MOTU Origins Sketchbook Series He-man

 

I was surprised by the sudden appearance of this Sketchbook Series He-Man at retail, mine ordered of Target's website with free shipping and 5% off using my Target debit card. I wasn't interested in the Sketchbook Series Spikor, even on clearance at $6.00 recently, but it was love at first sight for this He-Man. His arrival was also perfect timing after posting on the 2026 Vintage Castle Grayskull!

The battle axe doesn't exactly fit in the sheath on the back of He-Man's armor- they should have included a sword. I'm partial to the alternate head with blonde hair, but it's nice to have options!

I get the concept of pencil sketches on the inserts for these Sketchbook Series figures, but they aren't the original drawings. If you'd like to see more of that, head over to Battle Ram Blog, one of my favorite online resources for Masters of the Universe.

On the box art for the new Vintage Castle Grayskull, it appears that Faker wears the space suit included with the playset! Below, He-Man battles the disguised doppelganger and Skeletor in the throne room ...!

Sketchbook Series He-Man with MOTU Origins He-Man...

Sketchbook Series He-Man with MOTU Origins Stranger Things He-Man 

and Mattel 80th Anniversary Power Punch He-Man...

Hordak and Grizzlor are met by the mysterious space-suited warrior, Sy-Klone, 

and He-Man when attempting to storm Castle Grayskull ...!

He-Man and his trusty mount Battlecat with the Green Goddess at Castle Grayskull...

And finally, He-Man and Link visit the Sorceress and the Eternian Goddess in Castle Grayskull... 

What challenge could be so great that the two warriors must seek such powerful counsel??

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Mattel 80th Anniversary Power Punch He-Man & Skeletor (Target, 2025)

 

Originally solicited at a $49.95 retail price, my desire for this retro Power Punch He-Man/Skeletor 2-pk shot up significantly when discovering it on sale for ten bucks less around Thanksgiving, an additional two dollars off at the register for using my Target debit card. If the beautiful collector-friendly packaging, action feature, and retro squishy rubber heads weren't enough, the 28% discount sealed the deal. I've really enjoyed the artwork for the MOTU Origins line, and the art for this release perhaps leans even heavier into the original '80s line. particularly the work of Errol McCarthy.

Included with these figures were really nice reprints of The Vengeance of Skeletor and Battle in the Clouds mini comics from 1982, with genuine linen thread saddle stitching. The artwork by Alfredo Alcala was permanently burned into my mind the Christmas of that year, experiencing the debut of Masters of the Universe for the first time. Realize that this was well before the Filmation animated TV show, when the imagination of children filled in the spots between these mini comics and the toys. Also not to be forgotten was the popular animated fantasy/sci-fi mashup of Thundarr the Barbarian in 1980 that had us primed for something like Masters of the Universe, mixing sword and sorcery fantasy with futuristic science fiction. 

These aren't a 1:1 replica of the original figures, but man are they cool- the capture the spirit of 1982 close enough for this kid. They fit well with my Mattel Origins Castle Grayskull, and mount my Origins Battle Cat and Panthor figures naturally...

I lost track of my 1982 He-Man long ago, but the 80th Anniversary is quite a bit beefier than my 2020 Origins He-Man, the latter first issued with a newer sculpt that rankled fans and prompted Mattel to issue later figures with this more retro styled portrait. While I didn't hate the reimagined portrait, I display my Origins He-Man with this retro head. From memory, the 80th Anniversary has a portrait closer to the 1982 He-Man than the Origins head, but there were subtle changes to the armor and accessories. Hardcore MOTU fans may take issue with certain aspects of this special edition reissue, but I'm pleased with him- it scratches that itch for the original figure. 

Below, this new retro Power-Punch Skeletor haunts Snake Mountain with my Origins Skeletor- a figure that really got me back into MOTU five years ago. I have a different head released with a later Origins Skeletor that was supposed to have more closely resembled the original sculpt, but the closed mouth appears to be the only common trait. I actually prefer the initial release sculpt with the open mouth.

This was a nice set well worth the retail price but getting it on sale really made it a fantastic value. I wouldn't mind seeing a few more sets of these- maybe Stratos and Zodac, Beastman and Mer-Man, Teela and Man-At-Arms? Who would you pick for your favorite two-pack? Be sure to visit the Battle Ram Blog to read their post on this set!

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MOTU x Stranger Things

I'd been holding onto the Skeletor/Demogorgon MOTU x Stranger Things 2pk forever, only a week ago bumping into the He-Man/Vecna set at a local Target. I'm not sure why the rollout for these was spaced so far apart, but I feel like it didn't help generate much excitement about them- the initial Skeletor/Demogorgon set was still crowding the pegs at most the local Targets when I found the He-Man/Vecna set. The packaging is great on these, especially the inner tray that doubles as a diorama/background for these figures...

