Grayskull Scene

I never collected Masters Of The Universe toys but I can still talk about them. Here I will explore my concept of the 'modest but well-rounded collection' with reference to the dominent sword and sorcery cum space opera toyline of the 80s (there were others that drew on both sub-genres to get the kids excited).

Of course a collection must have its hero and villain. These are He-Man and Skeletor and they seem to represent life and death respectively. Both can have a mount in Battle Cat and Panthor. But they also need off-siders and troops.

I continue with the scheme of each hero having a villainous counterpart. But that can take a bit of thinking for the oldest toys in the line. It is simplest to have Teela stand opposite Evil-Lyn as the token women but I think there is a more interesting way. Man-At-Arms is a master of technology while Evil-Lyn is a mistress of the magical arts. In contrast Teela and Beast Man are both aggressive warriors. And the next two are easily sorted by habitat - Stratos occupies the sky while Merman inhabits the sea.

Now we get to some of the more gimmicky figures of the first few years of Masters Of The Universe. Ram-Man can bounce into barriers while Trap Jaw has an array of attachments for his mechanical arm. Man-E-Faces has three visages rotating to face forward while Triklops has a three-eyed visor that does the same thing. I notice that both Trap Jaw and Man-E-Faces have green faces and want to ret-con them as of the same origin. This also gives the heroes a definite alien in the group and re-colouring the body of Man-E-Faces to hide his tan could support that.

Now I have two opposing sides comprising seven characters each (if you include those feline pets). But it is time to turn to neutrality and the centrepiece of any collection. Castle Grayskull is regarded as one of the best playsets of all time and what a compelling thing it is. In the cartoon I discovered that this fortress is the source of He-Man's power. But on the box art in a toy store I saw Skeletor emerging from its skull-like frontage to repel his rivals. From this dissonance I seek to find resonance. What if Grayskull is a prize that will grant its power to whomever can overcome its defences? Those defences (other than the fortress itself) could include the neutral Zodac and the falcon Zoar. The cosmic warrior seems to be served by this pet but in truth it is his boss - The Sorceress in disguise - whose motives are mysterious to both sides that seek to take her job.

All I need to do now is throw in a few of the vehicles the toyline sported. Both the Dragon Walker and Roton (tools of good and evil respectively) are fun beast-inspired machines. But maybe one or more sides could also do with Sky Sleds to zip about on. I may as well produce some lists now.

Heroes: He Man, Battle Cat, Man-At-Arms, Teela,
Stratos, Ram Man, Man-E-Faces, Dragon Walker

Neutrals: Castle Grayskull, Zodac, Zoar, Skysled

Villains: Skeletor, Panthor, Evil-Lyn, Beast Man,
Merman, Trap Jaw, Triklops, Roton

This could all fit on a shelf and be impressive but also be a scene one could take in at a glance. This is a fraction of the full toy line but I reckon it packs most of the evocative punch of a much larger collection. I will likely never have it (there are other and better things on which to spend) but enjoy imagining such a scene. And hey maybe in retirement I shall operate a stall in a bazaar which includes displays like this.