Tag Archives: Masters of the Universe Classics

G.I. Joe Classified Law and Order – SpartanNerd unboxing and Review

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See the video review at my YouTube channel here!

As a longtime G.I. Joe fan and now the owner of a real-life German Shepherd, this Classified called my name throughout December. Between nostalgia from the G.I. Joe movie and modern Classified Series design, Law and Order was exactly what the SpartanNerd wanted with some of his Christmas money.

(What I really spent it on was Heatboys TMNT Donatello…you’ll have to wait for that review to drop…let’s just say SOLID 5/5!)

Packaging

Law and Order came in the typical GI Joe Classified Series window box. The last two Classifieds I reviewed came in that dumb windowless box. But I’m not sure they could sell this figure without such a good window where you can especially see the K9 dog.

The side has artwork similar to other GI Joe Classified series figures. I will be removing this and adding it to my diorama.

The back features a photoshop scene from the 1987 GI Joe movie. Law was one of Beach Head’s new recruits in training. Beach Head sent him in to a mockup town to find a bomb. But what Beach Head didn’t know was that Law was going to cheat, calling in Order to help. Order finds the bomb right away and brings it to Beach Head, but wants to play tug-of-war with it. Law gets it away and throws it, where it explodes away from the town. And then Beach Head says a famous line, (but doesn’t cuss this time), “I hope you both get fleas!”

Too bad the figure didn’t come with a bomb accessory. I kind of hoped that I just couldn’t see it in the package, but nope. There would be no hiding it with this window, and there was no surprise bomb this time. (Jokey Smurf reference!)

Of course, the other side of the box is useless, containing the coded bio symbols and a QR code that links to Hasbro’s main site.

What Do You Get in the Box?

  • Law action figure
  • German Shepherd K9 figure “Order”
  • Order has a K9 helmet and, collar, and harness
  • Multiple interchangeable hands
  • Alternate snarling dog head
  • Removable hat
  • Handcuffs
  • Nightstick (tonfa)
  • Uzi submachine gun
  • Pistol
  • Dagger

I mention the K9 helmet, as it wasn’t clear that it was removable. (for all we know it could be hard-sculpted on.)

Articulation

Law

Law features the standard G.I. Joe Classified articulation we’ve come to expect: excellent range of motion at the head, shoulders, elbows, wrists, torso, hips, knees, and ankles.

His removable hat fits well, and his tactical vest appears removable with some effort, but I don’t feel the need to take it off. (There might be a glued seam under one arm. Sculpted details like the flashlight and body cam add realism, making Law feel like a true modern military police officer.

Order

Order can rotate his head and has a slight up and down on his neck joint. He has jointed knees and elbows, as well as ankles on some kind of joint that can be angled in any direction. His tail is also on a ball joint. His front and back legs have “splay” and he can stand very well. There is also a mid-body articulation (do we call this a “torso” on a dog?)

The mouth does not close—Order always has his tongue out in the default head sculpt—You can swap the head for a more menacing “snarling” look.

Accessories

We have a lot of similarities…We can remove our helmets, and have large scary pets! PICTURED: Masterverse New Eternia Battle Armor Skeletor and Panthor, and GI Joe Classified Series Law and Order. Both are posing with their helmet and pet.

The Uzi machine gun is painted green-on-black, and looks like real guns I have likely seen at shows or just around my son who was in the army. I don’t know hardly anything about guns, but this one looks very realistic.

PICTURED: Law leads some NPC GI Joes and Tunnel Rat, while busting Cold Slither. Notice Zartan is escaping! All GI Joe Classified Series figures.

Be careful with these handcuffs. They are made of the thinnest plastic. Honestly they feel like that plastic that Hasbro uses to tie figures into a blister card. Flimsy stuff. There isn’t a way to unlock them…they are permanently closed. If you want to put them on a figure you have to remove their hands.

My son says he believes this pistol is not styled after a real pistol. I tend to believe him…

PICTURED: Masterverse New Eternia Man-E-Faces and GI Joe Classified Law. Both showing off their fictitious pistols.

The knightstick is a nice piece, but I wish the flashlight wasn’t permanently attached to the belt. I know some real police, and these flashlights are also meant to be used as nightsticks if necessary.

The dagger…I never could find a place on the figure where this dagger was supposed to sheath to. This was some kind of oversight at the Hasbro I believe.

Order- OK. This isn’t an accessory if you ask me.

Mythic Legions Belualyth’s Chimera is OK to take apart…but I am not showing this heroic K9 disassembled.

