Category Archives: 200x

MASTERVERSE New Eternia Evil-Lyn- SpartanNerd Unboxing and Review

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It has taken SO LONG for me to properly review this figure.

But she is pretty terrific! Let’s emphasize “pretty.”

My history with Evil-Lyn coincides with the end of my playing with toys as a child. At around the 11-12 years old mark. (December birthday…probably just turned 12). I received Evil-Lyn and Tyrantisaurus for Christmas, and my uncles had a fit making fun of me at my grandmother’s Christmas party. “You are playing with dolls!” It didn’t matter…I thought she was great. And she went very well with the cyborg dinosaur. (That dinosaur had one of the coolest missiles in all of toys).

The reason it took so long for me to review it … more like reasons…I had a horrible bout with the flu around the time I unboxed the figure. I filmed video of me talking about it, but it sounded so horrible. Not fit to publish. So I did another video about a week later. And THAT one had interference all over it. Background noises, etc. Making YouTube videos is more challenging than I would think.

Eventually, I was at the SCMEA (South Carolina Music Educators Association) conference in Columbia, South Carolina, staying at a hotel, and had sufficient time and a different environment to do some video reviews. So the photos and all that I post here and on YouTube will be a hodge-podge.

PACKAGING

She comes in the superior MASTERVERSE packaging, with superior art. You can see the figure in the window very clearly, as well as her wand. I have a complaint, in that she has drop-down hips, and on the blister they are pulled down, making an awkward look for those MOC collectors. (She doesn’t look as bad as the Green Goddess). The illustration of Evil-Lyn looks menacing and all business. She is in front of Snake Mountain, and there is a Skelcon to her left. (The Skelcon is one of the upcoming SpartanNerd reviews!) MASTERVERSE is in exploding rocks on the top, and Evil-Lyn’s name is on the side slant, which invites you to look at the side art.

We see her standing, cape raised with spellcasting right hand energizing the wand. She stands on alien ground, typical Eternia yellowish brown dirt and plants. Her head appears large above her. If I was a Mint-On-Card collector, I would absolutely display this side on my shelf.

Let’s see the other side.

More Skelcons, and lest we forget, Panthor coming down the stairs on the side of Snake Mountain. Notably, just in the past few days Mattel Creations posted Panthor for order, and I jumped on that so fast. (Panthor review coming hopefully before the end of February!)

Also notable on this side is a glimpse into where this line could go. That moon with a face on it is from the New Adventures line. (Nordor?) I believe the only New adventures MASTERVERSE figure out there is Slush Head. I have seen him on clearance in a couple of places. While I believe Slush Head is cool, and on of my brothers had this vintage figure, New Adventures doesn’t appeal to me very much. This isn’t “my He-Man.”

And here we have my least favorite thing about the recent packaging. This is a photoshopped image of the figure. Pointing out that she appears more “yellow” here, while the figure is Caucasian. (I prefer my Evil-Lyn figures to not be yellow in general). She stands in front of a fungus covered Eternian tree, with a blob of red magic photoshopped on a layer behind the wand, notably assembled in long configuration. Pictures clockwise around show Evil-Lyn raising her hand above the crystal ball, the soft-goods cape, a cross sell of Evil-Lyn (why?), a cross-sell of Fisto (review here), and a cross-sell of Flying-Fist He-Man (I am not getting that.)

BUT, check out this bio. One of the best! So good I am going to re-type it here.

“EVIL-LYN| Evelyn Morgan Powers. Evelyn Morgan sold her soul to the Subternian Warrior Goddess. She was given powers beyond her dark imagination, changing her forever into Evil-Lyn.”

BOOM. This right here is what this New Eternia line is about. Evelyn Morgan Powers being Evil-Lyn’s name has been a thing since the planning stages of Masters of the Universe way back in the early 1980’s. As far as I know it wasn’t mentioned again until Masters of the Universe Classics, when they began giving “real names” to characters. Also, “Forever becoming Evil-Lyn” totally bucks the story of Revelation/Revolution, where Granymyr declares her “good” upon his death.

That she sold her soul to the Subternian Warrior Goddess…Who is that? They probably won’t make this character, so, fill in with your own Mythic Legions!

HERE’S WHAT YOU GET IN THE PACKAGE

Yep. This is it. Basically this red package contained alternate hands and the bottom of the staff.

I am going to go ahead and complain about that. Mattel ABSOLUTELY could have given us more accessories.

This is the third Evil-Lyn from the MASTERVERSE line, and only one of those came with proper accessories. Revelation Evil-Lyn came with an alternate helmet-less head, two wands (one short and one long,) a pocketbook, and alternate hands. I complained about Movie Evil-Lyn not coming with many accessories, and the same here. There is no excuse. She is known to take that helmet off. We should have gotten that. She transforms into a fireball in Filmation all the time (I watched some Filmation while I was sick…comfort food!) Why didn’t we get some kind of fireball. Or even a magic effect. Kind of like they depict photoshopped on the back. NOPE. We get alternate hands. That’s it. And we have tons of alternate hands already that fit. I am not counting the bottom of the pole as an accessory really. More like “the bottom of the weapon.”

You can see that our new Evil-Lyn is more exhibitionist than the Revelation one. She is also about an inch taller, because the thigh cut is new tech. And also the new figure has new more flattering knees. I like the translucent blue staff, but I will say I prefer the more colorful staff that came with the earlier Evil-Lyn.

