Those who've been following me since the early days of my blog would surely know that I've always been an action figure collector first before anything else. Life has taken an unexpected turn about a year ago for me and I've been on hiatus on the action figure collecting front ever since. I call it my very own 'action figure detox' period. Make no mistake here, I'm still very much into action figures and I still follow every other action figure news on the internet religiously like I've always been since I started collecting.
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For the record, I will be back someday. Maybe sooner than I expect myself to be. Who knows. But today, before my great comeback materializes, I thought of going back retrospectively and look to my Top 10 Masters of the Universe Classics action figures produced by Mattel under their Matty Collector banner from 2008-2016. Nope, none of that Super 7 stuff or any of the recent Filmation action figures produced as of late. Just pure ol' MOTU Classics action figures during the Matty Collector heyday.
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Let's face it. A great action figure line will remain a great action figure line no matter how long ago they cease to be in production. The fact that these excellent MOTU Classics action figures were only available through Matty Collector's website just adds to its mysticism. Does anybody remember how stressful it was trying to get through their red/white screen of death (RSOD/WSOD) just to get to the purchase page? Great times! The MOTU Classics line is still by far one of my most favorite action figure line in my collection. Other collections may have come and go (yup, I sometimes sell my action figures by the lot aka the whole collection) but my MOTU Classics is a permanent resident of my treasure trove.
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Alright. Before I digress even further, let's dive right into my Top 10 Masters of the Universe Classics action figures list!
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10) He-Man
Well, you can't really have a MOTU Classics collection without having the main man himself now can you? He's the first to go into my collection way back in '08 and he shall always have that special place in my Top 10. What I like most about the figure is that he comes with that 'half-sword' that can be combined with the one that comes with Skeletor, just like the one we got in the 80s. That nostalgia factor alone makes this one of the most important figure in my MOTUC collection. He might not be my absolute favorite but he is definitely THE most important action figure in the entire line. Can't really imagine a He-Man collection without a He-Man now can we?
9) Teela
The Four Horsemen aka the sculptors over at Matty Collector has proven themselves to be master of the female sculpt since the very beginning. Teela is an essential member of the Eternian good guys team and she was very hard to come by during the early days of the Matty Collector online store as a result of the combination of low stocks and terrible checkout traffic. Twas a time when you just have to be on your toes to buy the figures you want at that specific time of the month or risk being slapped with that 'Sold Out' notification on your screen. I got my Teela courtesy of a blogger buddy of mine, who was in New York (I'm not really sure if he's still there now) and seemed to have superior internet access than me at the time, who had graciously bought the figure and shipped it all the way to Malaysia to my home address with no charge at all! I'll never forget what you did for me Drew Bialy!
8) Scareglow
When a villain has that power to scare the bejeebies out of He-Man you know he deserves to be on your Top 10 list! Seriously, look for the mini comic where Prince Adam/He-Man (can't really remember who exactly) got really freaked out by this mean looking evil skeleton warrior. I personally love this figure because he was one of the last ever action figure produced by Mattel in their original MOTU toyline run back in the 80s but the poor guy didn't even get any screen time because She-Ra had already replaced He-Man and the Masters of the Universe on our TV screen at the time. What a waste of villain! Just like his 80s counterpart, Scareglow here glows in the dark and looks terrifying just standing there on his own. He's actually more brutal looking than Skeletor in my books!
7) Stratos
It took me many years since the mid-80s to finally realize that this guy's name actually rhymed with stratosphere and therefore his name makes total sense. Yeah, I know...what took me so long to figure that out? Hahah. Anyway, this was one of my 'to go to' action figure back in the day if I had that urge to bring an action figure out with me on family trips. I mean, what's not to love about a guy with arm-wings and a rocket backpack? I totally loved him on the Filmation cartoon series and I was sure as heck ecstatic when my dad helped me to successfully track him down (the 80s action figure that is) at a (now defunct) bookstore way back in '86. What I love about these action figures from my days of yore is that they usually have stories behind them and Stratos here reminded me a great deal of my late father. I love this guy!
6) Trap-Jaw
Needless to say, do we really a reason why this dude here needs to be on your Top 10 MOTUC action figure list? Trappy here comes with a smorgasbord of accessories which includes an alternate head of Kronis, his 'normal' head before his eventual turn into the mechanical-jaw-monster that we know of. He's probably the most brutal henchman in Skeletor's team but was lacking in the IQ department. In my opinion Trappy has the most interesting look among all of Skelly's henchmen and his color scheme is just perfect. If I had to choose and can only have one of Skeletor's baddie for my collection, it would definitely be a toss between him and Tri-Klops (but leaning a wee bit more towards Trappy here of course!).
