Review of Vikor - Masters of the Universe Classics action figure

Introduction

The latest figure in the continuing saga that is Mattel's Masters of the Universe Classics is Vikor, "He-man of the North". If you watched all the old episodes a hundred times each and are still scratching your head on who Vikor is, you're probably not alone. I had no idea, but then, I'm not a big fan. So I turned to my buddy Poe's website, and found this graphic, which shows a original concept drawing for He-man, upon which Mattel has based Vikor. That's what I know - if you know more, please skip educating me.

I sasy that since what I know is good enough for me - he's Conan of course! No, not the Arnold version, but the character himself, tweaked by Mark Taylor who called him Vikor. This character was further tweaked by the folks at Mattel and He-man was born. While this isn't an actual character from any classic MOTU series or show, it is the character that kind of started it all, and as such is a great tribute. This concept is perfect in a line aimed at big fans of the old show and series.

Of course, Vikor sold out lickety split, and the secondary market is your best bet this minute. However, Mattel has said that due to the awful East coast weather the last few weeks, their full shipment of Vikor's did not come in on time, and that they'll have more for sale soon. Stay tuned to Matty Collector!

Packaging - ***1/2
Same package, different day. There's really only two new things of note.

First, they've added a large sticker to the front that proclaims "The Powers of GraySkull". 

Second, the cape is inserted into the interior tray, a common situation with rubbery capes like this. However, you aren't going to be able to pull it through attached to the figure without possibly damaging it, unless you cut the inside tray with a knife first. A better solution is to pop the head off Vikor, remove him from the cape, then pull the cape out the back of the tray and reassemble. Less risk, less frustration.

Sculpting - ****
As we've come to expect, another terrific piece of work from the Four Horsemen. They matched the original artwork perfectly, but were able to do so using largely standard MOTUC parts.

The new head sculpt looks excellent, with terrific definition and detail considering the 7" scale. I love the viking style helmet, new longer loincloth, and finely detailed flowing hair.

Vikor is wearing two manacles on his wrists, with a real metal chain hanging from each. I assume this means he's broken free from some sort of captivity, but as to how that plays into his mythology, I'm stumped.

Paint - ****
Unlike the extreme issues I've had with recent DCUC figures, the paint here is stellar.

The face is clean and neat, and the skin tone there and on the body is actual paint, not merely the glossy plastic. This makes a HUGE difference in the appearance of the figure, all for the better.

There's a ton of small detail work here as well, from the tips of the horns on the helmet to the burnished look of the weapons to the rivets on the leather bicep strap.

My only complaint in this area is on the necklace formed by the items on the cape string around his neck. There's some slop here, and the work is a bit more broad than in other areas on the figure.

Articulation - ***1/2
Another huge plus with this figure is some serious improvements in the articulation. All the joints are still here, including the ball jointed neck shoulders and hips, the pin knees, elbows and ankles, the cut wrists, waist, biceps and boot tops, and the ab crunch. The big improvement is that every joint is tight and solid, with no loose knees or ankles at all! In fact, they've redesigned the ankles, and there's no longer a visible peg. Excellent!

So why not four stars? It would have been, if not for one specific issue that my figure has and hopefully yours will not. The hip on the left leg is painted tight inside the pelvis, so taking a seated pose is impossible for him. I noticed this because I was going to add a shot of him on a throne, but was unable to without putting the hip joint at risk, and since I only bought one, I wasn't willing to take that chance.

Accessories - ***1/2
Vikor likes to kill them all and let a Norse God sort it out, so he requires plenty of serious steel.

He has a large sword and double sided ax, both of which have far more detail than we normally see in this series. They fit in either hand, and the sword can be held in a simple loop on the back of his loincloth.

Just in case you thought he was all offense and no defense, he also has a great looking shield, who's design is straight from the original artwork. Again, there's much more detail in sculpt and paint on all these accessories than we normally see in the MOTUC series.

I love the slightly tarnished look all three accessories have been given, and even the smaller sculpt details have been given their own paint ops.

There's also a short cape, textured to appear like fur. The neck strap is adorned with bones and trinkets, and once again the sculpt and paint are outstanding. There's a little slop around some of the teeth and skull at his neck, but it's still a huge improvement over what we've seen recently with some other Mattel collector lines *cough*dcuc*cough*. 

The cape is easy to remove by popping off the head, and I'd recommend doing just that when you're trying to take him out of the package. Personally, I like his look better without it in general, but your mileage may vary.

Fun Factor - ****
This is a great Masters of the Universe figure even though he was never a part of that actual universe. He's also a great barbarian figure, and could fit in with any other barbaric series. Great articulation, great accessories, great sculpt and paint - this is a fantastic action figure.

Value - **1/2
I usually whine a lot about the price of these figures, but with the four excellent accessories, and the extra detail in the paint, I have to admit that this time around the price seems about right.

Things to Watch Out For -
Other than removing the figure in the way I discussed in the packaging section, you should be good to go!

Overall - ****
Vikor has no funky alien/robot/animal head sculpt. He's not yellow, or a cyborg, or a dude with one eyeball. And he's definitely not a hot princess in a skimpy outfit. And yet I think he might be one of the best figures produced in the MOTUC line so far.

They really went all out with this character, and the attention to detail and care for the concept shows. Throw in the tight joints, improved paint, and new ankles, and you've got an all around winner.

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

Where to Buy 
As always, the place to pick this guy up was at Matty Collector. Since their entire shipment didn't show up on time, there is going to be more offered very soon at their site, or you can search ebay for a deal.

Related Links -
Other MOTUC reviews include:

- last month it was the very yellow Buzz Off.

- Grizzlor was November's release.

- the previous month was the swapped shoulders Roboto.

- Gygor makes other big monkeys look silly.

- another character with animal instincts is Chief Carnivus.

- just before that was Whiplash.

- Orko was the SDCC exclusive this year.

- just before the Con, Matty sold out of Count Marzo.

- before that was She-Ra, Princess of Power, and the large scale Tytus.

- I've also looked at the cool custom swords and shields you can get from SpyMonkey Creations.

There's a whole bunch before that, and you should also hit the Search Reviews page to find them and look for any other applicable reviews were done after this one was published.

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