MOTU Origins Sketchbook Series He-man

 

I was surprised by the sudden appearance of this Sketchbook Series He-Man at retail, mine ordered of Target's website with free shipping and 5% off using my Target debit card. I wasn't interested in the Sketchbook Series Spikor, even on clearance at $6.00 recently, but it was love at first sight for this He-Man. His arrival was also perfect timing after posting on the 2026 Vintage Castle Grayskull!

The battle axe doesn't exactly fit in the sheath on the back of He-Man's armor- they should have included a sword. I'm partial to the alternate head with blonde hair, but it's nice to have options!

I get the concept of pencil sketches on the inserts for these Sketchbook Series figures, but they aren't the original drawings. If you'd like to see more of that, head over to Battle Ram Blog, one of my favorite online resources for Masters of the Universe.

On the box art for the new Vintage Castle Grayskull, it appears that Faker wears the space suit included with the playset! Below, He-Man battles the disguised doppelganger and Skeletor in the throne room ...!

Sketchbook Series He-Man with MOTU Origins He-Man...

Sketchbook Series He-Man with MOTU Origins Stranger Things He-Man 

and Mattel 80th Anniversary Power Punch He-Man...

Hordak and Grizzlor are met by the mysterious space-suited warrior, Sy-Klone, 

and He-Man when attempting to storm Castle Grayskull ...!

He-Man and his trusty mount Battlecat with the Green Goddess at Castle Grayskull...

And finally, He-Man and Link visit the Sorceress and the Eternian Goddess in Castle Grayskull... 

What challenge could be so great that the two warriors must seek such powerful counsel??

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MOTU Origins Castle Grayskull (2026 Vintage Edition)

 My initial disregard of this repaint of Castle Grayskull was soon reversed to must-have status for what reason I've yet to grasp, other than to relive the thrill of buying this wonderful playset. The steep 42% price hike from the original seemed like a cash grab, but it had dropped from its initial $124.00. Complaints aside, I loved this playset so much that I wanted another. The Mattel Origins Castle Grayskull is a direct line from the present to my childhood and all my adventures with my Masters of the Universe figures, playsets, and vehicles. I've said before, MOTU Origins has been my favorite toy line since 2020. 

The Stygian Moat mat included completely dominates my modest photo booth, but I like it well enough. Initial feedback from the community likened it to a cheap tablecloth, but it displays nicely one it all flattened out and in position. The printing isn't that crisp, but the fabric is actually okay.

In person, the playset exterior seems much lighter than my photos turned out. There are a few small, circular indents on the mold that I didn't remember on the first Origins Castle Grayskull, but they were indeed there when I checked. Overall, I am loving this color treatment- it will be fun having a different background to showcase MOTU Origins figures in future posts.

This playset included a figure like the first Origins Castle Grayskull, this time the mysterious Space Suit figure. His colors go well with the castle interior, where this uncanny figure has stood guard since the first Castle Grayskull in '82.

It appears the forearms and legs differ on this newer Space Suit figure, shown below,

 side by side with the one included with the Mysteries of Castle Grayskull Accessory Pack...

2026 Vintage Castle Grayskull next to the 2021 MOTU Origins Castle Grayskull...

Below, Mattel 80th Anniversary Power Punch He-Man, the Eternian Goddess, Sketchbook Series Sy-Klone, and the mysterious Space Suit figure defend Castle Grayskull from Mattel 80th Anniversary Power Punch Skeletor and his Lords of Power Beast Man and Mer-Man ...!

And just for fun, my recent acquisition, the 1982 Battle Ram, loaded by Wave 7 Mini Comic Stratos for the enigmatic astronaut! Can you imagine the battles they'd fight to defend that legendary Fortress of Mystery and Power?? I'm going to have fun using this new Vintage Castle Grayskull!

