Poe’s Point > Thoughts on the MOTUC Reveals

As I consider whether to subscribe to the 2013 Club Eternia, I thought I’d run through all the reveals and pass on my thoughts.

All photos are courtesy ActionFigurePics. Visit the site for many more photos!

Me…why did it have to be me?

Rattlor

Not too much of a surprise, as most of his body was revealed with the Snake Men two-pack. Still, it’s a good-looking figure and a classic character, so I’m happy with this reveal. (more…)

MOTUC Bio Discussion > Castle Grayskullman

Castle Grayskullman
Heroic Embodiment of Castle Grayskull
Real Name: Not Applicable

During the Second Ultimate Battleground, Hordak and King Hssss’s grand army pressed in against the allied heroes of Eternia. In the darkest  moment of battle, all hope seemed lost as many heroes fell, including Snake Man-At-Arms and Stratos. Reaching out through the Orb of Power, hidden deep inside Castle Grayskull, He-Man and the new Sorceress used an unrepeatable spell to call upon the Power of Grayskull and infuse life into the very spirit of the castle itself. Rising from the castle’s hidden Chamber of Defense, Castle Grayskullman marched into battle, swinging his dual swords of power, helping to turn the tide.

Let’s set aside the deeply weird notion of an anthropomorphic Castle Grayskull and accept that it’s probably not any more strange than anything else that’s happened in the MOTU universe.

If you can get past that, then I think this bio is more or less how I would have done it – bringing the castle to life through a last-ditch spell in their darkest hour, and having the character help turn the tide but not be so powerful as to immediately save the day.

I will say, though, that the creepy blonde hair everyone’s commented on made me think Castle Grayskullman was going to be some sort of temporary merging of He-Man and Castle Grayskull, That would certainly have explained the hair and made it a bit easier to swallow as part of the design.

The bios are getting a bit morbid, aren’t they? First He-Ro, then the Sorceress and Duncan, and now Clamp Champ (who I’m guessing they’re referring to as Man-At-Arms, though I suppose it could still be referring to the Snake Man-ized Duncan) and Stratos buy it. UPDATE: Poester The Flash III pointed out that I missed the word “Snake” before Man-At-Arms – possibly because they didn’t italicize the “Snake” for whatever reason. Anyway, evidently he’s the one who dies, which we already knew.

Oh, and evidently King Hssss and Hordak team up for the Second Ultimate Battleground. So was Skeletor his own faction at the S.U.B.?

More SDCC Highlights

As we wait for the Mattycollector panel to start, I thought I’d post a few more thoughts on the various SDCC reveals.

Pic courtesy Pixel-Dan.com

Keldor looks much better with the twin swords. I never realized how integral they are to his character design – they’re what make him distinct from just being “Skeletor with a face.” (more…)

Mattycollector Panel News & Discussion Post (Updated w/ MOTUC)

Watch the Mattycollector panel live.

Yeah, I know I always use this pic, but I just love it so goddamned much. Sudden thought: would people be interested in a T-shirt with this image? Or maybe this one?

Anyway, the Mattycollector Fan Panel is due to start at 12pm Pt (3pm ET). I’m not sure I’ll quite be able to live-blog the event, but I’m sure Twitter will have live updates, so just keep an eye on my Toy Geeks Twitter List and you’ll get all the info as it happens. (more…)

Winning MOTUC Fan Figure Leaked?

The Masters of the Universe Classics Facebook page has posted pics of what appears to be a link on Mattycollector (now removed) of the winning fan’s Create-A-Character figure.

This could be a hoax by a fan or Mattycollector itself, like the fake lists – I don’t know. We’ll find out. Check it out after the jump (spoilers, obviously). I’m going to turn off comments until after the official reveal, so there are no spoilers on the sidebar. (more…)

SDCC Preview Night Post

It’s preview night at SDCC and the news is already starting to roll in!

UPDATE 11:49pm: Even more awesome Predator from NECA, including an unmuddied Dutch!

