Tag Archives: 40th Anniversary He-Man

MASTERVERSE New Eternia Panthor

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See the YouTube video review HERE.

I promise…I was like the first person to order this. I saw it come to my e-mail the second they opened the sale, and BOOM, $40 and ten days later, I had it!

$40 ain’t bad, considering back in the day the MOTUC cats were something like $70 (And have climbed in value considerably).

So was it worth it? Keep reading!

PACKAGING

MASTERVERSE New Eternia Panthor came in this shoebox of a package. And I mean literally. It could have some Nikes in it. The box has terrific art all around. The front image is how maybe most people will have their Panthor on display, though some might prefer the no-saddle look. And then there are some who like everything new.

Here’s some side art, featuring a Skelton riding a dragon or pterodactyl. A call out to another recent offering in the New Eternia line.

If you stand the whole image up, you can see that Panthor is in a cave environment, where a pool of water reflects the back of the cave and its waterfall, and Mekanek stands waiting. Also a huge dragonfly and some other critters.

This is some of the best art in packaging we have seen!

The back of the box shows this confrontation between Mekanek, Panthor, and Skeletor. (all in the New Eternia style). Panthor is armed up completely in this image, and we also have a skull in the foreground and a bone on the ground near the cat’s foot. (An image I am certain I will be able to replicate 🙂

When you open the box, you are greeted with this cover image of Skeletor exploring some ruins holding a spear…this is a new spear that came with Panthor. The question is…what is this place? There is a castle ruin in the back with a snake head sticking out…the closest thing it looks like is the Slime Pit. It doesn’t look like “The Snake Lair,” but what this is is even more clues that MASTERVERSE will see some Snake Men this year.

The back of that image is a diorama of Snake Mountain. BUT…as great of an image it is, you can see that has limited display value with Panthor below.

FIGURE REVIEW

Here is Panthor fully armed with Skeletor on his back. You can see everything you get in the package.

Package Contents:

  • New Eternia Panthor figure
  • Battle mask
  • Armored saddle
  • Two removable stirrups
  • A pair of spurs on the front legs
  • Spear

You can see that you can convert the box into a display stand, but that diorama is too short to display Panthor properly with a figure on his back.

This Panthor has all of the same articulation as Masters of the Universe Classics cats had. But this time it is lighter, more rubbery plastic…something I can’t rightly put into a blog or video, can I? You have to feel it to know what I mean.

He isn’t flocked. This is a point of contention with me kind of…but they added something new. You have to look close to see it…

PICTURED: MASTERSVERSE New Eternia Panthor and Masters of the Universe Classics Battle Cat. This photo shows the size differences sans armor, and also, HOLY COW. Panthor has spots!

Yep. HOLY COW. Panthor has spots! These are subtle…and you can’t even see them in dim lighting. But they are there, and this is one of the things that sets New Eternia apart from other iterations of Masters of the Universe…Mattel is adding little updates that work in a fresh way while keeping the spirit of the original thing alive.

Are spots and glossy purple paint better than flocking? I don’t think so…but somehow Mattel has done this in a way that doesn’t take away from the figure. Way back in the MOTUC days, everyone was wondering what Panthor would be like, and there was this divisive “groan” when he wasn’t flocked. The Four Horsemen didn’t like it, and Mattel said there was quality control issues (which there was, with Moss Man).

So here, maybe some of that same philosophy. Without the flocking, you can see a terrific sculpt. And those subtle, dainty leopard spots manage to break up the gloss and lend a softer quality to it. A good strategy in place of flocking.

PICTURED: MASTERVERSE New Eternia figures Vykron, Faker, and Panthor, with Masters of the Universe Classics (MOTUC) Battle Cat.

Panthor’s mouth does have new articulation…this is in the roof of the mouth…it drops down when his mouth is open, showing all of his teeth bared.

Also, check out these eyes. WOW! These are similar to Mer-Man’s eyes, in that they seem to be real and can follow you.