No problem removing his helmet. It comes right off past the ears with a little force. BUT, in order to remove the harness…this is where there is a problem. There is no buckle or snap on this harness, instead you have to remove the head and neck (the neck doesn’t come off easy), and the two back legs.

It works, but it feels wrong—especially for younger collectors or anyone sensitive to pulling apart a dog figure. But he looks great without it on, and I prefer him not to wear it, though I know he is supposed to.

PICTURED: Super7 Ultimates! Snake Eyes Timber and Order. I have nine dogs. I see this scene every day.

Order is of a similar scale to Mythic Legions Belualyth’s Chimera skeleton pet, Super7 Ultimates! Snake Eyes Timber wolf companion, GI Joe Classified Series Gnawgahyde’s Porkbelly warthog is bigger, but I believe this is accurate. (In a fight, my money is on the Warthog)

PICTURED: GI Joe Classified Series Law and Order and also Porkbelly, Gnawgahyde’s pet warthog.

SpartanNerd Rating of GI Joe Classified Series Law and Order

Such a good boy…he has Cobra Commander’s gun!

I am rating GI Joe Classified Series Law and Order a 5/5. I award points for sculpt, paint, articulation, accessories, and “feels.” The set gets all of these, especially the feels point because I also now have a German Shepherd, but also because of my love for the 1980’s GI Joe movie. I believe I will be completing the “team” of Beach Head’s recruits, because now all I need are Beach Head, Jinx, Big Lob, and Lt. Falcon.


I rate GI Joe Classified Series Law and Order a 5/5. Do you agree or disagree? Do you have a German Shepherd of your own?


Let me know in the comments, and don’t forget to like, subscribe, and check out more GI Joe Classified Series reviews on SpartanNerd.com.

MOTU Origins Cartoon Collection Prince Adam and Cringer- SpartanNerd Unboxing and Review

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See the video review of this on my YouTube page!

I wasn’t collecting Origins. But I have been gifted several recently. And they are honestly great. Perfect upgrades over the vintage figures actually. And that is really saying something. But at generally $20 each, you really feel the pain since the 1980s, when they were worth $5.00 each. (That means, in 40 something years, $20 now is what $5 was worth. Makes you think…Maybe Back to the Future 2 was correct in their predictions about the future!)

But before all of this new stuff that I have, I thought about getting this as my first Origins figures. The reason…Cringer is a rare figure. Mattel hasn’t made many figures of him. He is a Filmation property, and I think in the 1980’s there was a feeling that taking the saddle and the helmet off of the Battle Cat was close enough to having Cringer.

It became apparent during the Masters of the Universe Classics line that adults really DID want an actual Cringer. So they made him the pack-in with Queen Marlena/Captain Glenn. (There is a visual guide on the internet). This was a non-articulated figure. But it was the first one! (I didn’t get it, but knew about it).

Anyways, the Origins Cringer that was released last year as a Target Exclusive (I think) was readily available. But I hesitated. I really just wanted to put my money into more Mythic Legions or Masterverse figures. But then…I was gifted some for Christmas and they are so nice I wanted it again…only to find…them NOWHERE! Not online. Sold Out. I visited Target, where they still had Moss Man on the shelf. No Cringer and Prince Adam. But at the Toy Federation in Greer, SC, I found one. Keep reading to see my feelings about this figure set.

PACKAGING

Adam and Cringer came in a nice window box with artwork all around (See the top image). You can see the figures and accessories inside with no problem. The top features Adam reclining on a rock with Cringer as his pillow. Classic! Looking on are some evil warriors, Evil-Lyn, Skeletor, and Tri-Klops. There is Eternia jungle swag all around the window.

The side features Imp also spying.

The He-Man and the Masters of the Universe logo is prominent. This was the Filmation Cartoon’s title, so does Imp belong here?

The other side features Pookie, the little creature from the He-Man and She-Ra Christmas Special that Teela takes up with.

All of this is very cartoon-retro, as it claims to be. Very nice. But the back is where this package really shines.

Oh yeah! Now this doesn’t look like the animation…I mean the castle and the lightning does, but Adam and Cringer are more detailed and shaded, and Adam is stoic and serious unlike the toy.

What I wish they would do is just give us the image of the castle…that would be the perfect size to pose Origins or any other figures in front of. Just think…if a casual collector picked this up on a whim, then they would get a lot of mileage out of that package if they would do that.

