Review of Demo-man - Masters of the Universe Classics figure

Introduction

Against all odds, the Masters of the Universe Classics line continues plugging along. When Mattel turned this line into an online only collectors gig, odds were certainly against them. Add in a heaping helpful of bad customer experiences, relatively high costs, and confusing communications, and common sense would have told you it didn't have a snowball's chance in Hell.

And yet, here it is years later, and the line keeps clicking along. Some of the releases might seem more of a...stretch than others, but they all still sell through.

Demo-Man was the December release, but it took him awhile to ship. He's another on the evil side, if you're keeping track - or segregating your figures to avoid unnecessary shelf conflict.

He was $20 at Matty Collector, but now you'll need to turn to ebay or other dealers (or a particularly nice friend) to pick him up.

Packaging - ***1/2
Sorry, but I tore this guy open before I realized I hadn't yet shot a packaged photo. Still, there's nothing really new here, and if you've seen the previous releases you'll know what you're getting. The top insert with the logo on it does obscure the face a little, but it's a pretty minor nit.

Sculpting - ***1/2
When it comes to MOTUC figures, I prefer the more barbarian to the more animal. Demo-Man is a great example of this.

He's got a terrifying visage, with a skeletal face and long beard. There's just enough flesh on his skull to make it green, and that's about it.

The long flowing beard has some finely detailed strands, and the 'crown' and top bone look great.

The shoulder armor fits well, although it's a little soft. He has extra armor on the left arm as well, and some cool spiked bracelets.

Since the basic body is re-used, you don't have to worry about him fitting in scale-wise with the rest of the series. He stands almost 7 inches tall, and stays upright just fine on his own.

The hands hold he accessories great, and he can hold both at the same time for serious fighting.

Paint - ***
The paint is a bit sloppy, but not awful compared to the other figures in the line.

The teeth are a little soft around the edges, as is most of the jewels, buttons, and adornments. The fact that they all have their own paint ops is a plus, however.

While the teeth on the regular bearded head are a bit sloppy, the work on the bare teeth of the Skeletor head look great.

Articulation - ***1/2
The figure has all the great articulation of the his predecessors, and it all works well with an excellent range of movement.

This is one of the best bodies in this scale and style, and the figure can take natural poses much better than most other similar lines.

The ball jointed neck works great, with plenty of tilt and turn, and the ball shoulders, cut biceps and wrists, pin ankles, elbows and knees, ab-crunch and cut waist give you a ton of posing options.

Accessories - ****
I love it when they give you extra heads - this time you get not one but two!

There's an extra Skeletor head, that's actually intended for the Skeletor body. The green color matches this body though, if you don't mind that there is a cowl but no shoulder armor. I included a shot on both the green body and on Skeletor.

There's also this weird half skull head wearing a viking helmet. It works best as a trophy, but you can pop it on the neck if you want. I shot a photo with it in place, but it looks a bit funky.

Then there's two serious weapons, a large bladed scimitar-like sword, with a great sculpt and paint job. I love the reptilian hilt! The plastic is a little soft, but it's not so bad that it will wilt.

There's also a large mace. The sculpted handle is done in a wavy pose, perfect for a mid-swing stance.

And since both the shoulder armor and upper shirt are removable, you can count them as accessories as well!

Fun Factor - ****
These are some of the best action figures out there these days. Kids don't get to play with any action figures this good right now - and yes, that's a pity.

Value - ***
These were $20 last month - same as usual. This time though, you're getting two extra heads, something that I really like, and something that really helps the Value score for me.

Things to Watch Out For -
Not a thing!

Overall - ***1/2
I already have my favorite MOTUC for 2012, although I've got my fingers crossed for a couple of the upcoming releases. If they fall short though, Demo-Man will be here to pick up the slack. It might be worth it to grab another of the Skeletor figures to use this extra head, particularly if you can snag one cheap.

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

Where to Buy 
You're best bet now is to search ebay for a deal.

Related Links -
I've covered a fair share of the MOTUC figures and vehicles, including:

- the recent Snout Spout and Wind Raider.

- Spymonkey Creations did more weapons recently.

- seems like just yesterday that I reviewed the October release of Icarius.

- prior to that was Leech, who didn't do a whole lot for me.

- the large Megator was a bit more to my liking, and similar to him is the giant Tytus.

- other figures include Clawful, the Faceless One, Catra,  Sy-Klone, King Hssss, Vikor,  Buzz Off, Grizzlor, Roboto, Gygor, Chief Carnivus, Whiplash, Orko, Count Marzo, She-Ra, Optikk, Evil-Lyn, Moss Man, Trap Jaw, Adora, Scare glow, Teela,  Man-at-arms, Hordak, Zodac, Faker, Mer-man, Stratos, Webstor, Tri-klops, and starting out with He-man, Skeletor and Beastman together in one review.

- I also covered Battle Cat and  Panthor, the big kitties.

- check out the cool MOTUC Display stands.

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

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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