Tag Archives: Masters of the Universe

Major and Minor- SpartanNerd Commentary and review of Mythic Legions Magic Effects

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Pictured: MASTERVERSE Revelation Orko, armed with Animal Warriors of the Kingdom magic staff, displaying Heroic and Evil Magic blast effects.

Maybe you didn’t know, but in addition to being a SpartanNerd and Reverend, he is also a chorus teacher…Yep. With a MMED in Music Education with an emphasis on sight reading music.

Now that I got that qualification (perhaps dis-qualification) out of the way, here is something they teach you at Music Teacher school. You shouldn’t tell the kids that Major sounds happy and Minor sounds sad. They can be either one. A great many country songs with sad subjects are in a Major key, and plenty of party-down rock and pop songs are in a Minor key. So…where is this going in regards to reviewing toys?

Did you catch what I might be talking about from looking at the above four images? The Four Horsemen are presenting the primarily blue and green magic effects as good, and the red and purple as evil. I have learned that the image on the back of the heroic effects depicts Aracagorr, who is a good-guy boss, and the one on the back of the evil effects depicts Poxxus, a bad-guy boss. Why are they pigeon-holing these effects? Outside of Star Wars, this kind of color-coding doesn’t happen much. I mean, it does. It seems like GI Joe might have green-blue blasts and Cobra has red-pink blasts. But some things turn this thinking on its head. The Joker looks cheery and happy, and someone who never saw him before might not think he was evil, but Batman might be construed as evil with the black cape and dark armor. Magic the Gathering flips this script also, Liliana is part of The Gatewatch and is a black-aligned character…White-aligned Heliod showed himself to be a Villain. Final Fantasy X and X-2 also have black mages on the good side. Elden Ring…is anyone good and evil?

How about this? Elemental magic. Lightning is orange or yellow. Ice is clear or white or blue. Life magic tends to show green. Fire orange, red, black. My point is that magic effects is one of the areas of the toy collecting and photography hobby where the fans can be more creative. Right off the bat I disagree with the philosophy the Four Horsemen are giving us for magic and blast effects. And I intend to prove that in the review below.

What do we get in the boxes?

Both are identical, but with different color schemes. You can see them in the packaging clearly, but here is one unpacked.

I’ll go from left to right. A long stringy swirl. 2 large discs, 2 medium discs, and 2 small discs. 2 swirling mists. (I believe the one on the left to be warped…even better then). A long lightning effect and a short lightning effect. A long magic snake effect. And a short skull effect.

Photos of the Mythic Legions Magic Effects in action

I am not going to show that many Mythic Legions toys in this review. So brace yourself. I don’t actually have that many, but I have wanted magic and blast effects for a long time for my action figures. These are the perfect size of six-inch scale. So prepare to see Masters of the Universe Classics, MASTERVERSE, Marvel Legends, and maybe some other things, as well as Mythic Legions.

Pictured: Marvel Legends comic book Thanos with Infinity Gauntlet hand. Mythic Legions Evil and Heroic magic effects skulls.

The little skulls are my favorite. The different colors highlight that Thanos is holding two different souls. Not necessarily good and evil. Because I am talking about mixing it up, why couldn’t one be Green Lantern and the other The Flash!

Pictured: Marvel Legends comic book Thor with Mythic Legions Heroic and Evil lightning effects. What we really need is that lightning in yellow, orange, or white.

Marvel Legends comic book Thor is my worst action figure. The lightning effects really add something to a character like this!

Pictured: MASTERVERSE Revelation Evil Lyn and Teela, both with their hair-down head scupts, and MASTERVERSE Revelation Sorceress. Teela is also armed with the MOTUC Great Unrest Staff of Ka. Also pictured are a variety of Mythic Legions Heroic and Evil Magic effects, and the two halves of the Power Sword from MASTERVERSE Revelation King Greyskull.

That “Pictured” caption took forever to type. Anyway, here I depict a scene where the Sorceress tells Teela and Evil Lyn about the two halves of the Power Sword. The magic effects add a lot to the scene.

Pictured: MASTERVERSE Revelation King Grayskull with Mythic Legions Heroic and Evil magic effects.

The back of King Grayskull’s box depicts an image that looks something like this. (I suppose I need to post a review of King Grayskull and the Sorceress soon.)

