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Masters of the Universe 2026 Movie- SpartanNerd’s Review

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This is a review with SPOILERS. You can see my video review of this movie if you click this link HERE.

First of all, I was one who for years has said that if they do a Masters of the Universe movie in the modern style of Marvel and DC, Star Wars, or Transformers, then they will certainly ruin it. I like the Michael Bay Transformers movies (at least the first two) but have some objections to things, like for instance Optimus Prime chopping peoples heads off. You see how I didn’t talk about the “insect-formers” design…I came to enjoy it. And while Marvel has mostly hit it right and DC getting it sometimes, everyone who reads this blog surely knows about all of the controversy around Star Wars starting with Disney. I figured a MOTU movie would have statements and content that rub the SpartanNerd the wrong way, like the movies Rise of the Beasts and The Last Jedi. I figured there might be “bad CGI” like in Aquaman.

But all of my fears were mostly wrong. This movie addresses Masters of the Universe in a modern style very well. The acting is top notch, and if the CGI is a little off, I feel that the producers wanted it to be like that to remind us that this is largely based on a Filmation cartoon from the 1980’s, I say mostly. It was a good move to stick to the Filmation fanbase. Watching that cartoon and playing with action figures are the things that the 40-something year-old fandom remember best. Mattel and Amazon needed to skew away from the super-nerds like me, and cater to a general audience of more casual fans. I am going to break this down.

  • Idris Elba’s Man-At-Arms is an incredible character, and Elba and the producers did something different with Duncan while maintaining the “mentor” aspect essential to who he is.
  • Jared Leto’s Skeletor was a surprise to me. I hadn’t heard his voice…it isn’t the same as Filmation or Mike Young Productions nasally voice. Instead it is a deeper voice with Shakespearean elements. Skeletor is overdramatic and retains his comedic villain self, but is also someone that everyone walks on eggshells around.
  • Allison Brie’s Evil-Lyn was kind of the exact same character that Brie plays as a wrestler on the Netflix show GLOW. In that show, she is an actor playing a wrestler with the character of “The Mad Russian” or something stereotypically grating. But when you see her go from her normal self to wrestler lady…that is where Evil-Lyn is. It is important to say that I don’t believe she was written to be as strong of a character as Meg Foster played in the 1987 movie.
  • Nick Galitzine’s Adam Glenn…that’s right…not Adam of the House of Randor. I have never seen this actor in anything before. I believe he is a little bit too small to play He-Man. He has muscles…that isn’t it…but they aren’t Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Conan the Barbarian muscles. Adam is a can’t-do-anything-right who becomes OP when he transforms into He-Man. Are Adam and He-Man different people? No…I think this is partially on what the movie hinges on. He-Man is inside of Adam. The movie handles this idea without hitting us over the head with it.
  • Camila Mendez’s Teela is a headstrong friend for Adam, the same as always.
  • Of the evil warriors, Trap-Jaw has at least THREE big fight scenes. Which brings up fight scenes…this movie feels like a bunch of action figures fighting against each other! Besides Skeletor, he is easily the strongest of the villains. We see the others fighting…Spikor has plenty of humorous scenes where his spikes are more of a liability. And there are scores of skeleton guys and monster men who are just fodder. Review of Chronicles Trap Jaw coming soon!
  • The Eternian Family- Randor and Marlena are indeed presented as Adam’s parents in the opening, with Randor being way too hard on Adam as he trains. Marlena doesn’t get much, but when it is time to protect Adam, she helps him get to Castle Grayskull.
  • Castle Grayskull and Snake Mountain…these places don’t feel as epic or weighty as they should. They are overshadowed by the drama of the relationships between the characters.
  • Vehicles- They didn’t give us much. A bunch of Fright Fighters and Rotons, along with Teela’s Talon Fighter and a Sky Sled. The Collector gets a moment, and the good guys show up with a bunch of generic ships.
  • The good guys…do you call them the Masters? There is a lot of self-deprecating humor.
  • Cringer- Really, Battle Cat doesn’t appear until the final scene. Cringer is a reluctant scaredy cat like he is supposed to be, but he also fights pretty hard against Beast Man. (Review of Chronicles Battle Cat HERE.)

So this brings up one of the criticisms. There is a lot of humor in this movie. Like every couple of minutes there is a jab, joke, pun, or zinger. This is in line with The Guardians of the Galaxy or Deadpool. It isn’t horribly dirty humor like Deadpool, but it is on the innuendo side, and as far as language there is a GD right at the beginning of the movie that makes Reverend SpartanNerd feel like throwing up.

THE PLOT- MAJOR SPOILERS!

