Written by Adam McCombs
Name: Megalaser
Faction: Heroic Warriors
Approximate US release date: July 18, 1986
Megalaser was one of the three inexpensive accessories released for Masters of the Universe in 1986, along with Jet Sled and Stilt Stalkers. At the retail price of $2.99, any of them could have been acquired by a forward-thinking child who saved up their nickels, dimes and quarters.
Design & Development
Megalaser was designed by Ted Mayer on July 10, 1984, as part of a series of accessory designs he created for the line. In the image below, it almost looks like an entire complex array of computers wrapped around He-Man, with a red eye piece and single-barreled laser canon.
From this concept design, an early prototype was constructed. In the two image scans below sent to me by Ted Mayer, we can see a bulked up cannon design, with twin barrels and a red wind up knob at top. The accessory is mostly white at this stage.
A closer to final prototype appears in Mattel’s 1986 dealer catalog below. This appears to be the finalized sculpt, but it is hand painted in a very bright silver color:
The above prototype was used as a visual basis for the cross sell art:
The patent for the Megalaser was filed on September 27, 1985, with Roger Sweet listed as the inventor. The feature of the toy was that when its mechanism was wound up, the barrels of the cannon would alternatingly move forward and backward, as if they were firing.
Figure & Packaging
The final toy had a bit of a darker gray plastic on the gun, but otherwise closely resembled the catalog model. It had blue barrels, a red harness/targeting display, and a black rubber belt to secure it onto a figure.
The US Packaging included artwork on the back by Errol McCarthy, featuring Man-At-Arms fighting against Stinkor, Beast Man, and Skeletor in his Battle Armor. Confusingly, its tag line was “Heroic wind-up beam blaster.” Mattel released a vehicle set called Beam Blaster & Artilleray only a few months after Megalaser.
The European packaging was more exciting than the US version, as it featured additional artwork on the front by Bruce Timm:
Comic and Other Appearances
Megalaser appears in Mattel’s 1987 Style Guide, with an illustration by Errol McCarthy. From the description:
Name: Megalaser
Group Affiliation: Heroic Warriors
Role: Heroic beam lasers
Power: Equips Heroic Warriors for laser battle
Year of Toy Intro: 1986
Megalaser appeared in Rio Blast’s comic, The Fastest Draw in the Universe. In the story, Prince Adam, then He-Man, is seen carrying around a backpack for several pages. When a herd of cattle starts stampeding, he takes Megalaser from his backpack and joins Rio Blast in redirecting the animals by firing at the ground near their feet.
Megalaser also appears in the UK Comics, issue 32, in The Power of the Mantisaur. In the story, Man-At-Arms invents the Megalaser to counter Hordak’s inventions, in particular Mantisaur.
The Style Guide art by Errol McCarthy was reprinted as a poster for the UK Comics:
It also appeared in William George’s 1986 Eternia Poster (image courtesy of Jukka Issakainen):
Megalaser appears in this Italian ad, strapped to Teela. It’s apparent it really doesn’t fit on her frame:
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