Mattel | MOTU Classics | Skeletor

It’s the Overlord of Evil and He-Man’s arch-nemesis. He was sinister but cool and is right up there with the likes of Megatron and Cobra Commander. He always lost, but he should be commended for his undying effort in trying to take over Castle Grayskull. So it was with great excitement to see how the Classics version of Skeletor would turn out.

My version of Skeletor could fall in the modifications category since I made a change to the head where I swapped out the faceplate of the comic book version of Skeletor and placed it into the Alcala hood. It looks less like a bonnet are more formidable. I like the Four Horsemen’s work, but the bonnet was a bad choice, even if that’s how the vintage figure was. The rest of the figure is a combination of regular Skeletor and Dragon Blast Skeletor which equals my definitive version.

Skeletor came out great and is a fantastic update to the classic figure. I was happy to get a new one because while I fondly remember my vintage one, mine was half-broken out of the package and it always bummed me out as a kid. For some reason, I never tried to replace him which goes against every fiber of my being. Now, I have the Skeletor I always wish I had as a kid and I put together the one I really want. The body of the Dragon Blast version is a lot closer to the vintage figure in terms of the forearms and the shin guards. The regular head is ok, but I think the green wash and the bonnet just don’t work for me which is why I chose a new one. Even then, a more triangular hood would’ve been nicer. The outfit is a superb rendition of his vintage outfit. You can’t ask for more. His chest armor is nicely detailed and his waist detail is clean and iconic. The shin armor has a nice scale-like pattern much like the vintage version, but if you prefer the regular Classics version, it’s more like sculpted armor.

Some deco on the Dragon Blast body doesn’t quite match the regular version, but nothing so drastic that it looks out of place. In fact, most people say that combining the two will give you vintage Skeletor anyway. However, the paint work that is done is not so perfect. I don’t have a problem painting dark plastic to match. It’s a common practice with toys and helps to keep manufacturing costs down. However, when that paint interferes with the articulation, then it’s a bit of an issue. His arms don’t work very smoothly because of the coats of paint. Also, the paint is a matte finish and seems a bit frail to the touch.

Most of the MOTU Classics figures are the same when using the base male body and they all suffer the same ills. He’s not any different from He-Man and while the ankle pin joint is a bit tighter, it doesn’t change the physics and problems. He hasn’t toppled over on me, but I hate that style of joint altogether. Some day I will write an explanation of why I despise the joint so much.

The figure comes with a Havoc Staff, a full purple Power Sword, and a half purple Power Sword. However, I’ve chosen to use the Havoc Staff from the 200x Skeletor. I think it’s a far better weapon and is scaled nicely to fit whereas the new Classics version of the staff is a bit large for my taste.

Similarly to He-Man and most Classics figures, he’s a very solid piece. About the only thing I would be really careful about is that I would not leave him in a sitting position for too long as his lower tabards may deform if left that way.

I hope one day Mattel releases a head pack with an evil looking Skeletor head. I always thought the 200x head was nice so I can only hope something similar is down the road.