FIGURE REVIEW

Having gotten that negativity out of the way, the figure is all around beautiful. This is a wonderful sculpt, and she looks like a fashion model. She isn’t “busty” as some depictions, 200x for instance. No, she is elegant…maybe even “dainty.”

PICTURED: MASTERVERSE New Eternia Evil-Lyn with Mythic Legions Magic Effects. The blue effect proves my point about that specific product. (It matches Evil-Lyn’s wand very well).

This sculpt is so good. She shows a lot of leg, and that is appreciated. Unfortunately, you can see the seams on their thighs a little too much, but this was my complaint with Snake Sorceress Teela also. The “loin cloth” hangs down hiding the crotch area, and where the drop-down hips were a problem on card, the way they look adds to the curviness of this figure. A big improvement is the knees. Before, say in Movie Evil-Lyn, the knees looked like “cellulite.” Fat knees that took away. This is what Mattel came up with to maintain more articulation. But these knees looks so much better, and the articulation is just as good. I believe it makes her thigh and calf muscles appear more ripped.

She has sculpted boots with the appearance of a furry top around her calves. So with all this fur on loin cloths, boots, armor, whatever…maybe it stays pretty cold in Eternia? Seems like a contradiction because everyone is also half-naked.

PICTURED: MASTERVERSE NE Evil-Lyn with Mythic Legions Magic effect, and Mythic Legion Ninian Infantry (Review coming soon)

Her torso…she has an ab crunch right below the bodice. We have nice sculpted details in blue and purple color scheme. She also has blue bracers on her biceps and wrists. This top is sculpted on and is non-removable. (Masters of the Universe isn’t that kind of property!) Kidding aside, you COULD remove Battleground Teela’s in the Masters of the Universe Classics line, so it was worth pointing out. (Nothing to see there, people!)

The cape…it is solid black and soft goods. Evil-Lyn can’t hold it to the side like she often did in the Filmation show. (She is rather plain under the cape. Do I have to say it again…Nothing to see there, people!) I wish this cape had a wire to it so that it could be more posable. And why didn’t Mattel give us this? It would have only added to the figure and couldn’t have cost that much. I like the purple nails.

Her face. Who is this?

PICTURED: MASTERVERSE NE Evil-Lyn

No really. Is this some actress? Model? An attractive worker at Mattel studios? I’m just saying, this face sculpt doesn’t look like any Evil-Lyn from before. Which is fine. I mean, it’s just really different but well done. The helmet seems to be a little big for the face. BUT, this brings a point. Perhaps it is a helmet with a headdress on it. Something I never thought about.

SPARTANNERD RATING OF MASTERVERSE NEW ETERNIA EVIL-LYN

She gets a point for this terrific sculpt. Mattel needs to bring this A-Game to every MASTERVERSE figure.

Her paint is great, from her nails to the fur on her boots, to that wonderful vexing face.

Her articulation is usual…I will say I had a little bit of trouble getting her to stand at first, but after some wrangling this hasn’t been a problem…certainly not a stupid problem to deduct a point.

And she adds what to my collection…the best female sculpt I have. Better than Green Goddess, Battleground Teela, other Evil-Lyn figures…any of them! She seems to go right with King Conan and Boreus here.

PICTURED: Mythic Legions Boreus (Horse), Super7 Ultimates! King Conan, and MASTERVERSE NE Evil-Lyn. On an adventure in what tiny bit of snow we have had this Winter. In fact, for several Winters Spartanburg South Carolina has had no snow.

She loses a point because Mattel just didn’t give us more accessories. I think about this problem, and … I don’t know the business, but here is a thought.

She stands an inch taller than earlier Evil-Lyn figures. That’s an inch more of plastic and paint. That would be accessories, because they haven’t raised the price. Maybe I’m wrong. But regardless, Evil-Lyn should have more things. Filmation artifacts, scanners and collars from the movie, magic effects, or a fireball…something. And what about Screech and (and Zoar for that matter?) This would have been a cool addition.

So the SpartanNerd rates MASTERVERSE New Eternia Evil-Lyn a 4/5. Do you agree or disagree, Hub City Geeks? Let me know in the comments! Also be sure to go over to YouTube to like and subscribe to my content. There you will find this review in a different form, as well as other recent reviews of MASTERVERSE, Mythic Legions, and other 6”/7” figures.

MASTERVERSE New Eternia Fisto-SpartanNerd Unboxing and Review

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Fisto…Total FOMO.

I didn’t have Fisto as a kid. BUT, the character has always resonated with me. A guy with a huge prosthetic fist. That is a cool power! And that it is a metal tank of a weapon.

Back to the FOMO. When they released the Masters of the Universe Classics version, he was one of the first that you had to order online only, and like no one got him. Matty Collector crashed, and just like that. Bots or something snatched them all up when the site came back online, and just like that, all of them were sold.

The MOTUC version was REALLY COOL. He looked awesome, with some 200x flare, which was unusual for the time in the life of the MOTUC line, and also he came with this huge Final Fantasy VII kind of sword….Just an extra incredible detail. And I think that sword was designed for 200x but didn’t ship or something?

And so after-market MOTUC Fisto is a very high priced toy. Then they came out with a kind of lame version for Masterverse Revelation. What a letdown.

When they showed off this new Fisto, I was shocked and completely knew I would be getting it. No regrets this time.

Or are there? Keep reading, Hub City Geeks!

