“I dare anything! I am SKELETOR! Throw down your weapons and pledge yourselves to me!”
2020 is going to be an emotionally difficult year for me when it comes to Masters of the Universe, but there is now no denying that it is starting off with a bang in the form of the release of the latest (and final) Masters of the Universe Classics “Collector’s Choice” figures. I remember see the prototypes for this assortment at Toy Fair last year, and completely losing my mind. While it was a major departure from anything MOTU I had experience with prior to the release (toys and cartoon, mostly), the Masters of the Universe movie is something that I have always enjoyed, and still do to this day, so finally getting toys is something I have been waiting for for a very long time.
For a long time, dating back to the Mattel MOTUC days, it was made pretty clear that, due to rights issues/costs, getting Classics figures based off the movie just wasn’t in the cards. Once Super 7 took over the line, some of that started to fall away with the release of Karg (a movie character, but also featured in a comic book adaptation), and now, basing these figures off of the design work eventually used in the movies, S7 has made four new figures possible. Dubbed the “William Stout Collection” after the artist, for all intents and purposes, these ARE movie-based figures. I have decided to split up the look at this series into two features, so while you can expect more in-depth thoughts on the other two figures soon, I wanted to concentrate on Dark Despot Skeletor and Commander Karg today.
I am going to save my thoughts about the ending of this line for the next article, but one thing I DID want to focus on here that is a universal topic for these figures (and hopefully more “Ultimate” figures from Super 7 in the future) is the overall quality and execution of this series. I know that those things have been a bit of an issue from series to series in the past, and the consistency has been spotty. I have had challenges with the quality of plastic used for some previous figures, and some of the likenesses and such have had a tough of it from prototype to final product. I think some of that has certainly been warranted, but, as is the usually the case, I was not so far off the deep end about it as some. So, this series was ALWAYS going to be important in that regard, both for these particular figures, but also as a possible standard for what we can and should expect in the future.
Guys, could not be any happier in saying that this series is a watershed moment for Super 7 and their “Ultimates” execution. Whatever the driver(s) was for past issues in terms of quality and execution has seemingly ALL been solved with the William Stout collection. That is absolutely not succumbing to hyperbole here: I had a list of things that I wanted to make sure I was checking on upon getting my set in the mail, and after opening, I went right to it. I am actually still in a bit of shock with how good these figures are. Not that I did not believe that S7 wasn’t capable of doing it, because they TOTALLY are, but to improve so much and so well between releases is really encouraging. Yes, there has been some rumble about the release delay, and the final Club Grayskull set will really show us if we are establishing a trend, but any qualms I had about having to wait a bit longer for these have been completely washed away due to the quality of the final product.
I am going to mention from the get go that, having seen the prototypes in person, there is little to no degradation to my eyes about the look and quality of these figures in their final form. YES, there is always going to be fall-off from hand-crafted prototypes to mass-produced toys, but man, if those things exist here, I cannot even pick them up to nitpick. As far as looks go, that is the highest compliment I can pay these figures in regards to their appearance. Past that though, the plastic used here is not stiff, but not rubbery either, so grips and joints work well with the latter being smooth and not worrisome of breakage. For example, the hands are soft enough to easily grip the accessories, but the legs are strong, and support joints like knees and ankles support these heavy figures with no issues. This extends to the accessories too, in that, for instance, Skeletor’s staff is strong, but the spires on the Cosmic Key are softer to not risk breaking. I have to say, when it comes to materials and engineering, all the right choices were made, and if this is the harbinger of what the future holds, my body is ready.
All that said, getting to the two particular figures, this is Karg we have been waiting for. I will GLADLY admit that the comic colors version released previously really grew on me, and I LOVE those colors (and the bios do a good job of explaining the differences), but this is version of Karg that goes properly with the other movie figures. Yes, that technically makes this figure a repaint, but it is one of those cases where that process worked in reverse (understandably due to rights issues) and a lesser-known version preceded the iconic look. Super 7 and the Four Horsemen were smart in their sculpting approach here, so some new paint did the trick. I love how detailed his costume is (ALL of the Eternian costumes from the movie are very detailed), and the black and gold paint looks really slick. The standout even in all that is the likeness and the head, because Karg’s eyes are scary AF, and I love it. It looks like, for now, Beastman will be forever a gap in my collection (more on that next time), but for the three mercenaries introduced in the movie, that group finally feels wholly complete.
Dark Despot Skeletor is a revelation. That is about all I really *need* to say here, because good lord, this figure owns everybody. I will be perfectly honest in admitting that I love everything about movie Skeletor. No matter the issues one might take with the film overall, I am of the mind that Skeletor is damned flawless – from his design to Frank Langella’s performance – and even if I didn’t love the movie for other reasons, I would watch it simply to bask in all the things created by that performance. He is threatening, cunning, motivated, and a MORE than worthy adversary to He-Man, and he still has time to be frustrated by his bumbling support system. I know that the God Skeletor is likely going to get the most press from this series (again, more on that soon), but I think this figure is my favorite of the bunch.
The level of detail in this figure is some of the most impressive in the long history of the MOTUC line. This is accounted for in both the sculpting and paint work, and the latter seems like it has little things here and there that were amped up even from the impressive prototype. There is some shading/airbrushing on the hood and cape that almost make them shimmer like they do in the movie, and the effect is impressive here for sure. The little details on the skirt piece are all intricate, and it has made me notice for the first time that they are actually almost like hieroglyphics that tell a story in the regalia. Yes, the skirt piece is large, but due to the design and the materials, the hindrance of movement is minimized here, so pose as you like. The face/likeness is a think unto itself, and without being an EXACT copy from the screen (which would not be allowed), this is pretty much as good as it gets. You have almost “hear” this figure and the pointed dialogue of Skeletor from the movie.
Finally, I am in love with the accessories, especially that menacing Havoc Staff. There is no competing with the iconic classic version of the staff, but man, this one still might just be my favorite. It is a perfect “real world” interpretation of the piece and it matches Skeletor’s robes perfectly. The sword is another fun piece as it compliments He-Man’s sword in fine fashion, but it is not relegated to being just a companion piece, it definitely holds its own. Also, while I have enjoyed the Classics Cosmic Keys, this is the one we have been waiting for, and you might have to straighten it out right out of the package, but it is a great representation of the original movie version.
What a GREAT couple of figures. I am so happy and so sad at the same time getting these guys. These are wonderful figures, but if we are moving to the end, I am just not ready for the finish. Super 7 got it right here, and hopefully this is what we can come to expect from all of their Ultimates figures in the future. If you love MOTUC or the movies, you would be a fool to pass these up. You can still get them at BBTS, so do it NOW. We will be back in a few days to look at the other two figures in this series, so stay tuned.
