Review: DC Universe Classics Vs. Masters of the Universe Classics: He-Man Vs. Superman and Skeletor Vs. Lex Luthor
Today I'm taking a look at Mattel's double-packed Masters of the Universe/DC Universe Classics figures. My wife and I grabbed these from the bottom of a bin at Toys R Us right before someone behind me got the last ones.
These are very odd packs. Officially, they're playing off a few old crossover comics from the 80's; in particular from an issue where He-Man fought a mind-controlled Superman. But don't believe for a minute this exists because of those mediocre comics. No, this is more a crossover of toy lines than anything else.
DC Universe Classics and Masters of the Universe Classics are two of the most popular toy lines out there, at least as far as collectors are concerned. I've been collecting the former for years now, but these are actually the first He-Man toys I've ever had. Why? Well, first of all, the Masters of the Universe Classics are only available on Matty Collector, Mattel's online collector store. And they're not cheap: each figure goes for twenty bucks, and shipping will cost you another eight or so. That means, once you've counted in tax, you're dropping around thirty bucks for a single figure, one you can't even see in person first. Add to that the now infamous issues with the site's functionality, as well as the frantic online race one needs to participate in to try and buy the toys before they sell out, and you've got a situation I'm not interested in.
These are very odd packs. Officially, they're playing off a few old crossover comics from the 80's; in particular from an issue where He-Man fought a mind-controlled Superman. But don't believe for a minute this exists because of those mediocre comics. No, this is more a crossover of toy lines than anything else.
DC Universe Classics and Masters of the Universe Classics are two of the most popular toy lines out there, at least as far as collectors are concerned. I've been collecting the former for years now, but these are actually the first He-Man toys I've ever had. Why? Well, first of all, the Masters of the Universe Classics are only available on Matty Collector, Mattel's online collector store. And they're not cheap: each figure goes for twenty bucks, and shipping will cost you another eight or so. That means, once you've counted in tax, you're dropping around thirty bucks for a single figure, one you can't even see in person first. Add to that the now infamous issues with the site's functionality, as well as the frantic online race one needs to participate in to try and buy the toys before they sell out, and you've got a situation I'm not interested in.
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Besides, as a kid I hated He-Man. And I mean HATED. Something about the art style disgusted me when I was young. I'm not really sure what it was, but I couldn't stand the show. Since then, I've come to peace with the franchise, largely thanks to the under-appreciated relaunch in 2002. Even so, I never collected the toys from the series, and I haven't been willing to spend the exorbitant prices on Matty Collector or the even more unreasonable prices in the secondary market. But then these packs showed up at my local Toys R Us about a week after I picked up the aforementioned 2002 series on DVD. Sure, the toys were still overpriced, but I found it a little easier to justify dropping $35 for two toys as opposed to $30 for one. And why stop at one pack when there are two to choose from? So I wound up spending $70, plus tax, on four toys, one of which I already had (well, kind of: this Superman is a little different). At least I didn't have to deal with Matty Collector's website. |
Appearance and Construction:
He-Man/Superman: 8/10 Skeletor/Luthor: 9/10
I like all these figures, but Superman's the weakest of the bunch. This is the second version of the character I have in this scale from Mattel, the first being from the DC Superheroes line that evolved into DC Universe Classics. I honestly don't know how many different sculpts Mattel has at this point, but I think it's a safe assumption they didn't bother making a new one for this release.
This Kal-El is, appropriately, more like how he looked in the 80's, with rounder features and a brighter costume. He's also got the 'S' emblem on the back of his cape. On his own, I'd be handing Superman a seven or eight. He's good, but he could definitely use some more detailing on his face.
He comes with He-Man, who's a much stronger figure. The detail work here is very strong throughout, and the head is phenomenal. On his own, he'd get a solid nine.
As would both Skeletor and Luthor, in fact. Skeletor's body is awesome; I particularly love the feet. The head looks a little silly from some angles, but that has more to do with the source material than anything else. While He-Man's armor was good, Skeletor's is great: I love the contrast between the dark purple and the violet bones.
This Kal-El is, appropriately, more like how he looked in the 80's, with rounder features and a brighter costume. He's also got the 'S' emblem on the back of his cape. On his own, I'd be handing Superman a seven or eight. He's good, but he could definitely use some more detailing on his face.
He comes with He-Man, who's a much stronger figure. The detail work here is very strong throughout, and the head is phenomenal. On his own, he'd get a solid nine.
As would both Skeletor and Luthor, in fact. Skeletor's body is awesome; I particularly love the feet. The head looks a little silly from some angles, but that has more to do with the source material than anything else. While He-Man's armor was good, Skeletor's is great: I love the contrast between the dark purple and the violet bones.
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Luthor was the figure who most surprised me. This is a figure Mattel's released before - a few times, unless I'm mistaken. Despite that, I never bothered to pick one up. I've got a golden-age Lex Luthor figure from DC Direct, and I decided that this would be redundant. My mistake. This is actually a fantastic figure.
