Okay, fellow He-Fans and She-Ravers, our destiny is in front of us, but it is still not decided. By now you know that the fate of our beloved Masters of the Universe Classics line hangs in the balance. So much has been said, proclaimed, judged, analyzed, pleaded and posted about this situation by now, even the Four Horsemen have flown their flag, that is seems like there is nothing left to say. That has never stopped me before, so I am going to say my piece and then hope beyond hope that I have a chance to collect Masters of the Universe Classics for years to come. If you are a fan and you want this line to continue, now is the time to subscribe. The fact of the matter is that there are A LOT of characters still hanging out there that need to be made into figures, some of which have never had the chance to be made into plastic before. For me, this situation, much the same as it is with my beloved DC Infinite Earths club, is very simple and it comes down to one thing–do I still want to collect these fine MOTUC figures? Are there still characters out there that need their day in the sun and a lifetime on my shelf? The answer is an easy and a resounding YES. So bear with me for a few minutes and put aside all of the BS that can come with this hobby, and consider the sole reason why we collect toy lines like this with such dedication: the figures.
Again, I am asking you to make a final consideration for the life of this line based on the toys, the figures of characters that you love. Take a moment to set aside all of the polarizing back and forth between fans about the politics of it all. Put away all the beefs and the grudges with companies, factions, and should-have-beens. Don’t try to figure out whether or not conspiracies are becoming realities. The fact of the matter is that it won’t do any good anyway. There is no resolution to be proffered for fighting and accusations, and there will not be a mass bearing of souls about the confidential workings of how this line operates as a business. There will just not be any of this. At the end of the day, though, it doesn’t matter. What matters is what you can hold in your hand and display on your shelf. The Masters of the Universe Classics line, just like any other, is ultimately what you have with you at your home, on your shelf, and it is very personal. Everything else is just noise, and if the FIGURES bring your enjoyment, it is time to decide if you want to continue to collect them in the coming years. If you love them, subscribe.
I think the proof is in the pudding, and since you can see everything that you already have on your own shelf, I will now ask you to look and see what is NOT there. There is still a lot of work to do and many, MANY characters that still need to be brought in to make this the definitive and most comprehensive Masters line ever. That does not just include recapturing the vintage MOTU characters, either. Princess of Power and New Adventures have been given life that many of us never thought possible, and we only have a handful of characters from those corners so far. Plus, after waiting for 30 years are we really going to let our very first crack at getting the beloved FILMation characters fall by the wayside? We only have one so far!
The only way I know how to illustrate this is to take a few pages from the First Look features we have been able to bring you throughout the life of this line so far. If you are familiar with them, you know we try to feature updates to the classic William George paintings with inset images of the new figures as they are released. Heck, we even started a PoP poster too. I was looking over these last night and it PAINS me to see how close we are to finishing some of them and how far away we are from completing the others. Both situations are about to become very, very sad if we don’t keep this line going. So here is my appeal to you: let’s take a look at what we still need in terms of figures of our favorite characters to make our collections complete. There are so many corners left to fill that we need several good years to get it done. But let’s start with 2013.
I will begin with the MOTU vintage line and remind everyone that while we have gotten a lot of those figures already, there are many, many more to do.
Preternia
Do you see the likes of Gwildor, Rotar, Ninjor, Snakeface, Squeeeeze, Clamp Champ, Blast Attack, Twistoid, Stonedar, Rio Blast, Blade, and Saurod not filled in yet? That is a lot of characters that we still need to get in Classics. If 2013 doesn’t happen, neither will they.
Eternia
I realize this is a massive poster and it really shows a lot of characters that are not done yet. I mean, can you imagine your collection without Stondar, Rokkon, the Horde Troopers, Modulok, Multi-Bot, Clamp Champ, Dragstor, Extendar, Rio Blast, Tung Lashor, Flying Fists He-Man, Terror Claws Skeletor, Ninjor, Jitsu, and Two-Bad? It makes me want to cry for my display at the thought of their never seeing the light of day.