I really like the back of this package, and love the new art. But I think there is potential for more here that Mattel missed out on.

FIGURE REVIEW

What do you get in the package???

  • Prince Adam figure
  • Cringer figure
  • Power Sword
  • Alternate head for Cringer
  • Alternate head for Prince Adam

Is this $30 worth of paint and plastic?

Sometimes I think Mattel believes that Prince Adam won’t sell unless he has some other incentive. But I think this is a very good Prince Adam figure. The alternate head we get is more of the “laughing Prince Adam” head that was a meme a few years ago.

Like I mentioned above, Cringer doesn’t have many figures, and I feel like this Cringer will work great with Masterverse. What we don’t have in Masterverse is a good Prince Adam. My thought is that this Cringer is in scale with the Cartoon Collection…and this is also in scale with Masterverse because Cringer is a little wimp kitty, but Battle Cat is huge and fierce. Anybody agree with this logic?

Origins figures start at around $20, so at $30 for this set that seems like a good value.

PICTURED: Origins Cartoon Collection Faker attacks Cartoon Collection Prince Adam while Cringer covers his eyes. If anyone saw this…would they put two-and-two together to discover Adam’s secret?

Articulation…this is a big draw, especially for Cringer. The first thing I did was have him hide his eyes, and he can do this classic cartoon move very well. He has the same exact articulation as Masterverse Panther and Classics Battle Cat, only in a smaller Origins format. (Hips, knees, ankles, paws, shoulders, tail, torso, neck, and head. No articulated mouth)

Prince Adam’s articulation is hindered by his vest…he can’t move his arms as much as he could. BUT he has one thing going on that neither Faker (pictured above) nor Stealth Ninja He-Man has, and that is the ability to raise the magic sword aloft. In other words, Adam’s wrist can swing out forward to hold the sword up. (Or to chop down also)

PICTURED: Origins Cartoon Colleciton Cringer and Prince Adam transforming into Masters of the Universe Classics Battle Cat and Masterverse 40th Anniversary He-Man.

ACCESSORIES:

The only thing we really have is the Power Sword. All of Adam’s joints are swappable as expected. I’m not sure about Cringer’s. The heads interchange easily.

I discovered that the vest has a nifty design. There is a hidden “buckle” imprinted on the inside, where you can snap it together at the belt. My vintage Prince Adam always has problems with his vest, up until the point that I put a hair tie around him to secure it.

PICTURED: Origins Cartoon Collection Prince Adam and vintage Prince Adam. Also vintage Battle Cat.

You can see in the picture above what I am talking about.

So the colors match pretty good except for the vest. The other obvious difference is the head sculpt of the vintage toy is actually the same as vintage He-Man’s sculpt.

SPARTANNERD RATING

As a set this is a 5/5. Especially because of Cringer. If it was only Prince Adam, I would take off for there not being more accessories. But he comes as a set, and I love it!

Do you agree or disagree? Let me know in the comments!

Masters of the Universe Origins- SpartanNerd Review

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See a video review of my new Origins collection HERE.

I’ve kind of just skipped collecting these, focusing on Masterverse and Mythic Legions. Mattel has done a good job of updating all of their vintage designs, and finding space to make new characters, offer crossovers, and also make concepts come to life.

I was gifted these, and won’t offer a rating. I don’t think it is fair for me to judge the things I usually judge: Paint, Sculpt, Articulation, Accessories, and what it means to me personally. In the case of all three of these, they mean so much that I couldn’t offer more than a perfect score. As Origins figures, generally aimed at the children’s market, the sculpt and paint, etc aims for a lower target than adult collector toys.

Nevertheless, I am going to review them and talk about what this origins line is about.

First I was gifted Turtles of Grayskull Stealth Ninja He-Man.

STEALTH NINJA HE-MAN

My first Origins figure, but unfortunately the blister was loose from the card…Amazon’s carelessness I’m sure. But this is a good package featuring Masters of the Universe style font, and green exploding rocks, with some of the characters from the story that Mattel and Nickelodeon have come up with. (Also conspicuous the Masters and the Turtles logos on the bottom)

I mentioned that I passed on all of the origins at first. And the reason is that the very first wave that they released had this “play dough” color scheme. It was like I was looking at a vintage figure, but seeing something updated about the colors in a negative way. I was excited that the figures were in scale and went with the vintage line, so they could go with castles and vehicles, etc. But there was this “baby toy” color scheme.

