Once again I took a trip to Summerville, SC for a teacher retreat, and decided to look into the Target down there, where I saw two Chronicles figures…Skeletor and Trap Jaw. I like the Skeletor…but the issue is…I have at least five already! Now yesterday they announced Gym Bro Skeletor, and that looks cool…I am waiting on Office Bro Skeletor. That will be amazing! Maybe they will name him Darrel?
But I have wanted the Trap Jaw, AND this was the last one. Trap Jaw had a huge role in the 2026 movie, with at least three big fight scenes and a rivalry with Man-At-Arms. So did the figure turn out as great as expected?
PACKAGING
This is the second Chronicles figure that I have opened with retail packaging, the other is Battle Cat…but I also have the Mattel Creations Chronicles King Grayskull. My point is, this packaging is pretty similar to Masterverse packaging, but a noted difference is the DELUXE articulation mark instead of some kind of number like “30 points of articulation.” It turns out that some figures might just have MORE articulation if you thing about it, but also some might have less. You can see Trap Jaw just fine in the window as well as all that comes with the figure. “Evil & Armed For Combat.” Keep scrolling for more images
Nick Galatzine’s He-Man. Links to 2026 movie review.Another little window in and a full but small image of Trap Jaw from the image on the front.
The back features a photoshop image of Trap Jaw on purple Snake Mountain details. There are little call-outs showing us his action features, which is the interchangeable arms of course. There is cross sell on the bottom featuring Skeletor and Trap Jaw.
When I opened the box, I realized there was this table of contents, but more importantly when you remove the blister…
BOOM! A nice Snake Mountain backdrop!
I don’t rate figures based on their packaging…so here is a rundown of how I will rate Trap Jaw or any other figure since around 2016. I use a five-point scale, each point is listed below:
Sculpt
Paint
Articulation
Accessories
“Feels point”…why did I want this and what does it represent to me? Most figures I buy at least have this! (Otherwise…why did I buy it? But it has come up)
FIGURE REVIEW
Here is what you get in the package…
Trap Jaw figure
alternate left hand
sword arm
hook arm
cannon arm
One of my complaints about the Chronicles line for most of the figures is the lack of accessories. King Grayskull was loaded out, but He-Man only comes with the sword. Evil-lyn only comes with the wizard staff (typically…I don’t have a chronicles Evil Lyn). But here, Trap Jaw has plenty because that is his gimmick, after all!
There is no storage on his belt for the accessories, which is a bummer. Also notable, you can’t interchange the weapons between Chronicles Trap Jaw and New Eternia Trap Jaw. This is a big miss for Mattel. Why limit our fun? NE Trap Jaw’s weapons could go to NE Roboto, NE Hordak, or Revolution Man-of-War.
PICTURED: Masterverse New Eternia Man-At-Arms riding on Chronicles Battle Cat. He is armed with the Masters of the Universe Classics 200x style arm cannon. Chronicles Trap Jaw is riding on New Eternia Panthor.
The paint is one of the best features…it looks like it came right out of the movie! Most of the paint is glossy, and there is a glossy finish to even the more boring parts like the lower legs.
PICTURED: Chronicles Trap Jaw with one of the prize pieces in my collection, vintage Transformers Shockwave. Both have upgraded their unfortunate arm incidents.
Articulation…it feels like a different toyline actually…remember the old Halo figures that were 4-6 inch scale? The joints move similar to those. Now at first the lower right boot-cut wouldn’t work, but over time of me posing him and taking photos, this loosened up. So it doesn’t count as what I call a “stupid problem.”
ACCESSORIES
If they didn’t include accessories, would Trap Jaw be who he is? NOPE. Luckily they did!
PICTURED: Chronicles King Grayskull and Trap Jaw.
The hook is my favorite attachment. I thought it an odd choice that this was used the most in the movie, considering that Karg was also in the movie and using a hook hand. (I have always felt that Karg was a stand-in for Trap Jaw in the 1987 movie…budget limitations. Just the same I am glad they included Karg in the 2026 movie. Figure please)! This hook became the signature move for Trap Jaw in the movie, and it looks great!
