MOTUC Bio Discussion #59 > Star Sisters

May 24, 2012 | Poe

Inspired by He-Man.org’s Roast Gooble Dinner podcast, welcome to PGPoA’s latest MOTUC Bio Discussion!

Star Sistersâ„¢ Bios

Starlaâ„¢, Bright and Beautiful Leaderâ„¢
Real Name: Gemma,

Jewelstarâ„¢, Hidden Beautyâ„¢
Real Name: Devena

Tallstarâ„¢, Lovely Lookoutâ„¢
Real Name: Cassandra

In ancient times, an evil sorceress became jealous of the Star Sisters’ youth and beauty and trapped them in a shooting star. It was sent hurling through the cosmos until the three women crash-landed on Etheria. There, they remained magically confined in the side of a mountain until the day Swiftwind’s hooves accidently loosened the stone that concealed their prison. She-Ra quickly used her powers to melt away the star that held them captive. In gratitude, the sisters pledged their everlasting friendship. Jewelstarâ„¢ magically conjures gem armor to protect herself and others. Tallstarâ„¢ uses her magic to stretch to unbelievable lengths. Starlaâ„¢, with her pet Glorybird, can sense danger and project spells of light against her foes. Together, they stand side-by-side with She-Ra in the battle for freedom.

Not a whole lot to discuss here, is there? An origin story, a description of the characters and so on. I’m trying, but I just can’t find anything interesting to say about this bio.

These bio discussions have really lost a lot of their appeal, haven’t they? I think they work better in a live format, like the actual Roast Gooble podcasts. Then you usually get one person willing to play the devil’s advocate enough to make it interesting.

MOTUC Bio Discussion Archive

MOTUC Bio Discussion #58 > Battleground Evil-Lyn

May 22, 2012 | Poe

Inspired by He-Man.org’s Roast Gooble Dinner podcast, welcome to PGPoA’s latest MOTUC Bio Discussion!

Battleground Evil-Lyn Bio
Real Name: Evelyn Morgan Powersâ„¢

Cast aside by her secret husband after his transformation, Evil-Lyn sent their infant son into the future and plotted to overthrow Skeletor by releasing his enemies from their dimensional prisons. In a series of miscalculations, she helped free the Snake Menâ„¢, Hordak and Gygorâ„¢ — increasing her adversaries threefold! After Randor and Miro returned from Despondosâ„¢, the Three Towers rose and Evil-Lyn found herself again allied with Skeletor during the Second Ultimate Battleground. At the end, defeated and stripped of her powers by the new Sorceress of Grayskullâ„¢, Evil-Lyn used the Cosmic Keyâ„¢ and the Power of Central Tower to return to the future to find a new life with her long lost child — The Son of Skeletor!

Quite a bit of new information in this bio. First, we learn for certain that Evil-lyn actually married Skeletor at some point, albeit secretly, and they even had a kid. I’m a little unclear on how the events proceeded, but my guess is Evil-lyn got pregnant by Keldor, had the child secretly (probably after Keldor was transformed into Skeletor), sent it into the future (probably with the aid of her father, the Faceless One), then remained an Evil Warrior and began unleashing all of Skeletor’s enemies into the world, each of which backfires on her.

At the Second Ultimate Battleground newly-minted Sorceress Teela strips Evil-lyn of her powers, but she uses the Cosmic Key (doesn’t anyone ever keep an eye on that?) and goes to the future with “the Son of Skeletor.”

The “Son of Skeletor” plot thread may be a reference to “He-Ro, Son of He-Man,” a rejected 1996 cartoon pitch by Lou Scheimer Productions to bring back the He-Man franchise. The cartoon would have featured a teenager named Dare, a ward of King Adam, who could turn into the He-Man-like “He-Ro” using the Power Sword. If you skim through the pitch’s bible (via the link above), you’ll see there’s a lot of talk about the mystery of Dare’s parents. However, Mattel’s Scott Neitlich confirmed that Dare is not the son of Skeletor – which makes sense, since that would have been far too interesting a plot point for these bios.

MOTUC Bio Discussion Archive

Mattel Offers Refunds for Yellowed Stay-Puft Marshmallow Men (Updated)

May 21, 2012 | Poe

UPDATE: OK, I finally had time to think it through and figured out a legitimate reason for requesting all figures be sent back in, rather than simply refunding any orders made on Mattycollector upon request.