When they announced the crossover, I saw it and immediately said I would get them all. The appeal to me was the wackiness, and if the colors were too bright, that was fine for Ninja Turtles, soo…But I wound up not getting them. These figures are around $20 each, and it was kind of like get a couple of Mythic Legions that I really wanted, or pay out for a full wave of TMNT as I found them at Walmart or somewhere, knowing I wouldn’t like all of them anyway. BUT, I did collect the full run with alternate covers of the Dark Horse crossover comic. Freddie Williams II is an awesome artists, and I really enjoyed his work on the Injustice crossover and the Thundercats crossover. (That Thundercats crossover story is dumb, though).

On the back, at the top you get a comic image of He-Man vs. Skele-Shredder. (I just ordered that guy today!). You can see the only action feature here, which is the shroud that he is wearing. You can place the sword in the slot on the back. There is a cross-sell of April O’Neil, which is the Sorceress, Hordak, which is just a battier version apparently, Stealth Ninja Leonardo (wasn’t he a stealth ninja anyway?) and the this figure, Stealth Ninja He-Man.

I had a question when I reviewed the Masterverse Mantenna…could the origins legs swap with it. The answer is NO. We get this little instruction card that tells us exactly what parts are removable. You can swap the waist with the legs attached, and change the feet with different feet. Also the arms and the head. but the legs are not meant to be swapped. Also, they are too small for Mantenna. It nerves me out to pop the torso off from the waist…the arms, the boots, and of course the head all seem right. But it feels like I am breaking something.

We have this mini comic…this is not the same story as Dark Horse put out. This comic is shorter than the vintage mini comics, but the art is cool. And this seems to be the ending of the crossover story. Stealth Ninja He-Man wears this shroud to change his appearance magically, so he only appeared to be mutated. (The first wave had Mutagen Ooze He-Man or something like that.)

The back of the comic has the same cross-sell images.

I set up all those comics I have to prove it!

This is Stealth Ninja He-Man right out of the package. There was a mask in there that I wasn’t sure what it was until I looked at it good, and so I removed the top of the shroud and fit it over his face, then put the shroud back on. (The shroud has two pieces…a cowl and a cape)

Other updates on the design, He-Man has exposed toes on his right foot. He has a leg grieve, an arm bracer, and a shoulder cauldron, all with turtle shell designs. There is a belt with armor similar to what Skeletor wears.

The sword in the slot on the back of the cowl.

I still have my vintage Buzz-Off figure, and wanted to show this off, along with my vintage Castle Grayskull door. The proportions between the vintage and the origins are practically the same. One thing I have complained about especially with the female Origins figures is the knees. With the Turtles of Grayskull line, it looks like they improved the knees. The arms do seem like they might be slightly longer, but this might be an illusion because they actually have modern articulation. Notice that He-Man’s sword is of the Alfredo Alcala design, rather than a Filmation or vintage toy design. I still have my He-Man who has a vintage Battle Axe, but I wonder if that Battle Axe is newer because it shows no signs of wear.

Here is Stealth Ninja He-Man next to Masterverse Battle Armor He-Man, so you can see the difference in scale. If you watch the video version, you can see me swap the cowl and put it on He-Man…it looks great!

Now if you take all this armor off, you have what is essentially an updated vintage He-Man, with exposed toes on one foot. And as I pointed out in the video, how many vintage He-Man figures have the paint rubbed off at the end of the boot? So this doesn’t even look wrong.

One more thing. Opening this. Holding it in hand and messing with it…this created an emotion in me that is hard to describe. I know it is a wave of nostalgia. It was like I was a kid opening a new figure all over again. Once I went to the Retro Toy Con in Greenville, SC, and they had the voice of April O’Neil announcing all of the events. Hearing her was great! Opening this toy created the same feeling for me.

CARTOON COLLECTION CATRA AND FAKER

These two are from the Cartoon Collection, evident by the Filmation rainbow colored logo. At the top you can see the specter of Hordak staring down at them. On the right side of the box there is a foil 40th Anniversary sticker for She-Ra. The background is Castle Grayskull, apparently on fire!

The back features a comic image representing the vintage cartoon episode they are from. “Magicats” and “The Shaping Staff.” Both have cross-sell featuring themselves and Leech. Neither figure really has an action feature, but Catra’s package highlights that you get her cat form, and Faker’s highlights that you can swap his head from the one with evil white eyes to a regular He-Man head.

