I much prefer the theory that the suit is the one that Queen Malena used to get from Earth into Eternia. It just is more cool and links the story better, also would be a cool way for Adam finding the origin about his mother, when he gain access to Greyskull castle and start learning about the planet's past history, including his parents.
I figured it was just an armored space suit type of deal that anyone could use. Kind of feels like a downgrade to turn it into a random minor unique character. Release it as a toy with an opaque/reflective visor and you can pretend it is anyone; He-Man, Man-at-Arms, Skeletor, etc. If you want a fancier gimmick, make the helmet removable and include swappable heads for a few different major figures. (This would have worked well with a general swappable head gimmick that might be used with any other figures, giving you more heads to swap.)
@@spectorcreative1872 yeah I know I was kid then now I was thinking more ancient Eternian Battle armor Maybe something King Grayskull needed to heal himself after a battle like a special healing pod that does not work anymore
I think one of the things I liked most about He-Man as a kid was the mystery surrounding so many things, allowing me to create my own backstory. These days, everything has to be explained.
I agree. Make story prompts for imagination spring boards. Lots of stuff left up to the imagination but enough solid things to play on. But then kids don’t care and just have the joker take over castle Greyskull
I still have my OG Grayskull with this armour cutout.🤟 As a kid I always thought of it as something that Man-at-Arms had invented for serious battlefield combat. Almost like a last resort failsafe should the castle be breached by an army. An Autonomous protection unit but can also be worn like a mech suit . Added to the mystery for me not knowing.✌️😉 Awesome video mate , cheers .
Marks original idea in the 80's was for it to belong to Zodac's people and he originally wanted to pitch a deluxe version of Zodac that was outfitted in the suit but was told it wasn't in the budget.
@@spectorcreative1872 Yeah Mark and the team there were certainly ahead of their time, much like yourself on the business end- we wouldn't have the collection we do without ya, Scott. It saddens me that the whole MattyCollector experiment didn't last longer than it did but such is corporate decisions.
I always thought it came from the spaceship Queen Marlena crashed with. As the only one left intact after the crash, Sorceress thought it was nifty and there was no-one around so she just took it and put it on display in her woman-cave. 😁
I was like that to, but the deeper I got in to motu, I started realising the 2 are very nicely intertwined and become unseparable. The classics storyline with He-ro being cured of his techno-organic virus by a mystic pool, spreading tech over Eternia works well for me. Especially because it's mostly rough and cluncky technology instead of the more sleek and futuristic startrek-style.
I'm still sad we didn't get this and the monster cage for the castles cell. Oh well... I'm just really happy for the stuff we did get and thankful to you for making all this happen 😎👍
WOW this has to be the best figure that never got made other then skeleteen :(. Great video and amazing figure idea, hopefully someday Mattel will decide to make him :(
Hey, it’s the it all kit and caboodle of Cast,e Greyskull to have “mysteries”? Maybe this thing needs to just remain a mystery and leave it all to our agile imaginations. I used to pretend it was a robot to protect the throne room and was made a long time ago. After the show came out I’d pretend it was queen Marlenas astronaut suit preserved as one of the trophies or mysteries of castle Greyskull and eternia’s history. Still love this card board character though 👍🏼
I like that backstory. A lot of people are hoping Mattel does a figure out of this space suit in Origins since its not in the new Castle Grayskull. That or they didn't feel like it fit in and that kids wouldn't know either way. I hope that didn't erase all the work you and your team did to give it a cool backstory.
Jet Pak would have been cool to get, but was the helmet going to be separate from the head or part of the head? It would have been cool to be able to put any characters' head in the armor.
was still a traveling bachelor when the 2013 castle came out, so I didn't buy huge sets, but now Ive settled, Im looking forward to the new castle coming, don't care it they say its lighter, or toyish than previous versions, Im ready for it.
I always Loved that Spacesuit, always wondered who the Hell wore that thing, & what it was there for, this was an Awesome video, round of applause for the Guru of Toys once again, ALL HAIL!!!!!!!!!!!
What a cool backstory you gave the armored suit! I love, love, love that the Trollans left one of their super-mecha-robo-Mando-suits behind to help protect the Sword of He from the dastardly doings of nefarious nincompoops! This is an area ripe for exploration in future comics, films or animated series.
growing up there was a kid on the playground who SWORE he had the action figure of the suit...theres always THAT kid on the playground. He promised to bring it to class everyday but something always came up.
I've recently gotten back into MOTU, starting with Origins (sadly, I had no idea Classics existed). I didn't know about the powercon exclusive set for Grayskull until it was too late. I'm very upset I have an incomplete castle. I really hope they re-release this at retail.
Fun video! Thank you! The only thing I take exception to was the assertion about "running out of characters to make." I know they weren't all A-Listers, but when MOTU Classics wound down, I still had a Wish List of over 100 characters from all over the place that I would've loved to have seen as figures. Ice Armour He-Man, Disks of Doom Skeletor, Starburst She-Ra, Dragoon, Melaktha, Kothos, Lizorr, Mini-Comics Tri-Klops, Old Man Marzo & Odiphus 2-Pack, Jet-Pak . . . man, I could do this ALL DAY. And that's just the action figures -- vehicles, beasts, giants, playsets, and Weapons Paks stretched to several dozen more entires.
I remembered someone did a custom of that dungeon grate. Was offered in etsy. Pretty pissed I didn't jump on it quick enough and pick it up :( WE NEED ONE!
When I was a kid I convinced the other kids that it was He-Man's chef robot butler. Any kid that disagreed, I pointed out the oven/stove next to the figure.
Brilliant bit of History and info . I had purchased the original Castle Grayskull play-set twice . Something About the design and platform of it inspired so much play time . Even when I was left with just the drawbridge side of it I managed to turn it into a space battle ship. Hahahaha.
