Name: Twistoid Faction: Evil Warriors Approximate US release date: November 11, 1987
Like many figures from the 1987 wave of figures, I never once encountered Rotar either in a toy store or at a friend’s house. He was a gimmick-heavy figure that was produced in very low numbers at the tail end of the line, and so is one of the most expensive figures to find used today.
Unfortunately I don’t have much information about the design history of Twistoid. I can share some dates from public filings involving Twistoid, as well as the date of the earliest ad I’ve been able to find for the figure. I’ll note that I suspect Twistoid was released earlier than November 1987, but ads that year for Masters of the Universe toys are few and far between:
• 06/23/1986: Rotar patent filed • 09/30/1986: Twistoid first use in commerce filing • 10/06/1986: Twistoid trademarked • 11/11/1987: First Twistoid newspaper ad
Figure & Packaging
Twistoid came with a few different accessories. He had a scythe weapon to help him cut down enemies when he was spinning. He had a pedestal that he could stand on while spinning, and he had rotating “hatchet whipper” accessory consisting of a purple center piece and two orange hatchets attached. After revving up Twistoid’s spinning action feature (done manually by dragging the point across the floor), Twistoid could be placed on the hatchet whipper, which would cause it to spin. Like Rotar, the back of his helmet looks quite face-like, perhaps to help him appear to have a visible face even while spinning.
The figure itself was a 100% new tool, with blocky robot arms and a garish color scheme. His nose and mouth actually look organic, although canonically he’s just a robot (more on that later). Like Sy-Klone, his arms were ball jointed and were loose enough to raise to horizontal position while spinning.
Twistoid was packed on an oversized, deluxe card. The front of the card features an illustration by Bruce Timm, while the back is illustrated by Errol McCarthy.
Rotar and Twistoid were both packed with this instruction booklet (images via He-Man.org):
There seems to have been a different set of instructions, with different illustrations and layout, in the Spanish release. (Image source: Mundo Masters).
Image source: Mundo Masters. Cleaned up by Jukka IssakainenImage source: Mundo Masters. Cleaned up by Jukka Issakainen
Backstory & Comics
Twistoid appeared in the 1987 Style Guide, where he was given a backstory. It’s made clear in his bio that he’s an android, rather than a cyborg like Rotar:
Name: Twistoid Group Affiliation: Evil Warriors Role: Evil Energy Droid Power: Ability to store up immense amounts of energy, then burst out in a super spinning action, plowing over warriors and taking on heroic Energy Droids. Character Profile: Created by Skeletor as an answer to the heroic droid built by Man-At-Arms, Twistoid is a purely robotic Energy Droid that loves nothing more than to spin into battle and slam Rotar like crazy! Weapons: Ball and chain, whirling sword and terror-gears. Year of toy intro: 1987
Twistoid came packaged with a minicomic entitled Energy Zoids. Interestingly this is different from the “Energy Droids” appellation in the Style Guide. In the story, Rotar is a wounded solder who was healed inside Man-At-Arms’ gyro machine. Skeletor, seeing the capability of the machine, decides to steal it and kidnap Rotar. In the process, Rotar is turned to stone by Snake Face’s gaze. Later, Skeletor creates the robot Twistoid using the Gyro Machine. Rotar is released from stone and forced to fight Twistoid. The story was written by Phil White, with pencils by Chris Carlson.
Comic images courtesy of Jukka Issakainen
Unfortunately, to my knowledge this was the only appearance of Twistoid in any vintage comic story.
Artwork & Advertisements
Twistoid appears in the background of the 1987 Preternia poster by William George:
Image courtesy of Jukka Issakainen
Twistoid also appeared in this Swedish illustrated pinup:
He also appears in a number of international ads:
Image via Grayskull MuseumImage via Grayskull MuseumImage via He-Man.orgImage via Newspapers.comImage via Grayskull Museum
Rotar in Action
Thanks to Øyvind Meisfjord for providing the image and video below showcasing Rotar and Twistoid in action!