I liked the Netflix Stranger Things series, and have enjoyed the various MOTU crossovers, including TMNT and WWE. Mattel did a great job turning the Demogorgon and Vecna in MOTU figures- there are reused parts of course, but enough new that it doesn't feel like a cash grab at all. And they look like they were made to reside in my Snake Mountain playset!

Demogorgon and Vecna fit right in with my other MOTU Origins baddies: Lords of Power Beastman, Scare Glow, Webstor, and Whiplash...

Below, Stranger Things Skeletor with the other MOTU Origins Skeletors in my collection: Terror Claws Skeletor, Battle Armor Skeletor, Rise of Evil Skeletor, Wave 1 Origins Skeletor, and Screeech 2pk Skeletor... 

And below, Stranger Things He-Man with the other MOTU Origins He-Men in my collection: Snake Armor He-Man, Flying Fists He-Man, MOTU Origins Wave 1 He-Man, and Battlefield Warriors Battle Armor He-Man...

There was a second release of the Wave 1 Origins He-Man and Skeletor with the classic heads and new, solid power swords. We did get more classic heads with the Battle Armor versions of these characters ahead of these re-releases, but I thought so much of these figures that I bought them as well....

And finally, Stranger Things He-Man and Skeletor on my Battlefield Warriors Battle Cat and that deluxe flocked Panthor I mentioned in my last post. I had the latter on ice for the last five years, but had to break the seal for this post- the box was very collector friendly, so he'll probably stay in there for most of his life to keep him clean. I love the He-Man and Skeletor variants in these sets probably even more that the Demogorgon and Vecna!

Be sure to double back for my posts on the MOTU Origins Castle Grayskull and Snake Mountain!

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MOTU Masterverse Revolution Battle Armor He-Man, Sorceress Teela, Gwildor/Orko 2pk, New Eternia Tri-Klops

 

I'm going to keep things rolling here with more MOTU Masterverse, these all preordered off BBTS in January of this year, arriving here back in April. I may have been most excited about this Revolution Battle Armor He-Man that also came with the standard He-Man chest harness- Fantastic!

I already had a New Eternia Battle Armor He-Man that I loved- he came with more accessories, including a Sword of Power, but I favor the Revolution version side-by-side. Both came with interchangeable armor plates to show battle damage, and I prefer the darker tone of the Revolution He-Man and his flashier battle axe...

Below, Revolution He-Man with my Masterverse 40th Anniversary He-Man

 and MOTU Origins He-Man, and atop his trusty steed, Battle Cat ...

I enjoyed this year's Masters of the Universe: Revolution on Netflix well enough, though I came to the party with less skin in the game- I was less attached to the original Filmation cartoon. My childhood experience of that mythology came from the mini comics included with the initial 1982 product launch, portraying the characters in a more mysterious and grittier world. By the time the Filmation show arrived in September of 1983, its squeaky-clean presentation didn't interest me. Regardless, I was more interested in this Revolution Sorceress Teela as a compliment to my Revelation Teela and Sorceress figures.

Revolution Sorceress Teela with version 1 and version 2 Revelation Teela ...

Revolution Sorceress Teela with my Revelation Sorceress...

Gwildor is the dwarf-like Thenurian who invented the Cosmic Key in the 1987 Masters of the Universe live action film, starring Dolph Lundgren as He-Man. The fan favorite was carried over into the animated series, and while I've collected none of the Masterverse movie figures, I'm plenty happy with Gwildor. Along with the Cosmic Key, he carries his jeweled magic staff and a Sword of Power. He won't strike any Spider-Man poses, but he does have a fair amount of articulation, including a swivel on those ears.

This deluxe Masterverse Revolution Series Orko includes a serious base with moving parts and a snap-on cape extension, all of which makes for a somewhat large footprint for such a diminutive character. You can unclip the magic orbital rings though if you want to consolidate his shelf space.

Below, Masterverse Revolution Orko with my MOTU Origins Orko and Power Attack Orko...

This Masterverse New Eternia Tri-Klops figure feels deluxe with accessories a little more exciting than Battle Armor He-Man's, including an optional bejeweled sash with sword and alternate rotating eye band. I never had Tri-Klops as a kid in the '80s, but this figure rocks- his paint deco and accessories are fantastic!

Below, Tri-Klops with New Eternia Webstor and Trap Jaw...

Another pretty nice batch of Masterverse figures, Gwildor possibly being my favorite, followed closely by Battle Armor He-Man or Tri-Klops. So great! More Masterverse to come here on the Super-DuperToyBox, stay tuned!

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