PACKAGING

Fisto comes in this awesome package, this time showing off some cartoon baddies not often seen. These are the orcs from the mini comic “Masks of Power,” where these little monster guys put on the masks and turn into big monsters. This mini comic was the pack-in with Fisto, and so it is a nice homage on the box. It would be TOTALLY AWESOME if they gave us these orcs sometime in the future. And why not? They are doing Skelcons.

The sides also show some of this action, with one panel featuring He-Man throwing one of the bad guys. There are also some notable flying enemies.

The back of course features a photoshop of the toy.

It is a cool addition to the story that he has bonded with the “mystical Iron Fist” in his bio. The three images on the cross sell art…I am passing on Flying Fists He-Man. Never been a fan. And this is the same bad face treatment as Thunder Punch He-Man had. Big Bad Toy Store has charged me for Evil-Lyn, but she hasn’t shipped yet. I expect she might be here before the end of the week. (What is it with me and Evil-Lyn? This will be number 3.)

One more thing. Inside the package is a little bag for his accessories, and I think this is the first time we have this specific style of baggie.

It features the modern font for Masters of the Universe in black over blue.

FISTO FIGURE REVIEW

Here’s what you get in the box

  • Fisto figure
  • Alternate vintage-style head
  • Alternate left hand (fist)
  • Curved sword (cutless?)
  • Battle hammer

The head that comes on him out of the box is an older, more wizened portrait with gray details on his beard, especially coming down from the “soul patch” to the goatee. There is also a mask that reminds me of something from She-Ra. That mask is not removable. He also has a top-knot ponytail.

PICTURED: MASTERVERSE New Eternia Man-At-Arms and Fisto.

The second head is the classic Fisto portrait. Younger and what you expect.

PICTURED: MASTERVERSE Revelation Sorceress, New Eternia Fisto, and their daughter Teela (this is a mash-up Teela) I am following the 200x story here, where Fisto and Sorceress are deadbeat parents and Man-At-Arms has to raise her.
PICTURED: MASTERVERSE New Eternia Fisto rides on Mythic Legions Boreus. It just seems right to have Fisto ride on a horse. This is because he is often pictured riding Stridor, who we don’t have a proper MASTERVERSE version of yet.

This arm is also what is different. Fisto not only has a metal fist, but now for New Eternia has a whole robotic arm. This reminds me of the whole “techno-virus” story angle from the pre-ternia mini comics and more recently from the Revolution cartoon. In other words, watch out. Perhaps Fisto can be easily controlled by the likes of Motherboard and Skeletek.

ACCESSORIES

This is a character where the accessories and the figure kind of run together. The battle hammer has modular business ends. That spike looks like it could do some damage, or at least bust up some ice. The other “dome” end is similar to Man-At-Arms weapon. Now these two pieces can be swapped out. You could just have half a hammer, or you could remove Fisto’s metal fist and swap it with one of the hammer heads.

The other accessory is the purple “cutless.” Not a giant buster sword. BOO! This was a missed opportunity, Mattel! As a weapon on its own without that context, it is just fine. I think it might be a copy of the one that comes with New Eternia Jitsu, (which I don’t have…Maybe I should get?)

SPARTANNERD’S RATING OF NEW ETERNIA FISTO

The sculpt looks good. The paint looks great, with two heads for different looks taking that piece beyond the expected. I DO think the fist might be just a little bit too small (Beast Man, Snout Spout, and Ram Man have similar sized hands.) The accessories are fine even though I wish it came with an anime sword…but this can’t figure in to the rating. It is novel that you can swap the hammer heads with the fist, and as a bonus, Trap Jaw’s parts (and Roboto’s?) can also go with Fisto. And already the pirate hook looks cool, if just a little bit rustier of a finish.

PICTURED: MASTERVERSE New Eternia Fisto and Trap Jaw

And also importantly, he represents another good guy to go with the inferior force that the SpartanNerd has. (Still missing, Stratos, Buzz-Off, Extendar, Rio Blast, Roboto, Moss Man, Prince Adam, King Randor, and Queen Marlena. Yes, some of these exist but not in a proper form. OK, Zoar also.) As a contrast, I have every important bad guy represented except for Modulok and Cobra Kahn. OK, Screech. The Snake Men should be coming out soon in MASTERVERSE, at least there have been hints.

So with great sculpt, paint, accessories, no problems along the QC area or with articulation, and that he represents something special to the SpartanNerd, he gets a 5/5. We start the new year off with a bang of a punch.

PICTURED: Super7 Ultimates! Battle of the Mounds Valeria (Spirit), MASTERVERSE New Eternia Mekaneck, and Fisto. We all know that Mekaneck had it coming…

Do you agree or disagree, Hub City Geeks? Let me know in the comments! Also check out the SpartanNerd’s new video content on YouTube.

SpartanNerd Blog- Best (and worst) of 2024

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I actually did this one as a YouTube video first! So you can check that out here, or keep reading for practically the same content.

I’m not ranking these. They are all great! Someone on here might have gotten a 4/5, but over time have grown to be among the top. So no haters…OK!

FIGURA OBSCURA Father Christmas (review link)

After taking off the red and white costume, and putting it in the terrific packaging for storage until Thanksgiving or Christmas In July…(or maybe some other reason, who knows?) you have a generic elf knight body that you can continue to use all year. YAY!

Cosmic Legions SSKURR’GE (Whiplash homage) (review link)

This thing is just great! Amazing sculpt and green paint. He fits the MOTU need for Whiplash very well. It is just too bad that neither head that he came with really looks like Whiplash. I can find a customized version out there, or maybe eventually something will come out that will work.

