Written by Adam McCombs

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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