If I had thought about it as a kid I would have said the moon Phantos was colonized by early Eternians prior to the great wars that Grayskull has leftover technology from.
Seeing that Lady Slither and the playset really got me feeling that Cobra Temple vibe! You guys could of really cashed in (albeit inadvertently) on the G.I.Joe market if you could of make a playset that 'accidentally' looked like Cobra Temple Alpha !! Oh that would of been gold!
Hey Spector - thank you so much for the channel (I watched it while I was taking the prelims for my doctorate - it helped me not panic during a long and horrible test and I passed it). I was wondering if you all ever considered doing a playset for she-ra's Crystal Castle? I know you did Light Hope, I was just wondering if those discussions ever happened. Thanks!
As fascinating as all this is I didn’t realise how close we were to getting a Netta figure. I know, not that close. But come on! The world needs a Netta figure.
By the end of the line, were there any figures you didn’t get to that you think feel like meaningful empty spots on the shelf? What about New Adventures characters? Is that portion of the franchise so disliked that a totally new character would seem like a safer bet, sales wise? In fact, how did the various sub-categories fare? New Adventures (space mutants/galactic defenders) // She-Ra // Filmation characters/styles // fan creations for the 30th anniversary... am I missing any? Also, why did you never get to the Meteoroids? Was there a rights issue because they were a preexisting property retrofitted to fit into MotU? Finally, what of the Eternia playset? Was that ever in the cards?
Wow that is wicked cool. I always though as a kid it might have been some one who landed in Preternia and built Castle Gray Skull and then died and became the sprit of Gray Skull just leaving a haunted space suit behind.
I've just now discovered the Wave 5 (1986) figure Extendar, whose silvery armor suit with gold shoulder-plates and gauntlets make him look not unlike our favorite castle space-suit. It seems possible that Extendar began as Mattel's attempt to release a complete action figure of the castle's cardboard cut-out, but that this angle got lost in the new extend-o action feature and subsequent marketing. Mr. Neitlich, have you considered a connection?
@@spectorcreative1872 Fair enough. I've got an Extendar on the way via Ebay (they're cheap!), and plan to customize it to take the space-suit's place in the new Origins Castle Grayskull, which is weirdly lacking the suit. A touch of green metallic paint plus some tubes and wiring, and it should fit right into that space in the throne room.
I was curious about Man-at-Arms and he seems to have cobbled together armor. Something about it reminded me about the Greyskull armor so I compared. There are many similarities. The chest part is super similar. And the shoulders have the nobs. I think this a complete suit of armor that Man-at-Arms has found a couple pieces of. It would be really cool to get a complete one colored like Man-at-Arms with him inside.
Oh, and here was me thinking this would be about some obscure kid's costume that looked like a space suit but in the gothic style of Castle Grayskull...
Yeah I'm disappointed this guy got skipped for Origins Castle Grayskull- the Mega Construx Castle Grayskull at least had a little transparent block with the artwork reproduced. I think the sculpt you guys did in Classics was a worthy compromise as well
Yeah I was pleasantly surprised to find the artwork of it on that block in my MCX Grayskull set as I really liked that art in my original Grayskull when I was a kid. And it being printed on a plastic block is a fair bit more durable than the old cardboard too. :) Would be quite happy if MCX did a mini-figure of it too but still plenty actual characters to get through first. :)
I was always disappointed they missed out on the great opportunity to create additional expansion sets of castle expansions. It was easy to click playsets together already, why not put out a greyskull tower or snakepit tomb or whatever
Yeah, back in the beginning, Castle Grayskull was all about a fortress full of magic and technology from ages long past from great wars that devastated the planet... I never gave much more thought to the robot than that as a 5 year old. Now days, I think it would be best as a suit that 'anyone' can wear with either the clear helmet and anyone's head popped on... or opaque helmet and we can 'pretend' anyone from Hordak to Teela was wearing it. Trollans I'm not as big a fan of in general... it feels weird that they create all these weapons and armor for species that have legs. I always feel it's natural for an advanced alien species to design ships, weapons, armor, etc.... that THEY would use. And Trollans have very unique biology ;)
Skimming the comments, I'm reminded that Kirby had a huge influence in the original designs; I'm really looking forward to more of that story unfolding here. It was really a sad time when his sight and ability to produce work were failing -- even the comics industry was harsh on him. I'm glad that his contributions and influence are more broadly and respectfully regarded again. So the original suit was a Kirby design! Far- frikkin- out, man!!
I'm curious what the cost out would gbr been for a full featured Castle Grayskull. Did you guys look at that, like, if all the pack is were fully tooled, and the Castle was kept at the original solicited size, what would the cost difference have been to us? Especially now, seeing what people just paid to Super7 for Snake Mountain, we'd have been willing to pay more if we'd have gotten more.
@@spectorcreative1872 yeah, ok. That might have been out of reach. Although, not necessarily out of reach if it could have been broken up, like packing the accessories with the sub figures over a year or two. Oh well, nothing but armchair quarterbacking to do now is there?
The suit is from the New Adventure of He-Man , because all of that took place first . There was a terrible war and everything was wiped out and Eternia started over .
I think you guys are all missing the true purpose of it, it is Castle grayskull man's sidekick. Built to be a friend for him to hangout with and help protect the castle. Or perhaps it is built as a physical body for Spirit of grayskull to use to protect the castle if necessary
What is the canon story behind the "Crusaders Cross" on vintage HE-MAN's armor? I assume it was simply carried over from the original artwork... But I wonder... (since it happened in the live-action movie) Did characters from Eternia visit Earth in ancient times? Like, maybe, Horde Prime opened a dimensional portal in the past, Near Earth, interacted with Earth people hundreds of years ago, but was stopped by the "Power of HE" (Explain why the symbol is present on both worlds) As for the portal, maybe it was never fully closed, and ends up as the wormhole in space that brought Marlena Glenn to Eternia...