5) Grizzlor
Up next is a henchmen from planet Etheria who works for the evil Hordak. With a face & body as fuzzy as Grizzlor, he might be mistaken for a slightly menacing teddy bear at times in Whispering Woods on Etheria. As an action figure, you can see that he was really well made with his fur and all. I bet some collectors have problems to untangle his fur from time to time. What's not to love about a grizzly henchmen who has some sort of a vampiric face to go with his shiny coat of fur? I never had any of the She-Ra action figures back in the day and I wouldn't have collected any from the new MOTU Classics line too if it weren't for my better half. You see, she use to have an almost complete collection of the She-Ra action figures back in the day until they were forcefully taken away from her. The funny thing is, that insignia on his loin guard reminds me a bit of General Grievous from Star Wars.
4) Man-E-Faces
Man-E-Faces has one of the coolest play feature from the MOTU Classics line. Back in the 80s you get to rotate the face plates by turning on the dial on the top of his head. The new version retains the same play feature but you get 3 extra faces which means that you get two sets of the 3-in-1 faces which are interchangeable. I really like the second set (which we never got in the original version back in the 80s) because you get faces of Orko, Skeletor and He-Man! Why so many faces you might ask? Well, for a start the dude's really an actor on Eternia, a stage actor most likely (were there televisions?). His skills were very essential to He-Man's team as he's able to infiltrate any evil villain's lair as a double agent with his many disguises. The problem is that he never really changed his attire/armor so technically he's probably still recognizable even with the face swaps! Gosh I love these innocent childhood inconsistencies/plot holes!
3) Mantenna
Another Hordak baddie joins my list at #3. For the record, Mantenna is one of the most silliest baddie that has ever graced our television screen. I mean, come on, that funny high shrill voice and comical presence among the Hordak rank. Tell me that those things don't annoy you! But when it comes to his MOTU Classics action figure, Mantenna here is definitely among the best in line. I can't say much about his original 80s figure because like Grizzlor, I never had any of the She-Ra action figures back in the day. But I can tell you that his eye popping feature has been carried over to this new iteration albeit removable eye stalks feature. And his two sets of legs just adds to his creepiness. He looks more menacing in toy form over his screen looks and I love his 'Hordak posse' color scheme. In a live-action She-Ra movie, this horrific predator guy could be Hordak's go-to-villain when it comes to hunting down/eliminating those pesky Whispering Woods rebels!
2) Battle-Armor He-Man
I know what you're thinking...'Not ANOTHER He-Man on your list??'. He's not just another He-Man, he's BATTLE ARMOR HE-MAN fergodssakes! There are some other iterations of He-Man like the Thunder Punch He-Man or the Laser Power He-Man but this guy here ranks pretty high on my books amongst the sea of He-Men. His original toy has that rotating chest plates feature that allowed you to simulate different stage of damages inflicted on his chest plate i.e. original, slightly damaged & damaged. His new toy however does not have that feature because we now have to change the plates manually in view of cost restrictions (it's pretty costly to replicate that rotating mechanism, we know). Confession: I actually prefer BA He-Man over the normal He-Man! He just looks so sleek in that shiny body armor, all ready to go head-to-head with BA Skeletor. There you go, that's the reason this dude here is at #2 over the normal version of He-Man.
