Pics! Pics! Pics!

This post is entirely dedicated to Dio (diorama) images of the new Masters of the Universe Classics bunch. As you could probably guess I'm incredibly anxious for the next four releases, especially Webstor and Scareglow!! I LOVE THE VILLAINS IN THIS LINE!!! :D

Tri-Klops Review

Tri-Klops! Evil and Sees EVERYTHING!

Well, not quite “everything,” because if he did he’d know all about Prince Adam being He-Man and so on, but still its good PR. Tri-Klops is more commonly Skeletor’s spy who lost his eyesight, presumably in the Great War (or Great Unrest). As a result, he wears that nifty visor that rotates from eye to eye, depending on how he wants to see things. He can also use it to generate optic blasts, and one can probably guess where they got that idea from.

Tri-Klops is the spitting image of his 1983 counterpart, at least for the most part. His eyes have changed slightly; now they are blue, green, and red, similar to the 200X version (although there’s no light piping this time). I have to give them credit as well for the headsculpt. Not only is the mouth and jawline very grim and reminiscent of the original, but the eyes (on his face) have nifty plates over each of them -- complete with wires -- that obviously connect to the headset/visor. The sword is the perfect throwback to the original Tri-Clops blade and even features a similar hand guard, which is a bit unnecessary now that he has two gripping hands. Of course there’s a sheath for the sword as well, on the right-backside of his armor. On the other side of his back, Tri-Klops features three throwing knives sculpted onto his torso armor. It’s a cool addition and they are painted the same metallic green as the sword’s blade.









The sword isn’t the only accessory he comes packing, though: Tri-Klops also features a Doomseeker robot, which were used considerably by him in the 200X cartoon. Basically they float around and spy on the good guys (think Darth Maul’s probes in Episode I), and of course whatever they see Tri-Klops sees. The stand is the same as the 200X Doomseeker’s stand, but the Seeker itself features a new sculpt.
But that’s not all he comes with though! Nope, he’s still got one more trick pleasantly packaged alongside him; The Greyskull Ring!
The ring is, of course, a nod to a similar one that some versions of the original figure were packaged with. It’s close to what you’d expect to get out of an old Crackerjack box, and even glows in the dark. The top opens up to reveal the MOTUC logo and I imagine one could fit a tiny piece of paper in here for safe keepings. I suppose you could argue that he’s really only got the sword as far as weapons; however, one could also argue that a guy who can see in all directions probably doesn’t need a shield! :D
Articulation is no surprise here as he’s on the ‘Master’ body, BUT Trike does have one point that no other Masters figure has had… or will most likely ever have. Similar to his previous renditions, he features the unique turning visor. This is a much-appreciated addition to the figure and, while expected, there was talk of it potentially being left out for cost reasons. Also, while I dug the fencing pose of the 200X version, it’s nice to have a Tri-Klops that isn’t limited to one fighting position. The joints on this one were really tight overall; one ankle is slightly loose but for the most part he’s good to go.

Paint I’ve saved for last and that’s really where the figure fails to impress. The sloppy paint apps have been shifty in this line and Tri-Klops is no exception. It’s most noticeable on the three light orange dots on his armor and the braces on his wrists. The straps on the boots tend to be hit or miss as well; while they are nice on mine I’ve seen ones that totally miss the sculpted lines of the strap. I’m happy to see the return of the airbrushing, though, as it really brings out the sculpted muscles. No issues to speak of as far the paintwork on the accessories. An odd but interesting note is Trike’s left forearm is cast in green plastic and painted flesh. At first I though it was a fluke but after checking out my other one I’ve discovered it’s the same. The right arm, and all other flesh parts aside from the face are cast in fleshtone plastic with the airbrushing.

Definitely a cool figure, and if you’re even remotely into the line I’d recommended him. The extras really make you feel like you’re getting more bang for your buck. I’ve yet to turn down a villain from this line and Tri-Klops was certainly not to be missed! I’m anxiously awaiting more villainy in the likes of Webstor and Scareglow!

He-Ro Review

He-Ro...The Most Powerful Wizard in the Universe!
At least that's what he could’ve been, until folks at Mattel labeled him as yet another Cosmic Enforcer (like Zodak). He-Ro was actually intended to be the main character in a prequel series to “Masters of the Universe” back in 1987. Sadly Mattel 86ed the brand before he could be produced, so in essence you could say this guy has been in pre-production hell for over twenty years.

He-Ro was first offered as this year’s San Diego Comic Con MOTU exclusive from Mattel, and was then released to the extended public (us non-goers) a week or so afterwards. As far as exclusives go, this is a solid choice for one; you don't necessarily need him to complete your “Masters” collection, as he was never really a solid part of it to begin with. No special packaging this year; just the simple-yet-effective green blistercards we've been getting since January.

He-Ro is on the standard, non-furry body, but features newly-sculpted forearms, boots/feet, loincloth, and of course his head. The articulation is again the standard we've seen with each “Masters” release thus far:
Balljoint: head, shoulders, legs
Hinged: torso, elbows, knees, ankles

Swivel: biceps, thighs, waist

Cut: wrists, calves

The articulation is very similar to DCUC figures with some minor changes. For the most part the joints are tight on one of the ones I opened, whereas on a second one they were quite loose. This has been an ongoing Quality Control issue for me with Mattel crossing both this line and the DCUC one. Paint would definitely be the other issue.

The paintwork here and across the line in general is and has been good overall. Eyes aren't crossed and the colors are nice and even. I've seen a few misses here and there, but overall He-Ro came out pretty good. One thing that is important to note is that He-Ro is missing the airbrushed effect all the other figures have gotten so far. It's actually a very nice piece of paintwork and really brings out the sculpting, especially in the muscles, adding a nice tone to the figure. If I had to guess I'd say He-Ro is missing the airbrushing as a means of lowering the final production cost. Seeing as how he features several new parts and three distinct variations (and of course the SDCC version had the SDCC logo painted on his chest), those things would hike up cost a bit.

As far as accessories go He-Ro's got a new armor sculpt emblazoned with his signature "H" and a red cape attached to back piece. The armor is easily removed thanks to a pair of pegs on either side. The armor does look bulky though, mostly due to the size of the torso underneath and while it's expected he does have a sort of that Gears of War look to him.

He-Ro also carries a new variation of the Sword of Power except this time around it's designed to look almost celestial. The sword sculpt is the same as He-Man's and others like it, but it is cast in a translucent blue plastic that’s splattered with silver paint. I like it, as it's a very interesting take on the original. To think that they could've just saddled him with a gold one, I think, adds a neat variety to a mold we've seen four times now and definitely stands out against this gilded wizard.

Last and certainly not least is the staff. He-Ro’s staff is designed to open at the top, revealing a stone or gem. There were three stone variations randomly inserted throughout both the regular and Con exclusive versions of the Wizard:
Green Stone of Protection
Purple Stone of Healing
Red Stone of Defense

Obviously green is going to be the most common. Green was the color of the stone the original He-Ro prototype had and was (thankfully) the one I got. I'm told purple is the rarest but I know a lot of people who got purple, as well as two who got red. Rarity in this hobby is all hearsay anymore, though, and if you're a completist trying to obtain all three I doubt you'll have much of a problem.

Wrapping things up, I'm really pleased with this addition to the line. The gold, red, and blue color scheme really pops amongst the other figures and, like I said, I'm diggin' the celestial-looking Sword of Power. A very minor nit would be the length of the staff as it doesn't the touch the ground, Skeletor's and Hordak's do. Mattel's QC still has a bit of a way to come in my opinion, especially in a line like this that is solely fueled by collectors. Loose or broken joints and poor paint apps aren't acceptable at the $12-$13 DCUC price point and are certainly unacceptable at the $20 the MOTUC figures cost.