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Ninety-nine point nine percent of the stuff I collect is Masters of the Universe-related (most often from the vintage or the MOTU Classics lines, and occasionally MOTU Origins). Very rarely something outside of that narrow window breaks through into my consciousness, and most recently that’s the Frazetta Icon Collectibles line by Frazetta Girls.
I first encountered their original Darkwolf prototype when it was shown off by designer Eamon O’Donoghue at Power-Con 2023. I first became a fan of Eamon’s from the old He-Man.org Roast Gooble Dinner podcast, which was a part of my education and reintroduction to Masters of the Universe back in 2012 or so. Eamon is also a commercial illustrator who has worked on many Masters of the Universe properties, most recently packaging art for the Masterverse line.
The standard version of the Frazetta Icon Collectibles Darkwolf figure was shipped out by Frazetta Girls at the beginning of this year, which already seems like a long time ago. So how does this PX Previews Exclusive version stack up? Let’s find out!
Packaging
The packaging for the exclusive version of Darkwolf is slightly different from the previous release. Both the original Darkwolf and the recent Teegra figures featured Frazetta artwork on the front, originating from the Fire and Ice movie poster:
Front packaging for the original Darkwolf – also used for TeegraThe back of the packaging for the original Darkwolf and Teegra Figures
For the PX Previews Exclusive version (produced in a small quantity of 1,000 figures), we are treated to a different Frazetta painting on the front of the packaging:
As with the other figures in this line, the front cover of the packaging opens to reveal a window box that shows the figure inside, with all his accessories:
Figure
The PX Exclusive Darkwolf is similar to the original release. While the original was based closely on Frazetta’s Darkwolf as he appeared in the movie poster, this version is inspired by the character’s look in Ralph Bakshi’s Fire and Ice animated film. What’s the difference between the two looks? In the film, Darkwolf has wolf paw bracers and a differently-shaped axe. He’s also darker in color.
Other than the differences outlined above, Darkwolf comes with the same assortment accessories as the main release. He has three different facial expressions that can be plugged into his head. He comes with his animated-style axe (which looks a bit meaner than the axe that came with the original release), a bow and three arrows, and nine different hands, including one that is designed to help him hold an arrow.
PX Exclusive Darkwolf with all accessoriesPX Exclusive Darkwolf with axe, featuring his closed mouth facePX Exclusive Darkwolf with bow and arrow, featuring “gritted teeth” faceDarkwolf from the back and sidesDarkwolf vs MOTU Classics Demo-Man. Darkwolf features the “yelling” face hereDarkwolf vs MOTU Classics Skeletor
Darkwolf’s eyes in the animated Fire and Ice movie read as pale green to me, and I’m a little disappointed that yellow was used for the eyes of this figure, just like the first release. Still, he’s beautifully sculpted, with highly detailed fur and intricately detailed muscles and veins. Some dark gray dry brushing brings out the relief on his fur costume. There’s some nice brown wash on his bone necklace to give it some realism. The metallic elements on his axe and his belt are particularly nice, with very naturalistic weathering. The attention to sound anatomical details and proportions is appreciated.
For comparison with previous releases in this line, below are a couple side-by side shots of both versions of Darkwolf, as well as a group shot with Teegra:
Original release (left) vs PX Exclusive Darkwolf (right) PX Exclusive Darkwolf (left) vs original releaseFrom left to right: original releaseDarkwolf, Teegra, and the PX Exclusive Darkwolf
And here’s both versions of Darkwolf on a turntable:
Articulation
I have always disliked articulation that breaks up the sculpt of a figure too much (especially for figures showing a lot of exposed flesh), so I’ve really enjoyed the design philosophy of the Frazetta Icon Collectibles line. The elbows and knees are single-jointed, just like real human elbows and knees, so they look naturalistic when posed. Both can bend slightly more than 90 degrees. The knees and elbows include hidden swivel joints, which eliminate the need for a boot cut. In the shoulder joints are a cleverly hidden extra ball joint that allows the shoulders to pivot forward and backward, eliminating the need for a bicep cut.
