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Series: Masters of the Universe Chronicles
Year: 2026
Prelude: Back in 1987 Mattel tried to bring the magic of He-Man to the big screen. But while I have a certain nostalgic love for that movie, commercially it was a big dud. Now, nearly 40 years later, we are seeing a second attempt at turning the Masters of the Universe into a cinematic powerhouse. We’ll see how it goes, but at the very least it means we get new toys, and I’m always up for that. So, raise your power sword and let’s say go!
Review: This figure here is, of course, He-Man, as seen in the new live-action movie, portrayed by Nicholas Galitzine. He is notably slimmer than most of the previous He-Man figures we’ve had (New Adventures He-Man might be a good fit), but given that the He-Man portrayed here is neither a cartoon figure nor Dolph Lundgren, that’s okay. The look is He-Man-y enough to recognize, but adds its own spin by making the boots a bit more realistic, adding a leather “skirt”, and giving him a pretty decent haircut for once.
Articulation is excellent, with just one limitation I can think of. The ab crunch is a bit wobbly on my figure, not sure that’s a general thing or just specific to mine. Otherwise, He-Man does very well with double knee- and elbow-joints, articulated feet, and exchangeable hands. Speaking of hands, unlike previous Masterverse and Origins figures, the wrist joint and peg is now part of the forearm, not the hand, so the actual hands feel a good deal smaller (and easier to lose). Not really a flaw, just something worth mentioning.
He-Man comes with a pair of fists and a pair of open hands, the latter are for holding his Power Sword. Unlike the sword of a previous live-action He-Man, this one here is a very close match to the sword seen in the original Filmation cartoon and mini-comics. He-Man can store it on his back when he needs his hands free. The chest harness and arm bracers can be removed if you want to, but the skirt is fixed in place, appearances to the contrary.
The skirt is also He-Man’s one real flaw, though a tiny one, as it’s not really good for sitting on Battle Cat. It bends and stays bent for a long time if you’re not careful. Again, not much of a thing, but worth mentioning. Otherwise, though, a very nice new version of He-Man. The movie isn’t out yet, so I cannot tell you whether I like this version of He-Man yet or not, but the Chronicles figure of him is pretty good for starters.
Remarks: Mattel is going all out with the toys for the new Masters of the Universe live-action movie, presenting the characters in three different scales and sublines. The Chronicles line releases the figures in Classics/Masterverse scale, the biggest of the three. Whether or not Chronicles has now officially replaced Masterverse as the collectors’ line or is simply a temporary line for the movie is still up in the air to the best of my knowledge. Since the movie isn’t out yet, I can’t really say much about He-Man’s role in it, but I think it’s safe to assume a showdown with Skeletor and a ride on Battle Cat will be part of it.
Chronicles He-Man is a nice Masterverse-scaled version of the new He-Man from the live-action movie, bottom line. He doesn’t really offer any exciting gadgets or out-there designs, but that’s not what he is about anyway. It’s He-Man, pure and simple, back on the big screen for the first time since the 1980s. Good job!
Rating: B
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