Masters of the Universe, Mattel’s hugely successful action figure line of the 1980s, has proved enduringly popular. Big sellers back in the day, these figures can still be found loose on flea markets for a fair price, like this classic Man-E-Faces 1983 figure (dated stamped 1982) from the second wave of Heroic Warriors from the Original Series, which I picked up just the other day.Almost all the figures in this line came with a built in power punch action – twisted at the waist and then … [Read more...]
Skeletor – Evil lord of destruction!
It has been quite some time since we've looked at any of those swivel-hipped vintage wonders of the early 1980s – Mattel's Masters of the Universe. MOTU action figures swept toy aisles by storm thanks to a fiendishly well organised merchandising campaign which saw the tie-in animated TV series He-Man and the Masters of the Universe turn these 5 ½ -inch action figures into the most-wanted toy of an entire generation...until sales eventually slowed down after the arrival of Transformers and G.I. … [Read more...]
Buzz-Off – Heroic Spy in the Sky!
Ever since the news was first announced at the 2010 San Diego Comic Con earlier this year that Mattel would be issuing a Buzz-Off figure in December as part of its Masters of the Universe Classics toy line, the buzz (ahem!) about this figure got louder and louder! It became immediately clear from online forums that the humanoid bee from the race of Bee People was an immensely popular character from the original MOTU line, so with release of the new figure now imminent, let's take a timely look … [Read more...]
Do I hear hissing? It must be Tung Lashor!
You've really got to hand it to Mattel, the creators of He-Man aka Masters of the Universe action figures, in their ability to come up with some of the greatest character names of any toy line ever! There was Moss Man (who was covered with moss – what else?!), the onomatopoeic names Buzz-Off and King Hiss, and of course, those wonderful made up words – Grizzlor, Skeletor and Roboto. This particular 5-inch MOTU action figure from Series 5 in 1986 is called Tung Lashor, probably one of the best of … [Read more...]
What’s that smell? It’s pine scented Moss Man!
The Internet is fairly buzzing this spring with news of the latest Mattel release in the Masters of the Universe Classics toy line - Moss Man. So here's a timely look back at the vintage version of that figure...If there were a prize for the most bizarre action figure attribute then surely whoever thought up Moss Man's gimmick for Mattel with their 1985 Masters of the Universe 5 inch figure would win hands down! As if the the furry coating over what was essentially a green repaint of the … [Read more...]