Adam was sent to Earth by the Sorceress at the suggestion of Marlena during the opening attack on the palace. Part of this opening attack was Man-At-Arms being defeated by Trap Jaw and Randor being captured by Skeletor. Adam was separated from the sword when he exited the portal…touching the sword was his way home! Luckily, Adam never forgot where he came from, but as an Earthling he had a hard time adjusting to the boring life of Human Resources. I believe Adam Glenn works at a staffing agency, where he is good with people and helps them find a place in the workforce that is a fit for them. But he gets roasted by his boss, Susie, who has a problem with him looking for the Power Sword on the clock. Adam gets ghosted by “Julie,” advice at the gym from Dolph Lundgren, and admonished by his roommate Hussein. He gets a text at work to find the sword at a toy store called “The Fright Zone” and on touching it, a signal was sent to Eternia, where both Teela and Beast Man received it. The Earth scene really doesn’t take long in the movie…probably less than fifteen minutes.

On Eternia, Adam is worthless as a fighter. The good guys disbelieve Teela enough to throw her in jail along with Adam. Fisto seems to be the leader, with Ram Man second in charge. Mekanek and Moss Man are around also. In jail, Man-At-Arms is passed out drunk, and Roboto is a maid. I believe this scene takes place at Point Dread? Skeletor’s army attacks the base, and Roboto helps them bust out. Once again Adam is useless, and as Trap Jaw comes out, Man-At-Arms begins to have a panic attack. But Adam raises the sword and becomes He-Man, having a brutal fight with Trap Jaw and ripping off his arm, then using it to shoot down Skeletor’s army. There is a vehicle chase as Teela, Man-At-Arms, Adam, and Roboto escape in the Talon Fighter, only to be shot down. Skeletor stands there wondering who the new barbarian is that took out his men. Skeletor has all of the Masters taken to prison at Snake Mountain.

At the crash sight of the Talon Fighter, Adam and Teela have a tender moment as he picks up the ship with one arm, (but he does complain that it is heavy). Man-At-Arms breaks out his foot locker and puts on his armor, that has a flask hidden in the front of the chest plate that as kids we always wanted to know what that was. He says he would rather be a drunk than a failure. Skeletor appears in a hologram just like in the 1987 movie telling the new barbarian to come to Snake Mountain and surrender the sword to see his parents. Apparently they had crashed near the secret passageway to Snake Mountain…

Goat Man is guarding the entranceway, but Adam gets by him. At Snake Mountain’s iconic mouth, Skeletor has Randor. He-Man decides to fight, and another huge battle takes place, but Evil-Lyn traps him with a force field. He-Man breaks the spell with his incredible strength, but the shock causes the roof to collapse on everyone except for him. He rushes to save his dad, but his father dies. During the drama, Skeletor comes up behind He-Man and clocks him on the head with the Havoc Staff.

When Adam wakes up… yes…he was hit hard enough to revert back…he is in the Snake Mountain prison with all of the Masters. His Mother and Cringer are also there. Adam uses his Human Resources skills to rally the Masters to work together with their powers to break out.

Skeletor can’t make the power sword work. Evil-Lyn suggests taking it to Castle Grayskull to perform a ritual. The final battle takes place at Grayskull. Adam manages to get the sword from Skeletor, but before he can change, Skeletor blasts him with the Havoc Staff. Adam uses the sword to block, but the force breaks the sword. Skeletor uses the hilt with the shard-end of the sword to stab Adam in the chest. Then proceeds to read his mind.

As Skeletor reads his mind, he is dreaming about the gym, but instead of Dolph, it is Skeletor lifting weights, wearing an athletic hoodie! Next he is on the date with Julie, and Julie asks about Eternia. When Adam looks up, it is Skeletor wearing a dressy suit. he drags him out of the restaurant. Adam finds himself in Susie’s office, where she says something about having a performance review with Doug…when Adam looks over to where Doug was earlier in the movie, it is Skeletor drinking a thermos of coffee! (This was my favorite part of the whole movie!). Finally, Adam is passed out in his room, where Hussein comes in and places a drawing of the Sorcerss on his chest. Next Zoar flys in, and encourages him that He has the power…it isn’t really the sword!

This is enough to wake Adam wake up in the real world and remove the sword from his chest. As he begins to transform, the sword comes back together. And then instead of fighting, he tells Skeletor he just wants to talk. But Skeletor declines, saying that he is always going to be the villain. Adam actually punches Skeletor out like a boxing warmup, then turns on the Thunder Punches complete with lightning. Finally he palms the Havoc Staff like Michael Jordan, and then shatters it. The explosion is extremely powerful and appears to kill Skeletor as his skull bounces around on the floor.

The next scene is six months later. There is a celebration as Eternia has been rebuilt, which also includes Hussein. Adam gives everyone a pep talk. He also expresses his name as He-Man…the first time it appears in the movie. Then there is news of a problem at Avion. Adam and Cringer then run off to Grayskull to transform where nobody can see them, (but the characters question why?).

Three Credits scenes. The first is Orko presenting a moral that is something like “Muscle Guys are probably heroes and skull-faced guys are probably villains) as Mer-Man is arrested in the background. The second is a reveal of She-Ra about to attack the Fright Zone (Filmation design). And the final scene is Evil-Lyn returning to pick up Skeletor’s skull, and we hear him laughing maniacally.