In place of a waist swivel, the torso articulation allows the figure to twist and rock in any direction. The ball joints at the wrist and ankles allow for dynamic posing. The ball-jointed hips also include hidden swivels. All of the costume elements of the figure (minus the cowl) are removable, although heat is advised when taking apart the torso or removing the feet.
Many action figure collectors do look for double-jointed knees and elbows, prioritizing articulation over the integrity of the sculpture. In nature, our single-jointed elbows and knees allow us to bend our joints much further than 90 degrees, because we are of course made of flesh, not unyielding plastic. Double-jointed knees and elbows provide a more realistic range of motion, but sacrifice the sculpt and the anatomy.
I understand that the upcoming Frazetta Icon Collectibles Conan figure may have double-jointed knees, based on fan feedback. In my view double-jointed knees look fine until you actually bend them, at which point they make the figure look like it’s had a tragic skiing accident! But honestly as far as knees go I probably won’t be too bothered either way, as I tend to keep my figures standing fairly straight.
Articulation details
For more about articulation and removable parts for Darkwolf, see Eamon’s video below:
A Bit of History
I am by no means an expert on Frazetta, but I thought I would pass on some interesting early Darkwolf sketches that were shared by Frazetta Girls and artist Steven E. Gordon on Facebook. Apparently early on in the design for the character, Darkwolf was going to have most of his face exposed, rather than the Batman-esque furry cowl look he eventually got. The sketches that Steven E. Gordon did have been recolored in red to differentiate them from Frazetta’s work:
Final Thoughts
I’ve gone back and forth trying to figure out which version of Darkwolf I prefer. There are things I like about both versions, and I find myself unable to choose. I’d say you really can’t go wrong with either one. The PX version was done in limited quantities and is therefore more expensive at $100 (currently still available at Big Bad Toy Store). The original release is $70. It’s sold out, although there is a waitlist for more at the Frazetta Girls website.
I look forward to future releases from Frazetta Icon Collectibles, in particular the Norseman figure, set for a December release date, and their Conan figure, coming sometime next year.
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Recently in the Masters of the Universe Technical Variant group on Facebook, some images of 1986 and 1987 MOTU product lists were posted by MOTUology, Sean McMurtrey and Kris Oneida. Many thanks in advance to them for posting their images, and especially to Kris for providing higher res images for this article.
I remember seeing the 1986 list years ago, but I lost track of the image. Looking at it and the 1987 list now, there is quite a lot of valuable information in both lists, and I’d like to provide my analysis here. I think this information not only gives us a clearer picture of how the Masters of the Universe line was distributed in the US, but also what eventually ended up killing it.
For some background, I’ve already done quite a lot of work in trying to understand the timeline of the production dates and release dates of Masters of the Universe toys, gathering dates from copyright filings, trademark filings, patent filings, concept art dates and the earliest appearances of each toy in newspaper ads. You can find that information in the articles below:
Of the two articles above, the Newspaper Ads Timeline is the most relevant to this discussion. It fits rather closely with the data found in the 1986 MOTU Product List, with a few outliers. The product lists (in a letter dated March 10, 1987) appear to have been sent out by Mattel in response to a customer inquiry about which products were currently available. The customer seems to have been trying to get a hold of a Mattel catalog.
The customer service response from Mattel was that their catalogs were intended for retailers, not consumers, but they did provide the person with lists of all of the current figures. The lists included the four digit SKU number (SKU stands for Stock Keeping Unit – each individual product had a unique number) for each toy, and importantly, the date range for each of them as well.
My assumption is that these dates represent the dates that Mattel was shipping these products out to retailers. For example, for Attak Trak, the list says “83 – 85.” That would mean that Mattel was shipping Attak Traks to US retailers from 1983 to 1985, but did not ship any more units out in 1986. However, some stores might still have had some Attak Traks on shelves in 1986, left over from the previous year.
