When the Sketch Book Mark Taylor He-Man figure was announced, I knew for certain I’d be getting the figure. I’m very much a cherry picker of the MOTU Origins line, but I will always be a sucker for anything related to early Mark Taylor concepts. Mark Taylor, for those of you new to this site, was the main designer for the first year of Masters of the Universe toys.
The Sketch Book series is an interesting sub-line within MOTU Origins, consisting of figures based on early concepts for various characters. Under the Sketch Book name, so far we’ve also gotten concept versions of Hordak, Grizzlor, Sy-Klone and Spikor. The He-Man they’ve chosen for this release is mainly inspired by early sketches by Mark Taylor dating from 1980 to early 1981 as he sought to refine the look of the character prior before it was greenlit. Mark’s concept designs are shown below:
(The above images come from The Power and the Honor Foundation)
There are a few other elements included in the Sketch Book He-Man release. One is the orange and gray horned helmeted head from Mark Taylor’s He-Man B-sheet, dating to May 1981:
The other element is the shield from Mark Taylor’s character, Torak (which also shows up in one of the He-Man concepts shown earlier). This illustration dates to 1979 and was the inspiration for He-Man. You can see that some of Mark’s early He-Man concepts, shown earlier, have Torak’s wrist bracers:
Torak, by Mark Taylor. Image via the Power and the Honor Foundation.
So, does the Sketch Book He-Man measure up to Mark’s artwork? Let’s find out!
Packaging
He-Man comes in the now familiar Sketch Book Series window box, with some wonderful illustrations by “FETCH” aka Francisco Etchart. The back of the box also features some great easter eggs, including Mark Taylor’s concept Man-E-Faces design (another figure that will be coming out this year), a “dungeon master” Skeletor concept by Colin Bailey (possibly related to Dragon Blaster Skeletor), the Crimson Countess, created by Danielle Gelehrter, and an early concept by Mark Taylor for Castle Grayskull.
Let’s take a look at the actual figure. It comes with two heads, a removable harness, an axe, a shield, and a removable flexible loincloth that fits over the usual furry He-Man loincloth piece.
While the head with the dark hair is the head that goes with the costume design of this figure, you can also use the blond-haired head (ie the B-sheet head) if you like. The costume details are great, as is are the accessories. However, there are two major problems with the figure.
The most obvious issue is with the head sculpts. If you closely compare with the original artwork, you can see what they were going for, but the final result is just not very good. This figure unfortunately suffers from “Masterverse-itus” – the tendency in the Masterverse line for many heroic male figures to have very cool costumes but poorly sculpted faces. Unfortunately that problem has shown up in this Origins figure. The head with the black hair looks like it could belong to a pre-teen playing dress up. The level of detail is particularly low, and it looks like something you might see on a Playskool toy. The head with the blond hair is more detailed, but it looks ugly – and not in a good, rough and tumble way. I also have another, minor gripe – the center line of his helmet is off center.
I appreciate the effort and expense they took to give us a couple of new He-Man heads, but honestly, they would have been better off taking the standard vintage toy style He-Man head and sculpting the new hair and helmets over that. The standard head is closer to the artwork than either of these heads. I was waiting to pass judgement until I got this in hand, but honestly these faces are a letdown.
Left to right: SDCC He-Man, Lord of Power He-Man, and v1 retail He-Man
The other issue really comes down to lack of foresight. The blond-haired head inspired by the B-sheet doesn’t really go with this body, but it’s just the right head to go on the standard MOTU Origins He-Man figure. The standard Origins He-Man has the same costume, colors and accessories as those seen in Mark’s B-Sheet design. However, because of the pale skin color of this figure, the head doesn’t actually work with the standard He-Man, or any of the other He-Man figures in the Origins line, to my knowledge. Here is the standard He-Man body with the B-sheet style head:
And here is the Lords of Power He-Man body with the B-sheet-style head:
I’ve actually been pretty impressed with the Sketch Book series up to now, but this He-Man is the first real let down. It’s a shame. Do the bad head sculpts totally ruin the figure? No. It looks fine from a couple of feet away, standing on a shelf. But I wish this figure had been given some more thought, care and effort. A figure paying tribute to the great Mark Taylor and the early roots of He-Man should have been better than this.
Lords of Power Skeletor (with custom feet) and Sketch Book Mark Taylor He-Man
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Every once in a while I like to set the research projects aside and just geek out about figures I like. Since 2025 is rapidly coming to close, I thought I would share my top 10 figures that I got in the last year. Crucially, this is NOT a list of newly released figures, just figures that I happened to buy this year that I really hit me where I live. A few of them are new for 2025, but most are older. I’ll do the traditional reverse countdown, but putting these in any kind of order is pretty hard, and somewhat arbitrary at the end of the day.
#10: NECA 200x Mantenna (2006)
I managed to pick up the 200x NECA Mantenna figure this year. I’ve long admired the 200x NECA mini statues or “stactions” (a portmanteau of statue and action figure) as the best things that came out in that era. Sculpted by the Four Horsemen, they represent what the original 200x line could have looked like had the line not been compromised by action features, cost savings, and strange last-minute color changes on the Mattel side.