Pictured: Four Horsemen Studios Demistros, Mythic Legions Skeleton Legion Builder, who is armed with MASTERVERSE New Eternia “Viking” Skeletor’s scimitar and MASTERVERSE Revelation Teela’s shield.

Here they are with some actual Mythic Legions figures. Demistros is bringing this skeleton warrior back to life. The swirling mist adds something. It is given life by the green soul skull escaping from the red portal. If I had used the red skull, would that story be as clear? Nope.

Pictured: MASTERVERSE Comic-Con exclusive Scareglow with diorama box, MASTERVERSE Revelation Teela, armed with The Great Unrest Weapons pack armor and staff of Ka. Cosmic Legions Silver Figure Stand, Mythic Legions green snake effect and green skull effect. An aquarium plant hides the stand.

I didn’t realize that the snake effect was actually a snake until I took this picture. While I am at it, notice that I have Scareglow mounted on the Cosmic Legions Action Figure Stand. So I am going to take a break for a quick review of that as a bonus under the ratings section below.

Pictured: MASTERVERSE Revelation Evil Lyn and Teela. Evil Lyn has Mythic Legions swirling mist effect. Teela has the red snake effect.

It seems to me that the red snake effect is perfect for the Staff of Ka. Which brings up another point. The Four Horsemen sculpted the Masters of the Universe Classics, and there were a bunch of snake staves sculpted for that line especially for the Snake Men faction. Dare I assert that this magic effect calls back to that?

SpartanNerd Rating of Mythic Legions Heroic Magic Effects and Mythic Legions Evil Magic Effects

Before this review, I actually already used some of the effects in my pictures in reviews on this site. This is a new and very useful item. It adds so much to really so many toys. I only scratched the surface! We need more things like this. The Mythic Legions Magic Effects plays nice in any sandbox. You could definitely use that lightning in Star Wars. You could put those smoke effects behind a Hot Wheels car or something. Disney Barbie dolls. Maleficent. Pokémon. Zelda action figures. I don’t own any of these, but oh the potential! Multiple scales, too. And apply them to the vintage toys like you always wanted.

My hangup is the assertion that the red effects are evil and the blue effects are good. That’s like saying you could only use Metallic crayons for transformers. You can only put ketchup on french fries. You can only add rubber ducks to Jeeps, not Ford trucks (I saw one today with ducks on the dash). I am surprised that this assertion came from such a well-rounded studio.

The sculpts are nice. The product does seem a little bit brittle. I am careful, but some kid out there probably wouldn’t be. But these were made for adult collectors, so…

I bought both sets and am scoring them the same. 5/5. They add very much to all of my collection, and I know they will to yours too!

BONUS: Cosmic Legions Silver Figure Stand.

After such a glowing review…time for a not-so-glowing one, lest you assert I am some kind of loyalist…(Everyone who reads this stuff knows I am honest to a fault perhaps.).

The stand stinks!

The stand came in this polybag with a yellow sticker- (see the photo near the top of the page.)

When you assemble it, well…it seems like the vertical end of the stand should be flush with the platform, doesn’t it. And in fact I have seen pictures of other peoples stand where it is. But mine would not click in. And I used a good screwdriver and a good wife to try and tighten it up. No matter what pressure I put, no matter how tight I made the screws, this “daylight” wouldn’t go away. I was afraid I was going to break it if I kept trying to force it.

If only that was the only problem.

When I was posing my figures outdoors reviewing the Animal Warriors of the Kingdom Red Weapons Loot box, I made a picture of Man-At-Arms using the bow and arrow. (See the review with the picture here.)

I put Duncan in the stand, but realized a problem.

The business end of the stand has this metal claw. Now there were these little rubber bits that covered the metal “points” of this claw. As I was posing the figure, they came off! Luckily no damage was done, and miraculously I kept them from being lost in the grass. But they didn’t make it this review, did they? Now if I use the stand, I have to consider that it might scratch the paint or damage the figure. (You can see these rubber pieces in the Scareglow picture).

My advice, SKIP THIS ONE!

Rating of the Cosmic Legions Silver Figure Stand: 1/5. This thing is awful. I know it is for the science fiction version of Mythic Legions, and I don’t even mind the silver metallic stand. That is fine for whatever. But the assembly went wrong. The rubber things came off and have since been lost while using the stand for its intended function. I worry about damaging figures if I use it. There are better stands out there for your money.