In the picture above, where Trap Jaw is about to lose to Ram Man, he has caught Mekanek’s head with his open hand and is about to use his sword arm to do some chopping. But…Ram Man is going to use Mortal Kombat’s Raiden move on him.
The accessories are great, but they didn’t include the classic “gripper arm” from the vintage toy or the Filmation show. However…that didn’t appear in the 2026 film either. The only thing that bugs me about the accessories is that they aren’t swappable with the Masterverse action features that are similar. I should note that the hand is also not compatible with Masterverse…it has a socket in the hand with a peg on the figure, but Masterverse figures had it the other way around. The accessories are painted the same glossy gray that the boots are. They could have more paint applied, but they also look like they look in the movie so that passes my test. I DO wish there were loops on his belt. (But once again, not in the movie).
PICTURED: A semi-recreation of the movie scene where He-Man rips Trap Jaw’s arm off and uses it as a blaster. This is Kitbash Masterverse Battle Armor He-Man (with a beard!), Kitbash Classics/Revelation Teela, New Eternia Man-At-Arms and Roboto, fighting against the disarmed Chronicles Trap Jaw and the New Eternia Terror Claws Skeletor.
SPARTANNERD RATING OF MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE CHRONICLES TRAP JAW
He gets a 5/5. I really can’t take any points off. I do think there are ways that Mattel could have made him better…belt loops…claw arm…interchangeability with similar figures. But the sculpt, paint, articulation, accessories, and feels point are all there for the SpartanNerd! And he looks great with other bounty hunters!
Mostly I haven’t been too pleased with Mattel Creations “Club Grayskull” subscription. It is $10 a year with the promise of exclusive pre-release access of products. But most of this has been Origins figures that pretty much nostalgia fans aren’t that interested in. I mean, Geldor, and He-Ro. And even more obscure that I did get, Sharella. What Masterverse figures did they offer this year? Panthor, Moss Man, and … Dragstor? Well they offered Blade but even I, a club member, missed that one.
So they announced the club at the beginning of April last year, and behold they knew they would get most of their renewals in April this year IF THEY OFFERED SOMETHING GOOD. Well here he is. Masters of the Universe Chronicles King Grayskull.
There has been a few leaked Chronicles Scare Glow figures out there, but King Grayskull is the first official Chronicles release. So all members surely ordered one to you know, have, a Chronicles figure, but also King Grayskull is pretty cool of a character anyway. It is still a mystery if he will make an appearance in the film, but there seems to be a possibility, possibly played by Dolph Lundgren. It seems like an odd choice to undo the race-swap they gave him for the Kevin Smith show. (That was an excellent rendition, and has been my favorite King Grayskull…no I think favorite KING figure. And that is saying something for a guy who has a few figures of kings.)
So how did he turn out?
PACKAGING
This packaging is similar to other offerings from Mattel Creations in that it doesn’t have a blister bubble or window box. it is all artwork, and the figure is tied into the box using paper strings. A great way to give us non-retail figures in appealing packaging that we will want to keep using.
The front features a great illustration showing us the Pharaoh King Hiss, Lady Slither, Sqquueeeze, a REMCO DRAGON (or similar, cool!), the Turbodactyl, Battle Lion, and of course the king himself on top of some skull cave stuff channeling lightning between not only his power sword, but also the battle axe. And that is AWESOME! The Mattel guy at Toy Fair told Pixel Dan that the red Masters logo means movie focus, and the blue logo means cartoon. But this figure wasn’t revealed there, and it is a black Masters logo. Just interesting.
Some of the things I wondered going into this was how much this figure would share with the previous King Grayskull. This package gives is in illustrated form much of the same details. KG has the 200x asterisk symbol on his chest, and also sports a cape with comfy pauldrons. The previous King Grayskull had a problem with those pauldrons being soft goods…
The back shows us some of that photoshop artwork I am not too fond of. We can see King Graskull decked out with the shield in the side window, and in action with the battle axe on the other.
The side has another barbarian illustration. And it invites you to look inside to see any changes to the character.
As you open the box, you can see this same illustration covering the figure. But you now have a logo-free poster if you want. Also notice that you can see King Hiss. Flipping this over lets us have this scene also.