The first one I picked up was Leech, a few years back at Power-Con, and I’ve long thought that the 200x version of Leech is by far the best look for the character. When I was a kid I got Leech and Mantenna for Christmas, so I’ve always thought of them as a team who would do the dark work of the Evil Horde together. It was only a matter of time before I picked up Leech’s partner in crime.
Like Leech, Mantenna is truly a masterpiece. He was the first rendition of the character to have four separate legs, as originally intended. He is thin and insect-like, with highly textured and shaded skin, and intense, bulbous eyes. This teeth and mandibles are given appropriate aging and weathering. Unlike other versions of the character, this one has bare feet, and he was also given dark webbing between his fingers and toes. Mantenna is NOT a character you want to meet in a dark alley!
#9: Draego-Man
In celebration of the 30th Anniversary of MOTU, Mattel commissioned about a half dozen new characters to be created for a mini anniversary line released in 2012. This one was designed by the Four Horsemen, the team that sculpted all of the figures in this line. Brimming with details and new sculpt work (and cleverly reused existing parts), he was one of the most detailed figures in the line. His face in particular brings to mind the look of some the dragons that appeared in the Filmation series. He came with a flaming sword, but additional accessories, including a flaming shield, unlit sword, and flaming whip were released separately in weapons packs. These accessories were originally intended to ship with Draego-Man but were cut due to cost.
I actually bought him a while back, but had to sell him to raise some money, so I was grateful to be able to get him again this year, and with all of his accessories. It’s kind of a shame the Four Horsemen weren’t given more new character slots to create for that line – I’m sure they would have been more well received than, for instance, Sir Laser-Lot or Mighty Spector.
#8 Sskur’ge Cosmic Legions
I remember seeing this figure a few years back at Power-Con. I instantly locked on to him. I wasn’t a collector of Cosmic Legions, but a big scaly monster with Whiplash’s color scheme and a highly detailed sculpt? What’s not to love there? I am quite limited on the number of brands/lines I collect, but this guy is so cool I finally gave in and picked him up. I had kind of thought he might work in the MOTU Classics line as an extra beast for Skeletor (maybe Whiplash’s giant cousin), but he’s kind of too detailed to fit in with that line. Still, he’s a magnificent beast and I’m happy to having him gracing my shelves. It’s also nice to be able to buy something from the current Four Horsemen ouvre. Their excellent sculpt work is sorely missed in the modern MOTU lines.
#7 Mondo Skeletor
I was able to get Mondo’s 1/6 scale Skeletor figure because a friend of mine (shout out to Shawn!) had an extra and was willing to let it go on very reasonable terms. All the Mondo figures are exquisitely detailed works of art, but I think their Skeletor is definitely among their best, with an excellent sense of the history of the character. I’ve set mine up to resemble his appearance in the first mini comics. Vivid colors, perfect paint work, tons of display options – what’s not to love? I also got He-Man, but it’s Skeletor who really speaks to me. It’s kind of funny, in almost every modern line Skeletor is the better looking figure over He-Man (that’s true of 200x, MOTU Classics, Mondo, and Masterverse). He-Man might be the hardest figure to really capture of any vintage toy.
#6 Vintage Mosquitor
This is not my first vintage Mosquitor of course – I’ve owned others in the past. You know how it goes – sometimes for financial reasons you have to let a figure go. I grabbed him again this year and was reminded what a cool figure this is. I don’t know of any other figure in the vintage line that is so bizarre, so outlandish, so atypical, and yet fits so perfectly into the universe of He-Man. The combination of the gruesome and fun blood-pumping action feature, the very stylized and oversized head, the angular boots, and the strange colors really work, somehow. Sometimes in my head I have internal debates over what might be the coolest figure of the final US MOTU wave. Often Scare Glow wins that contest, but honestly Mosquitor is more creative and probably the cooler design overall.
#5 Snobro Guerrero He-Man
I recently reviewed this custom replica of the original He-Man prototype sculpted by Tony Guerrero. Sculpted and sold in very limited quantities by Snobro, it’s a very faithful replica of that 1981 prototype, even down to the partially rendered fingers and toes. There are a handful of top collectors who own the few original copies that exist. Thanks to Snobro I was able to get the next best thing. One of my regrets is that I was never able to interview Tony Guerrero – he passed away several years before I started this website. It is nice to have such a carefully crafted tribute to his work, though.
#4 Icon Collectibles The Norseman by Frazetta Girls
My favorite non-MOTU line by far is the Frazetta Girls Icon Collectibles line, showcasing 1/12 scale action figures based on Frank Frazetta’s artwork. The Norseman was my favorite of the bunch when it came out. I’ve only shown one of his looks here, but he has the ability change his loincloth and swap his helmet for hair, allowing for two seperate Frazetta characters in one figure. With multiple swords and a fur cape, he’s a striking looking figure that can work as an extra in any fierce display shelf battle.
