Review > Mo-Larr & Skeletor (Masters of the Universe Classics, Mattel)

I’m way behind on my SDCC exclusive reviews, so I’m going to make up for it with a full week of reviews! Not everything will be SDCC-related, but most of them will.

Where to start with Mo-Larr, Eternian Dentist?

As you can see above, Mo-Larr was created for a Robot Chicken sketch. And in a surprising move, Mattel decided to make an SDCC exclusive based on the skit.

I’m trying to think of more to say on the subject, but I can’t…so on to the review, I guess!

Packaging: Mo-Larr and Skeletor come in an enormous package, made to look somewhat like a dentist’s office in Castle Grayskull. As you can see, Skeletor is positioned on a “chair” while Mo-Larr exults in having extracted his tooth.

As many are aware, the back of the package features a unique bio for both Mo-Larr (bio) and Skeletor (bio) (which basically just recap the skit), as well as joke cross-sells of Grizzlor and Beast Man. At the beginning of the skit, Skeletor is reading Maxim; the magazine is retitled X-Plodar and can be found on the “floor” of the box.

As I think I’ve made quite clear, I open all my toys, but even I was very tempted to leave Mo-Larr in the box, for two reasons: 1.) It’s a gimmicky set, so I wasn’t as excited about it as other figures, and 2.) the diorama just looks so good.

Design & Sculpt: Mattel could have gone the cheap route and just taken a He-Man figure, sculpted a new head and tossed a cloth lab coat on him. But thankfully, Mattel hates cloth on MOTUC, so Mo-Larr gets not only a new head but a fully-sculpted plastic lab coat…well, maybe “coat” is a strong word. It comes down to his upper thighs and has no sleeves. What? Every single Eternian is in awesome shape, even their dentists–who can blame them if they want to show it off? Anyway, the coat looks great.

MOTUC Mo-Larr is a bit more handsome than his Robot Chicken version. Looking at him you can almost hear the 1960s soap opera organ music–this guy is clearly the Eternian equivalent of any given lead on General Hospital.

The rest of the figure is the standard MOTUC body, with Hordak gloves.

Skeletor is nearly identical to previous releases, except for the face. The Horsemen sculpted an entirely new face for the exclusive, right down to the missing tooth and “sad” eyes.

Plastic & Paint: The set gets the standard MOTUC paint treatment. Mo-Larr’s face is a little glossy, but his hair looks great–right down to the stylish graying sideburns. The lab coat has a few small paint applications that are quite sharp. His boots, however, are very glossy.

The only paint work of note on Skeletor is his new face, which is more green than usual, but I think it looks pretty good.

Articulation: Both figures feature the standard MOTUC articulation: ball joints at the head and shoulders, ball-and-hinge joints at the hips, hinges at the elbows, knees, ankles and abdomen, swivels at the biceps, wrists, upper thighs and top of the boots, and “rocker” ankles.

My Skeletor’s articulation is fairly tight, but my Mo-Larr’s ankles are quite loose. Loose ankles have become the biggest QC problem with MOTUC.

Accessories: Skeletor comes with his full standard complement of accessories: the Havoc Staff, his sword, and a half-sword. Given the gimmicky nature of the set, it’s nice that Mattel included these; fans can give the staff to Keldor, for example. That said, they probably should have included a regular Skeletor head, so that fans who only bought the Mo-Larr set could have a regular Skeletor if they wanted it.

Mo-Larr, on the other hand, is loaded with new accessories. He comes with an assortment of vac-metalized chrome dental tools, from the drill used to stab Grizzlor to the floss used to tie up Beast Man. He also has the pliers used to extract Skeletor’s tooth, a dental mirror, and whatever that thing is they used to suck the saliva out of your mouth. The floss is made from green thread (unlike the white of the skit), but the floss container does open up.

Not only are all the tools a nice addition for this set, many of them (like the drill) are unique enough that they could be used as tools for other figures (like Man-At-Arms using the drill on one of his inventions).

Quality Control: As mentioned, Mo-Larr suffers from loose ankles.

Overall: There’s no question the Mo-Larr set came way out of left field for most fans. It’s not going to appeal to everyone, especially if they’re not a Robot Chicken fan. However, it’s a great set, and the $40 price tag is on par with two full-sized figures.

Part of me thinks it might have been better to have just sold Mo-Larr alone and included an extra Skeletor head, but the diorama aspect of the packaging makes Skeletor’s inclusion more palatable.

[raven 4]

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18 Comments

  1. Mose

    I picked this set up because I liked the sketch and Mo-Larr himself. Also for the possibility of getting a better Skeletor. Sad to hear that Mo-Larr’s ankles are loose but happy to hear that Skeletor's joints were good.

