Today I bring you a review of my first MOTU Origins toy from the 2021 releases, Battle Armor He-Man. Unlike the standard He-Man released in 2020, this He-Man is a "Deluxe Figure Set" which means this figure comes with extra accessories as well as an increase in price so continue reading to see if Battle Armor He-Man is worth the price increase.
This action figure is unique in a few ways from a standard figure. The regular figures are priced at 15 dollars while this Deluxe figure is priced at 20 dollars.
First, we'll talk about the He-Man figure itself. As you can clearly see this He-Man has Battle Armor over his chest and works just like the Battle Armor He-Man released in the 1980s. His chest armor starts off without any damage. While He-Man is in a battle and takes a hit to his chest you can rotate his chest armor one turn to show a cut across his chest. You can rotate the chest a second time to give him two cuts to his chest. One more turn of his chest resets the armor to its original condition. This "action" feature works just like the vintage 80s version and is a fun play accessory because he doesn't have to have a large backpack or similar attachment to make him work. If you grew up in the 80s-90s you'll know exactly what I'm talking about. A Masters Of The Universe example would be Thunder-Punch He-Man who had to have a large pack on his back where you load the caps in.
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| Thunder Punch He-Man from 1985 |
This Deluxe figure also comes with some extra accessories compared to a standard figure. This He-Man has a power sword and ax just like the standard figure but is missing his shield. Instead, you'll get a yellow "Sword Effect" which attaches to the end of his sword and mimics the lightning that hits his sword during his transformation. You'll also get a second left hand that allows He-Man to hold both his weapons at the same time.
The last accessory is a second head which I was looking forward to. The head Battle Armor He-Man comes with is suppose to be him yelling, I believe, but to me, it looks like he's been startled. I'm not a big fan of that head. The second head is a replica of the 1980's head which I immediately put on the body of the standard He-Man. I really like the look and will keep that head on the standard body.
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| 2020 Origins Standard He-Man with 1980s head. |
For the 2021 MOTU action figures, you will get a new comic book called "Battle Armor Reborn" The cover of the mini-comic looks fine but I'm not a big fan of the art style. Unlike the mini-comic that came with the 2020 figures, the interior artwork is really well done and I hope Mattel keeps that artist working on these comics.
The comic has six interior pages while the back cover has a picture of the new action figures released in 2021. The story involves the King and Queen traveling when they are attacked by Skeletor, in his Battle Armor, along with multiple Hover Robots. The King and Queen are protected by He-Man, in his Battle Armor, as well as Teela, Man-At-Arms, Clamp Champ, and Ram Man. The story is basic but lets the reader know who the good guys and bad guys are while at the same time introduces you to new characters that you can now purchase at your local toy store.
As far as articulation this deluxe He-Man has the same articulation as the standard He-Man including a ball joint for the head, shoulder, elbow, and wrist articulation for the arms. His waist turns and his legs have hip, knee, and ankle articulation.
The only thing I have an issue with on this action figure is the damage to this chest armor. If you're looking at his chest on the left side is a gouge in the armor. It kind of looks like damage He-Man would take in a battle but I'd rather it not be there.
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| You can see the damage to the armor on the left. |
Another thing about the head, particularly the main head for Battle Armor He-Man, is the fact that he looks like he has two sets of eyebrows. The Masters Of The Universe Origins action figures do not have the white of the eyes painted white. Because of this Mattel has added a black outline to the top of the eye to show where it ends but it looks like He-Man has two sets of eyebrows. My wife isn't very familiar with action figures and that's the first thing she said when she looked at the head. It may bother you and then again it may not, I just wanted to mention it.
Do I think that this Deluxe Battle Armor He-Man is worth the extra five dollars, in a word yes. I haven't really liked the standard Origins He-Man head or the Battle Armor head so I was very happy to get a head based upon the 1980s He-Man action figure. The one nitpick is the same issue I had with the Standard He-Man head, the hair. The sculpt of the hair on all heads is fine it's just that bright yellow hair looks a bit ridiculous to me. My wife and kid said the same thing. The color of the hair on the original 1980s He-Man action figures is much better, not perfect but much better.
I rated the Standard Origins He-Man an 8 out of 10. While I didn't like the standard Battle Armor head over the standard He-Man head I much preferred the second head and it was worth the extra 5 dollars just for that. The yellow "Sword Effect" is a nice accessory when posing He-Man and the extra hand is also great to have since it allows He-Man to hold both of his weapons at the same time. I give Battle Armor He-Man a 9 out of 10. One thing I will mention before you go out to buy this figure is the Battlefield Warriors set that Mattle has released in 2021. If you don't have a Battle Cat or Battle Armor He-Man you may be interested in buying that set instead. Look for that review soon so you make an informed decision before you make a purchase.
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