#retroblasting #motu #he-man #origins Support us on PATREON: / retroblasting Now that we're five waves into the Masters of the Universe Origins line, Michael reflects on why he's all-in on this modern toy line...
I blame both Mattel and retailers for the lack of product being available. The common excuse used by retailers always seems to be that there are too many He-Man and Skeletor figures clogging the pegs, but that's just nonsense. I worked for Toys R Us when Power of the Force II came out. We had more Princess Leia and Chewie figures than we could possibly sell, but that didn't stop TRU from continuing to order more Power of the Force II. Any time we got another case of figures in stock, we would take sixteen Princess Leias or Chewies off the peg, then put the sixteen new figures on the peg (it was actually only twelve, since every new case had two more Leias and two more Chewies). The Leias/Chewies would all go in the empty box, I'd write "Princess Leia" or "Chewie" on the box and put it in the back with all the other boxes of these two characters. Occasionally, the pegs would actually manage to run low on Chewie, and I'd restock from the back. Eventually, they all went into a clearance bin and that was the end of it. Every line is going to have some peg warmers, especially if you overproduce characters. That's what clearance sections and discount stores are for.
You'd think that after almost fifty freaking years people in the toy business would have managed to get the hang of this. Their ability not to learn from experience is truly astounding.
That's because back in the 90s, kids still bought action figures, and star wars was massively popular. How many kids do you think are asking for these figures? It's all middle aged men buying this stuff now, and retailers don't want to over buy and end up with "that one figure that doesn't sell" clogging every store. Look at GI Joe, every store I go to has roadblocks out the ass. Or marvel legends, there's always the same 2-3 characters noone buys. The one thing mcfarlane is doing better than everyone else atm is selling and shipping boxes of just one character. So retailers can order boxes of just batman, just superman etc, characters that sell, so they don't get stuck with 20 if the same character from 20 cases.
In my area He-man & Skeletor have been on the rarer side of distribution. I've seen displays crammed full of Battle Cat, Ram-man, and Clamp Champ but next to none of the main hero and villain. I have literally seen more Castle Grayskulls on toy shelves.
@@dariusq8894 Weird. I found the 2020 He-Man and Skeletor figures on the clearance isle of my local Walmart this morning. Not sure why they bothered. When I went to the action figure isle, the pegs were just empty, so they didn't need to clear the space on the pegs for new product.
I've been looking at that TrapJaw and wondering: "Did he get that at msrp?" The fact that Grayskull add-on with the robot suit is an exclusive really grinds my gears.
@@Degro76 It's really not missing any important pieces for kids. Kids have imaginations and don't need stories and characters spoon fed to them. Nevertheless, I like the Spaceman figure and will buy it when Mattep releases it again as a stand alone for $15.
@@brushstroke3733 Yeah I don't mind that they sell it separately but don't make it limited or exclusive. The other two sculpts with it are interesting too.
@@thelastdisplay I think the limited and exclusive packs are designed for a certain kind of collector (Mint On Card Completists) which is why Mattel can ask $50 for that Greyskull accessories set and get it. I agree that all the sculpts in that set are cool, but I wouldn't pay $50 for them. Maybe I will change my mind though as this line continues to infect my mind with it's addicting qualities! I didn't think I'd want the Spaceman three days ago, and now I am looking forward to ordering him as soon as they make him available! 😓
AS a uk transformers generations collector I am getting so tired of US toy shop exclusives as you said they are ripe for damn scalpers and has made getting some figures to expensive for me - looking at you ratchet and lifeline boxset
This line has been a godsend for me as I never had any MotU figures as a child, despite the fact I always wanted them. My parents told me that, by all means, you can have MotU, but that means no more Star Wars, so I stuck with my beloved Star Wars. These Origins figures fit my needs perfectly, although as you mentioned, being able to find them at a decent price is proving quite difficult.
This line has been a godsend for me too...and I did own almost every original figure as a child. My parents got rid of them when I got older and didn't care (and didn't know they did) and years and years later I would find myself thinking about them and wishing I had them again. I collected originals for a brief stint, and as Michael said the repair bench became a prison. I gave up and sold them all about a year or so before Origins hit. When I saw these and realized they had been "fixed" I knew I had to have them. I have to have them ALL. To date I do have them all...even the Powercon stuff. I just hope I can survive the exclusives and keep this collection complete!
