There was a bevy of announcements back in April, 2024 for MASTERVERSE and also Origins. Maybe these were a leak, and then Mattel just went ahead and made official announcements? Among this news, I ordered New Eternia Thunder Punch He-Man. (I also ordered New Eternia Skeletor with throne!) And I was surprised to see it ship in May. What are the SpartanNerd’s thoughts on this interpretation of the classic He-Man variant? Keep reading!
PACKAGING
Watch the SpartanNerd’s commentary on the packaging HERE.
I really did enjoy looking at the box for awhile. What I didn’t mention was it looked like He-Man was “sticking out his gut.” And indeed, when I took him out of the box, I was dumbfounded that his torso WOULD NOT MOVE. I got a little bit of bowing back even further…and this exposed a definite “daylight” in the ab crunch. I was so upset about this, I left it on the kitchen table and would mess with it every few hours. Then finally, I broke out the hairdryer. IT DIDN”T WORK! So I looked this issue up, and apparently on Reddit some people have had trouble with Tri-Klops. The solution was to just run hot water over the figure while holding it upside down. The water will penetrate the joint and allow things to loosen up. And am I glad this worked! It was bothering me seriously. Like, I was ready to categorize this figure with Marvel Legends Thor. He-Man can’t have issues like that! But with the ab crunch corrected, I decide to get in more photographs.
CONTENTS
Here’s what comes in the package:
Thunder Punch He-Man with backpack
New “power-up” bracers
gold Power Sword
classic Thunder Punch style shield
2 fake caps, one gold and the other red
yellow fireball punch effects
alternate hands (2 punching, 2 gripping)
Lots of accessories, but, with some extra functionality.
PLAYING WITH THE FIGURE
Let’s look at the back of this figure first. The backpack is what Thunder Punch He-Man is all about actually anyway.
What you do is you open the backpack and place one of the caps in. I prefer the gold one in the backpack because it adds a little pop of color. This serves no function except for nostalgia. There is a small window where you can see the caps in there, but you can only barely see them and then only when viewed from the top angle.
With the backpack closed, you can see this knob. And this is also a throwback to the 1980s. This knob has a satisfying ratchet sound effect and feel when you turn it. There is a hole in the middle of the knob which serves an additional purpose.
You can put either of the caps in the shield for storage and aesthetics, and also the sword which I definitely remember from the vintage days. But the ability to store all of this on his back is new, as is a welcome improved detail which should have been a no brainer. I suppose you could look at this differently though. Unless another figure comes with a peg hole in its arms or back, this shield can only be used for Thunder Punch He-Man.
As usual, you can see where the armor straps are coming loose with really minimal play. (All I did was open it and put a cap in.). Not horrible, but this is a consistent struggle really with all Masters of the Universe action figures.
Here is He-Man “armed to the teeth.” The only accessories not here are the extra fists. I would like to note that the fireball effects fit on either kinds of hands, but fit best on the punching fist hands. When armed this way, if He-Man punches with his left, the shield becomes a “buster shield” as seen in Gundam.
Notice that the shield pegs in to the bracers, not the arms.
If you want more of a vintage look, then the bracers remove easily. (This photo was an attempt at the “Iron Man” pose…).
THOUGHTS ON THE PAINT
Now for my first real complaint. you can’t have that vintage look with this figure. For you see, the colors are very muted. I remember the original figure having candy-apple red armor and vac-metal parts. For instance the center of the armor and the shield. These should be vac-metal. I don’t understand what it takes to do vac-metal on a toy. But this was a place they shouldn’t have skimped on it.
I have other complaints about the paint. His skin tone is “orange.” Because I teach middle school chorus, to largely female students, I know this “spray-tan” look well. Not flattering for the most powerful man in the universe.
I have heard people rave about this head sculpt. It is supposedly the same head that Faker came with. (I ordered Faker but he got lost in the mail 😦 ). But as in any sculpt only as good as the paint job. His eyes appear to have eyeliner. This time he has blue eyes also, and his eyebrows aren’t as engaged.
PICTURED: MASTERVERSE 40th Anniversary He-Man and MASTERVERSE New Eternia Thunder Punch He-Man.
Don’t know if the skin tone is coming through in this photo, but trust me. It is there. My complaint about 40th Anniversary He-Man’s head sculpt is that he looks indecisive and lacking in confidence. But I have to prefer it to Thunder Punch’s softer features. On the upside, these are brown boots with white fur on top, and a brown loin cloth. 40th Anniversary boots can only really go for another He-Man or barbarian super hero, while you could use Thunder Punch’s body almost anywhere a fury loincloth can work.
