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Review of Castle Grayskullman action figure
Masters of the Universe Classics

Mattel
Date Published:
Written By:
Overall Average Rating: 3.5 out of 4

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MOTUC Castle Grayskullman action figure by Mattel

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Introduction

The Masters of the Universe, both old and new, has always been about fun and creativity. It's a key aspect of the show and the toys that fueled kid's imaginations for years, and the new Classics line has kept that tradition going.

But with the 30th Anniversary figures, some fans were disappointed. They felt only old school characters should be made - not new designs.

I can't imagine any of them not liking the latest release though - this is Castle Grayskullman, and his design came from a Create a Character contest. That's just like something that would have happened (and did!) back in the eighties!

Daniel Benedict came up with the design, using the original Castle Grayskull playset as his inspiration. Mattel is now making a new Castle for MOTUC, and this guy is going to be the perfect addition.

He was the November release, but he's long sold out. I'm betting he'll be a character that many people buy multiples of, just to defend the walls of their fortress.

Click on the image below for a Life Size version
MOTUC Castle Grayskullman action figure by Mattel

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Packaging - ***
It's the normal MOTUC packaging - nothing really new here. It works well, and that consistency is a big selling point for most MOCers.

There is the addition of Daniel's name on the front as creator, but the rest has the same type of personalization and style.

MOTUC Castle Grayskullman action figure by Mattel

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Sculpting - ****
As I mentioned, this design came from a Create A Character contest, and I have to say that they made an excellent choice with the winner.

The stone-like appearance fits right in with the classic play set, and now that we have the new play set coming out, I suspect this guy is going to be VERY popular. The concept of an immovable stone guard works across the board - isn't that the highlight of famous guardians like those at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier or Buckingham Palace?

They did a nice job with properly sculpting the edges and lines of the stone, making them very realistic, while still maintaining the overall cartoon style. The skull portrait is downright creepy, yet it makes perfect sense in the series.

The hand sculpts work great with the swords, and he stands nicely on his own. He's about 7" tall, fitting in with the rest of the line as you'd expect.

I do have to say that the hair and mouth remind me of classic Star Trek character - the Salt Monster!

MOTUC Castle Grayskullman action figure by Mattel

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Paint - ***1/2
I love the consistent gray between the basic body and the newly sculpted stone pieces. It personifies the castle-like nature of the character, and works great visually.

The shot of yellow hair looks good, but the one area that could be slightly better is the teeth, or tusks. Here the white is a bit thick and the edges less than perfect.

MOTUC Castle Grayskullman action figure by Mattel

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Articulation - ***1/2
All the usual joints are here - ball jointed neck, ball shoulders with cut biceps, pin elbows and knees, cut waist, boot tops and wrists, ball hips and an ab-crunch under the 'vest'. The rocky shirt cuts out the usefulness of the chest joint, but the rest work extremely well, especially the neck.

The ankles were a bit tight on mine though, and made it a little tough to get some stances.

MOTUC Castle Grayskullman action figure by Mattel

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Accessories - ***1/2
Accessories are often a strong suit for these figures, and while this guy doesn't have the ultimate - an extra head - he does have two very nice swords and a terrific shield.

The colorful swords and nifty shield are reminiscent of the original play set, and work great with the hand sculpts. The shield snaps on the wrist of either arm, although it works a bit better with the left arm (as you'd expect). The detail work on the shield is very impressive, and very realistic.

MOTUC Castle Grayskullman action figure by Mattel

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Fun Factor - ****
Every figure in this series is a ton of fun, but this character speaks to everything that makes the entire line fun. I love the design, I love the execution, and any kid that likes the series is going to love this guy.

Value - **1/2
Just when I get comfortable paying $22, you know the price will go up. But for at least one more month we should still be good.

Things to Watch Out For -
I found the ankles were quite tight, and were a little touchy to start. Be careful loosening them up!

MOTUC Castle Grayskullman action figure by Mattel

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Overall - ***1/2
I love this figure - it might be my favorite MOTUC of the year, although that's going to be a tough call considering some of the other releases. He embodies everything cool about the series, right from how the design came to be through the execution.

The only reason he fell a little short of a perfect score was my concerns over the ankles and paint work on the teeth with my figure. These are both fairly minor nits though, and you may or may not even see them with yours.

If you plan on picking up the (very expensive) Castle Grayskull, I really recommend you grab at least one of these guys. You may have to pay a little extra on ebay at this point, but I think he's worth it.

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

Where to Buy 
At this point, your best bet is to search ebay for a deal.

Related Links -
Other MOTUC reviews include:

- last up was Rattlor, a very cool Snakeman.

- also check out  MekaneckSir 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.

Discussion:
Want to chat about this review?  Try out one of these terrific forums where I'll be discussing it!

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MOTUC Castle Grayskullman action figure by Mattel

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This product was purchased for the review by the reviewer. Photos and text by Michael Crawford.

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