Super7 ULTIMATES! King Conan (review link)

I could have put any of my Conan action figures here. I chose the king because he is really different…one of the most “clothed” versions of the character. I could have thrown Thulsa Doom in here easily, though. I have him holding the axe (in the video) from the Battle of the Mounds Conan, just because I like my Conan figures to hold an axe 75% of the time!

MASTERVERSE New Eternia Snout Spout (review link)

I almost passed on this. He was available for so long, and I kept waffling. Then I finally pulled the trigger on the Mattel Creations purchase and I am glad I did. He is HUGE. And that sculpt doesn’t look anything like a “sad Dumbo.” I had the chance over the weekend to pick up the 200x Staction version, but this version is better simply because it is an action figure. It’s true the Four Horsemen sculpt is better, but this MASTERVERSE version takes design cues from that and is superior in articulation and accessories.

MASTERVERSE New Eternia Mekaneck (review link)

You can see that my Mekaneck has more neck than he came with stock. I’ll get to the reason why later…

Mekaneck is just great. That we got all of those neck joints…great! His paint is flashy and his armor is just right. And how they are presenting him story wise is also different, with him now taking on underwater responsibilities, getting him away from just “reconnaissance,” as if that wasn’t important. (reconnaissance is VERY IMPORTANT, Hub City Geeks). And that he fills the essential role of Mekaneck in the lineup of heroes is also very nice.

Cosmic Legions Wal-Torr the Mad and T.U.5.C.C. Pilot (review link)

Hey. My list and my rules. I am including Carolina and Clemson on this one! Both have terrific sculpt, paint, and accessories. AND if I was rich I might army build these guys.

MASTERVERSE New Eternia Skeletor’s Throne (review link)

I could have considered Conan’s throne or Boreus (the horse at the top with Santa) as Diorama pieces, but Skeletor’s Throne is the best. It generally sits in the middle of the bad guys, and any of the many versions of Skeletor that I have can fit well on it.

WHO ELSE SHOULD I HAVE INCLUDED IN MY VIDEO? Probably Snake Sorceress Teela, (who I call the Green Goddess.) (review link)

NOW FOR THE WORST OF THE YEAR. (review link)

MASTERVERSE New Eternia Sy-Clone

Remember when I had more necks for Mekaneck? That’s because Mattel Q.C. Sent me another copy of him to atone for the missing mask on Sy-Clone. Mattel didn’t bring us a product that matched past versions…no lenticular sticker on the chest like the vintage one, no ring on his back like the 200x and Classics version. What was supposed to be new and different was that mask. They included these fire effects that can fit on the shield or on his wrists, and they are cool, but they should be IN ADDITION not in place of. He just feels uninspired to me, and with the missing mask, I feel this figure is one of the lowest of the year.

MASTERVERSE Movie Beast Man (review link)

Ugh.

He looks like the salesman for beef jerky or the Geico caveman. He doesn’t look like the movie representation. They should have gone with rooted hair and more of a Grizzlor approach to have done him right. Now we probably won’t get another version of this in the next 15 or 20 years. And that makes this an extra bummer. The design choices of making those hair-mats out of plastic armor pieces…I hope we don’t see those again. And that armor is kind of crappy. And the face sculpt is off. I hate to be negative, but WHY? Probably has to do with rights, etc.

SO DO YOU AGREE OR DISAGREE, HUB CITY GEEKS? LET ME KNOW IN THE COMMENTS! Also, please support the new YouTube video formats coming for 2025.

MASTERVERSE Revolution Sorceress Teela…SpartanNerd Unboxing and Review

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Looks like the SpartanNerd is playing with his dolls again…

At this point I have several female action figures. I really value my girls. But I was on the fence about this one because of the preview photos, but also…I mean you can see what threw me off of getting her. She is beautifully painted and sculpted, but that upper thigh cut and the execution of the leg joints makes her look awkward right away. And not just me…I asked a few others and they felt the same way.

I get that MASTERVERSE figures have advanced articulation, but Mattel…KNOW YOUR CUSTOMERS. Who are we? Middle-aged adults who are more into displaying or photographing our figures. To that end, anything that makes the figure look worse…at least give it second thoughts. This has been a thing since the MOTUC She-Ra had the hole in her head…since the MOTUC Sorceress had big drums on her back to execute wing articulation.

Now depending on your feelings…maybe you LIKE the way this looks. It doesn’t work for me, and is why I almost punted on this purchase.

PACKAGING

You can see the window box at the top of the post how she looks on the shelf. It is a big MASTERVERSE-style window box, showing a great illustration of the character surrounded by magical snakes. I am going to say that it is notable that she is called “Sorceress Teela.” This is one of the Revolution designs from the Netflix show. In the past she has been known as “The Goddess” or sometimes “The Green Goddess” and also “The Sorceress of Serpos.” But they are going to stick with “Sorceress Teela” which is fine. I kind of like the idea of her being a different character, and maybe someday there will be a “New Eternia” release, maybe even with translucent plastic like they did with MOTUC. (I’ve only seen that one in box…it has notorious crumbly plastic). Readers should know…there is ANOTHER figure out there with the same name, with a more traditional “sorceress of Zoar” design. Maybe I’ll pick it up one day, but I am salty still about the MASTERVERSE Revelation Sorcerss’ problems.

