Author: Adam McCombs
Thunder Punch He-Man (1992)
Written by Adam McCombs
The confusingly named Thunder Punch He-man from the “New Adventures” line was released in limited numbers as the line was dying out in 1992. The 1992 figure lineup was entirely populated with variants of existing characters, all of them bigger and bulkier than previous figures in the rebooted 1989 He-Man line.
Design & Development
Thunder Punch He-Man was designed by Martin Arriola, who joined Mattel in 1982. He worked on the original Masters of the Universe line, and he would go on to design many of the heroic Galactic Guardian characters in the rebooted He-Man line. Unfortunately I don’t have any concept art for the figure, but I do have some images of the hard copy prototype.
Thunder Punch He-Man’s design fused some elements found in the 1989 version of He-Man as well as the 1990 Battle Punch He-Man. He had tall gold and brown boots, blue pants, and a gold and red HM symbol on his belt. He was bare-chested, with one gold bracer on his right wrist. The bracer was actually based on the Thunder Punch role play toy, and I’ll get into that later. All of his accessories were made primarily from translucent yellow plastic, including a harness, a large shield and and an all new Power Sword design. He had short hair, unlike Battle Punch He-Man.
Thunder Punch He-Man was quite a bit beefier than previous versions of the figure, almost as muscular as the original He-Man. The original figures in the 1989 line were relatively slender, similar in size and scale to the Princess of Power Bow figure. The 1992 wave represented a return to the muscular builds of the original line. Perhaps this change was meant to save the line from dying out at retail, but it obviously wasn’t enough.
First, here are some images of hard copy prototypes from an old eBay auction put up by the designer himself:
From the original auction description:
Figures are @ 6″ with sword, “deflector shield” and harness.
You get THREE prototype figures – 3 identical – each with their own removable sword, shield and harness.
These are all HAND MADE, HAND PAINTED and HAND assembled resin prototypes from Mattel’s He-Man classic 1992 re-launch that was mostly canceled with a VERY LIMITED number of figures released to retail. This figure was released as New Adventure’s “Thunder Punch” He Man which adds to the confusion as that was a name assigned to another version but anyway, these are the prototypes created for a TV commercial that was never shot.
What better than to hear it directly from billion-dollar club toy designer, Martin A. who was the Senior Design Lead on He Man during this time.
Normally, we only create one prototype for all the responsible parties to sign off on but when a TV commercial is on the schedule, we create extras to make sure if anything happens to figure during the shoot, we can sub in another quickly.
The accessories – sword, “deflector shield” harness are plastic and not resin.
As you can see, the figures had to be “checked out” – YES, you get the original INTERNAL BOX plus the “library card” you’re supposed to fill out to check it out. But since the TV commercial shoot was canceled, the “library” never asked for the box and the figures back.
The check out system was interesting, and so is the fact that the figure was going to be in a commercial that got cancelled. The “Thunder Punch” accessory on He-Man’s wrist was not painted on the hard copy version.
Below are some images shared by Fabio Leone that show more of the box and the figure:
One thing that is not apparent by looking at the hard copy by itself is that it was noticeably bigger than the actual mass-produced toy. Below are some comparison shots, courtesy of Freddy Guardia:
In one of the auctions, Martin Arriola provided an illustration of the figure. This isn’t concept art since it was done long after the fact, but it probably is quite similar to the original concept art, which may have been lost:
Toy & Packaging
The figure was released on the the standard “New Adventures” card, with an action image on the front and a bio on the back.
The back of the card provided this bio for the figure:
The Most Powerful Man in the Universe! He holds the fate of Primus and the rest of the universe in his powerful hands. Eternian strength flows through his sword arm and thunder rumbles in his punch.
Mission: To champion the good for all times, past and future.
Battle Equipment: Sword, deflector shield & battle harness
The figure’s action feature is a return to the old “power punch” feature of the original Masters of the Universe line. His face is a bit ugly compared to the original, but he is otherwise a pretty nice looking toy.
