 Man-E-Faces
Heroic Human... Robot... Monster!
Masters of the Universe Sketch Book Series Target Exclusive Boxed Figure
Item No.: Asst. JGF83 No. JHJ88
Manufacturer: Mattel
Includes: Poncho, club
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $21.99 $6.59
Availability: April 2026
Other: Continued Sketch Book Series, propensity to go on clearance
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When I first saw this figure at Target, I said "I gotta get that." This Sketch Book Series Man-E-Faces shares no colors or faces with his previous figures in this line, so it's basically a new guy or a different member of the many faced species.
While I was familiar with many prehistoric versions of other denizens of Eternia, Mr. E-Faces was not one of them. Battle Ram Blog posted about the Mark Taylor Multi-Face concept in 2015, showcasing the alternate head concepts as well as a color study which really does a good job proving that if you want to be taken seriously, wearing gold-accented tighty whities may not help. I wish someone told me sooner.
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Unlike most Origins figures, this guy retains an action feature. This time around he has a perfectly nortmal white and green face with red eyes, a gray masked robot with purple around his eyes, and a delightful trunked, three-eyed monster with fangs. That last head is the winner. The "human" head is perfectly nice, the "robot" reminds me of a lot of Transformers, but that monster? That's pure 1980s cartoony nonsense, what with the green face and purple snout. I really love it when I see something that makes me say "I don't have anything quite like this." It's similar to Sketch Book Grizzlor... which I can't link to, because I wrote but didn't publish it yet. Whoopsies. Better get on that.
The 5 1/2-inch body has some very nice disco boots (I assume) to go along with matching briefs and a golden helmet. The arms and legs are the same as other figures, and his torso is the same as the non-concept version (and mini-comic version) of the toy. It's also a close match to the art. Articulation is standard fare, meaning that it's a pretty excellent collector figure crammed in a toy-shaped body. His gray skin and general vibes seem to take few to no liberties from the concept, although the helmet seemed pointier on the art. It's not a big deal - what we got is pretty fantastic.
His two accessories are a striped poncho and an eyeball staff. I have to admit, the gold staff's shallow sculpt resulted in me not even realizing it had an eyeball on it until I took another look at the concept art. The bird beaks were obvious, and each as a little round indentation that seems designed to hold a specific piece. But what? I don't know. He can hold the staff well, so I'd say it's the proper, perfect accessory for this figure. I have absolutely no idea what inspired it, but it's suitably awesome.
The poncho - which I assume is a real poncho, and not a Sears poncho - has straps inside which tuck under each arm. I had to pull one arm out of the socket to remove it, and the other side slides right off. It's molded in black, and someone decided to pierce it with one of the sock ties. While it keeps it affixed to the tray, it puts a hole in plastic. And I hate that. The color scheme doesn't seem to match anything specifically, but it's similar (in spots) to the Asexual and Non-binary Pride flags. Those were both adopted after 2010, and neither is a precise match - but I see them around enough that I had to check to make sure I wasn't missing an obvious reference. The colors are bright and vibrant, painted on with thick paint so that the black vinyl doesn't peek through. Mattel did a really good job here, as that's something we frequently seen done without the proper care and attention.
When I first saw this figure at Target, I said "I gotta get that." This version of Man-E-Faces shares no colors or faces with his previous figures in this line, so it's basically a new guy or a different member of the many faced species.
I feel a little guilty buying Masters of the Universe Sketch Book Series when it hits final clearance, or close to it. But not guilty enough to stop! I picked up Man-E-Faces for $6.59 on July 15, on a massive Target toy run that resulted in my discovering not all Targets do all their markdowns simultaneously. Several still had him for $10.98 on the price scanners, so it really varied from store to store. Usually these get marked down around the same time as their replacement shows up, but nobody had Skeletor out yet. I absolutely got my money's worth - and I wouldn't have complained at $20. I like things that are distinctive, new, and don't have a $10 shipping surcharge. (This is why I'm not buying most of Mattel Creations' stuff. Awesome? Yes. Do I want to pay $35 for it? Not usually.) If you can still find this guy at a discount, I highly recommend it.
--Adam Pawlus
Additional Images
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