They absolutely cheated on the back of this box…that is a picture of the toy…notice that they photoshopped out that seam at the upper thigh articulation. The cross-sell on the bottom features Man-Of-War, Sorceress Teela, New Eternia Mer-Man, and New Eternia Battle Armor Skeletor. I really want Battle Armor Skeletor, but it looks like I might have missed it.

I generally like what is on the back and sides. One of the sides shows Sorceress Teela holding the Staff of Ka and the other shows all three staves (Havoc Staff, Staff of Ka in a neutral pose, and Staff of Zoar). In the cartoon, she had to master all three kinds of magic to become the “Tri-Sorceress.”

Just a side note…I’m completely into the design of husband-and-wife He-Man and Teela the Tri-Sorceress at the end of the show. AND I think they could sell those two as a set and I would totally buy it. In fact…don’t tell anyone…I would buy this as a BARBIE set! (Also…when will we get the completely awesome Sorceress of Havoc?!)

WHAT DO YOU GET IN THE BOX

Contents:

  • Sorceress Teela figure
  • Staff of Ka
  • Snake magic effect
  • Alternate hands (she has gripping and open hands)

Not many accessories…

FIGURE REVIEW

PICTURED: Sorceress Teela using the Snake Men backdrop that came with New Eternia Snout Spout. This photo makes her look a bit like an Egyptian goddess. Egyptian has already proven to be OK for the Sorceress back in the 200x days.

As a figure, the paint is really good. This is green plastic all over, but such a pleasing shade! They painted the toenails black and the fingernails red. The armor is non-removable (painted on). That she has long sleeves painted on and naked legs makes her more reptilian. They also gave her painted anklets.

I don’t know if it is the bare feet or not, but I have had a hard time getting her to stand.

PICTURED: Sorceress Teela with Savage He-Man. Savage has 40th anniversary He-Man’s head, and she is presenting him with the armor and weapons similar to the first “mini-comic.”

You can see in the storybook homage photo above that Savage He-Man doesn’t have trouble with his bare feet. But he has big boats while she has dainty green princess feet, and maybe it’s the giant hood that causes the balance issues.

PICTURED: MASTERSE Force Captain Teela and Sorceress Teela, both with their heads swapped. Notice Force Captain’s headdress is the MOTUC weapons pack version, as well as the Staff of Ka. I only did this head swap for the review…why would you ever do this for a main display?

Speaking of the hood, I wish you could remove it from her head. That this is glued on takes away from what could have been an amazing feature of the toy.

The tail is soft goods…effectively making this a “dress.” I know you are wondering out there, so here you go…(pictured below)

PICTURED: Sorcerss Teela and Conan Battle of the Mounds Valeria (Spirit)

If you have Sorceress Teela “half-cheek” it you get an unsightly view of those upper leg joints. Similar to Super7 Ultimates! Conan Battle of the Mounds Valeria. And if you zoom in you will see that the black stripe visible in this picture is a shadow, not paint. (That’s how bad it is…Cringy)

Ultimately, though, the tail isn’t meant to do this…it is meant to always cover her backside. And it doesn’t look bad. I wish it had print on both sides of the dress, but one sided works just fine.

ACCESSORIES

PICTURED: MASTERVERSE New Eternia Skeletor Throne and MASTERVERSE Revolution Sorceress Teela. She is showing off the Staff of Ka that she came with, as well as the one that came with the throne.

The Staff of Ka is really what pushed me over the edge to go ahead and purchase this. This is the best painted snake staff we have had in Mattel Masters of the Universe ever. You can see how lacking the Skeletor one is by comparison in the picture above. In fact, I plan on painting Skeletor’s now (maybe one day when it snows).

PICTURED: Sorceress Teela with Mythic Legions magic effects.

The snake magic effect is cool…I just wish there were more of it. BUT…you can use Mythic Legions Magic Effects with her just great!

SPARTANNERD’S RATING OF MASTERVERSE REVOLUTION SORCERESS TEELA.

Why does The Sorceress always get messed up in action figure form? Below is a picture of four versions of Teela and Sorceress Mattel has given us.

Each of these have had some kind of issue except for MASTERVERSE Force Captain Teela. MASTERVERSE Revelation Sorceress (Teela-Na) has those stupid soft-goods wings. Masters of the Universe Classics Battleground Teela has the strange “table” effect on the waist when you turn the body. And now the Green Goddess has the strange thigh-cuts that make her pelvic region awkward for Reverend SpartanNerd to talk about. And notice I “kit-bashed” Battleground Teela and Force Captain Teela. I still think the legs on the MOTUC version are the better female legs. That double jointed knee looks like cellulite. And the MOTUC version also just didn’t have a thigh-cut. It wasn’t needed and the Four Horsemen knew it.

As it is, Force Captain Teela with the MOTUC gear is still the best. But as much griping as I have done about Snake Sorceress (Green Goddess and Snake Sorceress are the names I usually use), as an action figure she is great. She really “feels” like a different character, actually in the show as well. And she is very enjoyable to play with…not displeasing to the eye. I think the thigh cut problem looks its worse while the figure is standing in the box, which is too bad for MOC collectors. As you are posing her around, you can minimize her un-sexiness actually much better than you can Super7 Valeria (Spirit).

So positives…Terrific paint, on both the figure and also the Staff of Ka. She is very articulated and is currently the most “free” to pose female figure because her armor is painted on. Negatives…the articulation seams are unsightly visible and especially distracting from what would be a great female body sculpt. She didn’t come with many accessories, and that the hood is non-removable is a missed opportunity.