Faker is especially notable, because usually Faker is a blue version of He-Man usually with Skeletor’s armor in orange or pink, but in the Filmation Cartoon they evidently didn’t know this, so they made him look exactly like He-Man except for the eyes. So with this figure and that swappable head, you really have a Cartoon Collection He-Man also, right?

Somehow I don’t have a photo, but they both came with a mini-comic that kind of ends with the evil warriors telling Skeletor that “Loyalty is for Losers.” Very entertaining, especially since the vintage cartoon always ended with a moral lesson!

Here is a side-by-side comparison of Stealth Ninja He-Man and Cartoon Collection Faker. you can see the cartoon collection design has some updated features. It is a “flatter” sculpt, and feels less “chunky” in your hand. I don’t experience the same “nostalgia” sensation opening and holding this, and I think it is because it “feels different” in hand, if that makes sense. It is designed like this because it is a reproduction of the cartoon rather than the vintage toy. So this head sculpt is different also. But if Stealth Ninja He-Man’s boots are bothering you, you could switch Faker’s out.

Here is a swap. I swapped the waist. Now Faker seems a little more vintage because he has Skeletor’s belt on, even if it is a shade of chrome.

Here is Catra standing on 200x He-Man. I wanted you to see a comparison with 200x She-Ra, but didn’t want to take the She-Ra off of the wall.

Catra has a mask, and if I remember correctly (I didn’t watch She-Ra much as a kid,) she would put on the mask and change into the cat.

That cat is a non-articulated rubber piece but is nicely painted and is the same armor that Catra is wearing, but with some dinosaur spikes.

The vintage Catra was a doll. So I never played with one, and in fact might not have seen one. My cousins (both girls of a similar age) had She-Ra figures but we rarely got together with our toys. I do remember playing with them a little, but not enough to speak with knowledge about Catra. I find the tagline “Jealous Beauty” to be hilarious…it is like…we can’t have Hordak as the villain of this toyline. It has to be another lady, and instead of EVIL…she is just “jealous.” Sounds like the kind of problem that female children have a lot. (I work in middle school…I know this well.)

You can remove Catra’s head and her cape comes right off, so that can go on another figure. (Check out Count Chocula). Otherwise, she didn’t come with a weapon.

Here she is standing next to Masters of the Universe Classics Despara.

This photo is from an upcoming video…you get rewarded by reading the blog! The video is “The Best of 2025” and this is a photo of the ladies category. PICTURED: Masterverse New Eternia Teela, GI Joe Classified Series Shooter, Mythic Legions Belualyth, all in front of some of my Batman/Catwoman comics. This is a good Christmas story also, so get to reading Hub-City Geeks!

Here you can see that she is much shorter than other lady action figures I have collected this year.

THE FUTURE

Well I already decided to order Skele-Shredder and Origins Sharella. So now they are on the way! Is this the new rabbit hole for the SpartanNerd…probably not. I’ve had my eye on Sharella for a little while, and actually saw one in a store…she was much shorter than I expected, and there was serious markup on the figure. (I got it today from Mattel Creations sale for $12. It was on the shelf at that prestigious store in Spartanburg for $45). Playing with Catra convinced me to go ahead and get it, and Skele-Shredder will be a great nemesis for He-Man.

Do you have Origins figures, Hub-City Geeks? Let me know in the comments!

Mythic Legions “The Legendary Barbarian”- SpartanNerd Unboxing and Review

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See the video review of this figure here!

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!

GI Joe Classified Series Night Force Shooter and Tunnel Rat- SpartanNerd Review

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I picked up Shooter and Tunnel Rat from Walmart.com, fairly cheaply.  I was worried…a few times I have ordered from Walmart and had some trouble.  But no issues this time, and they came the next day.  What got me started was reading GI Joe #12 from the Energon Universe, where Shooter was the main character.  When I found her (I looked everywhere else first,) she was readily available and only $10, so I looked for someone else to also buy.  They are on the same “Night Force” team, and so this is how I came to get Tunnel Rat.

How did they turn out?  Keep reading!  You can find a video version of this review on YouTube HERE.

Because I am doing two figures in one review, I am trying to concisely write…my headings are a little different than usual.  I usually do Packaging, Figure, Accessories, Review.  I am lumping it together kind of this time.

Shooter

I mostly collected Cobra as a kid…they had the most awesome designs, AND I had the ultimate aircraft gifted to me, the “Cobra Night Raven.” So it surprised even me when Shooter stood out. The reason? The Energon Universe comics.

