Mattel just unveiled the pre-order for the latest Masters of the Universe figure: Vykron! This newest MOTU Masterverse figure is slated to launch on June 6, 2023, at 9 am PT.
Before we discuss the merits of this latest Mattel Creations exclusive figure, let’s take a look at the history of Vykron. This character is most definitely a deep cut from Mattel. The phenomenal Battle Ram He-Man Blog delivers a wonderful history of Vykron. Hop over there to read the history in more detail.
Essentially, after the success of the Star Wars toy line, Mattel scrambled to create a new boy’s action figure line that could be produced without paying licensing fees to a third party. Mattel Designer Roger Sweet used some of Mark Taylor’s character sketches to pitch a new line of action figures. Sweet created three figures based on Big Jim figures. The hero of this new toy line would come with various extra accessories so he could go from a barbarian to a spaceman to a military-themed character.
In the end, Mattel went with a modified version of Vykron’s barbarian form and thus was born He-Man. Vykron remained a deep-cut concept character. However, this is not the first time we have gotten a Vykron figure. Mattel did roll out a MOTU Classics Vykron figure. The MOTU Classics Vykron was a gladiator who existed fifty years before Prince Adam was born.
At any rate, let’s get back to This new MOTU Masterverse Vykron figure and check out what this new figure delivers and if it is worth buying or not.
Sculpt
Vykron is a standard Masterverse action figure. He is seven inches tall and has 30+ points of articulation. The figure sculpt itself is rather basic. The magic of this toy comes in all of the various accessories. Having said that, this is still a solid sculpt.
The standout part of this sculpt would be Vykron’s head. I love his face. Vykron has a thick jaw and wide nose that gives him an almost cave-man look that emphasizes his ancient barbarian roots. Vykron’s head sculpt also gives him a badass look. This Vykron has a face that just screams he is confident that he is going to kick your ass.
The belt looks fantastic. I love all the detail that Mattel packs into this belt. It is just the right amount of detail that makes the belt look unique without being too fancy for a gladiator like Vykron.
The rest of the figure’s sculpt is purposefully simple. That is the point of the base figure. So, I have no problems at all with the relatively bland sculpt. The basic figure’s sculpt is just a coat hanger for the three cool-looking outfits that we will be addressing later in this article.
Paint
Much like the sculpt of the base figure, the paint on the base figure is basic. This is essentially, the same paint scheme as the He-Man Masterverse figure. Brown is the main color of the base figure. Vykron’s hair is dark brown. Vykron’s loincloth and boots are a slightly lighter shade of brown. The furry tops of Vykron’s boots are painted white. Vykron’s wrist bracers and belt are a nice bronze color that gives them a real sense of weight and substance. The wrist bracers have a red oval on them that looks like a jewel. This is a wonderful pop of color that helps to liven up the look of the base figure.
Yeah, the paint is nothing fancy for the base figure. But, it is straightforward and looks nice. The more important aspect of the paint scheme of the main figure is that it is subdued enough that it does not stand out and get in the way of Vykron’s three outfits. If the base figure had flashy paint schemes then it would be hard to pair the base figure with his three incredibly divergent outfits. Brown is a nice neutral color that will fade into the background no matter which outfit is placed on this Vykron figure.
Extras
Barbarian Accessories
The Barbarian mode is essentially Vykron’s default look. The Barbarian mode is the one that meshes with Vykron’s basic figure the most. The Barbarian accessories include wrist bracers, a chest harness, a helmet, armored shin guards, a cape, and a battle axe.
The wrist bracers look great. There is a lot of detail in the wrist bracers that complement the design of the belt. It also looks like you have to pop off Vykron’s hands in order to slide on the wrist bracers. I love this design decision. This makes the wrist bracers look much heavier and more impressive than if they were clipped onto the arms.
I also like how the wrist bracers extend across the back of Vykron’s hands to afford him additional protection. This is a neat touch since most MOTU wrist bracers don’t extend past the wrist. The wrist bracers also have a red orb on them. I dig this design flair since it adds a pop of color to the Barbarian mode’s heavy brown and bronze color patterns.
Next is the chest harness. The harness is the same brown as Vykron’s loincloth and boots. The harness has a cool cross in the center with a sphere in the middle. This is a cool-looking cross and a nice homage to the cross that He-Man eventually ended up with in his debut. The harness also has squares along the straps to help break up the brown of the harness. The cross and the squares are the same bronze color as his wrist bracers and belt. This adds a nice texture to the harness as the brown looks like leather and the cross and squares look like metal.