MY THOUGHTS

You could take the first Thor movie and follow the plot…they are pretty identical, with Randor taking Odin’s place. There is also a little bit of Lion King in there. There’s just no doubt that Skeletor really takes this show. We saw more of Adam/He-Man, and it was good, but a reason to watch this is to watch Skeletor! I like how they started with the Man-At-Arms we expect, then deconstructed him and built him back up. Teela is also different in a way because this time she is compensating for her father giving up rather than the typical path to becoming the captain of the guard.

One thing…there is no origin story for Skeletor. There is no reason why he is evil. We get that he is greedy and power-hungry. Evil-Lyn serves as someone who can talk to him…the only person who CAN talk to him. And he is toxic to her, burning her skin with his hand in two scenes. But I question…do we really NEED to know why Skeletor is evil? Do we NEED a Keldor story? Do we NEED to know things like how old is Castle Grayskull? Where did the henchmen come from? Not really in my opinion. We didn’t know any of that in the Filmation show…we just took it for granted that Skeletor was evil and Castle Grayskull had to be protected. There was some canon to this story, like Marlena being from Earth and the Sorceress secretly being Teela’s mother (not directly addressed, but there). But for the most part, it was about seeing our favorite characters on the screen, probably fighting.

Some things that I appreciate…Roboto is a GIRL! Two of the Credits scenes are setups for sequels…We have references to the 1987 movie including Dolph Lundgren, The Great Eye of the Galaxy (did you catch it?), Pigboy, and Karg.

What did this movie add to the story of Masters of the Universe?

  • This is the first time we have ever seen Skeletor sleep
  • Skeletor is also is a mind-reader
  • Dian- This is a strong female character from the Newspaper strips. In Kevin Smith’s show there has been a strong female lead “Andra” recycled from the Filmation show. Dian is a similar character
  • Goat Man is now officially one of the Evil Warriors in my mind

SPARTANNERD RATING

As a MOVIE, I give this a 4/5. As a Masters of the Universe movie, I give it a 5/5. Not everyone is going to “get it.” There is a lot of talk about the viral movies Backrooms and Obsession…two sleeper movies that scored big at the box office, taking some market share. And this is unfortunately true…not even a fan-excuse (I saw Backrooms…it is pretty good!). Masters of the Universe is for 40-somethings, but Scary Movie 6/7 is for a 2000’s crowd. And up ahead is Toy Story 5, Moana (live action), Supergirl, and then Spider-Man Brand New Day. I kind of think Masters of the Universe is cooked in this box office environment. HOWEVER, it won’t be lost on people streaming. I predict Amazon is going to make MINT streaming this movie.

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

New Eternia Whiplash- SpartanNerd Review

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Click here to see the video version of this review

When I first began to collect MASTERVERSE figures, this one was…around. I saw Whiplash, but was determined to save my money for Masters of the Universe Mega Blocks. Well…we all know how this turned out. The MEGA went away. And one fateful day at Target, I picked up 40 anniversary He-Man and became sort of ravenous for MASTERVERSE figures. I started cherry picking the ones I wanted, of course. No Sun Man…no Netflix CGI figures. None of those. I wanted to recollect my childhood figures.

There weren’t that many of them out there, though. And suddenly I remembered passing up on all of those times I saw Whiplash at Walmart or wherever. So I went to order it online, only to have my order canceled. Ultimately looking at pictures on the internet, etc. he looked really scrawny. And they always show him with a horned helmet and holding a torch…kind of wacky. Then I saw the Cosmic Legions SSKURGGE at the Toy Federation in Greer, and decided this was a better Whiplash figure. I thought I might find a better head somewhere or even have a custom made. (All of the people I contacted about making a custom for this declined, not wanting to work in the Ogre scale.)

But here we are. At the apparent end of MASTERVERSE in the wake of the upcoming Masters of the Universe The Movie. And at the SCMEA (South Carolina Music Educators Conference) that happens in Columbia, SC, I visited LT Toys and Games where they had this on the shelf. I might have seen this sometime in the past three years before, but this time I got it along with GI Joe Classified Series Beach Head. (I ALSO saw Combiner Wars Thundercracker but passed on that…more to come!)

(Both links above refer to Todd Venture videos)

After having the figure in hand, do I have better feelings about it?

PACKAGING

PICTURED: New Eternia Whiplash in box. this box shows evidence of damage. Also we can see recently reviewed figures, Mythic Legions Terpiculi, Transformers Studio Series Soundwave, and GI Joe Classified Series Retro Cardback Beach Head.

MASTERVERSE New Eternia Whiplash comes in the sporty original packaging that the early run of figures used. It has blue a blue window with little call-outs to various Masters of the Universe elements in faded graphics. You can see the figure very well in the window. Unfortunately, there are signs that this Whiplash has been opened before. The cardboard shows some damage and the tape isn’t factory. And also, the crease in the window of the box is cracked. And on opening it, it became apparent that the figure has been at least partially removed. The little ties were loose and the blister was crumpled. But there are more details about this package to cover. You can see the figure inside, but also can see that the weapon appears to be dislodged.

