Mattel | MOTU Classics | He-Man

Like many other collectors my age, Masters of the Universe was a big influence during my childhood. The sheer number of unique characters with absurd names left a lasting impression with cool toys and a fun TV show. For various reasons, the property could not continue much beyond the 80s and interest waned except by the most dedicated fans. In the early 2000s, Mattel tried a re-launch and was at first a big hit, but through management and distribution problems, it could not survive. So when Mattel announced back in 2007-08 that they were going to try again, I admit I was a bit skeptical.

Back in 2001-02 I remember being at work one day with a lot of downtime, and I decided to try and see if there were any sites related to He-Man. I came across He-Man.org and was fascinated by the passion exhibited by a lot of the board members. It started to bring waves of nostalgia back to me as I sat there reading the mini-comics I remember having as a kid. And then the 200x figures came out and I was thrilled to be able to re-visit the property as an adult. But that ended quickly when the figures became nearly impossible to get both from distribution and availability.

But Masters of the Universe Classics is a completely different animal being subscription-based and eliminating “the chase” from the equation. About the only thing that’s a challenge is Digital River, the distributor. But we’re here to talk about the figure. And I mean, THE figure of the titular character – He-Man.

Anyone that grew up in the 80s knows who this figure is supposed to be. It’s a classic look that’s been upgraded to current standards. The sculpting is well done and at least on my He-Man figure, the paint job is great overall. The proportions are just fine to match the style they were going after, so I don’t think there’s anything I don’t like in terms of the overall look. For his outfit, he’s really plain. He’s wearing his characteristic brown furry trunks and boots, a grey harness and gauntlets. He was after all, supposed to be a caveman early on. I’m glad they went back to the iron cross as that is He-Man’s iconic symbol. And the overall wash used on the body and outfit are nice additions.

The paint work is pretty well done. There is some slop though of scuffs or bleeds which are quite noticeable on his nude body. I’m also not sure why the orange and brown work on his pants have this white coat on it. I know it’s an ingredient in matte paints, but somehow it’s way too obvious so it lacks some luster.

The only area I have real problems with is the articulation, and it’s more from a design perspective. He-Man, and for that matter the majority of the male figures in the line, sport a nice array of articulation that are, for the most part, nice and tight, and durable. But there are some glaring issues. Now it’s infinitely better than what we had as kids in the 80s, but by today’s standard I feel it’s more par for the course. The first and biggest offender for me are the pin ankles. This joint is so 80s! I hate it. From a physics standpoint it’s a poor choice. Action figures like MOTU Classics are top heavy, but by putting the pin ankle joint to run parallel to the floor plane, all it takes is for the figure to lean a little too forward or backward to basically fall over or take a tumble because the pivot point is too close to the ground. Because of that location, it really doesn’t matter how tight the joint is because gravity will win. On top of that, they’re just ugly. They would’ve been much better served with ball-hinge joints. The second issue are the arms. It is nearly impossible for any of these figures to dual-wield a sword. It also makes it hard for the figure to turn the biceps outwards without rubbing against the body if the arms are at his side. Lastly, while the hip joints are nice, the loincloth is just in the way and limits the articulation. I don’t think you’d want to keep a figure in the sitting position for too long.

He-Man comes with a lot so no complaints from me. He comes with a full Power Sword, half a Power Sword, an axe and a shield. They all fit nicely in his hands and the Power Sword can even be inserted into his vest. I wish they had a better Filmation version of the sword, but the stock sword isn’t too bad.

For a Mattel figure, he’s a solid piece of plastic. Really nice choice compared to many of the previous offerings from their action figures, especially in the choice in plastic material. He’s heavy and has a nice weight to it. If he takes a spill from a shelf, he should survive just fine except for maybe some paint scrapings. I just hope over time the ankles don’t buckle too badly.

Great figure and the articulation won’t change so I’m just happy with what I’ve got.