It’s actually a bit difficult to find these in good shape, and that’s particularly true of the sword. Most often the handle has snapped off over time. The figure’s right hand holds it quite tightly, and the translucent plastic becomes brittle with age. Combine that with his difficulty in remaining standing due to the way his feet are sculpted, and any Thunder Punch He-man who is holding his sword is probably going to break it the first time he falls over. If yours isn’t broken, it’s probably wise to holster the sword on his back – that way it’s much less likely to break if the figure falls over.
On his wrist, He-Man had a sculpted version of the full size Electronic Thunder Punch role play toy. In the “New Adventures” He-Man line, Mattel released a series of role play toys. The most famous were the Electronic Power Sword and Electronic Skull Staff, but there were also two wrist-mounted toys, the Electronic Thunder Punch and the Electronic Terror Punch. The wrist mounted accessories were released in 1992, the same year as Thunder Punch He-Man. The Electronic Thunder Punch could make four different battle sounds, two activated by physically punching, and two activated with a push of a button.
Other Media
Because Thunder Punch He-Man came out at the tail end of the line, he doesn’t have much in the way of appearances in other media. He does show up in a New Adventures playing card set. In fact the image below appears to be one of the hard copy prototypes. He-Man has brighter yellow and less translucent armor, which is how he is depicted in his packaging art as well:
He also appeared in a Spanish Club He-Man magazine as part of a coloring page, along with Battle Blade Skeletor:
The above image was actually based on an appearance of the figure in the 1991 German magazine, He-Man News:
In the above image, He-Man is described like this:
The new He-Man is even stronger, even more muscular, even faster. With his swinging hip rotation he puts even more power behind his fist. His sword, his shield and his two-part armor are also new.
I hope you enjoyed this look at the 1992 Thunder Punch He-Man. For reference, the other versions of He-Man and Skeletor in this line are covered in the articles linked below:
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He-Man and the Power Sword sample, the Lords of Power, and the French connection
Written by Adam McCombs
One of the most interesting of the minicomic variants is the sample version of the first comic, He-Man and the Power Sword, illustrated by Alfredo Alcala. It’s called the sample version that because on the cash rebate offer toward the end of the comic, it’s stamped over with the word “SAMPLE” on both sides, indicating that the comic itself was just an early sample, and therefore the rebate wasn’t valid:
As a side note, I’ve done a lot of research about dates for the release of the Masters of the Universe line. Multiple lines of evidence indicate that He-Man was released starting in May of 1982. I’ll note however that the date on the rebate indicates a purchase window of March 1, 1982 to January 31, 1983. There has long been talk of an early test market release for He-Man, on a limited basis, prior to its wide release in stores across the country. It’s possible that these test market figures (typically identified as the “G0” early release MOTU cards) were released in March of 1982, but I’d want more evidence to be able to say that with any degree of confidence. I actually don’t know what the source is for the test market pre-release claim. It could stem from an interview with someone at Mattel, or it could just be a fan theory. If anyone has any sources, please contact me!
Sample Comic and its Logo
Regarding the sample comic in question, I know from my interview with Alfredo Alcala Jr. that his father received a number of copies of this early sample after its printing. In the interview he also referred to the comic as an artist’s proof. Mattel employees working on the brand also received copies of the sample comic, and it may have even been handed out at New York Toy Fair in February of 1982.
A number of years ago, Jukka Issakainen interviewed the creator of the Masters of the Universe logo, Bob Nall. (The interview used to be hosted on He-Man.org.) Jukka asked Bob about the variant logo on the sample version of the comic:
Jukka: I found a pic of the alternative logo of MOTU on the minicomic cover. Can you tell me more about this logo version?
Bob Nall: It mimics the original but is not too good as far as logos go (my opinion). Back in the day, MOTU was taking off and making tons of money so many Mattel entities and others outside of Mattel wanted a piece. These types of anomalies popped up all the time.
Bob Nall: But, I will say this – the logo you are questioning definitely followed the original MOTU logo which I created. It may have been rendered that way for a variety of reasons (who knows) but none of which came through my office for approval. As I said, there were many hands in the pot once the Brand became successful.
My opinion is that the official Masters of the Universe logo hadn’t been finalized at the time the artist’s sample was to go to print, so Alfredo must have created a placeholder for the cover until the final logo was ready to go.