PICTURED: MASTERVERSE New Eternia Skeletor and Evil-Lyn on Panthor

PANTHOR’S Saddle is big enough to accommodate at least Skeletor and Evil-Lyn. (Unlike Mythic Legions Boreus or MOTUC Battle Cat). It’s snug, but I don’t think they mind:)

The saddle has some details on it…A face appears at the front below the first two horns…these are apparently a taken from a Shadow Beast. Another demon guy adorns the front of the saddle. The ridge of the saddle is a turtle shell or dragon hide. The seat has a snake head with fangs hanging down, and the back ridge is lined with the spine of an animal! The stirrups plug in via little rubber pegs and are optional. There are loops on both sides to hold weapons…(a Four Horsemen design that fans didn’t understand). There are skulls on these straps, and falcon details that call out to mini-comic Skeletor on both sides. (As opposed to bats, which would come from the Horde).

The saddle straps on easier than any other armor pieces in all of Masters of the Universe. These straps feel like real belts, and somehow have tiny rubber pegs that catch the holes perfectly. It’s something that’s hard to explain, but when taking this saddle off and putting it back on, there is no drama…just fun!

The same can be said of the front spurs. These peg on more traditionally, but they work so well I WANT to take them off and put them back on.

ACCESSORIES

The Battle Mask. Is this an accessory? I am counting it as one, because Panthor didn’t traditionally have a headpiece. This is sculpted in the same rubbery plastic as the saddle, and has the same faded jade coloration. Though it isn’t ram horns like the MOTUC figure had, instead it has “tusks” that come down the side of the helmet. It has nose armor that goes to the end, and similar horns that the rest of the armor has. Importantly, when you put this mask on, you can still see the eyes!

The spear…this one is the head scratcher. It is very welcome…and looks great in the weapon strap on the side. It “adds more” to the display of the figure, and this is something adult collectors want! But why? Panthor hasn’t been associated with a spear in the past. And Skeletor either, for that matter. It is very well sculpted, if not too thick of a handle typical of the recent staves we have in MASTERVERSE. (See the Havoc Throne). There is a skull detail right below the arrowhead. This spear is all molded plastic gray, and as such is boring and needs some paint. I suppose though this is just another barbaric element to add, bringing Panthor to the sword-and-sorcery party.

SPARTANNERD RATING OF MASTERVERSE NEW ETERNIA PANTHOR

The Sculpt is great. You can see all the fur. This isn’t specifically the Four Horsemen, but it is their design as far as the articulation works. The paint might be controversial, but I approve of what they have done here adding the Leopard, Jaguar, or Cheetah spots in a non-forceful statement that softens the gloss. That might be my favorite thing about this figure. All of the accessories, including the saddle are over-the-top. This figure is worth every bit of that $40. But does he add to the SpartanNerd’s picky collection? Come on guys…this is Panthor. And Panthor done right! I completely passed on that Revelation Battle Cat…and I was worried Panthor would get that same frumpy treatment. Instead we get this figure that captures the essence of Panthor and takes it places it hasn’t been in 40 years. Panthor is a main bad guy…so he is essential, and this is what he adds.

I award Panthor a 5/5 on all of these merits. Do you agree or disagree? Let me know in the comments!

MASTERVERSE Revolution Sorceress Teela…SpartanNerd Unboxing and Review

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Looks like the SpartanNerd is playing with his dolls again…

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

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

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

PACKAGING

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

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

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

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

WHAT DO YOU GET IN THE BOX

Contents:

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

Not many accessories…

FIGURE REVIEW

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

ACCESSORIES

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

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

PICTURED: Sorceress Teela with Mythic Legions magic effects.

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

SPARTANNERD’S RATING OF MASTERVERSE REVOLUTION SORCERESS TEELA.

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

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

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

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

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

Action Figure Showdown-MASTERVERSE Battle Armor He-Man (He-Men?)

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I began comparing figures with one another way back with Demistros and Black Falcon. Then I did the three kings. And now, two versions of the same character. Or are they?

One of my thoughts was “It looks like Revolution version only has a single damage mark option, while the older New Eternia version has two. Oh I get it! They are encouraging you to buy both for interchangeable pieces.” Well, keep reading to see how that works out.