The head, in particular, is nearly perfect, and I love the vivid colors on the power suit. As a side note, I find it interesting how well he fits in stylistically with the Masters of the Universe line. My only quible - enough to rob him of a perfect ten, in fact - is with his back, where he's got way too much copyright info printed on. |
In terms of construction, the DC Universe Classics toys seem a little sturdier to me, mainly due to the differences in the hip joints. Also, I should mention that one of He-Man's feet has some construction issues around the joint, preventing the ankle from sitting right. I've seen this a few times before in some of the DC Universe figures, and it always seems to be hit or miss.
Ultimately, the Skeletor/Lex Luthor pack is the better of the two, though I really like all of these. They fit in well together, incidentally, which isn't surprising, since they're sculpted by the same artists.
Ultimately, the Skeletor/Lex Luthor pack is the better of the two, though I really like all of these. They fit in well together, incidentally, which isn't surprising, since they're sculpted by the same artists.
(Above) In both pictures the older DC Superheroes figure is on the left. The newer figure has brighter colors and a shorter cape. Click for larger images, though, and you'll see the original has a nicer head sculpt and detailing.
(Right) Once again, click for a larger image, and you should be able to make out the serial numbers and copyright information on his back. He's got information sculpted into his back and printed on his... er... skirt. I'm not sure why this needs to be included. |
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Packaging and Extras: ----
The packaging tries to play up the confrontation angle, which, to be fair, is in line with how comic book crossovers are generally marketed (despite the fact the "fight" in question is pretty short - it only takes Superman a few panels to kick He-Man's ass before finding a way to break Skeletor's control). Mattel does an admirable job fusing the two packaging styles together:
I find it interesting that the backdrops on the fronts of both packs are drawn from He-Man. While these are ostensibly combining both series, there's no real question that He-Man and Skeletor are the stars this time. After all, unless you've been shopping at Matty Collector or shelling out huge sums of money in the secondary market, this is your first shot at these figures.
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The art from on the backdrop of the Superman Vs. He-Man pack is lifted right from the cover of the comic - always a nice detail. And, like the castle depicted, there's a bit more to the backing than meets the eye.
Pull off a plastic sheet and you'll find the issue itself beneath. To preserve the image on the back, there's a cardboard panel duplicating that portion of the image. I kind of wish they'd lined it up better: it would be more useful as a poster if Skeletor wasn't cut in half. There's a similar problem with the image of Snake Mountain on the other pack. It should be noted that, despite the ad on the cover reading "Full size comic book included," I don't think I'd describe these as "full size." Sure, the dimensions are right, but the page count is a tad light. |
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I don't think it's going to be surprising to hear that the issues themselves are less than spectacular. I'd say the high points of the comics are the repeated allusions to Prince Adam's "wenching."
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When it comes to accessories, these do all right, though each pack is missing at least one major extra. For He-Man, that's the power sword. While I realize he doesn't use this in the included comic... come on... no one cares about the comic.
Setting this aside for a moment, both his ax and shield look good, and his armor is removable. That's three accessories by my count; four if you want to count the comic. |
Superman doesn't come with anything added on, though if you're like me and already have a version of this toy, he kind of feels like an accessory himself.
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The bad guys fare a little better, but once again we're missing a major accessory. Skeletor comes with a yellow power sword which looks cheesy in some of the photos, but I kind of love it in person. His armor is also removable, but you'll have to pull off his head to do so.
If he came with his signature staff, I'd be a happy camper. As it is, I like the figure, but I'm a little disappointed it's missing. I'd also love to have a removable cape, but that's probably asking for quite a lot. In addition to Skeletor's extras, Luthor comes armed with four shards of multi-colored kryptonite. In case you're not familiar with the comics, the green kryptonite is poisonous, the gold removes Superman's powers, the blue is deadly to Bizzaro, and the red is kind of random. |
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This is the kind of accessory I love - something simple, cheap to make, but kind of brilliant. These slide into Lex's hands nicely, and - assuming you don't lose them - have nearly unlimited potential in various displays.
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Truth be told, I almost gave this pack a bonus point... until I remembered what I paid for it. With my amnesia cured, I started wondering if I shouldn't start deducting points for the missing staff and sword. After all, each of these packs actually costs more than two DC Universe Classics figures, and I don't see the parts for any build-a-figures. The comics offset those expectations a bit... but not by much. |
In the end, I decided that thirty-five dollars is the standard cost of one DC Universe Classics and one Masters of the Universe Classics figure. And, to be fair, these are re-releases, and therefore subject to depleting accessories - I am sympathetic to the argument that there should be some benefit to buying these as they're released. Also, I should probably mention that Mattel is getting ready to sell a weapons pack for this line. Personally, I think I'd rather do some customizing than drop twenty bucks (after shipping) on a box of accessories.
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Play and Display:
He-Man/Superman: +1 Skeletor/Luthor: +2
The articulation on these two lines is similar, but not identical. Actually, of these four figures, Lex actually deviates the most from the norm.
Rather than go through this more than once, let's start with the joints all these figures share. They've all got pin joints on the knees, ankles, and elbows, ball joints on the shoulders and head, and cut joints on their boots, wrists, and biceps. Everyone except for Luthor shares hinged abs and a cut waist as well. In exchange, Lex has a ball-joint somewhere under that chest armor, and it gives you similar posing options.