PICTURED: Clawful and Thunder Punch He-Man. Both are MASTERVERSE New Eternia figures. You can really tell the difference in the reds…He-Man has a more muted, less striking red. Not quite pink but approaching. Also notice that the SpartanNerd painted that boring shield that came with Clawful.PICTURED: MASTERVERSE New Eternia Thuunder Punch He-Man and Masters of the Universe Classics Battle Cat.
In the above two pictures, you can see where the red on New Eternia Thunder Punch He-Man doesn’t stack up to other reds where he should drop right in with. Clawful has beautiful dark-red paint as well as glossy details. He-Man from the same line has minimal paint. Things are “molded” in their color, without hardly even a wash. And the choice to tone down his coloring is baffling and disappointing. As for MOTUC Battle Cat, we all know that is a whole different level of sculpting and paint (and money!) But, this is what the true A-Lister of Thunder Punch He-Man deserves. Somehow on the deco it seems they cut the corners.
SPARTANNERD’S RATING OF MASTERVERSE NEW ETERNIA THUNDER PUNCH HE-MAN
It seems I wrote alot of complaints about the paint. But this is a really good figure! Very posable, even if none of the MASTERVERSE figures so far can really do the “Iron Man” pose. I don’t have a picture yet, but Thunder Punch He-Man sits on Battle Cat beautifully. His loin cloth is softer, and allows for better sitting poses…a plus if the upcoming Skeletor with throne does the same. He also came with terrific accessories and good play value.
I mentioned this before, but as an adult I am not spending much time playing so much as displaying any of my toys. And this is where sculpting and paint takes a higher priority in my ratings system. A kid or other person who plays heavily with the toys will get very much out of Thunder Punch He-Man. But for me, it is the nostalgia, and that paint misses it for me.
My other complaint about the ab crunch doesn’t get dinged in the ratings. The hot water really did cure it, and because I pre-ordered my figure, perhaps mine has “early production” issues. If I was a Mint-On-Card collector this would have been sent back, the way he was contorted in the box. But I’m not, and this might not be an across-the-board problem…maybe even only my figure.
The SpartanNerd’s rating of MASTERVERSE New Eternia Thunder Punch He-Man is 4/5. Do you agree or disagree, Hub-City Geeks? Let me know in the comments!
Why do I like Conan the Barbarian so much? Basically he is the “anti-SpartanNerd.” Whatever I would do, Conan would do the opposite. For instance, if he gets mad…chop! Accompanied with “splish!” and then “Thud, thud, thump” head rolling down the steps. If I get mad, I might look at you funny…
I have anticipated this product for a LONG TIME. So long, in fact that I am not pre-ordering these Ultimates anymore. Yes…they cost more on the shelf. But I haven’t seen many rare ones. I have seen some Conan the Barbarian Ultimates! on the shelf at different stores, ranging in price from $55 (asking price) to $100 (Collectors market price). And for massive fans of the 1982 movie, this is great. I am a more casual fan of barbarians in general. But at this point I have seen the movie three times over the past 18 months, counting just last night so I could catch up for accuracy as I blog. I give the movie a solid B-Minus, that is if The Empire Strikes Back gets an A+ for reference. (Mattel wasn’t exaggerating when they passed on making Conan the Barbarian toys on account of a movie with gratuitous sex and violence…but the movie DOES capture what the comics and literature are about far better than its sequel, Conan the Destroyer). But I have a MASSIVE collection of Conan the Barbarian comics. I especially enjoyed the Dark Horse books. What they are doing now is OK, and they are going to drop a “Howardverse” on us all in the fall time. I don’t know if I will be all into that, but it might be cool! (Robert E. Howard, for anyone who doesn’t know. He is perhaps the inventor of “sword and sorcery” literature, and Conan’s creator).
Click the link here for a review of the packaging.
Let me go ahead and say some things for the haters:
I have been doing the SpartanNerd blog for years now. I have rarely done a video! Camera shy. I cringe as I hem and haw. But I am honest.
The lighting in the room isn’t great, and my glasses weren’t helping me read off of the package. I assure you…I CAN READ. My synopsis of the movie was purposely not detailed. I wasn’t even trying to do a movie synopsis!
