Toy Review: ‘Masters Of The Universe’ 200X He-Man Is Nostalgia For The Recent Past

Masters of the Universe has undeniably had a lot of highs and lows. Generally speaking, the 2002 reboot He-Man and the Masters of the Universe is considered a high, with strong production values, a good toyline, and a great reinvention of important lore. So seeing Mattel launch a new line based on that series definitely seems to be a step forward to honor the series’ contribution to the franchise.

Coming eleven years after The New Adventures of He-Man, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe was a full reboot of the He-Man franchise. The series set out to tell slightly more mature stories while giving key characters origins they’d never had before. The core remained the same, but the series deepened plot points like Skeletor’s identity, Teela’s parentage and Man-At-Arms’ family.

Mattel’s Masters of the Universe Cartoon Collection takes the classic designs of the various cartoons and translates them into plastic. So while the 2002 reboot (generally called 200X by fans), had a successful toy line, the designs didn’t quite match the cartoon. The 200X Cartoon Collection seeks to remedy that.

I’ll start with the design. The thinner head on He-Man is a very distinct visual, in comparison to a modern take on the more round classic figures. The breastplate is great, and it captures some of the other fine details of this era of He-Man, like the pouch with his loincloth.

For accessories, this figure is extremely limited. Though the 2002 figure included a shield and oversized ax, this one only had the Power Sword. Including the shield and ax would have improved the figure greatly, especially since the Origins line doesn’t often do alternate head sculpts or hands.

The figure does pose well, but with the limited accessories and a little less articulation, it does mean the posing is limited too. I was able to get the traditional “I have the power!” pose, which was very fun, but otherwise, it was some very basic poses with the sword.

This is a good figure, especially for fans who get into He-Man through the 200X series, but it’s not great. I am definitely glad to have it in my collection despite its flaws.