There is artwork on the side depicting the classic appearance of Whiplash…important because this tells us that that helmet is removable!

The back shows Whiplash in New Eternia action with excellent art that reminds me of the art we got with the New Eternia Clawful, which is to say…awesome stuff that the line has been lacking for a few years. The bio reminds us that Whiplash is of the Caligar race, but also gives us a new dimension know as “The Demon Zone.”

The cross sell art shows Mer-Man, Grizzlor, Buzz Off, and Faker. I have all of these figures other than Grizzlier, who I don’t want. They didn’t do him right by not giving him rooted fur.

FIGURE REVIEW

What do you get in the package?

  • Whiplash Figure
  • Torch
  • Spear
  • Axe
  • Punching hands

NOW….he comes with the armor on default from the package. But in my mind, these are technically accessories…I won’t be displaying him with these much. The armor is typical Skeletor type of stuff in purple and blue, but has brown straps. There is a gold belt with purple “stille” (probably misspelled) hanging down. And then there is the helmet, which looks cool and fresh, but is thankfully removable. OK…one more thing. The tail isn’t an accessory, though it is packed away from the figure. You assemble this into the octagonal hole beneath the already installed backpack looking piece of tail hanging from his shoulders.

FIGURE REVIEW

As a figure, my example is very loose. Usually figures are stiff when taken out of a package. More evidence that this specific Whiplash figure has been out of the box already and played with. Important. By design, his legs can’t extend out straight. Mattel wanted him to remain in a squat stance by default evidently. But I am going to count this as a stupid problem. Other figures in this scale can extend their legs out. It makes it seem wrong and a person could try and force it on Whiplash and wind up breaking something.

PICTURED: The Bounty Hunters. MASTERVERSE New Eternia Two Bad, Trap Jaw, and Whiplash. Cosmic Legions Kannox Vull. MASTERVERSE 1987 Movie Beast Man, MASTERVERSE Revelation Triclops and Stinkor (armed with AWOK shotgun). Find all of these reviewed at SpartanNerd.com

The tail is made of a heavy rubber material, and I don’t know how much abuse it could take or if it will break down over time. It IS posable, but also stiff enough that you feel like you could overdo it.

PICTURED: MASTERVERSE 1987 Movie He-Man and Evil-Lyn, with New Eternia Whiplash

This tail is a balance point, just the same way that the tail of a real animal is sometimes used. Whiplash has big, flat feet, and this is helpful, but that tail really makes it work. You can prop him up with it, or use it to counterbalance.

PICTURED: MASTERVERSE New Eternia Terror Claws Skeletor and Whiplash fight against Thunder Punch He-Man.

Whiplash’s sculpt is very nice. but his paint is lacking except for in his face and on his armor. In the above photo I have him fighting Thunder Punch He-Man with his own raised fists. And Terror Claws Skeletor has his hilarious claws read also.

PICTURED: Mythic Legions Ninian Infantry and MASTERVERSE New Eternia Whiplash

You can see a real quality difference between the Masterverse figure with a lower price point, and the Mythic Legions figure with a higher. The paint and sculpt on the Ninian Infantry soldier is just incredible, making Whiplash’s seem to be $30 less of value 🙂 I wanted to use this example because of the tail. the Mythic Legions tail is more bendable. But I have also broken one of these snake guys’ tail off. There won’t be any danger of that happening with Whiplash.

Whiplash’s colors could be worse.

Yes. You can remove the fire from the torch. PICTURED: Masterverse New Eternia Moss Man and Whiplash. Both menacing green extreme. But Moss Man is so DRAB. Whiplash has accomplished it with style!

A BIG COMPARISON

So, as I mentioned above, I already have had a Whiplash figure…I should say “Whiplash” figure.

PICTURED: Cosmic Legions SSKURGGE and MASTERVERSE New Eternia Whiplash.

So, once again…the Mythic (Cosmic) Legions is clearly MORE incredible than the MASTERVERSE figure. We have to set that aside, however and be subjective for one. SSKURGGE is not the same person as Whiplash. And this is a real difference. He isn’t “The Real Slim Shady,) only a copycat. You should watch my video as I do headswaps and get cracked up…it is pretty funny. Otherwise, these guys are the exact same colors of green. (Find the review of SSKURGGE here).

WHAT DOES HE ADD TO THE COLLECTION

I mean…He’s Whiplash. An essential character!

A great bounty hunter…look as he and Cosmic Legions Kannox Vull bring in GI Joe Classified Series Zarana on Cybertron.

PICTURED: Cosmic Legions Kannox Vull, GI Joe Classified Series Zarana, and MASTERVERSE New Eternia Whiplash

He belongs with a certain trope of characters.

SPARTANNERD RATING OF MASTERVERSE NEW ETERNIA WHIPLASH

PICTURED: MASTERVERSE New Eternia Whiplash, Vintage Masters of the Universe Whiplash, and 200x Masters of the Universe Whiplash.

