Castle Grayskull

 Castle Grayskull

Masters of the Universe Origins - Mattel

Since Masters of the WWE Universe debuted first, and Origins was off to a slow start in 2020 as a Walmart exclusive line, I have been sitting on quite the amount of He-man figures.  The throwback line, which blends the classic aesthetic with modern articulation, has been moving at lightning speed in 2021, with 5-6 waves now available widespread at places like Target, Amazon, and online retailers.  There have also been deluxe figures, vehicles, creatures...and the return of one of the greatest play sets of all time. 

 

Castle Grayskull is just now starting to show up at Walmarts and Targets.  I am not sure how many each store gets at one time.  Judging by the size of the box, maybe two per case?  If you are hunting one, make sure to check other aisles outside of action figures...I found mine in the next over, with MOTU Mega Contrux sets.  It’s $75, which isn’t too bad considering it’s size and that it comes with an exclusive Sorceress figure.  

This all-white Sorceress is a variant from an old mini-comic “The Temple of Darkness.”  It makes sense to include her with this set, being the guardian of the castle.  However, the deco means a double-dip in standard colors somewhere down the line.  Too bad they didn’t go with an Origins debut for the awesome Castle Grayskull Man.  Still, it’s good to have her rounding out my heroic Masters for right now.  She comes with her staff, and the wing gimmick works much better than you’d think...you can almost get her to sit on the throne.

The playset itself is all you remember as a kid, but in a more flexible and less fragile plastic.  The sculpt is great and a little more filled out than I remember the old one being.  It still has the jaw bridge door that is activated by inserting the sword of power.  It has the working elevator, throne with trap door action, dungeon decal, computers, weapons racks, ladder...the same, but better than ever in sculpting and durability.  A couple of the platforms include cloth banners, which I think may be the only new additions.

It took a little bit of time to put together out of the box, and has some large stickers to apply...nothing too difficult, though getting the applications just right always makes me sweat.  Should be ready to play within 20 minutes.  Heroic Masters to arms!  Skeletor and his minions have laid siege to the castle!  

Land Shark vs Sky Sled!  Battle Cat vs Panthor!  He-man and Skeletor clash in their battle armor!  (The battle armors were always my favorites...and the roll-over damage drums carry over to this line!)

I may not have mentioned this in the WWE reviews, but in addition to the added articulation, these figure feature swapable parts.  This means you can outfit He-man with all sorts of different gear, or Frankenstein you own new characters.  Weird and fun!

This line is nostalgia done right.  Not just rehashing the past, but modernizing it and keeping it fresh for fans of old, while roping in a whole new generation.  It’s a sturdy line, meant for play.  And it’s cost effective compared to most other toy lines.  I had given away my original figures many decades ago, so having another go at these and being able to share them with my kids is a real treat.  I hope this line continues for some time, and doesn’t get derailed by whatever Kevin Smith is doing with a new Masters toon and whatever SONY is doing with a Masters movie.  They both have great track records, right?  Right?!  Sigh...Good journey, He-man, whatever the future throws at you.

Macho Man-at-Arms dares you to take a look back at these Master of the WWE Universe reviews:

https://terribletoyman.blogspot.com/2020/07/masters-of-wwe-universe.html

https://terribletoyman.blogspot.com/2021/01/rattlesnake-mountain-ring.html