MOTU Origins Terror Claws Skeletor

I was less interested in the action feature of 'Ol Swinger Skeletor here than I was his Terror Claws accessories. I never had the '86 original, but couldn't resist this wild version of the evil Lord of Destruction! The "beastly pincher" was less than effective, but Skeletor's swinging arm feature works with his Terror Claws...

Below, a video demonstration of Terror Claws Skeletor's "Swinging Action" and accessories:

Below, Terror Claws Skeletor with MOTU Origins Battle Armor Skeletor, Wave 1 Skeletor, and Rise of Evil 2-pk Skeletor. Terror Claws Skeletor shares the same closed-mouth head that Battle Armor Skeletor came with, and his purple cowl, boots and Havoc Staff are a lighter purple...

Below, Terror Claws Skeletor rides Panthor into Castle Grayskull, 

where the Eternian Guards greet them with steely poleaxes ...!

The Under Siege mini comic included tells a short story involving Flying Fists He-Man, the other deluxe MOTU Origins figure released in Wave 7. I wasn't interested in that figure for my own collection, but I did again enjoy the illustrations in these mini comics...

My Terror Claws Skeletor will likely remain in a vanilla pose showing off his deadly claws, pegged onto a Ringside Collectible figure base- they work great for MOTU Origins. His ratcheted shoulders limit the figure's range of motion, but his aesthetic flair more than makes up for it. Recommended! Be sure to check out the online Battle Ram Blog for an exhaustive look at Mattel's original Masters of the Universe line I loved as a kid in 1982!

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MOTU Origins LOP Mer-Man & Beast Man

Some of the Masters of the Universe fans who paid top dollar for the Power-Con Exclusive MOTU Origins "Lords of Power" set may feel slighted, but I was pretty happy to get the Mer-Man and Beast Man reissue in the Origins main line. The paint decos are different on theses single carded versions, leaving the exclusivity of that box set intact. Lords of Power was a working title for the original Masters of the Universe line back in the '80s, these character versions inspired by the prototypes for that. Mer-Man includes his signature "corncob" sword, but Beast Man includes no weapon- he may not have had his signature whip as a prototype, but they should have given him one for play value.
 

Below, MOTU Origins Mer-Man and Beast Man with their standard Origins counterparts, Wave 3 Mer-Man and Wave 1 Beast Man. These characters were a couple favorite villains in my small childhood MOTU collection, so I enjoy having variants like these. Why Mattel issued only these two Lords of Power versions is unclear to me, but I was pretty excited when they were solicited.

I'm glad they brought back the mini comics for this line- the original Alfredo Alcala mini comics included with the '80s MOTU line captured my imagination before the Filmation animated show took over so much of the lore of Eternia and all it's characters. I've found the art to be in the spirit of those original mini comics...

And finally, LOP Mer-Man and Beast Man battle my Masters of the WWE Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat and Ultimate Warrior. I lament my inability to get more of the Masters of the WWE figure before they canceled the line. They fit in so well with my MOTU Origins figures and were just another reason why MOTU Origins has been one of my favorite action figure lines of the last three years. Recommended! 

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He-Man & the Masters of the Universe Power Attack Orko

While I've had little interest in the He-Man & the Masters of the Universe line running parallel with MOTU Origins, the Power Attack Orko reminded me of the robot in The Black Hole, V.I.N.CENT. I've seen very little of the new animated showed from which this is based, but have seen the Masters of the Universe: Revelation animated show, also on Netflix. Oddly, I don't collect the Revelation figures, due mainly to space and budget. But this Orko is roughly the same size as my Origins Orko, and I liked that this Orko is a robot.

His propulsion blast base rolls around on a steel ball bearing underneath, but he is sorely lacking in articulation. And the "power attack" spring doesn't have a very big wind-up range, but will throw his energy blast off his arm effectively if you are positioned carefully. Although the figure can do very little, the character design update is fantastic. See my video below for an action feature demonstration...

Below, Power Attack Orko with my MOTU Origins Orko. I've still not seen one of these Power Attack Orkos in the wild, nor did I see more than perhaps a couple Origins Orkos at retail. I'm unsure if this is because he is a fan favorite and gets snatched up quick, or just luck. I was ultimately disappointed by the lack of articulation, thought he will display nicely. 

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MOTU Origins Eternian Palace Guard

I haven't posted on anything MOTU this year but have been sitting on some figures and vehicles awhile, including these really fun Eternian Palace Guards. Mattel released a 2-pk of these in 2011 as part of their Masters of the Universe Classics line, so it was a welcome addition to the MOTU Origins line. This figure can be converted to a clean-shaven Man-At-Arms, sans mustache like the '80s figure, or simply serve as a variant among your army of these. I'll likely keep my two displayed masked with all their gear on, however. This deluxe figure has a lot going for it, the cons being the splayed left hand not gripping the shield securely, and some annoying armor migration on the figure's shoulder and forearm while posing. They do hold their pole axe accessory however, and I like the metallic plastic the accessories are molded in.

Below, my MOTU Origins Man-At-Arms guards the jawbridge of my MOTU Origins Castle Grayskull, flanked by the Eternian Guards. 2020 through 2021 was exciting times for this fantastic line and continues to be through this year. Word through the community is that 2023 has solid plans in the works, and past that who knows? 

Below, Man-At Arms and daughter Teela meet Prince Adam and the Sorceress at Castle Grayskull, guarded by the mysterious Ancient Cosmic Armor from the Power-Con Exclusive MOTU Origins Castle Grayskull accessories pack...

Man-At-Arms and the Eternian Guards give Mer-Man and Beast Man  the royal treatment...

And finally, the Eternian Guards on my MOTU Origins Sky Sleds- this vehicle was introduced into the line early on, and I was later able to get a second on sale. I have loved how Mattel has given flight stands to these updated vehicles, and the Eternian Guards look fantastic on them. Again, the MOTU Origins line has been my absolute favorite since they dropped in 2020- pretty much the only good thing about that year. Recommended! 

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