So far Super 7's line of vintage style Masters of the universe (MOTU) figures- made to resemble the original Filmation cartoon series-has been hit and miss. For every good idea (cartoon accurate Hordak's arm canon) there would some something not so good to counteract it (She-Ra's face looking nothing like her animation model). The only reason I pre-ordered more than one of the line is because I was able to get them from a UK site, thus avoiding the exorbitant shipping prices from the official Super 7 web store. But now the line has hit its stride with the clear standout in this first wave.
The original Skeletor is probably one of the most iconic toys of the 1980s, a genius piece of toy design that is instantly recognised by anyone who grew up during the cartoon's initial run. But he never did quite look like the equally iconic cartoon version, did he? Toy Skeletor has red eyes and a green highlight on his face (perhaps moss grows on his skull like a five o'clock shadow?) and, as a kid, you just accepted it. But I always wanted a Skeletor with the "proper" face and a hood that bellowed out more than the tight bonnet the toy Skeletor wore. And that is the best aspect of this figure. A pale yellow skull, seemingly floating, inside the kind of med evil hood an extra in Game of Thrones would wear, and big, hollowed out eye sockets. That alone makes this figure a winner. It is absolutely Filmation Skeletor. The only way this face sculpt could be any better is if the mouth was wide open, evoking Skeletor voice actor, Alan Oppenheimer's memorable laugh- perhaps something for Super 7 to think about if they do the "battle armour" version? The only negative thing about it is the obvious nub mark- where it was cut off the runner (by the way, the head is solid plastic, not the rotocast rubber of old) as it came out of the mould. But other than that it's spot on.
The body is an accurate replica of the original male, MOTU body, right down to Skeletor's slightly webbed open hand- but minus the protrusions in the forearms, and the webbed feet are replaced with human feet. But other than that, it's just like the vintage body, right down to the fury trunks.
Also notable is the skin tone is clearly different from vintage skeletor. It's more or a bolder, darker blue but I don't think it's a match for whatever blue Filmation used in the 80s. It's closer to the cartoon model model than the original toy, but not really there. That may seem an unfair nit-pick, but when your line is aimed old duffers, like myself, based on childhood nostalgia, it doesn't have to be perfect, but it should be right at least. I was concerned the smaller feet would mean less stability but he stands pretty good without the aid of a stand- which instantly makes him a better figure than the Filmation She-Ra. Being faithful to the animation model (because less detail means less expensive animation), the armour and loincloth look decidedly less detailed compared to the vintage armour. Without the bone and metal stud detail, the armour- to someone used to the original armour for thirty-odd years- feels off. Not enough to ruin the figure, even if the epaulets only sit on the front of the shoulders in a way that they only look good from looking at it head on. Also, I would take caution with the Super 7 armour and loincloth as they're made from a stiffer plastic than the vintage armour, which I can't help but worry it might snap if you take it off too many times. But don't forget, the figure is almost identical to the original, and the armour parts do up exactly like the vintage ones so if you have the old, more flexible, armour you can mix and match to make your own ultimate version of Skeletor.
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| Notice the more cartoony proportions of the crossbones piece |
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| Size comparison with the vintage Skeletor |
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| But which one is really Nic Cage, and which is John Travolta? |
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| A quick posedown |
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| The armour parts do up exactly like the original |
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| Super7 Skeletor in the vintage armour. Not bad, eh? |
Articulation is your MOTU standard...almost. Due to the larger hood, the head can only turn slightly left or right before the hood catches on his shoulders- which probably explains why vintage Skeletor had the bonnet. Both arms can rotate 360 degrees if you have the armour off (the stiffer plastic having little give for posability), but with it on, the arms just about point upwards, despite the epaulets getting in the way. The waist is the classic MOTU, spring-loaded gimmick, where you turn twist the torso left or right, then let go to unleash a wicked straight punch/ sword slash or a disciplinary backhand to one of his henchmen. And while the spring is still tight, Skeletor delivers a vicious smack in the chops, so take it easy on your vintage toys, lest you chip their paint, or worse, throw your sword/staff across the room. No joke, Skeletor will fling any weapon across the room a good few feet. You have been warned.
The new ball and pivot hip joint- replacing the original tethered legs- haven't worked out great in previous releases in the Filmation line: Hordak could stand ok, but his legs couldn't spread much; whereas She-Ra's legs pivoted fine but were loose and made a drama of just getting her to stand. Thankfully, Skeletor's (at least this specific one I have, you might not be so lucky) hips work fine. They may not flex as much as the legs of old (so I can't say 100% if this Skeletor will sit in every vintage MOTU vehicle or beast) but they move out enough to sit on the much larger classics Panthor, so he'll certainly sit on the vintage one. And they're not loose, which is equally important. Lets hope this will be the case in future figures.
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| "Wyho cares if I'm out of scale? This is awesome!" |
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| Size comparison with Funko pop Skeletor |
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| With 200X Skeletor |
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| With MOTU Classics Skeletor |
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| With Super7's Filmation Hordak |
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| With a Funko Pint Sized Hero |
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| "By the power of Ribena!" |
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| Dual wielding! |
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| "I also shake it for a quick forearm workout" |
Included with Skeletor are two version of the purple power sword; The regular one, which is a purple version of the Filmation He-Man sword, and the half sword- like the original toy, it is made to clip together with He-Man's half-sword, recreating the gimmick where the combined power sword opens the door to Castle Grayskull. It's not exactly a replica of the Filmation sword because it retains the old hand guard, which helped the sword stay in the figure's hand. But seeing as Skeletor's power punch action is likely to fling it under a coffee table, you'll be glad of the extra safety measure. But one one major improvement Super 7 has made is that the swords are made from a much stiffer plastic than the originals, so there's no warpage,. Remember when the vintage sword would annoyingly curve to the side, or the combined power swords would split open at the end like a banana peel? Not with these bad boys, so full marks to Super7 for fixing this long running issue. Skeletor's other accessory is his trademark havoc staff, finally realised with some colour as opposed to the giant, blackcurrant ice lolly that the vintage staff resembled. The ram skull is really well sculpted and brings an instant nostalgia kick just looking at it. It wouldn't be a proper Filmation Skeletor without it and, like with the swords, Super 7 has seen fit to mould the staff in a rigid plastic, making it superior to the original staff. Last but not least, as is the case with every figure in this line, you get a little art card, depicting the Filmation style Skeletor (so you can really see how the blue skin on the figure isn't right) with a little bio on the reverse, explaining that the Filmation model is based on an animated segment
from one of the first MOTU adverts. I could take it or leave it, but it's a nice addition nonetheless.
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| See what I meant by the blue not being quite right? |
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| "Mate! How's it? I haven't seen you since we did Helter Skelter" |
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| What you looking at? |
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| heh-heh-heh-heh-heh-heh |
I bought two other figures in this line, based on how good Skeletor looked online and was slightly let down by Hordak and thought about cancelling future pre-orders (because who doesn't instantly pull the trigger on a Man-at-arms with a moustache?) after getting She-Ra. But Skeletor was won me back round. An almost perfect looking figure that stands amongst the best Skeletor figures. It doesn't feel flimsy, it stands on its own, and the sword and havoc staff are an improvement over the original. Seeing this Skeletor standing on my shelf, all alone, made me order the Filmation He-Man, so he has his nemesis to display next to. All in all, this an excellent Skeletor figure, and one of my favourites of the year. This Filmation line has been hit and miss so far, but Skeletor is one of the hits, and well worth getting.
Company: Super 7
Price paid: £19.99
Bought from: Kapow Toys
Age: 14+
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