Horde
We are so close, yet so far away from rounding this one out. Sure, Dragon Blaster Skeletor and Mekaneck are coming in September, but even Jitsu, who is scheduled for February, is in doubt. As it stands, we will not get Jitsu, Two Bad, Mantenna, or Modulok if the 2013 subscription does not go through.
Grayskull
Finally the beloved Grayskull poster. This is kind of the anti-Eternia poster in that it is so very close, yet so far away from completion. There are only two character left in Ram Man and Jitsu, but if we don’t get to 2013, we will have come so close only to be heartbroken over what will never happen.
Princess of Power, while not as expansive in the poster image itself, still shows that the Great Rebellion still needs to be made GREAT. We actually do not have Glimmer yet. She is one of the main PoP characters and crucial to the Rebellion. Can we end it all now with Glimmer? Not to mention Mermista, Castaspella, Angella, Flutterina, Sweet Bee, Kowl, Madame Razz, the Twiggets, Modulok, Mantenna, Double Trouble, Clawdeen, Arrow, Storm, and the rest. Perfuma is a delightfully funny character and I for one want the chance to set up my Horde Trooper Conga Line with her leading the way.
I wish there were a New Adventures poster I could use for visual reference, but there isn’t. I can say that, as of right now, we have only gotten THREE (yes, you read that right) NA characters in Icarius, Optikk, and Slush Head. From an awesome figure standpoint, I don’t think any MOTU corner has benefitted more from Classics than New Advantures. We just need the chance to get the likes of Hydron, Flogg, Lizorr, Staghorn, Mara, Quakke, Butthead, Kayo, Master Sebrian, and all the rest. NA can shine on our shelves, we just need to give them the time.
Finally, there is FILMation. Ah, the corner of the MOTU world I have been chasing the longest. Never, EVER have we had figures of characters that originated on the show (that did not have figures in the vintage line), and we now have the opportunity. Are we going to go quietly into the night with Shadow Weaver as the only figure to show for Mattel finally obtaining the rights to make FILMation characters? I sure as hell am not. There are so many characters that have been a part of our MOTU hearts and minds for so long now, and we must have the chance to get figures of them all.
We can finally get our Shokoit, Masque, Sea Hawk, King Miro, Scorpia, Octavia, Lizard Man, Strong Arm, Icer, General Sunder, Evil Seed, Batros, King Ahgo, Grox, Celice, Illena, Granita, Kittrina, Koduk Ungol, Zilora, Plundar, General Tararan, Huntara, the Robot Knights, Montork, Dree-Elle, Yuckers, Malaktha, King Micah, the Red Knight, Admiral Scurvy, Vultak, and others in a list that is too long to make here. Fang Man has been shown, and he looks incredible, but even his fate is in doubt. I have wanted all of these FILMation characters since I was a little kid, and looking at images like these reminds of what can be possible if the subscription continues:
So that is my case. It is simple to be sure, but I cannot think of a more compelling argument for the support of the figures of the characters we love so much. Just look above and you will see some very long lists, so we need the Classics line to continue for years to come. Even 2013 is in the balance right now and I cannot stomach the thought of Ram Man, Fang Man, Jitsu, and the rest not getting a shot at plastic. So put away the peripherals. Ignore the arguing, the accusations and politics. Heck, I implore you to step away from the internet entirely when you are done reading this and look at your collection. Hold figure that you have not played with for awhile in your hand and remember what they mean to you.
Ultimately, Mattel does not mean anything to you. Fan forums don’t mean anything to you. I don’t mean anything to you. But the toys do. The characters do. THAT is the reason you should subscribe to keep the line going far into the future. Mer-Man and Spikor, She-Ra and Slush Head, Mossman and Fisto need their counterparts that are yet not done. Think of how cool it was to finally get that Shadow Weaver figure and then realize that you have not had the chance to bask in the euphoria of the kind that would be brought by Shokoti.
Go look at your collection and enjoy it, then think of the possibilities. Then subscribe. Do it for the toys. Do it for Masters of the Universe Classics. I know I am, my collection demands it.
Additional Links