It’s easily my most anticipated line for 2008, so let’s see how MOTUC measures up in this advance review!
Since the announcement of MOTUC at this year’s past Comic Con, I’ve been hotly anticipating the release of these figures. The line looked like exactly what I’ve been wanting from a MOTU relaunch. Not a re-imagining, but a straight-up tribute to what made the line great in the 80′s combined with today’s standards of paint, articulation and design.
And thanks to a very good friend, I have the chance to review the first 2 figures in the line. Do they measure up? Let’s find out!
He-Man:
He-Man is very similar to the Comic Con Exclusive King Grayskull. But in terms of body construction he’s got a a few key changes. There’s the new shorter loincloth, which allows for better hip movement, as well as shorter boots making him slightly shorter than King Grayskull. (The fur cuff at the top of his boots are about half the thickness of King Grayskull’s.) He’s got the same airbrushed detailing on the musculature, though it looks slightly more precise than Grayskull. The only weakness in terms of deco is that the fleshtone on his face is painted while his body is molded in fleshtone plastic, making his face look glossier than the rest of his body. Otherwise his decos are clean and precise.
As anyone following the line knows, MOTUC was set to launch with He-man at the end of October, but was delayed due to the need to retool the harnesses to fit properly possibly by adding pegs, and to make heads removable. Whatever Mattel did clearly worked out fine as He-Man’s harness fits perfectly with no pegs or holes anywhere on his torso. He-Man’s head also pops of fairly easily (moreso than King Grayskull) indicating that the interchangeable heads on future MOTUC figures should work fine.
He-Man’s accessories include the same Power Sword, shield and axe that accompanied King Grayskull, as well as a new "half-Power Sword" and a classic iron cross style harness. The half sword is rigid and very slim, unlike the classic half sword and should form a full sword when combined with Skeletors Power Sword that is practically the same thickness as the solid sword. Nicely done. He-Man’s harness is 2 pieces and snaps together securely via 2 pegs. It also includes double center strap to hold his sword or axe.
All in all, He-Man cam out very nicely. He’s got a good selection of accessories, clean decos and is a great base upon which to build the rest of the line.
Beast Man
Beast Man is fantastic, and really shows the potential of MOTUC. Pictures do not do the figure justice. The sculpt and paint ops are strikingly clean and wonderfuly subtle. The combination of clean paint washes and drybrushing on this figure make it look almost more like a custom painted figure than a production toy. It’s almost a shame these are online only, as pictures just cannot do this figure justice and seeing him in person could sway a lot of naysayers. While the intial pictures made the figures look bulky or stubby, especially compared to the 200X MOTU line, seeing Beast Man in person makes you realize that they are very well proportioned in addition to being beautifully painted.
As with He-Man, the harness issue seems to have been solved with no need for pegs in the torso. Unlike the classic harness, however, this new one has no strap on it it simply sits on Beast Man’s shoulders and is held on by his head.
UPDATE: I didn’t realize initially that Beast Man’s shoulder armors are also removable. Unlike the classic ones they don’t have a peg they simply slide on over the hand and up the arm. They fit securely on Beast Man but can only be forced onto He-Man’s larger biceps and will end up stretched out as a result.
In addition to his harness, Beast Man’s only other accessory is his whip, this time all plastic unlike the string on the original. It’s molded in soft pvc and is about as nicely done as a simple whip can be!
Conclusion:
So do these first 2 MOTUC figures measure up? I’d say so. While He-Man may have slightly fewer decos than Beast Man, he has more accessories. Despite delays and difficulties with the website, this line looks like a winner. I really hope fans give the line a chance. While $20 may seem high for a single action figure, Mattel is delivering quality product here. I hope they are able to offer some of the standard figures in addition to the exclusives at conventions as I really think that seeing the figures in person will sell fans on this line.
’Til next time, I leave you with some comparison pictures!
SpyMagician
No offense, but I will never understand people who wanted a straight up rehash of the old MOTU, over the re-imagining that the 4H gave us. I mean don’t you want your characters to have different proportions? I loved how in the 200X line Beast Man and Stratos had more ape-like proportions, Buzz-off was more spindly, and Whiplash was broad and heavy.
Honestly, the same basic proportions across the line in MOTU and now in MOTUC really doesn’t bother me.
I’ll take a well articulated standard buck body over unique sculpts with actions figures and limited articulation any day.
I liked 200X well enough, but this is really what I want in a MOTU relanch. I understand fans of 200X, but for me it was too “anime.” He-Man’s hair and the (IMO) overly detailed Power Sword felt to trendy.
And ironically, I much preferred the inexplicably fun elements of classic MOTU to the more “realistic” 200X. Sure, Tri-Klops as a cyborg makes more sense, but I much prefer the man with a bizarre visor and 3 eyes!
Ultimately, I don’t think comparisons of 200X and MOTUC are useful, as one is a re-imagining while the other is a tribute.
Different goals for different fans I suppose!
Spy
LUCKY! WOW, thanks for the review, Spy. Very excited for these. He-Man’s face does look pretty darn shiny. Maybe the photo is exaggerating. Do they stand well? (ie – are the hip joints pretty tight?)
I really liked the 200X line, too. But it ran a pretty decent course.
Can’t wait to see further characters in this MOTUC line, especially Ram Man!
Hey Dan!
The hips are good. Much better than on KG, and they can sit! LOL!
I liked 200X well enough, but this is what I really want!
