Not being a knowledgable fan of things like He-Man magazine (mostly from ignorance) I had no idea who Strobo was when I saw him at Comic-Con a while back - but I knew I had to have him! The figure comes from "The Dark Power of Skeletor" and is a reworked Sy-Klone with Zodac's head and a new cape - the gun was sold separately with a Weapons Pak. (Oddly, the head for Zodak was included. I'd rather they switched the two.) It's a nice figure, goofy as all get out but clearly vintage 1980s chic.
At 7-inches tall, Strobo has the usual battery of articulation on one of these figures. For all intents and purposes he's a guy in boots, gloves, and a speedo. For some reason he also wears a cape - it's hard to explain how this looks simultaneously kinda cool and incredibly ridiculous. The mirror in his chest reflects the design in the comic as the character has the power to spin around and reflect light. The figure, of course, cannot spin - but there is a reflective label which makes a swell mirror.
The paint job is fairly good, with the flesh color popping nicely and doing its best to distract you from how you've basically got a streaker in a cape and a helmet. The silver is evenly applied, the blue cape pops nicely, and I dare say it looks exactly like I would have expected. I would have loved to have seen his gun included, but at least it got made and sold elsewhere. The figure also includes a fragment of a meteor on a base, which is something I honestly could have done without. The stand is bent and seems painted awkwardly, and for some reason my eyes want to think that rock should glow in the dark. There aren't many Eternian artifacts in this line so its inclusion does flesh out the "stuff" you can have near your figures, but I don't see it as essential. It does add some value to the package.
Rounding out this plastic packet is an alternate, unmasked head for Zodak. The bald head has blue stripes painted on it and largely matches the character from the 2002-era cartoon and toy line. It also matches the existing Zodak figure which is tough to do well - have you compared the orange or blue stripes on Hasbro's Clone Troopers from one year to the next? Kudos to Mattel on a job well done, and for such a nice bonus accessory. It's a compelling extra and I think I'll probably leave it on the Zodak body semi-permanently. I'm sure for many fans, this bonus head alone was worth the price of admission for Strobo.
Obscurity aside, Mattel knocked this one out of the park - it came with a fair amount of stuff, and offering in an upgrade to an existing beloved figure only sweetens the deal. Hopefully you got one last year as part of the Matty Cyber Monday sale, as he seems to feel right at home in Castle Grayskull. Hopefully you got one of those, too.
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