@@spectorcreative1872 I loved the watercolor look of the cardboard cutout in the original. In my silly headcannon, since Zodac was the Cosmic Enforcer, it was the suit he arrived in, but it malfunctioned, and kinda scrambled his brain. That's why he was marketed as "evil cosmic enforcer" originally.
Really cool to get all this lore and behind the scenes info, I've been enjoying your videos! As someone who's had creative input in the franchise, what do you think of the 2002 and 2021 versions of the show?
Mattel, Inc, 1980/81: Management: “Well Castle… what’s it called? Designers: Grayskull. Management: “Oh ok, yes Castle Grayskull. Well it’s almost done and that cannon looks great there and everything but you know what, I think we should just add a cardboard cutout to add to this neglected blank corner over there.” Designers: “What of?” Management: “Why not a spacesuit? We could rival Kenner that way.” Designers: “Yeah right, how do you expect us to beat Kenner with that?” Management: “Well we could do if it was in plastic. We’ll add more space themed robots etcetera later down the line.” Designers: “Ok, but you’ll be saying we won’t have enough money for this. Just keep it as cardboard, you know. We’ll still sell it that way.” Management: “Did you see what our competitors brought to Toyfair? It’s all about space and we’re releasing that?” Designers: “Masters Of The Universe is going to be a huge hit and I bet we’ll be ending Kenner’s endless success soon, with our own.”
I believe the origins of the suit is in fact the creators of masters of the universe tried to jam pack the toy line with as much fantasy, sci fi and other elements popular at the time to make it more appealing to kids, they never slowed down to think…hey maybe this should have a back story they just pumped the stuff out, which is one of the reasons I love love love masters, the spontaneous creative Big Bang was awesome and allowed children to come up With their own stories regarding certain elements of masters, ya know old fashioned imagination, not everything need backstory or explanation but hey I like this theory too, come up with whatever it’s fun 😁
Maybe you covered this already I don't know, but can someone explain why here in Texas we have yet to get any new waves of MOTU origins figures. We have been stuck on wave 1 for 6 months. But looking at UA-cam, seems like they hit everywhere but here .
@@spectorcreative1872 so, at the time y’all had the copy right to Flash Gordon?(Sorry I’ve been trying to start a Flash Gordon collection and can’t find a lot of lines of toys)
Side note from last video: I have yet see Trap Jaw anywhere but overpriced online. You alluded that Trap Jaw might actually start showing up at the shelves? All I’ve seen is He-Man, Skeletor, Battlecat, and the Sky Sled 2-pack keeping the pegs super warm.
I found a Trap Jaw finally the other day at Target. I also found out that the figures come four to a case, so just one set of figures per case, no extras.
I always wanted MOTU toys as a kid, but I have never had any because I grew up with a very strick and religious mother who wouldn't let me watch the show or buy the toys because she saw Skeletor and said it was Demonic. A question about the castle gray skull that was released to the public is there any particular reason why they didn't make the front door big enough for the action figures to fit through it?
You may have already answered this somewhere, but was Blackstar (the He-Man-like cartoon character from, I think, a year or two before) ever made part of the line? or even part of the mythos?
Mark taylor wont say why he designed it put it in there I just took it as either old tec left over like the other stuff and then may be marlena suit More into fantasy sword sorcery than space stuff Sadly origins castle missed the design point the franchise is built on and designer wanted for the castle a prototype version would be a instant buy
That’s my hope. Not having it in the new castle seemed like a big oversight that really makes me think they intended to release it as a separate figure. T would be extra cool if they did since it would move origins beyond just remaking the original toys but adding new characters invented after the original line stopped. If does well enough it would be great to see some figures unique to the origins line.
I really have been seeing so far more collectors interested in buying Origins than kids. Still early, but hope that signs to releasing new original figures in the future. Axel Gimenez has drawn a few on packages.
@@syadkir I’ve noticed way more He-Man and Skeletors on the shelves than anything else, but that’s a good thing, I think. As a kid I was always disappointed that the guys like Megatron or He-man were gone when I tried to get them. Hopefully they will sell by Christmas. I really think that the future of a toy line is kids. Collector lines are a dead end. I like Mattel’s advertising showing origins as a line adult fans can introduce to their sons and daughters. He-Mans basic concept of sword and sorcery plus sci-fi is a great place for kids imagination. Action figures are a great place to explore imagination because unlike video games, the world needs the kids imagination using there house and backyard or whatever rather than the environment and story that the video game manufacturers for you.
@@mikewilson858 I agree and I'd buy a bunch of them to an orphanage had I the money. And I also hope the line warms up better with today's kids. It's just that so far all I've seen is big kids fighting for a scarcely distributed few figures. That leads me to think there might be a Mattel plan B behind this. Even bitter Classics collectors are buying their share now. This is taken into consideration I guess.
Still so many gaps in the Classics collection. Mattel really needs to resume the line, or at least permit Super7 to continue. Brian confirmed that they have a bunch of stuff that was sculpted that they're sitting on waiting for Mattel to let them continue.
Hey Scott I recently seen a concept piece for Lady Slithers castle and hordaks fright zone for classics and I wanted to know were there are any playsets for motu classics that never made it past the concept stage?
I feel a bit underwhelmed. I know what you guys retconned it as (much respect for it), but what I'm actually curious about is: What did the OG creators INTEND it to be? Has anyone asked them? Are there any notes from the time indicating what it is? Did I miss that part of the video (watched it twice)?
i just naturally assumed there was a skeleton inside that became a man of flesh when the computer was activated, but the mechanics of it have long been broken. when activated it was a great ally, but the original man was so cursed that the longer he was 'alive' the more evil he became and would eventually have to be defeated again until needed for the great things he can do when first brought back. i mean, duh.