Yup, at the end of the day I simply have too many favorites to choose from to cramp into that Top 10 slot therefore these other favorites of mine (who narrowly missed being in the Top 10) deserve a shout out on their own:
Battle-Armor Skeletor, Syklone, Skeletor (yea I know, I have TWO Skeletors here in my honorary mention list..*shucks*), Shadow Weaver, Evil Lyn, Adora, Tri-Klops, Catra, Fisto
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When a villain has that power to scare the bejeebies out of He-Man you know he deserves to be on your Top 10 list! Seriously, look for the mini comic where Prince Adam/He-Man (can't really remember who exactly) got really freaked out by this mean looking evil skeleton warrior. I personally love this figure because he was one of the last ever action figure produced by Mattel in their original MOTU toyline run back in the 80s but the poor guy didn't even get any screen time because She-Ra had already replaced He-Man and the Masters of the Universe on our TV screen at the time. What a waste of villain! Just like his 80s counterpart, Scareglow here glows in the dark and looks terrifying just standing there on his own. He's actually more brutal looking than Skeletor in my books! 7) Stratos
It took me many years since the mid-80s to finally realize that this guy's name actually rhymed with stratosphere and therefore his name makes total sense. Yeah, I know...what took me so long to figure that out? Hahah. Anyway, this was one of my 'to go to' action figure back in the day if I had that urge to bring an action figure out with me on family trips. I mean, what's not to love about a guy with arm-wings and a rocket backpack? I totally loved him on the Filmation cartoon series and I was sure as heck ecstatic when my dad helped me to successfully track him down (the 80s action figure that is) at a (now defunct) bookstore way back in '86. What I love about these action figures from my days of yore is that they usually have stories behind them and Stratos here reminded me a great deal of my late father. I love this guy!6) Trap-Jaw
Needless to say, do we really a reason why this dude here needs to be on your Top 10 MOTUC action figure list? Trappy here comes with a smorgasbord of accessories which includes an alternate head of Kronis, his 'normal' head before his eventual turn into the mechanical-jaw-monster that we know of. He's probably the most brutal henchman in Skeletor's team but was lacking in the IQ department. In my opinion Trappy has the most interesting look among all of Skelly's henchmen and his color scheme is just perfect. If I had to choose and can only have one of Skeletor's baddie for my collection, it would definitely be a toss between him and Tri-Klops (but leaning a wee bit more towards Trappy here of course!). 5) Grizzlor
Up next is a henchmen from planet Etheria who works for the evil Hordak. With a face & body as fuzzy as Grizzlor, he might be mistaken for a slightly menacing teddy bear at times in Whispering Woods on Etheria. As an action figure, you can see that he was really well made with his fur and all. I bet some collectors have problems to untangle his fur from time to time. What's not to love about a grizzly henchmen who has some sort of a vampiric face to go with his shiny coat of fur? I never had any of the She-Ra action figures back in the day and I wouldn't have collected any from the new MOTU Classics line too if it weren't for my better half. You see, she use to have an almost complete collection of the She-Ra action figures back in the day until they were forcefully taken away from her. The funny thing is, that insignia on his loin guard reminds me a bit of General Grievous from Star Wars.
4) Man-E-Faces
Man-E-Faces has one of the coolest play feature from the MOTU Classics line. Back in the 80s you get to rotate the face plates by turning on the dial on the top of his head. The new version retains the same play feature but you get 3 extra faces which means that you get two sets of the 3-in-1 faces which are interchangeable. I really like the second set (which we never got in the original version back in the 80s) because you get faces of Orko, Skeletor and He-Man! Why so many faces you might ask? Well, for a start the dude's really an actor on Eternia, a stage actor most likely (were there televisions?). His skills were very essential to He-Man's team as he's able to infiltrate any evil villain's lair as a double agent with his many disguises. The problem is that he never really changed his attire/armor so technically he's probably still recognizable even with the face swaps! Gosh I love these innocent childhood inconsistencies/plot holes!3) Mantenna
Another Hordak baddie joins my list at #3. For the record, Mantenna is one of the most silliest baddie that has ever graced our television screen. I mean, come on, that funny high shrill voice and comical presence among the Hordak rank. Tell me that those things don't annoy you! But when it comes to his MOTU Classics action figure, Mantenna here is definitely among the best in line. I can't say much about his original 80s figure because like Grizzlor, I never had any of the She-Ra action figures back in the day. But I can tell you that his eye popping feature has been carried over to this new iteration albeit removable eye stalks feature. And his two sets of legs just adds to his creepiness. He looks more menacing in toy form over his screen looks and I love his 'Hordak posse' color scheme. In a live-action She-Ra movie, this horrific predator guy could be Hordak's go-to-villain when it comes to hunting down/eliminating those pesky Whispering Woods rebels!2) Battle-Armor He-Man
1) Ram-Man
Cruising to #1 in my list is the unstoppable Ram-Man! I remembered how hard it was to get this figure years ago when he first came out. Back then I had completely stopped buying direct from Matty Collector's online store to avoid frustration and had relied completely on a 3rd party seller who bought these monthly MOTU Classics figures in bulk. Coincidently during the month which Ram-Man was due to be out, many buyers weren't able to secure enough units of the dude hence he was pretty rare at the time. I was lucky enough to get myself one but only after engaging in a fiery argument with the seller on how unsystematic his customer prioritization was. Being a fan favorite, Matty should've learnt their lesson many times over and stock heavy hitters like Rammy here but somehow they managed to piss collectors over and over again on a monthly basis. Rammy eventually got a re-release through Super 7 recently (well, not so recent...but in recent years) under their 'Ultimate Pack' banner but nothing can beat the sheer tension of not being able to get him the first time around when others have already got him in their collection.
