Friday 10 December 2021

Toybox REVIEW: Masters of the Universe Masterverse Revelation He-Man

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Release Date: June 2021
RRP: $19.99/£19.99

Despite being a fan of a number of 80s cult toy franchises, Masters of the Universe is one that I've only ever had a passing interest in. I've always been aware of the characters and enjoyed the odd episode now and again, but in general it's been something that mostly passed me by. However with the franchise making something of a grand return in 2021 with both Masters of the Universe: Revelation and the He-Man and the Masters of the Universe CGI reimagining on Netflix, now seemed like the perfect time to dive in. Over on the toy side of things Mattel have also done big things with MOTU this year – not only reissuing the original toys but also creating the Masterverse range – an all-encompassing line for figures from across the franchise's various iterations. And it's here that the cast of Revelations have found their home, so what better place to start my journey into Masters of the Universe toys than with MOTU Masterverse Revelation He-Man?

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Masters of the Universe Masterverse Revelation He-Man comes in suitably large rectangular packaging, taking the shape of a normal box for the most part but then with a raised card-back piece at the top. The packaging adopts a blue to black gradient colourscheme but as far as the front is concerned the focus is all on the figure itself, with the Masters of the Universe: Revelation logo in the bottom centre. One side of the box simply features the name of the character, while the other sports some gorgeous artwork of He-Man wielding the Sword of Power. The back of the box features a second piece of art alongside a short character bio, with images of the figures also available in this first wave of Masterverse figures (Revelation Moss Man, Skeletor and Evil Lynn) pictured below. Open it up and the figure/accessories are stored away in a moulded clamshell tray.

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If there's one thing that's always been charming about MOTU figures even as an outside it's how chunky they are. The original figures were stout, beefy bits of plastic that could definitely endure heavy bouts of play, and whilst these new Masterverse figures have proportions closer to the Revelations animation models they're still pretty hefty bits of plastic. As far as the overall sculpt goes He-Man looks pretty great, with an excellent likeness to how the character looks onscreen. The face looks a little gormless and could have definitely benefitted from a more dynamic expression, but as far as a generic He-Man figure goes it's fairly satisfactory. He-Man is primarily moulded in flesh-coloured plastic, with additional bits of yellow plastic for his hair, belt and bracelet, grey plastic for the harness and brown for the bracer, loin cloth and boots. The loin cloth however has also been given a coat of darker brown paint on top, along with the fur at the top of each boot. The red detailing on the harness is also painted on along with the yellow section of the bracer, and the hair has been given a darker wash to give it some tone. Though it doesn't necessarily make it look bad per se, there's an odd glossiness to the flesh tone plastic as well as a texturing (that only really shows up in bright light but can be faintly felt when handling) that doesn't really feel befitting of skin.

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The packaging for the figure boasts "30 points of articulation" and that's certainly what Mattel have delivered, with He-Man featuring all the joints collectors have come to expect from lines such as this. Altogether he features; 
- Ball jointed head, torso and hips
- Swivel hinge shoulders, wrists and ankles
- Double hinged elbows and knees 
- Bicep, waist, thigh and boot swivels
However it isn’t the number of joints or points of articulation that are the problem with this figure, but rather how well they've been executed. Once again that tacky feel of the plastic comes into play, as many of the joints prove stiff. The double hinged elbows are particularly notable in this regard, with only the upper half of the joints bending without any additional force. Not that it makes much difference anyway, because He-Man's so buff that his muscles get in the way of adding much more to the overall bend. The hips are just as strange (on my copy at least), with one leg not being able to brought in as to the crotch piece as the other, leaving it sticking outward at an angle and not being able to be brought parallel with the other leg. Touches like the ball-jointed torso so bicep/thigh/boot swivels add a lot to poses, but a standard waist swivel just feels so basic (and ugly) compared to what's going on above it. Sadly though the loin cloth is made from a slightly softer plastic, it's still rigid enough that it gets in the way of the hips when the legs are moved directly forward or back. Admittedly there's quite a bit to like about what Mattel are doing with this figure, but it definitely needs some ironing out.

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He-Man comes with a fairly basic assortment of accessories, but at the same time it does include all of the essentials. The most important of all is of course the Sword of Power, the means by which Prince Adam transforms into He-Man. Also included is his shield, as well as an alternate pair of hands to hold these weapons. Both accessories are moulded in grey plastic, with additional brown paint added to the sword's hilt and a very faint silver for the blade. Meanwhile the shield has orange paint apps for its pattern. Application is generally very good, however my sword does have a few splashes of brown paint at the bottom of the blade too. The shield features to soft plastic grips on its back – one of which is gripped by the hand whilst the other is slipped over the forearm. It can be a little fiddly to do (particularly on the left arm as it's slightly thicker due to the additional bracer), but overall it's pretty simple stuff collectors will be all too familiar with. If for whatever reason you'd rather pose him not holding the sword, it can be neatly stored on his back by sliding it down through the armour. Based on other collector lines it's easy to want/expect more from the figure (I really think the figure could have benefitted from an alternate head for action poses), but if the Masterverse line is only concerned with the essentials then that's understandable too.

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Masters of the Universe: Revelation has acted as a gateway to another beloved 80s fandom that I have little prior experience with, and getting toys from a new line that I'm unfamiliar with always proves an interesting experience. MOTU Masterverse Revelation He-Man however is quite an odd case. The figure straddles the line between children's toy and collector's figure more than most, impressing with its lavish packaging, cartoon-accurate sculpt and level articulation. What lets it down however is the overall finish of the figure, both in how it looks and how stiff/unwieldy that articulation is. It's not a bad toy by any means, but isn't quite the winner I was hoping for. Revelation fans will surely want to add this one to their collections, but it's easy to see why classic MOTU figures continued to be reissued after all these years – you only have to look at them to see there's something charming about them that modern versions can't compete with.

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