Masters of the Universe Origins: Roboto

It's no secret that I'm a fan of robots so when I first learned of Roboto as a kid in the 80's I was instantly a fan. Mattel has faithfully recreated this heroic mechanized warrior for the Origins line. The packaging is your standard Masters of the Universe design complete with exploding red lava rocks in the background. The yellow starburst talks about "Retro Play" which I assume is referencing the toy's gimmick...which happens to be listed on the other side of the blister bubble. 

The card back features some gorgeous artwork across the top, while the left side demonstrates the gimmicks. In the center is a cross sell featuring other figures released in this 2021 wave.

The original Masters of the Universe line was known for re-using body parts to create new characters, however Roboto has a lot of original parts, including the chest. Cast in translucent clear plastic, you can see the gears inside the chest. When I first saw pictures of this I was glad to see the gears were intact, but I had wondered if it would impede the removable head and limbs that the Origin figures feature. Surprisingly this feature on this version of Roboto is still intact! Roboto has so much cool stuff going for him, from the circuitry molded into his arms, the removable weaponry to the head sculpt. 

While you can swap the hands on any Origins figure, Roboto takes this one step farther with detachable weaponry. Out of the package he comes with his battle axe already attached, but if that type of bladed weapon isn't your cup of tea you can switch it out for a claw or a laser gun.

I found this figure to be a lot of fun, a highlight of his wave. He seems to also be a fan favorite and I can see why. Now I'm eagerly awaiting to see if he'll get a figure in the new Masterverse series.

Masters of the Universe Origins: Stratos

 

I don't recall the time period in 2021 that Stratos was released in the Masters of the Universe Origins series, but he was another of the "core" characters from the MOTU world that I remember as a kid. It wasn't until the Mike Young Productions cartoon series and accompanying 200X toy line that I came to really appreciate the character.

Like with all of the Origins releases thus far, he comes packaged on the iconic MOTU card with the exploding red rocks in the back ground. He comes packaged with the "Sneak Attack" mini comic that all the figures in his wave had. The back of the card has some beautiful artwork across the top, while the rest of the back showcases the features of the toy along with a cross sell for additional figures.

The Origins line seems to be performing well at retail for Mattel so I wonder if any of the other Bird People will ever see action figure form as depicted in the beautiful card art?

Stratos, the winged warrior, sports the original color scheme from the 80's. There is a comic version that has since been released that sports a different color, but I just haven't been compelled to pick up that version since this is the one I'm more familiar with. The original toy used the Beast Man body, but I'm not sure if that carried over to the Origins figure. Regardless, Stratos still has his hairy chest he's known for. His removable red jet pack makes a return and looks nice. I wish the engines on his back had some paint detail. His blue wings come unattached in the package, but easily attach to his wrists. If you prefer red wings, you can swap them out from the Masters of the WWE Universe Rey Mysterio figure.

Articulation is standard and the limbs and head are removable which is par for the course for the Origins series. If you are fan of MOTU or Stratos in general, I can see no reason why you wouldn't enjoy this modern update of the character.

Masters of the Universe Origins: Tri-Klops

COVID was devastating on so many levels in 2020 and 2021. Even the toy industry wasn't able to escape unscathed as distribution channels all but shut down at times. Tri-Klops, part of the Masters of the Universe Origins line was released at the height of these issues in 2021 and as a result became incredibly tough to find. Fast forward to today and this figure can command some high prices on the secondary market. Honestly, I was unaware of this side effect until I started prepping this post. I had good luck for while at least, finding most of the figures at my local Walmart though I can't exactly pinpoint where or when I grabbed Tri-Klops.

The evil three eyed minion of Skeletor comes packaged in the familiar Masters of the Universe retro styled packaging. Being released in 2021, it has the "New for 2021" bit in the top left corner. The back of the packaging contains some beautiful artwork across the top, while the lower half shows off the features of the figure along with a cross sell of additional figures in that wave.

Tri-Klops wasn't one of my favorite henchmen of Skeletor, but his Origins figure does a great job at capturing the look of the vintage figure and bringing it into the modern here and now. He has his classic rotating visor with three different eyes and classic green armor. His loin cloth and boots are painted black to match his original look.

In the accessory department he only comes with one item, his classic green sword. This sword is cast in a softer, more pliable plastic and it can be sheathed on his back. Like with all Origins figures, the head and limbs are removable just in case you want to swap parts and create your own character. The figure has your standard points of articulation. I believe I counted 14 points total.

Just like on the vintage figure, you can rotate his visor to display anyone of his three eyes. I wasn't a huge fan of the Filmation animated series as a kid, but I do remember Tri-Klops having displaying different abilities depending on which eye was front and center. I think his "angry eye" looks the best as it makes him look more menacing.

Tri-Klops is a solid addition to any Masters of the Universe Origins collection, however unless you absolutely must round out your cast of evil doers I would say pass, especially at the inflated secondary market prices. Then again, I've never been a huge fan of the character...well that is until I saw how crazy he was in the Netflix Masterverse show!