Superman and Lex have cuts on their upper legs and the hinge/swivel joints that mimic the effects of a good ball joint without disrupting the sculpt. I was a little surprised to find that the Masters of the Universe figures didn't have these joints: instead, they've got ball jointed hips. Fortunately, their loincloths cover these joints nicely (and I'll thank you for refraining from the obvious ball-joint/loincloth jokes). As far as I can tell, this is done to prevent the need for ugly cut joints on their upper legs. To be fair, it accomplishes this, though it's at the cost of some articulation. If you can get He-Man to kick, you're better at posing these than I am.
I do want to take a moment to acknowledge that Mattel seems to be getting their head joints under control. I haven't heard of this being an issue with Masters of the Universe, but their DC Universe figures have been plagued with problems for a very long time. But the head joints work well on all of these figures. Granted, they work better on He-Man and Skeletor, but Luthor and Superman have a decent range of motion, as well.
Rather than go through this more than once, let's start with the joints all these figures share. They've all got pin joints on the knees, ankles, and elbows, ball joints on the shoulders and head, and cut joints on their boots, wrists, and biceps. Everyone except for Luthor shares hinged abs and a cut waist as well. In exchange, Lex has a ball-joint somewhere under that chest armor, and it gives you similar posing options.
Superman and Lex have cuts on their upper legs and the hinge/swivel joints that mimic the effects of a good ball joint without disrupting the sculpt. I was a little surprised to find that the Masters of the Universe figures didn't have these joints: instead, they've got ball jointed hips. Fortunately, their loincloths cover these joints nicely (and I'll thank you for refraining from the obvious ball-joint/loincloth jokes). As far as I can tell, this is done to prevent the need for ugly cut joints on their upper legs. To be fair, it accomplishes this, though it's at the cost of some articulation. If you can get He-Man to kick, you're better at posing these than I am.
I do want to take a moment to acknowledge that Mattel seems to be getting their head joints under control. I haven't heard of this being an issue with Masters of the Universe, but their DC Universe figures have been plagued with problems for a very long time. But the head joints work well on all of these figures. Granted, they work better on He-Man and Skeletor, but Luthor and Superman have a decent range of motion, as well.
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All four figures are well balanced, and they can all hold their accessories perfectly well. In addition, the back of He-Man and Skeletor's armor has a slot where you can sheath their weapons. Details are everything.
In the end, these are all well articulated and balanced, but Lex and Skeletor fare a little better than their counterparts. Lex has better balance, and his joints are carefully integrated with his armor. Likewise, Skeletor's head has a wider range of motion than He-Man's, likely because it's not restricted by hair. They're close, but I'm giving the bad guys a nudge due to the differences. The heroes still deserve a bonus for their superb articulation, but Mattel seems to have been a little nicer to evil this time. |
Price Tag and Final Analysis:
He-Man/Superman: 9/10 Skeletor/Luthor: 10+/10
The tragedy is that I doubt many of you will be able to find these: they disappeared from the Toys R Us where I found mine almost immediately. While it's certainly possible that Mattel expected this and has truckloads of these things on the way... that would be somewhat uncharacteristic of them.
My honest advice is if you're considering these and you see them, don't hesitate. You can send me an angry message later if they wind up warming the shelves and go on clearance... but I really doubt that's going to happen. If this is something you want, you should act now, assuming you're not already too late.
All that said, speaking objectively, they're still not worth $35. Come on: that's $17.50 a figure, with no base or build a figure. When did Mattel's six inch figures start costing more than NECA's? These are worth twenty-five, thirty at a stretch. But thirty-five? No way.
Of course, that's academic. Regardless of what they're worth, they're awesome, and you're unlikely to get another chance to pick these up in Toys R Us. I paid thirty-five for each pack, and I'm downright giddy that I got them for that price. And, like I said at the start, I don't even really like He-Man.
My honest advice is if you're considering these and you see them, don't hesitate. You can send me an angry message later if they wind up warming the shelves and go on clearance... but I really doubt that's going to happen. If this is something you want, you should act now, assuming you're not already too late.
All that said, speaking objectively, they're still not worth $35. Come on: that's $17.50 a figure, with no base or build a figure. When did Mattel's six inch figures start costing more than NECA's? These are worth twenty-five, thirty at a stretch. But thirty-five? No way.
Of course, that's academic. Regardless of what they're worth, they're awesome, and you're unlikely to get another chance to pick these up in Toys R Us. I paid thirty-five for each pack, and I'm downright giddy that I got them for that price. And, like I said at the start, I don't even really like He-Man.
In the off chance you could possibly still have time to kill after reading all that, here are some links to my other blogs: you can find movie reviews and articles here and short fiction over here.
But first, how about a few more pictures:
But first, how about a few more pictures:
What? Everyone has to do the laundry eventually:
And, if we're crossing over with the DC Universe, how about using some characters who make SENSE:
And, finally, here's how the last episode of He-Man SHOULD have wrapped up:
