Mattle Masters of the Universe Classics Battle Armor He-Man, Skeletor, Battle Cat and Panthor

Resist...Resist...Resist
But alas, I finally succumbed to the temptation.
I got my hands on Mattle Masters of the Universe (MOTU) classics Battle Armor He-Man, Skeletor, Battle Cat and Panthor.

I initially resisted to buy them as I hated how these figures were only sold through MattyCollector which resulted in inflated prices for them.
However, the wallet is weak and I succumbed.

Anyway, since I got them now, I should start to appreciate them.

I just love the packaging for the MOTU classics line.
The graphic on it looks very good.
Even though the design of the packaging is totally different from the original, it still brings me back to the days when my dad would buy me Masters of the Universe toys when he got his monthly pay check.
The excitement of getting those figures at the end of the month was a really nice feeling.











The sculpting on the MOTU classics line to me is basically what the MOTU should look like.
Not the 80's toy line, not the 2002 toy line and definitely not the New Adventures of He-Man toy line.
They retain the charm and feel of the 80's toy line but with the improvement of what toys should look and feel like now.
Mattel also did away with the action feature which was pretty cool to me when I was a kid in the 80's but as an adult collector I am glad they decided to do so.

Battle Armor He-Man

The sculpting of Battle Armor He-Man is nice. He still retains the goofy hair style but his overall facial sculpt is good.
The armor is also sculpted very well.
The painting is very clean and I like how they painted the armor which makes it look more metallic than plastic.

There is a major improvement in articulation as compared to the 80's toy line and 2002 toy line.
Now you can pose He-man or all the other Masters of the Universe figures in poses which they could never achieve before.

Battle Armor He-Man comes only with his battle axe which was pretty disappointing to me as I would love to have his power sword and shield.

Battle Armor He-Man
















Skeletor

Skeletor is another figure that is done so well that it has all the 80's feel of the old toy line but with the improvement of the 21st century.
Skeletor has also been one of my favourite characters. I always had the thing for the bad guy.

The painting on Skeletor is very good and clean, especially on his face or skull where u get multiple applications of paint.

Articulation is pretty similar to He-Man and most of the characters in the MOTU classics toy line.

Skeletor comes with his sword and "goat head" staff.
This is one of the few toys that I bought because of the accessories.
I could have gotten the battle armor Skeletor to complement my battle armor He-Man but without the staff what would Skeletor be...LOL

Skeletor




















Skeletor's staff


Battle Cat

Now on to Battle Cat, the favourite ride for He-Man.
I really love every bit of Battle Cat.
The detail work is excellent, with all the details of the fur and hair being so outstanding.
The saddle and armor are also very well sculpted.

The paint ops for the MOTU classic line is very good and it continues for Battle Cat.
The paint is clean and there is almost no paint slop at the stripes, eyes and teeth, areas likely to have paint slop.

The saddle and armor are also painted very well and with the slight wash, it makes the saddle and armor stand out as some sort of metallic material rather than plastic.

Articulation is also great on Battle Cat. You can derive so many poses out of this sexy beast.
I especially love the articulated jaw so you can pose him with his mouth wide open showing off his fearsome bone crushing teeth.

Battle Cat












Full Armor Battle Cat
















Panthor

Panthor is the evil equivalent to Battle Cat.
Just like Battle Cat, the sculpting, painting and articulation are just perfect.

In the original 80's toy line, Panthor is flocked and I was disappointed in this version Mattel did not follow the original toy line.

However when I got him, the excellent paint job did manage to give the feel that Panthor was flocked. Brillant.

In terms of accessories, Mattel deviated from the original by giving Panthor an armor head dress.
From the pictures I totally did not like it but once I got my hands on him, I completely changed my mind. The armor head dress with the horns does add a new look and feel to Panthor. It was really a nice addition.
However I am a sucker for staying true to the original so I will be displaying Panthor without it.

Panthor










Full Armor Panthor
















Comparison of sculpting between Battle Cat & Panthor

I would have thought that Mattel would use the same sculpt for both Battle Cat and Panthor but how wrong I was.

They are actually both different sculpts with subtle differences.
Way to go Mattel!

Notice the differences






Cute paws


Battle time!