There are certain characters for certain properties that “make” the line once they’re included. For Masters of the Universe, Trap Jaw is that character.
While Tri-Klops might take the runner-up slot, Trap Jaw is by far my favorite Evil Warrior in MotU. He’s the one that I will buy in any form: ReAction, Pop Vinyl, Loyal Subject and so forth. He was the one and only figure that I bought from the pre-MotUC 200x line.
There’s something about his whole science fiction/wasteland/barbarian/cyborg/horror movie aesthetic that punches all the right buttons for me. Trap Jaw, like Man-E-Faces and Tri-Klops, benefits from the “triple gimmick” theme in that he has not just one artificial arm, but three. Being able to switch out from a hook to a claw to a laser pistol increases the already high play value of such a character into entirely new levels.
Much like every other figure, Trap Jaw features a standardized articulation update to the original ’80s MotU figures. The head is ball jointed with a movable jaw. The shoulders are fully articulated. I was afraid that the shoulder would retain the simple swivel of the vintage figure, but it also has the increased shoulder mobility afforded by modern articulation. It’s a little hampered by the shape, but he can get some good outward range.
In addition, it gets rid of the straight arm of the old toy, adding in an elbow joint to his cyberarm that gets a bit more than 90 degrees. He’s no longer relegated to just pointing forward. The elbow joint spins all the way around and even gets about 45 degrees of bend going the opposite way, which looks painful.
The hips are ball jointed, the kneels are swivel hinge and the ankles have ML style articulation, but they’re a little impeded by the design of his shin. There’s also a boot cut.
The sculpting, like it has been with the other figures, looks great. It’s sharp, but still retains that vintage feel. It’s not overly detailed, but just detailed enough to evoke the originals, just with additional motion. His face is simplistic and his armor is streamlined, but all the details that make him “him” are there.
The only accessories Trap Jaw comes with are his pluggable weapons. They feature a smooth nub that slots in snugly into his arm and hold very well. I kind of like this option in lieu of a mushroom or ball peg, because I don’t feel that moment of fear that I’m going to break a joint or anything. I’ve swapped them all in and out quite a bit and there doesn’t seem to be any stretching or looseness, so these should last fine.
Just like with the original, you can dangle the unused weapons from his belt. They attach by a small hook and stay on securely, so you shouldn’t have to worry about them dropping off during a heavy duty play session. Or, I guess, a totally mature adult posing session.
Overall this is pretty much everything I’d want in a retro-updated-non-modern (?) style Trap Jaw figure. I love the unapologetic nature of his color scheme, with the blue and lime green rubbing against each other, counterbalanced by the black armor and cyborg parts. Everything about him just works for me.
I’m sure it’s probably too early in the line to be wishing for variants, but I’m going to jump on the train early and hope that a mini-comic version of Trap jaw is in the cards. By now it’s a very popular version that has already made it into almost every other MotU figure line, so it would be more than welcome here.
