As one of the very first Masters of the Universe Classics action figures, it has been quite a long time since Beast Man received a new toy. Much like the animation of old, the Four Horsemen and Mattel reused body parts to keep this line going. Beast Man looks like Skeletor and He-Man with some new bits, which is what you want.
Frequently referred to as a mangy furball, Beast Man comes here without a heck of a lot of fur. The original animation model was an orange body with a minimal amount of hair - the head looked fuzzy, the mane looked sort of like a blob, and that's what the toy gets. He's got the bicep spikes (which are removable), and his roughly 30 points of articulation deliver what you probably want out of this flea-bitten henchman. He has no problems standing and waving his whip around, which fits in his hand without much problem. I hear some fists were a bit looser, but mine's just fine. The bend-and-swivel wrists are a nice touch, although I must say they don't do a load of good for carrying the shield. I don't know why the shield is here.
The mane of Beast Man is hollow and rubbery. You can squeeze it down if you want, but be sure to leave it in place because it frames his scowling face quite nicely. The expression is similar to that of his action figures, but you'll see it in the TV show as well.
As far as coloring goes, it seems perfect. A bright orange fur body has a red set of boots, spikes, bracelets, and a sort of a harness deal around his chest. The blue furry shorts are present along with a yellow belt and a blue gem in his fur, for reasons I still don't know. Whatever, it looks like Beast Man! It's great!
Under the bright lights of the photo studio, you'll notice 3 things that may bug you. His head and hands are molded in red, and painted orange. The match is quite good, but any toy collector who has spent more money on toys than clothes and food and probably rent knows that painted plastic and bare plastic will never exactly match. There are little hints of red coming out from where the hands meet the arms, and the head is painted well - but the orange reflects light differently as paint than it does as plastic. I like it, but you may be irked by the minimal differences here.
The classic He-Man and the Masters of the Universe cartoon is how so many of us view these characters. Sure, they were toys, comics, and more - but with over 100 episodes we really got to know these guys on the television. TV-specific versions are a great idea and Matty Collector seems to be selling out of them very quickly, driving up prices. I hope Mattel (or Super7) reissue them down the road, because they're pretty fantastic. I was about ready to see this line end, but now with the cartoon figures I'd be sad to see it go. They're all wonderful, and little details like black painted finger claws make this otherwise flat figure pop just enough to be awesome. Nothing is ever perfect these days, but I think the Four Horsemen and Mattel delivered a perfectly fine take on this guy. I just wish there were more of these guys coming... and I wish I knew what I was supposed to do with this silver shield on his arm!
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