This is the Snake Lair. All of this about the Snake Men kind of burns, because in MASTERVERSE, the only Snake Man we got was Kobra Kahn, and he was a pitiful figure. Maybe this is all a hint that Snake Men will be coming out soon. But we have seen them repeatedly on Masterverse packaging, but have really none to show for it. (See Snout Spout’s packaging, as well as Terror Claws Skeletor)
FIGURE REVIEW
Here he is in the package
Right between Revelation King Grayskull and King Conan. On the YouTube version of this video, I actually play the Palace Theme on this piano, in case you were wondering. I wanted to do something different!
What do you get in the package?
Chronicles King Grayskull Figure
Power Sword
Battle Axe
Shield
pair of punching fists.
You could count the gauntlets on his wrists as well.
I am going to go about this two ways. First I want to know about this new format. How is he different than a Masterverse Figure? And then I want to talk about this specific figure an offer a rating at the end like I do always.
PICTURED: MASTERVERSE Revelation King Grayskull and Masters of the Universe Chronicles King Grayskull. I am showing them in the same basic pose. Notice the 200x sword I have is from the 200x Castle Grayskull set that belonged to my brother. (I never owned this myself, but only wound up with pieces of it somehow. I am not a fan of the design.)
When you compare the Revelation KG to the new Chronicles KG, the scale is very slightly smaller. Where the size difference makes its appearance is in the knees and elbows. It is like there might be a slight “shave” off all around the figure for this new scale. It is something you notice if you look for it, but you probably wouldn’t at a glance. But it is enough to make black King Grayskull feel just a little bit more beefy and muscular than caucasian King Grayskull. (Just so you know, I believe the OG Masters of the Universe Classics figure would be shorter but still appear more muscular than either of them. I don’t have that figure, so…)
PICTURED: MASTERVERSE New Eternia Fisto riding Mythic Legions Boreus, and Masters of the Universe Chronicles King Grayskull riding Masters of the Universe Classics Battle Cat. I title this one “Sunday Ride.” You can see a good size difference in these two, even though it isn’t as drastic when comparing to Revelation King Grayskull.
Revelation King Grayskull had stunted articulation at the knees, but the new knees on the Chronicles King Grayskull are perfect to hinge all the way back to where he can kick himself in the butt. The forearms on the new figure are also new and skinnier, and no longer is there a hole at the end for a fist to peg in…now the fore-arm is a peg, and the hand is a double-jointed wrist. Nice improvements! As a consequence, the new hands are even smaller than before and could get lost easier. (But I haven’t lost these…yet). So what I am saying, you kind of feel the difference in scale around the wrists, knees, and feet most of all.
The only soft goods on the new figure is the cape. The pauldrons are thankfully sculpted in plastic. And I thought this power harness might be 1-to-1 the same, but it is a new sculpt.
So what about this figure specifically. I like the new thing they are doing with his hair. The 200x version had these long viking ponytails coming down, like a barbarian Wendy’s mascot. The Revelations version had Native American-type of braids. This figure has a sloppy top-knot with long locks, and so it is different. The face sculpt is passable for He-Man, but obviously a different character. Dare I say more “American” looking (as opposed to European). I mean, I am trying to see Nick Galitzine here, but he doesn’t look like him. He also doesn’t look like Dolph Lundgren. I think he kind of resembles Vanilla Ice.
His muscles are chiseled very nicely why the same ab-crunch that most MASTERVERSE figures have. He wears a girdle over his furry shorts making a more royal look. This new figure doesn’t have a thigh-cut, something I don’t think we will miss. I already mentioned the knees, but the elbows are also double-jointed. He has the furry boots you expect, with a leather strap look to them. The power harness has a ring on the back that allows the sword to be displayed outside of the cape. This cape is not removable without removing the harness as far as I can tell. (I haven’t done this). It does appear that the pauldrons have pegs that might make them swappable in the future. He doesn’t have trouble with articulation…he stands very well, but his lower legs…like at the boot cut is slightly loose, he can go pigeon toed pretty easily. Still I am giving him the full point for articulation. No real problems! He even has decent head articulation considering the sculpted hair that he has. And Mattel made a lot of that this figure can grab the sword while it is in the holster on his back…that no other figure could do that. But I think 1987 Movie He-Man might have something to say about that.
