Monthly Archives: November 2023

SpartanNerd Unboxing and Review- Masterverse Savage He-Man.

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Should Masterverse be all caps? MASTERVERSE?

Once I had Classics Prince Adam, who came with Orko. These were superb figures. I even made the SpartanNerd lead picture featuring Orko in the window of the vintage Point Dread. The way this went down was you got Orko as the figure and Prince Adam was the accessory. Hilarious! You would have thought it the other way around.

This time we get Savage He-Man, with Orko added in. But Orko doesn’t get any labels along with this product. It is as if he is the accessory…for real. But if you are going to do him that way, why not include him with the most naked and bear bones of figures. Savage He-Man fits that bill. I wonder if last minute they decided to add him in and then put that banner on the corner “Includes Orko!”

It is easy to see what you get in the box. He-Man and Orko. A spear. A barbarian axe. (Yes!) Masters of the Universe: Revelations power sword. And two alternate hands.

I got this as a part of Mattel Creation’s Black Friday sale…the one that went on throughout November. As a deluxe set, it costed slightly more than the other three figures I picked up. I think I paid $13?

The side of the package that features the name says “The Most Powerful Primate in the Universe!” No mention of Orko. The other side has nice artwork featuring the characters. The back shows another fantastic illustration with the side story summarized as “What happens if Adam calls the power without the sword?” This was Kevin Smith’s take, and one I would have never thought of! Essentially he transformed into “loin cloth only” He-Man, who was an incredible Hulk, and began destroying everything regardless of whose side…an angry tank of rage. And there was a King Kong component, where King Randor or Queen Marlena were able to calm him down. (If I remember correctly.). This brings up another idea…the power sword “tempers” the power of Grayskull in this story. It helps make it wieldable. There is a precedent…the Four Horsemen story for 200x had Man-At-Arms create a techno-sword that “harmonized” with the power of Grayskull. What Savage He-Man actually was originally is the Alcala illustration from the very first mini-comic. The (Green) Goddess gives him his armor and weapons.

This packaging has truly grown on me. There are some design choices that I don’t like. If they used the red rock explosions like the vintage toys had, I would keep the boxes. (I still have 40th anniversary He-Man in his box. It is good collector friendly packaging, but you do have to take care). As for the MASTERVERSE line, it is good to see them going about this similar to the way Barbie and Monster High are kept evergreen. They put out the same Barbie over and over, but she gets a new setting, outfit, and play pattern. What they are doing…New Eternia is nice stuff. The Revelations cartoon was beautifully animated, even if I didn’t care much for the story. And I still don’t like the manly designs of the female characters. But I guess this is all a rant. Let’s look at these toys.

Here is everything out of box, pretty much vanilla. I played with them for a few minutes. He-Man’s joints are very loose. You can see every articulation cut, as this is the most naked male MOTU figure we have ever had. (Battleground Teela from MOTUC is the most exhibitionist female so far). This is important for people who want to customize figures. You are given just about as raw of material as they can give you.

He-Man has a paint-wash that accentuates his muscles. This isn’t all good, however. around his biceps it appears that he has “granny beads.” This is where they had the joints collapsed in when they dunked him in the wash, and then it dried. Unsightly! And the headsculpt…This long hair restricts the head movement pretty badly. But I am OK with this. What I don’t like is that dumb expression on his face. It is like “George of the Jungle.” Not good. He looks clueless. Yes, unpredictable. Yes, ape-ish. I wouldn’t say savage. The spear and the sword both have good paint work, but what happened with the axe? The handle is brown, but the rest of it is a flat gray. Why? The sword is two-tone, with silver and gray. They should have made the axe compliment that. Being a fan of battle axes, I will probably improve this axe myself. At least the sculpt has some knicks and cracks, showing some wear.

Let’s talk about Orko. The head does have paint on it. The rest of the figure is bare plastic as far as I can tell. I like the little flight stand that he comes with. But here is a question…and yes I know this is the design from the Revelations cartoon, but why didn’t they stay true to filmation? I wondered this with the 200x, where that Orko was taller and highly exaggerated. The MOTUC Orko looked like it came straight out of the 1980’s. Did we need an update? I don’t think so. It’s those eyes I think. They are too detailed. and the down-turned ears make him appear sad rather than as a jovial jester. Here you can see the parts…he comes apart and so I suppose you could use that scarf somewhere else. His arms move at the shoulder, but there is no elbow or hand movement.

