I have a long-form video review HERE. You can find links to every figure reviewed on the SpartanNerd home page, or in the description of the YouTube video linked above.
I am only awarding to figures that I got in 2025. This isn’t necessarily figures that came out in 2025, but that happens to be the case for some of these. The featured image shows Masters of the Universe Classics Vikor and Mythic Legions Legendary Barbarian. Neither were the winners of 2025, I just wanted to use their picture!
GI JOE CLASSIFIED FIGURE OF THE YEAR
I decided that Panthor and Gnawgahyde were candidates. But it isn’t really fair to put Panthor in the pool…I might feel differently also if he was flocked. Gnawgahyde on the other hand is incredible, with that true-to-life accurate sniper rifle and his two pets, Porkbelly and Yobbo. That’s why Gnawgahyde is the GI Joe Classified Figure of the year.
MASTERVERSE FIGURE OF THE YEAR
New Eternia Battle Armor Skeletor is the SpartanNerd MASTERVERSE Figure of the Year. Mattel learned their lesson from the two Battle Armor He-Man figures that we received already…they were lackluster and apparently haven’t sold very well. Skeletor is the opposite of that in every way. A true update, giving him the best axe in MASTERVERSE, a removable helmet, and spikes on his shoulders. He has a chain-mail piece sculpted on his cranium, and also hip armor. You can swap his chest plate quickly and easily…another improvement on the other two. I really considered Roboto, but for my 2025 tastes, I like barbarians and skeletons more than robots (does that make sense?).
LADIES CATEGORY FIGURE OF THE YEAR
I did a ladies category this year, and New Eternia Evil-Lyn was a leading candidate. But she didn’t win. I do love her paint and sculpt. Other nominees were GI Joe Classified Shooter, New Eternia Teela, and the ladies category winner of the year (keep reading!). The lack of paint on Shooter’s weapons brought her down, and the “eye roll” of Teela is what knocked her out. (The others in my comic here are Movie Evil-Lyn and Revlation Evil-Lyn, both acquisitions from previous years)I used an app called Comic Life to make these comics.Skeletor’s Throne has three different colors of fire in its LED set. I liked the green for the Snake Mountain throne room the best.Belualyth the Beastmaster is the Mythic Legions figure of the year. Incredible sculpting and paint details, plus a skeletal snake, vulture, and chimera, which I think is a cow and a big cat crossed with a snake. She is my kind of character! I always play black in Magic the Gathering, I have a collection of skeleton action figures, and this year I also picked up a lot of ladies. (action figure ladies…). That’s why Belualyth is also the ladies category winner of the year.My mom gave me that miniature Lowe’s bucket. Remember Robbies Ribs from the 1987 Masters of the Universe Movie?If you don’t know Carolina Mustard-style Barbecue, you should look that up. Even better, try some!
So there you have it!
SPARTANNERD FIGURE OF THE YEAR!
Do you agree or disagree, Hub City Geeks? Let me know in the comments! What was your greatest action figure of the year?
NOTE: There is a secret item in this box that I review here. I placed that part of the review at the very bottom after the rating to prevent anyone from getting this spoiled.
This is my third item from this Four Horsemen Studios line after Figura Obscura Father Christmas, and Figura Obscura Sun Wu Kong the Monkey King. The FH just keep cranking out the hits. I thought for sure we would get a Ghost of Christmas Present, which would probably be an Ogre sized Santa. BUT…two years ago when the Father Christmas just came out, I’m pretty sure I heard Eric Treadaway saying something about the Mouse King. Looks like that came true!
I got an e-mail, of course, that featured some Christmas ornaments and presents on Black Friday. I mentioned it to the Spartan Wife. I spoke with the kids about it. I wondered what it would be, and would I get it. I passed on the Ghost of Christmas Past last year. She’s a pretty figure, and very Christmas. But there just isn’t much use for her in my collection in any alternate way besides some kind of bride. She is an unnaturally pale female under that dress, so I don’t have any further use for her parts. (Turns out the FH re-used the body for a figure of Nymph/Churl that hasn’t been released yet. This mixes parts of Ghost of Christmas Past with parts of Belualyth.)
But when I saw the Mouse King, I knew I had to get it. And it was a small window. In fact, the “All In” Package, that I got for an additional $15 that contains a coffee cup, a Christmas card, and a Fig-pin did sell out by 10:30. So I made the best call.
It’s true I have seen the Nutcracker ballet as well as experienced this as concert music several times. But I am not a Nutcracker Super fan. I like it OK, but Ballet isn’t my jam. I usually use the Sugar Plum Fairies theme when I play NES Tetris. And truly, besides some Trans Siberian Orchestra, that is my fandom for this work. Romantic Era Russian Nationalist classical music isn’t really my preference. (I say Beethoven was the greatest, you know 30-50 years earlier and German). But this figure…the presentation of the Mouse King as a seven-headed villain. This was too good to pass up.
I unboxed this on film, so please watch the video to see the rundown of this terrific box. But here are some more details.
PACKAGING
The packaging works very similar to what we got with Father Christmas and The Monkey King. There is an enclosing “book” capping over the box. This makes for collector friendly packaging and adds worth the the figure for displaying.
The front outside image on the capper gives us a good comic image of the figure, with gold foil details. As you wrap around the box you can see a whole Christmas setting where the battle between the Mouse King and the Nutcracker would take place.