Above is my original whiplash toy. As a kid I had countless hours playing with this. So he doesn’t have a tail anymore 😦 I picked up the 200x version right before I got SSKURRGE. Whiplash gets the feels point all day because of who he is.

I don’t think he is as good as the Cosmic Legions KO version. But then we are really comparing wildly different things that are just in the same color scheme.

I am awarding MASTERVERSE New Eternia Whiplash 4/5. My logic for the lost point…his paint could be better, and his articulation is strange. I feel like the knee issue is a stupid problem especially, and one that is “baked in.”

He has been a blast to play with…way more fun than Thunder Punch He-Man or Moss Man in this same blog review. And there is a nostalgia factor that is also present that I love.

THE SPARTANNERD RATES WHIPLASH A 4/5…do you agree or disagree? Let me know in the comments!

New Eternia Mosquitor- SpartanNerd Unboxing and Review

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See the video review of New Eternia Mosquitor here! I wrote this blog entry about two weeks after I unboxed it.

I know a guy has the market cornered on Mosquitor (Pixel Dan), but I also have fond memories of the mosquito member of the Horde. Mosquitor was one of the final MOTU figures I ever had. The last few I had were Rio Blast, Extendar, Evil-Lyn, Tyrantisaurus, and Mosquitor.

I am CONVINCED I saw Laser Power He-Man and Laser Light Skeletor on some clearance sale at a discount store, but didn’t get them. Maybe this is a Mandela effect thing? (The SpartanNerd is from Spartanburg SC, not Sparta, Greece. Not from Europe…)

I remember getting Mosquitor as an Easter present of all things. I loved the blood sucking gore effect, unique to this figure in the whole of Vintage Masters of the Universe. So how did he turn out for Masterverse?

PACKAGING

Mosquitor comes in the usual MASTERVERSE packaging. There is nice art on the front showing him with wings up and a long curly nosepiece. You can see the figure clearly in the window, which unfortunately for MOC collectors (not me) doesn’t have a full nose piece on. So it looks like his nose is sawed off.

As you look around the side you can see Imp, Hordak’s pet, sitting on the top of a cannon. This is definitely not safe for the little guy! Of note and interest…this figure is labeled “New Eternia” not “New Etheria.” The pet that came with the NE Hordak was not Imp. So it is odd that they used Imp in the art on Mosquitor’s packaging.

The other side shows the library image for easy storing, sorting, or otherwise alphabetizing your figures. (Just joking.). It is nice to have this as a feature, and showing off additional looks for the figure.

The back of the figure features a photoshop of Mosquitor with an animated style background featuring a large skull. We are given windows into how the “action features” of the figure works.

There are cross sell images on the bottom that show us Anti-Eternia He-Man, Mosquitor, and Hordak. I don’t know if I will get get Anti-Eternia He-Man or not. I don’t have a strong connection to him, and I have some other problems with the figure. For instance, we already have Faker. He-Man doesn’t need another doppelgänger. Especially not one more frightening. I have more rant about this offering, but this is a review of Mosquitor, so I will keep it at that. However, if someone gifts me Anti-Eternia He-Man, then…

FIGURE REVIEW

Mosquitor comes with everything you see here in the package.

  • MASTERVERSE Mosquitor Figure
  • Three alternate nose pieces
  • An alternate chest plate “dripping blood”
  • A laser gun
  • A hose
  • Should I count the wings as accessories?

The hose is the same hose that came with New Eternia Snout Spout. It plugs into the back of his head and connects to his armor. What would have been cool would have been the “blood tanks” on Emiliano Santalucia’s design…and then this hose would have been more logical and epic.

The paint. Well, there isn’t much. He is molded in the colors he is supposed to be. There are paint hits on his boots, and he has these red spikes on his shoulder armor which are one of the best details of the new design. After spending some time with the figure, I have noticed some paint slop.

There are two options for displaying Mosquitor. You can have a full tank on his chest, or a partially bloody “dripping” chest. This isn’t a pumping action feature, but instead a chest plate similar to what Battle Armor Skeletor has. The bat shape just pops off and can be replaced. Some of the paint slop mentioned above is on the full tank chest piece. At the same time, I wonder if in that case it was purposeful? It adds to the effect of “blood tank.” But I suspect this was accidental, by the same factory worker who did the other red paint on the figure.

Mosquitor has the same eye effect that some other recent MASTERVERSE figures have had (NE Panthor’s is the best). A 3-d effect where it is like a translucent cover that gives the illusion of a real eye. Except that in the case of Mosquitor, his eye doesn’t look realistic because it looks like the vintage toy’s eye.

All of his articulation is what you would expect from a MASTERVERSE figure, “30 points of articulation.” But it brings up a tired complaint. These figures are lanky, and yeah, they have good articulation, but the net effect is that they are not that posable. Most of them are standing on the shelf in a similar pose. Balancing well on their feet with their arms forward holding something. Maybe this is me not being creative? Don’t get me wrong…I prefer the option to pose as opposed to a statue. I just think it a little bit ironic.