@@eightbit1975 That's too bad that your parebts gave away your old toys. My parents kept mine, boxed them up and gave them to me 8 years ago when I moved out west.
While I am a died in the wool "Classics" collector, I totally appreciate how great this "Origins" line is. The compatibility with vintage vehicles and playsets is awesome. As I did not have many vintage vehicles and no playsets, my upgrading to a larger scale left only my falling apart figures and a Wind Raider left lost to time. Classics produced more Vehicles and Playsets than I ever owned as a kid so that was best for me, though missed figures are a wallet busting nightmare. Origins on the other hand, if they can sort out their distribution, is a more cost efficient and durable alternative to my chosen path. Kudos on paraphrasing Max Von Sydow as the King in Conan the Barbarian BTW.
I was some what sceptical when you said you’d be replacing the vintage with origins for the videos, as I thought they would look too different. But that end shot proved me wrong, only at the end did I realize you had been swapping them and I had to replay it to make sure my eyes weren’t playing tricks on me. Great shot!
Part of me kind of didn't want to continue collecting Origins due to how hard the figures are to find in my area and the bad taste the new Netflix show gave me but how cool these figures look together and realizing He-Man's owner ship is split meaning Netflix isn't making a dime off these it is making me want to get a few more. This video helped me decide that.
I don't know, I find the origins figures to be new strangers, posing as old friends. I am certainly willing to resolve, my very rare, repair issues, just to have what I remember as the official, original, presentations from long ago.
I know My opinion will be unpopular, but I actually like the head sculpt on He-Man. I was dissapointed to see that Faker did not come with it and went with the vintage version.
I picked up Origins He-Man 2.0 and Battlecat to display alongside their vintage and 200x namesakes. Origins Battlecat is HUGE by comparison, but He-Man with the new head sculpt looks virtually identical to the original. It is great to have a modern option to add to our collections.
Collecting the originals is a hell of a lot easier than trying to find the Origins. Using the rubber washer with eye hooks to repair the leg joints works, and goes together fairly quickly.
I’m with you in remembering the toys before the cartoon. IMO that was when MOTU was best. The Mark Taylor influence was strong, and the character concepts on point. With a couple exceptions, the line generally went down from there, I feel.
What a load of bollocks mate LOL MOTU vintage figures bands are NOT hard at all to repair and replace and takes barely 10mins not half an hour or more especially if you use 2 bands and small picture hooks... I've literally repaired hundreds of vintage Motu and regularly sell them on eBay.
I'm just glad I have the memory of growing up in the 80's when you could find pretty much any figure from any toy line even at a local *pharmacy* or gas station. As for Origins, they're definitely not bad, it's just that they don't approach the detail and style of the original vintage to me - and I still prefer the more basic articulation - probably for nostalgic reasons, but they also just have more of a charm. As far as the legs, it's gotten to the point where I can replace a leg band in about 15 minutes and it's not a struggle anymore, which allows my vintage figures to live a new life. It's the only repro part that I let into my collection as it's just indispensable when it comes to saving MOTU figures.
When these were announced, I rolled my eyes, 'cos I knew that *Mattel* were prone to scummy practices regarding _figure availability and pricing,_ but I was truly surprised I could get these in a proper toy shop at all. I grew up with the _2002 He-Man,_ so I have *zero nostalgia* for the '80s classics, but they're so toyetic and aesthetically-pleasing I've honestly thought it'd be nice getting some figures in the old style with modern tooling and the Origins figures delivered that in spades. I'm not the most avid collector, so I really only wanted the basics - *He-Man, Skeletor and Battle Cat* - which are wonderful and I enjoy having them in my collection. I'm currently looking to get *a Teela figure* - just to complete this nice image of "Good Guy, Good Girl, Noble Mount and Vile Villain" that I like about the Sword-N-Sorcery vibes of *He-Man* - but any other characters that I might have gotten on a whim, e.g. Trap Jaw, seem to be thin on the ground. I suppose that's the *Mattel-brand, short-packing scumminess* I was expecting, but I'm not too bothered by it. I just feel bad for those looking to upgrade their old _MotU_ figures and have to go on *a pricey, toy safari hunt.*
Regardless of the issues of the vintage figures, they are still superior to the Origins ones in terms of design, quality and detail. Time will prove this. Rubber leg bands notwithstanding. Added articulation also not withstanding.