So back to what made Ram-Man my #1....
Firstly, he's basically MOTU's Juggernaut and everyone loves a big bulky action figure. It kind of made you feel you're getting your money's worth with all that plastic being put on one single action figure innit? He comes with an alternate helmet-less head but I rather not display him with that option because he looks puny with it. Gone are his original spring action feature from his original figure in the 80s but Mattel made up for it by giving us legs with actual articulations. Remember how Rammy didn't have actual legs with knee/foot articulations? Well, this ain't that toy.
Secondly, being a core member of the good guy faction, Ram-Man is a must have no matter what the cost is. Truthfully when I talk about the good guys in MOTU the first image that flashed through my mind is He-Man running heroically towards the bad guys with Battle-Cat, Ram-Man, Man-At-Arms and Teela by his side so that's telling you something about how influential this guy was on my childhood.
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Notable & honorary mentions:
Cruising to #1 in my list is the unstoppable Ram-Man! I remembered how hard it was to get this figure years ago when he first came out. Back then I had completely stopped buying direct from Matty Collector's online store to avoid frustration and had relied completely on a 3rd party seller who bought these monthly MOTU Classics figures in bulk. Coincidently during the month which Ram-Man was due to be out, many buyers weren't able to secure enough units of the dude hence he was pretty rare at the time. I was lucky enough to get myself one but only after engaging in a fiery argument with the seller on how unsystematic his customer prioritization was. Being a fan favorite, Matty should've learnt their lesson many times over and stock heavy hitters like Rammy here but somehow they managed to piss collectors over and over again on a monthly basis. Rammy eventually got a re-release through Super 7 recently (well, not so recent...but in recent years) under their 'Ultimate Pack' banner but nothing can beat the sheer tension of not being able to get him the first time around when others have already got him in their collection.So back to what made Ram-Man my #1....
Firstly, he's basically MOTU's Juggernaut and everyone loves a big bulky action figure. It kind of made you feel you're getting your money's worth with all that plastic being put on one single action figure innit? He comes with an alternate helmet-less head but I rather not display him with that option because he looks puny with it. Gone are his original spring action feature from his original figure in the 80s but Mattel made up for it by giving us legs with actual articulations. Remember how Rammy didn't have actual legs with knee/foot articulations? Well, this ain't that toy.
Secondly, being a core member of the good guy faction, Ram-Man is a must have no matter what the cost is. Truthfully when I talk about the good guys in MOTU the first image that flashed through my mind is He-Man running heroically towards the bad guys with Battle-Cat, Ram-Man, Man-At-Arms and Teela by his side so that's telling you something about how influential this guy was on my childhood.
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Yup, at the end of the day I simply have too many favorites to choose from to cramp into that Top 10 slot therefore these other favorites of mine (who narrowly missed being in the Top 10) deserve a shout out on their own:
Battle-Armor Skeletor, Syklone, Skeletor (yea I know, I have TWO Skeletors here in my honorary mention list..*shucks*), Shadow Weaver, Evil Lyn, Adora, Tri-Klops, Catra, Fisto
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Well, there you have it. My absolute favorites among my MOTU Classics action figures. A good rule to go by if you're not keen to be a completist is just to get what you want & when you want them for your collection. That way you'll never feel the pressure to keep up with anyone. I don't have all since I'm not a completist, but I do have about 90% of what I want from the line.
If you ask me, I might even go back to eVilbay someday and get that few MOTUC figures to really complete my want-list. Just maybe.
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Be sure to be here next time when I go into my next Top 10 list. I still haven't got a clue what comes next but I can assure you it's gonna be geeky like this one too.
If you ask me, I might even go back to eVilbay someday and get that few MOTUC figures to really complete my want-list. Just maybe.
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Be sure to be here next time when I go into my next Top 10 list. I still haven't got a clue what comes next but I can assure you it's gonna be geeky like this one too.
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