Images courtesy of Kris Oneida
At the end of the article I have included text transcriptions of these lists that are searchable, for convenience. Immediately below you’ll find my key findings from this information:
The “1986 1/2” Wave of Toys
Some figures are listed as “86 – Current.” These are the figures that we typically think of as belonging to the 1986 wave of figures, such as Rio Blast, Dragstor, and King Hiss. However there are some toys that are designated “86 1/2 – Current.” Meaning these were kind of an additional wave of figures released later in 1986. These are figures that are normally associated with the 1987 wave of figures, and appear in Mattel’s 1987 Dealer Catalog, not the 1986 catalog. When I put together my timeline of earliest advertising dates for figures, I did in fact find that many so-called 1987 figures were in stores by November and December 1986. Here are the newspaper ad dates I found for traditionally “1987” figures that were released ahead of schedule:
11/27/1986: First Beam Blaster & Artilleray newspaper ad 11/27/1986: First Mosquitor newspaper ad 11/27/1986: First Ninjor newspaper ad 11/27/1986: First Scare Glow newspaper ad 11/27/1986: First Snake Face newspaper ad 12/09/1986: First Clamp Champ newspaper ad 12/09/1986: First King Randor newspaper ad 12/09/1986: First Faker (reissue) newspaper ad
1986 Scare Glow figure, intended for the 1987 wave. Image source: Hakes Auctions.
However, the 1986 MOTU Product List actually includes several more “1986 1/2” figures that were released early, including:
• Buzz-Saw Hordak • Blast Attak (called Krak Attak, probably an early name for the figure) • Sorceress • Sssqueeze • Tyrantisaurus Rex
For the above figures, I didn’t find any ads for them until some time in 1987. However, toward the end of the line, MOTU was advertised very sparsely in newspapers because it was dying off – I find it very plausible that these toys were actually in stores by late 1986, and either weren’t advertised in 1986, or were advertised too sparsely to have made it into the Newspapers.com database.
For a look at what Mattel had originally planned to ship in 1986 and 1987, see the catalog images linked in the articles below:
Some Mattel employees have talked about how over-shipping killed the Masters of the Universe line in the 1980s. What they’ve said is that some senior executives took some of the warehouse stock reserved for the European market and shipped it out to US stores in order to improve their own performance metrics. These were existing figures that had already sold through and were no longer in demand in the US. However, shipping these figures out to retailers was counted as a win on paper, and would be reflected in their year-end bonuses.
Stores had the practice of over-ordering, because they would usually get fewer figures than they asked for from Mattel. So if they actually wanted 20 figures, and asked for 20 figures, they might only get 10. So they would instead ask for 30 figures, expecting to get 20. It was understood by both sides that stores actually wanted less product than they were ordering, but the executives opted to ship them the full amount so they could make their performance metrics. This happened not once, but twice. For more on this, check out the Toy Masters podcast, episode 4. Paul Cleveland, a former marketing leader at Mattel, discusses the problem in depth.
On top of that, I would posit that these “1986 1/2” figures that had originally been intended for 1987 may have also been a part of what killed the line. The main 1986 wave already had more unique SKUs than any previous wave in Masters of the Universe history. Adding more “1986 1/2” figures on top of that wave, on top of the older figures Mattel had shipped out from their reserve stock would have absolutely overwhelmed the toy shelves with Masters product. In short, 1986 was a mess, with a huge glut of product that choked the life out of the brand. Although Masters was extremely popular, no brand could have survived such reckless over-shipping. So to sum up, this is what was being shipped to US stores in 1986:
Excess product from the previous year that was originally intended for Europe
A gigantic wave of new figures for 1986
Another smaller wave of new figures originally intended for 1987, rushed out in late 1986
For reference, here is the new SKU count for each annual wave of Masters of the Universe:
1982: 12 new SKUs 1983: 11 new SKUs, 12 if you include Mekaneck rushed out in December 1983 1984: 17 new SKUs 1985: 19 new SKUs 1986: 35 new SKUs 1986 1/2: 12 new SKUs 1987: 12 new SKUs
MOTU Toy Shelves during happier times
Night Stalker
One outlier in this data is Night Stalker. The list says that Night Stalker was shipped from 1984 – 1986. However, I have not found any Night Stalker ads in 1984, when MOTU ads were extremely plentiful. The earliest Night Stalker ad I’ve found dates to June 14, 1985. Moreover, all of the Night Stalker packaging I’ve seen shows off other 1985 toys on the back of the box, such as Moss Man, Stinkor and Land Shark, indicating that Night Stalker really did come out in 1985. I think the date on this list is a mistake, and the dates for Night Stalker should be 1985 – 1986. But as always if new data comes out I will update the blog.