One might argue that it is because I used MASTERVERSE figures instead of Four Horsemen figures. To that I assure you that there isn’t enough difference in the thickness of their waists. I also assert that a figure stand should be versatile. Any action figure within reason should work. Thanos wouldn’t be within reason, so I didn’t try that one. Man-At-Arms should have been fine.

MASTERVERSE New Eternia Man-At-Arms

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To see video of Man-At-Arms packaging, click here.

Ah. Man-At-Arms. One of the favorites! And one I picked up for Valentines Day. Yep. It’s April. Almost May. Just now getting to it. (That Disturbed concert really did a number on me!)

Mattel has really done a good job of cutting the blister plastic down. Inside the box you not only get Man-At-Arms, but also a box that contains the other accessories. I said it before, but this is similar to GI Joe Classified.

Here’s what was in the box. Two fists. A non-mustached head. An alternate helmet. And a ball-and chain alternate mace head.

The head sculpts…neither looks very Duncan-ish to me. The mustache is my preference, but it looks too much like the guy who might tie someone to the railroad tracks. The mustacheless one looks like it could be a generic guard, especially with the helmet off. I get that it is supposed to be the two main looks for Man-At-Arms, but this is a miss.

Man-At-Arms has a huge removable pauldron and arm protector, and I really love that. The alternate helmet is welcome…in fact, that we can even remove the helmet and swap it out is cool. Unfortunately, the leg armor is hard-sculpted on.

Pictured: MASTERVERSE New Eternia Man-At-Arms and MOTUC Battleground Teela with customized head. She is wearing the alternate helmet that came with Man-At-Arms, and is armed with weapons from The Great Unrest weapons pack.

My feelings on what they’ve done with the mace…I get that this was inspired by an early prototype. But this is faulty execution of a good idea. We should have had a real metal chain instead of this sculpted plastic “stick”.

Pictured: MASTERVERSE New Eternia Man-At-Arms and Man-E-Faces.

I like how they are messing around with the accessories in this line. Man-At-Arms has a little clip on his back to put weapons. But that clip can come off, and it looks like he is holding some kind of Filmation device. Looks like Man-E-Keldor is going to try and steal it. No one will ever notice with that blaster on his head…

Pictured: MASTERVERSE New Eternia Man-At-Arms and Man-E-Faces. Also MASTERVERSE Revelation Orko, who came with Savage He-Man.

Now for some fun!

Pictured: MASTERVERSE New Eternia Man-At-Arms and Trap Jaw. Notice that Man-At-Arms is using the 200x gun from the MOTUC Great Unrest weapons pack.

The caption says it all! He holds this weapon just fine and looks great doing it.

SpartanNerd’s rating is 4/5. Why? The head sculpt isn’t quite right. And that is a key thing to me. I used to have the MOTUC Man-At-Arms, and he was spot on. However, this figure comes with so many options that it is truly outstanding otherwise.

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!

Two Generic Dudes- Demistros and Black Falcon SpartanNerd Action Figure Showdown!

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I mean…I keep waiting on some Conan the Barbarian Ultimates! figures to show up, and they keep getting pushed back. So now I am expecting Battle at the Mounds figures in June and King Conan in July…I ordered both going on a year and a half ago! In the meantime, I have been building a MASTERVERSE collection, with a minor emphasis on skeletons. I already think Masters of the Universe Classics Vikor looks great fighting skeleton warriors, and that will be the perfect thing for Conan figures to fight. I am also on the lookout for a giant snake…

The Four Horsemen had a special sale, where I picked up Demistros. And because Super7 pushed King Conan back another two months, they gave me a 15% discount on my next order…which is why I picked up Black Falcon.

Both are great skeleton warriors, but I would like to do a little throwdown here. Both are kind of generic…I mean they have names but who knows who they are? Not me! Who will win? Let’s start with Demistros.

DEMISTROS

Demistros came in a plain box in the mail…it was small enough to fit in my grandma’s mailbox! (long story). But it was the perfect size. I don’t usually care, but it was nice to have a little less trash. Demistros’ package was no bigger or different than other Mythic Legions figures….But wait. Here’s a point. Demistros isn’t a Mythic Legions figure! They actually made him to be one of the generic baddies you might have encountered in 1980’s cartoons. They say so on the side back!

