Dekker Is A Good (If Superfluous) Addition To Masters Of The Universe

Dekker, first introduced in the 200x series, joins the cast of Masters of the Universe Classics this month. While he’s not the most relevant character that could have been included, he features a great new design and serves to round out the history of the 200X era Masters.

First off, let’s celebrate that Dekker changes the trend of black plastic used as the base– the brown color of his arms and head is molded. He appears in his retirement garb, and his backstory did not dictate whether he wore that outfit as the former Man-At-Arms, but it’s a really nice design, with blues and greens appropriate for his mariner existence. Dekker’s nice design if offset with his underwhelming accessories: he first comes with a mace that seems to be of an older design aesthetic than his student’s club. It’s orange, though nothing on him warrants that particular color choice. The other accessory is his young head. Heads are the most expensive to paint and tool, and this is one character that absolutely did not need it– heads are implemented when there is a compelling reason to do so. There is no compelling reason to make him look young and anachronistic. There is no way to display him, unless you want to place the head on a Snake Man-At-Arms body to resemble his former Eternian post. It’s a well-sculpted,  neat piece, but the hair has trouble sitting over the rack on the back armor and pops off easily. I was also looking for a green, blue, or even a golden color if you wanted to dress him using Snake MAA armor.

The orange mace and the young head are two poor choices and could have easily used Clawful’s shield and club repainted in the Great Unrest Weapons Pack.

I find it odd to complain about increased display options, but when other characters could have used the budget spent on ancillary characters like Dekker, it can make the issues more glaring.  November’s releases remind us that Masters of the Universe will not always be A-listers and faction members, but rather much-requested background characters that impressively color our shelves.

Check back tomorrow as we look at the final Master for November– and find out why Castle Grayskullman is the best figure in the 30th Anniversary Collection!