If you haven’t read them:

  • Void Rivals = space opera that features Transformers and Cobra-La
  • Transformers = classic alien war story between Autobots and Decepticons
  • G.I. Joe = fallout from the alien war to the humans.  
  • Recently M.A.S.K. has been included.
PICTURED: The issue of GI Joe that got me into Shooter. This is the Energon Universe Transformers Vol. 3 graphic novel. And don’t let the frumpy art on the cover of Void Rivals #1 throw you off…it is a great story.

It is a Hasbro remix that feels like the Ultimate Marvel Universe or the DC Comics Flashpoint.

But Shooter?  I never heard of this character before until reading this comic.

A three-time gold medalists marksman who never misses.  There are characters like that…Hawkeye, Green Arrow, etc.  But she is different because she carries her father’s medal for balance, who hears his voice guiding her — This is a detail the SpartanNerd just couldn’t put down…I even read the comic twice in an hour.

Packaging, Accessories

The front packaging. I don’t even want to show you more of this package. The only artwork on the whole thing is this image on the left of the box. It is bigger on the side, and there is a black and white version inside the box. The back shows the package contents.

Shooter and Tunnel Rat arrived in the stupid windowless box, part of Hasbro’s “plastic-free era.” Long-time readers know I’m not a fan of this packaging. No file card, no real bio, just a QR code that dumps you at Hasbro’s shop. The side artwork is decent but doesn’t make up for the downgrade.  (Go back and see my blog entry about Sgt. Slaughter.). The upside is that this packaging strategy didn’t sell figures well, and now figures with this style of packaging they are sold at steep discounts.  Hard to argue with that. She was very likely a shelf warmer (female action figures often are even if they’re Scarlet, Baroness, or some other headliner).

Inside the Package

She is tied down in this shoebox with plastic things…I thought the point of this dumb packaging was to not use plastic? It is also stupid that she is in the box with the gas mask on default.

When you open her package.. (Tunnel Rat’s is the same)…The figure is tied in with plastic ties to a shoebox kind of situation with the same artwork from the front but in black and white.

She comes with a cardboard “footlocker” setup similar to Sgt. Slaughter. Accessories include:

  • A pistol
  • A knife with quick-access sheath. (I didn’t realize it when I made the video, but this is a throwing knife, making use of her terrific shooting skills in a different terrifying way)
  • A sniper rifle (rubbery and slightly sagging)
  • Two hair pieces (braids & mask-compatible style)
  • Gas mask / night vision
  • Back mount for her rifle

I don’t like that she has the mask on as a default look…but since this is a windowless box I don’t guess that really actually matters.  It took me a little bit to find the nerve to remove the mask…But it came off without too much trouble.

FIGURE REVIEW

PICTURED: MASTERVERSE New Eternia Teela and Super7 Ultimates! Valeria Spirit, with GI Joe Classified Series Night Force Jodie “Shooter” Craig. Shooter appears to be a middle schooler next to these ladies.
PICTURED: My favorite GI Joe Classified so far has been Gnawgahyde. Do you see how they both have a sniper rifle, but Gnawgahyde’s is far better. He has a case, a tripod, as well as a scope, a silencer, etc. True, he is a poacher, not a sniper. But there is clear disparity here in what could have been done with Shooter.

She looks great overall, but:

  • Her shoes have no laces — they look more middle school trendy than military.
  • The sniper rifle is too rubbery and droops at the barrel.
  • The gas mask/night vision is removable, but requires some force.

Her hair attaches via slotted pegs — bald-head customs aren’t happening here for anyone who might have wanted to do that.  The gas mask/night vision is attached to a hairpiece.  Her face sculpt is pretty and the paint on the actual figure is good with a night-mission feel.  But I feel like there could have been a lot more paint on the accessories.

Tunnel Rat

Tunnel Rat came in the same windowless packaging, but at a slightly higher price and with way more gear — as he should. He’s nostalgic from the G.I. Joe animated movie, where he trained under Beach Head and pulled that “sewer tunnel shortcut” stunt.  (To the SpartanNerd, this was the precursor scene to the iconic Beach Head-cussing-at-Jinx scene, one of the reasons to watch the movie when I was ten years old!.)

Inside the Package

Tunnel Rat’s footlocker contains:

  • Backpack 
  • Attachable Flashlights
  • Dagger / combat knife
  • Heavy machine gun with stabilizers
  • Ammo bandolier
  • A magazine clip
  • Night-vision goggles

Sculpt and Notable Details

  • This version lacks the classic Tunnel Rat face paint.
  • The sculpt is based on Larry Hama (which I didn’t know until I checked Wikipedia).  Larry Hama has written GI Joe comics and stories for 30 years, and was a minor cast member of MASH!
  • Also from Joe-pedia, Tunnel Rat is Trinidadian-Chinese with a Boston accent — a wonderfully unique character background.