  2. Mecha-Shiva

    The diorama MOC is cool, reminds me of the old Mcfalane Monsters playsets.Great review,Poe!

  3. PrfktTear

    I am by no means an MOC collector, and I love this packaging. I suppose it seems like a bit of a waste of cardboard & space, but I think SDCC exclusives are supposed to be a bit ostentatious. Just look at the Hasbro Galactus packaging for example. The packaging really does complete the whole presentation; the accessories, the cross-sells, the X-Plodar magazine, etc. I took Mo-Larr out, but Skelly is still strapped in his chair, where I think he’ll remain for the time being. Once I get tired of having Mo-Larr on my shelf, he’ll go back in the package and I’ll display it as a set. Also I’m glad to have an extra havoc staff. Plus, I don’t think it hurts to have an extra Skeletor hanging around. I must have had 3-4 Skeletors when I was a kid, and that doesn’t include the Dragon Walker Skeletor or Battle Armor Skelly.

  4. Thrawn

    Misterbigbo wrote:

    What’s the deal with the potassium benzoate reference?

    It's from the Simpson's Treehouse of Horror 3 episode. It popped into my head for some reason at that time.

    @Gambit320:

    The character was Illumina from MVC comics. I didn't understand that one either. She was actually created by the writers of the MVC comics so she wasn't a "fan created" character in the sense they were using it. I'm not losing any sleep over missing her, but she would have made an awesome toy I think.

  5. misterbigbo

    I think the crude wanking joke is funny, and in the context of a toy based on a Robot Chicken crossover. Sure it's WAY out of character for this line, but that makes it all the funnier to me.

    What's the deal with the potassium benzoate reference?

  6. FakeEyes22

    @Mysterious Stranger

    This Skeletor's shin guards are much lighter and have a matte finish. It looks fine, but its not a match to the standard version. The purple on the hood seems off, it's very reddish in tone. It doesn't match the armor if you pay much attention to it and is much closer to purples found on Keldor and Scareglow. The left hand seems like its tight for the staff, like the first issue.

    Nothing too bad, just enough to keep me from swapping heads with my wiggly ankled regular Skelly because I'm anal.

  7. I thought about getting this set to get the staff that I didn't get with the DC comic two pack. In the end I didn't, because I didn't think it would come with it.

  8. gambit320

    @Thrawn: Mo-Larr is a pretty blatant example of how true that is. They announced him not to soon after saying no to a character from the official 200x comic with the argument "No fan characters" if I'm not mistaken.

    Though I have no issues with Mo-Larr, nor was I all that interested in that comic character, (I do hope her fans win that battle eventually), but I can never pass up the chance to point out those silly 200x hate issues they seem to have.

  9. Dead Man Walking

    Also, I think it's worth noting that the ab crunch and waist swivel are basically worthless on Mo-Larr.

  10. Dead Man Walking

    I love Mo-Larr, but HATE that I had to spend another $20 to get a third Skeletor that I don't want. I wouldn't have minded the special head as another accessory though.

    Yeah the packaging is nice, but the only people who win are the MOCers, and those people are weirdos who should never be catered to.

  11. Poe

    @Mysterious Stranger: I didn't do a side-by-side comparison pic, but he seems to be pretty close to the orginal/re-release Skeletor.

  12. Magneto76

    I love this set, but I chose to keep it in package because it looks so sweet that way.

    @Poe -You forgot to mention the naughty Sorceress on the magazine cover..it's a total riot. I really hope they give us the Sorceress this year…

  13. Thrawn

    Poe wrote:

    Is it worth noting there’s a blatant masturbation joke on this package?

    I think it's worth mentioning. I noted it, and so did several other posters as well.

    Mattel: 200x bad. Thinly veiled masturbation jokes good. The packaging also contains potassium benzoate.

    Fans: …?

    Mattel: That's bad. But not as bad as 200x.

  14. Mysterious Stranger

    How well do the colors of Skeletors body and armor match up with the other Skeletors released so far?

  15. Thrawn

    Nice review Poe. I've been waiting this as well as your Adam and Orko review.

    Including the Robot Chicken sketch was a nice touch. The last pic is one of the best ones I've seen of this set.

    Good job.

  16. Poe

    Is it worth noting there's a blatant masturbation joke on this package?

  17. Barbecue17

    I do think this is a great set and a fantastic SDCC exclusive, it is just unfortunate that other than a slightly different Skeletor head, the figure is no different than a figure I already have. 40 + shipping is a big chunk of change right after SDCC, and unfortunately Molarr was an exclusive that I had to pass on. If I ever find a loose Mo-Larr, I'd consider picking him up, but it really is not a big issue.

  18. misterbigbo

    I love this set. I hadn't noticed Skelly's forlorn look. Great review!

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