Night Stalker and other toys on shelves, presumably 1985
Mekaneck
Mekaneck is listed having been shipped to stores from 1983 – 1985. Way back when I started this blog, I was skeptical of fan claims that Mekaneck was a 1983 figure. However, a couple of years back I did eventually find two pieces of evidence that he was shipped out in December 1983, which you can read about here. My theory now on Mekaneck is that he was rushed out early for Christmas because the 1983 line had a fairly sparse wave of figures. Getting an extra figure out early was a way of getting some new product out in stores for the holidays. Without Mekaneck, the 1983 wave would have had fewer new SKUs than any other wave, and it was relying heavily on reissues of product from 1982 to keep Masters stocked in stores. Mark Taylor’s departure from Mattel in 1982 (when the 1983 wave was being developed) must have left the company scrambling, and it took them some time to put together a new design team. That also explains why the 1983 wave was front loaded with easy repaints like Faker, Special Offer He-Man (so-called Wonder Bread He-Man, who doesn’t have a SKU), and Evil-Lyn, who required only a new head and wand.
1983 Mekaneck figure, via eBay/Wheeljack’s Lab
Snake Face
Snake Face is an anomaly on this list. He appears in the 1987 list, not the “1986 1/2” wave on the product sheet. However, I did find a newspaper ad for the Snake Face figure dating to November 27, 1986. That means he should have appeared in the 1986 1/2 wave, correct? Maybe. It’s also possible that the newspaper ad was incorrect and the retailer didn’t actually have Snake Face available for sale yet. Either option is a possibility.
Snake Face figure. Image via LCG Auctions.
Missing products, unproduced products
The 1987 list includes Gigantisaur, a toy that Mattel intended to make that ended up being cancelled. It also omits Scubattack for some reason, perhaps just a simple oversight due to human error. The Meteorbs do not show up in the 1986 list, although we know they were released that year.
The Meteorbs
Product Life Cycle
Another key piece of information that I’ve gleaned from the 1986 and 1987 product lists are the product life cycles for each individual toy. Assuming the dates are largely accurate, we now have real data about exactly how long each individual toy was being shipped out to the US market by Mattel.
So which figures were in the market for longest? Let’s find out!
First, a quick note on how I’m calculating years. If a figure was available during 1984 and 1985, I’m calling that two years. Product was being shipped out from Mattel over the course of two different calendar years, even if the total number of days may have been less than two years, technically. I believe that’s how Mattel calculated things too; the 1986 Flying Fists He-Man was called the “Fifth Anniversary Edition He-Man,” even though it had only been four years since He-Man debuted in stores. They were looking at it by how many different calendar years the product had been appearing in stores. Hopefully that makes sense!
5 Calendar Years
The following figures were in the market for the longest, from 1982 to 1986. The only one that surprised me here was Wind Raider. It’s not that it’s not a popular vehicle, but it beat out the Battle Ram, which I think is even more popular with fans today. Maybe it survived longer because it was smaller and less expensive. Or maybe it was just more popular than I think! Update: it looks like He-Man and Skeletor may have been shipped out in limited quantities in 1987 as well, so they may actually have been shipped for a total of 6 calendar years – the totality of the duration of the line in the US. More information on that has been added toward the end of the article.
These toys were on the market during four calendar years. Probably the most surprising thing to me is that of all the 1983 human-shaped figures, Evil-Lyn lasted the longest. I also wouldn’t have expected Stratos and Mer-Man to be on the market quite that long. Mer-Man is one of my favorites, but reportedly he tested poorly during product testing.
