Mattel unveil Masters of the Universe Origins Wave 13

After a lot of speculation and leaks, Mattel have unveiled the first images of the four figures from the upcoming 13th wave of their popular Masters of the Universe Origins series.  And it’s safe to say we have a bit of a mixed bag once again, although interestingly – for the first time since Wave 8 – we have no Rulers of the Sun figure here, which for a lot of collectors will be a definite plus.

As always, we don’t have any firm release date for this latest wave, but mid-2023 is probably a safe bet.

Here’s a quick breakdown of what’s on its way:

Slamurai, though? Originally an unreleased concept character from 1989, this guy is essentially the heroic version of Ninjor, as you can probably tell by the fact that the figure is essentially a straight-up repaint.  He received a limited Classics release as part of a Power Con 2019 Exclusive three-pack (alongside two Snake Troopers), and there’s some interesting lore surrounding him and Ninjor, with the “Evil Ninja Warrior” apparently using stolen Snake Men magic to turn ol’ Slammy’s wife to stone.  Definitely a figure for completists only though, although he may look fairly cool on the shelf in a Snake Eyes/Storm Shadow kind of way.

The latest Origins release from the hugely popular MOTU 200X series (which I’m currently in the process of reviewing), this figure features everyone’s favourite disapproving father in his distinctive Mike Young Productions outfit which is, in my opinion, a massive improvement over the previously-released “no pants party” Randor.  Everything here feels authentic to the 200X series, and the toned-down crown definitely works a lot better than the previous ‘Burger King’ version.  Definitely a solid figure, and a worthwhile addition to anyone who’s planning on expanding their 200X collection.

It’s been interesting to watch the surprisingly negative online reaction to this figure’s inclusion, because for me, these guys look freaking awesome. Sure, they’re basically Horde Troopers with a snake head, but that’s what makes them so cool! Lord Gr’asp’s cybernetically enhanced Snake Men definitely look the business, and the red Horde emblem and green head really pops against the black armour. For collectors who favour an “army building” approach and trying to put together epic displays, this release should certainly hit the mark, although it’ll be interesting if they become as ridiculously difficult to obtain as the Horde Troopers.

Rounding out the wave we have another Snake Men release in the form of “Snake Teela”, who also has her roots in the 200X series, appearing back in 2003 as a mail-in exclusive for ToyFare magazine. While I’m definitely digging the idea, there’s just something about this particular model that doesn’t work for me. Maybe it’s the lack of ‘snake’ detailing on the face, or the neon green skin tones, but I just don’t think this is necessarily a design that’s going to appeal to a lot of collectors.  I’m more than happy to be proved wrong, though.

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