Trap Jaw Evil and Armed for Combat - '80s Adventures! He-Man and the Masters of the Universe Cartoon Collection Basic Figure Item No.: Asst. HYD16 No. HYD28 Manufacturer: Mattel Includes: Eternium Rock, Hook, Blaster, Time's End mini-comic Action Feature: n/a Retail: $19.99 Availability: February 2024 Other: No flyswatter, otherwise great
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Given his placement at the top of every episode of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe as one of the evil forces of Skeletor, Trap Jaw is unforgettable. He's a colorful character with distinctive play features, and a popular character for toys. He always gets a figure when there's a new line, with multiple Masterverse toys, a few Classics figures, and this makes at least four figures - five if you count Kronis - in the orbit of the Origins line. In some respects, this new figure is almost as god as the Mattel Club Grayskull Trap Jaw [FOTD #1,435] from 2016. He's a tiny bit shorter, with cleaner face paint applications - but not as much articulation, and different accessories. In some respects I preferred the original choices, those were more fun because you got a bow and a flyswatter in addition to the blaster. Those are really fun and goofy - this new one has a rock, a hook, and a blaster. Mattel made serious choices, eschewing whimsy. And at my age, I want whimsy.

For retail price I'd nudge you to buy this figure - and maybe one for your pals who don't have a MOTU collection. If you ask me how Trap Jaw should look, in my head, it's pretty much exactly like this nippless 2024 release.

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OnThe figure is a mix of new and newish parts, with an all-new head, shoulder, black armor piece, belt, and I believe all-new legs. The elbow piece is new, but the blaster and hook are repurposed from previous Trap Jaw releases. The bright Origins colors really work here, making his skin pop - and the pink armor pop. The blue pops well too. This is a figure that looks far more vibrant than on TV, and is all the better for it.

He has some notable differences from the previous releases. If you got the Mattel Filmation one a few years ago, this new one has molded green skin which is much more evenly painted. The eyes are sharper and a bit shinier, looking more like ink from an animation cel than painted figure features. He has much more paint than most of these figures, with his silver helmet hook on his head, green arm band, plus green, pink, and black elements on his legs. Of all the cartoon figures, this is the one where it looks like you're seeing a payoff from new parts. The range of motion on the legs is pretty great, allowing him to squat like an old 5.5-inch figure, or to stand fully at about 6-inches tall. He towers over his Origins counterpart, making him look even squatter and I daresay a bit dumpier. Granted, I'm not crazy about that Trap Jaw's head or eye coloring. It's weird, but not the kind of weird I tend to like.

He has three accessories, two of which are old. The hook and blaster look just like the previous releases, but pink. They're not a perfect match for the cartoon but seem close enough that I assume there would be few complaints. They don't match completely, and my only real gripe is that we didn't get a flyswatter. The gear can plug in the shoulder, like how we saw it on the show, or use an elbow piece that can articulate if you like. It's nice to have options - I think I'll be displaying him without the elbow part. The spare accessory can plug in a slot of his green belt, not unlike the original toy. The designers seemed to put a lot of effort in making this one look good, and little details like the jaw and eye paint go a long way in smoothing over any flyswatter-sized perceived slights.

He also comes with the Eternium Rock, which gives him powers like He-Man on the TV show. He can hold it, and that's about it - the jaw can't open wide enough to shove it in there, nor do his arms do a good job positioning it in a bite position. It's nice to have some more weird gear from Eternia, but the "artifacts" are really hit and miss. I'm not crazy about the inventions, I like the masks and swords, and this is probably going to wind up in a drawer for me. What would I have liked? I'm glad you asked. It's a flyswatter. (Maybe someone else can include it later.)

If you ever see this one in a store for a fair price, give it a good look - and buy it. Most Origins figures were good, or neat, but few put something out that would exceed the quality of the Classics era figures. Anybody with a mechanism, obviously, is an improvement and Trap Jaw surpasses his ancestor with slightly better head deco and a build that I find I like just a little bit better. I prefer the saturated colors, and his range of movement is good enough to fit in the Roton or Land Shark without too much trouble. I can pick up this figure and recommend it without any real reservations minus the accessory quibble, the figure itself is exactly as good as it should be.

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