Some of the more popular 1984 characters like Prince Adam and Orko likely could have lasted longer if the line hadn’t started to tank in 1986. Surprisingly Trap Jaw shipped only until 1985. I would have thought he would have lasted longer than that.
It appears that Zodac is the least popular toy of the original 1982 wave, which doesn’t surprise me, but a three calendar year run is still pretty respectable, all things considered. Faker is interesting because he is the only figure in this list with a break in production; he was available from Mattel in 1983 – 1984 and then reissued in the “hard head” format in 1986.
1986 Faker figure, intended for the 1987 wave. Image source: LCG Auctions.
2 Calendar Years
This list is full of a lot of 1985 characters. For the most part their product life cycle was probably cut unnaturally short by the over-shipping problem. Still a few things to mention – Point Dread and Talon Fighter only lasted from 1983 to 1984. Clawful, Fisto and Whiplash only lasted from 1984 to 1985, despite my perception that they are all pretty popular characters. The same goes for Battle Armor He-Man and Battle Armor Skeletor. I wonder if those last two were cut short by Mattel to make way for the other He-Man and Skeletor variants that followed. Fans today universally seem to consider the Battle Armor variants to be the two most popular He-Man and Skeletor variants in the vintage line. Interestingly Clamp Champ is the only figure on the 1986 list who also appears in the 1987 list, although he is called by his early working name “Klamp Champ” in the 1986 list.
This list is mostly 1986 and 1987 figures that never got a chance to be reissued for additional years due to the tanking of the line. There is one exception to that, and it’s Spikor. Spikor is the only pre-1986 figure in the entire line that was shipped during only one calendar year. I’ll be honest, Spikor is my least favorite figure of all the figures from 1982 – 1985, so on some level it vindicates my blah feeling toward the figure. Still, he seems to have plenty of fans and I would have expected him to have been shipped for at least two calendar years. As previously mentioned. the 1987 product list includes Gigantisaur, which didn’t end up getting released.
Spikor, who shipped from Mattel only in 1985. Image via LCG Auctions.
Caveats on Accuracy
In writing this analysis I’m assuming that the information on these lists is largely correct. I’m fairly certain that the 1986 list contains at least one error (the dating on Night Stalker), possibly two (the Snake Face appearance in the 1987 wave rather than the “1986 1/2” wave), and it’s always possible that I may find information in the future that will contradict other parts of the lists. If so, I’ll provide an update.
Update: Brian Jones points out that he remembers seeing the original versions of He-Man and Skeletor on the shelves in 1987 when the movie came out, with 1987 MOTU movie stickers on the blisters. It’s possible that Mattel did ship out a small batch of new He-Man and Skeletor figures with the 1987 movie sticker added to the bubble to try to take advantage of the movie and sell some more units. Another possibility is that the stickers were added to existing product after the fact. According to MOTUology, these figures were marked G9 on the back and were the last He-Man and Skeletor figures produced. They are not present on the 1987 product list, but it could have been a decision made after that particular list was made. I’ll provide more updates as I learn more.
Image: MOTUology. Interestingly it is packed with one of the 1984 minicomics.
My take is that these lists are probably largely correct, even if there are a couple of errors, and they are enormously helpful on providing a clearer picture of the actual distribution and eventual demise of the original Masters of the Universe line in the US.
Text Transcriptions of the lists
I’ve transcribed the 1986 and 1987 lists below, so that you can search for any toy by name. Please note that “Current” in the 1986 list just means 1986, and “Current” in the 1987 list means 1987.