@@spectorcreative1872 thanks, but probably a little too much for kids used to stinkor. plus, kind of too much like man-e-faces, probably. if tasked to come up with new characters for kids, i'd probably just start with names that would make george lucas blush and animals, followed by dinosaurs and/or insects. what a dream it would have been to concoct characters for toys!
I much prefer the theory that the suit is the one that Queen Malena used to get from Earth into Eternia. It just is more cool and links the story better, also would be a cool way for Adam finding the origin about his mother, when he gain access to Greyskull castle and start learning about the planet's past history, including his parents.
Yeah but it doesn't really look very "earth", likely because Kirby designed it.
As a kid I always just assumed it was a futuristic suit of armor. Castles always have decorative suits of armor standing around.
I figured it was just an armored space suit type of deal that anyone could use. Kind of feels like a downgrade to turn it into a random minor unique character. Release it as a toy with an opaque/reflective visor and you can pretend it is anyone; He-Man, Man-at-Arms, Skeletor, etc. If you want a fancier gimmick, make the helmet removable and include swappable heads for a few different major figures. (This would have worked well with a general swappable head gimmick that might be used with any other figures, giving you more heads to swap.)
And it still is that!
As a kid I knew Queen Marlena wasn't a toy in the vintage line, but I always thought it was the spacesuit Marlena wore from Earth.
Yeah her suit is a bit different in both the toy and cartoon. This is not very "earth" in design
@@spectorcreative1872 yeah I know I was kid then now I was thinking more ancient Eternian Battle armor
Maybe something King Grayskull needed to heal himself after a battle like a special healing pod that does not work anymore
@@spectorcreative1872 it is cool to learn the truth from your video
I was the same.
Even as a 12 year old I thought it was pretty obvious that this was just an ancient suit of power armor, still hooked up to it's charging station.
And this just provides more background!
I always thought it was Marlena Glenns' (Queen Marlena) Prince Adams Mother's Space Suit stored there as a Relic from another Planet.
That’s what I went with. That it came from Earth, but from someone who was part of Marlena’s expedition crew that was ‘lost’.
That was my assumption too, I think it would have been awesome if the person wearing the suit on Trala was a time displaced Marlena.
Same thing here
That is a cool idea too!
Me too. I prefer the suit being from Earth. An artifact that the Sorcereress considers a magical item from another world.
I think one of the things I liked most about He-Man as a kid was the mystery surrounding so many things, allowing me to create my own backstory.
These days, everything has to be explained.
Well you have the choice of ignoring it, from a certain point of view
Children are lame and stupid
I agree. Make story prompts for imagination spring boards. Lots of stuff left up to the imagination but enough solid things to play on. But then kids don’t care and just have the joker take over castle Greyskull
I still have my OG Grayskull with this armour cutout.🤟
As a kid I always thought of it as something that Man-at-Arms had invented for serious battlefield combat.
Almost like a last resort failsafe should the castle be breached by an army.
An Autonomous protection unit but can also be worn like a mech suit .
Added to the mystery for me not knowing.✌️😉
Awesome video mate , cheers .
Everyone needs one
@@spectorcreative1872 Indeed ...it's a prerequisite of life 😂👍
I got a name for it. Kare-Take-Kor. A mystical robot which takes care of the castle, regardless of who controls the castle.
Hey that is cool!
Marks original idea in the 80's was for it to belong to Zodac's people and he originally wanted to pitch a deluxe version of Zodac that was outfitted in the suit but was told it wasn't in the budget.
Also much love to Rebecca Salari Taylor who did the art for it back in the 80's as Mark worked on the other art for the castle.
I had not heard that before. Neat!
@@spectorcreative1872 Yeah Mark and the team there were certainly ahead of their time, much like yourself on the business end- we wouldn't have the collection we do without ya, Scott. It saddens me that the whole MattyCollector experiment didn't last longer than it did but such is corporate decisions.
Kid me pretended it was a dive suit that Man-At-Arms invented to fight Merman on his home turf.
Hey that is cool too!
Merman: Thank goodness I got away from the jerk, Man-At-Arms!
Divesuit Man-At-Arms: SURPRISE MOTHER FLOUNDER!
@@stranger59 Heheheh
That front helmet hose on the suit vs Merman's sword never ended well for Man-At-Arms.
"Static" would've been a good character name for the suit.
Too bad we never got to it
I always thought it came from the spaceship Queen Marlena crashed with. As the only one left intact after the crash, Sorceress thought it was nifty and there was no-one around so she just took it and put it on display in her woman-cave. 😁
Yeah her Spacesuit looked different both on the figure and cartoon. This suit is not very :"earth like"
Lol I thought the same thing. Assumed it was from earth
@@spectorcreative1872 I was just now replied to similar comment that I figured it was space armour for exploring the most hazardous alien conditions, from off Marlena's Earth ship. To better align with her new home it [suit] had an eventful journey. Prince Randor would have had Duncan supe it up. Of course long the way it was partially transformed, and empowered by magic. Maybe she even obtained it, (or parts of it) during an earlier adventure by way of an untold (to us) world/planet. The blending of different sources, repairs, and upgrades over time led to its add style.
Hey, we don't know her entire story.
Her Maternal Majesty could have a few good swashbuckling, fireside tales too.
It would open a whole new story-arc/vein of storytelling!
I hearby © this idea. 😀
Great video. I have always been more into the swords and sorcery aspects more than the sci fi elements but that is me.
And the brand has a nice combo of them both!
I was like that to, but the deeper I got in to motu, I started realising the 2 are very nicely intertwined and become unseparable. The classics storyline with He-ro being cured of his techno-organic virus by a mystic pool, spreading tech over Eternia works well for me. Especially because it's mostly rough and cluncky technology instead of the more sleek and futuristic startrek-style.
I was always fascinated by how the combination worked.
Retrofuturism is extremely awesome.
I think it's neat when sci-fi invades a fantasy setting, because the two genres can potentially mix in really interesting ways
With the lack of one in Origins Castle Grayskull, I really hope Mattel does exactly this. Gives us a full figure we can put against the wall.
