Happy MOTU Monday! With a current hit movie and several new toy lines, Masters of the Universe is running at a pace not seen since the 1980s. I am glad that the last stalwart of the Masterverse line is the Vintage Collection, as it adds a dash of original goodness to the sea of brand new. Wun-Dar is one of two new figures currently hitting, so let’s take look.
While I love the new avenues MOTU is traveling right now, I must admit I am life-long fan of the property and the original designs. I think the work and styles are some of, if not the best, a toy line has ever been. So, I love to see them represented in modern figures and lines, sometimes as a “wink,” and some times a full-on focus. The Masterverse Vintage Collection is cemented in bringing the classic MOTU figures and designs into the frame work of a modern line, and it has been a lot of fun thus far.
The focus for the VC has primarily been around the esteemed “8-Back” original characters, but as with Wun-Dar, there has also been a sprinkling of other characters, especially now that He-Man, Man-at-Arms, Teela, Stratos, Skeletor, Beast Man, Mer-Man, and Zodac are complete. The more I think about Wun-Dar being included here, the more it makes sense, both from an historical standpoint, but also via basic action figure calculus. The “Savage” He-Man has been the stuff of legend since his original inception, and we continue to chase him to this day, this being a Wal-Mart exclusive and all.
If you own the original vintage “Wonder Bread” He-Man, you are in thin company. It took decades to even full verify the giveaway figure was actually real, and since then, there have only been a handful of Wun-Dar figures in the various MOTU lines. So, I love when a new one is added and he has not had a turn in any iteration of the Masterverse line. The Vintage Collection work well because there is very little new tooling involved as Wun-Dar is made up mostly from existing parts, but there are some expected and UNEXPECTED new pieces here, too.
If you are familiar with the VC, you can immediately see this figure is mostly made up of a combination of He-Man and Zodac, which makes sense. Most of the body is He-Man, while the armor, blaster, helmet, and blast effect come from Zodac. I love that the helmet is included here, so it adds another new wrinkle that while he is a “He-Man,” he is also a bonafide Cosmic Enforcer. So, if you are a U.S. history buff – Wun-Dar is like the William Howard Taft of MOTU characters. Taft was president and then a Supreme Court justice, and Wun-Dar was He-Man, and then an Enforcer. Is that a stretch? Maybe, but maybe you learned something, too.
Anyway, Wun-Dar also gets his vintage style axe and sword, which a new pieces in the VC line, so I am glad those are included. I would have hoped for those to be included. What I wasn’t expecting was that Wun-Dar has a new portrait that is different from the previous He-Man and Faker figures. If the VC has a weakness, it is the He-Man likeness, and this new portrait is MILES ahead of what we have gotten before. So, while I am thrilled for this, I am also annoyed since now I want a new blond version for He-Man (and a blue one for Faker!), and we are unlikely to get those. Hmm…
I know these figures can be a challenge to find being WM exclusives, and the website is always a cluster, so be on the lookout wherever you can if you want to add Wun-Dar to your collection. He is a great addition. Evil-Lyn is also on the way, but past that, the future of the Vintage Collection is foggy. Hopefully we can continue to see new figures, as these are fun and recall the deepest history of MOTU, with the current sensibilities.
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