Prince Adam and Cringer Heroic "Secret Identity" of He-Man and Battle Cat He-Man and the Masters of the Universe Cartoon Collection Box Set Item No.: No. HTH30 Manufacturer: Mattel Includes: Alternate Cringer and Adam heads, Sword of Power Action Feature: n/a Retail: $29.99 Availability: August 2024 Other: Another amazing deal
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This He-Man and the Masters of the Universe Cartoon Collection Prince Adam and Cringer is one of the reasons you collect the line. Most figures were $18-$20, and this set was, for some reason, $30. Prince Adam is basically a standard figure with few new parts, and Cringer is an all-new extra-large figure that Mattel probably could have sold for $25 on his own without a lot of complaints. It's not as fancy as a Mondo product, of course, but for a kid/adult collector line it's a value that's so good it left me asking "How? Why?"

Target had an early-out on this set in Fall 2024, and mine came in from work a bit later. I just kept putting off the opening as more new stuff came in. I shouldn't have waited, it's really good! This figure and the other Filmation guys have basically evicted my other He-Men from the display.

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Prince Adam is more or less as expected. It uses most of the He-Man body with "sleeve" arms - you can see the cuffs on his arms there - and is painted white like the original toy. The tights are just purple legs, with more purple boots, and a newly-tooled pink vest to match the colorblind choice by Filmation's art department. It may be an unusual choice, but it's striking - and you may have seen pink on Klingons and other color choices on cartoons that made them stand out. Prince Adam also has a new-to-"Origins" laughing head.

It's a repaint, mostly, and it gets the job done well. All of the colors look great, the joints are tight, and it delivers the hero of the cartoon you expected. I love the extra movement on the wrist so he can hold up or point his sword, too. There's nowhere on his person to stow it, so be prepared for him to hold it or maybe make a little stand with your 3D printer. His range of movement is good, and if you like the other toon figures this should be one you also bought.

Cringer is why you bought the set. He has more articulation than an average humanoid, and he's really big. Classics Cringer was just a little PVC, this is a fully-realized figure with a head that looks like an statue and a second head with scaredy-cat eyes and an opening mouth. He carries an impressive amount of personality, and fans of the cartoon can probably hear his chattering bones or whining voice in his arguably true form. The sculptors really deserve a massive pat on the back for this one. The paint job is clean and sharp, with a lively face and the green cat has a number of yellow streaks down his back. The paws are sculpted nicely and come complete with the all-important (but unpainted) toe beans, plus joints strong enough that he can stand on three legs and gesture.

It's kind of a shame this was one of the later releases in the first year, rather than the debut product. Mattel probably made too many of them and you can pick it up quite cheaply on the secondary market. Lucky you, if you missed it! Even for fans with limited interest in Eternia, this is one of those items that I would say should be the one, the only, product you should pick up. It's enough of a fun set that it's satisfying, and if you do (or don't) add Orko or Man-at-arms you'll probably still be quite happy with it. I liked the "toy" Prince Adam that came with the Sky Sled just fine, but this is slightly better and odds are you'd want them both for their "accessories." If you stumble on this one under $30, just buy it. If it's $20 or less, I'd recommend it even if you don't collect the line. It's a great example of what Mattel can deliver for a very fair price.

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