What I personally like about the origins line, is the fact that is it can co-exist with the originals. Origins can fill in the gaps of the originals, and the originals vehicles and play sets can remain.
I know Heman figures are made in China, but the "new vintage head for Heman Origins looks like a blond Asian man. What is up with his eyes? Is it just me
I’m really interested in he man figures and I want he man and skeleton as my fist figures so should I get the more expensive retro heads ones or just the fist wave one please and thanks.
What a fantastic video! As a kid, I had damn near every figure, vehicle, etc...As I got into HS, I had them all boxed up in my room. After my 1st semester in college, I went home to get my boxes of MOTU toys because I finally had a place bigger than a jail cell door room and....my dad had sold them all at a garage sale. In his defense, when I moved, i never made mention that I planned on coming back for them. He finally got a return on his investment 😀. So...to whomever hit the mother load of MOTU at a garage sale in Alexandria, LA in the mid 90s, hats off to you!
I'm still unconvinced any of these exist outside of He-Man, Skeletor, their respective Battle Cats, and the Prince Adam vehicle 2 pack. I've never seen another in the wild, while those 5 are clogging shelves for months.
As all my vintage figures from the MOTU line had long ago been sold off for pocket change at a garage sale, I was really excited when these came out and have attempted to maintain that excitement in the face of not being able to find the god damn things. Somehow I managed to track down the flocked Panthor and Target exclusive 2 pack but the basic wave figures absolutely elude me at every turn. Distribution on this line has been absolute trash from the jump and I'm still clinging to some mild hope that they'll correct this going forward because the secondary market prices on these figures is insane.
If only I had the foresight as a kid to take care of my toys, but time takes it toll on everything regardless. If only more companies would follow Mattel's suit. Hasbro re-released the Real Ghostbusters toyline, its not an update but its close enough. Imagine an updated CENTURIONS and M.A.S.K. line!
Nearly exactly my feelings on the subject, save the fact that it is a somewhat-attainable line for someone just starting out, as well as replacing vintage figures.
I'm trying to think what the big three 80s toy lines were here in the UK. Masters of the Universe definitely, possibly Action Force but I'm not sure I would say Transformers. Maybe Thundercats?
@@__-wm9lu Sorry to hear that. When I have a tough time finding stuff in the wild, I’ll order it online. Had to do that for Teela. Good luck and hope you find those figures.
5:08 the original sculpt for he man looks like it was based off of the books and comics before the show, and the new head before the retro change looked like Mattel wanted to base it more on Filmation. It would have helped if any of the male characters had whites painted in the eyes.
The original He-man head is based on the head of Big Jim . Many parts of Big Jim was later used for Masters ..... the most known are Battle-Cat and Beast man's whip .
I’ve had to preorder every single release from the origins line except for Man-E-Faces, Skeletor, and, He-Man. It gets kind of boring when all I do is preorder and nothings ever in stock except for Heman and skeletor. It’s like why do I bother going to stores anymore. 🤷♂️ Well, said. I with you on collecting the key players that I need and calling it a day. 👍🍻
Thankfully, over in Blighty, we're not having problems with the regular waves, at least. Smyths Toys have been the go to source for anybody in the know. Having said that, the exclusives, such as the flocked Panthor, and the Keldor/Cronis pack have not been seen over here so far. Can't say I've seen any of the deluxe figures like the Battle armour figures or Hordak, either, although online retailers claim to have stock. I love the figures I've gotten hold of, and they're at that price point where it could get VERY easy to get sucked in, but I know It's just going to end up a hassle to get what I want, it's killed other lines for me before, and it'll kill this one for me too.
Nice reuse and slight change to the classic CONAN the Barbarian line from Max Von Sydows character King Osric! :) That line is etched in my heart and i qoute it ever so often to myself looking in the mirror.
