Masters of the Universe He-Man and Battle-Cat

Presenting from the Masters of the Universe Toy-line, He-Man - the Most Powerful Man in the Universe - and Battle-Cat.

I have to admit that I'm begrudgingly growing to appreciate the new Classics line of He-Man, but since I'm trying to limit what I'm collecting, Mattel's lovely line will have to remain a "Nice to look at, nice to have" thingee. 

But when the new animated series came out in 2002, I collected the the toy-line that accompanied it.

It's actually not known to many that the 2002 animated series was not meant originally as a reboot of the 1983 series. Which explains why the characters maintain vestigial tokens from the original series, and - more importantly - why He-Man has a new sword that appears technology based rather than magic based in appearance.

In the original plot, Skeletor was finally able to acquire both Swords - and indeed, if you own the quite tacky Masters of the Universe Gold Armor Variant of Skeletor, then you have him with both Swords, not just one. He-man's sword was rebuilt by Man-At-Arms and gifted with the original sword's properties.


But rather than spending time explaining all that, they rebooted the series instead.

In the process the talking Battle-Cat and Cringer disappeared replaced by a more violent "pet' - a true "Battle-Cat" so to speak. Most of his heavy armor was also removed in place of lighter armor with an armed upgrade - that kinda looks silly so most of the time I remove the spring-loaded weapons.

Which I honestly prefer. I mean a talking Green-Tiger? I think the Green and Tiger are enough stretches of the imagination.

A small peg at the center of his saddle pushes down on a button on Battle-Cat's rear that activates a claw-swiping and jaw-snapping action from Battle-Cat.

Towards the end of the cartoon series, King Grayskull, Prince Adam's ancestor was revealed to also run around on a feline mount, except this one was a huge Lion (Also Green but waaay bigger than Battle-Cat) with a huge mane. Unfortunately this particular beast was never named. 

He-Man - sold separately by the way - pays much more homage to his original 80's counterpart than Battle-Cat to the point that he even has the "Battle-punch" action that happens when you twist his torso and release resulting in He-Man "punching." The biggest difference actually between him and his original counterpart is the much more "modern" hair-style - which.... uses more gel I suppose and is a bit more Japanese inspired.

As with his 80's counterpart, He-Man comes armed with a cross-marked buckler, a double-headed battle axe - which, as with his sword, seems to be more 'tech' than plain might and magic - and of course his sword, which as previously mentioned is now - supposedly - tech based.

All three can be slung on his back thanks to the generous simplicity of his chest harness.

His sword is one really big thick blade. A blade that thick - and therefore that heavy - would have to be a two-handed sword, but  He-Man is the 'Most powerful man in the Universe" so he only uses one hand when he wields his Power-Sword.

What's to like about the Masters of the Universe He-Man and Battle-Cat?

It's a very nice representation of the cartoon with a very fine sculpt. It's also a nice nostalgia piece because combined they look like a younger He-Man and Battle-Cat. 

And it is Easter Sunday afterall, so featuring something that is the rebirth of a beloved classic seems fitting. 

What's NOT to like about the Masters of the Universe He-Man and Battle-Cat?

Well unfortunately there's not much there in terms of articulation - which is a missed opportunity in this series and probably explain why the relatively new He-Man Classics line is so popular. Probably the only thing different between these figures and the 80s toy-line is that He-Man can raise his arms laterally and Battle-Cat's legs can move and his tail can twist, that's about it.

And the added cannon extensions on Battle-Cat are just plan wrong. 

Amazon still sells Masters of the Universe He-Man for a whopping US$ 44.94 (Roughly PhP 2,000 plus shipping) - which what I did NOT pay for it at retail and is more or less what you would pay for a Classics line He-Man. You might want to buy the Classics line He-Man instead unless you're a real fan of the animated series. 

Battle-Cat unfortunately is not available on Amazon. His Samurai version - which really isn't that bad - is available for around US$ 37 (PhP 1.500 plus shipping) which is US$10 less than the Classics line Battle-Cat.