By the power of Grayskull – New He-Man in the house! Mattel surprised everyone last month with the reveal that they were doing new 5 inch Masters of the Universe figures inspired by the original molds, but with more articulation. Titled Masters of the Universe Origins, He-Man and Prince Adam come in a single boxed two pack with a comic to match. They are in similar porportions to the original MOTU figures, with updated heads and articulation. They have elbows and knees now, shoulder range, a boot cut and rocker ankles. You can see the full range they offer and how it all moves in the pics after the break. He-Man also gets a boot knife and slot to stick it in.
These are not pure for vintage collectors or Classics collectors, it’s a new thing with a mix of both. These were developed in house at Mattel, and supposedly the Four Horsemen are now involved and will tweak what’s been done as the line continues. Where and how it will continue, or when, is unknown at the moment.
Bottom line, I was more impressed with the set than I was expecting. It was a blast playing around with a really old school feeling fig, but being able to pose it in ways we never could. Having his arms straight out and being able to stand straight up just gave me a chuckle after 30+ years of not being an option. If I was offering constructive feedback – a sharper vintage head would be nice, along with tighter knees. The knees were a tad loose, while the boot cuts were a tad tight, so getting exact poses were fiddly. Nothing some fine tuning can’t fix.
These guys will be available during SDCC at the Mattel booth in limited quantities, retailing for 40 bucks. Not a bad price for 2 new figs, being a con exclusive, and a serious box setup. Read on to check out over 95 HD images of the set after the break courtesy of Mattel!
MOTU Origins He Man 24
MOTU Origins He Man 38
MOTU Origins He Man 48
MOTU Origins He Man 70
MOTU Origins He Man 68
MOTU Origins He Man 77
MOTU Origins He Man 78
MOTU Origins He Man 79
MOTU Origins He Man 80
MOTU Origins He Man 83
MOTU Origins He Man 90
MOTU Origins He Man 94
MOTU Origins He Man 95
Not done with the gallery yet, but got some shots done of a preview copy Mattel sent through. Sharing here until I get the full set done!
Wow. Really glad i passed on that set. A little too vintage looking for me.
The cut of the crotch area next to exposed ball joints makes He-Man look more like a male stripper than a barbarian warrior... Need to take pics of him swinging his hips and evil-lyn and teela holding up money.
I absolutely love MOTU. And while I like the idea of added articulation on vintage-style figures, I think the actual implementation missed the mark. The overall figure looks a little “off”.
Full gallery is live:
https://news.toyark.com/2019/07/13/s...gallery-351870
So, overall thoughts.
.
I really dig the concept, and had fun with these figs messing around. I do think some refinement could help them, but generally I dig it. Because these are basically vintage+, I'm not as concerned with everything being super perfect as far as cut lines and the like. The same way Reaction and Funkos 5 inch scale stuff is purposefully not advanced, these aren't either. They are just a tad more advanced than vintage
So, I'm curious to see what Four Horsemen do now that they are involved. Either way, I'd definitely be down for the super core guys and gals just like this, without changes. If I'm gonna have a little nook for He-Man that isn't deep roster, these guys in this size work IMO.
I much prefer the Classics figures. I just don't care for the odd proportions of this new quasi-vintage style figure, regardless of it having more articulation. I definitely won't be starting an all new collection of this scale/style after investing so much money over the years in the MOTUC line (which I consider to be the definitive He-Man toy line). I just hope we can still get a few more Classics figures, because I'd hate to see that line totally abandoned now in favor of them starting all over with a new line. It really feels like a huge step backwards to me.
Picture #78. Indeed.
I think these are pretty cool, I may pick some up depending on the price point per figure.
In pic 77. I never noticed how much he looks like Benicio Del Toro
Pic 78 is very Homer-Erotic lol
What was wrong with the MOTU Classics version?
These will be DOA if they don't get them to general retail.
If they released these before MOTUC it might have been better received.
I'm with ShabbyBlue I have already invested heavily in MOTUC. I'm fine skipping these.
Now if they created a 1/18th scale line then I would be all in.
The packaging is pure gold but I wish they would scale down these figures if they do choose to start a new line. That way, all the dioramas, playsets, beast and vehicles would be easier to pull off and cheaper to get.
I think these would be great at retail, for like 15 bucks. Core guys. Then, as that fizzles out, if people want, go deep roster via online.
I also don't think this should replace Classics. That should continue as it is via Super7. They can and should do both.
Right now, there is no word anything Classics is stopping. It was already slowing down before this, just from normal demand etc.
My guess is with the Movie getting closer to being real, they wanted a throwback way to draw in dormant fans. However, the movie is now in time out again, so who knows.
A lot of costumes/uniforms from the comics and toons of my childhood have not aged well.
However, I think this updating of the classic toy design is a nifty idea, as far as lighting up my nostalgia.
im all in. i hope they crank the whole vintage line out plus mini comic and filmation characters
Full Thread: MOTU Origins He-Man and Prince Adam 2 Pack SDCC
Not a member yet? Join Toyark Now!