I have been collecting this for the past year. I have completed waves 1, 5, 6, and 7. I need Scareglow and Trapjaw to finish wave 2. I need Roboto and She Ra to finish wave 3. I need Grey Stratos, Triklops and Ninjor to finish 4. I have Castle Greyskull, the Landshark, Windraider, Sky Sled, both cats and grabbed the Masters of the WWE Universe ring.
My MOTU section of the collection is a mixture of vintage and commemorative series. They were loosey goosey a long time ago, so I have them held up with Kaiser doll stands. So far everyone looks ok. No rot causing the legs to just fall off, but I may move in the next year or so and am NOT looking forward to repairing them.
Recently target has had another set of exclusives-re-releases of older figures that are harder to find for decent prices. Trapjaw, Orko, Man E Faces, and Scareglow. Definitely helpful for me, who's local target happened to get them multiple times, but it's annoying that they were exclusive.
Only wanted Battle Cat, Panthor He Man, Skelator Teela, Evil Lynn, Man At Arms, Beast Man. Not a fan of the kid size proportions. But the 2 cats... just picturing He Man and Skelator on top, got me. I just recently got the above mentioned all... except Beast Man- never seen in stores, I had to order online for $22.00 Walmart online.. that was annoying... then wam! after I ordered the price more than doubled to $40.00 . No more. That's it for that line for me.
Don't sell your originals, fixing them is not that difficult. Use the screw hooks and o-rings method (1 o-ring is perfect) some use 2, they will stand even better then new. I fixed many motu figures that way, never broke one. Just be careful on the first try (use a cheap figure). Origins is cool yet they don't replace the originals imo. I hope you give it a try, it will not take much time. The he-bands method is much more difficult. Just a suggestion tho 👍🏻
Neat video. Different. Talking about the old figures and their issues ETC. Things do deteriorate that's how it is. Wasn't big on the origins, more kidsy bright colors, but Chief. So started getting them with the understanding that distribution or whatever those variables hard would suck like usual nowadays. In Revelations, picked up He-Man and Skeletor... Going to take them back or to the gun range.. After seeing the show I have no desire to collect them. They look so cheap anyway besides the discoloration head sculpts excetera. So, glad I'm not going to be collecting that line.
The Rise of Evil exclusive was a big mistake in my opinion. They figures are cool, but not essential to MOTU stories in my opinion. And I think putting them out caused major hiccups in the production of other waves and characters that fans desire more. Thanks for all your entertaining and informative videos, Retroblasting! You have become my favorite RU-vid channel!
Wow, the Rise of Evil two pack is on CLEARANCE at my local Target. Talk about wonky!! And btw, terrific Conan reference at the end there. Nice. King Osric would have been proud. :-)
I try to be a class half old guy with pretty much everything and I'm just happy to have something close to my vintage skeletor which didn't exist to the birthday after I got the thing as my little sister ripped the legs off snapping those accursed rubber bands Is my origins skeletor perfect no it is not the laughing head sculpt is a big deviation from my vintage skeletor and the sword doesn't exactly stain his hand while even though I kind of forgive the sword because I never saw that as skeletor's main weapon and my memories of the original cartoon with skeletor just raising his havoc staff and zapping things where He-Man was depended upon his sword and ironically he never used or at least I never saw him use his battle ax
5:06 You know, I've yet to see those updated He-Man and Skeletor figures. And my Walmart and Target's have gotten restock after restock...but where have all the updated classic head figures gone? Like, did they just stop distribution before crossing the Mason-Dixon line?
When I have better chances finding a pre-owned SH Figuarts action figure from 10 years ago on a JAPANESE e-tailer's site than a modern collectors have chances of buying current month releases of MotU Origins figures, you know the state of US retail is beyond broken...
Fantastic line, poor distribution. Same old story. Up here, pegs are filled with Ram-Man, Clamp Champ and Battlecats as they are no He-man figures to be found anywhere. The Adam and Sky Sled isn't popular either.
"When the repair table becomes a prison" lolol! Yes, it's not all bread and roses, but I get my same kicks on Origins, and only Origins, for all these reasons. And, I was unforgivably late in the MOTU collections, but for all these reasons, ...I guess I'm not! :D
Great video. I am loving this line and hope it can go deep. Such a cool concept of reimagining the classic figures. I even enjoyed the WWE MOTU figures that will be discontinued soon. I have no interest in buying the other two new lines that will be coming out. Origins only!