I am going to rate this figure a 2/5. She’s a lot of fun but has her problems…problems that are poor design choices that could have been handled differently. Do you agree or disagree, Hub City Geeks? Let me know in the comments!

MASTERVERSE New Eternia SY-CLONE unboxing and review

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I picked up New Eternia Sy-Clone at the end of July at Target in Greer, SC. It was a new display, that had Sy-Clone and Thunder Punch He-Man, and maybe Emperor Hordak and Leech. I already had Thunder Punch, and I am waiting on a better Hordak. Never been a fan of Leech. Sy-Clone is kind of a B-List character, but there have been recent comics of him. I figured he might get snatched up.

I remember having this guy as a child. He had a little dial on the back in his waistband that you would turn it it would make his whole torso spin. I remember getting a little blister on my thumb because of that!

Another thing I enjoyed about the vintage figure was the lenticular sticker on his chest that showed a star system. The blue and yellow wacky design plus the star system and the “human tornado” feature made him extra fun.

The front package gives us a view of the figure like all recent MASTERVERSE figures. This is a window box where you can see the figure inside and maybe an accessory. Here we see Sy-Clone with his yellow shield. There is also artwork of him wearing a red mask, and those planets from the old sticker floating behind him.

The back of the package shows a photoshop of the figure in action. We also get panel views of him wearing the mask, using the shield, and using his energy effects. Also a little selfie pic in the circle by his bio…which is minimal, by the way.

There is some art on the sides also. All of this art is excellent. I just wish they wouldn’t do that “this is a photo of the toy” art on the back of the box. They should return to the full-on portraits like so many of the earlier MASTERVERSE figures had.

You might have to click these pictures to see the full art. One shows a Skel-con, which is an upcoming army builder figure, and the other depicts Sy-Clone looking like a menace. We also see the Fright Fighter, and also another spinning Gar warrior.

WHAT DO YOU GET IN THE BOX

Here we go…

  • Sy-Clone figure.
  • Yellow translucent shield
  • Alternate fists.
  • Red energy effects
  • RED MASK….WAIT-A-MINUTE!!!!!!!

Let’s check the contents next to the content list….

NOPE. NO RED MASK!!!!!

I looked and looked at the box. Maybe it was stuck in there? NOPE. I checked the floor of my kitchen to see if I might have dropped it. NOPE. It just wasn’t in the box. SIGH.

So I called up Mattel quality control, right…

OK. Do you know what you see on their website? Every kind of product except for anything Masters of the Universe. No Origins. No MASTERVERSE. NOPE! Fisher Price has a huge quality control/technical support page, which makes sense. Also Power Wheels. There are pages that address pieces of missing clothes from Barbies. There are pages about Hot Wheels sets. Not a single thing about Masters.

So I used the chatbot feature and rang up the Hot Wheels page. I figured getting someone to address my problem might not be that hard. I was given a number to call.

I had to find some numbers. One was on the bottom of the package, and the other was on the foot of the figure. This one was extra hard for me to see…I used the magnifier on my cell phone.

Only to be told they could not send me the red mask in the mail. They could not send me a replacement Sy-Clone either. They offered Mekanek. (I already owned Mekanek…I had bought him in June). And so…I accepted this. I wanted to add more pieces to his neck feature anyway.

But not having this mask takes some of the “oomph” out of the “New Eternia” branding. Without it, this might as well be strictly worse than the Masters of the Universe Classics version. The mask was something that made this unique. And I got shortchanged.

ACCESSORIES

The accessories that he DID come with are OK. I do wish the shield was bigger. The red energy effects are cool, and they can be placed on the shield to give it a spinning illusion, or on his wrists to emulate (kind of ) the vintage action feature.

ARTICULATION

He moves just fine. DANG IT! I WANT THE RED MASK!

One other complaint. Instead of the lenticular sticker, we have a clear bubble with a sticker that is NOT LENTICULAR behind it. This doesn’t light up or anything.

Speaking of Lenticular stickers…we rarely see these anymore. Have they gone the way of the buffalo?

SPARTANNERD RATING OF MASTERVERSE NEW ETERNIA SY-CLONE

“F.” No mask. No satisfaction. No lenticular sticker…no fun. No weapons besides a shield…and that is underwhelming too. The 200x and MOTUC version had this big ring that fit on his back. No ring here.

I kept putting this review off for a reason. I don’t like writing negative reviews. But with MASTERVERSE Movie Beast Man and now Sy-Clone, that’s two in a row.

This sculpt is OK. I appreciate the fins. The paint is maybe more matte than I remember the vintage one being, but perhaps my memory fails me. His face sculpt and paint makes him appear menacing.

It seems to me they could have pulled the original action feature off. Maybe not with a gear, but with a looser torso-to-waist joint.

I rate New Eternia Sy-Clone at 1/5. Too many issues that could be improved, but probably won’t be. Sy-Clone might get another release in a future. Maybe Mondo will make a 200x version that is amazing.

But at least now I can give Mekanek more of a 200x vibe!

I rate MASTERVERSE New Eternia Sy-Clone at 1/5. Do you agree or disagree, Hub City Geeks? Let me know in the comments!

Conan Battle of the Mounds

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Another one of those orders that took SO LONG. I ordered the Super7 Ultimates! Conan Battle of the Mounds set in March of 2023. And I received it right at the beginning of August 2024

And now it is the last day of September. It has taken me so long because so much drama in life. And we can cap that off with a Hurricane Helene. Regardless I am blessed. Read my review to escape the gloom and doom. (But not the Thulsa Doom.)