PICTURED: MASTERVERSE New Eternia Mosquitor attacks New Eternia Thunder Punch He-Man. NE Snout Spout takes on New Etheria Hordak. And Panthor is just there.

ACCESSORIES

The wings attach to the back of the armor, and are interchangeable with Hordak’s wings. These wings are opaque muted pink, the same size as Hordak’s, and are just as posable. It is important that they remove or are easily hidden because some collectors might prefer to display him without this.

The gun…this is NOT a Horde crossbow. Instead it looks a little bit like the gun on Emiliano Santalucia’s 200x He-Man.org Christmas wallpaper artwork from like 20 years ago. (Once again, I wish this figure had those bloody tanks for his back more than I like the wings.)

PICTURED: MASTERVERSE New Eternia Mosquitor takes on Four Horsemen Studios Figura Obscura Monkey King. In the background you can see McFarlane Mortal Kombat Khotal Khan and Masters of the Universe Classics Sir Lazer Lot

The nose pieces can go on either the end of his nose or on the end of the gun…in fact on both ends of the gun. (This gives you the option of fashioning the gun into a melee weapon. One looks like the vintage mosquito nose. One looks like a curved dagger, and the other is a tentacle, which anatomically is a “proboscis” I believe.

RATING

I awarded MASTERVERSE New Eternia Mosquitor a 5/5 when I filmed the video two weeks ago, and I am going to stick to that notwithstanding the paint slop I began to notice. ***He has an asterisk :)***. I feel like he fits right in with NE Hordak and Mantenna.

He is one of my “need to have” figures, and he does it well. My “need to have list of” members of the Horde now only has Grizzlor, Modulok, and Multibot left to go. I didn’t have that many of them around when I was a kid. (I know there is a Grizzlor, but that molded plastic hair sucks.)

Do you agree or disagree with my 5/5* rating? Let me know in the comments!

MASTERVERSE New Eternia Faker- SpartanNerd Unboxing and Review

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I picked up Faker on Prime Day, the same day I ordered New Eternia Battle Armor He-Man. There is a long and convoluted story about me finally getting Faker, but it began when I realized I wanted to complete the “my” collection…that is, the Masters of the Universe toys I had as a kid. On looking into it, Faker was recently sold out pretty much everywhere. But they had that MASTERVERSE Revelation version, that wasn’t blue. It wasn’t “classic” or “nostalgic.” That one can be had even now for really inexpensive…like as cheap as Bounty Hunters Teela and Andra. Eventually I settled that I would look in “diverse markets.” Those outside of BigBadToyStore, Eternainment Earth, or Amazon. And I found one! For the reasonable price of $13. I got my order right in. And it was delivered by UPS. TO SOMEONE ELSE’S HOUSE!!!

What even happened? I got the Shopify notification, went to the tracking page, and saw where it was delivered to the “correct address,” only the picture posted of the delivery wasn’t the right place.

Two months later, on Prime Day, I got it for $35. And I am happy with it. This left me with a need to get Whiplash…(My solution coming soon!)

PACKAGING

You can see the packaging for New Eternia Faker above. It is that boring blue “sporty” packaging on the front. But you can clearly see what you are getting. This version of Faker is NOT my version exactly. The version from the vintage days had orange armor, not pink. I almost didn’t notice, however! The reason being, I have the MEGA version of the Battle Bones, and it comes with this color scheme of Faker. It made it work for me, and I don’t dislike the pink. On research, the pink colored armor was what was on some Faker toys from outside of America. (Link to Battleramblog.com)

The back has more incredible artwork. I don’t know who this artist is, but it looks really beautiful. Notable that Faker’s hair is more reddish pink rather than natural brown as shown on the artwork. In the background you can see New Eternia “Viking” Skeletor in the shadows, sending Faker out. The little story helps us see the plot of New Eternia seems to revolve around Skeletor stealing the power of Grayskull and harnessing it through Faker, which is an awesome idea!

The cross-sell images show off New Eternia Mer-Man, which I have reviewed already. Grizzlor…who isn’t actually furry, Buzz-Off, and Faker of course. Buzz-Off…I ordered the new Cosmic Legions figure just a few days ago…The Four Horsemen’s “KO” Buzz-Off looks to be incredible! This is what Mattel gets for not giving us enough available product. Would I have bought Buzz-Off and Faker at Wal-Mart? You bet! But I have never seen them.

One more little comment. We are getting YET ANOTHER Mer-Man. (Revealed at the SD COMIC CON 2024). This will be the third one.

The back of the packaging is its redeeming quality. Let’s have a look at the figure.

FIGURE REVIEW

Here’s what you get.

  • Faker Figure with pink “Skeletor” armor
  • Two alternate hands, one punching and the other slapping.
  • A battle axe with unusual orange “slime.” Even as I type this, I don’t know what that is about.
  • A purple power sword.

