Toy Review: Masters of the Universe Classics Zodac

Here's a character that I always loved as a kid.  I'm not really sure why, though.  When compared to most other Masters of the Universe (MOTU) characters, Zodac (not "Zodiac") is a bit on the dull side.  He's got little in the way of bright colors, and really no special features.  He's even only got the one real accessory.   Beyond that, Zodac hardly ever put in an appearance on the He Man and the Masters of the Universe television show.  Still, there's just a quality of completeness about Zodac.  He's just a good clean science fiction action figure.  

This Zodac isn't an original MOTU toy, but rather one of the many Masters of the Universe Classics figures that Mattel has released since 2009.  These figures are designed to closely mimic the feel of the originals, while bringing the toy engineering up to a modern standard.  There are many more points of articulation and a greater attention to "fit and finish" than their vintage counterparts.  Partly this is due to the MOTUC line being an adult collector's line (sold by Mattel only online or through online vendors), where the original toys were strictly children's playthings.  Oddly enough, despite the collector's nature of these, they are pretty much just modern toys.  There's little difference in my opinion between these and many other action figures released in retail stores these days.

Like the MOTUC He-Man figure, Zodac stands around seven inches tall.  He shares the same upper arms, thighs, and hips/loincloth as He-Man, and this is par for the course for both the original line and the Classics line.  Reuse of parts was a way to reduce development costs back when these toys were originally introduced, and now it serves the same purpose while being true to the way the older toys were made.  Very clever, Mattel!

Zodac sports his iconic red and gray helmet with glassy black bug-eyed sunglasses.  I'm not sure what the helmet does for him, given that he's nearly half naked otherwise.

Zodac's other bit of armor is an angular chest-plate.  I've done my best to find a way to remove it, as was possible with the original toy, but it seems that Mattel's designers made it a permanently attached part.  That's a bit of a shame as most of the rest of the armor bits on the toys in the MOTUC line are removable.

Zodac always had weird forearms and hands, and no wonder, as these are reused from Skeletor.  They have a strange fin-like quality, but also look as if with a proper splash of paint they could easily become fancy gloves of some kind.

The lower legs give more of an example of the paint possibilities I was talking about with the arms.  These are, again, reused from Skeletor.  Somehow, Zodac's three toes are part of his boot as well.  

Another trademark Zodac feature was his hairy chest.  Very few MOTU figures got this particular part, but Zodac got to be just that bit more manly than He-Man in this regard.  The hair, however, was never anything more than just the color of the rest of his flesh, so there's always the possibility that his chest actually was just highly wrinkled.  Highly wrinkled or fleshily hairy.  Oh well, he's already got those weird arms and toes, so what's one more oddity thrown into the mix?

Zodac's backpack looks as if it might contain a rocket or possibly anti-gravity generator for limited flight.  As was the way with the MOTU world, both fantasy and science fiction elements are at play here.  Zodac carries a gun, and wears futuristic armor, but he also wears a furry loincloth and barbaric...  uh...  belt-thingy.  

Speaking of his blaster, there's quite a bit of detail molded in.  It's made of a brighter red plastic than Zodac's other gear and does include a few paint applications.  

The MOTUC figures are chock full of articulation, with joints just about everywhere.  Oddly enough, this doesn't actually yield all that much in the way of poseability.  Zodac can pull off some action poses, but they're not really all that dynamic.

Zodac's really at his best standing heroically at attention.

I poke fun at poor old Zodac, but he really is a pretty cool action figure.  Gotta hand it to the folks at Mattel all those years ago for coming up with a unique vision for the world that these characters exist in.  The mix of swords and sorcery and technology actually works well in tandem, and this allows many of the MOTU characters to be pretty outlandish and still fit in nicely.  Zodac's weird enough in his own way, but he's pretty tame in comparison to some of the others.  That still doesn't keep him from being one of my most favored characters in the line.  It's nice to have this faithful update to the original in my possession.  

Toy Review: Masters of the Universe Classics He-Man and Battle Cat

Just about any kid who grew up in the 1980s remembers the powerhouse character He-Man from the Masters of the Universe toy line.  While not quite as popular as Star Wars, the MOTU toys rivalled Transformers, G.I. Joe, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles for space on most boys' birthday and Christmas wish lists.  First released in 1981, the line spawned multiple television shows, a live-action film, as well as subsequent toy lines, including the Masters of the Universe Classics.

