armor breastplate shows dents!


I was really looking forward to this particular Masters of the Universe Classics figure. While it's OK, it's really left me cold. This is Battle Armor He-Man.
The Battle Armor version was the only version of He-Man I had back in the day. I got him in a rare giftset with Battle Cat. That figure saw much playtime until his arm broke off at the shoulder, taking the piece that connects the arm to the body with it. (If you've ever taken an arm off a vintage MOTU figure, you'll know what I'm talking about.) However, a short time later, I came across one at a garage sale (the same one I got Zodac at) for 50 cents, and even though this BA He-Man had white-out on his feet for some reason (and still does to this day) it was easier than trying to find a new He-Man in the wilds of 1980s retail, which I can tell you wasn't an easy task.

Battle Armor He-Man, along with its counterpart, Battle Armor Skeletor, are legendary toys. If you were to meet anyone who has seen or played with MOTU toys, they remember these BA guys even if they don't remember anything else. The fact that you could cause make-believe 'damage' to your toys and repair it by turning the drum back was a fantastic action feature, possibly the best ever created.

This past summer, Mattel announced that BA He-Man would be making an appearance in the Classics line, news I greeted with much joy and mirth (can't you just feel it?) The figure went on sale last Friday, and I received it today. Well, it's left me cold, and a little disappointed. First off, the action feature is gone. Vanished. In its place are swappable chest pieces meant to represent the dents on the original toy. It's not so bad when written like that, but here's where it truly fails- you have to take the armor off in order to change the plates. I'm sure it was for aesthetic reasons, and these are $30 toys sold to adults, but c'mon, couldn't we have found a better way? Also, while we're on the subject of them being $30, couldn't this figure have included either a sword or shield? I know the original one had the sword, but considering all the reuse in the line and the fact that THESE COST $30, would it have been unreasonable to ask for those accessories? The ax is OK, but the cheapness of this is pretty shocking to me. I know the armor could count as an accessory, but since every other piece of this figure has been used at least three times now, I don't think it's unreasonable to ask for a sword or shield. But that just lets Mattel sell a Weapons Pack somewhere down the line. It's made a bit worse by the sword being expressly called out on this figure's bio on the back of the package.

As disappointed as I am with this figure, well, I must admit that these MOTUC figures are like pizza- even if they're bad, they're still good. BA He-Man will look great on display, and that's about the only consolation you'll have since you already spent $30 on him and UPS is going to deliver it soon. This guy will look great on Battle Cat, who goes on sale next month. Hopefully, with that addition, this figure is redeemed for me. As it is now, it's just 'meh.'

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