So what is the SpartanNerd’s rating of MASTERVERSE Masters of the Universe: Revelations Savage He-Man (and Orko)?

He-Man- The head sculpt is just wrong. And then the granny beads on the biceps. AND the lack of paint on the axe. That’s three dings…OUCH! On the other hand he comes with more hands and a good amount of accessories. I really like the spear, and this is the first time I have that Revelation design power sword.

Orko- The design accurately reflects the Revelations cartoon. I can’t complain about that even if I wish they hadn’t updated the design so much. But that he has no accessories and not much articulation have to take away.

I saw this set at Wal-Mart before for $30, and passed. I feel I got the $13 value. I am rating this set 3/5. Do you agree or disagree, Hub City Geeks? Let me know in the comments!

SpartanNerd Unboxing and Review …Masterverse Haul.

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I couldn’t help it. I received an e-mail from Mattel Creations about a clearance sale, and went to look around. I was pleased enough to buy what I wouldn’t have bought at regular price. The three items here were each under $10. In the video above, I am showing off the package. It seems like the easier thing to do with the amount of things I am reviewing. These are all in the “sporty” packaging that I complained about before, but at least it is collector friendly. I have waxed poetic about the line that is never coming back…Masters of the Universe Classics. After thinking about it for awhile, I believe they are probably doing the correct thing. There is symmetry between this line and Star Wars Black Series and GI Joe Classified, as well as some of the newer Transformers. This box seems pretty similar if you think about it. You get a nice artwork profile on the side, an illustration on the back, and in the window you can see what you get. If you were a collector of this line in package, you could file them on the shelf easily like books and take them out when you want. This is the way I see especially GI Joe Classified on the shelf at places like the Toy Federation in Greer SC.

As you can see, I picked up New Eternia Skeletor, Revlations Stinkor, and Revelations Mer-Man. I also have Revelations Savage He-Man with Orko on the way in the mail. After the shipping, I spent $55. You know, Super7 Ultimates cost $55 each, without shipping… See where I felt this was a good value? Looks like I missed Trap Jaw and Tri-Clops…these were already sold out. But today, I just browsed Big Bad Toy Store, and they have all of these at similar prices. It seems like it might be because of the Black Friday sales going on.

Let’s begin with Skeletor.

This “New Eternia” Skeletor has a barbarian vibe that I really like. Sort of stupid and cool at the same time that he has a goatee. (Skulls can’t do that can they?) The concept that they are referring to on the package is of what became Demo-Man, an early concept for Skeletor. In MOTUC they mish-mashed the story up so that Skeletor is Keldor plus this Demo-Man demon. This begs the question of how much of Skeletor’s evil is his own. Not a big fan of that story. The MOTUC Demo-Man figure was bright green and really evoked the concept art. This one only hints at it. I went back and looked and there really isn’t much resemblance.

You can read the article on Wiki Grayskull here

Above is a similar stance with the scimitar sword.

This figure has loose leg joints. It seems that the thigh cut is loose, and the bottom shin is also. So there is a complaint there. I really had to wrangle to get him to stand. The cape is an interesting piece. It has a large neck hole with a hard piece of bat armor meant to go over the top of the regular armor, really making this figure seem like a two-for-one. It is a soft-goods cape. (On thinking about this line vs. Classics, the soft goods have to be cheaper than those plastic capes. Think about all of the plastic and paint that went into those! With these, its a piece of fabric. The cost is less, and it does the job. However, there is something to be said about the plastic sculpted capes. They are impressive and it keeps a consistent look to the figure.

This is the way that I will generally keep him on display. This alternate head is more jovial but campy evil. The red eyes stare aggressively. The havoc staff is pretty heavy, and the pole is thick. I didn’t break any fingers, but you really have to stretch them. Skeletor also has a trigger finger but no gun accessory.

Look at how evil the goat head appears. This head is so different, like I said before, it could be a different character. Check it out on Movie Skeletor’s body.

Here I have a scene where movie Skeletor is summoning some help. See how this viking type of Skeletor can go as a generic kind of guy? Here is a good comparison now. Look at how much more detailed the paint is on the Mythic Legion army builder skeleton. With the Four Horsemen figure did they scrimp on the paint? No where. Skeletor has mostly unpainted blue plastic. The face is ok. But do you see why this figure is so much cheaper? To be fair, Movie Skeletor has many more paint hits. Maybe more than the Mythic Legion.

