Written by Adam McCombs
The conceit of the new Frazetta Universe line of 5.5″ figures is simple – what if Mattel in 1982 did a line of figures inspired by Frank Frazetta’s artwork? What’s that you say? They already did, and it was called Masters of the Universe? Well that’s true! But whereas Masters of the Universe was a pastiche of Frazetta, Conan, John Carter, Flash Gordon, Prince Valiant and Star Wars, this new line from Frazetta Girls is a bit more straightforward. We are treated to Conan, John Carter and Death Dealer in the classic He-Man-esque 5.5 inch style, complete with extreme muscle and limited articulation.
Actually, Frazetta Universe goes a bit further than that. Rather than simply paying homage to the style of the vintage figures, these are also in a way a love letter to the style of the original Masters of the Universe figure prototypes, which were almost always more detailed than the final factory-made figures.
The three figures released in the first wave of the Frazetta Universe line are John Carter, Conan and Death Dealer. They’ve offered each character in two versions – the Frazetta Girl exclusive versions and standard versions. The difference between the exclusives and the regular versions lies with the portrait of each figure, all else being equal.
The figures start with the classic 5.5″ articulation scheme – that is, simple joints at the arms, waist, legs and head. However the Frazetta Universe line gives the heads ball joints, and also adds swivels at the wrists and ankles, making them a bit more poseable while retaining the nostalgic look. The legs have ball joints at the hips rather than the rubber connectors used in most vintage Masters of the Universe figures.
Conan – Frazetta Girls Exclusive
The Frazetta Girls exclusive version of Conan comes with an unhelmeted head. He also has a removable necklace, removable arm accessories, a sword and sheath, a battle axe, and a shield.
The figures’ boots can actually slide off, if you pop the feet off. You wouldn’t pose him like this of course, but it does give him a humorous “at the beach in loafers” kind of look:
All three figures in the first wave use the same basic buck. While they are extremely muscled, they are their own thing, and are differently proportioned compared to Masters of the Universe figures. They also have added details like veins, and quite a lot more painted and sculpted details on the costume than any vintage MOTU figure.
Here’s the 5.5″ Conan compared to the 1/12 scale Conan figure released in Frazetta Girls’ Icon Collectibles line last year: The new figure’s skin tone is more brownish than reddish, and he doesn’t have the extra left arm bracer and other accessories. But you can see what they were going for, releasing the same basic design in two different form factors.
Conan – Regular Release
The standard Conan figure in this line comes with a helmeted head, and is available at Big Bad Toy Store, Frazetta Girls, and other retailers.
The figure comes with the exact same accessories as his exclusive counterpart. The only difference is this version comes with the helmet, which is probably my personal favorite look for Conan. Both of them have one kind of squinty eye, which is an intentional choice, although I probably would have preferred it if the eyes were symmetrical.
For fun, here’s the helmeted Conan compared to a replica of Tony Guerrero’s helmeted He-Man prototype by customizer Snobro. You can see how Conan-like the early He-Man prototype was.
I have a feeling that Conan will probably be the most popular figure in this first wave, and he’s a fantastic-looking figure. Here he is next to the 1/12 scale Frazetta Girls figure:
Death Dealer – Frazetta Girls Exclusive
The exclusive version of Death Dealer, like Conan, has a unique head sculpt compared to the regular version. Underneath his helmet you can only see his blood red eyes. He comes with an axe, a curved sword and sheath, and a large shield. Frazetta Girls hasn’t unveiled their 1/12 version of Death Dealer, but he’s coming soon! He’s got sickly pale skin and blood splatter effects on his axe! There is a high level of detail here in both paint and sculpting, which makes these figures stand out from other retro 5.5″ lines.
Here’s a look the figure without the head. All three of the figures have removable, heads, so you could swap the heads around if you wanted to. For those wondering, these are not compatible with MOTU Origins, as the ball is much smaller on the Frazetta Universe figures.
Here he is next to He-Man’s nemesis, Skeletor!
Death Dealer – Regular Release
The regular version of Death Dealer has a more complex helmet design, with differences not only in the “face” but in the look of the horns as well. When I first saw their product pictures I was sure I would like the exclusive version more, but in hand there is something really cool about the look of that regular version. He looks a bit more otherworldly and unique
John Carter – Frazetta Girls Exclusive
John Carter arrived just ahead of the 1/12 scale version, which is starting to ship out at time of writing. This exclusive version comes with the “handsome” head, while the regular version looks more rugged. He strikes a heroic pose and comes with his groovy purple, gold and brown Martian costume. He comes with a sword, a sheath, a revolver, and a holster. The sheath attaches at the side of his belt, but I had trouble getting the sword to actually fit in it without feeling like I was forcing it. The gun is a great little accessory. He doesn’t have a trigger pulling hand, but he can be made to hold it in either hand.
Here he is next to a vintage He-Man figure.
John Carter – Regular Release
When I first saw the regular release of John Carter with his more “rugged” face, I wasn’t sold on him. In person, though, I think he looks great, although I still probably prefer the exclusive version.
Final Thoughts
I’ll always be a sucker for the 5.5″ vintage form factor. I really like the fact that what extra articulation exists in these figures is minimal, almost invisible, and well thought out. They can play with either vintage MOTU or MOTU Origins, although seeing them side by side with Origins makes me wish the level of detail on the Mattel figures was closer to the Frazetta Universe approach.
I’m a big fan of the Frazetta Girls 1/12 scale Icon Collectibles line, and it’s the only line outside of Masters of the Universe that I collect pretty religiously.
But the new Frazetta Universe line instantly won me over as well. I feel like these are more “playable” figures, even though they’re not really meant for kids (the horns and boots on Death Dealer are pretty sharp, and the packaging makes it clear these figures are for ages 14 and up). I’m excited to see what the next wave of these figures will bring! I’d love to see characters like Dark Wolf, Teegra, Tarzan, and Dejah Thoris look like in the 5.5″ line.
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