The capper has a backdrop on the other side, giving us a scene inside a grandfather clock. Apparently the Mouse King’s lair. He has a little throne made from a compact mirror and some makeup items. There are books, some kind of snake or cat skull, giving us some context of some of the king’s past victories maybe, and an oil lamp.
Removing the capper from the box reveals the inside box.
On the inside box you have a picture of the Nutcracker and some lady I don’t remember. I’m pretty sure she isn’t the girl having the dream, as that is a child. So I don’t know who this is. One thing about the Four Horsemen showing us this picture…it is taking away some of the mystery of how they might design a Nutcracker to pit against the Mouse King in the future. On the other hand, Nutcrackers are easy to come by, especially in this size and scale, while Mouse Kings are usually missing in action. (Other fantasy villains for Christmas, right? Krampus. The Grinch. Jack Skellington.)
The back has information about the Mouse King. I haven’t read it, I confess. (There is also a booklet inside that I only glanced at. It appears to be a re-telling of the Nutcracker story.
One more thing…
Behind the figure we have yet another backdrop piece which is a clock face, featuring two swans. I don’t know the significance of these two swans, but it made me think of the Swan theatre or something like that Wagner was famous for putting on performances for King Ludwig (Is my history right about this? And if so, does it have anything to do with the Nutcracker?). I already imagine I will use this to remake some Earl Norem photos from the Golden Book “Time Trouble.”
Normally I talk about how you can see the figure inside. Nope. Not this time. They put opaque plastic over the figure so you can’t see him in the blister. Maybe the FH studios thought this one might just be too creepy to see on a store shelf?
FIGURE REVIEW.
What do we get in the package? It is a double blister, and this feels like more stuff than either Father Christmas or Monkey King. Like, more plastic and paint straight up. It weighs more.
The Mouse King Figure
Alternate neck
Alternate frilled collar
Pair of alternate clawing hands
a scepter
a sword
a reversible cape
a flight stand (what?)
and a mystery trash bag. (See the end of the blog entry to know what you get here. NO SPOILERS!)
How does the Mouse King work
I was very cautious this time. I have had a recent spat of problems with Mythic Legions figures. The Monkey King had a lot of problems. Last month, though, I broke Maxillius the Harvesters neck. There has been another recent Cosmic Legion that I will be blogging about soon…and so…I didn’t take any chances. I got the hairdryer out first before I removed any parts.. And thankfully nothing has broken or been too difficult to manage.
He has all of the articulation you expect, but this time he has a huge harness with seven mouse heads on it. Five of these heads are the same. There is one savage rat head with bared teeth, and then there is the king head with a crown of seven bones. This piece by itself weighs as much as the rest of the figure. Luckily, they gave him big feet, but this time with reversed knees, which are anatomically true for a rat I’m pretty sure, but the more I pose him and mess with him, the looser this has become. He also has a tail that works exactly like the Monkey King’s tail as well as the Ninian Infantry tail. In other words…it is bendy and very posable, BUT it doesn’t want to stay in the hole. It did better after I hairdryered it, but it still isn’t reliable. Which is a shame because like real rats, that tail would help him balance.
But…stop SpartanNerd. You are getting ahead of yourself! This sculpt is AMAZING! Of course it is the Four Horsemen Studios work. There are so many details here that just show tremendous love for the subject here, and so much care for their fans. This harness has a gruesome SPINE on the back, and tipped with a violent spike. Where have we seen this before? This is a throwback design from Todd McFarlane’s Spawn…the Violator and similar characters had these spikes.
The Mouse King and the Monkey King do battle at the good-guys office Christmas party. You can see the harness very well, with the five regular heads and the two other heads: Savage and King. Also, you can see how large the cape is. AND the tail.You can find reviews of most figures pictured on the SpartanNerd blog and the SpartanNerd YouTube page.PICTURED: Masterverse New Eternia Beast Man and Mythic Legions Belualyth. Both are beast masters who control animals.
You can easily remove the harness like any other Mythic Legions head, and this gives you the option to make just a generic mouse or rat warrior. And so…the Mouse King can be used all year long, not only just at Christmas! (Well…a Mouse King can be used anyway all year I suppose.)
You can see in the photo above, I believe the only re-used parts on this figure is the chain mail loin cloth. Maybe the sword is also re-used from a previous figure. Maybe the hands are the same as the Monkey King’s?
Something new to point out about the torso. This figure has new butterfly joints in his shoulders, giving us the ability to make even more dynamic poses with our Mythic Legions. The Mouse King is the first, but evidently all new releases going forward will have this! I have found them to be really tight, and was sure to use the hairdryer. But I had no problems.
PICTURED: Figuara Obscura The Mouse King and Super7 Ultimates! King Conan. Both are doing battle to see who the real king is. If you look close, you can see the Mouse King has a stripe of blood on his face. And King Conan’s gigantic sword is dripping with blood.
Maybe they can just get along.
PICTURED: Figura Obscura Mouse King and Mythic Legions Ninian Infantry.
You can reverse the cape also, which gives us a different look. I find that in the photo above, some kind of nerve for “The Secret of NIMH”, a movie from the 80’s/
SPARTANNERD RATING OF FIGURA OBSCURA THE MOUSE KING
He earns a 5/5 hands down. Definitely one of the greatest figures of the year!