MASTERVERSE Revolution Battle Armor He-Man

PACKAGING

The packaging of this features terrific artwork. Once again, this newer “transformers” style packaging really works for me. You can see the figure inside, along with his main accessory. It’s a good drawing, but you can clearly see that the figure’s head sculpt has fatter jowels and smaller hair. Also featured on the cover are the Eternian Guards, who no doubt if they are ever released will have the same armor design. I almost predict this as a reveal at the SDCC this week. (Nope. Skelcons and Horde troopers!) Link to Pixel Dan video.

The back of the box features something I don’t like so much. This is a photoshopped picture of the action figure posed in an artwork setting. The shadow beasts ARE cool though.

We are treated to the “selfie cam” image. But also we can see the other ways of displaying He-Man with this set. We get a traditional harness and a no-scratch plate and a one-scratch plate. The cross sell on the bottom…I have all of these except for the Tri-Klops, which I deem pointless. We already have a MASTERVERSE revelation Tri-Klops that was pretty good. I have seen this one on the shelf, and the sculpting is more detailed and better all around. But it is still just Tri-Klops. Mekanek is excellent, and King Keldor is … OK.

There is some side-art

We get a picture of Andra. Now the story on the back and in the show is that Andra, as Man-At-Arms, designed this battle armor and gave it to He-Man for extra protection because he didn’t have the sword. (Gwildor and Orko were working on it).

About Andra…she is a fine character, and I get why they promoted her to importance. Lots of reasons. But she is a character that won’t sell. I am saying this because I have seen upwards of 30 of them on clearance between two different Target stores, one dedicated toy store, Wal-Mart, and Ollie’s. The bounty hunter looks really cool. But given a choice between Andra and someone more nostalgic, me and the vast majority of MOTU fans will choose even the worst vintage character over her. Maybe this is my two-cents, but evidence is evidence. She is regularly marked down on BigBadToyStore also. She’s not moving for under $13, which is likely what they paid for her wholesale.

Overall, this packaging really isn’t as good as some of the other more recent packaging, and I hope they don’t move to that photoshop design instead of the terrific art that is for instance on the back of Clawful’s packaging.

FIGURE

Here’s what you get in the box.

  • He-Man figure
  • Chrome battle axe
  • Two interchangeable chest plates
  • Alternate traditional battle harness with the “H” symbol
  • Two punching fists
  • Should I count the bracer? OK.

So how does it work?

The armor is of hard shell design. It goes together with clips on the side. You don’t have to remove the armor to swap chest plates. (An improvement over the MOTUC version.)

Here I have He-Man holding a triangular guitar pick. (Rhombo pick). This is what I use to pry the chest plate off. You could use any “spudger” to do this same thing.

The classic power harness looks great, but there is no loop on the back to store the axe or a sword. Well, there is no sword anyway. You can see that this is easily the best battle axe, and is a reason for purchasing this figure almost by itself. He changed into battle armor mode by fist-bumping his chest if I remember correctly. Unfortunately, his muscles are too big on the figure to do this.

Here are a couple of reenactment scenes from the Revolution show.

He-Man crowns Keldor the king. OOF.
King Keldor sent He-Man away to take the fight to Snake Mountain. He slyly mentioned to someone else when asked where his crown was…”I left it at home.” PICTURED: MASTERVERSE Revolution Battle Armor He-Man holding King Keldor’s crown, looking confused standing in front of MASTERVERSE New Eternia Skeletor’s throne. (Review coming soon!)
Because I don’t have Prince Adam, mid-transformation face-plant will have to do. OOF. PICTURED: MASTERVERSE Revolution Battle Armor He-Man and Masters of the Universe Classics Battle Cat, both without armor.

MASTERVERSE New Eternia Battle Armor He-Man

PACKAGING

New- Eternia Battle Armor He-Man came in the decidedly worse old-style MASTERVERSE packaging. But you can see everything clearly. And we are treated to the 40th anniversary symbol.

Now THIS IS COOL ARTWORK!

