Man-E-Faces Heroic Human... Robot... Monster! He-Man and the Masters of the Universe Cartoon Collection Basic Figure Item No.: Asst. HYD16 No. JBM80 Manufacturer: Mattel Includes: Horde Invasion II mini-comic Action Feature: Face rotates between three different faces Retail: $19.99 Availability: December 2024 Other: Three Heads in One, Zero Accessories
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I really enjoy the He-Man and the Masters of the Universe Cartoon Collection, but we've seen some big swings in terms of accessories. Early figures usually came with both a character-specific weapon like a sword or a shield or a club, plus a secondary cartoon-specific accessory. Man-E-Faces has nothing - I tossed a 3D printed Reptilax sword in there since it was handy. Most toys of this character come with some sort of pistol ray gun accessory, and I assume this figure's budget went to the deco for his three faces. But that's just a guess.

I missed the first Origins toy of this guy, but got a mini-comic version I was happy with - until the cartoon version got announced, so now this is probably going to be my go-to, keeper version of the character. As you can see, he gets the job done and has very high boots with exposed thighs and no pants to speak of.

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His head and armor are new, his arms seem new, but the boots were previously seen on Trap Jaw [FOTD #2,726]. Reused parts is par for the course, as that is how Mattel did it in the 1980s for most of its figural product. Heck, back then most toys had a much longer shelf life, as kids might buy the same figure for a couple of years before Hasbro, Kenner, or Mattel discontinued an item. Today, collector product doesn't tend to stick around for more than a couple of months - or days - unless the adult buyers decide they don't want it. This one is worth wanting.

In the cartoon, Man-E-Faces is something of a thespian - which is a pretty clever way to go with a character who could be a triple-agent, or a double/triple agent, or some other sort of master of disguise. That might be why some of those 1980s toy cartoons clicked - Powerglide had a fling with a human woman, Man-E-Faces could act, and Cobra Commander worked with organized crime during his retirement. For a lot of kids, the cartoon was their entire experience with the character - not the toy. As such, this figure might appeal to people wanting the character they remember from the very free and quite omnipresent cartoon that they watched, and Mattel did a good job making the design and colors match.

As with other versions of similar toys, you can twist the top of his helmet and swap between a pink masked human, a gray robot, or a green monster. It's pretty much the cartoon design you remember, on a roughly 6-inch figure, with more wrist, ankle, elbow, and knee articulation than you had any right to imagine back in the era of antenna television. The knob cycles through the faces smoothly, he can hold other accessories well, and - I've said this before, and have been proven wrong - may well be the last version of the character you ever need buy.

He has no accessories, so I 3D printed a sword. It's fun. But it would be nice if Mattel tossed something in the packaging.

At this point in my toy hobby my hunch is that I probably won't be buying this character again unless it's a wacky crossover. Maybe some day we'll get Masters of the Universal Monsters and he can be Dracula, the Wolf Man, and the Gill Man - but probably not. For those seeking a perfectly nice figure to fit with their castles and vehicles, this is the one that may well be your best option. Unless you want Classics or Masterverse-sized figures, in which case, you should grab those instead. Classics has three more faces you can track down, while Masterverse has more gear - but they're taller, and aren't going to work with most ridable toys from this brand.

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