So… There is a lot going on with MOTU right now. Even if we are just talking about action figures, there are so many new lines and releases, it is difficult to keep everything straight. This is a new Skeletor figure, but I am not even sure what to call it. Is it “First Ones?” The “core line?” Something else? I don’t know, but it’s kinda cool
Much like the new Chronicles Inaugural Scare Glow figure, this figure sets the table for a new line of figures that will spotlight the new movie styles soon. This kid-focused line has several trappings of that typical style, but there are certainly some things for collectors going on with this figure as well. This first release calls all the way back to one of the very first MOTU mini comics, and that is a winning template for Skeletor.
So yes, you are seeing Alfredo Alcala coming through in this design. The portrait is very much on-point for that, and the card back helps illustrate the direct source. The outfit and armor both fit with that, too, but they have been done in much brighter colors, with a rather garish gold taking center stage. I am not quite sure how I feel about this, honestly. It is striking, but also kind of weird. If they reissue this figure in the colorings right from the comic, I will be all over it.
The Havoc Staff is new and newly detailed, and also cast in a gold-ish plastic to match the armor. He also has a removable cape, which I have to admit, I do not love. It is lifeless and not very well tailored, and while I can see what they were going for, it just falls flat. Fortunately, you can easily remove it, which I have, and that is how he will be displayed.
You really get into the definition of why this is considered a “core” or “basic” line with the figure construction. Honestly, I like the build. It looks good and fits with the more slimming (see: not having the bubbly muscles) style Chronicles is also doing. The sculpture is nice, especially in the portrait, so I am confident that core or not, this line will definitely LOOK good.
But the articulation is where things start to fall short. I was absolutely not expecting this to be super-articulated. It certainly doesn’t need to be in order to be a fun toy, and what is there, actually works very well. I love the range of movement in the neck, elbows and wrists. The shoulders are good, too, for that matter, and Skeletor can wield the staff well. That said, the articulation doesn’t hold up well in the lower body. The hips are okay, and the knees are good, but a thigh swivel would have been good, though not required.
What kind of torpedoes this figure is the lack of any articulation below the knee. There is nothing when it comes to ankles or anything else, and that hurts the figure. Not from a super-posing perspective, but just to be able to stand reliably. There are some balance issues here that could have easily been solved with ankle hinges, so that is kind of a bummer. I will interested to see this is standard with subsequent releases in this line.
Overall, this is a fun figure. The colors are bit wacky (but it IS MOTU, so that is fine), but the sculpting is great, and it would have been a home run with ankle articulation. Be on the lookout for this at Walmart now, and future core line releases coming soon.
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