A very barbarian image of He-Man, this version with the obvious beard I haven’t mentioned yet, fighting a skeleton guy and some kind of orc. He stands over them, furry shorts and boots engaged, ready to mete vengeance with his battle axe! His right hand open about to grip for a powerful swing.

The cross sell oddly features a brown beard on He-Man. I never have needed a Sun-Man (another character that is shoved at us.) I just passed on Jitsu yesterday in Columbia, SC. And He-Ro…meh.

Side art…( the other side is just block letter title)

FIGURE

Here’s what you get….

  • Battle-Armor He-Man figure
  • Shoulder pauldron
  • Plate armor belt
  • Two armor plates, one undamaged, the other two- scratched
  • A right hand fist and open left hand
  • Power sword
  • Battle axe
  • Shield with vehicle detail
  • Boot strap knife

This is an impressive accessory list!

The head sculpt…he doesn’t look as grizzled as the artwork.

SO HOW DOES THIS GUY WORK? (SpartanNerd shaking his head)

Very unsightly. Why? Mattel, we can do better.

Where to begin. Before trying to remove the armor, it is already clear they sculpted and painted his belly. But he is slimmer than Revolution, but really you can’t display this figure without the armor.

To swap plates, you remove the front armor. The back is sculpted on and not removable. There are these holes in his chest, where pegs on the back of the plates go. Awkward, and stupid. There is some circuitry design….just. Why?

Also, the boot knife fits in an indention awkwardly. (This is a different boot knife than 1987 Movie He-Man came with.)

I removed the belt armor for this one. Like Mekanek, He-Man’s shield celebrates a vehicle we probably won’t get for MASTERVERSE. This time Dragon Walker I believe. You can store the sword behind the shield, but there is no scabbard or loop. The shield pegs into a hole just like on the wrist bracer. The pauldron goes on with a snapping loop.

So for me, it’s the head sculpt that is the only redeeming factor of the paint and sculpt. Where did the beard “come from”? Masters of the Universe Classics had a “King He-Man” figure, who was more wizened, and grizzled. That figure featured a beard. I have neglected the slight scratch of red paint on his face. BLOOD. (I own a copy of DC comics He-Man: The Eternity War #6 which features King He-Man on the cover.)

PICTURED: MASTERVERSE New Eternia Battle Armor He-Man on Super7 Utlimates! King Conan’s throne. He-Man is wearing MASTERVERSE Revolution King Keldor’s crown, and holding MASTERVERSE New Eternia Thunder-Punch He-Man’s sword. (It’s gold…more “kingly.”

I think Mattel might have been going for a Mythic Legions or a Christopher Helmsworth look as this bearded version seems younger and more spritely.

Here is a kind of re-make of the artwork on the back. It actually isn’t possible to one-for-one that artwork. He-Man came with opposite hands.

COMPARISON

Both of these figures have strengths and weaknesses. Revolution has a more modern design, while New Eternia was one of the earliest figures. Mattel has had time to improve. This has something to do with the cheap, cheap price I was able to pay for New Eternia.

New Eternia really updated the design. Giving He-Man a beard was almost worth the whole figure. But throw in the other armor pieces (Pauldron, Girdle) and all of the accessories. This makes New Eternia more fun. I haven’t spoken much about it, but the hip armor plates have the button-on belt and after removing it I had to use the hair dryer to get it back on.

Revolution has a decidedly worse head sculpt. He doesn’t look like the cartoon. Maybe I’m stupid, but he resembles Shaggy from Scooby Doo, with blond hair. At least to me. I appreciate that the armor is shinier than New Eternia’s. And that battle axe is hands down the best painted one we’ve seen. But it is small. (Savage He-Man has a huge axe.)

The biggest problem for me with New Eternia is the design of the armor…how it removes and how you swap the plates. It is INCOMPATIBLE with Revolution Battle Armor He-Man. I wanted both figures, and it would have been a nice bonus to have interchangeable pieces, but Mattel just decided not to give us that.

SpartanNerd’s Rating of both MASTERVERSE Battle Armor He-Man (He-Men?)

Revolution gets 2/5. I find him to be kind of bland. The pop of chrome paint is most of his redeeming factor. That head just doesn’t do it for me. Why didn’t we get proper armor plates? He didn’t come with a sword or anything else. We could have done away with the bracer even and gotten plates to accurately represent the vintage switching look. Additionally, this armor makes him appear overweight. As a Masters of the Universe/ Transformers/ GI Joe guy, I value escapism. He-Man having a gut hits too close to home for me.

I am reluctantly giving 3/5 for New Eternia. He doesn’t look bland at all! Everything about him would be awesome if his whole torso-buck wasn’t sacrificed to make the armor work. I don’t like the way this was executed, period. What were they thinking? I feel like this buck was throw-away also. Who else could use it? Back then I bet they were thinking Battle Armor Skeletor, maybe Faker, maybe Eternian Guards. I’m willing to bet there was such negative feedback they scrapped it.

Soon there will be a New Eternia Battle Armor Skeletor released, and let me say, the preview images look AWESOME! I’m thinking that will take design cues from Revolution He-Man.

Hub-City Geeks…I did this so you don’t have to. Don’t go into purchasing both versions thinking you can swap them. It won’t work. I actually wanted both versions…I saw Revolution on sale at Wal-Mart in Westgate for $21, and New Eternia was marked down on Prime Day. I have like $32 worth here and feel I have my value. But as it is, Mattel needs to do better to give us better Battle Armor He-Man in the future.

MASTERVERSE New Eternia Thunder Punch He-Man- SpartanNerd Unboxing and Review

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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!

MASTERVERSE Revelation Teela

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Boom! I found a Teela I can support. I didn’t even know they made this one.

So this is “Captain of the Guard” Teela, who is being knighted “Man-At-Arms.” The Teela that becomes angry and angsty. She throws that crown down in a tantrum of a fit in the Revelation show. Rightfully so, I suppose. But all of the Teela figures I saw before this one in the Masterverse line has had that “emo bodybuilder-bounty hunter” look. To me, Teela should be pretty. In fact, usually. Generally. Masters of the Universe females should retain a certain level of feminine attractiveness. I am a fan of the curves on the Filmation show, and as great as the animation on Revelation and Revolution is, that classic female form was abandoned probably on grounds of modern tastes.

But this Teela doesn’t appear manly at all! Keep reading to see how this figure has been one of the best figures I have gotten in a long time.

Packaging

OK. So this is the boring blue package. You can see in the window box everything she comes with. Also, the sword has come loose from her hand.

I got this figure at Toy Federation in Greer, SC. It seems like they had another there also. At $20 for a 7-inch scale A-list character, you can’t beat that.

The art on the side is outstanding, but check out the art on the back of the box.

Once again. BOOM! Whoever did this (Eamon O’Donahue?) great work. Wonderful fantasy artwork feminine beauty. You can see some Wind Raiders flying overhead and some castle to her right. The bio here is a summary of her role in the Revelations cartoon.

The bottom of the package shows off some other figures you can get. At this point I have Teela (of course), Mer-Man, and Skeletor (viking). I don’t care for that inferior Viking He-Man. (That’s no Vikor.). Notice that the Teela in the picture looks fairly different than the actual figure.

Figure Basics (with comparison)

Below is a “Two-for-one” pic. I am showing you everything you get in the box, PLUS what the alternate head looks like on Masters of the Universe Classics Battleground Teela. So, Comparison time? There are things I like about both. But I am into that long red hair. This is the best head I have put on Battleground Teela. Yes…it is loose on that ball joint. But that doesn’t matter. MASTERVERSE Teela has knobby knees and fat elbows. But MOTUC Teela has unsightly pin joins. I have pointed out before when speaking of Despara vs Evil Lyn. The MOTUC females seem more rigid, and it’s true. They are less posable. It is a tradeoff for superior sculpting and paint, I guess. MASTERVERSE Teela also has bigger muscles, but they don’t ooze the manliness. MOTUC Teela is bustier, and I appreciate the more skin shown here. But MASTERVERSE Teela has a classic costume reminiscent of Filmation and also of the vintage figure…a figure I never had. I really never even saw on a shelf until I was an adult.