Oh the barbary!

This is the kind of thing I am after! Vikor fits pretty good with Skeletor. Yes, Skeletor is more articulated. So why didn’t I buy the New Eternia He-Man that was also on sale? Why would I? It is the same basic figure as Movie He-Man with different paint and a horned helmet.

The New Eternia He-Man doesn’t have a cape or the daggers. Essentially I also didn’t really like the way it looked.

Let’s move on to Skinkor

Here’s what you get. That mouth has a hole in it to plug that mask into. Without the mask it looks like he has an open mouth, giving you another option for display.

Notice anything missing? NO GUN. I think he should have some kind of spray gun. And no. He doesn’t stink. One thing I do like about this figure is the paint job. They really caked it on this time, which makes him fluffier looking.

So I wanted to see if he has a skunk stripe down his back?

Nope. No skunk stripe. No stink. No gun. BOOO.

There would never be a time when these two would fist bump! His hands are larger than the other figures. He has gloves obviously. But He-Man’s fist…I said it before. Deadpool baby hand.

The vintage Stinkor was a repaint of Mer-Man. Here you can see that isn’t true, at least between Revelations Mer-Man and Stinkor. There is some resemblance, and perhaps a different version of Mer-Man has the same head.

Speaking of…

My review of Mer-Man

This is the Revelations cartoon version of Mer-Man. Here’s what you get. Mer-Man, who has no removable armor. Four extra hands. These hands are four fingered and feature webbing. An aquatic scimitar type of sword. And a bident. (I mistakenly said “trident” in the packaging video. SHAME!)

This figure is a wizened and grisly motif for the character.

The box for Skeletor’s scimitar sword mentions that his is a “legendary weapon.” Mer-Man’s is likely generic. But it does look cool!

Never bring a bident to a gun fight!

He can even swim! (Just kidding…photo magic!)

SpartanNerd’s ratings of these three figures.

Skeletor is by far the best. That is exactly what I wanted! The undead knight look of that head is great. I do wish his legs were more sturdy, and that Havoc Staff has a little too much plastic in the handle. Taking off for the weak standing…4/5.

Stinkor is the weakest. I picked it up for just over $8. But no gun or other weapon? No stink. Why? You get a skunk themed biohazard suit character with a blue shield and some hands. 2/5. Pretty low. At least he stands well and the sculpt and paint are good.

Mer-Man is OK. I appreciate that he comes with a couple of weapons…pretty cool weapons. And he does look like the cartoon. I really like that color. Whatever it is … blue. Green. Aqua? The scratches and scars are a new and welcome touch. If they included yellow armor and a corn-cob sword it could be better. I am awarding 3/5. I’m glad to have him.

Savage He-Man and Orko are on the way. Keep an eye on the SpartanNerd Blog for my review!

Halloween Figure Haul- SpartanNerd’s first Mythic Legion

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Halloween always has been a good day, except for exactly one time out of 43. (SpartanNerd is 44…). That one time is enough to throw a wet blanket on the whole celebration. Without me getting to specific, Hub City Geeks, some years since this personal tragedy, I don’t do anything. One year I bought a new iPad with my mom. One year I paid some taxes and bought some donuts. This year I got my alignment tuned and then drove to the Toy Federation in Greer, South Carolina.

I am feeling a little burned on the Super7 Conan the Barbarian situation. I have five figures on order, and none of them set to ship until the Summer of 2024. Yep. King Conan and the throne were ordered on Christmas 2022, and won’t arrive until June 2024. This is irksome. And the Battle of the Mounds collection which I ordered earlier this year is set to ship at the same time. But I have a barbarian itch that needs to be scratched. So on October 30 I looked into it, and there are new Mythic Legions out there.

If you didn’t know, Mythic Legions is the Four Horsemen toy sculpture studios own line. I’ve never bought any because they are all a little bit generic to me, besides also they are quite pricey, and finally hard to find. For instance, I really want the Bird warriors that they came out with. They rarely appear on the secondary market, and when they do, you are looking at $200. Used. Opened. Played with. Etc. But they are so awesome!

What I found was on the Toy Federation Facebook page that they got in a ton of new Mythic Legion product. New at retail will definitely be an option on sad Halloween. So off I went.

Here is $40 worth of skeleton warrior. A simple package…or is it? What attracted me here was that big axe! And so shiny. Since I was in the market for barbarians, I could envision Conan taking out this guy, or him sneaking up behind him with that axe held up.

