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Masters of the Universe Chronicles He-Man and Battle Cat

One of my earlier columns here at Fanboy Planet covered the incredible Toys of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe book. He-Man figures were a huge part of my childhood. However, I hadn’t really taken the plunge into any of the assorted Masters of the Universe figure lines available today. With the new movie, I figured now was a great time to see what was on offer. Turns out, this was perfect timing, as Mattel was just releasing their Masters of the Universe Chronicles line with figures designed after the characters’ movie appearances. I grabbed a copy of the main man himself, He-Man. And then, because I couldn’t resist, I had to grab his Battle Cat as well. What do the latest versions of these classic characters look and feel like? Come with me and let’s find out together.

A PULP ARCANA FIGURE FIELD REPORT Mission Brief:

Artifact Identified:

He-Man and Battle Cat

Masters of the Universe Chronicles

Mattel

OUT OF THE CRATE:

The packaging for the Chronicles line looks great. The box itself is dark, which allows the Masters of the Universe logo on the top of the front piece to pop in its rich red. A clear window on the front shows the figure and accessories clearly, while art of the character adorns the side for He-Man with some Eternian script on the other side of the window. What also caught my attention was the labeling on the lower part of the front piece that mentions that this has deluxe articulation.

There are two lines coming out for the Masters of the Universe movie. One, the core line, is aimed primarily at kids. The figures are a bit simpler, with less articulation and fewer paint apps. The figure I’m reviewing is from the Chronicles line, which does boast a better articulation suite and a few more accessories.

Battle Cat’s packaging is very similar, just on a grander scale. The first thing that struck me is that this is definitely a big kitty. The box is sizeable and shows off Battle Cat really well. I was originally going to go with just He-Man, but holding this box, I am excited to get Battle Cat out and posed. If packaging can create this excitement, you know they are doing something right with it.

THE DEVIL’S IN THE DETAILS:

Once in hand, He-Man looks really good. Starting with the head, we just get the one portrait but it looks great. They captured Nicholas Galitzine’s likeness really well. If I am being honest, I am not a huge fan of the figure’s hair. It does kind of give 70’s Farrah Fawcett vibes. But I think that may be more of a movie design issue rather than a pure figure issue. There is no denying that it looks just like movie He-Man.

The body looks good as well. The skin tone is a little pale, but works. The deco on the clothing pieces look fantastic. From small hits of gold paint on the rivets of the harness to the translucent gem-like red of the cross on the chest, Though essentially a simple outfit, it has no shortage of detail.

Accessory-wise, we don’t get a ton, but what we do get is useful and effective. He-Man comes with his power sword and it looks fantastic. They managed to get the scale right in a way that doesn’t make it look short or stubby; I always found the classic sword to look a little chunky. This one looks effective and dangerous, and is even better in hand. Further, there is a clip on the back of He-Man’s harness where you can slide the sword for storing. I love this little addition. He-Man also comes with two fists and two sword-holding hands. Again, not a huge assortment of accessories, and I do miss the traditional shield and battle-axe, but what is here looks great.

Moving on to Battle-Cat: my initial impression was totally right. He is a big boy. There is some definite heft to the figure. It feels solid in hand, and I really love that.

By far, the single coolest thing about Battle Cat has to be the eyes. The glass eyes of the figure have an effect that makes them look like they are following you as you move the figure in front of you. They look absolutely amazing. I can fully admit that I spent a good amount of time moving the figure around and giggling at just how cool this effect is. The face sculpt is excellent. The details pop and give a sense of ferocity that sells Battle Cat as a force to be reckoned with. The mouth opens and closes and does quite a bit to change the expression on the cat’s face.

Battle Cat doesn’t come with a lot, but we do get the red armor and helmet piece. The helmet is an update to the classic design and has been fairly polarizing in the community, especially the little side “wings.” I like the helmet, but I don’t love it, and do miss the more classic design. However, I do like how you can see those great eyes through the helmet piece, and when fixed in place, Battle Cat looks fierce and powerful.

MOBILITY AND MANEUVERS:

Ok. The moment I started moving He-Man around, I started falling in love with this figure. The articulation is fantastic for a figure at this price point. First off, the joints are buttery smooth. They move easily without being loose and just feel great.

The head and neck provide a wide range of motion, going a long way in providing expression in your poses. Into the torso, deep butterfly joints allow the arms to move in and out to the point where you can get the fists to touch. Combining this with a bicep swivel and a double jointed elbow gives great movement at the arms and great action for swinging the power sword around.

A diaphragm joint pairs with a ball joint at the waist and this gives good motion in the abs. I would have liked a little more forward crunch here, but that likely would have broken up the aesthetics of the figure’s bare chest and abdomen. There is good movement at the hips, though you do run into the soft loincloth a bit, and we have fantastic double-jointed knees.

Most importantly, this figure is just fun to pose. I have found as I do these reviews that some figures just have that certain something special that brings out the joy that comes from playing with toys. This figure does that. This He-Man sits on my desk now and probably gets posed at least once a day.

On now to Battle Cat. For a figure this size, I was pleasantly surprised by how well he moves. There is articulation at all four legs at the hips and at the “elbow” joint on the lower leg, and at the paws. The tail moves well on a ball joint, allowing a decent amount of motion, though it is a single piece of plastic and not a wired tail or anything of that sort.

The head moves on a ball joint and grants a surprising amount of movement. This allows you to get those crazy cool eyes to catch the light and show off on the camera really well.

The best part is, of course, when you put He-Man on his trusty steed. I still have my original MOTU Battle Cat from the 80’s and he was always my favorite ride for my He-Man figure, even with all the crazy tech vehicles in the line. As soon as I got He-Man in the saddle of this Battle Cat, the nostalgia hit me hard, in the best possible way. He looks fantastic mounted on the back of cat, and the posing you can do with this is dynamic and cool.

RECOVERED EVIDENCE:

FINAL RECKONING:

Objectively, both He-Man and Battle Cat are great figures. But when you get them in hand, there is just something so playable, so joyful about them. These figures are so much fun, they made me want to see the movie. These figures are so fun, I started looking at the old He-Man comics. These have earned a permanent place on my desk. I’ll be honest with you. I’m going to go pose and play with them right now.