Pictured: MASTERVERSE Revelation Teela with extra hands and holding the sword and shield. MOTUC Battleground Teela with alternate “hair-down” head from MASTERVERSE Teela, also holding her original sword and the Great Unrest weapons pack shield.

Action Pics

Here you can see Teela in battle against Mer-Man from the same wave. You can see how the skirt does hinder some of the posing. (You can also see that she and Mer-Man wear the same color of underwear!)

Pictured: MASTERVERSE Revelation Teela vs. Mer-Man. Mer-Man is armed with not only his scimitar, but also MOTUC Sir Lazer-Lot’s shield.

Finally, I can properly display the father and daughter pair. (You can see Man-At-Arms review here.)

Pictured: MASTERVERSE Revelation Teela and MASTERVERSE New Eternia Man-At-Arms. Teela is wielding The MOTUC Great Unrest Weapons pack sword and pistol, while Man-At-Arms is wielding MOTUC Sir Lazer-Lot’s sword and MASTERVERSE New Eternia Two-Bad’s pistol.

So here she is with a classic group of Filmation friends. I like this kind of “disarmed” picture.

Pictured: All are MASTERVERSE figures. The He-Man shown is my favorite in the line, 40th anniversary.

Why the SpartanNerd believes this is one of the greatest action figures.

At the beginning of this post, I made a bold assertion. This Teela is one of my very favorites. The next picture is going to show you why.

Pictured: MASTERVERSE Scare Glow con-exclusive with Subternia backdrop and an added plant detail, MASTERVERSE Revelation Teela, who is armed with the MOTUC Great Unrest weapons pack snake armor and Staff of Ka. Both characters are using Mythic Legions magic effects, and Scare Glow is on the Cosmic Legions figure stand.

Whoa! Alot going on here! I had to take out the hair dryer because the MOTUC armor is getting some age, but new MASTERVERSE Teela’s head fit right inside after a little blast, making this my preferred way of displaying her. She looks just like the cross-sell art I saw on the cardbacks as a kid. Yes. This is getting into serious collector territory. After all, you are looking at years of building up this figure. But I love it!

SpartanNerd’s rating of MASTERVERSE Revelation Teela

You might have guessed that I would give this figure a rating of 5/5, and you are correct. It hits all of the boxes just as it is.

The two head sculpts are beautifully crafted and painted. The sculpt of her clothes is also very nice. She has great articulation. You have options for displaying her hands. The weakest thing here is that yellow shield, which could use some paint. I threw away the box, but this is beautiful artwork worth keeping a pic of in your Apple library.

But it is the world of possibility that makes this figure fun. Right now that “hair-down” head is on Battleground Teela, who is riding Battle Cat. EPIC! Right now, MASTERVERSE Teela is doing battle with Mythic Legions Demistros wearing that MOTUC armor.

So Hub City Geeks, were you as enthused about this Teela as me? Let me know in the comments!

MASTERVERSE New Eternia Man-E-Faces

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Click here to see a video of Scareglow, Man-E-Faces, and Khotal Kahn’s packaging.

I really don’t have many “good guys” from MASTERVERSE line yet. (So far, three versions of He-Man, Orko, and Ram Man.). This is a little odd, because it was the good aligned characters that appealed to me the most as a child from Masters of the Universe. But as I have gotten older, I find that the villains are definitely more interesting designs. As a child I always stuck with the Decepticons as toys, and Cobra also I believe because of the color scheme. And for Star Wars I am generally a dark-side type. But the good guys have nostalgia for me more because these were the toys I owned. One of my brothers had Skeletor’s guys and the other had the Horde. Meaning the big brother SpartanNerd always got to “win” at something else!

Man-E-Faces was yet another Valentines item for me. I picked it up in Columbia South Carolina along with Scare Glow and Khotal Kahn (from Mortal Kombat.)