Here is my metric.
A point for sculpt
A point for paint
A point for articulation, especially with no stupid problems. (OK. The tail)
A point for accessories
A point for what he stands for as a unique action figure
No QC problems this time. AMEN! says Reverend SpartanNerd. (The hair dryer really improves the tail). And you can use this figure year round as a generic rat warrior creature.
Do I wish anything was different? Well, I think they will offer this in a different color some time in the future, probably brown. You might be able to do an homage to Master Splinter in this way. I also wish the seven-headed harness could be used on other figures. The way they did it, they sculpted the frilly collar onto the harness. Additionally, there is a small piece of mouse neck on every hole of the harness. So this head really only can be used for the Mouse King. And one more thing…mind you that these are not complaints…only some things that could improve it even more. We could have been given a mouse rear end. What I mean is…a regular rat body that you could put a head on. Surely in some future we will have this, but if we were given even only one, that would have been something else awesome.
But the Mouse King is awesome as he is! 5/5!
NOW IF YOU WANT TO KNOW THE SECRET ACCESSORY…KEEP SCROLLING. OTHERWISE
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YOU WERE WARNED!
A Nutcracker head! Here I have placed it on the Kitbash Bros. Gamecocks Knight. There is no Nutcracker body, so you can put him on whoever you want. You could also have it as a severed head beside the Mouse King, which was my first instinct. This head looks battle scarred and beaten, with an eye missing and just some busted up details!
Just something else that pushes this figure over the top! Thanks for reading! Like, subscribe, comment…check out my YouTube channel! Merry Christmas!
In toys, companies push the limit. There are dozens…maybe hundreds of Transformers KO figures that outclass anything Hasbro is doing. How do they get away with it? One thing is change the name of the thing. Megatron becomes “Makkron.” Optimus becomes “Ray of Light” or something like that. AND, these KOs (knockoffs) get a snappy brand name that resembles “Masterpiece” somehow.
The Four Horsemen Studios have had a special relationship with Mattel…they sculpted the 200x line of Masters of the Universe toys, and kept pushing to create “stactions” to kind of complete the basic lineup of characters. Then they sculpted a prototype Classics He-Man when “Teh Lien” was officially dead, and put it in a display case for fans to begin demanding it get made. This scored them the Masters of the Universe Classics designs for what became the greatest action figure line of all time. AND helped galvanize the fanbase so that Masters of the Universe has become a reliable brand again for Mattel, even if it is mostly for adults.
Only to get dropped, evidently. After Neitlich left, the line changed hands, and then the brand was liscenced out to Super7, who also apparently purchased all of the tools to kickstart their own Ultmates! line. The Horsemen kept doing some work, however with their final Masters of the Universe contribution being Super7’s massive Classics Snake Mountain. (Which I don’t have!)
Now the Four Horsemen Studios makes a competing fantasy toyline for adults, “Mythic Legions,” which stands on faith from their fans pretty much alone. The characters feel generic enough for anyone to like, but they fit right along with 6-7 inch scale figures designed for adult collectors. And while they obviously can’t make straight up copies of existing figures they don’t have a license for, they CAN recolor what they already have. (My Whiplash figure is actually Sskur’ge from Cosmic Legions.)
“The Legendary Barbarian” is one such figure. Keep reading to see how it works!
PACKAGING
The package is exactly what you would expect. It is a nice collector-friendly blister card, but has that D&D style of art behind the figure that we have seen so many times. You can see the figure inside and most of what he comes with. Conspicuously, the helmet has empty holes where horns are supposed to attach. The back however has the chrome foil Four Horsemen Studios brand symbol and a bio for the character that essentially references all the different barbarians that this could be. There is a bio on the side, and on the other side a map of Mythos. (Mythic Legions fantasy setting.)
The Map of Mythos
It is all around average packaging for Mythic Legions, but the foil details are welcome as we don’t see those that often. Earlier this year I unboxed and reviewed the “Red Leather Knight” Legions Builder figure, and it had these details. Speaking of that specific figure, this figure also has the “pee plastic” smell when you opened it up. (It goes away after a few minutes).
FIGURE REVIEW
What do we get in the package?
The Legendary Barbarian figure. (Actually, the “The” is only on the website.)
A pair of horns.
An alternate head
A blonde hairpiece
A black hairpiece
A brown hairpiece
Lots of extra hands with varying grips
Two wrist shackles
One larger shackle
A weapons strap
Two shoulder pauldrons
A sword
A shield with two handle options
A battle axe
So alot here!
First of all, the head that is on the figure in the package is their way of flying under the copyright radar. This is a bearded Viking head with reddish brown braids on the beard. No one would ever believe this was He-Man or Conan. You can swap this head with the alternate, which has slots in the top so that the hairpieces can be changed. This head looks tough and weathered. It isn’t the kind face of He-Man, but more the grizzled face of Conan from especially the Dark Horse comics. Basically the hairpieces serve as different wigs to make him a different character. AND they included a brownish red piece also, just letting everyone know that it is up to the fans to use whichever option they would like.
The complexion is one of the most striking things about the figure. Typically He-Man is caucasian and tan, and Conan the Barbarian is either the same or just of a darker complexion. Somehow I didn’t expect this…but even more than this there is a black wash of paint over all of the hair and skin that makes him appear dirty. And this is perfect and what the Horsemen were going for.