A couple of errors. After watching the movie last night another time, I realize the villain was Thulsa Doom, not Thoth-Amon. This is really unforgivable. Sorry! I guess my nerves got the best of me. And then the other is that it wasn’t the Sword of Aquilonia that was broken in half…it was his father’s sword that we saw forged at the beginning of the movie.
REVIEW OF THE KING CONAN.
He is just SO EPIC!
Now this is just me geeking out. Some reference…my worst action figure is Marvel Legends Thor (classic comics appearance). I say this is the worst because he is not very posable. He has kneepads that break off and have to be glued. He doesn’t stand well with the heavy plastic cape. He came with Mjonir, that doesn’t fit in his hand well. That hand is a weapon holding hand where the thumb is attached to the fingers (creating a circle,) so that the weapon has to be slid in from the top. More like “forced” in. He came with a plastic rock to stand on, and I have gotten more use out of that rock than Thor!
Why this commercial about a different toy? King Conan soundly defeats that and is in the same collectors category, that’s why. We have multiple, swappable hands to be sure he can hold his weapons. (Just that sentence has TWO strictly better cards.). He has an alternate head. (It’s not THAT different). He is super articulated, and stands very sturdy. The sculpt is brilliant, and some of this toy WAS sculpted by the Four Horsemen…there are reused parts from Masters of the Universe Classics Vikor. (Vikor has so far been my favorite action figure, along with Battleground Teela. I kept them after selling off most of my MOTUC collection).
Pictured: Masters of the Universe Classics Vikor and Super7 Ultimates! King Conan. Both are flexing for the camera. Vikor has been my favorite action figure. Pretty much hands down. And if you read the SpartanNerd Blog enough, you know I have lots of pictures of him.
It is apparent when you look at that ab-crunch joint. And I haven’t tried to take off the belt (probably shouldn’t) but you can also see the belly button. Super7 solved one problem with that wrestler-style belt in that twisting his waist doesn’t give us that awkward “table shelf” apparent on the MOTUC figure. You can see from this shirtless flex that Vikor has unsightly pins in his elbow and knee joints. You can’t see a single joint on King Conan except for the torso. All of the cuts in the arms are very well concealed by the sculpt, and the knees and ankles have armor pieces that cover the joints.
Pictured: Masters of the Universe Classics Vikor and Super7 Ultimates! King Conan, with head swaps. It works very well…another clue that this is part re-use. Also, the figure on the left is holding the flail from Four Horsemen Studios Demistros.
Let’s talk about the “portrait.” He does look like Arnold Schwarzenegger, and this is what is important, isn’t it! I was tempted on the last time I went to Wal-Mart to pick up a NECA Terminator 2 action figure of The Govenator…just to compare. (I’m also a fan of that movie, of course. Almost anything Arnold. Even Mr. Freeze). No need for all of that. My only issue is that one of the head sculpts doesn’t have pupils. This is kind of un-nerving to me. There is alot of “fog” in the cinematography, and they didn’t record in high-definition either, but you can still see the pupils anyway. If anything, his eyes are darker. Just white spheres doesn’t do it for me. Now my child can probably remedy this with painting skills…I know I can’t do it!
The accessories that came with King Conan are the Sword of Aquilonia and another short sword pictured above. (It is good that it comes with a scabbard). I am uncertain where the design of this sword came from. Is it something extra that Super7 came up with, or is it a part of the costume that we can’t really see in the image from the movie? (Like…is it from production notes or something?) Someone out there knows this answer!
The Sword of Aquilonia…it does have a drab paint-job. But after watching the movie last night, I realize that this is accurate to what came with the toy. King Conan isn’t specifically pictured with it in the movie, so this can actually be considered an extra piece. Unfortunately, I have to report that the brown paint on the handle has flaked off. It’s no wonder, Conan’s gripping hands are so tight you can’t arm him with weapons without using a hair dryer.
Pictured: I call this one The Coup D’etat-Back to the Wheel of Pain. Super7 Ultimates! King Conan is being led away a prisoner by Masters of the Universe Classics Vikor and MASTERVERSE 40th Anniversary He-Man. Notice the handle on the Sword of Aquilonia (Vikor has it.)
The other accessories are things that go with the clothes…this is a chest harness with built-in paldrons, a mink stole sculpted from plastic, and a soft-goods cape.
You can see in the above picture that the armor and cape work pretty good even for a figure that is an inch taller.
Pictured: I call this one Revenge- After the Wheel of Pain. This is MASTERVERSE He-Man’s body armed with Super7 Ultimates! King Conan’s cape and armor, and King Conan’s head swapped in. He is holding the golden axe from The Animal Warriors of the Kingdom Gold Loot Box, and Mythic Legions Xylernian Guard’s shield. Also standing on King Conan’s rug. And this is about the most awesome-non photoshop picture of a barbarian action figure you can get at this price point.
THE THRONE OF AQUILONIA
Somewhere up above in this same review blog entry I mentioned Marvel Select’s Thor coming with a plastic rock for him to stand on. King Conan’s throne is just another way that Super7’s offering is so much more. But to be fair, you had to pay for it separate. I personally think they should have made this all one box. You don’t get one without the other kind of thing. I don’t own it, but maybe I will…The Figura Obscura Headless Horseman comes with a horse. This is inseparable from the character. It should have been the same here. Who is displaying a King Conan without the throne? Now early on when I was deciding whether or not to purchase King Conan, I watched video commentary about the reveals, and people were torn on if this was worth $45 or not. They have released a couple of other thrones, and they are all a similar price. (Mon-Star from SilverHawks is one I can think of). I am happy with King Conan’s throne, but it could have been a smidge cheaper on shipping, etc if it was bundled together. Or maybe they didn’t think they could sell it at a higher price. I don’t know…I just collect.
As I mentioned in the video, I felt a little burned about the rug not being removable. (Actually I kind of down-played my feelings as “an observation”). Somehow, for 18 months, I thought this would be a cloth rug. Is this communication on their part or me just being a dum-dum? It is well painted. Beautifully painted actually. But we have soft goods for the cape. Something different could have been done here.
So with the throne, you get a plastic base sculpted to be concrete, with a rug sculpted on and painted, the throne itself which is more like a bench and less like a chair, and this ornamental spear. I mentioned in the video that I was glad it wasn’t a scepter. King Conan is an unhappy king in the comics. Sitting around ruling everyone is boring for the guy. He would rather be out there busting snake cult people. That it is a spear was a way that the movie writers could express this to us without giving us a story. It is said that Netflix is wanting to make some media for King Conan, and Arnold Schwarzenegger is very much behind the project.
Pictured: Super7 Ultimates! King Conan Throne of Aquilonia, which is occupied by MASTERVERSE Revelation King Grayskull.
The above photo tackles one of the questions I had. Does it look good with other characters. I find that King Grayskull doesn’t sit so well, which has me concerned because I have ordered MASTERVERSE Skeletor with throne.
Pictured: Super7 Ultimates! King Conan Throne of Aquilonia, which is occupied by GI Joe Classified Cobra Commander.
The throne works very well for Cobra Commander.
One thing…the box that King Conan came with has a terrific diorama featuring a nice shadow behind the throne and two torch-sconces. This is just too terrific. It adds a whole lot to the whole set. The floor I used for these photos is from MASTERVERSE packaging.
A very out-of-character photo. But you can see the other hands well.
Pictured: Super7 Ultimates King Conan and Throne of Aquilonia, who is defending his throne from Four Horsemen Studios Demistros. Demistros is armed with McFarlane’s Redeemer sword. The concrete slab almost disappears in this lighting and filter.
After watching the movie last night, I notice a large disparity in the throne we are given and what was in the film. The concrete slab was three times as large! We only have a straight-ahead shot, but it is clear that the rug is sitting on concrete that is symmetrical on both sides. Super7 could have given us this…it would have been two more pieces of plastic, and then no one would have anything to say about the price point of the throne. Now that this is the SpartanNerd’s summer vacation, I have time to customize this.
SPARTANNERD’S RATING OF SUPER7 ULTIMATES! KING CONAN AND THE THRONE OF AQUILONIA
I’ve had this for about two-weeks now, and have had a couple of photo sessions with it. It delivers for the price you paid for it if you collect action figures or if you are a fan of the movie. Movie fans might be casual like me or serious. Probably a serious movie fan would go for something by Hot Toys or Sideshow or someone, where you pay more like $200. But as what is basically a Masters of the Universe Classics 5.0 figure…(Original wave 1.0, Subscription 2.0, Filmation 3.0, Ultimates! releases 4.0, and now non-MOTU is 5.0 by my counting)…$55 for the king and $45 for the throne isn’t too bad considering the current economy. Considering that this was done at what is on Mythic Legions, non-retail price scale. This is my interest. I am certainly glad I ordered the Battle of the Mounds figures that will be coming maybe in July. It checks all the boxes with little complaint. I am going to list things down below and offer two ratings…one for the king and the other for the throne.
King Conan PROS- Outstanding sculpt. Looks like Arnold Schwarzenegger. Comes with two weapons and removable armor. Excellent paint details. Plenty of hands to swap and also an alternate head with different hair.
King Conan CONS- Pupils on one of the head sculpts not there. Gripping hands are so tight they have to be heated up to work. Paint on Sword of Aquilonia is flaking off with very minimal use.
Throne of Aquilonia PROS- Great sculpt. Terrific Vac Metal paint job. Spear accessory makes all of the other accessories with the figure look sad. The platform has pegs for helping stand action figures that have holes in their feet.
Throne of Aquilonia CONS- The “concrete” slab isn’t the correct size to depict the movie scene accurately. The “rug” is a sculpted and painted detail…not a separate piece.
All of the excellent things I list add lots to the product, and has been more fun for me with time. The pupils issue and the paint flaking are both QC issues that Super7 should address, but they don’t take away from the toys much. I haven’t been displaying the head that doesn’t have pupils…I almost forget that I have it, and the two sculpts are so similar. Look at all that the Throne of Aquilonia has added to King Grayskull, Cobra Commander, and really almost anyone else who might fancy themselves to sit on a throne. Look at how useful that platform is…it has pegs that fit Mythic Legions feet, MASTERVERSE feet, and Ultimates! feet. AND a bonus…the diorama that came as part of King Conan’s package looks too great with all of these fantasy figures to throw away. I can only give a 5/5 when I take everything into account. Maybe not a perfect 5/5, but fairly close.
Pictured: Super7 Ultimates! King Conan and Ultimates! GI Joe Cobra B.A.T. The platform has pegs that made the balance required for this action possible.
Like I said…if you are a different kind of collector, you might disagree. Out there is a larger scale figure, perhaps in 1:6 scale, that you can dress in all manner of looks. Out there is a hyper-detailed statue to sit on a shelf. A large full-scale statue for your yard. That’s not what this product is meant for. It’s meant for the plastic adult collector semi-play with action figure market. The 1:12 MOTUC scale collector. And it does that terrifically.
Will he supplant Vikor? It seems like maybe Battle of the Mounds Conan might be able to when he arrives. Having this makes me wish I had the “iconic pose” version. Watching the movie last night also makes me want the camouflage version. I feel like this figure adds much to all of the barbarian things I have already. We’ll have to see if over time King Conan moves into that favorite slot!
Do you agree or disagree, Hub City Geeks. Let me know in the comments!
Also, Super7. I did what you said. I made a video. I posted to Instagram. Both things I never do. I also answered your summons to apply for the affiliate links program…and WAS DENIED. I am not Pixel Dan or Action Figure BBQ or Dorklair. Don’t claim to be. (I am very inspired by all three, and also by Poe Ghostal …great news I just found out he’s back!)
I am a real consumer who runs this blog as a hobby. It is Summer vacation. I will work on it. But Super7, you guys should reconsider! I give honest opinions and reviews. Readers, send me some advice in the comments!
I picked up MASTERVERSE Revelation King Grayskull at Toy Federation in Greer, SC for $20. I had picked him up a couple of times and thought about getting him, but kept punting. Until finally I decided to go for the touchdown. (Did that make any sense?)
Elephant in the room. Yes. They did it. It has grown on me over time. He doesn’t look as much like He-Man now, and this cuts down on the cognitive dissonance that people have when they see the 200x design. They have the same reaction as Prince Adam in the show. “He looks like He-Man…only bigger.” It kind of makes sense the more you think about it. AND the diversity is welcome. What they did with him in Revelation and Revolution was brilliant.
PACKAGING
This is the original package design. When I bought King Grayskull he had been sitting on the shelf for at least four years. Probably at Target or Wal-Mart before landing at Toy Federation, but maybe not. You can see everything he comes with clearly.
The side image is awesome! But notably, he didn’t come with this sword.
And the back image…
This is such an awesome image! ….. I have recreated it a couple of times now.
Pictured: MASTERVERSE Revelation King Grayskull with Mythic Legions Heroic Magic Effects lightning.
CONTENTS
So what do we get in the package? (Lightning Effect from a different set).
The Power Sword divided into good and evil sides. Alternate hands. You have two gripping hands, a punching right hand, and a chopping left hand. An alternate head with a more menacing expression. A shield with the 200x “asterisk” symbol. Notably this might be the only time we get that symbol on a shield and on the power harness. Also the cape is soft goods.
The only thing that really bothers me about this figure is the pauldrons do not want to stay on the shoulders properly. They want to sag down the back. In fact, you can see that the way he came packaged the pauldrons were hanging down. I keep getting them back up like they are supposed to be.
The Power Sword halves do not combine into a full sword like the vintage toys. No way to do it…I tried and they just didn’t design it that way. I think they were going with “hot metal that has cooled into this shape.” And this is fine. It is different, but fine. The abomination that came with Scareglow was NOT WELCOME.
FIGURE REVIEW AND OBSERVATIONS.
Pictured: MASTERVERSE Revelation King Grayskull and MASTERVERSE 40th Anniversary He-Man in similar poses.
As he was in the first wave, you can see that he is a little smaller. NOW who is bigger…(40th anniversary He-Man probably isn’t a fair comparison.)
Pictured: MASTERVERSE Revelation King Grayskull and MASTERVERSE New Eternia Skeletor with Masters of the Universe Classics Faceless One’s Havoc Staff.
But New Eternia (Viking) Skeletor is also bigger.
Pictured: MASTERVERSE Revelation King Grayskull and Sorceress. King Grayskull is holding 40th Anniversary He-Man’s sword as well as a crystal ball I picked up at the mall.
There’s this story that King Grayskull transferred the power of Grayskull into “The Orb” or something like that. Here I present the scene. This was harder than it looks. King Grayskull is very “leggy.” That blue crystal ball doesn’t want to balance on the chopping hand so easily. And when it works, the weight kind of knocks the balance off. And I had to keep fixing the shoulders!
Here’s a shot at kitbashing a 200x He-Man with King Grayskull’s parts. I took Tri-Klops’ body, which has a darker loin cloth and boots. King Grayskull’s shield and Power Harness. Savage He-Man’s massive axe. And the chrome vac-metal power sword from the 200x Castle Grayskull. (I never owned this toy, only a couple of its pieces. Not a fan). And which head? The not-Dolph Lundgren head from the 1987 Movie He-Man figure. It is the best I can do so far. But King Grayskull made it possible because of the shield and the power harness.
One more recent development.
Pictured: MASTERVERSE Revelation King Grayskull and King Conan’s Throne of Aquilonia.
He can’t sit on the throne properly. Which has me concerned about the Skeletor that I ordered which will come with the bone throne. I was determined NOT to break the right knee on King Grayskull. The left works fine and bends all the way back, but the right does not, even with hair dryer heat or hot water. And I wasn’t going to force it.
SPARTANNERD’S RATING
This is a terrific figure. He-Man that came out in the first wave alongside King Grayskull was very off-putting. But the King is done right. He comes with appropriate accessories, but I wish he also came with a normal Power Sword. The sculpting is great and the paint also. But the soft-goods pauldrons are irksome. Movie He-Man had good pauldrons, and all of the Mythic Legions I have came with better solutions. And finally, the issue of articulation is a point off.
But do I feel like this figure is a 2/5? Not really. 3/5 is my feeling about it all, even with those three marks off. He’s got some issues. But look at the hole in the collection he fills. We have some 200x options…I might not be a fan of that Castle Grayskull toy, but I really like the character designs and the show was SOOO GOOOD. 200x options have to count for something. And I like King Grayskull as a character. All versions of him.
So my rating of MASTERVERSE Revelation King Grayskull is 3/5. Do you agree or disagree, Hub-City Geeks? Let me know in the comments!
Here I am back to Ram Man. The last Ram Man I had was the Super7 Ultimates MOTUC “re-issue,” that had that orange color scheme on his armor instead of the classic red. The orange was from the “cross sell” art on the back of the vintage figures. It was cool. Very detailed sculpt, with even the boots having skull details.
(Surely people reading the SpartanNerd blog are familiar with vintage Ram Man. But just in case…) The vintage Ram Man toy was so iconic…so incredibly cool and everywhere. Everyone had one. I always felt like his plastic was a little different than the other figures…it felt like some Christmas ornaments my grandmother put on her tree. And it had that springy leg action feature. You locked him down first by pressing his legs up through his armor skirt into his hollow body. Then you pressed this button on the back of the boot, and he would pop up. Only his arms were articulated, and he had this axe that really no one else could hold, and likewise he couldn’t hardly hold anyone else’s weapon. He was featured heavily on the Filmation cartoon, and was portrayed as kind of stupid. And he was shorter than everyone else as well.
