MOTU Stratos

MOTU Stratos

Presenting Stratos from our He-Man Masters of the Universe - MOTU - collection.

To the uninitiated, Stratos is one of the key allies of He-Man. We say "key" because he's the only one of the "Masters of the Universe" who can fly on his own power.

Stratos is the leader of the people of Avion - a race of humanoid creatures with bird-like features and abilities - such as the power of flight, aerial acrobatics and enhanced vision.

Stratos enhances his power of flight with a jetpack and adds to his ability to kill anything from the sky with a pair of brass knuckles that fire lasers.

Stratos plays the role of a spy for He-Man's team aside from being an aerial combatant.


Unfortunately we can't find his blister pack anymore nor find it online - thanks to the He-Man Masters of the Universe Classics Stratos - it's almost like people want to forget the revived 2002 animated series from which this MOTU Stratos is based upon. That being said, the 2002 animated series MOTU Stratos comes with articulated wings, jetpack controls, spring launched missiles, and a pole extension in-between the two missiles that you can push down so that Stratos can "flap" his arms:

MOTU Stratos

MOTU Stratos

What's to like about the He-Man Masters of the Universe Stratos?

FIRST: Well at least he's no longer a resculpt of Beastman with a new head - which is what the original Stratos action figure was made from.

We actually like this sculpt and think he looks great, very sharp, very avian.

SECOND: We like how Stratos' wings can be swept forward. They look like they can be used as weapons in the process.

THIRD:  We like the heightened - albeit limited - articulation. It helps give Stratos more combat poses than his 80s predecessor had.

Note the crest on his belt

MOTU Stratos

What's NOT to like about the He-Man Masters of the Universe Stratos?

FIRST:  The wing gimmick. It really isn't very heroic when the hero has to flap his arms. We prefer our Stratos to be gliding with the wing after maybe one or two powerful flaps, not flapping around like a chicken.

The "flap" gimmick is also spring loaded so it actually hampers his arm articulation - you can raise his arms, but they'll just fall back down unless you can lock the presure point in place.

SECOND: He has no leg articulation. You can move his legs at the hip level, and swivel his hips, but Stratos has no articulation at the knee or ankle level. So when he's in the air as you can see here, he looks awkward.

THIRD: After over ten years, the spring-firing mechanisms for his back-pack missiles no longer work. In fact to keep them there we had to jam them into place.

This particular He-Man and the Masters of the Universe 2002 Stratos was purchased all the way back in 2002 or 2003. A brand new one on Amazon will set you back between US$ 55.02 (Roughly PhP 2,585.94 plus shipping). Loose ones on Ebay are cheaper.