Examining the package, you can see a polybag on the inside. Mystery accessories? The box seems to be a card with DND style graphics. The bottom says Mythic Legions. (Just so you know, there are some sub-lines. Seventh Kingdom (animals), Gothitropolis, Cosmic Legions, and Figura Obscura (real-life)) But Mythic Legions is their main property.

Here is the back. This image looks like something from Elden RIng. (I am about to finish my first play through!). And one more thing, see how the plastic window wraps around. YES THIS IS COLLECTOR FRIENDLY PACKAGING!

You just flip out the bottom plastic tabs, and the cardboard back slides right out!

We got this message..

A good warning. I hate breaking my figures.

So what do we get in the polybag? shoulder pauldrons, a strap with a holder loop for the sword. The sword. The dagger, and another hunk of axe. What?

This axe is very modular! Outstanding! It turns out, that the figure is ALSO. I had no idea. Every part of the figure can be swapped with other parts from other figures in the Mythic Legions line. WOW! As for the axe, you can go with executioner style, barbarian style, or just style…the spike at the bottom is even swappable.

Here he is, completely decked out. He stands just fine. I had no problem getting him out of the blister. I decided to toss the blister…the collector friendly box will do just fine without it. The weapon fits nicely in his hands.

This is a big sword.

Time to get Vikor.

Vikor is my favorite subject to photograph. And this is great…the image to shine a little light on my Halloween.

So how does the Mythic Legion stuff work with other property.

First off, the head swap.

Vikor is a Masters of the Universe Classics figure, and his head joint is a little smaller than Mythic Legion skeleton army builder. It just sits loosely. But it does look very cool.

Masterverse Movie He-Man didn’t come with a battle axe. This axe fills that purpose terrifically. It didn’t stretch the hands either.

How hard is it to separate the pieces of the Mythic Legion Skeleton? Well, I had to apply some force. The neck joint is a separate piece, which was why I was first surprised at how each figure is meant to be completely swappable with other. Getting the torso off takes a good bit of pressure. I haven’t felt that I was about to break a piece. And after playing with it for awhile, the joints have become pleasant rather than stiff.

I also got some other figures…Raven Spawn and Anti-Spawn (Redeemer).

As I began to leave Toy Federation, I just glanced around for something else. And in the glass case they had several tall off-card figures, and one caught my eye.

The Anti-Spawn, also known a Redeemer is the subject of Spawn issue 16. I just read this a few days earlier, and that’s why I was drawn to it. $10. BOOM.

(Let’s be clear…Redeemer is the title, like Hellspawn is the title. Anti-Spawn is the name of this Redeemer. Spawn is the name of Al Simmons, the Hellspawn. Not confusing at all!)

I mean this is a used figure. The left wing is a little bit loose. He came with a stand, but he doesn’t really need it. (It is a just a round disc with the word Spawn on it and a foot peg.)

The man behind the counter incorrectly labeled Raven Spawn as Curse. Curse is a cyborg cult leader. Raven Spawn is someone forgettable from the comics. But…I didn’t even know it was a Spawn figure. I just thought it looked awesome! (Also $10!)

All the chains and the scythe. And the spikes. He doesn’t scream “bird” at all. The only color here, green necrogenic eyes.

These two figures are articulated like Marvel Legends figures.

Yep…He ripped the wing off…

These are both highly posable and well detailed. But taller than the other figures I have. The Marvel Legends I have…comic book Thor is terrible. Thanos is great. Deadpool (I can’t find him) is one of the top figures I have ever had. These are just like Deadpool, with less accessories.

Even after that paragraph…look how creepy Raven Spawn is in the shadow. Anti-Spawn looks exactly like he was ripped out of Spawn #16.

I believe These two were sold at Target or GameStop originally. I saw some Spawn figures there before, but felt they were too pricey or I wanted something different.

So what does the SpartanNerd rate all of this?

Mythic Legions Skeleton Army builder. 5/5. I mean the packaging graphically is a little weak, but it more than makes up for that shortfall with the collector friendly features. The figure is great, and I can totally be hooked on Mythic Legions. I am planning on what I will get next from that line!

The two extras I picked up. Anti-Spawn gets 4/5 on account of the weak wing. Raven Spawn is perfect. 5/5.

Do you have these figures, Hub City Geeks? What would you rate this Mythic Legion? Let me know in the comments!