I have the power! Well, not really, unless you consider the ability to eat a whole box of Pop-Tarts in one sitting “the power.” But what I do have are two of the first action figures by Mattel based on the new Masters of the Universe movie! The movie looks look awesome, and the toys do as well. I received one kids figure from the Core line, He-Man, which will retail for $10.79, and one collector-oriented figure from the Chronicles line, Tri-Klops, which will retail for $26.99. Read on for descriptions and images!
DISCLAIMER: These toys were provided for free by Mattel.
He-Man
Masters of the Universe Core Series
Mattel // $10.79
He-Man, standing approximately 5 5/8" tall, features 12 points of articulation and comes with the Power Sword, which fits in a holster on his back. While he lacks certain points of articulation that collectors will want, including any double joints or even ankle joints, he is a very good-looking figure. The sculpted likeness is spot-on to actor Nicholas Galitzine, has what appears to be a printed face, and has some detailed hair sculpting that’s as good as any 6-inch figure.
The revealing costume is obviously a small part of the figure, but it is very well-sculpted down to the ornate belt buckle, and both pieces are even removable thanks to a few buttons in back, just like the old He-Man figures. Aside from some silver and red accents on the chest emblem, belt buckle, and sword holster, the costume is a flat brown, but, given the source material, a lot of color is not necessary. While he does not come with a stand, he has peg holes in his feet and can hit a variety of action poses.
Tri-Klops
Masters of the Universe: Chronicles
Mattel // $24.99
Now for the Chronicles figure. Tri-Klops, standing approximately 6 1/2" tall, features 24 points of articulation and comes with interchangeable closed fists and a long rifle. The articulation is very pose-friendly, including two points of articulation in the neck that allow him a wide range of head movement, double joints at the knees and elbows, and rocker ankles. The ab crunch does not do that much, but the ball-jointed waist supplements its movement.
The removable shoulder armor is a very cool feature (the belt on this figure is glued to the pelvis), but it also wraps around his midsection, which further limits the ab crunch. That said, the costume paint details are amazing, down to the tiny gold dots on his loincloth and the tips on his bullets. His pants even appear to have a mottled, camouflage paint application that is very subtle. He can’t quite get his eye to look into his long rifle, but he can still hold it in a general sniper position.
The one thing that was disappointing about this figure is the three-eye feature — if it is supposed to rotate, or come off to be replaced in a different direction, I could not make it happen.
And while the eyes are translucent, there is no light-piping feature that allows them to glow, assuming they do in the movie. I don’t know if I got a problem figure, or if they simply could not make the rotating feature work, but hopefully the kid-friendly version has that feature. You know, for the kids!
All in all, minor quibbles aside, these are great figures! Highly recommend, and they make me even more excited for the movie.
Masters of the Universe's Core and Chronicles lines arrive in stores on April 25. Masters of the Universe arrives in theaters on June 5.
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