And I have so many questions…I remember having this guy as a child. And I remember the filmation episode vaguely. It seems like 200x had a proper story where he could be controlled by Beast Man when he had on his monster face. So I looked him up on the internet to review some details. Wow…there is alot to this character that I either never knew or forgot. For instance, Peek-a-blue is his wife. European stories are more psychological, giving him a split personality, while American stories are lighter…he is an actor. But there are other questions. Is that his skin, or is it some kind of space suit? If it is his skin, then that is kind of gruesome that he has these hoses all over him. His face is orange…which is why this might be his skin. Other questions, who are the three extra faces?

Well, I should back up.

So the bio on the back of the box also says that Man-E-Faces has a shattered mind. Throwing back to those multiple personality issues European stories gave him. That his faces are the key to learning to restore Eternia is another mystery.

(Let me point out now that made a mistake in the package video, referring to Pig Head as a movie figure. Evidently Pig Head is Sun Man’s version of Skeletor. It is Pig-Boy that I was thinking of.)

Anyways, back to the figure review.

Here is everything you get in the box. The figure with the traditional Human-Monster-Robot faces. Three additional faces in a case, which are Prototype Man-E-Faces (so I hear), Keldor’s face (assumed), and Skeletor’s (assumed) face. The extra faces have a storage case. You also get two fists, a laser gun, and also his helmet is necessarily removable. That shiny blue paint is no joke!

I almost missed this detail in the packaging…(I was in the process of throwing it away)

So they made the gun into a tool! I don’t need it to turn the knob, but some kid might. What utilitarian purpose the laser is useful to me for is getting the faces to pop off of the turning drum or the carrying case.

Don’t know why you would, but the helmet looks pretty good on other characters. I feel like this is a space suit helmet.

The case has an unsightly problem. It is a perfectly fine item except for the hinge. That white stripe is where the plastic has stressed…this could have been handled differently. It seems like vintage GI Joes had this problem alot when they came with some type of ammo case. It has this “eye” design on it that fits right in with Masters of the Universe. In fact, this case reminds me a little bit of the one that held the Power Sword from 200x in the Mike Young show. (a different complaint from the Scareglow review…look how big that sword is on He-Man’s back.)

I mean…is this Skeletor? The color scheme is definitely different. But who else is a smiley skull-face? (OK. Scareglow.). Masters fans would automatically assume this. And if so, then the blue mustache has to be Keldor, right? Maybe this is a Mandela effect thing. I am remembering something from the “correct” universe. (Because if there are other universes, this one is definitely not the correct one!). What I think I remember is Man-E-Faces showing Skeletor and even Orko faces to Orko to prank him. Anyone else remember this, Hub-City Geeks?

I already mentioned the 200x story. I got to thinking, though. If he is primarily a man or a monster, and it is a split personality…couldn’t the robot version be something Man-At-Arms devised to “regulate” the two personalities?

(This pic shows an actual self defense tactic… Also, this is Metalhead from Super7 Ultimates TMNT)

So who is this?

Somewhere on the internet people are saying this is a prototype or design sketch artwork. It reminds me of Space Ghost…The colors match very well, and you can tell who he is. Would I have rather had a different face? Beast Man would have been cool, or Man-At-Arms. Or Orko. Or even He-man.

Here you can see Man-E-Faces can carry the case on his back.

How do I think this figure can be improved? The sculpt and paint are good, and there is variety of what you can do with the figure. He is very posable…no problems there. The gun is faithful to previous versions, and the carrying case is cool, but flawed at the hinge.

Hear me out, Hub City Geeks! What if you could remove this drum like you can the other figures’ heads. Just think. Now Man-E-Faces could be anyone, literally! I don’t know the logistics of it. But this is how this figure could be improved. I already show how the “space helmet” works on other figures. How much of a stretch to think about totally changing this mechanism?

I am giving Man-E-Faces a 4/5. What I say above is actually my imagination thinking of possibilities, not so much of a criticism. My criticism is that we could have had more faces, or at least different faces, and the hinge on that carrying case…as issue that Mattel would have known better than produce. They should have created a different design.

Do you agree or disagree, Hub City Geeks? Let me know in the comments!