#3 Mondo Goddess
I don’t own more than a few Mondo figures, so take this with a grain of salt, but I do believe that their Goddess figure is the best of the bunch so far. Jukka and I recently wrote about the character, and I included a review of the figure in that article as well. Although she’s not an exact replica of the original green Sorceress character from He-Man and the Power Sword, she is exceptional nevertheless. The paint and shading on her skin otherworldly, and she’s got a very striking, if slightly evil-looking face. Mondo figures are typically outside of my budget, but I made an exception for this one. I’ve always felt that the green Sorceress (also known as the Green Goddess) has been criminally underrated and underutilized, so it’s nice to see her get her due in the 1/6 scale Mondo line.
#2 Mondo Sky Sled
This website is called Battle Ram: A He-Man Blog. So of course when the Mondo Sky Sled was announced, my ears immediately pricked up. This one would have been tough for me to get on my own, so many thanks to Mondo (facilitated by Oz and Tommy) for sending me a review sample. This is a lovingly and painstakingly designed and crafted tribute to the front half of the Battle Ram, with influences from original concept art by Ted Mayer, the original prototype, the vintage toy, and the Filmation cartoon. Aside from the intricate paint details and weathering, it also features an articulated cannon and articulated controls. I think this is the only possible version of the Sky Sled that could ever top the one that was offered in the MOTU Classics line! It’s a dream come true to own this, truly.
#1 Icon Collectibles Conan (Asia Exclusive) by Frazetta Girls
The man, the myth, the legend! When I heard that we were finally getting an Icon Collectibles Conan Figure, I pretty much jumped for joy. Of any current 1/12 scale action figure line, I think Icon Collectibles is doing the best job in terms anatomy, proportions, sculpted detail, painted detail, and well thought out articulation. Zoom in any any part of the figure or accessories and you’ll find realistic weathering, scars and veins.
In my opinion Conan represents the pinnacle of the line so far. Compared to previous figures in the line, he has a much more muscled upper body, which makes me wish the design team (Eamon O’Donoghue on design, Aaron Doyle on sculpting duties, paint masters by Mat O’Toole) were working on Masters of the Universe as well. Can you imagine a He-Man figure with this kind of anatomy and attention to detail? Personally I think this Conan is a work of art. In fact I like him so much I got this exclusive version as well as the regular version with the curved sword and flat top helmet, so I could display him both with and without a choice of either helmet.
This new Conan figure has double-jointed knees, unlike previous figures in the line. Conan’s elbows are single-jointed (with hidden swivels), which is as it should be for a guy with arms of this size. Double-jointed elbows on beefy arms just never looks good. The great thing about this series of figures is that it features modern articulation that is, and I can’t emphasize this enough, well-hidden. I really can’t stand articulation that interferes with a beautiful sculpt, and the Icon Collectibles team has struck the right balance of lots of articulation that is so well-hidden you can’t even see most of the joints.
While He-Man is not a mere Conan clone, the one influence that the Mattel team were really wearing on their sleeve during the development of Masters of the Universe was Frazetta. This was so pervasive that Rudy Obrero was hired to do the box art precisely because he could do it in the smoky, moody style of Frank Frazetta. I really think of these Icon Collectibles as a sister line to my collection of Masters of the Universe Classics figures. It’s the one line outside of MOTU where I am absolutely all in.
All right, I hope you’ve enjoyed this look at my top ten favorite figures that have found their way onto my shelves this year! I hope you all have a wonderful holiday season and a happy New Year!
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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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Zack Papadelias was kind enough to send me a copy of his new unofficial Masters of the Universe Vintage Toys Reference Guide to review. Having worked on a small part of a large toy book myself (The Toys of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe) I have a notion of how much work must have gone into this book – especially since he did most of the work himself! James Eatock contributes some very nice illustrations, and Cristina DiGiacomo assisted with layout and editing, while Jake Cascarelli helped with the cover art.
In my own blog I haven’t gotten in too deep into variants. My one major effort was in covering “first release” variants from the initial 1982 release of MOTU. But that’s really just scratching the surface, and I wouldn’t consider myself an expert on international variants by any means. Zach dives in much deeper to give a comprehensive overview of the many international variant releases in the original vintage line, in addition of course to the “standard” figures widely available in the US in the 1980s. Included below are a few sample pages from the book:
The listing and description of variants provides just enough detail without getting so bogged down that it becomes hard to follow. I should note that there are a few missing variants, which shouldn’t be surprising given a book of this length and complexity. But the vast majority of notable variants are represented in this book, and the book also contains a broad summary of all of the major foreign MOTU manufacturers.
The book also includes a guide to the vintage minicomics, including foreign print comics. Also covered are gift sets and related modern lines, including the 2000 Commemorative line and the MOTU Giants line. There is also a collection of illustrations that appeared in Mattel copyright filings for the original MOTU line.
While there is a lot of online discussion of variants in forums across MOTU fandom, there really isn’t much in print about the topic, so it’s very nice to finally have something physical to refer to.
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