But since 200x, Ram Man has been portrayed as larger. And more of a “Juggernaut” type who has powerful strength to smash things with his head. No version of Ram Man has had the spring loaded legs. (I don’t think the 200x toy had them.). I suppose the requirements of modern sculpting just keeps it from happening. But today, I am going to show what I think is a terrific attempt at giving us some of the feel of the vintage Ram Man’s action feature.
Here is what New Eternia Ram Man comes with.
Check out this pose! I know I already talked about what was in the box, so lets talk about these legs. What we have are evidently standard MASTERVERSE legs encased in a hollow rubber tube. It is bendy stuff, and you can see it kinking up behind the left knee. But this is a fine attempt to do something that calls back to that original idea. Just be careful when bending the knees. That green covering prevents you from seeing which direction the knees are facing. I had to feel around for awhile before attempting to pose the legs. I really, really didn’t want to break anything.
So some things I didn’t mention in the package video. The axe has a very nice “patina” on it. Some brown, rusty shading. The armor has the Battle Ram missile warhead on the front.
I haven’t complained too much about the quality of the toys in this line. The ones I have are pretty terrific. I am a very picky customer. There are a few that I am just not going to get, for instance Andra, Mercenary Teela, or any of the Virgil Abloh collection. There is no appeal to those specific offerings for me. I also am holding out for a better Gwildor than the Revolution one they are offering with Orko. I would like a movie accurate figure. Some of their products don’t appeal to me, but otherwise the quality has improved, and the New Eternia figures are giving some of the Masters of the Universe Classics figures a run for their money. Still not quite as awesome of sculpt work as the Horsemen do.
Which is why the next statement is shocking. Ram Man is the first MASTERVERSE figure I have that came with a problem.
Full disclosure. I opened and photographed this after 1:00 AM, (I went to a Disturbed concert. Very nice!) I was trying to remove this head, and I just couldn’t get a grip on it. The helmet has smooth surfaces, and my fingers kept sliding off. So my solution was to pinch it tighter. Perhaps I should have got out the hair dryer, but you see, after the Disturbed concert, I wasn’t in the mood to get that out I guess. At any rate, I heard a “crack,” and I knew something very bad was amiss. I got the head off and saw that a piece has cracked, and the neck is separating at the seam. BOO! So for the rest of the photos you will see, I am showing you the head barely on. You can’t tell it isn’t snapped down, but I just couldn’t risk it.
The armor has its own special issues. On Ram Man, I haven’t been able to get the straps to lock tight. The left side keeps bucking open. Why do we have this head? I would have rather had an unhelmeted sculpt like the MOTUC version, with the metal plate on top. This looks like Judge Dredd to me. Is it supposed to be a helmet for riding the Battle Ram? I don’t hate it and am glad to have it. This is one of the New Eternia “riffs” like Beast Man had, where he had awesome fur armor in addition to vintage style armor.
Oh yeah…I almost forgot. In the comparison of MEGA Ram Man and the back of MASTERVERSE Ram Man’s back right leg, you can see that he has a stirrup or something…this is a call back to that little switch that activated the action feature in the vintage line!
Speaking of size, Ram Man isn’t a towering Juggernaut as he has been in the past. He isn’t short. But he isn’t bigger than, for example New Eternia Beast Man.
So armor swap time. This armor looks OK on Beast Man. But there is still room. I tried it on 40th anniversary He-Man, but it was way too big. I suppose it could work on Two Bad. The issue is that Ram Man is just “fatter” than anyone else so far.
So I am a little conflicted on scoring this one. I love the character and am glad to have a new figure of him. The sculpt is very nice, and the solution they came to for the springy legs is novel. Nobody ever asked for those two heads, but they are nice additions. The helmet-less head would have been cooler. The armor that goes on top of the armor…really just, “why?” It is barely usable on anyone else, and the straps don’t want to connect. The axe is nicely done, and the paint all around is as well, though I think this Ram Man is a bit more youthful than I would prefer.