So back in the 1980’s, you would have Masters of the Universe to purchase, but sometimes you might go to the store and they only had figures you already owned. What to do? Get a KO. A knock-off. And there were plenty. Sometimes they would be named “Galaxy Warriors” or other nonsense. But I had a little collection of guys who could hold Masters weapons and ride their vehicles and really just blended right in. And this went along with the M.O. of the Filmation show also, didn’t it? There were Count Marzo, Lizard Man, and Strongarm just to name a few. Also, WWF/WCW wrestlers were big, and their toys also sometimes went right along with MOTU. So Demistros here kind of fits that bill. And how did I come across purchasing it? A random side impulse. “Store Horsemen In Stock Sale!”

The package has a nice illustration, and I prefer the blue/purple background to the red/yellow on the back of Mythic Legions. So let’s open this collector friendly Mythic Legions style box.

Oops…the cat’s out of the bag. (This little piece of paper!)

Here is everything you get in the package. The Demistros figure, who has all of the articulation and swapability of a Mythic Legions figure, a giant sword, a lance/spear thing, and a morning star weapon. Also, the cape is soft goods and separate, the pauldons are removable, and necessary to hold the cape on.

So here are some things. That head sculpt…when I ordered it, I didn’t realize how much of a BUTT CHIN it would have. I mean…severe BUTT CHIN. I mean, giant spikes coming from the chin! It is a very nice sculpt, and that is just a wacky detail. Green evil eyes. Kind of a repugnant smile. I think it was the horns that sold me. I am very partial to horned helmets. I did remove the horns with some force, and I am uncertain if they were meant to be removed, unlike most Mythic Legions parts. They snapped right back in, but caution, everyone! After I ordered this, I saw what must be the exact sculpt but red at the Toy Federation store in Greer, SC. With red, it looks like Satan. no other way to say it! It is amazing how much the paint changes the character.

Now I am of the mindset that Demistros is supposed to be a KO Skeletor. Skeletor is often depicted in modern media as having horns like this. From DC and Dark Horse comics to Skele-God in Masters of the Universe Revelation. It’s just that the Four Horsemen did it first in figure form, and they couldn’t call him Skeletor. Here is Skeletor’s head on the figure with proper weapons. I mean really, it is terrific! But as before, the head doesn’t fit the neck joint, so it is actually just sitting there. But in this case, there is a big “collar” that goes around the neck so that it isn’t obvious at all.

Pictured: Demistros body with MASTERVERSE New Eternia “Viking” Skeletor alternate head, MOTUC Havoc Staff from The Faceless One, and purple Power Sword from MASTERVERSE King Grayskull.
Pictured: MASTERVERSE New Eternia “Viking” Skeletor body with Demistros head and spear.

The cape…I really would like to put it on someone else. But after attaching it, using the hair dryer, etc. Way too much effort to be worth the fun. The trouble I had with it…That is probably never coming back off. It’s a shame, really. This is easily the best soft-goods cape on an action figure I own at this point.It really took me a lot of effort. The problem is that the peg doesn’t want to fit in the hole snuggly with the fabric of the cape in the way. (There are holes cut in the fabric that line up with the holes in his back.)

Articulation is just like Mythic Legions. All easy to move joints and modular parts. Only the head has trouble moving because of that glorious BUTT CHIN.

I think the whole sculpting on the figure is insanely good. And this is what the Four Horsemen do. No one is better at it in the business.

The weapons are a nice little variety. The sword is of the anime style…ridiculously huge. There are green “runes” sculpted on there. This is sculpting with paint details, and the figure appears to be powering up this sword. The morning star is cool. It has a real metal chain. My problem with this weapon is…how do you display it?

It just hangs. You can’t pose it swinging or anything. The spear/lance is the same weapon we already have gotten with other skeleton warriors, but this time we get a little bit of oxidized copper finish. It kind of reminds you of those bronze or brass grave markers. (Here is an example.)

So not many accessories. I believe the sword to be the best, but there is potential with the morning star…maybe I can figure out how to rig a wire through that chain so that I can pose it.

Black Falcon

Black Falcon came in just the opposite. A large piece of trash box labeled Super7. Which just meant that a FedEx man had to set it down outside my grandma’s door.

Inside that box was Black Falcon in a “The Worst” mailer.