PICTURED: Masters of the Universe Chronicles King Grayskull and MASTERVERSE 1987 Movie He-Man. Contrary to what Mattel asserted at Toy Fair, King Grayskull is not the first figure that can grab the sword on his back.
ACCESSORIES
PICTURED: Masters of the Universe Origins Cartoon Collection Faker and Masters of the Universe Chronicles King Grayskull. Seriously, Faker’s sword is slightly bigger than King Grayskull’s, and this is wrong. KG’s sword does feel like it has more finesse somehow, though. Here is also a chance for you to compare an Origins figure to the new Chronicles figure.
We have the three main accessories that every He-Man needs. I even think they should include them with all the variants, but they don’t unless your company name is MONDO. I wondered if at least the shield would be the same as Revelation King Grayskull, but no it is a different sculpt. Larger and less cartoony, with gold highlights and fancy, barbaric texture.
The battle axe is pretty nice, with some color on its inner texture and the cap (don’t know what it is actually called) a circle with the 200x asterisk symbol.
But here is the big problem…maybe I should say small problem…This Power Sword is shorter than all of The Masterverse swords. It is a step backwards. Honestly, it almost feels like an Origins Power Sword as far as its size. Why did they do this to the most iconic weapon outside of a lightsaber?
For what it’s worth, I also think it is a missed opportunity to give us a new version of the 200x Power Sword.
SPARTANNERD RATING OF MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE CHRONICLES KING GRAYSKULL
If I separate my feelings about differences in this and MASTERVERSE figures, it is a solid 5/5. He checks every box I ask for. Sculpt looks good, and paint also, if it isn’t conservative. He is better articulated than the MASTERVERSE KG. His accessories are what you expect, but the sword is too small. But he gets the Feels Point also…mostly because I generally like the character and also am excited to be one of the early reviewers.
To see the YouTube version of my review of this AMAZING FIGURE, click here!
Way back when the Necronominus Wave dropped, I saw a few figures that I really wanted. Maxillius and Belualyth were two, but also the Terpiculi. And I didn’t pick him up as soon as I saw him. I thought I must have missed him, but then the opportunity came to me to get him off the shelf.
Keep reading to see why he is the greatest skeleton in my collection!
PACKAGING
His packaging is the same packaging as most recent Mythic Legions. It is a big blister card window over a D&D style background featuring a demon and a dragon, with red and blue details and some fire. The back is the same that we saw with Belualyth and the Undead Legion Builder pack. But here is a picture anyway. You can see clearly everything in the package except for the oversized alternate hands hidden behind the Mythic Legions logo.
The cross sell shows Necronominus (the skeleton god who is flying in the center of the artwork,) Belualyth the Beastmaster, who was my 2025 figure of the year, the Terpiculi, and the undead legions builder. I have all of these except the over-the-top skeleton god. And in person he is really incredible, but he is also just a little bit “too much” for the SpartanNerd. The other characters in the artwork are Poxxus, Ilythia, and Arythyr. That I know all of these names means that I am out-nerding most people! I don’t know much about the lore of Mythic Legions, but I do know that these are the evil bosses.
There is a little bio on the side that says that this is truly a monster. If you read Belualyth’s bio, then you know that she led an army of these Terpiculi into battle. So this guy is a legion builder as well.
WHAT DO YOU GET IN THE PACKAGE
Terpiculi figure
Pair of angled swords
Bone or antler meat cleaver
Pair of small bird wings
tail
alternate head that doesn’t have horns
oversized alternate hands
regular alternate hands
I took it right out of the package and propped him up with the oversized arms. This is what you get right out of the box.
FIGURE REVIEW
I love how the colors match most of the other Mythic Legions skeletons. It is the best bone color…actually looking like old bones look in movies and such. Which I suppose represents real-life decay, bleaching, etc. Something else cool…like Maxillius the Harvester before him, he has “guts” molded in the ribcage.
This figure is basically a Modulok or Multibot kind of character, only based in skeletons, which is actually genius if you think about it. You can rearrange the parts in so many different ways…unlimited ways really if you are willing to combine multiple figures. Which for the SpartanNerd is an actual possibility. I wouldn’t mind owning more than one of these, and for that matter you can use these parts or the parts of other skeleton warriors to add to the fun of this figure.