I've got a cedar trunk full of vintage MOTU figures I haven't opened in 15 years. Last time I opened it, they were in mostly really good shape. I'm scared to open it now...
I've just started collecting this line. I got He-man and Skeletor, Battle Cat, and managed to get the Keldor/Kronos package. Picked up Prince Adam and the Sky Sled today. My issues: lightweight plastic, not nearly as durable. Battle Cats helmet won't stay on and Panthor isn't flocked, he's purple plastic...They won't hold weapons like the old ones, but overall I love this line. Desperately searching for Scareglow and Trapjaw
I live in VietNam so it's almost impossible to find these. I've been lucky enough to get Skeletor and Hordak but I foolishly missed the chance to get Scareglow when I had the opportunity.
Origins is the only modern line I’m collecting. I’ve retired from SW, Joe & TF. As much as I enjoy my Classics, this is exactly what I wanted out of a modern Masters line
For me the best years of the line were 1982-83 and I think with the Wind Raider coming, the origins line will have made everything that released in those years. Maybe also full Battle Ram, an Attak Trak, Talon Fighter, Zoar and Screech and I’ll be happy with those if I end up with nothing else.
The problem I see is people don't care. They just buy anything and everything out, cause they fear of missing out, and or resellers are buying everything out...knowing they'll make a quick buck. I wish more people won't stop buying these companies trash products, cause it'll force them to make better choices/products.
I only had 4 figures from the vintage toys, one of them being Battle Armor skeletor. I'm selling them to buy the origins ones. I'm always taking them from the shelf to play and pose
I’m sorry to say this but I really don’t like the “retro” origins Skeletor head. There’s just something off about it. I honestly prefer the open mouth and the original head.
As much as exclusives suck the company line has been "stores won't carry our product without exclusives" and then in like a year or two they release a slightly modified version of the exclusive figure in the main line anyway. Which I'm honestly fine with. like the Powercon lords of power stuff was different enough from the versions of those characters in the line now, but it allows people who were unable, or unwilling, or who don't care about fancy packaging to eventually get those versions of the characters. Hell my personal plan is to buy a regular panthor, and try FLOCKING it myself, and if that fails, probably get a beat up vintage panthor or battlecat or KO, (Like a properly messed up one, I would never ruin a servicable figure) and just flock that. Also the more I play with them, pose them, look at them, swap heads around and stuff. the more I find myself falling in love with this line. The Articulation is just good enough to do some really fun action poses and barring QC issues the figures seem about as rock solid as the vintage ones were new.
Yeah, it's been pretty bad in my neck of the woods with the Origins line as well. I was able to get Wave 1 at my local Walmart after multiple visits but have only seen He-Man, Skeletor and Battle Cat ever since. I've got the whole line that's been released so far minus some of the Power Con exclusives. However, I was able to get the Secrets of Grayskull set on BBTS in that extremely narrow time frame, so I'm thankful for that. When going to my local Target it's basically the same as Walmart but with fewer of the same previously mentioned figures. I've just decided to buy the Waves, etc., on BBTS instead of just wasting time and gas. I know it's not as much fun but would rather save time and money. It is unfortunate that distribution is so screwed up. I figure it has to do with the pandemic crap but have heard there's been issues before hand with certain lines. I guess good luck and happy hunting! Great video as alway Michael! Most of us are feeling your pain for sure when it comes to reliving going to the pegs to get figures.
i am a 3 3/4" only guy, even as a kid i would not mess with anything that was not in scale with all 3 3/4" lines i had. for that reason i think i obly had one MOTU figure ever and it might be part of the reason that i am the only kid i ever knew that did not like Transformers. though it had more to do with thinking "ok its a big bad ass fighting robot but it also turns into a car, but why, whats the point" and i still feel that way about Transformers. but man i have to say those Classics MOTU figures were awesome looking, if they made THOSE figures in my scale i would have been ALL over them. as they continue to keep making more MOTU lines i still have never gotten anything in my scale except that crappy Reaction figures :/
Hey Michael! I’m constantly commenting about wrestling figures and I just wanted to know your thoughts on the WWEternia line that went with these Masters figures. It’s a niche inside of a niche, but they’re still kinda cool IMO.