That would be truly cool!
Castle Grayskull..... the greatest castle of all time!
Without a doubt.
Love videos like this where we get inside information. Thanks scott you're doing masters a great service.
I am thrilled you are enjoying, please do feel free to pass along to others~
I'm still sad we didn't get this and the monster cage for the castles cell. Oh well... I'm just really happy for the stuff we did get and thankful to you for making all this happen 😎👍
So close to~!
WOW this has to be the best figure that never got made other then skeleteen :(. Great video and amazing figure idea, hopefully someday Mattel will decide to make him :(
Yeah, so close to!
Hey, it’s the it all kit and caboodle of Cast,e Greyskull to have “mysteries”? Maybe this thing needs to just remain a mystery and leave it all to our agile imaginations. I used to pretend it was a robot to protect the throne room and was made a long time ago. After the show came out I’d pretend it was queen Marlenas astronaut suit preserved as one of the trophies or mysteries of castle Greyskull and eternia’s history. Still love this card board character though 👍🏼
Hey I warned people!
I like that backstory. A lot of people are hoping Mattel does a figure out of this space suit in Origins since its not in the new Castle Grayskull. That or they didn't feel like it fit in and that kids wouldn't know either way. I hope that didn't erase all the work you and your team did to give it a cool backstory.
I wonder why they cut it from the castle. That is so weird!
@@spectorcreative1872 maybe you can use your influential status as the toy guru to find out for us!
Jet Pak would have been cool to get, but was the helmet going to be separate from the head or part of the head? It would have been cool to be able to put any characters' head in the armor.
Yeah we would have done some head swaps to make it a one and done for all possibilities.
I really like the story about the pit having different dimensions and different times , so the space suit came from there.
Ah those original minis are awesome!
was still a traveling bachelor when the 2013 castle came out, so I didn't buy huge sets, but now Ive settled, Im looking forward to the new castle coming, don't care it they say its lighter, or toyish than previous versions, Im ready for it.
Looks like a lot of cool new stuff coming for MOTU!
I always Loved that Spacesuit, always wondered who the Hell wore that thing, & what it was there for, this was an Awesome video, round of applause for the Guru of Toys once again, ALL HAIL!!!!!!!!!!!
Always glad to inform!
@@spectorcreative1872 The Toy Informer!
Probably one of my favorite videos, i would definitely love to see skeletors henchman as masterverse figures some of those character designs look sick
What a cool backstory you gave the armored suit! I love, love, love that the Trollans left one of their super-mecha-robo-Mando-suits behind to help protect the Sword of He from the dastardly doings of nefarious nincompoops! This is an area ripe for exploration in future comics, films or animated series.
I would love to see that!
mando suits?
@@anthonybernero9720 Sure! Doesn't it look like a Mandalorian techno-battle suit?
Thank for the golden nugget!!!
Golden nugget given!
growing up there was a kid on the playground who SWORE he had the action figure of the suit...theres always THAT kid on the playground. He promised to bring it to class everyday but something always came up.
The same kid who said Biggs was in the original cut of Star Wars (the Tattooine scenes)
I've recently gotten back into MOTU, starting with Origins (sadly, I had no idea Classics existed). I didn't know about the powercon exclusive set for Grayskull until it was too late. I'm very upset I have an incomplete castle. I really hope they re-release this at retail.
That would be nice. Here is hoping
Fun video! Thank you! The only thing I take exception to was the assertion about "running out of characters to make." I know they weren't all A-Listers, but when MOTU Classics wound down, I still had a Wish List of over 100 characters from all over the place that I would've loved to have seen as figures. Ice Armour He-Man, Disks of Doom Skeletor, Starburst She-Ra, Dragoon, Melaktha, Kothos, Lizorr, Mini-Comics Tri-Klops, Old Man Marzo & Odiphus 2-Pack, Jet-Pak . . . man, I could do this ALL DAY. And that's just the action figures -- vehicles, beasts, giants, playsets, and Weapons Paks stretched to several dozen more entires.
Oh the list of unmade Classics figures is almost limitless. Can't disagree on any from yours!
I love that this was made as a PowerCon exclusive figure this year.
It was cool!
The trapdoor carpet pattern is one of my all time favorite designs
I want a rug of that!
I remembered someone did a custom of that dungeon grate. Was offered in etsy. Pretty pissed I didn't jump on it quick enough and pick it up :( WE NEED ONE!
In all confession, I kept the 4HM one.
When I was a kid I convinced the other kids that it was He-Man's chef robot butler. Any kid that disagreed, I pointed out the oven/stove next to the figure.
That is friggin awesome
Nice
Going to be interesting to see what the origins line will do bc the new greyskull has that spot empty. Has to be a bonus down the line
One can hope!
Wasn't that the same suit from the Queen? Wasn't she an astronaut that married the king? They had an episode where He Man went to Earth, IIRC...
Nope, she had a different suit, See her figure or the Filmation series
@@spectorcreative1872 Thanks for the clarification.
Brilliant bit of History and info . I had purchased the original Castle Grayskull play-set twice . Something About the design and platform of it inspired so much play time . Even when I was left with just the drawbridge side of it I managed to turn it into a space battle ship. Hahahaha.
It was and is an amazing toy
If I had thought about it as a kid I would have said the moon Phantos was colonized by early Eternians prior to the great wars that Grayskull has leftover technology from.
Ah we will get to that too...
Totally should have done him as a stand alone figure to purchase
We so wanted to!
Seeing that Lady Slither and the playset really got me feeling that Cobra Temple vibe! You guys could of really cashed in (albeit inadvertently) on the G.I.Joe market if you could of make a playset that 'accidentally' looked like Cobra Temple Alpha !! Oh that would of been gold!
If only!
