man at arms
Publication date: 2009-08-26
Series: Kastor’s Korner
There is an expectation as a kid that if a character looks one way on TV then the toy should look that way as well. When I was a kid, Man-At-Arms looked only sort of like the cartoon, and I was confused. Which came first, the mustache or the clean shaven look? I really don’t know but I’m glad the new MOTU Classics come with both looks.
Whenever I write a MOTU review cost and value are always a main concern. I have had to take a look at my collecting and what I do for the site, and cut back a little. When I am spending about thirty dollars for one action figure, it has to be worth it. As this line grows there seems to be more value to these figures. Beastman and He-man were rather simple in both accessories and detail, but the last 2 offerings, He-ro and Hordak both came with a ton of accessories and detail. Figure like those make it easier for the average collector to accept the higher cost of these figures.
Man at Arms, Duncan, has always been a favorite of mine; he is the man behind the hero. Though he is a hero himself, he is really the Q or Alfred of the MOTU world. He makes the gadgets and the main support for He-man. The details on this figure are amazing, from the all the work on the chest armor to the additional armor on his limbs.
He comes with a wide array of weapons, which are also well sculpted and detailed. He comes with a gun, small sword, mace, and mechanical power sword. He can even carry all of them, without looking bulky. All of them fit snugly on the back of his armor and don’t appear to have any paint rubs, or chips from putting them into the holders. The gun and small sword are simply painted but have accents to them, making them generic weapons anyone can use, but they don’t come off cheap. The mace is a solid color to match his armor, but is molded in a softer plastic, and because of the position in the package is warped. Another accessory is the mustached head. As a kid I always wanted my toys to match the cartoon, and when I got Man-At-Arms he looked more like a generic solder than the Duncan of the cartoon. This additional head will be my standard head for the figure, and I know some collector will be building little Eterian guard armies with the clean shaven face.
While I am impressed with the figure there is one area that it loses points, the paint apps. With all the little details on this figure, you can see they were either being over cautious or overdone in some areas. On my figure it was the cautious touch that made the figure lose some points. The fur on the armor is only seventy-five percent painted, and the left side of his mustache is slightly under painted. I have seen some where the details on the helmet are over painted. While these do not ruin the figure, having to buy these figures sight unseen and the price point make these types of problems deal breakers for some collectors. I know some that buy 3 or 4 figures to cobble together good parts then return or sell the subpar figures.
Overall I think this figure is a home run for the line. This figure adds another hero to the understaffed MOTU to battle Skeletor’s minions who will soon add another to their ranks. Come back tomorrow for a look at Tri Klops.