The helmet is the same bronze color as the cross and squares in the chest harness and the wrist bracers and belt. The helmet has a fantastic sculpt and is a massive improvement over the dorky helmet the Classic Vykron had. The Classic Vykron helmet always looked like Vykron took a goblet and turned it upside down and slapped it on top of his head.
This helmet for the MOTU Masterverse Vykron looks way more badass and something that a Barbarian warrior would actually wear. The sculpt is rather ornate while still retaining a simple enough design befitting of a no-nonsense barbarian. The helmet also has a red circle gem that matches the oval gems on the wrist bracers. This is a nice touch that gives the Barbarian mode a bit of color and a constant design language.
The Barbarian mode also has armored shin guards. The shin armor is painted the same bronze color as the wrist bracers, belt, chest harness cross, and chest harness squares. I love the shin armor. The sculpt is well done and compliments the design of the wrist bracers, belt, and helmet. I like that the crosses on the shin armor is a different design from the cross on his chest harness but still similar enough that it all works well together.
I also love that Mattel made the shin armor so that it straps to Vykron’s leg. This is a big improvement over the shin armor for the Classic Vykron that was simply pressed onto his legs and held there by friction.
The Barbarian mode has a soft goods accessory in the form of a fur cape. I love this! The white fur cape is short and covers Vykron’s shoulders and upper back. The cape nicely matches the white fur of Vykron’s boots. Their cape adds some nice flair to the Barbarian mode and makes Vykron look even more of a pre-Middle Ages badass.
Lastly, the Barbarian mode has a battle axe. The Battle Axe has a cool design with openings in the middle of the inside of the two blades. I love that Mattel made Vykron’s battle axe worn with various scuff marks. This emphasizes that Vykron is a gladiator and has been through many fights.
My only criticism of the battle axe is that it appears that it is all the same color. It would have been cool if Mattel had made the handle brown. Still, it is a great-looking battle axe that helps tell Vykron’s story with all the damage it has sustained.
All in all, the Barbarian mode is nice looking and makes Vykron look like an intimidating brawler. This Barbarian mode is also a solid upgrade over the Barbarian mode for the MOTU Classics Vykron.
Space Man Accessories
The Space Man mode has some incredible accessories. First, you get some cool wrist gauntlets that cover up the Barbarian mode wrist bracers. The Space Man gauntlets are bright white with a large red orb on them. I love the continuation of the red orb theme from the Barbarian wrist bracers being carried through to the Space Man gauntlets. The Space Man gauntlets look cool and the red orbs on them really pop against the white.
The Space Man mode also gets a clean-looking white belt. The belt is a nice sleek futuristic design that compliments the rest of the Space Man accessories.
Next is the phenomenal Space Man chest armor. I love the design of the chest armor. It is so damn cool looking! I dig that the chest armor is evocative of Zodak’s chest armor. I also love that Mattel took a design cue from the training android from Castle Grayskull that was eventually made into an action figure in the MOTU Origins Mysteries of Grayskull accessory pack. The Space Man’s chest armor has a similar chest device with a breathing tube that connects to the helmet. This is a brilliant job by Mattel to take some pre-existing MOTU design language and incorporate it into the Space Man mode.
I also like how the chest armor has black rubber that covers up Vykron’s neck to create an airtight seal with the helmet. Along with the breathing tube feature, this design shows that Vykron can fly around on planets that have air that he cannot breathe. This is a really cool touch.
Now we get to my favorite part of the Space Man mode: The helmet. I love this new helmet design! This is so superior to the Mandalorian-style helmet that the MOTU Classics Vykron had. Like the chest armor, the Masterverse Space Man helmet also takes some design cues from Zodak. Specifically, the Space Man helmet has similarly designed bars on the sides of the helmet.
I like that the Space Man helmet fully covers Vykron’s face. The black figure 8-shaped goggles are a nice design. I also like the red middle fin on the helmet and the white ridge that runs from side to side across the middle of the helmet. The entire design of this helmet is fanatic and absolutely blows away the design for the MOTU Classics Vykron helmet.
