Toy Fair 2015: Mattel Masters of the Universe

Masters of the Universe Classics made their time-honored appearance at Toy Fair 2015 and Mattel was kind enough to debut a few new pieces.  It was quality over quantity this year.

Numerous outlets had speculated something “big” was going to be unveiled. The chatter in the room suggested that less was exhibited than anticipated. Neither the likes of Snake Mountain nor Point Dread was shown, but the latest Club Eternia entrants and the first few figures of the Club 200X subscription saved the day for sure.

Queen Angella, Multi-Bot, Blast Attak and Sssqueeze made their first public appearance since the Mattycollector.com reveal. Angella looks as regal as before, but the loincloth did not appear to be the same as the “repaired” one Scott showed off in the reveal video. This one was tucked and glued in place. Fans are curious as to what this means for Glimmer’s mother. Blast-Attak does the Snake Men proud with his techno-heavy edged weapon and his cable whip. An explosion effect is sorely missed, but budget constraints didn’t diminish how beautiful he looks. Sssqueeze rounds out the Snake Men with his snake weapon that sadly doesn’t coil around his arm, but handy for zoning his enemies to keep them at bay. Those bendy melee arms are gorgeous and a huge sigh of relief to those who thought they couldn’t be done per the previous team. Multi-Bot looks more truncated then pictures suggested, and that’s a marked improvement. The blaster handles were tooled such that they now fit thru the circular opening in the plier hands! Brandon Sopinsky and the Four Horsemen are a match made in heaven.

Continuing their exciting creative direction are the new debut figures for the second half of the year. She-Ra’s all-seeing ally Peekablue comes ready for battle. She isn’t the timid creature from the series. This beauty had some insanely detailed peacock feathers that fan out like the vintage toy. Beside the signature shield, Peekablue has a new war fan, with blades ready to carve up some Horde Troopers. Lady luck crosses into August with fan-poll winner Mara, and what a winner she is. Her outfit perfectly blends the unreleased prototype and Ambassador outfit of the Jetlag cartoon expertly. Her mace/glaive is slender, feminine, and suitable for her space gladiatrix look. As an added bonus, Brandon saw an opportunity with the brace in the center of Mara’s battle braid to make the length adjustable! It doubles in length for Crita-clobbering action, or can remain short and sweet when displayed proudly next to the other Galactic Guardians. The original idea was a long bendy braid. It’s seems like a win-win, whichever way Mattel went with this outstanding design choice.

Lastly, the worst-kept secret in the He-Man community has been unveiled. Starting February 23rd, Club 200X is available for purchase. 6 figures will be available starting July. Instead of a seventh figure as a subscription, however, a long-awaited set of five 200X-inspired heads (Snout Spout, Clawful, Roboto, Buzz-Off, and Sy-Klone) will be offered to change up your display! July introduces the fan-embraced (but short-lived) Horde rock golem Callix. Eric Treadway mentioned how excited he was in adding all these visually dynamic pieces that change up the toy silhouette and diversify your shelf in an exciting way. Note Callix’s stone axe even maintains the Horde crossbow shape! In August, Mara is joined by arguably the biggest threat to He-Man on Eternia after Skeletor: Evilseed. Not included are parts to create the FilMation look, but not too disappointing, given the strength of the 200X sculpt here. He has vinework that overruns the buck below, and he includes the twining capture vines he used in the series. Unlike Sssqueeze’s weapon, this one seems soft enough to coil around his arm. The other accessory was known only to FilMation purists. It’s another artifact of the 80’s series: the Scepter of Power. Curiously, the colors do not match the show, nor will the gold match the pearlescent yellow of Eternos Palace King Randor, to whom this belongs. Jumping to October, Caligar leader Ceratus joins his Spelian ally Lord Dactus at last. He is not a simple re-use of Whiplash with a fresh coat of paint. Well over half of the body looks new If Ceratus’ mace-like tail wasn’t intimidating enough, he also has a bone weapon that means business. I can’t wait to place these figures together with Count Marzo, Dekker, and Lord Dactus. Now this subseries is starting to look substantial! Notably, September was not revealed, nor was there a teaser accessory. Early word is Veena, but I guess we all will find out together at the next show.

Simply put, the atmosphere was very laid back. It was just a great time to stand around with your fellow man and just look at some fantastic toys. The anticipation has been built for San Diego Comic Con. In an online sea of conjecture, leaks, gossip, and speculation, the less-is-more approach was just the shot in the arm Mattycollectors needed. Good things will come to those who wait. In five short months, the rest of the line will be unveiled, including the direction Masters of the Universe Classics (along with Mattycollector) will take in 2016.