I got an email from Mattel alerting me that their latest Mattel Creations Masters of the Universe Origins figure was about to go on sale in a couple of days. The newest MOTU Origins exclusive figure is Camo Khan. It is slated to come out on December 2, 2022, for $30 and is limited to two per customer.
Before we get into the merits of this new exclusive action figure, a bit of backstory on Camo Khan is necessary. Mattel is basing Camo Kahn on the Kobra Khan Camuflado action figure by Top Toy that was released only in Argentina in 1987. This Argentinian variant figure was based on the Kobra Khan action figure. Top Toy had excess parts and used this as an opportunity to get rid of them. Some of the Kobra Khan Camuflado figures got Buzz-Off arms, while others got regular arms. All of them got a cool camouflage and gold paint scheme with a Snake Men logo on the chest. This Argentinean variant is a highly desired figure among collectors.
I hopped over to Mattel Creations to check out the photos of the figure and the packaging. As I was admiring the look of this new exclusive, I thought about the much larger issue of variant action figures. Variant figures tend to be polarizing. Some fans love them, while other fans find them to be cheap cash grabs by toy companies.
This caused me to pause and reevaluate why I like this Camo Khan figure so much. In general, a cheap repaint variant can be a turnoff. However, I will openly admit that if the repaint variant is eye-catching, then I will be a fan of the variant figure. A couple of great examples are the MOTU Origins Faker figure and the MOTU Origins Anti-Eternia He-Man figure. Both are simple repaints of the MOTU Origins He-Man figure. But, I love both of these variants. That is because the repainted variants just look cool. Yeah, I get that both of them are cheap money grabs by Mattel. But, if a figure looks great, then I am going to get it.
On the other hand, repaint variants like the MOTU Origins Stratos mini-comic figure do nothing for me at all. The repaint of the Stratos figure was simply not interesting enough to get me to purchase the same figure again. So, while I am totally open to variant figures, I prefer that we get a new twist added to the figure or at least a repaint that is dynamic and fascinating.
Camo Khan fits both of my requests. First, Mattel gives us a cool-looking repaint. Second, Mattel gives us a few new items to make this variant special compared to the regular Kobra Khan action figure. Let’s dive into the specifics and see if Camo Khan is worth the $30 price tag.
Paint
Mattel took the regular Kobra Khan figure that is headed our way in January 2023 and gave it an entirely different paint scheme. Camo Khan gets a camouflage paint job with a Snake Men logo on the chest. The belt is painted gold. The feet are gold with white claws.
Personally, I think this paint job looks far cooler than the paint scheme on the regular Kobra Khan figure. The splashes of gold on Camo Khan is also more eye-catching than the brown used in the belt and feet of the Kobra Khan figure.
This repaint is detailed and unique enough to grab my attention and makes the figure a much better-looking figure. This is a great example of a repaint that immediately enhances the figure and makes me want to buy it.
Extras
The Camo Khan figure comes loaded with extras. The figure comes with two pairs of different hands. First, there are green regular hands from the Kobra Khan figure. Second, are fantastic gold Buzz-Off clawed hands. Personally, I will be displaying Camo Khan with gold-clawed hands.
Camo Khan comes with two different weapons. The first is an orange gun from the regular Kobra Khan. The second is a green staff. The green staff is vacuum metalized, which immediately makes it awesome.
The figure also has the venom water blast attachment from the regular Kobra Khan figure. However, the venom water blast that Camo Khan receives is blue instead of Kobra Khan’s green version. I prefer the blue version by far. The blue offers more of a contrast with the green figure and makes it pop more.
All of these extras are great, but what really blows me away is that we get a second head with Camo Khan. In addition to the regular Kobra Khan head, we get a brand-new head with Camo Khan’s frilled-out cobra head and fangs exposed. The flared cobra head is a nod to the Masters of the Universe Classics line. This new head absolutely blows away the regular Kobra Khan head.
Packaging
Unlike some other Mattel Creations exclusive figures, the packaging for Camo Khan will be more like a Power Con exclusive figure than a regular MOTU Origins figure. This is a massive plus. Normally, Mattel Creations exclusive figures have the regular MOTU Origins packaging with the plastic bubble glued to the card. However, Camo Khan’s packaging will allow the card to slide in and out of the plastic bubble, so collectors can open the packaging and take the figure out without damaging the packaging at all. I dig that Mattel is giving us packing aimed squarely at the collector.
The card art looks phenomenal. The card will be tri-fold, so collectors can open it up once they remove it from the plastic bubble. The art is simply stunning. Artwork has always been a vital competent of any MOTU toy, and Camo Khan is no exception.
The packaging is chock-full of characters that we have not seen in Origins yet. Could Mattel be teasing us with additional Origins figures to come? I hope so!
The front of the card is beautiful, but it is the back of the card that takes everything to a new level. The back of the card has text that effectively tells the origin story of Camo Khan. Love it!
Price and Availability
Camo Khan will be $30. This is pricier than the usual Mattel Creations exclusive that normally costs $17 like for Kol Darr and Wun-Dar or $18 for Grizzlor. I am perfectly fine with Camo Khan’s increased pricing. I think that all the incredible extras that we are getting, in addition to the collector’s style packaging and tri-fold card art completely justify the increased price.
Availability is a huge question mark. Mattel is limiting purchases to two figures per customer. What collectors are worried about is if this will be another Wun-Dar disaster where the figure immediately sells out and a large portion of collectors are blocked out of a chance to purchase this figure. I hope that Mattel learned from its mistake with Wun-Dar and has produced enough Camo Khan figures to allow collectors a chance to get this exclusive. It is possible that if Camo Khan sells out quickly, Mattel will do what they did with Wun-Dar and offer a pre-order sale of Camo Khan at a later date.
Verdict
I think that Camo Khan is a win-win for both Mattel and the collectors. For Mattel, Camo Khan is a cheap figure that re-uses prior tooled parts. The only new tooling would be the flared cobra head. This allows Mattel to sell this figure at lower numbers as an exclusive to collectors and still make a profit.
Collects win because Mattel is given them a highly sought-after variant figure. This gives die-hard fans what they want. The 1987 Kobra Khan Camuflado figure is rare and expensive and is something that most collectors will never be able to own. Now, all collectors can get a cool updated version of that desired 1987 variant figure. This is precisely what Mattel should be doing with their Mattel Creations exclusives. Mattel should be targeting rare figures that are coveted by collectors and giving them a chance to own an updated version of them.
Camo Khan is also a win for collectors because it continues Mattel’s success of taking a vintage figure and plussing it up to enhance it for the MOTU Origins line.
I understand if some collectors would rather not spend $30 on a variant figure. Personally, I am all in on the Camo Khan action figure. I do think that the $30 price tag is worth it to get this variant figure. I do think that Mattel is giving us enough with Camo Khan to make this a variant that is worth the price tag. So, sign me up for Camo Khan and I will be anxiously waiting for this sale to come online and hope that I am able to actually score a Camo Khan figure unlike when Wun-Dar went on sale!