And so let’s talk about The Worst. Who really cares about them? Who are they? No clue. I remember when The Worst was first released as ReAction figures. They were the first to use the Masters of the Universe Reaction molds for Battle Cat, which I thought looked ridiculous anyway. I couldn’t get behind the big hole in the back where you had to put the poorly articulated three inch figure. I have seen Masters ReAction figures on pegs, and I just think they are dumb, which is why I don’t own any. I prefer Dollar Tree minis, or Eternia Minis, or really almost anything to those figures that aren’t quite as good as GI Joes. (I don’t mind ReAction figures of stuff where there will be no other action figures, for instance, Parks and Recreation.)

But I have to admit, I thought Black Falcon was the coolest one of the bunch. And in Ultimates! form, his design is the best when compared to Captain Deadstar or Batula (which were in the same wave). Not that I am against either of those, but the horned helmet skeleton wins the $50.

Here is what was in the mailer.

This box cover. Now I don’t even like this illustration. And what is he holding? A brick? The problem is I think this is a good illustration for the ReAction figure, but the Ultimates! figure deserved better. This is a shiny cover…but what to do with it? I have the Cobra B.A.T. still in his covered box. And I think it fits so well. I considered keeping Metalhead’s, but it came damaged. This one isn’t damaged, but why would I keep it?

Finally, what does the box look like?

You get this shiny foil background and this coffin shaped window. You can see the contents very well! And like the Cobra B.A.T. there is a double blister inside. Here’s the back for more of a description of who Black Falcon is supposed to be.

So after taking the figure out, I just tossed the box. I don’t have room to keep every box. Still…it is a very good box, and on par with the other Ultimates! boxes I have. I think I may keep the Conan boxes when they arrive, so I need to eke out room.

So what do we get?

Oh Boy! A long list. First of all, three heads. (standard, smiley with a cracked skull, and fiery orange). a removable, posable soft-goods cape. It appears that I received an extra gripping hand…(this was floating around in with the figure in the box. Hope I don’t have someone else’s). So I got nine hands in total. (two fists, three gripping, two open claws, two fiery gripping, and one “circle game”). I got a falcon boomerang, a necklace with an X on it, a bident spear, a sword with horns, a falcon shield, a bagged lunch, and a coffee or soup canister with a removable cup/lid.

I don’t believe I have ever opened an action figure with so many accessories!

All these accessories will make for tons of fun, but lets just talk about the figure first.

In the box he has the cape and necklace on. The cape is terrific, and like Demistros it has rips and holes. But this one has a wire that is posable (or posable some other way I don’t know how it works). But it has this gold snap in the front that is just too conspicuous. But it is much easier to remove than Demistros cape, and could easily go on another figure if I wanted.

While you keep looking at that circle…(other The Worst figures have middle fingers, so…) notice the paint. For a guy named “Black Falcon,” the only black apparent on the figure is in the eyes of the skulls. He is generally gray and copper colored with some splashes of gold. The paint is very nice. The sculpt is also very good, but of course not as great as a Four Horsemen sculpt. However, his sculpt is more detailed than the Cobra B.A.T., more detailed than Metalhead, and it fits in well with MOTUC Vikor. Important, because the original Ultimates! figures were Masters of the Universe Classics. All of this is an evolution of that line of toys.

Pictured: Black Falcon with sword, shield, and cracked face. Vikor with Mythic Legions battle axe.

The helmets on these three head sculpts remind me of old football helmets. The only thing that bothers me about Black Falcon’s sculpt is the falcon on his right arm is non-removable. Why? This is a missed opportunity, especially since Captain Deadstar seems to come with two parrots. (I only know about him from pictures).

Back to accessories. Notice that the shield doesn’t have straps, but has one of those dumb handles. I am pretty sure I’m not wrong in thinking shields are never wielded this way, but rather worn as a type of armor. Still, plenty of action figures have shields like this. The sword is very detailed and also painted with pride, which is more than I can say for at least the morning star weapon Demistros has. (I believe that is a green “wash” on the spear…should I consider that paint?). Most MASTERVERSE weapons don’t have this level of paint work.

I was baffled to hear another reviewer not seem to understand the purpose of the translucent-ish orange face and hands. Seriously…that guy needs to read some Ghost Rider comics and play some DOOM. Flaming skulls all over the place. And maybe I am the first to point this out…remember in the 1987 Masters of the Universe movie, where Skeletor unlocked the power of Grayskull and transformed Into a god? One of the featured colors in that transformation was THIS EXACT SHADE. (Super7, please send me a reward for pointing this out). I do wish there was more paint on the eyes and in the mouth on this head sculpt. OK. Why the bag lunch and the coffee. These are hilarious! And that the top comes off to become the cup, like most real coffee thermoses, is just an added design detail that makes this even more fun. Here I imagine that coffee was really hot! Then his face caught fire. Remember that the front illustration featured Black Falcon holding a box. Nope. It was the bag lunch. (Another reason that illustration isn’t so great.)