PICTURED: MASTERVERSE 40 Anniversary He-Man and Mythic Legions Legendary Barbarian. Furry boots>cuffed boots for barbarians in my opinion.
My only complaint about the design of the figure is the boots. I would prefer the figure to have furry boots rather than cuffs. These cuffed boots are the same from the “Warrior Beasts Head Hunter” and other figures. These boots look way too civilized. I would have especially liked to see strapped sandals in this case instead of any boots at all.
Of course the figure is entirely modular. You can pop-and-swap with other Mythic Legions, Cosmic Legions, or Figura Obscura figures easily, though you probably need to use a hairdryer or hot water on some parts like the hands and feet.
ACCESSORIES
I am just going to go over these one at a time, as usual.
First of all, the shackles and chains. I don’t believe these can be opened. It took me a few days to realize that I could take the wrist bracers off and then slide these on. I STILL don’t know what the large cuff is for. At first I thought if was for his feet, but it doesn’t fit over the end of the ankle when you remove the foot. You CAN slide it over the wrist bracer, and maybe that is the intention, so you can have a quick wrist chain without removing the hand.
PICTURED: Super7 Ultimates! Thulsa Doom, Mythic Legions Legendary Barbarian, Mythic Legions Ninian Infantry army builders, and Mythic Legions kitbash Gamecocks Knight. This fight in the woods is a good way to see the chains on Legendary Barbarian’s wrists.
The weapon strap is the same that comes with most Mythic Legions figures, but this time it has painted buckles on it. You can criss-cross it over his default strap, and make this appear more like the X-shaped armor that He-Man has. You of course can also just swap them out, or even make this into a belt piece.
PICTURED: Super7 Ultimates! King Conan and Mythic Legions Legendary Barbarian. You can see how you can cross the weapon strap over the default. Also note the shoulder pauldrons and the sword.
The shoulder pauldrons work the same way as most Mythic Legions work, pegging into holes on the back of his shoulders. There is also a useless slot on his back. The pauldrons DO hinder his arm articulation, and they don’t fit tightly. But some Mythic Legions pauldrons like this are such a tight fit they don’t even work well. They look great, with sculpted cloth details underneath the metal details.
The sword…this sword doesn’t look anything like He-Man OR Conan’s sword. It looks like a sword from Zelda Breath of the Wild, or maybe a Transformers sword. It doesn’t look bad, though. But it isn’t quite as barbaric as I would like. It is oversized and more anime.
The battle axe resembles the one from Masters of the Universe Classics Vykron, and a few other viking axes I have seen. This is a cool piece that is analogous to the size of He-Man’s axes.
PICTURED: Masters of the Universe Classics Battle Cat and Mythic Legions Legendary Barbarian both in an iconic He-Man pose. The battle axe is reminiscent of several other barbarian battle axes, and is analogous in size to most of He-Man’s.
The shield is the same that we got with the Mythic Legions Undead of Vikenfell figure, only in a different color. This time we have two options for attaching it to the figure. The typical way of attaching a handle that fits in the gripping hand like a weapon. But this time we also have a clip that is reminiscent of vintage Masters of the Universe figures. Unfortunately, it fits loosely.
IT’S COMPARISON TIME…(Pixel Dan reference)
Only one of you is an actual soldier! Notice that I swapped Gamecock Knight’s horns with legendary Barbarian’s. This makes Gamecock Knight look like Shovel Knight. Oh Yeah. PICTURED: MASTERVERSE New Eternia Ram Man, Mythic Legions Kitbash Gamecocks Knight, Mythic Legions Gold Knight Legion Builder, and another kitbash gamecock. Legendary Barbarian is about to supervise some training. You can find reviews of all of these figures at SpartanNerd.com.
My favorite barbarian figure has been Masters of the Universe Classics Vykor. At this point, that is a ten-year or older figure. I have acquired MASTERVERSE Vykron, King Grayskull, Mythic Legions Balthor the Tower Ogre, Super7 Ultimates Conan the Barbarian figures, etc. But Vykor has remained my favorite. Vykor was my favorite Classics figure, and I made a point to keep him when I sold off my collection. Yes…I let go He-Man, Skeletor, Battle Cat, Panthor…everyone that I had. Even the Sky Sled and Battle Ram. Vykor stayed with me. But like I said, he is kind of dated. He was the first MOTUC figure with hidden ankle joints. But you can see the pins on his knees and his elbows. The plastic cape that he came with is heavy and weighs him down, and so I have replaced it with the one from the Undead of Vikenfell. (It fits Vykor better anyway). His sword, axe, and shield remain great, but the plastic loin cloth is also a problem. Vykor has never been able to ride Battle Cat, for instance.
PICTURED: Masters of the Universe Classics Vykor and Mythic Legions Legendary Barbarian.
The Legendary Barbarian doesn’t have the weaknesses of Vykor, as it is a modern figure. But his accessories aren’t quite as good. On the other hand, the ability to swap out the heads is incredible. Someone out there with deeper pockets than the SpartanNerd has bought several of these to display each one. I don’t kneed to do that, as I think changing the head/hair is great and also genius. AND he can sit on Battle Cat.