Hey Spector - thank you so much for the channel (I watched it while I was taking the prelims for my doctorate - it helped me not panic during a long and horrible test and I passed it).
I was wondering if you all ever considered doing a playset for she-ra's Crystal Castle? I know you did Light Hope, I was just wondering if those discussions ever happened.
Thanks!
If the line had kept going, it would have happened for sure!
That would be fun to have a life sized cardboard cut out to put in the corner of the living room.
I'm game
As fascinating as all this is I didn’t realise how close we were to getting a Netta figure. I know, not that close. But come on! The world needs a Netta figure.
It so does.
Based on the vintage, classics and origins Grayskulls, it is my headcannon that the dungeon grate is actually a just sticker on the floor in universe.
Great video my friend!
Glad you liked! Pass it along if you can. ;-)
By the end of the line, were there any figures you didn’t get to that you think feel like meaningful empty spots on the shelf? What about New Adventures characters? Is that portion of the franchise so disliked that a totally new character would seem like a safer bet, sales wise?
In fact, how did the various sub-categories fare? New Adventures (space mutants/galactic defenders) // She-Ra // Filmation characters/styles // fan creations for the 30th anniversary... am I missing any?
Also, why did you never get to the Meteoroids? Was there a rights issue because they were a preexisting property retrofitted to fit into MotU?
Finally, what of the Eternia playset? Was that ever in the cards?
See here: ua-cam.com/video/aq2mSvNmJ78/v-deo.html
Wow that is wicked cool. I always though as a kid it might have been some one who landed in Preternia and built Castle Gray Skull and then died and became the sprit of Gray Skull just leaving a haunted space suit behind.
Yup, even more story then you realized!
@@spectorcreative1872 yeah and it is cool learning more about this.
It was always a robot for me , standing there like a suit of armor in a castle.
And that is legit head canon
Nice! Great idea, Scott
Glad you like! Feel free to share with others, it helps spread the word
I've just now discovered the Wave 5 (1986) figure Extendar, whose silvery armor suit with gold shoulder-plates and gauntlets make him look not unlike our favorite castle space-suit. It seems possible that Extendar began as Mattel's attempt to release a complete action figure of the castle's cardboard cut-out, but that this angle got lost in the new extend-o action feature and subsequent marketing. Mr. Neitlich, have you considered a connection?
It is close but I don't think he was designed to be the suit of armor. Just that he is a "guy in armor" if you will
@@spectorcreative1872 Fair enough. I've got an Extendar on the way via Ebay (they're cheap!), and plan to customize it to take the space-suit's place in the new Origins Castle Grayskull, which is weirdly lacking the suit. A touch of green metallic paint plus some tubes and wiring, and it should fit right into that space in the throne room.
Did anyone post an Ancient Aliens meme yet? 😋
Another great video, thanks Scott!
The world needs more Ancient Alien memes.
I was curious about Man-at-Arms and he seems to have cobbled together armor. Something about it reminded me about the Greyskull armor so I compared.
There are many similarities. The chest part is super similar. And the shoulders have the nobs.
I think this a complete suit of armor that Man-at-Arms has found a couple pieces of. It would be really cool to get a complete one colored like Man-at-Arms with him inside.
Oh very much so. It is to show the elements of the world and his character
And in head cannon that is valid too! But not where we went in Classics
Oh, and here was me thinking this would be about some obscure kid's costume that looked like a space suit but in the gothic style of Castle Grayskull...
I'd like to see that!
Yeah I'm disappointed this guy got skipped for Origins Castle Grayskull- the Mega Construx Castle Grayskull at least had a little transparent block with the artwork reproduced. I think the sculpt you guys did in Classics was a worthy compromise as well
I"m glad we at least got that!
Yeah I was pleasantly surprised to find the artwork of it on that block in my MCX Grayskull set as I really liked that art in my original Grayskull when I was a kid. And it being printed on a plastic block is a fair bit more durable than the old cardboard too. :) Would be quite happy if MCX did a mini-figure of it too but still plenty actual characters to get through first. :)
I was always disappointed they missed out on the great opportunity to create additional expansion sets of castle expansions. It was easy to click playsets together already, why not put out a greyskull tower or snakepit tomb or whatever
Well it is never too late!
12:45, I dig the 1930s FLASH GORDON reference!
A Filmation Flash Gordon and MOTU crossover would have been epic!
Truly!!!
Yeah, back in the beginning, Castle Grayskull was all about a fortress full of magic and technology from ages long past from great wars that devastated the planet... I never gave much more thought to the robot than that as a 5 year old.
Now days, I think it would be best as a suit that 'anyone' can wear with either the clear helmet and anyone's head popped on... or opaque helmet and we can 'pretend' anyone from Hordak to Teela was wearing it.
Trollans I'm not as big a fan of in general... it feels weird that they create all these weapons and armor for species that have legs. I always feel it's natural for an advanced alien species to design ships, weapons, armor, etc.... that THEY would use. And Trollans have very unique biology ;)
Well with the "masterverse" of many realities, the adventures made up in play are just as valid!
Skimming the comments, I'm reminded that Kirby had a huge influence in the original designs; I'm really looking forward to more of that story unfolding here. It was really a sad time when his sight and ability to produce work were failing -- even the comics industry was harsh on him. I'm glad that his contributions and influence are more broadly and respectfully regarded again. So the original suit was a Kirby design! Far- frikkin- out, man!!
I have another video coming soon with even more Kirby revelations!
It helps to remember, how blessed we've been with the awesome body of work (treasury) he did produce throughout his epic career.
@@spectorcreative1872 looking forward to it.
Jet Pak is cool but he needed those big shoulder pad things to look more like his inspiration
Good point!
I'm curious what the cost out would gbr been for a full featured Castle Grayskull. Did you guys look at that, like, if all the pack is were fully tooled, and the Castle was kept at the original solicited size, what would the cost difference have been to us? Especially now, seeing what people just paid to Super7 for Snake Mountain, we'd have been willing to pay more if we'd have gotten more.
