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Introduction
I am not a Masters of the Universe fan. I know, that seems odd - I have a huge collection of Masters of the Universe Classics, reviewed most of them, and would give my right arm to buy the new Snake Mountain for them from Super7. But no, I'm not a fan of the cartoon. I am a fan of that particular series of action figures, and it's one of the nicest Mattel has ever produced.
While the cartoon - including the various versions since the original - has never done much for me, I do love the character designs. This is part (but just part) of what made the MOTUC series a hit for me. Mondo has taken the license to a new scale - sixth scale, producing large action figures as part of their own series. If you listen to the podcast the HotToyCast, you will hear my buddy Eamon discuss this line, as part of our overall discussions of high quality sixth scale figures on the market today.
I figured it was about time I checked one out, and what better character to go with than Mer-man? No, there's no Barnacle Boy - different show.
They actually did not two but three versions of this figure. There's the regular release which I'm checking out tonight, and then the usual variant
on this figure with a couple extra accessories. To mix things up a bit, they did a third version with a different color scheme, called the "MOTUbi"
(Sofubi - MOTUbi, get it?) variant. The regular release is still available and will run you around $170, but the other two are long sold out.
Packaging - ****
This is a beautiful box, with a very colorful slip cover and some great interior artwork. Sadly, mine arrived pretty badly crunched, but I'm going
to try to find some way to at least preserve the slip.
It's all collector friendly too, and the interior plastic trays keep things safe and sorted. There's no instructions, but it's fairly straight
forward.
Sculpting - ****
With this standard release, there are two portraits. There's a more modern, Mondo look, which I prefer. Old fish face is pretty bad ass, and the
hinged jaw gives him the ability to emote in a variety of ways, fitting a wider range of poses. This head also looks more like the old card art from
the toy line, although it has greater detail and character.
The second portrait is an old school look from the show itself, potentially more popular with fans. It lacks the hinged jaw, has far less texture and detail, and looks like a bad version of grumpy cat, but since that's what he looked like, I can't really complain. It's not a bad look, and will probably be the fan favorite, but I have to admit my preference for the first, more frog-like version.
This is a big action figure, not a clothed, traditional sixth scale figure. That means there's plenty of additional sculpting below the neck, and it's all really well done. The armor has a ton of surface texture, creating a scaly, aquatic appearance complete with tiny barnacles. The edges are sharply defined, particularly the pointy gauntlets and greaves.
He stands about 12" tall, fitting in nicely with this and other lines.
Paint - ***1/2
Overall, the paint work is above average. I'm particularly impressed with the eyes on the froggy face, but let's talk issues first.
My only real complaints are with the old school cat head. There's less detail here, and the teeth show some slop. It seems a bit out of place with the armor, where there's a ton of shading and small detail work. It makes this portrait seem less consistent with the rest of the figure.
However, if you're like me and prefer the head he comes wearing, then you're in luck. It has all the shading and small detail work you could want, and the eyes have a really cool feature. It looks like the iris' are painted on the front of a clear eyeball. That gives it some serious depth, even at this scale, and it's a really cool effect. It's these subtle effects that can make a huge difference in your perception of a figure, often without ever realizing it.
Articulation - ***1/2
This is a big action figure, and has pretty similar articulation to the smaller variety. There's a good ball jointed neck with some reasonable
lean and tilt, along with double rotating hinge shoulders, hips, and wrists, single rotating hinge elbows, double pin knees, and ball ankles.
There's a crunch and turn torso too, although it's a bit restricted by the chest armor.
The feet, hands, and heads swapped cleanly, and I had no worries about breakage.
Perhaps the most important, at least to me, is the hinged jaw on the standard head. It allows you to add some additional emotion to various poses, creating both a relaxed and battle appearance.
Accessories - ***1/2
He's got a great assortment, starting with the extra head. You know additional portraits are always a big seller for me, and getting the old school
look, while not my favorite, is still a big plus in this category.
He also has extra hands and feet. There's eight extra hands to go with the pair of tight fists he comes wearing, including a few different gripping sets. These work pretty well with the other accessories, and swap cleanly.
He also has the extra feet, sculpted in a downward pose. These are designed to create a swimming stance, held above the ground on the crotch support on his display base. It's a pretty specific look, as though he's swimming upward from the depths of the sea, but it's a cool idea.
He also has three weapons. There's his staff, sword, and gun. The sculpts are nice, especially on the sword and staff. These fit in various hands, and can work with one or two handed poses.
Finally, there's the base I mentioned with the crotch support. It's particularly useful if you're looking to do the swimming pose, but otherwise isn't required to keep hm standing.
If I were grading the exclusive, with its third head and additional staff, this would definitely be a four star category.
Fun Factor - ****
This guy is a ton of fun, with plenty of potential for cool poses and great displays. They've produced enough figures in the series now to avoid
having a lonely figure on the shelf, and you even have a mix of good guys and bad, upping the diorama potential.
Value - **
The price is a bit steep on this one, particularly if you compare it to some of their Batman figures in this scale. Those are generally in the
$140 range, although Catwoman was $165. This guy is up at $170, and that's just for the regular release. It's a price point that I suspect many will
have a hard time justifying, considering the lack of complexity.
Things to Watch Out For -
Not a thing. Everything was sturdy and easy to work with.
Overall - ***1/2
The price is my only real concern here, and if money is no object, you should be very, very happy with this figure. For MOTU fans, this is a series
that will really stand out in your collection, and I hope we see Mondo produce a very wide range of characters before they are done. It's a license
that deserves it!
Score Recap (out of ****):
Packaging - ****
Sculpting - ****
Paint - ***1/2
Articulation - ***1/2
Accessories - ***1/2
Fun Factor - ****
Value - **
Overall - ***1/2
Where to Buy
You can pick him up direct from Mondo
at their online store for $170. Online options include these site sponsors:
- or you can search ebay for a deal.
Related Links -
If you like Mer-man, check out the MOTUC version from a few years back. And if you like this style
from Mondo, check out their work on TMNT, Batman,
and Rick and Morty.
You should also hit the Search Reviews page, in case any other applicable reviews were done after this one was published.
Discussion:
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This product was provided for the review by the manufacturer. Photos and text by Michael Crawford.