SPARTANNERD RATING OF MYTHIC LEGIONS LEGENDARY BARBARIAN
PICTURED: MASTERVERSE New Eternia Faker on Panthor using the Cosmic Legions snake head, MASTERVERSE Movie He-Man, MASTERVERSE 40th Anniversary He-Man (retail version) armed with Mythic Legions battle axe, MASTERVERSE Kitbash Battle Armor He-Man on Masters of the Universe Classics Battle Cat, and MASTERVERSE New Eternia Thunder Punch He-Man. Each has their own strengths in their way. But Legendary Barbarian is better than the average of the others.
I mean…he is better than any of the MASTERVERSE He-Man figures except for the 40th Anniversary figure. His sculpt, paint, articulation, and accessories are really good. You have so many options for displaying this figure…I venture to say for the value you have basically four options for heads. I’ve come to think about the default head as the extra head actually.
Do I even have to mention the “feels point?” Of course this figure gets the SpartanNerd’s point for that. It is coming to the end of 2025, and I am thinking about what I think might be the best figure of the year. Legendary Barbarian is certainly a candidate!
So this figure is a 5/5! Do you agree or disagree, Hub City Geeks? Let me know in the comments!
I know a guy has the market cornered on Mosquitor (Pixel Dan), but I also have fond memories of the mosquito member of the Horde. Mosquitor was one of the final MOTU figures I ever had. The last few I had were Rio Blast, Extendar, Evil-Lyn, Tyrantisaurus, and Mosquitor.
I am CONVINCED I saw Laser Power He-Man and Laser Light Skeletor on some clearance sale at a discount store, but didn’t get them. Maybe this is a Mandela effect thing? (The SpartanNerd is from Spartanburg SC, not Sparta, Greece. Not from Europe…)
I remember getting Mosquitor as an Easter present of all things. I loved the blood sucking gore effect, unique to this figure in the whole of Vintage Masters of the Universe. So how did he turn out for Masterverse?
PACKAGING
Mosquitor comes in the usual MASTERVERSE packaging. There is nice art on the front showing him with wings up and a long curly nosepiece. You can see the figure clearly in the window, which unfortunately for MOC collectors (not me) doesn’t have a full nose piece on. So it looks like his nose is sawed off.
As you look around the side you can see Imp, Hordak’s pet, sitting on the top of a cannon. This is definitely not safe for the little guy! Of note and interest…this figure is labeled “New Eternia” not “New Etheria.” The pet that came with the NE Hordak was not Imp. So it is odd that they used Imp in the art on Mosquitor’s packaging.
The other side shows the library image for easy storing, sorting, or otherwise alphabetizing your figures. (Just joking.). It is nice to have this as a feature, and showing off additional looks for the figure.
The back of the figure features a photoshop of Mosquitor with an animated style background featuring a large skull. We are given windows into how the “action features” of the figure works.
There are cross sell images on the bottom that show us Anti-Eternia He-Man, Mosquitor, and Hordak. I don’t know if I will get get Anti-Eternia He-Man or not. I don’t have a strong connection to him, and I have some other problems with the figure. For instance, we already have Faker. He-Man doesn’t need another doppelgänger. Especially not one more frightening. I have more rant about this offering, but this is a review of Mosquitor, so I will keep it at that. However, if someone gifts me Anti-Eternia He-Man, then…
FIGURE REVIEW
Mosquitor comes with everything you see here in the package.
MASTERVERSE Mosquitor Figure
Three alternate nose pieces
An alternate chest plate “dripping blood”
A laser gun
A hose
Should I count the wings as accessories?
The hose is the same hose that came with New Eternia Snout Spout. It plugs into the back of his head and connects to his armor. What would have been cool would have been the “blood tanks” on Emiliano Santalucia’s design…and then this hose would have been more logical and epic.
The paint. Well, there isn’t much. He is molded in the colors he is supposed to be. There are paint hits on his boots, and he has these red spikes on his shoulder armor which are one of the best details of the new design. After spending some time with the figure, I have noticed some paint slop.
There are two options for displaying Mosquitor. You can have a full tank on his chest, or a partially bloody “dripping” chest. This isn’t a pumping action feature, but instead a chest plate similar to what Battle Armor Skeletor has. The bat shape just pops off and can be replaced. Some of the paint slop mentioned above is on the full tank chest piece. At the same time, I wonder if in that case it was purposeful? It adds to the effect of “blood tank.” But I suspect this was accidental, by the same factory worker who did the other red paint on the figure.
Mosquitor has the same eye effect that some other recent MASTERVERSE figures have had (NE Panthor’s is the best). A 3-d effect where it is like a translucent cover that gives the illusion of a real eye. Except that in the case of Mosquitor, his eye doesn’t look realistic because it looks like the vintage toy’s eye.
All of his articulation is what you would expect from a MASTERVERSE figure, “30 points of articulation.” But it brings up a tired complaint. These figures are lanky, and yeah, they have good articulation, but the net effect is that they are not that posable. Most of them are standing on the shelf in a similar pose. Balancing well on their feet with their arms forward holding something. Maybe this is me not being creative? Don’t get me wrong…I prefer the option to pose as opposed to a statue. I just think it a little bit ironic.
PICTURED: MASTERVERSE New Eternia Mosquitor attacks New Eternia Thunder Punch He-Man. NE Snout Spout takes on New Etheria Hordak. And Panthor is just there.
ACCESSORIES
The wings attach to the back of the armor, and are interchangeable with Hordak’s wings. These wings are opaque muted pink, the same size as Hordak’s, and are just as posable. It is important that they remove or are easily hidden because some collectors might prefer to display him without this.
The gun…this is NOT a Horde crossbow. Instead it looks a little bit like the gun on Emiliano Santalucia’s 200x He-Man.org Christmas wallpaper artwork from like 20 years ago. (Once again, I wish this figure had those bloody tanks for his back more than I like the wings.)
PICTURED: MASTERVERSE New Eternia Mosquitor takes on Four Horsemen Studios Figura Obscura Monkey King. In the background you can see McFarlane Mortal Kombat Khotal Khan and Masters of the Universe Classics Sir Lazer Lot
The nose pieces can go on either the end of his nose or on the end of the gun…in fact on both ends of the gun. (This gives you the option of fashioning the gun into a melee weapon. One looks like the vintage mosquito nose. One looks like a curved dagger, and the other is a tentacle, which anatomically is a “proboscis” I believe.
RATING
I awarded MASTERVERSE New Eternia Mosquitor a 5/5 when I filmed the video two weeks ago, and I am going to stick to that notwithstanding the paint slop I began to notice. ***He has an asterisk :)***. I feel like he fits right in with NE Hordak and Mantenna.
He is one of my “need to have” figures, and he does it well. My “need to have list of” members of the Horde now only has Grizzlor, Modulok, and Multibot left to go. I didn’t have that many of them around when I was a kid. (I know there is a Grizzlor, but that molded plastic hair sucks.)
Do you agree or disagree with my 5/5* rating? Let me know in the comments!
MASTERVERSE New Eternia Kobra Khan- So easy to misspell! So forgive me if I mess up, Hub City Geeks! I remember Kobra Khan seemed to come out before the rest of the Snake Men. Growing up there was Kobra Khan in the SpartanNerd household, as well as Tongue Lasher and King Hiss. So we didn’t have an army of Snake Men. The SpartanMom is deathly afraid of snakes. I kind of lumped him in with Skeletor’s crew, rather than seeing the Snake Men as a different faction. He had a water squirting action, and there were a few other toys in He-Man that had this…Dragon Blaster Skeletor and Snout Spout. Water action was a cool thing then in the 1980s and continues to be a feature in toys today.
Of course, the MASTERVERSE figure doesn’t have a water feature. So how did they deal with that? Keep reading!
PACKAGING
This package is just as great as any of them. But let me say something here…I have had a rush of reviews lately…So Belualyth, New Eternia Moss Man, Cold Slither,New Eternia Teela, and New Etheria Hordak. And this character just feels…less epic. How much of that is my bias, I don’t know. But this is the reason I waited to do this one last. Apparently, like Battle Armor Skeletor and Blade, he has pretty much sold out everywhere. (I’m still feeling burned about Blade…just saying. That is the SpartanNerd failure of the year.)
So I need to keep it focused…I like that we have an image of Tongue Lasher, who is my favorite Snake Man. Hopefully he will come out soon.
The wraparound image features Rattlor.
Yeah…So Rattlor wasn’t on my radar as a kid. I think I must have been aware of him, but I never saw him and didn’t have him. So there’s that. Also, I didn’t even know about Blast Attack until I was an adult. AND…why is he considered a Snake Man? I did have a cousin or someone who had Snake Face, but I pretty much hated it. So Kobra Khan, King Hiss, and Tongue Lasher were MY Snake Men growing up. I did eventually own SSQUEEZE in Masters of the Universe Classics. (Tangents, Tangents)
The other side features the library image that also shows the alternate way of displaying the character…more vintage style or with the hood. Also, notice the Snake Men logo. This is either Classics or 200x. Good that they are keeping that.
The back is once again what you expect. A Photoshop image of the toy on an illustrated background. The bio reinforces the 200x story that it was Kobra Khan who released King Hiss and the other Snake Men from the pit in Snake Mountain. I like how they made this story track with the way the figure was released practically as one of Skeletor’s guys but then double-crossing Skeletor.
The cross-sell art might help confirm the first statement I made about why I was less excited about this one. (He looks dorky in between Hordak and Teela)
FIGURE REVIEW
What do you get in the box?
Kobra Khan figure
Cobra Snake Hood
Blaster Gun
Mace
Alternate chest piece
Alternate claw hands
purple “venom” spray effect
after messing with it for awhile, I swapped the hands for the claws for a more vintage feel…thinking maybe this would help me out with my problem here. Not really.
Kobra Khan is sculpted in pearlescent green plastic. Or is that metallic? He has the same lanky build as the other MASTERVERSE figures. There are bronze and brass painted details on the figure…his hands and the claws have a darker color than the main figure. (The hands make it feel like he is wearing gloves.)
Kobra Khan has the same eye effect that Panthor and Mer-Man have. A very realistic looking eye, that in this case kind of feels like it is something different quality than the rest of the figure.
Here is a little comparison with the Mythic Legions Ninian Infantry. I gave him Savage He-Man’s spear to make things even. And you can see that the Mythic Legions is easily a better sculpt. Kobra Khan should have more scales all over.
I guess the paint is alright. I mean, he is a green guy. But the big elephant in the room for me is the head sculpt. He looks “Rabbity” with those teeth. It is good that he has an articulated jaw…I was in fact worried that this was a static piece just from looking at the box.
ACCESSORIES
So kind of…the accessories and the figure run together a little bit. The hood and the breastplate…are these accessories? Similar to the wrist bracers…I guess they are technically accessories.
The hood just isn’t epic enough. So…weak head sculpt with a rabbity look, combined with a less-than-epic hood, means that Kobra Khan has kind of a “muppety” thing going on. BOO! (Serpentor hood? Cobra symbol? Mattel could have done better to compete with Hasbro here.)
Retreat! Wascawy Wabbit. For real, notice Cobra Commander’s snake on the hilt of his sword. Better hood than Kobra Khan. And those Cobra symbols from the GI JOE Classified Series packaging also look more epic. If there is a Serpentor, I will probably get it and compare, but I bet…
The venom spray effect is how they handle the water feature. This is purple, and not until taking the final photos did I start to realize that it looks kind of barfy. (I already did a video, and didn’t even have this thought then…)
She is the Snake Goddess. Shouldn’t he be more respectful?
Luckily, you can attach it to the end of the gun. Unfortunately, Snout Spout’s spray effect isn’t interchangeable with this one. Another missed opportunity by Mattel to do something cool that couldn’t have been that hard to accomplish.
I think it is great that you can swap out the chest plate. I prefer the one with the Snake Men logo, but the plain one is just fine and feels more vintage.
The gun has a snake sculpt to it. At first I thought it was the same as Zodac’s gun, but it is different and more flavorful. (I don’t own a MASTERVERSE Zodac…I am referring to my memory.)
And that mace. This is the weapon that came with the vintage figure, and is in fact the same that Clawful has. Which is stupid because those claws don’t hold it well.
SPARTANNERD RATING OF MASTERVERSE NEW ETERNIA KOBRA KHAN
Originally I rated this figure as a 4/5. But it has been a few more days with it, and I have changed my mind. The gun and the mace need paint apps. The hands are a strange color. The head sculpt looks rabbity and even worse when the hood is on. The sculpt doesn’t stack up to other Snake Men figures on the market. (Mythic Legions Ninian Infantry, for instance). The purple venom effect reminds me of the purple vomit scene in the movie The Sandlot.
Aww look…they are dancing. Kidding aside, even MASTERVERSE Revolution Sorceress Teela (a different sub-line based on Kevin Smith’s cartoon,) her hood looks more epic. In general New Eternia figures look better than the cartoon figures.
No. He isn’t anywhere close to a perfect five. I am awarding MASTERVERSE New Eternia Kobra Khan a 3/5. I am giving him the feels point because I needed him for my collection. He doesn’t have stupid problems…he stands well and has good articulation. And he came with a lot of accessories. But the paint and sculpt are just too bad.
I hope Tongue Lasher and King Hiss turn out better. Do you agree or disagree? Let me know in the comments!
I grew up with two younger brothers (There is another even younger that I was as adult when he came along). Anyways, when it came to Masters of the Universe I was the leader with the most love, and so I took on the heroic characters almost exclusively. My oldest brother naturally took Skeletor’s guys, and third in line took on the Horde. Which wasn’t to say that I didn’t have any bad guys. I certainly did, with Evil-Lyn, Modulok/Multi-Bot, and Mosquitor to name a few. Oh yeah. Mantenna.
Just the same, we shared them all. So I played with Hordak plenty. And then there is the controversial thing for little boys at the time…She-Ra. Hordak was She-Ra’s version of Skeletor on that show. The only time I played with She-Ra was with my cousins, and it was like…Who are the evil characters? Catra, the “Jealous Beauty?” Not violent enough for my masculine tastes!
I picked up New Etheria Hordak (not a spelling error) when I ordered NE Teela and NE Kobra Khan. Does he do justice to the second-rate bad guys? (Yeah I always prefer Skeletor’s team) Keep reading!
PACKAGING
Hordak came in the typical MASTERVERSE packaging, with a very strong bat motif all over it. No other characters are depicted in the art this time, but the Fright Zone is the setting of this artwork you can see the figure clearly in the window, with a magic staff and pet on his left side. The image depicts hordak with the iconic cannon arm. In the corner is a foil sticker that tells us that this Hordak is a part of the She-Ra 40-year anniversary.
NEW ETHERIA HORDAK FRONT PACKAGE
This time the wraparound on one side doesn’t show us anything but more bats, but there is a reference image on the other side, typical of MASTERVERSE for those who like to file the figures on a shelf or something…GI Joe Classified does this with a number system.
NEW ETHERIA HORDAK SIDE OF PACKAGE
On the back you have a photoshop image of the figure at the Fright Zone and cross-sell images for this wave on the bottom, notably ignoring New Eternia Moss Man. (I have reviewed Teela already, and Kobra Kahn is coming soon).
NEW ETHERIA HORDAK BACK OF PACKAGE.
This bio tells us that Hordak is what devastated New Eternia, and is now moving on to Etheria.
I rather liked it better when he was banished to Despondos, a dimension where Etheria was pulled into.
WHAT DO WE GET IN THE PACKAGE?
Hordak is Cold Slither’s biggest fan! Notice the Roast Gooble CDs. The SpartanNerd last had music published on this CD. A new release, “PREACH!”, has been sent to the publishers! The first album in fifteen years.