Not much to this set. But have a look at the design. The paint is beautiful Smurf blue. The boots and furry shorts are a deep purple with black straps and a black belt with silver details. There are gunmetal colored bracers on his wrists. That pink armor really pops in contrast to this color scheme.

PICTURED: MASTERVERSE New Eternia Faker and Thunder Punch He-Man. Part of my logic on this picture is the thunder punch is melting the axe. What is your reason for the orange on the axe?

Faker’s head sculpt is exactly the same as Thunder Punch He-Man’s. Only he has blue skin and reddish brown hair and blank techno-eyes. I don’t much like this sculpt on He-Man, but it looks great on Faker. It brings out some kind of Frankenstein vibe.

You can see that there is a strap on the back of the harness that can hold the purple power sword. (Wasn’t purple power some kind of cleaning product?)

ACCESSORIES

Once again…what’s up with that axe?

But the purple techno power sword…here is something awesome!

PICTURED: MASTERVERSE New Eternia Faker and Skeletor. Skeletor is holding the sword from the 1987 movie.

I didn’t know about this detail until I opened the box. I didn’t realize how much I would like this thing. Having Faker stand beside Skeletor like this reminds me of…Robot Chicken!

PICTURED: MASTERVERSE New Eternia Trap Jaw and Faker. MASTERVERSE Revelation Tri-Klops, wearing Mattel Creations Vikor “tank” armor. I’ve had this Soundwave for awhile. Not sure of the model.

If you remove Faker’s pink armor, you can see another sculpted detail. That’s right…not a sticker! Faker’s robotic insides can be seen and worked on by Trap Jaw and Tri-Klops! (Maybe this is his problem?). Notice in the picture above, I have a small Soundwave transformer in Tri-Klops hand, while Trap Jaw attempts to put a cassette tape in Faker’s chest. But we all know…(That’s Lazer Beak or somebody like that!)

SPARTANNERD’S RATING OF MASTERVERSE NEW ETERNIA FAKER

The only thing I wish about this figure is that it had more accessories. It seems like a lot of the New Eternia designs take some risks in tastefully updating a character…case in point Beast Man. But here, they played it pretty safe.

I wonder if Revelation Faker’s orange armor will work with New Eternia Faker? I’m not going to risk that by falling in a trap like I did with the Battle Armor He-Man figure. I am happy with the pink armor just fine.

The sculpt is good. The paint is excellent. Of course his articulation works very well, and his joints are tight…no trouble standing.

I am rating MASTERVERSE New Eternia Faker 4/5. He is great looking and fun. What’s up with that wierd battle axe, and why couldn’t we have more accessories?

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

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

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

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

MASTERVERSE Revolution Battle Armor He-Man

PACKAGING

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

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

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

There is some side-art

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

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

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

FIGURE

Here’s what you get in the box.

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

So how does it work?

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

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

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

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

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

MASTERVERSE New Eternia Battle Armor He-Man

PACKAGING

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

Now THIS IS COOL ARTWORK!

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

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

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

FIGURE

Here’s what you get….

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

This is an impressive accessory list!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

COMPARISON

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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There was a bevy of announcements back in April, 2024 for MASTERVERSE and also Origins. Maybe these were a leak, and then Mattel just went ahead and made official announcements? Among this news, I ordered New Eternia Thunder Punch He-Man. (I also ordered New Eternia Skeletor with throne!) And I was surprised to see it ship in May. What are the SpartanNerd’s thoughts on this interpretation of the classic He-Man variant? Keep reading!

PACKAGING

Watch the SpartanNerd’s commentary on the packaging HERE.

I really did enjoy looking at the box for awhile. What I didn’t mention was it looked like He-Man was “sticking out his gut.” And indeed, when I took him out of the box, I was dumbfounded that his torso WOULD NOT MOVE. I got a little bit of bowing back even further…and this exposed a definite “daylight” in the ab crunch. I was so upset about this, I left it on the kitchen table and would mess with it every few hours. Then finally, I broke out the hairdryer. IT DIDN”T WORK! So I looked this issue up, and apparently on Reddit some people have had trouble with Tri-Klops. The solution was to just run hot water over the figure while holding it upside down. The water will penetrate the joint and allow things to loosen up. And am I glad this worked! It was bothering me seriously. Like, I was ready to categorize this figure with Marvel Legends Thor. He-Man can’t have issues like that! But with the ab crunch corrected, I decide to get in more photographs.

CONTENTS

Here’s what comes in the package:

  • Thunder Punch He-Man with backpack
  • New “power-up” bracers
  • gold Power Sword
  • classic Thunder Punch style shield
  • 2 fake caps, one gold and the other red
  • yellow fireball punch effects
  • alternate hands (2 punching, 2 gripping)

Lots of accessories, but, with some extra functionality.

PLAYING WITH THE FIGURE

Let’s look at the back of this figure first. The backpack is what Thunder Punch He-Man is all about actually anyway.