I thought I might need the hairdryer, but I haven’t had to use it. To the contrary, the more I have messed with the figure, the more loose fitting the pegs are. Be careful with the tail. It is a bendy tail, and the vertebrae on it are angled by default. But if you are too rough with it no doubt your could break it. This already happened with one of the Ninian Infantry figures I have, where the tail separated from he top plug-in joint. I was able to get it back together, but it freaked me out enough so that I was extra cautious with The Mouse King and now with this Terpiculi.
And just as a default character, he is a walking battle machine. It is strange to only have three weapons for four arms. But he is so lanky and such that some of this is kicking, punching, and tail swipes.
The oversized arms. You can remove the chicken wings and the regular arms, and peg the oversized arms in where they were. Use the hornless head, and then you have a gorilla skeleton!
PICTURED: Mythic Legions Belualyth and the Terpiculi in an MTG “nightmare” configuration using Maxillius alien head.
These two photos represent a couple of nightmares. Above I have Maxillius default head put here, with the chicken wings for the arms, and the legs reverse jointed to make a chicken monster. Below I have the oversized arms and Maxillius’ blood wings halo thing.
A FANTASTIC UPGRADE
I already purchased the skeleton wings to use with my other warriors, but they are very natural for this figure.
PICTURED: Masterverse New Etheria Hordak,Revelation Scare Glow, Mythic Legions Maxxilius the Harvester, Belualyth’s chimera pet, several skull heads, and Mythic Legions Terpiculi on the worst flight stand you ever saw.
The bone wings are huge! Very impressive…there is really nothing like it. If you get the Terpiculi, you should definitely pay the extra $20 for the wings.
WHY IS THE TERPICULI THE GREATEST SKELETON FIGURE
Let’s compare the figures below. On the far left I have The Undead of Vikenfell, who is getting weaker and weaker and constantly has trouble standing. Maybe he (or she?) is too small and light for their own good. At the back we have Demistros, one of the first Mythic Legions skeletons I had, and a great boss for the skeleton tribe. I have MASTERVERSE New Eternia Viking Skeletor’s head swapped on, and you can see he really isn’t much of a skeleton warrior. Mostly a dark knight with an evil head. On the right I have the disrobed Maxillius the Harvester, who is basically a grim reaper. And he is the most anatomical of the skeletons and would be the greatest, but I broke his neck around October 2025 and have had to Gorilla Glue it a couple of times. I was able to swap his heads for this review without issue, thankfully. A big difference in the Terpiculi and Maxillius is the pelvis…Terpiculi has the regular 1.0 waist, while Maxillius has a properly designed pelvis. (There is a belt piece on the Terpiculi providing privacy for what looks like a diaper!). But that durability problem makes me worry with messing with Maxillius.
Terpiculi is the best because he feels like you need to mess with him…it is like he is inviting you to disassemble him and reassemble him in a different way. He is a Spooky Scary Skeletons figure, for sure!
SPARTANNERD RATING OF MYTHIC LEGIONS TERPICULI
Sculpt- 1 point. Excellent work!
Paint- 1 point. Love the color!
Accessories- 1 point. This figure IS accessories basically. Plus there is a whole bone-wings add-on that is perfect!
Articulation- 1 point. I haven’t had to use a hairdryer. I want to say that he is getting looser and looser the more I mess with it. It hasn’t been enough of a problem to deduct a point…it isn’t a “stupid problem” yet.
Feels Point- Look at the picture below, and tell me if he gets the “Feels Point”. Of course he does! And even if a person isn’t into Mythic Legions specifically, but loves creepy monsters. Well the Terpiculi belongs in that monster fan’s collection. I can’t imagine a collector of horror figures would be unhappy with the Terpiculi!
THE SPARTANNERD RATES THE MYTHIC LEGIONS TERPICULI A 5/5. Do you agree or disagree? Let me know in the comments!
I was gifted Terror Claws Skeletor…a version of Skeletor I never had as a kid. (I didn’t care for the generation that was Flying Fist He-Man and Terror Claws Skeletor, and I believe this was He-Man’s fault). But I remember the Terror Claws from the mini comics, and I really like mini comics. (Versions of Skeletor I had were OG, Battle Armor, and Dragon Blaster).