Sample Version vs. Standard Version
So what are the differences between the sample version of He-Man and the Power Sword and the version that came packaged with figures? We know the logo was different, but there is a difference in the artwork on the cover as well. On the sample, the sky is a single color of blue, while the final version has a color gradient going from dark to light blue. The clouds behind Castle Grayskull on the final version of the comic have been redone, with more detail, and they cover more of the page. Finally, the title of the story has been moved so that it’s over rather than underneath the logo:
Lords of Power
As shown at the beginning of the article, the rebate pages were stamped “SAMPLE” on the early version of the comic. But there is one more important difference. On the final page of the story, the Spirit of the Castle delivers a message to the heroes. In the sample version he calls them the “Lords of Power,” while in the standard version he calls them the “Masters of the Universe.” As you may know, “Lords of Power” was one of the early working names for the line. That name was dropped because it was thought that it might have unintentional religious connotations. The sample version of course has the revised name, Masters of the Universe, on the cover. The inclusion of “Lords of Power” on the last page must have been a simple oversight by the editor.
Interestingly, in ads promoting the full collection of the first four minicomics (or adventure books, as they are called), the sample version of He-Man and the Power Sword is pictured:
I’ll also note that there were a couple of other US variants of He-Man and the Power Sword. There was a later reprint, which had a yellow title, fewer pages, and updated advertisements. There was also a version that lacked the word “FREE” on the burst on the cover. You can check out those and other variants here.
The French Connection
The story doesn’t end there, however. For reasons unclear to me, the French version of He-man and the Power Sword was partially based on the US sample version (the same goes for the French Canadian version). On the cover, the French edition has the official Masters logo (or the official French version of it), but it is colored according to the unofficial logo from the US sample. The sky on the illustration is the solid blue of the sample version. The title appears below the logo, like the sample version. However the clouds are the revised version that appeared in the standard version:
The final page of the story in the French edition also mirrors the US sample. The Spirit of the Castle addresses the heroes, twice calling them the “Seigneurs de la Force” or Lords of Power (literally “Lords of the Force”):
Why did the term Lords of Power end up in the French version of the comic? I don’t know. However, this isn’t the first time early lore ended up in French materials. In an early French catalog, Mer-Man is said to be a companion of He-Man, and Stratos is said to be a companion of Beast Man. We know Mattel originally planned to have Mer-Man as a Heroic Warrior and Stratos as an Evil Warrior. You can read more about that here.
Bonus: extras in the French edition of He-Man and the Power Sword:
The French edition is interesting for other reasons as well. It contains a number of coloring pages, based on some of the US wave 2 minicomics:
Best of all, it also had a two-page photo, featuring an early Teela prototype with Barbie-style leg articulation, the Castle Grayskull model used for catalogs, blue beard Stratos, and striped tail Battle Cat:
I hope you’ve enjoyed this exploration of some interesting variants of He-Man and the Power Sword. Bonus for Patreon supporters only: Here are some additional coloring pages from the French edition of Vengeance of Skeletor. Also, look for an upcoming video where Mega Jay Retro and I discuss this topic at length!
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Twistoid: Evil Speed-Twisting Robot (1987)
Written by Adam McCombs
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.
Design & Development
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):
Update: Lanace from Fulguropop reached out to let me know of a predecessor toy from the late 1960s, called the Wizzzer or Wiz-z-zer. It was a top with apparently the same internal mechanism, that was also wound up by dragging the rubber tip along the ground. You can see Mattel even recycled some of the instruction art from Wizzzer for Rotor and Twistoid, below:
There seems to have been a different set of instructions, with different illustrations and layout, in the Spanish release. (Image source: Mundo Masters).
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.
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:
Twistoid also appeared in this Swedish illustrated pinup:
He also appears in a number of international ads:
Rotar in Action
Thanks to Øyvind Meisfjord for providing the image and video below showcasing Rotar and Twistoid in action!
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- Max I.
- Michael M.
- Mike G.
- MotuOriginsCork
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- Øyvind M.
- Philip O.
- Robert B.
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Want to support the blog? Consider becoming a Patreon supporter. You’ll also gain access to exclusive content and early access to posts on the blog. Thank you!