Review > Kobra Khan (Masters of the Universe Classics, Mattel)

What many childhood fans of Masters of the Universe remember about Kobra Khan is that when his vintage figure was produced in 1984, he was just another one of Skeletor’s Evil Warriors (specifically the “Evil Master of Snakes”). Legend has it that when the Snake Men were introduced two years later, Kobra Khan was re-released [...]

Review > Farewell to Arms Ash & Deadite Ash (Evil Dead II, NECA)

Sometimes life just isn’t fair. When I was fifteen years old, I discovered the wonders of the Evil Dead trilogy. I can’t remember how it all started, though I know I saw Army of Darkness first. I loved it, but when I saw Evil Dead II (Amazon) I knew I’d found what was destined to be one of [...]

Review > Demo-Man (Masters of the Universe Classics, Mattel)

The first thing I need to discuss about Demo-Man is his name. “Demo-Man” was not attached to the sketch this figure is based on; the sketch was nameless. Rather, “Demo-Man” was the working title for Skeletor for much of the early development of the Masters of the Universe line in the 1980s. The “Demo” was [...]

Review > Fisto (Masters of the Universe Classics, Mattel)

“The guys in Masters of the Universe don’t have superpowers…they have deformities. “ I’m unable to think about Fisto without immediately recalling that quote from a twelve-year-old old X-Entertainment review of the Filmation episode “Fisto’s Forest.” As Matt writes, “The show’s a lesson in overcoming adversity more than anything else. If these guys can get over the fact that [...]

Guest Review > 6″ Lion-O (Thundercats, Bandai)

Today we bring you a guest review of Bandai’s Thundercats Classic 6″ Lion-O figure by John Harmon from Mint Condition Customs. Bandai brought back Thundercats with a thunderous roar last year, with a ton of product based on the new animated series as well as an eight-inch collector line of figures based on the classic [...]

Quick Review > Blinky the Red Ghost PVC (Pac-Man, Coleco, 1982)

There seems to have been an abundance of Pac-Man-related toys when I was a wee tyke, circa 1982, and for whatever reason I owned a few of them. The oldest toy I still own from my childhood – the one that’s still the original, that I’ve never had to buy a replacement of on eBay [...]

Review > Shadow Weaver (Masters of the Universe Classics, Mattel)

Almost every great toy line has a few major gaps. The 1980s Star Wars line lacked Grand Moff Tarkin (who finally got a figure in 1997, and will get a new one later this year). The vintage Masters of the Universe needed a Queen Marlena (last year’s SDCC exclusive). Perhaps most famously, Playmates never produced a Maude Flanders [...]

Quick Review > Mutant Gorilla (Papo)

I first came across this figure from this post on Toywalker’s Blog. Being a love of all things gorilla, I knew I had to own it – fortunately Amazon had it. I don’t know anything about this toy line or why it includes a post-apocalyptic warrior ape, but it’s awesome. (Side note: there’s a whole [...]

Review > Hurricane Hordak (Masters of the Universe Classics, Mattel)

My childhood obsession with He-Man was relatively brief–maybe most of 1984, and part of 1985. After that, it became all-Transformers all the time until maybe 1987 or so. So a figure like the vintage Hurricane Hordak immediately had two strikes against it: it came out after my interest in He-Man was long gone (1986), and [...]

Guest Review > Star Sisters (Masters of the Universe Classics, Mattel)

This is a guest review. Opinions expressed in this review (toy-related or otherwise) do not necessarily reflect the views of Poe Ghostal. Doing these reviews for Poe lead me sit down and actually watch the She-Ra: Princess of Power cartoon, something I’ve never done before outside of minor glimpses as a kid. I loved the [...]