Let’s say a retailer ordered 100 Stay-Pufts off Mattycollector (by having their staff members each order 10 or whatever, I can’t remember if there was a limit). They could re-sell all 100 of those Stay-Pufts, then get 100 refunds for those orders. Then, each customer who bought a Stay-Puft also requests refunds, and so Mattel ends up refunding for 200 figures instead of 100.

So, I admit I missed something on this one. But I still wish they could make the process of returning the figures easier. (When I had to return my Wind Raider, they requested someone be there when they come to get the package. So you have to have someone home, or take it to work and have it picked up there, or risk leaving it out on your doorstep unattended.) /END UPDATE

Mattel is offering refunds for anyone who bought last year’s SDCC Stay-Puft, which has a QC problem in which the toys are turning yellow. (more…)

Pics of MasterEnglish’s MOTUC Batman Custom

May 18, 2012 | Poe

I realized I never really gave you all some good pics of the custom MOTUC-style Dark Knight Returns Batman customizer MasterEnglish made for me.

As you can see, I also created a bio for him.

Poe’s Review > Thunder Punch He-Man (Masters of the Universe Classics, Mattel)

May 16, 2012 | Poe
How 'bout a nice Hawaiian punch?

Hurricane Hordak joins the nation's punched

Thunder Punch He-Man is yet another one of those He-Man guises that I never had as a kid; I never even knew anyone who had one. It was a gimmicky figure, given its use of caps to create a “super punch” sound, and action features like that never appealed to me as a kid. The figure also came along a little later in the line in 1985, by which time young Poe was obsessed with Transformers.

The vintage TP He-Man was a bit unusual because he featured some brand-new sculpting, specifically his chest and arms, as well as (if I recall correctly) a solid head rather than a rubbery hollow one. He also lacked the traditional He-Man uber-tan, for whatever reason. Mattel also sold replacement caps for the figure separately.

The Thunder Punch outfit made an appearance in the minicomic “The Treachery of Modulok.” At one point, Hordak has erected an impenetrable barrier of magical energy around himself. It’s a thorny problem, best solved by a counter-spell or a psychological ruse or– (more…)

Happy Stinkor Day!

May 15, 2012 | Poe

Image from He-Man.org

Link to the all-in-one page

It’s Stinkor Day! Whether you think the reversed forearms were a deliberate action by Mattel or an accident they tried to cover up…you’re getting one if you’re a subscriber.

It’s also Slush Head Day (congrats Mike Bock!), Mighty Spector Day, and Snake Mountain Stands Day. For you DC Universe Classics fans, it’s also Golden Age Flash Day.

MOTUC Bio Discussion #56 > Bubble Power She-Ra

May 15, 2012 | Poe

Inspired by He-Man.org’s Roast Gooble Dinner podcast, welcome to PGPoA’s latest MOTUC Bio Discussion!

She-Ra Bio
Real Name: Adora of the House of Randorâ„¢

After crossing over from Etheria to Eternia with the help of Light Hope, She-Ra joined forces with her brother and the Masters of the Universe who were caught in a four-way war with the Snake Menâ„¢, Skeletor and Hordak. She used her cloned sword to harmonize with and channel the Powers of Grayskullâ„¢ to form new arms and armor in the midst of battle. Her Bubble Powerâ„¢ armor greatly enhances She-Ra’s stamina and allows her to funnel great fumes of energy at her foes. She remained on Eternia to fight off evil until both she and He-Man were called to the stars to fulfill their destiny, traveling to the Tri-Solar System to end the oppression of the Horde Empire.

Like He-Man, She-Ra can “harmonize” with the Powers [sic] of Grayskull to form new arms and armor. He-Man gets the awesome-looking Battle Armor; She-Ra gets…Bubble Powers, which allow her to funnel great “fumes” of energy (energy apparently having been transmuted into a gas at some point).

This bio does reveal a few things, though: it confirms the existence of Light Hope in the MOTUC Bio Universe (MBU) and mentions the four-way war between the Heroic Warriors, the Evil Warriors, the Snake Men and the Horde that occurs near the end of the timeline. I’m a bit unclear on how this war ends, though we know Skeletor defeats Hordak and takes off into space to conquer the Horde Empire and the universe itself.

So, some new information and a serviceable if uninspired explanation for the Bubble Powers (as it includes no mention of, y’know, bubbles).

MOTUC Bio Discussion Archive