The
UK is getting it good. Now the toys are hitting stores! That's
right, fans have reported finding the new MotU
line at Toys'R'Us
in the UK! Spotted so far have been Skeletor,
Beast Man, Merman, Battle
Cat, Panthor, the Battle
Hawk, and the new Castle Grayskull
which includes box art of Zodac, Roboto,
and Evil-Lyn. Prices for regular figures
were £7.99, for the cats and Battle Hawk
£14.99, and for Castle Grayskull £49.99.
June
26
A
number of fans have reported finding the new Battle
Armor He-Man and Skeletor deluxe
figures (formally called "Exo Suit") at
Wal-Mart
stores.
Also, Wave 4 heros (Martial Arts He-Man,
Sy-Klone, and Prince Adam)
and wave 3 villains (Fire Armor Skeletor,
Whip-Lash and TwoBad) have
begun shipping to Wal-Mart
stores with an exclusive(?) video entitled "The
World of He-Man" which gives a run down
of the places, races, characters, and story arc depicted in
season #1 of the new MotU cartoon. Check
it out!
June
23
Yet
another Masters fan has found a variation on the Sam's
Club gift set, including the before mentioned Grayskull,
SB He-Man and either Mekaneck
or Orko, but this time with the new wave
3 villains, Fire Armor Skeletor and either
Whip-Lash or TwoBad.
The
Comic Fanatic has just posted This Week's 10 Best on their
website, and Icons of Evil: Beast Man is
right there at #1! Check
it out!
Psycho
Comics is helping to spread the word about He-Man.org's
auctions and donations! Thanks so much!!!
June
20
Action
Figure Collectors has helped out by adding a link to our
auctions and PayPal donation!
But that's not all! Action-Figure.com
has also helped out by adding a link to our auctions and PayPal
donation! Thanks!
Sam's
Club stores have begun stocking a 2002 Grayskull
(still including the Action Chip feature) with four figures
attach. So far, reported combinations include Smash
Blade He-Man, Spin Blade Skeletor,
Tri-Klops, and either Orko
or Mekaneck. Be aware that Sam's
Club requires a membership to shop at their locations.
Also, another fan has found the Sam's
ClubGrayskull with attached figures
including TrapJaw instead of Tri-Klops.
Masters fans searching for the Wave 3 villains
have also reported finding cases with 2 Fire Armor
Skeletors, 2 TwoBad, 1 Whip-Lash,
and 1 Tri-Klops.
Val
Staples has posted the rest of his collection
on eBay which includes many of the rare and hard-to-find
collectibles of the classic toy line. Please take a moment
or two to browse through the many listings of his childhood
collection and consider placing a bid in order to help support
He-Man.org. These auctions end throughout
the day on Friday and into the weekend. Thank you!
Don't
forget the deadline on the Masters of the Universe
"Create Your Own Commercial" contest! All
entries HAVE to be submitted before July
11th!!! Mattel
hasn't announced specifics yet, but a little birdy told us
the 1st place winner receives a sizeable cash prize, 2nd place
winner receives a not-to-shabby cash prize, and 1st place,
2nd place, and 3rd place winners all receive a certain exclusive
figure that everyone is talking about! We're sure you know
the one!
Mattel
is sponsoring a "Make
your own commercial"
contest!
That's right. They want
to see the creative and
cool ideas you, your friends,
your family, and anyone
who loves Masters of the
Universe can come up with!
It can be about any new
figure.. any new vehicle...
any new playset.. anything
for the new Masters
of the Universe
toy line!
Make a live-action commercial!
Make an animated commercial!
Create cool visuals in
whatever medium you think
works to support and draw
interest to Masters
of the Universe!
Official Rules:
- Commercials must pertain
to the new Masters
of the Universe
toy line.
- Commercials may be audio
or video, but combinations
of both are strongly encouraged
as they will have a distinct
advantage over other submissions.
- Commercials may be submitted
in any of the following
formats:
Submitted by e-mail: MPG,
AVI, Real Video, MP3,
or WAV.
Submitted by mail: VHS,
DVD, CD, or VCD
containing live video
or any of the above mentioned
formats
- For digital files that
are submitted via e-mail,
audio submissions must
not exceed 5MB
in size and video and
video/audio combo submissions
must not exceed 15MB
in size.
- For digital files that
are mailed to the address
and burned onto DVD, CD,
or VCD, file size is not
important... just don't
make it huge!
- Commercials must be
between 15 and 30 seconds
in length. (we are forgiving
of a few seconds here
or there)
- E-mail submissions must
provide a link to where
your file can be downloaded.
DO NOT
attach or embed submissions
into your e-mail. ONLY
provide a link to your
file. Send your entry
submissions here.
Again, DO NOT
attach files.
- Mail submissions can
be sent to: MVCreations
ATTN: Masters Commercial
Contest
1316 Jefferson Street
Lynchburg, VA 24504
- Each contestant is limited
to 1 submission.
- Please include all contact
information including:
name and complete
address
- Inappropriate submissions
will be disregarded.
- Submissions are due
on or before July
11th, 2003.
