It’s just like old times, you know? Sure, He-Man might be a hideous and mindless zombie of Hordak in this representation, but even after all these years, there are few things better as an action figure collector than getting a new Masters of the Universe Classics release.
This time, we have the folks at the Power-Con to thank for this new, much desired, and much needed version of He-Man. I don’t know… Super 7 has a couple more series of MOTUC coming soon, and then there is Snake Mountain, too, but it feels like we are coming to the end of Classics. Nothing on that is formally announced or set in stone by S7 or Mattel, but the direction feels different now. The announcement of Mattel’s new MOTU Origins line makes it pretty obvious that they are moving in a new direction in terms of toys for the property, and that is fine, but I was REALLY hoping Super 7 would still have the chance to release Classics-styled figures for as long as they could make a successful (and admittedly, profitable) go of it.
That seems less likely the longer there is radio silence about the line (zero/zip/nada in terms of announcements at SDCC and PC), which is a REAL shame. I hope Mattel is not seeing Classics/Super 7 as completion because I think there is room for it all. Heck, Super 7 has made successful goes with simultaneous releases of Classics, vintage style, and ReAction figures. I get it, it is hard for me to complain 11 years into the line with just about everyone worth mentioning already in plastic, but this line is my JAM, and I would still take any character they throw at us under this banner. I really do enjoy collecting this line as much as I do displaying it, and this will likely always be the preferred MOTU line for me.
So, I am very thankful for each new Classics release that we get, and the fine folks at the Power-Con deserve due credit for a version of He-Man that many people consider to be long overdue for this line. Now formally titled “Horde Zombie” He-Man, this is our hero after being subjected to one of the most gruesome and fascinating concepts in the history of Masters of the Universe – the Slime Pit. I know that millions of my closest friends and I all considered this to be one of the pinnacle achievements of the 80s line, and while we might never get the actual Pit in Classics, at least we can get its ultimate endgame. As always, new and unique characters are my priority for any given action figure line, but meaningful variants are also great to have, and this one certainly means a lot. I REALLY thought I had some green slime to play with around here, but now I need to make a run to pick some up, because my vintage Slime Pit will live again!
Overall, this is very nicely executed figure, and while nothing included is unique in terms of newly tooled parts, the design, materials, and engineering all came together for a very strong release. It is not at all uncommon for exclusive figures to be devoid of new parts, so I don’t consider that to be a shortfall of this figure at all, especially since this guy does offer a lot of options. First, the three ESSENTIAL He-Man implements — the sword, shield, and battle axe — are included, as well as three primary He-Man portraits. You can choose to display your figure with the standard “Classics” head, the more savage “mini-comics” look, or, my personal favorite, with the “vintage” likeness. So, that is a lot of display options, so no matter your preferred look or weapon, you should be able to get it accomplished here.
It is easy to look at this figure and, at first glance, say, “hey, yeah – that is a translucent green He-Man, all right,” but in doing so, you would be selling this guy short. I get a bit nervous with translucent figures because, as fun as they can be, the materials used to accomplish the effect are often not as durable as normal plastics used for toys. This boi is SOLID though, and all of the plastic feels nice and strong, but not at all brittle. The engineering on the joints is wonderful as well, so everything is stable and tight, but not at all limiting in terms of ease of posing. There are a lot of very nice, yet subtle, deco details going on here as well, and the darker airbrushing around the eyes help enhance the evilness of this He-Man, and the harness and weaponry have a bit of glimmer to them to help sell the idea that, they might be green, but they are still made of metal. Kudos to Mattel (whose information is on the packaging in terms of manufacturing, not Super 7) for really knocking this one out, I know that most Classics collectors who have been waiting on this guy are quite pleased with this release.
I hope that our days are not numbered for Classics, but if it is, we have had a hell of a run, and guys like Horde Zombie He-Man are great late entrants that illustrate that the line still has strength and legs. We have had a lot of He-Man variants in our time, but this is one of best “non-vintage toy line” versions yet, at least for me. This is a wonderfully executed figure that I am sure will rise to be one of the most sought-after in the coming years due to popularity of the version, and its exclusivity. You had to be a Power-Con this year, or needed to get a pre-order in at Big Bad Toy Store (that sold out pretty quickly) to secure this figure, so if you did not, the aftermarket looks pretty brutal. Don’t worry though, it looks like there might be another shot to grab one via the Power-Con site, so look for more updates there, likely coming soon.