And – the game is officially over!

10pm: Our man inside, Rustin Parr, took a few great photos:

Here’s MOTUC Granamyr, due out later this year. Still forming my opinion on this – the sculpt is great, but I’m concerned he might be a bit too pre-posed in the sitting posture. Oh, and he’ll be $80.

There will also be a Great Unrest Weapons Pack which will include Keldor’s swords, Man-At-Arms big gun, and Draego-Man’s second sword, shield and whip (pic at ToyArk).

Rustin also sent in this pic from NECA:

Dutch from Predator! Fully articulated! Evidently we’ll have to wait for the non-muddy version, but whatever, I’m in for every figure from the original movie.

No, this is not a MOTUC Castle Grayskull – it’s a statue from Icon Heroes. I haven’t heard how large it is, but I don’t think it’s MOTUC-scaled.

In weirder but still awesome news, the toy company Super 7 somehow got the original molds to Kenner’s unproduced 1979 Alien 3 ¾” line and will be producing them. Amazing.

Odds ‘n Ends > Amazon SDCC contest, WWE meets MOTU, Warlords & Warriors

  • Amazon is having a contest on their Facebook page for a pretty awesome SDCC Exclusives prize pack. If you win and don’t want the Godzilla exclusive, you know where to find me.
  • Pixel-Dan reports that WWE.com will soon have a weekly “WWE meets MOTU” feature on Thursdays, showing Masters of the Universe action figures tangling with WWE wrestlers (figures, not actual wrestlers). That’s…cool? But kinda weird, too? I still think Mattel should let Triple H dress up as He-Man for an event.
  • I picked up the first issue of the official He-Man and the Masters of the Universe comic from DC. I’ll have a review up soon. Anyone else pick it up? Thoughts?
  • USA Today also had an article on MOTU and its 30th anniversary recently, which also reveals the cover to the third minicomic.
  • You may, like me, have also missed this interview with the Four Horsemen about Draego-Man.
  • Check out this interview over at Infinite Hollywood with the folks behind the vintage-licious Warlords and Warriors indie toy line.
  • PGPoA Power Pal PrfktTear has a review of He-Ro over at Doomkick.
  • I just know I’m forgetting something…

Club Eternia 2013: What Would It Take For You to Subscribe?

Tyrantisaurus Lomography

Tyrantisaurus Lomography by geekyvixen, on Flickr

In just a few days – this Friday at 3pm ET, to be exact – we’ll find out the first three to five figures in the 2013 Club Eternia subscription. (Assuming it doesn’t get leaked ahead of time…)

It seems to me that MOTUC’s status as one of the premiere toy lines has been fading, and I suspect 2013 may represent the lowest subscriber numbers yet. My question to you is: what would it take you to re-subscribe? What characters do you want to see? What characters don’t you want to see? (more…)

Poe’s Review > Stinkor (Masters of the Universe Classics, Mattel)

Stinkor. It’s as if someone took all the derogatory clichés about the original Masters of the Universe line and put them into one figure: he’s a half-man, half-amusing-animal with an off-putting action feature (a terrible smell) and a lazy name that describes said action feature but adds “-or” to the end of it. (more…)

Poe’s Review > The Mighty Spector (Masters of the Universe Classics, Mattel)

“Mmff mffmrmff mffr!”

Where to start with the Mighty Spector?

As every MOTU fan’s long-suffering confidant knows, the Mighty Spector is the creation of Scott Neitlich, brand manager for Mattel’s Masters of the Universe Classics line. He’s t third release in the 30th Anniversary sub-line, which has already given us the somewhat controversial Fearless Photog by Nathan Bitner and the critically acclaimed Draego-Man by the Four Horsemen; Geoff Johns’ Sir Laser Lot will be arriving in August. Neitlich created the character when he was a kid, and once submitted it to Marvel Comics (for two in-depth interviews about Spector’s creation, go here and here).  (more…)