Keep reading to find out my opinion on this Masterverse re-imagined version.
PACKAGING
Terror Claws Skeletor comes in the typical Masterverse package. It has a nice window where you can see the figure inside with some accessories…in this case part of his claw. You can see that he is wearing a helmet with a visor also, which looks kind of Judge Dredd-ish. The art is very nice, showing Terror Claws Skeletor fighting the fully transformed King Hiss.
If you angle the box to the side you can see a continuation of the main image…Cobra Kahn is standing in the background, with Viper Tower looming overhead.
The other side of the box has the library image for those who keep the packaging. I will be cutting this up and adding it to my YouTube video backdrops. But you can see him full on battle posed, and his profile picture at the top.
The back features a photoshopped image of the toy. This bio says that he invented the Terror Claws to go Mano-e-mano with He-Man. (I paraphrased that!). You get some images of the figure with the claws, a back-of-armor shot where we can see the Dr. Octopus arms, and a mugshot of the helmet with the visor.
There is cross sell on the bottom, showing Terror Claws for one thing, Ninjor…a character that I wasn’t aware of as a child and honestly one of my least favorite Masters characters, and then the newest version of She-Ra.
FIGURE REVIEW
What do you get in the package?
Terror Claws Skeletor figure
Pair of Terror Claws
Pair of alternate hands
Not much to list here. Normally I would complain, but this is Terror Claws Skeletor…his whole jam IS accessories.
This Skeletor has all of the articulation of any Masterverse figure. But this one has a posable jaw, which not every Skeletor gets.
His sculpt and paint are very good. There are dragon details at the top of each terror claw, as well as the classic skull on his armor, but this time kind of cybernetic looking. The armor is what some people like to compare to a crop-top or sports bra…and I agree with joking about that! But it looks like the vintage design. The helmet is kind of a football helmet with spikes running up the mohawk. His feet have metal boots covering monster feet. There is this glossy blue, purple, and silver paint all over the figure, with the same pale blue that BA Skeletor has. I think the paint is one of the best features of this figure. The red belt also compliments red evil eyes that always work for Skeletor.
The visor on the helmet is removable (the helmet is not). This is kind of a sunglasses design…your best bet is to wedge your fingernail at the seam between the helmet and glasses at the top. You can then use the glasses on other figures.
Like I said…that is what this figure is about. Those gigantic claws. This time we have mechanical arms attached to them. These run from the same kind of sockets that we have on the back of New Etheria Hordak (they are for wings). I don’t believe that was a part of the vintage design. What Mattel is doing is updating this Skeletor to have a more techno look, which also tracks well with the old Mini Comics, where the dinosaurs had a “techno virus,” an idea that also was kind of used in the most recent Kevin Smith cartoon series.
PICTURED: New Eternia Battle Armor He-Man vs. New Eternia Terror Claws Skeletor. Skeletor is meant to go up against Flying Fist He-Man…a figure I do not want.PICTURED: New Eternia Clawful and New Eternia Terror Claws Skeletor. You can see some shared design aesthetics, for instance Clawful’s new shell on his back and metal boots over monster feet are similar updates to what is going on with Terror Claws Skeletor.PICTURED: New Eternia Fisto fights New Eternia Terror Claws Skeletor. My complaint about Fisto is that his fist isn’t large enough. It should be as large as Terror Claws Skeletor’s mechanical hands. So Skeletor wins.
SPARTANNERD RATING OF NEW ETERNIA TERROR CLAWS SKELETOR
PICTURED: New Eternia Terror Claws Skeletor and New Eternia Evil Lyn. These two look like they belong together, sharing somewhat of a color scheme. I have Skeletor showing Evil Lyn the Star Seed, which he is able to hold no problem with his metal hands. (It is a spherical polished blue quartz from a rock store at a mall somewhere)
I don’t see any reason to downgrade this figure. His paint is especially good, but his terror claws gimmick has been generously updated, and we also have an articulated jaw and sunglasses style visor that we can use on other figures…an excellent feature update. Plus, I haven’t had any trouble getting him to stand, and you know these claws would normally present a challenge of balance. But not this time. I think it is because the Masterverse line of figures has reached a point where stupid problems like that just don’t come up as much.