Getting
out the word about He-man.org and helping to
keep it alive, the popular sites Artoos
News and Off The Card
have posted info about our auctions and donations. Check
out those sites!
June
17
Action
Figure Xpress has also come to help, and is auctioning off
figures and donating the proceeds to He-Man.org!
And
while you are at it, click on their ad here on the home page
to go to their online store! When you order from Action
Figure Xpress via that link, not only are you getting
some of the best service and delivery on the newest Masters
of the Universe figures, but Action
Figure Xpress will donate a portion of sales to help fund
He-Man.org!!!
Good News for German He-Man fans! Panini
Germany (under the sig "Dino Comics") is planning
to debut the new comic in Germany around late-July/August.
The comic issues will be part of a Masters of the
Universe Magazine that's supposed to focus on the
target audience (kids) and includes a plethora of
information about the world of He-Man. The
series will start with US-issue #1 (Vol.II). There will be
no variant-covers released, but some of the original variant-cover
art will get reprinted inside the magazine in mini-wallpaper
format.
No word if this magazine will ever include the "Shard
of Darkness" 4-parter and the "Icons of Evil"
one-shots.
Wave 2 mini figures are finally hitting stores here in the
States. Fans have spotted the singly carded Jungle
Attack He-Man, Cobra Armor Skeletor,
Orko, Teela, TrapJaw
and Tri-Klops figures at Dollar
Tree stores.
The
Four Horsemen recently confirmed that the new Snake
Armor He-Man figure, (the new look for He-Man
in Season #2 of the cartoon), which was unvailed in ToyFare
#72, will have elbow articulation, but not knee.
June
16
We'd like to take a moment to thank everyone for all the support
we have received so far to raise money for He-Man.org.
Thanks to you, the fans, He-man.org has raised
enough money to pay for one month of hosting! Thank you so
much for your generosity! And by bidding on Val Staples'
childhood collection, we can probably raise enough money to
pay for two more months!!!
But it hasn't stopped there. Other fans have donated items
with the hope to raise the needed funds to keep He-Man.org
going far beyond three more months!
Joe Amaro
has donated the actual custom Count Marzo
seen in Issue 72 of ToyFare!
Check
out this beautiful one-of-a-kind masterpiece!
Emiliano
Santalucia and Enza Fontana, artists
on the new comic series, have donated original production
art for the new comic series from MVCreations!
Check out these beautiful works of art!
If
He-Man.org is a resource you look to for
news, info, and a fan community for Masters of the
Universe, both new and old, She-Ra: Princess
of Power, and the New Adventures of He-Man,
we humbly ask that you might consider making the smallest
contribution. If the thousands of fans who visit the site
daily donated at least one dollar, it could fund the site
for months to come! Thank you so much for your time and dedication to
He-man.org!
June
13
He-Man.org
is expensive!
Well, at least that's what I've come to find out. This is
Val Staples, the guy who foots the bill each
month for He-Man.org. This is a personal
message to the fans out there of this site and what all has
gone into it over the years.
A long time ago, He-Man.org was going to
shut down. The expense was becoming too great. But, I didn't
want that to happen. I took on the financial responsibility
for the site a few years ago and haven't looked back. Since
that time, I've spent thousands upon thousands out of my own
pocket to keep He-Man.org going.
I wish this was a measure of how large of a fan I am, but
instead, I think of it as an indication of my passion about
the property and my hopes it will always live on...not only
through our generation that was raised on this spectacular
concept, but hopefully through a new generation that can enjoy
and reap the same values we did from the Masters of
the Universe. The new cartoon and toy line has shown
this promise.
But as the popularity for the newly revamped property grows,
so does that of He-Man.org. And with that
growth, the site's expenses soar higher and higher. Today
the site's monthly bills far exceed what would have once funded
He-Man.org for an entire year.
We once tried to advertise on He-Man.org,
which was a complete disaster. Not only for lack of revenue,
but also for fans who did not care for banners and pop-ups
cluttering up their favorite fan site, which we definitely
understood. So, we reverted back to the old tried and true..
Namely my wallet.
We want He-Man.org to be a safe haven and
welcome community for fans of He-Man, She-Ra,
and all characters found in this incredible universe. And
because of that, as a fan, I realize there are things I must
do to make sure this dream stays alive.
That
being said, you will find links below to two things:
donation to He-Man.org via PayPal
and a long set of eBay
auctions. We will be continually adding to these auctions over the
next couple of days with many rare and wonderful items.
The
donation link is not something I'd like to ask of any fan.
I want you to come here, free of efforts to take your money.
But if any of you are inclined to donate the smallest amount,
it would help to keep this great fan site alive and active
for many months to come. This is a site that has been important
to the rebirth of Masters of the Universe,
and we intend to keep it going as long as the internet exists.
The eBay
auctions are of my very own childhood collection. These loose
figures make up the bulk of Classic Masters of the
Universe photos shown here on He-Man.org.
These toys sparked my imagination for years, giving me a place
to where I'd escape the world around me. They fueled my artistic
senses, they help to root the strong moral lessons taught
to me in the cartoon, and, above all else, they made me happy.