The neck joint breakage is a big problem. I am a grown-up. I am not going to cry about stuff getting broken. But what about a kid? And he comes with those alternate heads, but they are not easy to swap even for a dexterous SpartanNerd. But I feel a little burned every time something like this happens. Super7 Ultimate Cobra B.A.T. had a hand that snapped when I was swapping it, and it almost put me completely off of their stuff. But there were other hands. On Ram Man, this was the whole neck joint!
I have to give this figure a low 3/5. The armor is aggravating and the head swap resulted in a broken neck. Those are negatives outweighed by the positives of well-thought-out leg design, excellent sculpting and paint, and variety in the accessories.
Do you agree or disagree, Hub City Geeks? Let me know in the comments!
Because I didn’t document the build or even do a review of the terrific Castle Grayskull, I thought today would be a good day to have some things to say about it.
Without a doubt, I had never put together such a large set of blocks. I picked up the Lego Batmobile meant for adults from a thrift store once like fifteen years ago, but it had 900 something pieces if I remember correctly. And a big problem with that was that the pieces were mostly jet black. Castle Grayskull was a 3,508 piece build. YIKES! And in this case, Mattel boasts a new color…”Grayskull Green,” which is what most of this set was made of.
Here is the completed facade.
When you see it in a picture, say on the front of the magnificent box, you don’t realize how each little exposed stud or piece of flat brick or rounded block (barrel style) had to be carefully placed by a designer. You can see from the front of the castle here that the bottom is very heavy. The way the side towers curve around is a genius design, and one that reflects some of the quirkiness of Mega Construx builds. The instructions, (two thick almost catalogues) breaks each step down into a manageable project. For instance, each tower was handled by the bottom half, then the top half, and then connect to the main structure. See those olive colored pieces? I thought of those as a “reward” every time I got to place one…it broke up the monotony of Grayskull Green. I wonder how much psychology went into that choice?
Here is the back
The roof was really kind of a nightmare. Each one of those shingles had to be placed just right in order for the panels of roofing to fit together properly. Some have right handed slants, and others left handed. Some point up and some down. And they better be aligned properly! The “handle” at the top. NEVER USE IT AS A HANDLE. I certainly haven’t. The castle is definitely too heavy for that. This is there for the aesthetics of being true to the original.
Speaking of being true to the original…this castle is actually a model of the Masters of the Universe Classics castle. It maintains many features that that play-set has. (I am only told about this from Pixel Dan videos and the like. I don’t own one and have no room for it anyway. And $700!). See that “mouth” shaped wall underneath the triangular “eye” windows? That’s a break away wall!
For some reason I don’t have great pictures of the inside…You get three floors. Everything you would expect is there and more. There is a trap door operated by the throne.
There is a jail, this time with an operating cage door. The jaw-bridge opens, though the sword key is just a gimmick and unnecessary. There is a computer, an elevator, a weapon rack (actually two), and a trainer. In the top dome, there is a hidden attic where the orb is kept.
Here is the Sorceress and the Goddess in front of the the orb. (Can these two be in the same place at the same time???)
This set came with the Sorceress, the Green Goddess, Skeletor, He-Man, Man-At-Arms, and red Beast Man. Oh. And let’s not forget Zoar. (So did this set come with THREE OF THE SAME CHARACTER?)
IMPROVEMENTS TO THE CASTLE.
There was a Skeletor head set that came with mini-comics colored Trap Jaw featuring an improved turret gun. I highly recommend it! The gun that came with this doesn’t look like the original, and also doesn’t fit well on the parapet.
The Talon Fighter and Point Dread. This vehicle set came with instructions to retrofit Castle Grayskull with the Point Dread castle piece so that you can park the plane on top of the tower. (A feature of the vintage toy). This makes the castle six to eight inches taller, so the SpartanNerd hasn’t ever done this…my shelf space won’t allow for it unless I place it on the top shelf, which takes away the joy of seeing it. (Snake Mountain might have to go on the top shelf…)
One day during the Coronavirus lockdowns, I decided to take the castle out and get some photos.
Here is my take on an Earl Norem classic. I used the Masters of the Universe Classics figures (and 200x Beast Man), and placed the Mega Construx castle in the background as proportionately accurate as I could to the original art. (I did the best with what I had with me.). Notice that I removed the pawn from the top. I actually prefer it this way.
After getting this picture and a few others outside in the woods, the castle crumbled in the bucket that I used to bring the stuff. So I had the privilege to build it again! FUN!
spartannerd 