Mattel unveil Masters of the Universe Origins Wave 12

Posted on December 10, 2022 in Toy News

Mattel have just dropped some info about the upcoming 12th Wave of their Masters of the Universe Origins figures, delivering something of a mixed bag in terms of fan favourites.

No release date has been confirmed as yet, but the figures are expected to go on sale in early 2023, likely January or February.

Here’s a quick breakdown of what’s coming:

Since Wave 8 we’ve had a Rulers of the Sun figure included in every wave, so Hypno’s inclusion here should come as no surprise. He’s a bit of an interesting one, being part of the original second wave of Rulers of the Sun figures that was never produced by Olmec Toys back in the 80’s. There was previously some leaked images of the figure which show that he comes with a fairly cool looking silver eagle (which you can see a bit of in the image above), and his fairly daft looking hypnotic lollipop accessory. Appealing for a Sun-Man completionist I guess, but definitely a figure that’s going to be skipped by a large amount of collectors.

Up next we have an interesting release in the form of a mini-comic version of Roboto, featuring orange highlights and the distinctive heart – which is capable of human emotion and compassion, and which was removed by Skeletor back in the 1983 comic, leading to Roboto going on something of a rampage which nearly resulted in the loss of Castle Grayskull. I’m personally a big fan of the mini-comic versions, although I appreciate that they may not be to everyone’s tastes, particularly when so many figures still don’t have any versions and we already have a Roboto from Wave 3. A neat inclusion, but I fully understand if some people aren’t too excited.

Speaking of not being excited, it’s time for another Skeletor! For those keeping score at home, this is the SIXTH Skeletor in just 12 waves, and while I understand that he’s one of the flagship characters, I’m not sure this version is strictly necessary when we have the Wave 1 version, the reissue with the O.G. head, and Battle Armor, Terror Claws and 200X versions already out there, but hey, that’s just me. Putting that to one side, the figure itself is actually pretty nice looking, and I dig the look of the armor, but much like the Snake Armor He-Man in the previous wave, there’s definitely a feeling of “but… why?” with this one. Again, this one is for completionists only, I think.

Rounding things out (and pretty much single-handedly saving the wave) is the awesome-looking Tung Lashor whose vibrant colours are going to look fantastic on collector’s shelves alongside the already released King Hiss, Rattlor and Cobra Khan (and Camo Khan, if you managed to snag one). And while he certainly won’t have the classic action feature of the original with the ‘flicking’ tongue, this is still a great looking figure with his distinctive colour scheme and frog-like fingers and toes. Pretty much an essential purchase.

The writer of this piece was: Craig Neilson-Adams (aka Ceej)
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