Review of Prince Adam - Masters of the Universe
Sixth Scale Action Figure

Introduction

Mondo has been doing a variety of sixth scale figures based on classic animated properties. They include Batman the Animated Series, Animated X-Men, and of course, Masters of the Universe. The style is often straight up big action figure, which may or may not be to everyone's taste. But I've loved the work, especially on BTAS.

The latest release in the MOTU series is Prince Adam. This was actually a San Diego Comic-Con exclusive from last summer, but as is often the case (I'm still waiting for my SDCC BTAS Man-Bat) it can take some time for these to arrive. He was $250, a bit higher than the usual MOTU pricing, but being an exclusive, the higher price is not surprising.

So far, this is the only version of Prince Adam they've put up for order. However, the aforementioned Man-Bat was also an SDCC exclusive, and they recently made a stripped down version available at their website. The same might happen with Adam, but there's no way to be sure at this point.

Packaging - ****
I love this packaging. The cover has some terrific artwork, done in the style of the cartoon, and it's gorgeous. The overall packaging, including the multiple layers of plastic trays, is all collector friendly, so there's no reason to keep this guy trapped in his cardboard prison. Open it up, remove everything, and you can always put it all back with no damage whatsoever. Even if you decide to toss the packaging, you might want to keep that cover and frame it.

Sculpting - ***1/2
It's normal for any Mondo animated character sixth scale figure to have multiple portraits. With Adam we get three - a closed mouth serious expression, a smiling expression, and a laughing expression where he's really having a good time.

The stern expression works for plenty of poses, and it's the one he comes wearing. The hair threading might seem a bit 'tootsie roll' in macro photos, but in hand it's reasonable with the animated style. I particularly like the way his longer hair circles his face, page boy style.

The laughing face is definitely a dynamic look. He's just heard the best joke ever, and he's laughing so hard his eyes are shut. It's my least favorite of the three for the shelf, but it does match up well with the personality of the character.

Finally, there's my favorite - the smiling expression. Simple, basic, and right on point for the character. The smile extends to the eyes, something that not all sculpts can manage.

The heads swap easily, but they are just a smidge small for the body. A smidge. In hand, it's not something most fans will take issue with.

He stands about 12" tall, and I've included a photo with Mer-Man so you can judge the overall scale.

Paint - ***1/2
With large animated figures, the broad colors can be an issue. There's rarely many details in a cartoon design, making it harder to break up the large swaths of bright color. Thankfully, Adam has a few more accents than the norm.

The faces are all very clean and sharp, with near perfect eyes, eyebrows, and teeth. I did have a bit of an issue with the size of the lower lip on the stern face, but it's a minor nit. The eyes themselves all line up perfectly, with no lazy eye or weird focus issues.

The bigger costume pieces that are plastic - the vest, boots, gauntlets, and harness - are all more detailed than usual, with gold highlights and multiple colors. There's even a bit of a wash on the boots to help draw out the sculpt detail. Most of these lines and edges are clean, and the bright colors really make him stand out on the shelf.

Articulation - ***
The large, chunky body has all the joints you'd expect - neck, shoulders, biceps, elbows, wrists, waist, hips, knees, ankles - but some of it is a bit restricted.

The legs work the best, with ball hips, double jointed knees, and rocker ankles. You can get good stances, and he has no issue remaining standing without support.

The ball jointed neck has a bit of tilt and lean - he can look up slightly - and the shoulders, biceps, and wrists work pretty much as you'd expect. The chunky biceps and forearms limit the bend at the elbows, however. While the hands swap easily enough, the gauntlets make the joint less useful.

The torso can lean and tilt as well, and you can break up the straight upper body a bit in most poses. Overall it's a decent body, especially for a cartoon figure.

Accessories - ****
Every Mondo figure comes with plenty of extras. I've already discussed the two extra heads, but you know they go a long way to increasing this score as well.

There's also two more sets of hands. These swap easily, but they can pop off when you're posing him, thanks to the gauntlets.

Speaking of gauntlets, there's one extra here, with the attached flame thrower effect. This can easily be swapped on to the arm, and the flame effect looks great.

He has not one but three swords. There's the silver sword, the pink sword (which is slightly translucent), and the "I have the power!" sword. This third version includes a permanently attached lightning effect, perfect for that one iconic pose.

One of the extra hands is a gun grip, designed to hold the next accessory - the freeze gun. The hands are made from a very hard material, so when putting the gun in place (or the swords, for that matter) take care not to rub off the paint. I didn't have any issues, but you'll want to consider the risk.

Along with the two extra heads, there are two 'masks of power' - green and pink. You can have him wear them, or hold them, or hang them on the wall, dealers choice. Both sculpts look great, and I had no issues with paint damage putting them on or taking them off.

Finally, there's a display stand, although you won't need it unless you live in an earthquake zone.

Outfit - ****
The majority of Mondo sixth scale figures based on animated characters are fully sculpted. But we have seen some steps outside that with the MOTU series, as with He-Man and the fur on top of the boots, or his furry loincloth.

But this time they go big with the soft goods. Adam has a soft white shirt, soft blue leggings, white fur boot tops, and a furry blue loincloth. These materials are high quality, well tailored, and tight fitting.

There's also another piece that some might classify as an accessory - the plastic harness. This harness allows him to carry the sword on his back, and I'm considering it a part of the costume. It's quite easy to remove, and I actually prefer his look without it, even though most of the photos I used for the review show him wearing it.

His furry blue shorts are not connected at the crotch. This allows you to reposition them easily, and posing the legs doesn't create any weird wrinkles or folds. Just tucking it in will keep it in place, but you do have to remember to do this once in awhile, as the front or back pieces will slip loose.

Fun Factor - ***
This is a really fun figure, particularly when you pair him with others in the series. The restrictions on the articulation can be a little annoying, but overall you'll enjoy posing him with the included accessories in a variety of ways.

And in the photo below, you can see what happens when you forget to tuck...

Value - *1/2
Most of the MOTU figures have been in the $225 or so range recently, starting out in the $175 range originally. At $250, you're definitely pushing it, even with an exclusive.

Things to Watch Out For -
I had no issues with any paint rubs on the figure or accessories, but you'll still want to take some care when swapping heads and hands, or inserting the weapons into the hands.

Overall - ***1/2
I wasn't sure what to expect with this one, but I gotta admit that it blew me away. It's the soft goods that really set it apart, and takes this to the next level. I don't have a ton of the MOTU line - I'm more of a BTAS guy - but this one has taken the top MOTU spot on the shelf for me.

They've already done a couple dozen releases in this line, and we still have a new Skeletor coming, but I'm hoping for some additional announcements in the near future.

Score Recap (out of ****):
Packaging - ****
Sculpting - ***1/2
Paint - ***1/2
Articulation - ***
Accessories - ****
Outfit - ****
Fun Factor - ***
Value - **
Overall - ***1/2

Where to Buy 
Prince Adam was an SDCC exclusive, where he was $250. While they usually have a less outfitted version on their website at a later date, I haven't seen another Prince Adam show up yet. You can search ebay for a deal.

Related Links -
The only other Masters of the Universe figure from Mondo I've reviewed - out of very many they've produced - is Mer-Man. If you like their work on animated characters, they also do a terrific series of BTAS heroes and villains.

You should also hit the Search Reviews page, in case any other applicable reviews were done after this one was published.

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