The 2014 Mini-Masters execution continues with the third release, this time featuring Eternian stalwarts Man-at-Arms and the evil He-Man doppelganger Faker.
It seems like everything is getting smaller these days: phones, cars, computers, and now, well, our favorite Eternians are getting smaller as well thanks to the Mini-Masters execution from Mattel and the Four Horsemen. Can you believe that we are already four assortments in and the widdlest Castle Gwayskull you will ever build is over halfway complete? The assortments have been somewhat eclectic thus far, and save for the two heavy-hitters in the first pack in He-Man and Mer-Man, each subsequent set has kind of been an anchor figure matched with a more fan-favorite choice. I have been enjoying that strategy quite a bit, but as you can imagine, that does have a tendency to push some of the more “A-List” guys further into the release pattern. Not to worry, though, He-Man’s right hand Man-at-Arms and his Smurf-esque impostor fill essential needs of both the Light and Dark Hemispheres of Eternia.
MAN-AT-ARMS
I love the character of Man-at-Arms; I always have and I always will, and you can bet that no Duncan of mine died a Snakeman, and that goes for the character at any stature. He is certainly one of those guys that has benefited from the Four Horsemen’s work at just about every turn. His 200x and Classics figures are often regarded as some of the best works of their respective lines and even when they go small, the 4H still manage to give their MAA figures heaping helpings of personality.
While his scrunched-up face and line-eyed expression match other characters in this line, it seems to fit ol’ Duncan the best. Coupled with his trademark mustache, he looks as though he about three seconds away from shouting, “I’m too old for this s#!%!” as he is kicking in doors of Snake Mountain. He has the same exaggerated body shape as the rest of the figures, but his armor brings quite a bit more detail than most of the others, and it fits him well.
Where I have a bit of a beef with the figure, though, is in his accessories. Man-at-Arms is known (and should be known) for his vast array of implements and weapons, and his included mace and blaster cannon are both sculpted beautifully. However, both of them have unique issues that cause me to take up some exception because they kind of bring down an otherwise great Duncan figure. First, the blaster is just too heavy to be held in a normal attack mode, and his tiny little legs cannot support the weight. Thus, if you want to display it, Duncan will have to be braced or posed with the cannon aiming up. The mace also has a paint issue in that, well, the color does not match the rest of the figure. MAA’s armor is done in the Classics orange, but the mace is painted the more vintage and lighter yellow-orange color. There is nothing wrong with making that choice per se, but I think it would have looked better if the armor and mace matched colors.
FAKER
Ah, Faker, you took the concept of part reuse already in play in the vintage MOTU line and you took it to the next level. I have always recognized Faker’s importance in the MOTU mythos, but is wasn’t until Ibentmyman-thing expanded on his character in our “Class of 2009” article that I really came to appreciate the character. You would think that Faker would be a given since he would, theoretically, not require any new parts due to the characters that came before him. However, due to some choices at the onset of the line, he actually has quite a bit of new about him.
See, under normal circumstances, Faker is just a He-Man base with Skeletor’s armor, but since the former two have only been released in their Battle Armor looks for this line, Faker is actually the first to don that Skeletor armor, no matter how orange it is. It looks good, and I suppose it is encouraging that the armor is now completed because that might make it easier to get a standard Skeletor down the road. The rest of the figure, though, is just as it ought to be, a blue repaint of He-Man.
Faker, of course, also includes an orange version of He-Man’s sword, but he also get’s first crack at the ax that they share. I am a big fan of this weapon, and I am sad that we do not have it in silver and purple because I find it much more interesting than the shields, or even the Power Swords, not that the latter would not be included with He-Man. Oh, and the new/old Skeletor armor does keep the sword sheath intact so you can have a place to store the Fake Sword.
Overall, I find these two figure to be strong entrants into the Mini-Masters world. I do not think there is a weak release in this line yet, so it is good that MAA and Faker were able to build on the strengths. As I said, both of them offer cool new concepts and details to the line, and, as a figure, Man-at-Arms is my favorite Heroic Warrior released thus far. I just wish his weaponry was a bit better.
The set also includes the requisite piece of the tiny Castle Grayskull, and this time it is in the form of the Jawbridge. On it’s own, it is pretty nondescript, but it looks great attached to the other pieces, and, for the first time, the incomplete form can stand all by itself — just two more pieces to go! The Jawbridge does open and close, so if Skeletor is coming to invade, at least he stands a (somewhat) fighting chance.
I was really on the fence about this line, especially when it was announced that there would be a scale shift from last year’s SDCC set, but four releases in, I have been won over. Sure, I would never label these as a satisfactory alternative to Classics, but that is not what they are trying to be. On their own, Mini-Masters are a fun execution, and MAA and Faker both make nice additions to the group. We will have to wait for SDCC to see who will be included in the final two assortments for the year, but I do hope that the line will continue in 2015 so that we can build a half-pint Snake Mountain.
*Thanks for reading and thanks to Toy Guru for sending alone this set for a First Look!
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