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

Rattlesnake Mountain Ring

Rattlesnake Mountain Ring

Mattel - Masters of the WWE Universe

Despite the headache of tracking them down, this Walmart exclusive series is still going strong.  A year after the line’s debut with the Castle Grayskull ring, we have a follow up in Rattlesnake Mountain.  Hey, Skeletor and his goons need somewhere to train, right?  Not only that, but it comes with two legendary WWE figures that arguably top the last by a mile:  Stone Cold Steve Austin and the immortal Hulk Hogan!

I get that Austin makes a great snake man in name and attitude, even though I was never fully sold on his total heel turn in the WCW Invasion days.  It was an easy out for Mattel...give him some slightly snake-looking eyes, and clip on snake arm and call it a day.  

Without the clip-on snakes, just plain Austin doesnt look or feel very “Masters of the Universe.”  I mean, they could have at least made his vest fit the primitive-techno theme.  Or given him a suped up version of this leg brace.  Hell, they could have gone full on “Robotic Redneck”, as Jim Ross would say.  In any case, he was a much needed legend that I’m glad secured a spot this early in the line.  Oh, hey...you might have noticed the yin to Austin’s yang here: the most electrifying hero in Eternia, the Rock!

Rock is the lone series three pick up for me.  This wave has been notoriously difficult to find all around.  I am missing the Scare Glow/Undertaker mash-up, but even if I never find him, I still have the great one!  And what a great figure he makes.

They’ve outfitted him with a “Masters” armor, complete with signature brahma bull.  He comes packed with more accessories than most, even if they are reused.  He’s got a black, Man at Arms mace, and clip on electric bolts that date waaaay back to Superman Blue in Mattel’s DC Universe Classics.  Best of all, he has the WWEternia Championship belt!  It looks to be an homage to 2002’s Fisto revamp?  I could be wrong.  

From series four (cherry-picking the legends), brings us Jake the Snake and Mr. T!  Mr. T must have signed a lucrative deal with Mattel/WWE in the last year, because this is the third figure we have had of him in as much time.  No complaints about that here!  I pity the fool who complains about the multitudes of T!!!

He looks so good, so colorful!  Great choice of armor.  And best of all, is the added Fisto/Jitsu, fool-smashing gauntlets!  Not only are these an awesome choice for the character, but they cover up the factory defect of having two right hands on my figure...(sad trombone sound).  Oh, well...I’ll make due, as he has been super hard to find in the wild.

Jake may have the gimmick to top them all in this line.  Appropriately sitting proxy for King Kiss, he has removable armor to reveal his scaly underside.  And....drumroll...a tear away face to reveal his true nastiness!

This works so much better than one would think.  The face overlay isn’t too oversized, and fits perfectly snug.  I like that there is a little piece of rubber hair on his hairline that goes over it to make it look fairly natural.  

Last but certainly not least, Hulk Hogan makes his return to standard toy shelves!  The controversies have died down, and I am happy that they have re-embraced the character.  Legends collecting has felt empty without him, even if they’re giving me an overdose of Macho Man to compensate.  The Rock is the only one that comes close to his status in wrestling, so this has been a long time coming.  I hope the doors to Hulk merch remain open for the the foreseeable future.

Sorry, John Cena, you may have just been bumped from being the proxy He-man for this universe.  The one one in WWEternia that can tame those pythons is the man with the 24-in pythons, brother!  The Horde armor works because of the bulk, colors, and “h” on the chest...but I’m not sure about the “rips” on the back of the armor.  Sure, it replicates Hulk’s tattered entrance gear...but how strong is that armor exactly?  Tin foil?  Or am I supposed to pretend an Eternian dragon could only have made marks like that?  I’m gonna file this under “silly-yet-awesome”. 

The ring playset is a repaint of the first with new “lava” ropes and some towering snake ring posts.  In place of stairs, is a rickety-looking suspension bridge ramp (which I apparently misplaced before this phot shoot) that fits with the original Snake Mountain motif.  I didn’t need another ring taking up space, and I may have bought it just for the figures, but Mattel did a good job with the overall theme.

I look forward to more of these figures down the line, even if they are a pain to track down as store exclusives.  Hey, WWE and Mattel, we’re drowning in series 2 Roman Reigns here!  And no, more Seth Rollins doesn’t help!  Send more Legends, please!  

Take a look back at previous WWEternia figures and the Castle Grayskull ring:

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

Masters of the WWE Universe

Masters of the WWE Universe

Mattel

Mattel is selling us the same crap thrice (Original line, Classics) with the upcoming Masters of the Universe retro line?!  However, unlike most double-dips (Or triple-dips) into nostalgia, these figures sport all-new tooling and articulation.  So, while your He-man looks as squatty as you remember in the package, you can actually get him in some dynamic poses with added knee, ankle, head, elbow, and wrist joints.  Cool, huh?  Only one problem...they aren’t out yet!  For whatever reason, Matty decided to test the waters with a bizarre WWE/MOTU mash-up.

Weird, yes, but very fun!  I already jumped back in time with the Funko DC Primal Age figures, so why not?  Plus, who wouldn’t want to see the Rock (coming soon) and He-man cooperatively lay the smack down on the Joker or Skeletor?  As with my regular WWE figures, I’m sticking to Classic and Attitude Era only.

Some of the gimmick mash-ups are better than others.  Macho Man-at-Arms was what really sold me on the line.  Translucent “you-cant-see-me” Faker Cena is a riot!  I’m looking ahead hopefully to some more creative pairings, like a Slime Pit Piper (playset is a must).  If Andre the Giant’s size doesn’t make him the perfect fit for Ram Man...

 

The line debuted at Walmart last December with a special MOTU inspired ring, a standard Cena, and Terror claws HHH.  Even if this isn’t your bag, it isnt beyond belief that He-man might have a training ring like this in the basement of Castle Grayskull...so it fits in just fine with my MOTU Classics.  It even comes with some nifty “wooden” steps with accessory posts to help your warriors armor up before heading into the ring.

Again, these may not be for everyone, but there’s a lot to like at a $15 price point per figure.  If the throwback cards and overall style weren’t enough, you get a small mini comic with each figure.

These are pieces of the first two waves.  So far, there are two more on the way which I will cherry pick from.  Rock, Undertaker/Scareglow are definite locks.  Mr. T and Hulk Hogan are also making their way to Eternia soon...I have the power, brother!

Take a look back at the MOTU/DC mash-up:
DC Primal Age