The tripod attachment on his heavy machine gun is far inferior to Gnawgahyde’s.  It looks like leftover sprue plastic from a Gundam model kit — Hasbro can do far better.

On the bright side, he stands up extremely well next to other Classified figures and outclasses the Super7 Ultimates! line in detail and at a lower price.  (I am not getting any more GI Joes from Super7.)

Ratings – Shooter & Tunnel Rat

PICTURED: GI Joe Classified Tunnel Rat and Jodie “Shooter” Craig, infiltrating Cybertron. They both definitely look like they are on the same Night Force team.

Shooter is up first.

Pros:

  • Great sculpt
  • Strong character representation
  • Two interchangeable hairstyles
  • Solid articulation
  • Fantastic value at $10

Cons:

  • Weapons lack paint
  • Sniper rifle boring gray and lacking in things like a case.

What does she add? This character resonated strongly enough with me on a personal level on the singular exposure in the Energon Universe comic book that I read. I ordered this out of pure emotion, and am glad to add her to my collection. She gets the feels point, but loses a point for the lack of detail on the accessories and that she was shortchanged in the sniper rifle department.

Shooter — 4 out of 5

Tunnel Rat is next.

Pros:

  • Loaded with gear
  • Great sculpt and colors
  • Strong nostalgia factor

Cons:

  • Tripod is cheap-looking
  • Missing the classic face paint
  • No ammo box to feed the bandolier

Getting Tunnel Rat was kind of a knee-jerk buy on account of Shooter being so inexpensive. Just the same, he gets the feels point on account of I watched him for hours as a kid on a Beta tape that included the GI Joe movie, recorded from what was apparently the only time it ever aired on TV.

Tunnel Rat — 5 out of 5

Do you have Shooter or Tunnel Rat? Let me know your thoughts in the comments. Do you agree or disagree with my ratings? I am really actually just getting into GI Joe Classified. It has been slow for me, but the Cold Slither pushed me over!


And as always — thanks for reading, listening, and watching!


Like and subscribe, Hub City Geeks!

MASTERVERSE New Eternia Mantenna- SpartanNerd Review

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See YouTube versions of this and other reviews HERE

I grew up with two younger brothers. Being the big brother and general winner, I usually had the good guys when it came to Masters of the Universe. One brother had Skeletor’s guys, and another Hordak’s guys. But near the end, neither of them were getting Masters figures. There were a lot more GI Joes, Ninja Turtles, and other stuff happening. So I got a few baddies of my own, and Mantenna was one of them.

I’m unsure of when I realized the character had four legs. The figure only had two…but if you look closely you can see that they are actually skinny legs sculpted together. Kind of genius. I probably realized it after watching She-Ra, but maybe from the mini-comic. But all around…one of the weirdest looking dudes. And he had a lever on his back to make his eyes pop up. So very cool to a 10-11ish year old.

So how did the MASTERVERSE version come out?

PACKAGING

You can see above that this is the same kind of packaging as we have gotten now for around three years. Why isn’t he from the “New Etheria” line? The recent Hordak was.

The wraparound image shows the Evil Horde attacking Eternia. The Horde mothership flies above the palace with a fleet of Klingon Birds of Prey (not). Isn’t that the Temple of Shakoti in the background?

The other side has the library image, with the alternate eyeballs extended on their stalks.

The back shows a photoshop of the toy, with what might be the Whispering Woods in the background. Mantenna is searching for pieces of Castle Greyskull. Interesting!

You have some action feature images…it shows off the weapon he has, which isn’t a crossbow (BOO) and his alternate looks with different eyes.

The cross sell features Anti-Eternia He-Man and Mosquitor (Review coming soon.)

I probably won’t get Anti-Eternia He-Man. Just…Why? I’ll accept it as a gift from someone, though!

FIGURE REVIEW

What do we get in the package?

  • Mantenna Figure
  • Eyeball Ray Gun
  • Two eye stalks
  • One alternate eye.

He was $23. So I’m saying this up front. He is a good hunk of plastic. But not much paint. Most of the resources here went to the four legs and the swapping eye feature.