Here is another one I haven’t seen anyone point out. (Brian Flynn…are you reading?). The falcon-a-rang weapon fits in the crack on the alternate head sculpt. This would be a Batman reference…there is a villain, “Bat-a-rang Face.”

THE SHOWDOWN. WHO WILL WIN?

Well there’s no question that I was able to write a lot more about Black Falcon than Demistros, mostly on account of all the many accessories. And all around, Black Falcon is more fun. So Black Falcon gives the first punch, right to the spiky BUTT CHIN face of Demistros.

On the other hand, in the sculpting department, with the work of the masterful Four Horsemen Studios, Demistros is eating Black Falcon’s lunch.

Demistros looks great with other Mythic Legions skeletons. I have Maximillius on order to be the boss of my skeletons, but Demistros is a terrific boss. He can do what bosses do best…stand in the back and send the underlings forward, and looks great doing that.

Pictured: Mythic Legions skeleton “legion builders” armed with MASTERVERSE New Eternia “Viking Skeletor” scimitar and MASTERVERSE Revelation Teela’s shield, McFarlane Toys Raven Spawn scythe, Masters of the Universe Classics Vykron barbarian axe and armor, Masters of the Universe Classics Vikor shield, and Demistros commanding them to battle.

But Black Falcon is more fun in a mix of characters.

Pictured: Black Falcon surrendering to MASTERVERSE New Eternia “Viking” Skeletor, who is armed with the MOTUC Faceless One Havoc Staff and Black Falcon’s cape, and also surrendering to Demistros. Notice that Black Falcon is holding MASTERVERSE Revelation Mer-Man bident and his own bident. You can clearly see the Super7 spear is more detailed by far.

I mean…it could be a tie…

For me…I don’t “play” with my figures as much as I pose them and take pictures. So to me I value sculpting and paint higher up. Putting Demistros in the lead. I can’t wait to have Demistros sit on King Conan’s Throne of Aquilonia.

On the other hand, the many, many accessories that Black Falcon brings to the whole activity actually enhances the fun of other figures a good bit. A great bit actually. I can’t wait to have Conan Ultimates! figures fight against this guy.

I have to reluctantly say Black Falcon is the winner! Both are generic jerks. They are bad to the bones. They are evil inside and out. They are twisted with their circle game and BUTT CHIN humor.

So Hub City Geeks, do you agree with me?

Do you think I should do more Action Figure show-downs? This was my first time of trying that and I really enjoyed it. 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!

MASTERVERSE New Eternia Ram Man

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You can see my video of the package here!

Here I am back to Ram Man. The last Ram Man I had was the Super7 Ultimates MOTUC “re-issue,” that had that orange color scheme on his armor instead of the classic red. The orange was from the “cross sell” art on the back of the vintage figures. It was cool. Very detailed sculpt, with even the boots having skull details.

(Surely people reading the SpartanNerd blog are familiar with vintage Ram Man. But just in case…) The vintage Ram Man toy was so iconic…so incredibly cool and everywhere. Everyone had one. I always felt like his plastic was a little different than the other figures…it felt like some Christmas ornaments my grandmother put on her tree. And it had that springy leg action feature. You locked him down first by pressing his legs up through his armor skirt into his hollow body. Then you pressed this button on the back of the boot, and he would pop up. Only his arms were articulated, and he had this axe that really no one else could hold, and likewise he couldn’t hardly hold anyone else’s weapon. He was featured heavily on the Filmation cartoon, and was portrayed as kind of stupid. And he was shorter than everyone else as well.

But since 200x, Ram Man has been portrayed as larger. And more of a “Juggernaut” type who has powerful strength to smash things with his head. No version of Ram Man has had the spring loaded legs. (I don’t think the 200x toy had them.). I suppose the requirements of modern sculpting just keeps it from happening. But today, I am going to show what I think is a terrific attempt at giving us some of the feel of the vintage Ram Man’s action feature.

Here is what New Eternia Ram Man comes with.