I’m really jazzed for this line! Can’t wait for Skeletor and hopefully Tri-Klops, Fisto, Mossman and Clawful will make it out!
Spy
Very well done review!
The detail on these figures is really, really incredible. The Four Horsemen and Mattel are obviously putting a lot of time and care into the new line (can’t wait until December).
Hey Spy! Great review! With He-Man looking SO stylistically similar in some ways (and other ways not) to the DCUC line, I’m wondering if you could provide a side by side ‘vanilla’ shot? The He-Man in particular looks very similar in the chest region to the Batman from the older DC Superheroes line. Obviously the MOTU figures have all new sculpts, but I’m curious if this opens up the door for parts-swapping across the 2 lines…
Can’t wait to see these guys in person!
Matt
aka Iron-Cow
I want a straight up rehash:) Across the board… GI Joe, Super Powers, Transformers, He Man, Thundercats, etc. Completely identical…
Awesome review! I canot wait for these to hit Matty. Nice job, Spy Magician!
Incredible stuff. Can’t wait to get mine.
Hey Matt!
I’ll dig up my old DCSH Batman and get you a comparison shot. My gut feeling is though that part swapping will be tough, as the MOTUC figures are much bulkier throughout. They also have a totally different hip joint which is functionally better than the DCUC one, but would look too mechanical without the loincloth to hide it.
Spy
wft happened to He-Man’s face???
Thanks, Spy! Yeah, I have a hunch you’ll get a flood of DCUC/MOTU comparison shot requests soon, so I figured I’d be the first to bug ya. =)
Thanks again! Great work on the review!
Wow Seeing these, I just decided to pass on this entire line unless they eventually make them more like the 2002 line. These things look attrocious, they started to win me over with King Grayskull, but seeing these has definitely got me back in the NO column.
I too wanted a straight update of the vintage He-Man, but man that is a shiny face, why does he have such a bad case of flop sweat!
I gotta say that after the cluster-F that was teh 2002 lein, I was in no mood to give Mattel another dime of my MOTU business. However, Spy let me mess around with these for a while on Saturday. I am sold. Yeah, He-Man’s face is as shiny in person as the pics you see and they have this weird “crouch” stance in the package. Probably to mimic the old 80s versions. But all in all, these figures were highly detailed, well articulated, and sturdy as my prom date’s wooden leg (she was a big girl). I will probably only stick to my favorite characters since $20+shipping+CA sales tax+$30.00 is kinda high for a single figure. But I am a convert after seeing them in person.
Other than the shiny paint, these guys look good enough that I’ll be on board when they hit. Spy’s review seems to have convinced some folks who were still on the fence.
I’ll miss the action features, such as Kobra Khan spraying water or the Snake Men’s various cool gimmicks, but I grew up with the vintage line and this is what I expected back in 2002. The “new look” just wasn’t suited for older fans like myself. This stuff is way more like it!
Updated with a comparison pic of DCSH Batman for Iron Cow and a pic of Beast Man with shoulder armor removed!
Spy
Excellent review. This is how it should be done. Hopefully this line will do better than the 2002 line.
Thanks for the new pics, Spy! Great stuff!
Matt
aka Iron-Cow
SpyMagician, GREAT REVIEW BRO! I totally like this line, because I couldn’t get any of the first line and now I can get the new ones with similar looks as the old school ones. Now my only critic is HE-MAN’s eyes. Why are they red around them? Other than that I can wait to see MAN-AT-ARMS, TRY-KLOPS, MAN-E-FACES, TRAP-JAW & BUZZ-OFF. If I made any mistake on their names, please don’t be to hard on me…LOL!
AREZ
May pick up a few of these even though I have NEVER seen the show. Thats how cool they look. Maybe its time I watch the dvds…
Nifty!
Looks good, but I would appreciate a look at the back of the harness with the loop.
I’m looking forward to getting these two.
Does Batman’s head fit on He-Man’s body!!??
(Running and ducking at the same time.)
I am primarily a Joe fan these days. Back in 2002 I probably would have picked up some the then new MOTU figs but I could never find the good ones. I went to SDCC this year for King Greyskull and the Gi Joe exclsives and I hit all the Mattel panels. I was really impressed by Toyguru and the entire Mattel teams dedication to the fans. Their enthusiasm made me want to buy more of their toys (and the fact that the quality is so good didn’t hurt either). Back in the day MOTU was second only to GI Joe. I will defintely be picking up many of these outstanding figures. They really bring back the rush I used to feel when I would see new figures as a child. I can’t wait to get these.
Do these have peg holes in their feet?
I would assume these guys do. King Grayskull has peg holes in his feet.
I’m curious to see how Skeletor will measure up. Hopefully he’ll look as good as he did in preview pics.
Well, um, moneys tight right now, but I’ll order them, just not in a rush to. If they sell out, …oh well. They’re ok, but I like the realistic look the 2002 line. They really need to do it up though for 20.00 a pop, we’re takin removable helmet on Evil Lyn revealing white hair and a cloth black cape. And Mattel please give us a Shadow-Sorceress, Shadow Spell caster, what-ever you gotta call her for legal purposes.
At least with these guys you won’t have to worry about the rubber bands that hold the legs on deteriorating or snapping. And the 2002 line seemed a bit frail. Hopefully these buggers hold up to a little playwear, as I am totally gonna have He-Man pound on Beast Man the very minute I get them out of the box… Rock ON!!!