What you do is you open the backpack and place one of the caps in. I prefer the gold one in the backpack because it adds a little pop of color. This serves no function except for nostalgia. There is a small window where you can see the caps in there, but you can only barely see them and then only when viewed from the top angle.

With the backpack closed, you can see this knob. And this is also a throwback to the 1980s. This knob has a satisfying ratchet sound effect and feel when you turn it. There is a hole in the middle of the knob which serves an additional purpose.

You can put either of the caps in the shield for storage and aesthetics, and also the sword which I definitely remember from the vintage days. But the ability to store all of this on his back is new, as is a welcome improved detail which should have been a no brainer. I suppose you could look at this differently though. Unless another figure comes with a peg hole in its arms or back, this shield can only be used for Thunder Punch He-Man.

As usual, you can see where the armor straps are coming loose with really minimal play. (All I did was open it and put a cap in.). Not horrible, but this is a consistent struggle really with all Masters of the Universe action figures.

Here is He-Man “armed to the teeth.” The only accessories not here are the extra fists. I would like to note that the fireball effects fit on either kinds of hands, but fit best on the punching fist hands. When armed this way, if He-Man punches with his left, the shield becomes a “buster shield” as seen in Gundam.

Notice that the shield pegs in to the bracers, not the arms.

If you want more of a vintage look, then the bracers remove easily. (This photo was an attempt at the “Iron Man” pose…).

THOUGHTS ON THE PAINT

Now for my first real complaint. you can’t have that vintage look with this figure. For you see, the colors are very muted. I remember the original figure having candy-apple red armor and vac-metal parts. For instance the center of the armor and the shield. These should be vac-metal. I don’t understand what it takes to do vac-metal on a toy. But this was a place they shouldn’t have skimped on it.

I have other complaints about the paint. His skin tone is “orange.” Because I teach middle school chorus, to largely female students, I know this “spray-tan” look well. Not flattering for the most powerful man in the universe.

I have heard people rave about this head sculpt. It is supposedly the same head that Faker came with. (I ordered Faker but he got lost in the mail 😦 ). But as in any sculpt only as good as the paint job. His eyes appear to have eyeliner. This time he has blue eyes also, and his eyebrows aren’t as engaged.

PICTURED: MASTERVERSE 40th Anniversary He-Man and MASTERVERSE New Eternia Thunder Punch He-Man.

Don’t know if the skin tone is coming through in this photo, but trust me. It is there. My complaint about 40th Anniversary He-Man’s head sculpt is that he looks indecisive and lacking in confidence. But I have to prefer it to Thunder Punch’s softer features. On the upside, these are brown boots with white fur on top, and a brown loin cloth. 40th Anniversary boots can only really go for another He-Man or barbarian super hero, while you could use Thunder Punch’s body almost anywhere a fury loincloth can work.

PICTURED: Clawful and Thunder Punch He-Man. Both are MASTERVERSE New Eternia figures. You can really tell the difference in the reds…He-Man has a more muted, less striking red. Not quite pink but approaching. Also notice that the SpartanNerd painted that boring shield that came with Clawful.
PICTURED: MASTERVERSE New Eternia Thuunder Punch He-Man and Masters of the Universe Classics Battle Cat.

In the above two pictures, you can see where the red on New Eternia Thunder Punch He-Man doesn’t stack up to other reds where he should drop right in with. Clawful has beautiful dark-red paint as well as glossy details. He-Man from the same line has minimal paint. Things are “molded” in their color, without hardly even a wash. And the choice to tone down his coloring is baffling and disappointing. As for MOTUC Battle Cat, we all know that is a whole different level of sculpting and paint (and money!) But, this is what the true A-Lister of Thunder Punch He-Man deserves. Somehow on the deco it seems they cut the corners.

SPARTANNERD’S RATING OF MASTERVERSE NEW ETERNIA THUNDER PUNCH HE-MAN

It seems I wrote alot of complaints about the paint. But this is a really good figure! Very posable, even if none of the MASTERVERSE figures so far can really do the “Iron Man” pose. I don’t have a picture yet, but Thunder Punch He-Man sits on Battle Cat beautifully. His loin cloth is softer, and allows for better sitting poses…a plus if the upcoming Skeletor with throne does the same. He also came with terrific accessories and good play value.

I mentioned this before, but as an adult I am not spending much time playing so much as displaying any of my toys. And this is where sculpting and paint takes a higher priority in my ratings system. A kid or other person who plays heavily with the toys will get very much out of Thunder Punch He-Man. But for me, it is the nostalgia, and that paint misses it for me.

My other complaint about the ab crunch doesn’t get dinged in the ratings. The hot water really did cure it, and because I pre-ordered my figure, perhaps mine has “early production” issues. If I was a Mint-On-Card collector this would have been sent back, the way he was contorted in the box. But I’m not, and this might not be an across-the-board problem…maybe even only my figure.

The SpartanNerd’s rating of MASTERVERSE New Eternia Thunder Punch He-Man is 4/5. Do you agree or disagree, Hub-City Geeks? Let me know in the comments!