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MOTU Temple of Darkness Mini Comic (1984)

I found this MOTU mini comic from 1984 in a local shop recently- it's of particular interest to me because of the all-white Temple of Darkness Sorceress figure included with the 2021 MOTU Origins Castle Grayskull. I never had this mini comic in the '80s, so the story/inspiration behind that figure was mystery to me until now. This was, of course, an easy repaint for Mattel to fund their legendary MOTU Classics line from 2008 -2016. Unlike the earlier Alfredo Alcala mini comics I was more familiar with, artist Larry Houston is credited. The drawings are a little cleaner, as though a more established style guide was followed, but they don't have the same mysterious thrill the earlier mini comics did. Strangely, Teela is shown in an all-pink outfit in the story, but to my knowledge there has been no official release of a figure like this. I had the Battle Armor He-Man, Man-E-Faces, and Ram Man figures featured on the back page cross-sell. Ram Man was not produced in an orange tunic in the original Mattel Masters of the Universe line, contrary to that illustration, but was colored after the toy's prototype. Read more about that at Battle Ram Blog!

Below, my MOTU Origins Castle Grayskull with the Temple of Darkness Sorceress that was included, and Mattel's standard issue Sorceress from Wave 7- a wave of Origins that hogged the pegs in stores for months. The Spirit of Grayskull from the Mysteries of Castle Grayskull accessories pack can be seen to the left...

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MOTU x Stranger Things Hordak & Hellfire-Man

I initially held off picking up this MOTU x Stranger Things Hordak & Hellfire-Man 2-pk from Target, but it became increasingly apparent that it may be the best yet of three sets released in this odd franchise mashup. While I wasn't necessarily in the market for a new Hordark, this variant was a draw for me because of its GITD head and translucent, dark blue body/limbs, and the flaming sword is a fantastic accessory. Hellfire-Man is, hands-down, the best Stranger Things figure to come out of this series- the "devil horns" right hand and guitar accessory are over the top, but I also like the morning star with the head shaped like a role-playing die. His vibrant red-orange color and devilish horned portrait make this figure a stand-out. 

Below, Stranger Things Hordak with my standard issue

  Wave 4 Hordak and Wave 8 Horde Troopers...

Below, Stranger Things Hordak with my Stranger Things Skeletor and He-Man...

... and Hellfire-Man with my Demogorgon and Vecna ...

I think Hellfire-Man and Beastman would make a great team-up!

And finally, Hellfire-Man clashes with He-Man on Snake Mountain!

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MEGO Spider-Man & Arch Enemies 4-pk (Disney Store Exclusive 2025)

I was bummed out missing the first round of this Mego Spider-Man and Arch Enemies 4-pk on the first drop but lucked out in the second round. While I think these figures will eventually show up individually at some point, and there are surely business advantages to Mego, I still resent having to chase down exclusives from various retailers. Similarly, I missed out on the recent Fantastic Four set, also a Disney Store Exclusive. Complaints aside, I love the inclusion of the gold coin, the box illustrations are authentic, and the figures- classic Mego!

Check out my YouTube Short:

I didn't have Green Goblin or Lizard back in the '70s, and Electro is new for Mego, but I had Spider-Man- quite possible my favorite Mego figure of all time. Spider-Man was on The Electric Company TV show and had a live action TV show of his own starring Nicholas Hammond in the '70s and was featured in three different ongoing monthly titles during the years Mego sold a Spider-man very much like this one. Peter Parker: Spectacular Spider-Man was probably one of the first comics I pulled off the spinner rack back then. Spider-Man was everything when I was a kid, and he's still hot property. I'm mad for this set!

Below, Mego Spider-Man next to my 9" Hasbro Origins Spider-Man, one of my favorite action figures in the Super-DuperToyBox, and Electro next to my Mego World's Greatest Superheroes 50th Anniversary Flash...

This set may very well be the coolest thing I got my hand on all year, and I hope we see more Mego Marvel in 2026! I loved my 12" Mego Spider-Man and Hulk as a kid and would love to see at least a few larger-sized Marvel Mego! 

Visit the Mego Museum's World's Greatest Superheroes Gallery

 to see the figures that started it all back in 1972!

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