Review of Blade - Masters of the Universe Classics action figure

Introduction

With my overall lack of MOTUC reviews in 2014, you might think I'd given up on the line. Nothing could be further from the truth - I continue to pick up the new figures every month from Matty Collector.

But I have been remiss in my coverage, and tonight I'm making slight amends by hitting up the April release - Blade. He was part of the old 80's series, although not an A lister by any means. While he might look like a potential good guy, he actually works for the dark side - see that Skeletor facel on his chest? Or maybe it's Maria Shriver...

He was selling for $27 two weeks ago at Matty, but has since sold out. I have some potential places where you can still pick him up in the Where to Buy section.

Packaging - ***
If you've been buying this series all along, then there's no surprises with the retro style packaging.  It's not collector friendly, but the large bubble does do a pretty good job showing off the figure, and it's attached to the backer with a strong seal. I like the style, and I'm a fan of keeping it the same, no matter how long the line runs. A huge carded collection looks amazing with that sort of consistency, so it's a nice plus for the MOCers.

Sculpting - ***1/2
There's a lot of different themes going on here - a bit of the Flash with the soft ear wings, a bit of Deadshot or Fury with the eye, and obviously the Black Knight theme with his chain mail design.

While everything looks terrific - and the detailing on both the head sculpt and the chain looks amazing - I have to admit to being a bit...bored by the design. Maybe the hard core fans will love it a more, but for me he's a snoozer. A very pretty snoozer, but a snoozer nonetheless.

Paint - ***
The paint work is solid, but silver is always a tough color to work with. There's a little slop here and there, and some of the edges are off by a bit. The best work is on the mail, where even when there is some slop it's much less noticeable.

Articulation - ***
The overall articulation is as outstanding as ever, but the armor and design restricts some of it a bit this time around.

The neck doesn't have the same range of movement, and that's one of my favorite joints to get realistic poses. It's not terrible, but there just doesn't seem to be quite as much tilt or lean action going on.

The torso and waist are a little restricted by the armor as well. Again, not a huge issue, but in the end I found it just a little harder to get flowing poses. Considering how good this base body is, that's a little disappointing.

Accessories - ***1/2
Blade comes with a couple of those - two long swords that fit neatly in loops on either side of his waist. The sculpts  are solid, although the paint ops are pretty skimpy.

There's also a laser whip, but this one doesn't fit in either hand particularly well. I did manage to get it to stay in the right eventually, but it also stretched out the palm so much that it made it harder for him to hold the sword. I'll be tossing the whip in the Accessories box, and sticking with the two blades.

While I don't know if you consider it an accessory, the armor is removable. I took a couple shots without the chain mail vest, giving him a bit of a barbarian look. You can also remove the skirt.

While he lacks the second portrait of some of the figures, he still has a very good assortment of extras.

Fun Factor - ****
Slightly boring or not, this is still a very fun action figure. With the general knight-like theme, most kids wouldn't even realize he was a bad guy, and could have him playing either side of the field.

Value - **
I'm having a tough time with the $27 price point, although the removable chain mail is a pretty big plus. Thirty bucks is a lot of money for a 7" action figure though, making me happy that we usually only get one every month.

Things to Watch Out For -
It can be tricky getting the laser whip handle into either palm. Don't stretch them out too much, since they are designed to hold the sword hilts.

Overall - ***
After some really cool, imaginative designs through the fall and early 2014, this one leaves me a little cold. Don't get me wrong - it's a solid figure, and will fit in nicely with the rest of the line, particularly if you have him hanging out around the Castle. But he's not going to jump out at the uninitiated, and will end up being more filler than favorite.

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

Where to Buy 
Matty Collector was the place to get him last week, when he was just $27. He's sold out at this point though, so your next best bet is Big Bad Toy Store where he is $45, or you can search ebay for a bargain.

Related Links -
I've been behind in my MOTUC reviews - the last one was the huge Castle Grayskull. Before that it was Lord Dactus, Icer, Octavia,  Snake Face, Jitsu, Ram Man,  Mosquitor, Castle Grayskullman, Rattlor, Mekaneck, Sir Laser-Lot, and before that we had the cool Griffin, Slushhead, the excellent Draego, Kobra Khan, Sorceress, Demo-man, Fearless Photog, Snout Spou, Wind Raider, the large Megator, the giant Tytus. Leech, Icarius, 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 more weapons recently.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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