I wasn’t expecting Vykron to be made in the Masterverse line, at least this early in the line. This was a Mattel Creations Exclusive. Exclusives are fun for everyone, so hopefully those who wanted one were able to grab it.
Making a modular figure based on the original Roger Sweet He-Man prototype figures is an excellent idea, one that goes well with any flavor of MotU. While it is clear that the barbarian concept was the one that dictated the initial direction of Masters of the Universe, I think it speaks to the strength and fluidity of the brand that all three of those original designs easily look as if they could find a home in the MotU world.
As Vykron is the “main” figure, all the various accoutrements snap on to the standard He-man body to make the various figures. While you could no doubt have bought three of the initial offering, many have chosen to buy some cheaper Masterverse figures for the other bits. I haven’t done so yet, but that is definitely in the planning stages.
I like this body quite a bit. The joints all work well. Having double joints on a MOtU figure is quite nice, and the torso’s wobble joint does an effective job. The only major malfunction is one that can’t be helped: the loincloth does impede some of his leg articulation. It flexes, but not a lot.
The add-on parts are the real star of the show. There are many improvements here and there over the Classics counterpart while keeping the same overall flavor of the original Roger Sweet designs.
The biggest improvement in the Vykron design is the helmet. It has far less of a chalice look to it. It feels more like a barbarian’s helmet, and less like he got drunk and decided to wear his drink. Everything else straps on nice and securely. he comes with an axe.
The space design has been further tweaked so the helmet has less of a Boba Fett feel. The head and torso armor are all one piece, connected by an air hose. I think this might be my favorite of the three, because I love the melding of science fiction and barbarian that comes across. Again, the fact that the shin-guards attach by straps instead of loosely being held on is a big improvement. This costume set comes with an orange laser blaster.
The tank design has the largest redesign, switching out the stricter Earthish tank head for something that feels like it fits in a little better on Eternia. The inside of the head is quite cavernous, so it slides on over the Vykron head, held in place by the bulk of his hair. This means that if you try to use a different head, you’re going to have to find another solution to keep it from bobbling around.
I’m of two minds on the tank head. In hand, I have come around to really liking it, because admittedly it does feel more “Eternian,” but there is a huge part of me that really dug the charming wackiness of that original tank head as well, with the long turret jutting out from it. But this does look like it could be an actual Eternian vehicle, so it doesn’t not work. It doesn’t not work is today’s double negative phrase of the day.
The tank parts come with a two-handed cannon type of weapon, one with the same general head as the tank head part. Dude is thematic.
In addition to all of these parts, the figure comes with two pairs of hands: fists and grip hands.
All of the parts fit well and have been streamlined, losing some of the bulkiness of the Classics-era takes on these designs. What that means is a bit more fun for your money. Each variation hits on some pretty cool iconography from several genres, so there is a lot here to love. And it fits perfectly within the MotU milieu.
Source: The Fwoosh