It would have been $850.00 not adjusted to 2021 dollars. Adjusted it would be about $1,500
@@spectorcreative1872 yeah, ok. That might have been out of reach. Although, not necessarily out of reach if it could have been broken up, like packing the accessories with the sub figures over a year or two. Oh well, nothing but armchair quarterbacking to do now is there?
The suit is from the New Adventure of He-Man , because all of that took place first . There was a terrible war and everything was wiped out and Eternia started over .
Interesting theory!
I suspect Mattel is planning a figure of the armor for Origins since it's not in the new Castle but they left a spot for it.
One can hope...
I like to think it's a nod to Captain Glen/Queen Marlena's space suit.
She was an astronaut from Earth after all.
Close, but not so much. Not very Earth like.
great episode.
Glad you liked, tell your friends!
Besides the busy looking floor, there never has been any other reference to a dungeon below the castle, right?
Oh there is a ton going on below. Check out this video: ua-cam.com/video/iI_IRgOe7eo/v-deo.html
3:34 The beast pit....reminds me of Raistlin's attempts at creating life in Dragonlance
I can see that
@@spectorcreative1872 God, I'm glad somebody got that lol. Reminded me of this picture, specifically www.pinterest.com/pin/297730225349048577/
Do you have a video explaining exactly what Orko is, who he is and what his origins are? I'm interested.
I do! ua-cam.com/video/9PCuHqM5Jbc/v-deo.html
I think you guys are all missing the true purpose of it, it is Castle grayskull man's sidekick. Built to be a friend for him to hangout with and help protect the castle. Or perhaps it is built as a physical body for Spirit of grayskull to use to protect the castle if necessary
I like that!
@@spectorcreative1872 thanks
Shame that Origins Castle Grayskull doesn't come with the suit of armor. I hope they make a figure of it eventually.
I have a feeling they will. Can't let that tooling go to waste
What is the canon story behind the "Crusaders Cross" on vintage HE-MAN's armor? I assume it was simply carried over from the original artwork... But I wonder... (since it happened in the live-action movie) Did characters from Eternia visit Earth in ancient times? Like, maybe, Horde Prime opened a dimensional portal in the past, Near Earth, interacted with Earth people hundreds of years ago, but was stopped by the "Power of HE" (Explain why the symbol is present on both worlds) As for the portal, maybe it was never fully closed, and ends up as the wormhole in space that brought Marlena Glenn to Eternia...
Yup. It was on Sweet's prototypes and just never got dropped
I never liked the idea of Trollas warriors not being Trollan.
Well sometimes one must recruit.
A question we had forgotten we wanted answered! (An easy answer might be: a spacesuit of the former astronaut queen)
Yeah either want or not!
As a kid my dad always called it Castle Greenskull. Looking at it now, I can understand why he would think it was called that 😂
Even Don Glut who named it didn't know!
@theflyingninja1 You're saying that you just now realized that it's green? Your dad must be proud of you.
COOL! What are you working on these days bro? Are you with any toy or ent company?
I am a Toy Consultant through Spectorcreative.com
Hey my request! Put up pretty quick too, that's service! Thanks!
I aim to please!
@@spectorcreative1872 I loved the watercolor look of the cardboard cutout in the original. In my silly headcannon, since Zodac was the Cosmic Enforcer, it was the suit he arrived in, but it malfunctioned, and kinda scrambled his brain. That's why he was marketed as "evil cosmic enforcer" originally.
@@tonyjackson4078 great choice!
Netta is always good for a laugh.
Always
Wouldn't it have been easier to just have it be Queen Marlenas orinal spacesuit from when she arrived on Eternia?
Yeah but that suit is way more earth like, this one was not.
Really cool to get all this lore and behind the scenes info, I've been enjoying your videos! As someone who's had creative input in the franchise, what do you think of the 2002 and 2021 versions of the show?
2002 to me is the best, the current 2021 show, see here:ua-cam.com/video/4O7MT_upNbQ/v-deo.html
What MOTU fan wasn’t jealous of Lubic at the end of the 1987 movie!!!!!!!
@Paul Middleton Detective Hugh Lubic
@@rodrickadamginsburg8960 We could've done with a Lubic 3-Pack: Earth Detective Lubic, Eternian Robes Lubic, and Gloria.
Not a one
Some customs look like they'd make great skins for Doomguy in Doom Eternal.
That they do!
Mattel, Inc, 1980/81:
Management: “Well Castle… what’s it called?
Designers: Grayskull.
Management: “Oh ok, yes Castle Grayskull. Well it’s almost done and that cannon looks great there and everything but you know what, I think we should just add a cardboard cutout to add to this neglected blank corner over there.”
Designers: “What of?”
Management: “Why not a spacesuit? We could rival Kenner that way.”
Designers: “Yeah right, how do you expect us to beat Kenner with that?”
Management: “Well we could do if it was in plastic. We’ll add more space themed robots etcetera later down the line.”
Designers: “Ok, but you’ll be saying we won’t have enough money for this. Just keep it as cardboard, you know. We’ll still sell it that way.”
Management: “Did you see what our competitors brought to Toyfair? It’s all about space and we’re releasing that?”
Designers: “Masters Of The Universe is going to be a huge hit and I bet we’ll be ending Kenner’s endless success soon, with our own.”
It kinda did
I believe the origins of the suit is in fact the creators of masters of the universe tried to jam pack the toy line with as much fantasy, sci fi and other elements popular at the time to make it more appealing to kids, they never slowed down to think…hey maybe this should have a back story they just pumped the stuff out, which is one of the reasons I love love love masters, the spontaneous creative Big Bang was awesome and allowed children to come up
With their own stories regarding certain elements of masters, ya know old fashioned imagination, not everything need backstory or explanation but hey I like this theory too, come up with whatever it’s fun 😁
And a big part of it was coming off of two years of working in a new gods line that never went into production
I'm just trippin' off of the fact that the spacesuit never got a figure when obscure, no name, random figures from the box art did.