Check out this pose! I know I already talked about what was in the box, so lets talk about these legs. What we have are evidently standard MASTERVERSE legs encased in a hollow rubber tube. It is bendy stuff, and you can see it kinking up behind the left knee. But this is a fine attempt to do something that calls back to that original idea. Just be careful when bending the knees. That green covering prevents you from seeing which direction the knees are facing. I had to feel around for awhile before attempting to pose the legs. I really, really didn’t want to break anything.

So some things I didn’t mention in the package video. The axe has a very nice “patina” on it. Some brown, rusty shading. The armor has the Battle Ram missile warhead on the front.

I haven’t complained too much about the quality of the toys in this line. The ones I have are pretty terrific. I am a very picky customer. There are a few that I am just not going to get, for instance Andra, Mercenary Teela, or any of the Virgil Abloh collection. There is no appeal to those specific offerings for me. I also am holding out for a better Gwildor than the Revolution one they are offering with Orko. I would like a movie accurate figure. Some of their products don’t appeal to me, but otherwise the quality has improved, and the New Eternia figures are giving some of the Masters of the Universe Classics figures a run for their money. Still not quite as awesome of sculpt work as the Horsemen do.

Which is why the next statement is shocking. Ram Man is the first MASTERVERSE figure I have that came with a problem.

Full disclosure. I opened and photographed this after 1:00 AM, (I went to a Disturbed concert. Very nice!) I was trying to remove this head, and I just couldn’t get a grip on it. The helmet has smooth surfaces, and my fingers kept sliding off. So my solution was to pinch it tighter. Perhaps I should have got out the hair dryer, but you see, after the Disturbed concert, I wasn’t in the mood to get that out I guess. At any rate, I heard a “crack,” and I knew something very bad was amiss. I got the head off and saw that a piece has cracked, and the neck is separating at the seam. BOO! So for the rest of the photos you will see, I am showing you the head barely on. You can’t tell it isn’t snapped down, but I just couldn’t risk it.

The armor has its own special issues. On Ram Man, I haven’t been able to get the straps to lock tight. The left side keeps bucking open. Why do we have this head? I would have rather had an unhelmeted sculpt like the MOTUC version, with the metal plate on top. This looks like Judge Dredd to me. Is it supposed to be a helmet for riding the Battle Ram? I don’t hate it and am glad to have it. This is one of the New Eternia “riffs” like Beast Man had, where he had awesome fur armor in addition to vintage style armor.

And here he is with the Samurai helmet. This one does remind me of Shredder from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. I don’t have a problem with that, but I have never thought of Shredder as being so big. (This weapon is the samurai spear from Animal Warriors of the Kingdom.)

Oh yeah…I almost forgot. In the comparison of MEGA Ram Man and the back of MASTERVERSE Ram Man’s back right leg, you can see that he has a stirrup or something…this is a call back to that little switch that activated the action feature in the vintage line!

Speaking of size, Ram Man isn’t a towering Juggernaut as he has been in the past. He isn’t short. But he isn’t bigger than, for example New Eternia Beast Man.

So armor swap time. This armor looks OK on Beast Man. But there is still room. I tried it on 40th anniversary He-Man, but it was way too big. I suppose it could work on Two Bad. The issue is that Ram Man is just “fatter” than anyone else so far.

So I am a little conflicted on scoring this one. I love the character and am glad to have a new figure of him. The sculpt is very nice, and the solution they came to for the springy legs is novel. Nobody ever asked for those two heads, but they are nice additions. The helmet-less head would have been cooler. The armor that goes on top of the armor…really just, “why?” It is barely usable on anyone else, and the straps don’t want to connect. The axe is nicely done, and the paint all around is as well, though I think this Ram Man is a bit more youthful than I would prefer.

The neck joint breakage is a big problem. I am a grown-up. I am not going to cry about stuff getting broken. But what about a kid? And he comes with those alternate heads, but they are not easy to swap even for a dexterous SpartanNerd. But I feel a little burned every time something like this happens. Super7 Ultimate Cobra B.A.T. had a hand that snapped when I was swapping it, and it almost put me completely off of their stuff. But there were other hands. On Ram Man, this was the whole neck joint!

I have to give this figure a low 3/5. The armor is aggravating and the head swap resulted in a broken neck. Those are negatives outweighed by the positives of well-thought-out leg design, excellent sculpting and paint, and variety in the accessories.

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