The Space Man mode also comes with a cool-looking jetpack. The main body of the jetpack is the same dark silver color as the sidebars and the back of the bottom of the helmet. The main body of the jet pack has a wonderful sculpt with lots of details. We also see that this jetpack has a rocket launcher in the middle of it. Too bad that feature does not work! At any rate, it looks like the Boba Fett-inspired jetpack from the original Vykron design lives on!
The wings for the Masterverse jetpack are not as large and dramatic as the wings for the MOTU Classics jetpack. But, I am okay with this more subdued design. I certainly like the translucent plastic used for the wings compared to the boring gray plastic used in the MOTU Classics jetpack.
Lastly, the Space Man mode comes with a sci-fi-looking laser blaster. This blaster looks like a much fancier version of the typical laser gun that we have seen with Zodak and other figures. This laser gun is far superior to the boring modern Earth military rifle that came with the MOTU Classics Vykron. This is another brilliant upgrade by Mattel.
One accessory that is noticeably missing is the Space Man shin guards. This does make the Space Man mode look a bit incomplete. The MOTU Classics Vykron had big red shin guards with orange orbs on them. I am not sure why Mattel decided to skimp out on the armored shin guards for the Space Man mode for the Masterverse Vykron. It is even stranger given all the incredible attention to detail and various upgrades that Mattel made with all of the other accessories for the MOTU Masterverse Vykron.
Overall, I do love the Masterverse Space Man mode. The red and white paint scheme looks fantastic. I like it more than the red and gray paint scheme of the Classics version. All-in-all, the design for the entire Space Man mode for the MOTU Masterverse Vykron completely blows away the design of the Space Man mode for the MOTU Classics Vykron. The Masterverse Space Man mode is a massive upgrade. The Classics Vykron Space Man mode looks too much like Star Wars design language. The Masterverse Space Man mode looks more like a Jack Kirby design and, therefore, more like classic MOTU design language.
Eagle Tank Accessories
While I love the Barbarian mode and the Space Man mode, the Eagle Tank mode completely steals the show! And if you thought the Space Man mode was a big departure from the MOTU Classics version then hold on to your seat because you ain’t seen nothing, yet!
The MOTU Masterverse Eagle Tank mode is a massive departure from the MOTU Classics version and I love everything about it! The MOTU Masterverse Eagle Tank mode is brilliant. Simply brilliant.
Let’s start with the minor aspects of the Eagle Tank mode. The gauntlets are nice looking. They have a utilitarian militaristic design. I like that these gauntlets strap to the arms rather than simply slipping to the arms like the MOTU Classics version.
The Eagle Tank mode also has shin armor that is designed to match the gauntlets. Again, I am happy that the shin armor pieces strap to the legs rather than simply being pressed onto the legs like the MOTU Classics version.
The design difference between the MOTU Masterverse Eagle Tank shin armor and the MOTU Classics Tank shin armor is obvious and striking. The MOTU Classics shin armor had massive exaggerated feet that looked like a tank had sprouted feet. Mattel went with a far more subdued design for the MOTU Masterverse Eagle Tank shin armor that looks like regular shin armor that you would get with any MOTU figure.
I know that some people may be disappointed by this design change. But, I am fine with it and think that it is a smart move by Mattel. The exaggerated tank feet of the Classics version matched the Tank mode more since it had more of a modern traditional tank theme.
On the other hand, Mattel went with such a wild Sc-Fi design for the Eagle Tank mode with the MOTU Masterverse Vykron that the exaggerated tank feet would not have matched the overall Sci-Fi design and it may have made the entire look just a bit too much.
The Eagle Tank mode chest armor is a wonderful design. Mattel thoughtfully upgraded the chest armor from the MOTU Classics version. I like that Mattel retained the tank tread shoulder guards from the MOTU Classics version. This is a good look that should have been retained.
However, Mattel wisely changed the design of the main body of the chest armor. The MOTU Classics version was a rather bland tank design for the main body. Mattel spiced things up by upgrading the MOTU Masterverse Eagle Tank chest armor by incorporating a large design feature from Man at Arms’ chest armor. The Eagle Tank chest armor has that classic large protruding protective armored plate rising off of the chest armor and upward to protect Vykron’s upper chest and neck area.
I love this design decision by Mattel. This helps to give the Eagle Tank mode that classic MOTU design language. This makes the Eagle Tank mode instantly look like a MOTU figure rather than how the MOTU Classics version looked more like a generic military figure.
