, deco and accessories that nearly match his predecessor. This works for me up until you get to the head, which is sculpted to look too much like the original figure, with squinty eyes, an aggravated expression and a bowl haircut. Some of the later figures in the line like Mer-Man and Man-At-Arms included alternate heads and I feel He-Man could have benefited from having an extra head inspired by his 2002 incarnation. The included head gives the figure a very dated look (it reminds me of kid’s haircuts from the 1970’s and early 1980’s).

Thankfully, He-Man comes with lots cool accessories. To me, accessories were always part of the appeal of MOTU. The swords and weapons were big and fun to play with and it was always fun to swap out armor and weapons. MOTU was one of the few lines where an accessory kit actually added to the play experience, and the accessories didn't seem like afterthoughts. He-Man comes with his trademark harness, removable via a pair of tabs in the back as well as a power sword, half-power-sword, a shield , and his battle axe. The harness has a slot to hold a sword or the axe. You can even clip the shield on there as well. The swords and the axe are painted with a two-tone gray, the edges painted with a nice metallic finish. His accessories all greatly resemble those of the original figure but, again, updated to today’s standards. Therefore, no crazy techno-sword or oversize shield (although you can get the 2002 sword with Man-At-Arms as it is cleverly worked into his bio). The half-sword has tabs to combine with Skeletor’s half sword, which is neat in theory but doesn’t really work that well.

The paint on the first issue of this figure is fairly glossy overall but I understand Mattel is fixing this for the November reissue. I guess the 2008 version can be Hot Oil He-Man. Another odd feature of the paint is a weird red area around the eyes, as though He-Man had been out in the sun all day, or perhaps sprayed in the face by Kobra Khan. This is another area Mattel will be correcting for the reissue.

Overall, I like the Masters of the Universe Classics He-Man, but am not crazy about him. The figure looses points for the too-faithful-to-the-original head sculpt. Also, for me, He-Man was never the most interesting character what with so many cool designs and concepts in the line but it’s MOTU, so you have to have He-Man. Besides, you have to have something to put on your Battlecat when it comes out in February. So, make sure you pick up the new and improved He-Man figure on November 16th at mattycollector.com because after November, we may not see him back for a while.

Patrick Garone
Staff Reviewer