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REVIEW: Mattel SDCC12 Exclusive VYKRON
"Ultimate Eternian Champion" Three Figures In One...
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Every year at San Diego Comic-Con, the fine folks at Mattel bring to its “horde” of Masters of the Universe fans and collectors an exclusive figure. In years past it was Prince Adam & Orko; last year it was Queen Marlena with a swappable space outfit. For 2012, fans were a bit dumbfounded when Vykron was revealed. WHO?? Come on, everyone knows that Vykron is the "Ultimate Eternian Champion"! Right? Perhaps not.
From Vykron’s bio card, we learn that his character takes place 50 years before Prince Adam was born, fighting battle after battle in a gladiatorial arena before being ripped apart by the mighty beast, Gygor (you DO own Gygor don’t you?). To put it bluntly, this figure was pulled out of the obscurity archives and put into full production.
What makes Vykron unique, however, is that he has three distinct sets of swappable armor. For Comic-Con, he was packaged wearing his standard barbarian gear. On mattycollector.com you can choose between space ace and military gear. Each Vykron comes with all three suits so if you buy to open, it shouldn’t matter which version you get. In the packaging each set is prominently displayed so you can see what you’re getting.
Let’s start with the basic buck; it’s just like many of the other Masters figures and a very He-Man-esque facial structure. The only thing lacking is the rest of his head! Mattel made it simple to swap out the various helmets by having a plug shaped noggin.
Out of the box, Vykron is already outfitted in his barbarian suit which consists of a helmet (with hair), armor with (plastic) fur, gauntlets, boot, and axe. This is probably my preferred version of Vykron as it fits more naturally into the Masters of the Universe world. The one thing I wish it also came with was a separate removable hair piece without the chalice-like helmet. Since you’re able to swap all the various gear on Vykron, you should also be able to have a very basic character without any armor in a more neutral look.
Moving onto outfit number two, the space suit comes with a removable helmet, vest armor, belt, rocket wings backpack, gauntlets, boots, and blaster weapon. In early pictures I thought I saw a Boba Fett-like helmet with visor but you can actually see his face through it. The belt on mine is quite stubborn to latch for some odd reason but since I prefer the barbarian armor, I’m not too upset about it.
The military suit comes with the change of armor, boots, gauntlets, and blaster but instead of a helmet, he comes with a swappable tank head. The look of this is completely out of line from any Masters of the Universe. It’s the very typical United States Army green with white stars. The tank helmet/head doesn’t look particular appealing in the MOTUC fashion but as a toy, it’s enough fun for the kiddies.
The beauty of course of swappable armor and weapons is the freedom to do whatever it is you want. You can use the space helmet with military armor and barbarian boots if you so desired. But in the end, it’s still the typical He-Man style look I prefer out of Vykron. If all the various armor were closer in color styles, it would be a lot more fun to mix and match. But as it is now, these are completely different sets of armor.
In the end, it’s a $20 figure with some additional accessories, but Vykron sold for $30 while Prince Adam and Orko was only $25. Some collectors may not see the same value here nor would they care for the storyline created. But like any action figure, you can make him a villain or hero in your own world.
Review and Photography by David Yeh
Vykron Courtesy of Mattel
