Some characters looked wildly different in the cartoon, and some didn't. In the He-Man and the Masters of the Universe Cartoon CollectionClawful stands out - it's not the first time we got him, Mattel made Filmation Clawful [FOTD #1,632] before handing the brand over to Super7 eight years ago. The standard Origins figure is good, and that cartoon figure is good, but everything is different enough to warrant buying different figures. To a point. If you're happy with Classics you should probably just stick with a scale and call it a line. If you want to downsize, getting both Clawful figures in this classic, shorter size may be prudent too.
The figure shares the same body as all the men in this segment, adding a circle on his belt and using the same basic toe boots as Mer-Man.
You're going to want the "toy" figure from a few years ago because it has big goofy eyebrows and a lever that opens an oversized crab claw hand. It's fun, there's no denying this. But you're probably also going to want this one - he's not scaly, and he looks more like the Filmation He-Man and the Masters of the Universe cartoon. He may not be perfect, but he's close - the bright colors, the fangs, the tongue, he's just effortlessly charming. He-Man came out early enough in the 1980s that it feels a tiny bit like a holdover from the 1970s, and that's very true with this design - his claws, the fin on his head, and for some reason, a big blue gem on his chest armor make a great figure that probably was a little retro when the cartoon was new.
His build is nothing special. The body you've seen before, the feet were used with other figures, the claws will no doubt be reused for Buzz-Off, but the head and armor are (so far) exclusive to this release.
His claws are adequate hands, and there's not a lot in this set compared to other figures. Skeletor had a sword and a staff, plus an alternate head. Evil-Lyn had two staffs. All Clawful has is the Horn of Evil, in a gray color that look more like a test shot than a final toy. It's all gray, and it looks fine - but the skull and front of it might look better in white. Clawful's grip of evil can hold the horn, but I found it's much better to turn his claw so it's flat and you can rest the horn on it, with the mouthpiece better lining up with his skull.
Because he only has one accessory, I do not believe he is an incredible value. But I love his colors, I love the extra mouth paint, and his personality - with angrier eyes in the cartoon than the figure - is still very strong. I assume this is the last time we're going to get a mass market product at mass market prices of a Filmation Clawful toy, so I hope fans grab him and love him. It would be amazing to see them use the old cartoons and try to push it to preschoolers with Imaginext, but I assume that ship has long since sailed. This line probably doesn't have a lot of gas left in the Filmation tank, which I think is one of the best ways to buy these characters if you can find them. If I started over again I might focus on these almost exclusively, but how can I say no to clearance horses and vehicles?
Go get a Clawful. He stands well and looks cool - but he might need to borrow someone else's weapons. You're not going to scare the warriors of Eternos with a goth trumpet.
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