There are four figures in all: Conan, Subotai, Valeria (Spirit), and Thulsa Doom.

PACKAGING

You can see a review of the packaging if you click this link.

The front packaging is a nice window box where you can see every figure. There is no slip cover with these, which is different from the others that I have. There is a little bio on the back.

So we didn’t get more torches as a background…instead this bonfire behind each figure. At first glance I thought this was strictly worse. Imagine lining up those torches in a row to create a “hallway.” But actually this bonfire can be pretty useful…I have already found some creative ways to use it. So … Cool!

PICTURED: Mythic Legions Gold Knight Legion Builder (Review coming soon,) Sir Godfrey, and Cosmic Legions SSKUR’GE. This little scene is made of different packaging pieces…the fire adds some chaos. I’ll use these figures again later in the review.

I have taken some spicy pics, but for this review I am using very basic props, so you can have a fair look. In some of my prettier pictures, I am using the alternate “bloody” weapons from the exclusive super pack that you received when you ordered all of these as a set.

CONAN

First, Conan. Here is the figure with all you get in the box.

Conan comes with:

  • Conan figure
  • Scabbard for Atlantean Sword
  • Atlantean Sword
  • Battle Axe, as seen in the movie
  • Alternate, unhelmeted, neutral head sculpt.
  • Alternate hands..gripping and open.
  • Eye of the Serpent necklace

I have King Conan to compare him to. This is a classic, less costumed design as it was of the 20-something year old Arnold Schwarzenegger with his natural face. And it does indeed capture the likeness. As presented, they are two different characters. Obviously the king is old, wise, grizzled, and wizened. This is youthful arena champion-turned adventurer Conan. He is out for revenge against the cult of Set.

PICTURED: Super7 Ulimates! King Conan with Throne of Acquilonia, Super7 Ultimates! Battle of the Mounds Conan, and Masters of the Universe Classics Vikor with the alternate Battle of the Mounds head. All three are armed with a different version of The Atlantean Sword.

There is a little problem with the armor…See that button on the right shoulder? That is a rubber plug that connects the shoulder pauldron to the tunic. It might have supposed to have been glued…unsure. But it comes out, and it is difficult to get it to stay in. I’ve had to use the hairdryer.

PICTURED: Super7 Ultimates Battle of the Mounds Conan with bloodied axe, and Super7 Ultimates! “Timber” from Snake Eyes. You can see that berserker Conan here has a hole in his armor where that pauldron plugs in. In the movie, a pack of wolves attack him. Next scene, he has fur all over his armor…

The berserker/maurauder head is insane, but I prefer the more relaxed unhelmeted head.

All of the articulation is what you would expect, and furthermore if you could remove the armor, I am certain you would just have Masters of the Universe Classics Vikor’s torso buck underneath. The hair does hinder the head movement some.

Though the Atlantean Sword is huge in the movie, I believe this rendition with all of these figures is just too big to be an accurate recreation. You can see that there is better paint on this version than the version that came with the king. I haven’t had any paint chip off of the hilts in this set (yet)

THULSA DOOM

I am writing this just one week after James Earl Jones passed away. Sad stuff. He was a great actor…he contributed so much to everything he did, from Thulsa Doom to Mufasa to Darth Vader to The Sandlot. And in this movie he was a very terrifying villain if you like Conan the Barbarian at all. All of these worshippers…he had them completely hypnotized. And that he could change into a snake was a cool power. I know it was the 1980’s, but this was an underused power in the movie.

Here is what you get with Thulsa Doom:

  • Thulsa Doom figure with removable cape.
  • Alternate head sculpt capturing Thulsa’s awesome battle helmet
  • Twin daggers
  • The ceremonial snake “Fangs of the Serpent” Dagger
  • A bow with a snake arrow.
  • Alternate hands…fists and praying hands.

This sculpt looks just like James Earl Jones. Really, the likeness to the look of the character in the movie is remarkable. Just like Conan, you have identical articulation that is restricted by the head sculpt only. Very likely also Vikor’s buck with some armor sculped and glued over. This cape is an improvement on what we saw on King Conan. It has Velcro straps that reach around.

I think the helmeted head is over-the-top. I wish we had a curly snake. In the movie he takes the normal snake and stretches it into this arrow with the instructions “seek.” It becomes a homing arrow. Unfortunately, you can’t get him into a proper archery pose. Like most figures nowadays that have bows and arrows, he can’t properly “knock” the arrow. Check out the back of the cape.

The Fangs of the Serpent knife is very detailed and welcome, though I am uncertain he ever actually uses it in the movie. If I remember right, it is the king who hires them to save his daughter that has it.

SUBOTAI

If you ever read any Conan the Barbarian comics, he is usually paired with someone weaker but smarter. In this movie that is Subotai.

Here’s what Subotai comes with:

  • Subotai figure
  • Alternate head with a different expression
  • Spear
  • Short sword with a scabbard
  • Bow with arrow
  • Alternate hands with…wait for it…separations in the fingers so you can “attempt” a proper arrow pose.

This buck is different, and I looked to see who I have that might share it. I believe Ultimates! Snake Eyes from GI Joe has this same torso. It is smaller, skinnier as to be expected with no ab crunch.

Once again, this head sculpt looks like the actor and the character. (Gerry Lopez-he is also a professional surfer!)