1986 MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE LIST
Attak Trak 5470: 83 – 85 Bashasaurus 9039: 85 – Current Battle Armor He-Man 7302: 84 – 85 Battle Armor Skeletor 7301: 84 – 85 Battle Bones 9173: 85 – Current Battle Cat 5048: 82 – Current Battle Ram 3990: 82 – 85 Beam Blaster 3139: 86 ½ – Current Beastman 5043: 82 – Current Blasterhawk 2607: 86 – Current Buzz-Off 4923: 84 – Current Buzz Saw Hordak 1732: 86 ½ – Current Castle Grayskull 3991: 82 – Current Clawful 7017: 84 – 85 Dragon Blaster Skeletor 9017: 85 – Current Dragon Walker: 4902: 84 – 85 Dragstor 2313: 86 – Current Eternia 2855: 86 – Current Evil Lyn 4712: 83 – Current Extendar 2797: 86 – Current Faker 4482: 83 – 84, 86 ½ – Current Fisto 7015: 84 – 85 Flying Fists He-Man 9413: 86 – Current Fright Fighter 1053: 86 – Current Fright Zone 9410: 85 – Current Grizzlor 9171: 85 – Current Hordak 9172: 85 – Current Horde Trooper 2549: 86 – Current Hurricane Hordak 9413: 86 – Current Jet Sled 2084: 86 – Current Jitsu 4924: 84 – 85 King Hiss 2420: 86 – Current King Randor 3068: 86 ½ – Current Klamp Champ [Clamp Champ] 3073: 86 ½ – Current Kobra Khan 7098: 84 – Current Krak Attak [Blast Attak] 1710: 86 ½ – Current Land Shark 7892: 85 – Current Laser Bolt 9602: 86 – Current Leech 9169: 85 – Current Man-At-Arms 5041: 82 – Current Man-E-Faces 5879: 83 – 85 Mantenna 9168: 85 – Current Mantisaur 2085: 86 – Current Mega laser 2083: 86 – Current Mekaneck 4919: 83 – 85 Merman 5046: 82 – 85 Modulok 9174: 85 – Current Monstroid 2418: 86 – Current Mosquitor 1191: 86 ½ – Current Moss Man 9219: 85 – Current Multi-Bot 2312: 86 – Current Night Stalker 4965: 84 – Current Ninjor 3069: 86 ½ – Current Original He-Man 5040: 82 – Current Original Skeletor 5042 82 – Current Orko 7354: 84 – Current Panthor 4714: 83 – Current Point Dread/Talon Fighter 4306: 83 – 84 Prince Adam 7353: 84 – Current Ram Man 5896: 83 – 84 Rattlor 2036: 86 – Current Rio Blast 2792 86 – Current Road Ripper 4903: 84 – 85 Roboto 9041: 85 – Current Rokkon 9863: 86 – Current Roton 4892: 84 – Current Scare Glow 3072: 86 ½ – Current Screech 4713: 83 – 85 Slime 2487: 86 – Current Slime Pit 9989: 86 – Current Snake Mountain: 4949: 84 – Current Snout Spout 2803: 86 – Current Sorceress 1787: 86 ½ – Current Spikor 7986: 85 – 85 Spydor 9055: 85 – Current Squeeze 1417: 86 ½ – Current. Stilt Stalkers 2082: 86 – Current Stinkor 9236: 85 – Current Stonedar 9862: 86 – Current Stratos 5047: 82 – 85 Stridor 4966: 84 – Current Sy-Klone 7997: 85 – Current Teela 5045: 82 – Current Terror Claws Skeletor 9413: 86 – Current Thunder Punch He-Man 9056: 85 – Current Trap Jaw 4302: 83 – 85 Tri-Klops 4301: 83 – 85 Tung Lashor 2331: 86 – Current Two Bad 9040: 85 – Current Tyrantisauros-Rex [Tyrantisaurus Rex] 1273: 86 ½ – Current Weapons Pack 7303: 84 – Current Webstor 4895: 84 – Current Whiplash 4935: 84 – 85 Windraider 5117: 82 – Current Zoar 4014: 83 – Current Zodak 5044: 82 – 84
1987 MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE LIST
Blade Figure 3295: 87 – Current Bionatops 3061: 87 – Current Clamp Champ 3073: 87 – Current Cliff Climber Power Gear 1942: 87 – Current Evil Twistoid Figure 3025: 87 – Current Gigantisaur 1399: 87 – Current Gwildor Figure 3294: 87 – Current Heroic Rotar Figure 3024: 87 – Current Saurod Creature 3670: 87 – Current Snake Face 1967: 87 – Current Tower Tools Power Gear 1947: 87 – Current Turbodactyl 1858: 87 – Current
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Name: Stilt Stalkers Faction: Heroic Warriors Approximate US release date: July 18, 1986
Stilt Stalkers were an inexpensive accessory for Masters of the Universe figures that never got onto my radar as a kid. They kind of function as a way of giving any figure the abilities of Extendar, although it’s hard to imagine them having much practical use in a battle situation!