The original line consisted of a series of toys whose component parts were often re-used to form other figures.  For example, there is a trademark furry loincloth with studded leather belt that was used across the majority of the male characters in the line.  Likewise, legs, arms, and torsos were often the same from figure to figure, with only plastic color or paint applications showing differentiation from one to the next.  Heads were almost always different, though.  Characteristically, the line was focused on a swords and sorcery vibe, but with technological elements thrown in as well, which gave it quite a different feel from other toy franchises at the time.  

In 2008, a new line of MOTU toys was introduced.  These figures were created in such a way as to mimic the feel of the original line, but with much-improved articulation.  More detailed paint applications and a slightly larger size (original figures were around six inches tall where these were seven inches) differentiated these figures further from the earlier toys.  Still manufactured by Mattel, these new Masters of the Universe Classics (usually shortened to MOTUC) toys were marketed towards the "adult collector" and were not sold in stores, being only available via the web.

Oddly, the subject of this review, He-Man, was not the first toy released in the line.  That honor went to King Grayskull, a supposed forebear of He-Man.  It was a smart marketing move, though, as this "preview" figure brought the fans to a frenzy of anticipation for the release of He-Man himself.  He-Man was released in December of 2008, and the toy line has continued ever since, with new figures released each month.  

He-Man comes with the full set of gear that his original counterpart did - a battleaxe, shield, trademark X-shaped harness, and, of course, the Power Sword.  The sword was made famous in the original television series as the magical device with which Prince Adam could transform into He-Man, while uttering the phrase "By the power of Grayskull, I have the power!"  However, I was one of the lucky ones to have had MOTU toys a full year or so before the TV show ever aired, so I have always been more enamored of the axe that he carries in the minicomics that came with the original toys.  Eventually the sword becomes his primary weapon, but I've always preferred the axe.  

The MOTUC He-Man has much the same look as the original, with bulging muscles, clean-shaven face, and slightly shaggy blonde hair.  The character is somewhat reminiscent of a Frank Frazetta creation.  In fact, there is an old rumor (incorrect, though) that the original He-Man toys grew out of Mattel's failed attempt to create Conan the Barbarian figures to tie in with the 1982 Arnold Schwarzenegger film.

This new He-Man's facial features seem to be a merger of the look of the original toy and the character from the television show.  I think they did a fine job making the face quite recognizable as a proper He-Man.

The sculptors did a fine job integrating certain of the joints on the figure into the character's musculature.  

However, elsewhere the joints are plainly visible, such as at the knee and elbow.  Here you can see how the Power Sword can be carried on He-Man's back.

Speaking of weapons, all three of his accessories are very similar to the original, just manufactured with additional detail and paint applications.

The lower legs feature multi-directional joints in the ankle, and a swivel joint where the boots meet the rest of the leg.

There's a waist joint here, and the legs are are also on multi-directional joints.  The furry loincloth is somewhat flexible in order to allow for greater leg movement.  Paint application is a bit sloppy on mine, and this is one of the criticisms I have for the entire line.

Speaking of paint, on each of these figures there is a slight airbrushing of paint to enhance the musculature.

The hands are nicely sculpted, and there's a joint where the hand meets the wristband.

All these various joints allow for a fairly wide range of motion and ability to pose the toy.

Like on the original toy, He-Man's harness can be removed.  Basically, these were like dolls for boys, so the various accessories could be swapped from figure to figure.

This more clearly shows the "ab crunch" sort of joint that exists on almost every figure in the line.  

He-Man had an unusual steed - a giant green and orange striped cat called Battle Cat.  The 80s toy was actually just a repainted version of a tiger from Mattel's earlier "Big Jim" toy line.  That battle cat had no articulation to speak of, though with his armor on, He-Man was able to sit astride him.  This updated toy was  released in 2010, and, unlike its earlier counterpart, features joints galore.

Battle Cat's armor has been spiffed up a bit with some subtle paint applications.

Every part of Battle Cat is covered with furry detail.

Just as with He-Man, some of the joints could have been integrated better.

The saddle armor and helmet can be removed.

I think Battle Cat is more fearsome looking without the armor.

He even has a joint along the midsection of his body.  The proliferation of joints makes for fairly natural posing.

The saddle is sculpted in such a way to allow He-Man (or most any other MOTUC figure) to sit without the loincloth getting in the way.  

Battle Cat's saddle also provides loops on either side where the Power Sword can be carried.

My few criticisms aside, this is a fantastic update to the toys I loved as a kid.  Great attention was paid to making these clearly recognizable as He-Man and Battle Cat, and the updated articulation and paint applications make the toys really stand out on a shelf.  Whereas most toys in the Masters of the Universe Classics line are only available on the day of sale or through online retailers, these two are always able to be purchased at MattyCollector.com.