I am actually showing you the closest you can get the figure to appearing like the vintage member of the Horde. You can’t pose the legs parallel to one another. Otherwise all of his articulation is good. I do wish you could close his mouth instead of him having this static toothy round cavity.

The good thing is, though, this may be a hint of how we will get Modulok and Multi-Bot. Both guys had four legs in their default mode. But here is a question…these legs have single jointed knees, and furthermore the knee area looks quite a bit like the Origins figures. So … are these legs swappable? I am not going to risk it, but if they are, then that is another hint about those two lego-type characters.

All around, the blue plastic…it is too dark and just needs paint. This was a cost-cutting measure I’m sure. I’m not a fan of Webstor or Zodac. Why? BORING colors. Mantenna wasn’t in that category for me, but they managed to do it wrong. Maybe the plastic is too dark…or maybe it needs a “wash” of some lighter color blue. I can’t really tell…photos and such that Mattel provides have super good lighting and it kind of offsets the effect. But if you don’t have it under that perfect jewelry store condition, you have overpowering dark blue.

ACCESSORIES

Is it really that hard to give us a crossbow instead of this dumb weapon?

You’ll have to make up your own story for this one. BUT…Snout spout can easily win by spraying water in his eyes. Thunder Punch He-Man can use that sword and … chop… the stalks… Same with Battle Armor Skeletor and the axe. If Mantenna shoots eyeballs with that gun, couldn’t Panthor just pounce on it? I’m just saying…PICTURED- MASTERVERSE New Eternia figures, Battle Armor Skeletor, Panthor, Two-Bad, Snout Spout, Thunder-Punch He-Man, and Mantenna. I DO appreciate that he is as big as Snout Spout, but at a lower price point.

I really wish they were giving us crossbows. Maybe updated ones. I wouldn’t mind this eyeball gun so much if they also included a crossbow. Or maybe if the gun was an eyeball-crossbow arrow or bolt.

The eye-swapping feature…to do it, you have to remove the upper face of the figure. THEN the eyeballs are in the socket pretty good. I had to use a guitar pick to wedge them out.

They alternate eyeballs they give us feel like a down-grade from the main eyes he is packed using. I don’t much see the point, these may be a reflection of the She-Ra cartoon. I haven’t watched it enough and don’t have much memory about it.

SPARTANNERD RATING

It’s a shame, but I just don’t have that much more to say. The blue darkness overpowers the positives. Mattel has opted to cut the paint and promote the plastic…something we see more and more. Kobra Khan was bland for this exact reason. That shiny green was OK on a snake, but not spectacular when seen through the larger lens of other available figures. GI Joe Classified…same price point, always better paint than this. Mythic Legions cost more, but face it…MASTERVERSE is competing against that brand, and all of the figures from plain skeletons to royalty have exceptional details in the sculpt and the paint.

It’s like Mantenna hits the big point from the 1980’s. He has bug eyes and a bizzarre head. Mattel hit these points, and everything else was an afterthought. I remember hearing the Four Horsemen talk about laboring to design figures. To make them epic. I’m afraid Mantenna doesn’t feel epic. It feels like a chore to take pictures of him…and that is a definite bad thing.

PICTURED: MASTERVERSE New Eternia Mantenna and Mer-Man. Do you see what I mean about Mantenna’s paint? Some of the same design elements are present in Mer-Man, but somehow it works better. Obviously more care was put into it. I feel like I have to add paint to Mantenna so that it will be right.
Mantenna decided to crash the office party. And you see what I mean. PICTURED: MASTERVERSE 40 Anniversary He-Man (retail), MASTERVERSE New Eternia Teela, Man-At-Arms, and Fisto. MASTERVERSE Revelation Sorceress Teela, King Greyskull, and Captain of the Guard Teela alternate head on MOTUC Battleground Teela body, and Super7 ULTIMATES! Battle of the Mounds Valeria.

You can see in the above picture different lines and even companies. And the colors on Mantenna seem to be more plain than anyone else. He’s big, blue and red. But that doesn’t make him epic.

Even if he is worse than these two, he does feel like he belongs with them.

I am awarding MASTERVERSE New Eternia Mantenna 3/5. He just doesn’t do it for me. The lack of accessories and the boring colors make someone who should be amazing rather bland. He gets a feels points because I NEEDED Mantenna on my quest to recollect the toys I once had. He doesn’t have stupid problems, but if a kid gets this they might have a hard time swapping those eyes. His sculpt is OK. Points subtracted because of accessory count and paint apps.

3/5…Do you agree or disagree? Let me know in the comments!