It was on the list! The new team dropped it
Maybe you covered this already I don't know, but can someone explain why here in Texas we have yet to get any new waves of MOTU origins figures. We have been stuck on wave 1 for 6 months. But looking at UA-cam, seems like they hit everywhere but here .
Here you go:
ua-cam.com/video/un1Nb37m_ME/v-deo.html
Looks like a combination between "Flipshot" and "Hydron" from the New Adventures
In a way, but you should check out the Kirby art!
Was there a reason why the head of the actor from the 30’s Flash Gordon was on the sketch??
Yes, I asked for the face to be Buster Crabbe as noted in the video
@@spectorcreative1872 so, at the time y’all had the copy right to Flash Gordon?(Sorry I’ve been trying to start a Flash Gordon collection and can’t find a lot of lines of toys)
Just include a tripped out Roboto!!
Why not!
Side note from last video: I have yet see Trap Jaw anywhere but overpriced online. You alluded that Trap Jaw might actually start showing up at the shelves? All I’ve seen is He-Man, Skeletor, Battlecat, and the Sky Sled 2-pack keeping the pegs super warm.
I found a Trap Jaw finally the other day at Target. I also found out that the figures come four to a case, so just one set of figures per case, no extras.
@@ryansargent661 That is how I lucked out with Wave 4, got them in a single box
I still have not seen Trap Jaw or Scareglow at retail
Beautiful figure. Classics line is the best
Made with so much love
I always wanted MOTU toys as a kid, but I have never had any because I grew up with a very strick and religious mother who wouldn't let me watch the show or buy the toys because she saw Skeletor and said it was Demonic.
A question about the castle gray skull that was released to the public is there any particular reason why they didn't make the front door big enough for the action figures to fit through it?
Do you mean the vintage toy? Costing issues.
You may have already answered this somewhere, but was Blackstar (the He-Man-like cartoon character from, I think, a year or two before) ever made part of the line? or even part of the mythos?
No, Blackstar is a completely different property like Star Wars or My little Pony. It is not owned by Mattel.
Mark taylor wont say why he designed it put it in there
I just took it as either old tec left over like the other stuff and then may be marlena suit
More into fantasy sword sorcery than space stuff
Sadly origins castle missed the design point the franchise is built on and designer wanted for the castle a prototype version would be a instant buy
The suit was actually designed by Kirby. A video on that is also coming
@@spectorcreative1872 oh told different ok new gods influence ?
Do you think Origins is going to get an armor figure?
It doesn't come with its Grayskull in any form.
I highly doubt they will get deeper than Keldor.
That’s my hope. Not having it in the new castle seemed like a big oversight that really makes me think they intended to release it as a separate figure. T would be extra cool if they did since it would move origins beyond just remaking the original toys but adding new characters invented after the original line stopped. If does well enough it would be great to see some figures unique to the origins line.
I really have been seeing so far more collectors interested in buying Origins than kids.
Still early, but hope that signs to releasing new original figures in the future. Axel Gimenez has drawn a few on packages.
@@syadkir I’ve noticed way more He-Man and Skeletors on the shelves than anything else, but that’s a good thing, I think. As a kid I was always disappointed that the guys like Megatron or He-man were gone when I tried to get them. Hopefully they will sell by Christmas. I really think that the future of a toy line is kids. Collector lines are a dead end. I like Mattel’s advertising showing origins as a line adult fans can introduce to their sons and daughters. He-Mans basic concept of sword and sorcery plus sci-fi is a great place for kids imagination. Action figures are a great place to explore imagination because unlike video games, the world needs the kids imagination using there house and backyard or whatever rather than the environment and story that the video game manufacturers for you.
@@mikewilson858 I agree and I'd buy a bunch of them to an orphanage had I the money. And I also hope the line warms up better with today's kids. It's just that so far all I've seen is big kids fighting for a scarcely distributed few figures. That leads me to think there might be a Mattel plan B behind this. Even bitter Classics collectors are buying their share now. This is taken into consideration I guess.
Still so many gaps in the Classics collection. Mattel really needs to resume the line, or at least permit Super7 to continue. Brian confirmed that they have a bunch of stuff that was sculpted that they're sitting on waiting for Mattel to let them continue.
I so wish they would!
Hey Scott I recently seen a concept piece for Lady Slithers castle and hordaks fright zone for classics and I wanted to know were there are any playsets for motu classics that never made it past the concept stage?
The last playset we worked on was Snake Mountain and that eventually got made!
Great now i need a lady slither figure.
You and me both!
I feel a bit underwhelmed. I know what you guys retconned it as (much respect for it), but what I'm actually curious about is: What did the OG creators INTEND it to be? Has anyone asked them? Are there any notes from the time indicating what it is? Did I miss that part of the video (watched it twice)?
It is based on a Kirby design from the designers time on the 4th world line
@@spectorcreative1872 cool! Was it intended to be a suit or a robot?
do you think it was armor worn by King Grayskull?
Nope.
I always thought it was Prince Adam's mom's space suit
Not very earth like!
i just naturally assumed there was a skeleton inside that became a man of flesh when the computer was activated, but the mechanics of it have long been broken. when activated it was a great ally, but the original man was so cursed that the longer he was 'alive' the more evil he became and would eventually have to be defeated again until needed for the great things he can do when first brought back. i mean, duh.
Oooh, that is a cool idea!
@@spectorcreative1872 thanks, but probably a little too much for kids used to stinkor. plus, kind of too much like man-e-faces, probably. if tasked to come up with new characters for kids, i'd probably just start with names that would make george lucas blush and animals, followed by dinosaurs and/or insects.
what a dream it would have been to concoct characters for toys!