 Skeleton Warriors
Evil Army of Skeletor!
Masters of the Universe Origins Shared Exclusive Figure Set
Item No.: No. HRR50
Manufacturer: Mattel
Includes: 2 figures, sword, axe, halberd, shield, sword, mace, spear, The Bones Beneath mini-comic
Action Feature: Glows in the dark!
Retail: $???
Availability: ??? 2023
Other: Instant Army of Two
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I was surprised this Masters of the Universe Origins set got the name of Skeleton Warriors. That's another brand from the 1990s, 2010s, and soon-to-be-2020s. This particular take reimagines them as Skeletor's army of glow-in-the-dark warriors with a unique bat armor, a battle skirt, three-toed monster boots, and a viking hat. All in all, something recognizably fantastical and fun.
In every branded adult collector toy line there are usually some characters that stand out as being awesome beyond the mandate of the line. I thought Draego-Man and Castle Grayskullman were daffy and wonderful creative additions to an existing brand, and would be worth owning even if you didn't have a He-Man collection. Similarly, the Skeleton Warriors are a great addition to any monster stash or glow-in-the-dark toy collection.
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Both figures are rather similar. The molds are the same, but the colors change. I believe all of the glow-in-the-dark bone parts debuted on this set, and I'm also fairly sure the armor bits are new here too. The feet and shins are recycled from other Evil Warriors, though. The bony parts would get reused earlier this year to make the fan exclusive Sepult-Ro Disciple figure, a non-glowing bony wizard guy. It's cool, and I kind of wish I got it to go with these guys and Scare Glow... but I also have too much Masters of the Universe stuff. Thankfully when a figure crosses over into another sub-collection, like glow-in-the-dark stuff, it makes it fairly easy to say "yes" to some things.
Each figure sports the same standard articulation that the entire line seems to share. Swivel wrists, rocker ankles, bending knees and elbows... you're going to have a good time with these 5 1/2-inch figures. You can pop each Skeleton Warrior apart at the neck, waist, and shoulders, plus the swivel boots come apart. You can mix-and-match parts between Skeletons and make an army if you bought multiple sets, but I'm not here to make a diorama for the gram. I just want nice toys.
The detail is incredibly hard to see in the glow plastic, so you'll probably miss the cracks in the shoulders and femurs. I find myself wishing they had standard boots, but the three-toed monster feet are fine, I guess. The helmet looks superb, and the silver highlights look great. The orange and purple go great with the glowing green, giving these guys a soupon of spooky season.
You get more gear than they can carry, so be careful to not lose anything lest you spend 40 minutes digging for a spiked ball mace or halberd when writing your review. All of these weapons seem to be from other releases and/or were reused again later, so they're handy to give your various unarmed warriors. Those generic Snake Men in the gift set lacked melee weaponry, so surely these could be very handy later. There isn't much to either accessory beyond looking cool and being easily gripped by each bony hand. Mattel did a nice job, although it's worth noting all the accessories and figures aren't quite as sharply sculpted as the 1980s toys. Everything is rounder and more smooth.
You also get an axe, a spear, a sword, and a shield with a skull on it. There's not much to it other than it looks good, and it's useful. The set basically gives you your money's worth, or it did when it was new.
This is one of those sets I should have written up earlier, when it was cheaper, because it's worth a recommendation to non-He-Man fans. It's just cool glow-in-the-dark guys that are about 5 1/2-inches tall and feel like they could work well with any similarly sized brand. The notion of buff skeletons is a little silly, but what about He-Man isn't? They're perfect Halloween figures, and the kind of thing I wouldn't mind seeing Mattel reissue (or redecorate) so more fans can add to their armies or collections. I don't think I need another set, personally, but I'm super pumped for this pair. Get 'em if you can find 'em at a fair price.
--Adam Pawlus
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