Mattel's Battle Armor Skeletor: A Serious Case of He-Man Envy

There’s a yin to every yang, and in this case it’s Battle Armor Skeletor as the balance to Battle Armor He-Man! Yes, Keldor, that skull-faced copycat is about to be released in Mattel’s Masters of the Universe Classics line of figures and we’re here to bring you an early review of the Lord of Destruction in his new shiny duds! Let’s start things off with the bio from the back of Skelly’s packaging:

Using dark magic taught by Hordak, Skeletor occasionally creates new forms of armor and weapons to outmaneuver the Masters of the Universe. His Battle Armor was first created to help Skeletor penetrate through the Mystic Wall in order to kidnap Adora and secretly clone the Sorceress of Grayskull. The original armor was destroyed by Oo-larr after three strikes with his mighty battle axe, sending Skeletor back behind the Wall. Skeletor reformed the armor 20 years later in an effort to combat a similar battle suit now worn by He-Man. Although lacking the mystic qualities of the original, his new armor was stronger and more powerful. Skeletor, Evil Lord of Destruction is now protected by his magic Battle Armor!

The sculpt on Skeletor isn’t exactly a pile of uniqueness. In fact, other than the Battle Armor itself, this is the same body, bit for bit that we’ve seen with the previously released Skeletor figures coupled with the same blank lower torso as seen on BA He-Man, Hordak, etc. The armor itself is made up of two halves that are attached by four clips. This time around, the armor seems a tad sturdier than He-Man’s and the fear of snapping the clips off while changing the plates doesn’t haunt our souls every time we do it.

We really like the paint job on Skeletor. The metallic purple with the gloss black really makes for a good combo! The rest of the figure is the same ol’ hat we’ve come to expect from our skull-faced figures. Like the sculpt, the paintwork is makes us all weepy and nostalgic for the vintage figure. The figure is molded in the correct colors for the most part, and fans should be pleased with addition of his purple feet that also match the style of the original release as well.

Skelly has the same articulation points as the rest of his Evil Warriors… and the Masters for that matter. A ball-joint neck, swivel/hinge shoulders, hinged elbows, swivel wrists, hinged torso, swivel wrist, swivel/hinge hips, swivel thighs, hinged knees, swivel boot-tops, & hinged “rocker” ankles. BA Skeletor was mercifully free of loose joints, including his ankles. His waist was stuck upon opening, but with a little bit of force, it was broken free and he can now swivel with the best of ‘em!

Ol’ Boneface comes packaged with a few accessories. Of course, there are the two extra chest plates. These have the same bat-logo, but are in different states of “battle damage”. As with He-Man’s armor, it’s three strikes and you’re out, and by “out” we mean, “cleaved in half”! While we’re on the subject of cleaving, Skeletor also has one solitary weapon – a battle axe! Yep, this is the same model used by He-Man, but colored up in a more appropriate majestic/feminine purple color-scheme. Like the best MOTUC weapons, this axe is made of sturdy plastic, so know worries about having a warped handle. Skeletor’s hands also grip the axe tightly, but without causing the familiar white stress marks you get from some of the other figures in the line.

As one of the Quarterly Bonus Figures, Battle Armor Skeletor was a good choice. The Four Horsemen have once again managed to remake one of our childhood favorites and we couldn’t be happier to add this insidious bastard to our ranks of villains. Be sure to log onto the Matty Collector website on March 15th for your chance to snatch this Lord of Destruction for yourselves!

Check out our interview from Toy Fair 2011:

Toy Fair 2011: Eric Treadaway On Mattel's Masters of the Universe Toys

Stay tuned to MTV Geek! for all your MOTUC coverage and reviews!

Related Posts:
There's No Disguising That MOTUC Preternia Disguise He-Man Is A Great Action Figure!
Toy Fair 2011: Mattel's Masters of the Universe Classics Reveals

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Tags Action-Figure, Battle Armor Skeletor, He-Man, Masters of the Universe, Mattycollector.com, mtv, MTV Geek, Toy Review