Tuesday, September 8, 2020

Masters of the Universe: Eternia Minis (Wave 1)


 Another 80's toy staple is making it way back to retail toy shelves in 2020, but these are of a smaller scale. Masters of the Universe Eternia Minis are small, super stylized versions of classic MOTU characters. Each figure measures just over two inches tall. Wave 1 come blind packaged in these awesome Castle Grayskull boxes, while wave 2 will come in Snake Mountain blind packaging.

Retailing for approximately $5 each and exclusive to Walmart stores, wave 1 contains 8 characters for you to chase. However if you only want a certain character(s) you are in luck as there are letters printed on the bottom of each package. Look for the letter that corresponds to each character and you're ready to go.

A = He-Man  B = Skeletor  C = Man-At-Arms  D = Trap Jaw  E = Ram Man  F = Jitsu  G = Buzz-Off  H = Horde Zombie He-Man (chase figure)


For blind packaging I have to hand it to Mattel as the level of detail on Castle Grayskull is amazing. I really don't need 8 of these, but they are so cool that it's making it hard for me to toss them!


The two halves of the packaging attach via hinges on each side. This also allows multiples to be attached to one another.


Crack open the packaging and you have the figure on one side and a mini catalog with the figure's accessory/weapon on the other side.



The included catalog features the entire wave 1 line with some great artwork. These are the same across all the figures.


All of the figures feature a similar body build. There are 5 points of articulation - head, arms and legs. I wish He-Man came with his shield (or battle axe), but I assume the figure will receive a redeco in a future wave so maybe the additional accessory is coming.


Man-At-Arms looks great, his orange armor featuring all the detail that it should. His face sculpt is a little odd and I miss the mustache.


I never was a big fan of Buzz-Off and unfortunately this figure doesn't help. I don't care for the head sculpt, even though it's pretty accurate to the original toy. At least his wings are cast in a nice yellow translucent plastic that shows off the sculpted detail.


Ram Man is perhaps my favorite of Eternia's heroes. Always like the character and this new stylized design looks great.


Skeletor looks fantastic, but I kinda wish his mouth was sculpted open more like the classic figure.


Trap Jaw looks very menacing. His claw can be removed from his right arm. Here's hope we get different accessories in future waves. I would say he's my favorite character from Skeletor's side.


I'll be honest - I don't know a lot about the character Jitsu. I know his arch nemesis is Fisto, but that's about all I know. He's well sculpted and the included orange sword makes him look like someone I wouldn't want to cross paths with.


Horde Zombie He-Man is the chase figure of the wave and I believe falls roughly one per retail display box. I just happened to luck out to find the entire wave the first time I found them locally.



At $5 each and with a way of determining which character you are buying, these are an easy purchase for even the casual MOTU fan. I'm very please with the first wave and anxiously await the Snake Mountain wave.

7 comments:

  1. The mini Grayskull is the best part of these for me. As far as the figures in this group go, I couldn't see myself ever wanting anyone other than maybe Buzz Off, I like the head sculpt, and the wings do add a nice touch.

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    1. I grabbed an empty gravity feeder display box today...it's just as cool as the little Grayskull packaging!

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  2. These are cool. I wasn't the biggest MOTU guy, but if I was, I'd probably try to track down the entire set. I think it's funny that they put codes on the outside that reveal who is on the inside, but I guess it's cool for all of the people who end up reading this post.

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  3. Thanks for including the codes...just in case I'm tempted to pick one up!

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    1. I've been looking for another Horde Zombie He-Man chase...but no such luck. I guess I lucked out when I found them all a few weeks back.

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  4. These look AWESOME! I will have to track some down now.

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  5. Nic! Still on the lookout for these ...!

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