While it doesn’t occur every month like before, it is Masters of the Universe Classics time, and the new round of Collector’s Choice and Club Grayskull figures are shipping from Super 7 right now. Even though we are not celebrating the 10th anniversary of the line, I still get those old feeling every time new MOTU arrives, and this batch is my favorite Super 7 offerings thus far.
It still seems a bit crazy that Super 7 is continuing the Classics tradition after all this time. Sure, I will continue to support the line for as long as it goes, and I that means I will welcome the obscure of the obscure, but this is not an easy line to produce, and it has a very, um, enthusiastic (?) and particular (!) fan base, so since it is pretty unique in terms of their normal product offerings, I am sure these figures keep them on their toes. But like I said, I could not be happier with the line(s) continuing, and after a few stumbles out of the blocks, I think that, for the most part, Super 7 got this latest assortment right, and it feels good to have new characters to look at over the course of this week.
Benty and I are teaming up for these, so I know you caught his article yesterday featuring the Club Grayskull (that is, Filmation) Man-E-Faces and Tung Lashor, and that means I am going to complete the Filmation four with a look at Sorceress and Mer-Man today. Now, while I LOVE the Filmation cartoon, I am more about the Classics aesthetic for MOTUC, so the Collector’s Choice figures generally appeal to me a bit more than these cartoon-based figures. However, Mer-Man is by far my favorite Masters character, so getting to add a new version of him to the shelf is always most welcome. I REALLY wish my collection was unpacked so I could get a good look at all of the Mer-Mans together, but that will have to wait until the toy room is complete.
Anyway, let’s take a look at new and essential figures.
SORCERESS
The magic bird lady of Castle Grayskull has had much-discussed history in the MOTUC line. The original Classics figure looks beautiful (IMO), but many have issues with the way her wings were engineered in the final figure, so getting another crack at the character is something that has been anticipated for a long time now. Sure, this figure is based off of the Filmation look, but the difference from toy design translation and this is pretty minimal, so I think a lot of people will use this figure to sub in to their standard Classics collection, as well as finding use for her in their Filmation sub shelf. I am one who was not particularly thrilled with how the wings functioned on the original figure, but I wasn’t completely defeated by it either. At any rate, I have been excited to see how this figure turned out.
Right out of the gate, there has been some dust up about the final figure due to what has been seen at recent shows and the final product hitting Europe over the past couple of weeks. This has mainly been around the face and the use of paint in the final product, so I was a bit nervous ahead of this figure arriving. The good news is that, for the most part, I am happy with the way this figure turned out. I am positive I will get roasted for that, but while there are some things that certainly could be better, overall, I think this is a better functioning figure by virtue of the wings alone. Are the heads better than the original? Nope, and it’s not even close, but I do like the rest of the figure quite a bit. Plus, not only do you get the classic Teela-Na Sorceress, but the included Kuduk Ungol head means you are also expanding your character selection with this release.
So, to get it out of the way first, yeah, the faces on both heads probably could have looked better had they been completely painted, but having them in-hand, I do not find them overly egregious. They hold the aesthetic to the cartoon-based line, but some of the details are a little rough, and my Teela Na head has bit of scuff on the eyebrow. Kuduk’s probably suffers a bit more due to lack of paint due to the fact that she is older and has more detail and lines that could have been integrated with paint, but again, she certainly does not look bad. I think the bit of shininess to the faces is what is throwing (some) people for a loop, so I get that, but I am not overly fussed about it, especially in hand. OF COURSE, the prototype faces look better, and yes, I wish these look just like those, but I don’t hate either of these heads, even after the changes/production.
The rest of the figure functions well, especially the new wings which are a massive improvement over the originals. I understand the approach that was taken on the old Mattel figure, but the translation did not quite ring as true, especially with the segmented wings. These new wings (both extended and down pieces) are made of softer plastic and the former works more like a cape or blanket attached to the arms. So, some of the posing is still limited when the wings are on (they are obviously removable), but I do like the way these function, and they look better on the figure, at least to me. It can kind of be a trick to get the pegs to stay in the arm holes, and she is still not going to be able to sit on her wings in a throne, but overall, they are good.
Also included is the very Filmation-looking version of Zoar, and for the first time ever, we get a version of the bird in a perched position. Let’s face it, Mattel is still using that old Zoar mold for upcoming DC figures, so it is really nice to get a change of pace with this new piece. This is one that will look good in the window of Castle Grayskull while the original version can dawn armor and head into battle, and since it is something that has been requested for a long time now, I am glad we got it.
MER-MAN
While Sorceress is a good pick that was in demand for Club Grayskull, THIS figure is where it is at. Sure, I am unapologetically biased with that assertion because Mer-Man is far and away my favorite MOTU character, but after being all “getting Sorceress is pretty cool” I am STOKED to finally add Mer-Man to the line. Again, this figure is not perfect, but overall, this is a great execution for a Filmation likeness, and it puts us one step closer to completing the “Original 8-Back” line-up that is essential to me with any MOTU line. Sure, Mer-Man did not get enough play on the old cartoon, but he had some very memorable episodes, and again, in my biased opinion, one of the best character designs from toy to cel. Man-at-Arms *might* still have a slight edge in terms of which is the best, but it is awfully close, and I am glad my boy is at least close to the top.
Mer-Man is pretty straight forward in terms of what it takes to build a successful figure, as one of the original figures in the line, he was part of a system of reuse, and the cartoon design followed an animate interpretation of that pretty closely. Except, of course, when it came to the likeness. So, the head was obviously going be the major crux of this figure, but with the Four Horsemen still leading the charge in terms of the sculpt and design, I wasn’t worried for a second. The head came out great, I am glad to say, and it really sells the figure overall. The color palette is more muted here than in the previous Classics figures, but that is appropriate, and the armor and furry shorts are made of a nice soft plastic, so no articulation is inhibited.
Mer-Man also makes out well in the accessory department, and while the blaster and spear (with ruby to call Bakul to his bidding), the BIG winner here is the sword. Yes, friends, while I love the original card back sword we have had for a long time now, we finally, after ten years, have the CORN SWORD! It is so funny how, long before the days of the internet, everyone thought they were the only one to call it a “corn sword,” but as it turns out, EVERYONE called it corn sword, and now it is in Classics. This figure will hold the spear in the display because the sword is going to my full toy version of Classics Mer-Man that will be back standing on my desk in no time.
Overall, I am pretty happy with these two figures. Sorceress has the most room for improvement, but she is not at all terrible, and while some of the paint and stiff plastic still needs to be addressed in some places, things seem to be getting better in terms of production quality from series to series. Mer-Man wins big for me here, but that was going to likely be the case anyway, so if you are only going to choose one to get from this new Club Grayskull assortment (and that includes Man-E and Tung, too) go with old fish face, he is, as he always has been, awesome.