Perhaps of the four, this is my least favorite. But it is good variety, and I wish I had the monk guy, and also Thorgrim, (this figure costs a ton at this point). And now an admission from the SpartanNerd. I got so frustrated trying to get Subotai into an arrow pose, I didn’t even try with Thulsa Doom. 😦

PICTURED: Super7 Ultimates! Battle of the Mouinds Conan and Subotai with MASTERVERSE New Eternia Snout Spout. There is a classic Robert E. Howard story, the Tower of the Elephant, or something like that. So here is a remix of that.

VALERIA (Spirit)

Valeria isn’t even named in the movie, only the credits. But she is truly the driver of this story about a slave who finds freedom. She has her own type of slavery to be free of.

This is the perfect portrait of Sandahl Bergman. I’m sure Arnold and the estate of James Earl Jones don’t need this NIL money so much, but I hope this figure bankrolls Sandahl and Gerry. Especially Sandahl, who was such an underused actress after this terrific performance. Enough glowing…get to it SpartanNerd! Of these four figures, Valeria is my favorite to photograph!

But we don’t get much with this figure. And readers of the blog know that this really bothers the SpartanNerd.

With Valeria we get…

  • A slender, curved sword, like she wields in her final scene.
  • Alternate hands. There are gripping and fists. (She came with princess wave hands displayed).

And that’s it. 😦

We could have got The Eye of the Serpent necklace that she and Conan stole. (But Conan from this same set came with that…)

We could have got…really all kinds of accessories. But we got just the basics. To be fair, this is what she used in the scene where she returns as a Valkyrie to save Conan, and this is what she was wearing.

So…some sort-of uncomfortable things to talk about…

To preserve her side hip profile, which is obviously a panty-less lady barbarian, there is a ”split” in the skirt piece on her leotard. This is left unpainted, but you can see the joint seams, and that isn’t very flattering.

(OK…she has silver-painted under there. I know someone was wondering. Reverend SpartanNerd condemns thee!) But on the side profile, what could be the most attractive curve on the figure…the way this breaks up the sculpt doesn’t do it for me.

The articulation is very good, and she can turn her head but you have to move her locks over. These shoulder pauldrons are glued on, and her straps are painted details. That she is chrome silver is very nice.

PICTURED: Super7 Ultimates Valeria (Spirit) and Mythic Legions Sir Godfrey. Both have brilliant chrome paint.

I think Sandahl is actually taller than this figure portrays. Probably to accommodate those ridiculous wings on top of the helmet (AWESOME!), they made the figure just a tad shorter. Below I am showing off the Masters of the Universe Classics Battleground Teela along with Valeria (Spirit,) and I think they have made her shorter. Wouldn’t this figure technically be the 5.0 MOTUC figure?

The Snake Dagger is perfect with the Teela, Warrior Goddess outfit.

Actually, I think they are the same basic body. So maybe not. Maybe just the MOTUC scale is actually too small to properly capture Sandahl’s height. (I am using the MASTERVERSE Revelation Teela’s alternate hair’s-down head, as I usually do. No, it doesn’t fit snugly)

BATTLE OF THE MOUNDS BLOODY WEAPONS SUPER PACK

Here’s what you get with this exclusive pack:

  • Conan Broken Father Sword
  • Conan Atlantean Sword (Bloody)
  • Subotai Spear (Bloody)
  • Subotai Arrow (Bloody)
  • Thulsa Doom Fangs of the Serpent Dagger (Bloody)
  • Subotai Sword (Bloody)
  • Valeria Sword (bloody)
  • Conan Axe (Bloody)
  • Conan Father Sword
Don’t these guys just look better armed with these weapons!

Conan’s father’s sword, along with the father’s half-sword he uses when he defeats Thulsa Doom at the end of the movie… I believe this is the only way to get these two weapons. Conan’s father’s sword is even bigger than the Atlantean sword.

PICTURED: Super7 Ultimates! Thulsa Doom armed with Conan’s Father Sword. he is on the MASTERVERSE New Eternia Bone Throne. If someone besides Skeletor would sit there, it would be Thulsa Doom or King Hiss.
SPOILER ALERT. This is how the movie ends.

SPARTANNERD’S RATING OF THE BATTLE OF THE MOUNDS SET

How should I even do this? As a set, it is a perfect 5/5…it leaves me wanting more, like Thorgrim and the monk guy. Isn’t there another barbarian thug on Thulsa’s team? I think so. I want those guys. As a set, 5/5.

Here is my rating of each part of the set.

Conan– 4/5. The armor strap button is a problem. You can see how loose it is even in these pictures.

Thulsa Doom– 5/5. James Earl Jones is honored very well with this figure.

Subotai– 4/5. even though he has that notched finger, it is still pretty hard to get him to pull off an archers pose.

Valeria (Spirit)– The sculpt and the paint carries this one. 5/5…my favorite to photograph. Though there are some unsightly seams on the hips and not many accessories.

Bloodied Weapons Super Pack– 5/5. How useful are these?! See above…the snake witches knife goes perfect with Teela in her cobra snake armor. As far as I know, we never had Conan’s father’s sword. The other weapons are the same that came with the other figures, but with blood. How can that be worse than plain?

So do you agree, or disagree, Hub City Geeks? This time Super7 didn’t ask me to apply for their affiliate program. Either way, these figures are excellent, and I highly recommend them if you like Conan the Barbarian or just barbarians in general.