Design & Development
Stilt Stalkers were designed by Ted Mayer as part of a series of low-cost accessories for the line, which also included Jet Sled and Megalaser. The concept art below, dated July 18, 1984, shows the basic idea of a telescoping set of stilts outfitted with weapons.
Image source: The Power and the Honor Foundation
The prototype is a simplified version of the concept art, with a similar color scheme (other than the guns), and flattened feet:
Image courtesy of Ted Mayer
The final prototype appears in the 1986 Mattel catalog, below. The design is more or less finalized, but the example below is hand-painted. You can see that two additional clip-on accessories have been added to the “legs,” including a radar dish and a spinning grabber accessory. The feet in this version are closer to the original concept art. The color scheme has been updated to silver, blue and black.
Image via Nathalie NHT
Toy & Packaging
Stilt Stalkers were sold on a blister card. The action art scene on the back was illustrated by an unknown artist. It includes instructions on how to assemble and telescope the Stilt Stalkers, and also how to store them on the included armor piece. The cross sell art is by William George.
Note that this particular card came from Mattel’s archives and was not available at retail, given the stickers at the top.
Curiously the Euro/multilingual version of the card featured some nice artwork in front, while the US version did not. This may have been illustrated by either Bruce Timm or William George:
Image via Subito
The cross sell artwork for Stilt Stalkers featured only the accessory itself, with no figure. However the 2015 Art of He-Man book showed a draft of the cross sell art that was to feature He-Man:
Stilt Stalkers cross sell artUnfinished version of the cross sell art featuring He-Man
The armor included with the set was similar to armor that came with with Jet Sled, although the back was modified to allow it to store the Stilt Stalkers. It features a stylized version of He-Man’s cross templar on the front:
Øyvind Meisfjord has shared the following media of Stilt Stalkers in action:
Stilt Stalkers appeared in the Mattel Style Guide, with an illustration by Errol McCarthy. As this was an inexpensive accessory, there wasn’t much of a backstory for them. It just says: “Enables He-Man to walk tall on the battlefield. Blasts enemies from above.”
Image via He-Man.org
Comic Appearances
Stilt Stalkers appeared in a single page in the 1986 minicomic, Snake Attack, although it is referenced by name in a previous page. He-Man appears to be using them to navigate through the swamp, although of course Extendar doesn’t need them.
Image: Dark Horse/Jukka Issakainen
Both Stilt Stalkers and Megalaser appear throughout issue 32 of the UK comics, in the stories The Mantisaur parts one and two. Man-At-Arms develops Stilt Stalkers and Megalaser as a way of combatting Hordak’s new Mantisaur (images come from MOTUCFigures.com):
Stilt Stalkers also appear in the German Ehapa Verlag series, in issue 11, 1988. They are used by He-Man, Man-At-Arms and Fisto to traverse a watery cave. In the story they are attacked by an octopus creature while using Stilt Stalkers:
Images via He-Man.org
Other Appearances
Stilt Stalkers appear in the 1986 Eternia poster by William George, featuring Moss Man:
Image via Jukka Issakainen
The Style Guide art by Errol McCarthy was also reprinted as a poster for the UK Comics:
Stilt Stalkers also appeared in an ad in the 1988 series of Magic Boy magazines, which featured He-Man comics in Italian:
Image via Poochi & Friends
Stilt Stalkers don’t have a ton of cache in the MOTU mythos, as they were a simple set of accessories released late in the line. It was pretty common for toylines to offer such accessories as a means of getting product out at a lower price point. The first example of this in the vintage line was the Weapons Pak, released in 1984.
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