Near the end of the line last year, I had a lot of complaints because it seemed that Mattel was cutting paint. They didn’t on this, and I appreciate it very much. Sculpt, Paint, Accessories, Articulation…all points that I am awarding. And I am giving this the feels point because I am very grateful for it as a gift. I didn’t have him as a kid and wouldn’t have gotten him, but I’m glad to have it now…so I award him a 5/5! Do you agree or disagree, Hub City Geeks? Let me know in the comments!
I was gifted both Origins Cartoon Collection Catra and Turtles of Grayskull Stealth Ninja He-Man, both excellent figures and my “jumping on” point for Mattel’s Origins line. Originally I thought I might collect the WWEternia figures, but then I didn’t. And then the Origins line proper, but I went for Masterverse, a scale and detail I still think is more my type. When the Turtles of Grayskull line was announced, it was just wacky enough that I thought I might get them all. But then I didn’t…opting for more Masterverse and Mythic Legions figures instead. And I pretty much just ignored it after that until I was gifted He-Man.
It felt awkward though, not to have any other figures from the line…especially bad guys. But then I saw Skele-Shredder, who was also on sale as a part of the end-of-the-year sale for Club Grayskull, and I picked this up along with Sharella.
Did I make a good choice?
PACKAGING
Just so you know…it is totally worth looking at the unboxing video.
This really blurs the line between playset and packaging. Kind of like the GI Joe Classified series Cold Slither set. Just the same, here are some shots of what is just in the shipper box. It wasn’t cellophane wrapped or anything…just covered in tissue paper.
Skele-Shredder is sitting on his throne in blister plastic. you can see his two display heads and his spikes. The “skull”comes up…it is it’s own separate sliding box top, and the door (which is a jaw) comes down.
The back…This box becomes a prison cell, making it into a dungeon!
Terrific packaging…the best I have seen in the Origins line. Granted I don’t have much, but really what could be better? There are mutagen ooze details all around it as well.
FIGURE REVIEW
Not only am I showing off what you get in the package, but also my collection of Dark Horse Turtles of Grayskull comics.
What do you get in the package?
Minicomic “Havoc is Afoot”
Skele-Shredder action figure
Two alternate heads
Bone ninja claws
Ninja Havoc bladed bo staff. (Not actually sure what it’s called.)
Throne
Foot Clan flag
Havoc flag
The word is that this is the final figure for the Turtles of Grayskull line, and that Mattel wanted to “go out with a bang.” They certainly did!
The figure is painted with the black, purple, and blue “evil” palette that we expect to see for Skeletor and Shredder, with some bony weapon details. You can remove the claws, but the bony shin guards are sculpted on to the boots.
There is a cowl with a soft-goods cape, but I had a problem upon opening my figure. The paint on his shoulder wasn’t dry! And so some of that paint has rubbed off on the underside of the collar…not a big deal. And some got on my finger. I have been doing this hobby for years and years…AND I also opened up practically all of my own children’s toys when they were little kids. I have never seen wet paint on an action figure.
Skele-Shredder has two peg holes on the back of his armor, but it isn’t clear what these are for. He didn’t come with any accessory to slot into those. I thought the flags might have some way, but it just isn’t so. (After thinking about it, it is to add wings from other figures that have been released).
The most notable thing about this actual figure is the options for a head. The stock head is a metal skull mask with a samurai crown, reminiscent of the band Slipknot. Another head is similar, but has a red crown and this is intended to be Shredder, while the other head is yellow with a green crown, intended to be Skeletor. I prefer the metal “stock” head over both of the others. I find it a problem that Skeletor’s head doesn’t have an articulated jaw. He has a permanent open mouth smile.
His articulation is exactly what you would expect…it is the same as Stealth Ninja He-Man and Cartoon Collection Faker. Here’s the list anyway: ball-joint head, rotating shoulders that are ball-on-a-peg, swivel wrists, waist twist, ball-on-peg legs, hinged knees, rotation at the boot cut, and rocker ankles.