I also like how Mattel has the back of the Eagle Tank chest armor extended down across all of Vykron’s back and then attached to his belt. This is far superior to the back of the MOTU Classics version which ended around Vykron’s mid-back. I also love all the incredible detailing that Mattel packed onto the back of the Eagle Tank chest armor. The back of the MOTU Classic’s chest armor was rather dull and lacked much detail. Not so with the Masterverse version! The back of the Eagle Tank chest armor has just as much detail as the front! This will make Vykron posable from all directions when in his Eagle Tank mode.
Of course, the crown jewel of the Eagle Tank mode is the phenomenal helmet! Seriously, Mattel just crushed it out of the park with this helmet design! I adore everything about this helmet and it definitely makes the Eagle Tank mode a fantastic look and easily the coolest of Vykron’s three modes.
The MOTU Classics version had a goofy-looking modern tank design for the helmet. It was essentially the turret of a modern tank. It was really odd and also made Vykron look more like an outlandish GI Joe cyborg than a Sci-Fi/Fantasy MOTU character. Well, Mattel realized the same thing that the Classics version of the helmet was just not MOTU enough. So, Mattel fixed that by rolling out an absolutely brilliant helmet design.
The Eagle Tank helmet is a giant green eagle head with two massive laser guns on the sides! It is amazing! The green eagle head has its eyes painted gold which is a nice touch of color to break up all of the green on the helmet. The two guns retain the same tank tread motif as the shoulder guards from the chest armor. I love that Mattel carried the design language from the shoulder guards into the guns on the helmet. It helps to give the entire Eagle Tank mode a nice constant design language. The two laser guns have tons of detail all over them and look fantastic.
However, what is even cooler is that the eagle helmet can open and close its mouth! That’s right! You can have Vykron keep the helmet’s mouth open so he can survey the damage that he has done. Or you can close the mouth to offer maximum protection for Vykron while he is engaged in heavy battle. What a fantastic touch by Mattel!
Lastly, the Eagle Tank mode comes with a wicked-looking weapon. It looks like a crazy Sci-Fi version of an M134 Minigun. What is the best part of the design is that the end of the barrel is an eagle head! It is much like the helmet design. This weapon looks like pure MOTU goodness. This design blows away the generic modern military rifle that came with the MOTU Classics version.
Overall, the Eagle Tank mode is amazing and a massive upgrade over the Classics version. The Eagle Tank mode looks like a Jack Kirby design. Kirby would often blend animal designs into his futuristic technology. This design change also gives the Eagle Tank mode that vintage MOTU design. This now looks like a MOTU figure through and through. Plenty of MOTU toys have employed animal designs fused into the technology. The Land Shark and Sky-Sled are two good examples of that.
Packaging
The MOTU Masterverse Vykron comes in premium packaging. The artwork on the box is incredible. It is done in a proper Frank Frazetta style of art. MOTU always earns high marks for the phenomenal artwork on their toy packages. The MOTU Masterverse Vykron is no exception. This is just amazing artwork.
I appreciate that the box for Vykron can be easily opened without damaging the box at all. This way collectors can pull out the figure without damaging anything.
Also, when you open the box, Vykron comes with a stand with his name on it and a neat trifold display card that you can place behind his figure when displayed on your toy shelf. Of course, the art for the display card is gorgeous.
Mattel continually impresses me with its premium collector packaging. The MOTU Masterverse Vykron continues this tradition.
Price and Availability
The MOTU Masterverse Vykron has a list price of $35.00. Yeah, that’s right. Just $35! I think that price is an absolute steal. Mattel is giving the collector an insane amount of product with this figure. The base Vykron figure is nice. But, the ridiculous amount of amazing accessories and rich playability with the three different modes is off the charts. The collector is getting an incredible bang for the buck with everything that they are getting for just $35.
I know it seems silly to say that an action figure that costs $35 is a steal. But, we really are getting just a ton of incredible accessories in the three different modes with this toy. Vykron looks badass in all three modes and is going to be a fun figure to either play with or simply display.
Verdict
Buy, buy, buy!!! Seriously, the MOTU Masterverse Vykron offers such a great value at the $35.00 price tag and is a massive upgrade over the MOTU Classics Vykron.
Mattel will be limiting customers to three figures. I am sure there are going to be plenty of collectors who want three figures so they can pose Vykron in all three modes on their toy shelves. I know I am tempted to do so!