It is that time of year again, when Masters of the Universe Classics fans around the world begin speculating as to what the future holds. There are the pessimists, who swear up and down that the imminent demise of the line is near. There are the optimists, like myself, who believe that next year, and probably the year after, will be the most interesting and most bountiful of the Masters of the Universe Classics toy line!
Regardless of your leaning, Mattel will be at San Diego Comic Con to present its products for the remainder of 2015 and the products they hope to sell in 2016. That means there will be many, many excited — and hopefully happy — MOTUC fans. The original, vintage Masters of the Universe and Princess of Power lines will be wrapped up by the end of the year, save for a few key Princess of Power variants (can I get a Starburst? No, we won’t give up hope for those just yet).
That leaves the field wide open for more New Adventures, Jetlag, Filmation, mini-comic, and brand new characters. I see 2016 as being the place where we left off as kids… It’s a new day, and there will be a bunch of new figures of characters that may never have been produced in plastic before. That’s incredibly exciting and it has my imagination fired up!
My friend the incredibly talented artist Tom Bryski and I put together a wish list for 2016 and 2017. This article shows Part One of our Fantasy Roster: the 2016 half. We based our choices on the results of the huge fan poll that was run a little over a year ago, as well as popular trends on fan sites and in various collector groups on Facebook.
Of course our personal preferences influenced the roster, but we think we’ve been pretty fair, so don’t think that just because your favorite is missing from this list it wasn’t considered, or that it isn’t coming in Part Two!
Tom has done a fantastic job illustrating our ideas for the roster. Really, at the end of the day, what MOTUC fan doesn’t like a hypothetical subscription model, especially just before SDCC?!
Let’s get to it!
January 2016
Lord Masque — Masque lost the fan vote to Huntara, but he is still highly sought after, and something tells me we won’t have to wish or wait long for this figure.
February 2016
Crita — Currently one of the most highly demanded characters, Crita represents a faction that is sorely under-represented in the MOTUC line: New Adventures. Beyond that, she is a NA cartoon / Jetlag original, and her design is quite striking. The real question is will we have her on our shelves in her season one outfit (shown here) or her Season Two outfit? I’m banking on the “Space Witch” look from season one, which placed in the Top 20 of the Most Wanted Poll. Time will tell… Hopefully!
March 2016
Dylamug — He didn’t appear too often in the She-Ra cartoon, but when he did, he made a strong impression, and aside from Hunga the Harpy, he is the only main character not made in figure form from “The Secret of the Sword.” He was also a concept character developed by Mattel, but never produced. The action feature would be easy to create, considering the fact that Dylamug would be a 90-100 percent new sculpt. The Four Horsemen could come up with the rotating faces feature, or create a snap-on face-plate option. In any case, Dylamug is most definitely wanted.
April 2016
Lodar — There aren’t too many original vintage mini-comic characters, which is what makes Lodar’s absence from the line a curiosity. At this point, you’d think we’d have more than just Geldor and Temple of Darkness Sorceress (well, Oo-Larr counts too . . . sort of). Lodar just has an awesome design — It’s a little S&M, a little warlord, a little football player . . . but it works somehow.
May 2016
Hawke ( . . . And Delora) — A potential Filmation two-for-one. Stratos’s sister was called Delora in the Filmation cartoon, and his nemesis in one episode was called Hawke . . . but then his sister was called Hawke in the 200X cartoon . . . and his wife was called Delora in the mini-comics . . . confused? Don’t be. Just hope we get a female Avionian, with alternate heads. Hey, Mattel, that’s easily double the sales!
June 2016
Kothos — An independent villain from the Filmation cartoon, with a great design that would help further diversify the MOTUC line. He’s a warlord and a wizard, and he doesn’t like Evil-Lyn. His two episodes were excellent, great fun, and his inclusion in the line is, perhaps, far more justified than Nepthu’s. Just sayin’.
July 2016
Sharella — The mystery archer from the vintage Megator box art; she would be the human, living form of The Goddess in the MOTUC line (based on the bio of The Goddess). She’s a mystery and that’s always a good thing in MOTU. Plus, she helped raise Gray or He-Ro or Ro or whoever he is supposed to be in the MOTUC bios! Another Preternian is a good thing too!
August 2016
Granita (and Facet) — MANY fans were disappointed with, and perhaps perplexed by, the fact that Granita was not included in the Rock Warriors pack for SDCC a few years ago. Yes, the price would have been high, but Granita has, for a while now, been one of those Filmation characters who places VERY high in fan polls. She should have made that 2-pack a 3-pack. She originally ranked #8 on that huge site-sponsored fan poll and has risen to #3 since last year, as many of the top 10 have been announced this year. Including Facet would be a huge bonus. We imagine this figure would be more expensive than the standard figure, but that’s ok; Mattel slotted a $30 figure into Club Etheria last year. There’s no reason they can’t do the same this coming year in the main subscription.
September 2016
Garn — Another great character from the vintage MOTU mini-comics, Garn would be a great addition to the MOTUC line, especially since he’d infuse the line with some Eternian / Native American style. We have a cowboy, a man with an elephant head, and a humanoid skunk — Garn will fit in just fine.
October 2016
Melaktha — The Royal Historian, featured several times in the Filmation cartoon series, would be a fun addition, as his accessories could be Filmation story “artifacts.” Plus, fleshing out the Royal Household is not something most MOTU fans might find offensive. In fact, there has been a decent amount of support for a Melaktha figure.
November 2016
Kittrina — She has long been one of those one-off characters, featured in the Filmation cartoon series, that fans clamor for. She could easily be considered part of Chief Carnivus’s race and tribe, and that’s something that could be used to further ground her in the MOTUC canon. She’d also offer us a new, heroic Eternian female, which we need.
December 2016
Vultak — One of the last remaining Filmation Hordesmen not yet seen in figure form, Vultak is kind of a no-brainer. He’d also, likely, be rather cheap to produce, which justifies the inclusion of Kowl’s nemesis: Red Eye. We’ve all seen the great custom versions of Red Eye, so we know he’d be an awesome figure.
Subscription Exclusive 2016
Karg — YES, We know. Not possible . . . or is he? Well, according to those now speaking for Mattel, he may be possible. Unlikely, but possible. He’s a great choice for the Subscription Exclusive because he’s desired by most of the core fan base but isn’t necessarily a must-have for casual collectors.
Chase Figure 2016
Uncle Montork & Dree-Elle — Ok, WHERE are the Trollans?! We’ve had Orko for years, and they have yet to use that buck for more Trollans. Both Montork and Dree-Elle made enough memorable appearances in the Filmation cartoons to justify their being produced in the line. They are great characters, and their inclusion would further diversify the line.
Check back soon for Part 2 of our Fantasy Lineup. If you like our ideas, let Mattel know. You have the power. Hopefully some of these will show up at SDCC this week!