“Our articulation is the same, and our parts are swappable. But that’s all we have in common!” PICTURED: Turtles of Grayskull Stealth Ninja He-Man and Skele-Shredder, both from the Origins line.
The overall effect of the figure is a perfect combination of Skeletor and Shredder, exactly like his name implies.
ACCESSORIES
The throne. So this is a big draw, and one of the reasons I wanted to get the figure. This is a perfect combination of bony details and metal details. (The toys is made of plastic…references to metal and bone are referring to how the materials look). Most of the chair is made of metal, with a brass or gold outline and a large helmet sitting on top. (This helmet can also be an alternate head for the figure!). The rib cage behind the chair is made of metal blades, and these are all on a movable joint so that you can move them to fit your taste. The armrests of the chair are bone, and there are also two stands for the alternate hands or for storing the ninja spikes. The seat of the chair is sculpted like it is covered in fur, and there is a platform with peg holes for action figure feet beneath the chair.
There are two flags, and these peg in to octagonal holes on either side of the chair. The flag poles are cylindrical, so…(This is a puzzling design.). The only “problem” with this chair is that it is made of thin plastic. I had a hard time getting that helmet attached…I was afraid I would break something by applying too much pressure. Likewise the flags are also flimsy stuff.
For weapons, the claws are removable. These are bent, but don’t look too bad. The main weapon here is the combination ninja spear and Havoc staff. It looks like a cool asian medieval weapon, but with large green skull embedded. There is a mace sculpted to the bottom of the pole, giving it a second business end. Unfortunately, it is kind of loose in Skele-Shredder’s hands.
This box is by itself an awesome accessory. Who is throwing this away or mutilating it? I cut up a lot of packages lately to make backdrops, but not this one.
The Minicomic…here is a picture of the cover along with Sharella’s comic. The story…a follow up to Stealth-Ninja He-Man’s comic that kind of ends on a cliffhanger. An odd choice if indeed this is the end of the Turtles of Grayskull line. (You can find my review of Sharella here).
PHOTOS
“I already took out one robotic turtle, now it’s your turn!” PICTURED: Heatboys Donatello fighting Turtles of Grayskull Skele-Shredder. He has already defeated Super7 Ultimates! Metal Head. I thought Grayskull and New York might as well be together…it already happened in Los Angeles! My review of Heatboys Donatello is very in-depth.
He looks so wacky. That’s why I love this line! And he is a great villain for just about anybody.
“Tonight I dine on Monkey King soup!” PICTURED: Figura Obscura Monkey Kingvs. Skele-Shredder. I said back when I reviewed the Monkey King that I thought he would work well with Ninja Turtles. But I wasn’t thinking about this.“I should pay someone to invent robots to deal with your kind! Or maybe just bully them.” PICTURED: Figura Obscura Mouse Kingvs Turtles of Grayskull Skele-Shredder. I don’t have a Master Splinter figure, but this can work. I expect a re-color of the Mouse King will be released that might be more Splinter-esque.
SPARTANNERD RATING OF TURTLES OF GRAYSKULL SKELE-SHREDDER
Skele-Shredder isn’t that recognizable. If you didn’t know his name…try it. Who is he?
He is heads above the other Origins figures I have, which aren’t many. (Cartoon Collection Prince Adam and Cringer, Faker, and Catra. Powers of Grayskull Sharella. Turtles of Grayskull Stealth Ninja He-Man. These are all I have.). Cringer and Adam might beat him for the “feels” points in my grading system. BUT. I got him to be a villain for exposed toes He-Man. But if he was found at a flea market with no package…would you know who he is?
That package is terrific! The paint is still wet (I’m typing this three weeks after opening it). But he looks great fighting people that aren’t necessarily He-Man or TMNT. He has plenty of accessories and lots of display options. In fact, he is everything that Sharella is not as far as an action figure, and I awarded her only 4/5.
PICTURED: My new Origins and Vintage diorama has Skele-Shredder in the center between the good guys and the bad guys. (Not pictured, Sharella, who is too far over beside the armor-less Man-At-Arms…)
So I award Turtles of Grayskull Skele-Shredder a 5/5. Do you agree or disagree, Hub City Geeks? Let me know in the comments!
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?