Technically there is an arm band and two bracers also.
The big story here is the wings. They peg into holes on the back of the armor. And you really have maximum posability with these. They are molded in thin red plastic, with what may be gloss paint over the bones. Or maybe I’m imagining that. They look really batty.
And the battiness of this figure is what makes it awesome, but also kind of a complaint. Can you be TOO much of a bat? This guy out-bats Batman!
The paint on the figure is exactly perfect for Hordak. The Hordak I remember playing with as a kid was these colors. I know some people prefer a more blue-black-white color scheme from the cartoon, but this was awesome enough for me in the 1980s and it is for me today as well. There is a big red bat on his front armor, and some painted on his boots also.
As a kid I remember debating with my friends what exactly was Hordak. I said alien. One friend said robot. Another said vampire. I thought the vampire explanation was crazy, but this is what Mattel has went with in the past few iterations. In DC comics, he was a cosmic vampire, draining the life force of entire civilizations, and had made Zodac’s Galactic protector force (basically Green Lanterns) his enemies. Pitting both factions against each other having them fight to the death, he absorbed Zodac’s life force last…it was revealed he was his brother! A surprise twist. In the end he seemed to share a lot of cues with Emperor Palpatine.
The Kevin Smith show depicts him as a non-magic user but a people abuser just the same…another kind of vampire. His Motherboard virus basically enslaves everyone, and the way he manipulated Skeletor could easily be seen as vampiric.
The Masters of the Universe classics figure had something up on this guy because the “hood” was a separate part. In this MASTERVERSE figure his armor is all one piece.
I don’t have that MOTUC Hordak anymore, but I do have MOTUC Despara who is practically a girl Hordak figure. New Etheria Hordak wasn’t four horsemen sculpted and you can tell it, but it is cool to have both to display together.
ACCESSORIES
I decided the wings weren’t really accessories…more like a part of the figure. The Bat Shield has similar paint, and let me say I think both the wings and the shield could have more painted details. If that is indeed gloss red painted over the bony pieces, they could have chose a different shade or something. And if it isn’t paint then it should be. Your best bet to get the shield in his hand is to remove the hand and the bracer, then place the hand back on. So you see why I kind of counted the bracers as an accessory. The bracers are nicely painted in silver with the bat motif, and while I’m at it he does have an armband on his bicep that also has a bat.
You remove a hand to peg the cannon hand in. This one doesn’t have a bat motif, and looks good on Roboto and also on Trap Jaw. Notable that their accessories also peg into Horde’s wrist, and this is Mattel taking full advantage of what they should have done in the 1980’s.
Hordak’s arm cannon looks great on Roboto. Roboto’s paint sprayer…
And now…about the staff and the creature. Hordak was always depicted as having a pet. Imp…was this little pig with wings…probably a demon. This animal on the staff is NOT Imp. It is a skull similar to the Havoc Staff, but it has bat wing (of course) but also a snake tail. It is a rubbery piece that can be put on other figures or wrapped around arms or pencils or whatever. The staff has a peg on it, and the pet has a hole to keep in on the top. You can use the staff as a perch for a bird, however. I don’t remember the vintage toy having a staff. Maybe it did? I do know it came with a crossbow…most of the Horde members had a crossbow, most of them with a bat motif. Nowadays Hordak doesn’t seem to look right without having a staff of some kind. I think this might be because of the Classics version or something.
PICTURED: MASTERVERSE New Etheria Hordak with Masters of the Universe Classics Temple of Darkness Zoar.
SPARTANNERD RATING OF MASTERVERSE NEW ETHERIA HORDAK
HORDAK gets a point for this terrific sculpt. Mattel needs to bring this A-Game to most MASTERVERSE figures. There are a lot of re-used parts, and I suspect the way that they make figures nowadays is different than back in the Masters of the Universe Classics days. Like, maybe they have a computer that can mock up and produce molds and tools faster or something. The worse detail is the wings, which could have more sculpted details.
His paint is great. The gray, black, and red details are accented by the white face that could either be some kind of bone or what I used to believe a tribal mask. There is a pop of chrome on the arm cannon, and there is glossy paint on the bottom of his boots, with matte paint on most of the figure…but all of the red is glossy.
His articulation is usual. Which is pretty excellent actually. Hordak has double-jointed knees and elbows. He has a head swivel on a ball joint. Boot cuts, thigh cuts, hyper-articulated ankles, swivel and hinged wrists, and I’b bet underneath that armor there is a torso cut. Add the wings…and Hordak is one of the best figures for poses in the line.
He comes with all the accessories listed above, PLUS his bracers are removable and he has a removable Horde bicep wrap. Like I said, the wings are weakly sculpted and painted. Not so much as weakly sculpted, but they are sadly very symmetrical, which makes them seem more like a cheap detail. I’m not subtracting a point, but if one were subtracted it would be because of lack of paint on the wings or shield.
The “feels point.” Hordak gets this for me because of who he is. And he is a toy I used to play with a lot as a child, and watch on cartoons and read in mini comics even until today. I felt very burned when the 200x series ended the way it did, where we didn’t get a full story arc for Hordak. (It is said that Skeletor would have kicked his butt and took over.)
So the SpartanNerd rates MASTERVERSE New Etheria Hordak a 5/5. 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. (Six-Seven)
spartannerd 