Some are a little scuffed, some are missing an item or two,
but that's because they were toys! And I enjoyed them for
what they were! My hope is that you might bid on these auctions
to bring a piece of my own happiness into your home, and keep
this site going for as long as there are fans to enjoy Masters
of the Universe.
I had dreamed that one day I could share these very toys with
my own children. And even though I know now I will not be
able to do that, I do know through these auctions, we are
all helping to give life to a resource where ALL
children can look to discover the happiness I was once given,
and still receive today, from the vision that is Masters
of the Universe.
Thank you for your time.
*****************************
You can now preorder the Region 2 DVD of the Classic
Masters of the Universe cartoon series at
Play.com.
The release date is currently set at August 18th!
Wave 5 heros are out! That's right, Ice Armor He-Man,
Mega-Punch He-Man, Man-E-Faces
and Buzz-Off have all begun hitting Wal-Mart
stores around the country. The initial case pack out is two
Ice Armor He-Man, two Man-E-Faces,
and one each of the others. The most recent issue of Toyfare,
(Issue #72), also confirmed that the chase for this wave will
be Buzz-Off with a painted on smile, just
like his classic counterpart.
June
11
ToyFare
has unveiled the new look for He-Man in season
two of the cartoon! Check
it out!
**UPDATE**
The UK is kicking off their launch of the
new Masters of the Universe line on September
2nd! Mattel
UK will have an exhibition at the Museum
of London that will be open to the public until
September 7th. Come see lots of awesome memorabilia
from Masters of the Universe, both classic
and new!
June 9
A
review for the Masters of the Universe comic
will be in the latest Comics International
(#159 - June 03). Look for even more reviews due the next
issue!
Thanks go to Masters fan, Musclor.fr.st,
for this preview picture of the DVDs for the classic Masters
of the Universe cartoon series being released later this month
in France. Individual DVDs will be available later in June,
with a box set to follow in July. A Collector's Edition set
will also be available some time in the fall. You can find
more info in the Previews section at Manga
Distribution, if you can read French.
American
Dream Comics is running a poll where you can vote for
your favorite currently released toy on the ADC Top 10 toys
for the month of June. Check
it out!
June
7
These
past couple of months have been the busiest ones yet here
at He-Man.org!
That goes hand-in-hand with big site expenses.
We're sure you've noticed a few auctions running lately, and
this is no exception.
Some bad news for Australian, Masters of the Universe
fans. Only weeks away from the initial release of the new
toy line in June 2003, Mattel
has announced that Australia fans won't be
getting them now till some time in 2004.
Regretfully, Joe Denton, background artist
on the Princess of Power cartoon, has recently
passed away. But, we can still enjoy watching Mr.
Denton do one of the many things he did best at www.JoeDenton.com
, and that's bring a work of art to life.
June
2
We
have the results to the last fan poll. As you may remember,
the question was "Should
Mattel bring back mini-comics inside of the toys?"
And here are the results of your voting. Yes- 1373
No- 55
The UK is kicking off their launch of the
new Masters of the Universe line on Wednesday,
July 9th! Mattel
UK will have an exhibition at the Museum
of London that will be open to the public until July
20th. Come see lots of awesome memorabilia from Masters
of the Universe, both classic and new!
Check out a picture of the 2002 Dragon Walker
in its packaging! This picture was originally part of an auction
on Ebay,
which was ended early.
May
30
Find
out the scoop on some of the things you've been dying to know! Mattel'sJeremy Padawer spills the beans on some real
important news for fans in...
1. Any chance for generic
figures such as Royal
Guardsman, Avionians,
or Skeletor's bone warriors?
Skeletor's bone
warriors will begin showing
up on shelves in the next
2 months with the release
of the Mutant Slime Pit
Playset! The Slime Pit
playset will include an
exploding Bone Warrior,
born from slime and destined
to explode under the weight
of He-Man's sword!
2.
Would you tell us how
many chase Orko and Trapjaw
figures were made?
We made less than
5,000 Orko and Trapjaw
figures. In the future,
chase figures will be
more readily available
to the adult collector.
However, remember, once
a chase figure leaves
the shelf, it won't return.
3.
Does the new Fists of
Fury He-Man figure, which
bares a striking resemblance
to Fisto, dim our chances
for seeing Fisto in future
waves?
Absolutely not.
Fisto is on his way. Fisto
will hit shelves in November
2003!
4.
Since the action chips
have been removed from
all upcoming waves, can
we expect any new pack
ins with the figures?
Yes. We will continue
to pack videos on figures
from the new entertainment.
You will see this in even
wider release in Fall
2003 and in Spring 2004.
We also have not forgotten
about the mini comics.
You may see mini comics
on limited figures as
we move into 2004.
5. A lot of fans missed
out on rarer figures such
as Teela and Mer-Man before
the new ratios were introduced
for the cases. Is there
any chance of seeing these
two beloved characters
refreshed in the near
future?
Absolutely. However,
they will not be released
in the original paint
scheme. For Mer-Man, you
will see a more intricate
paint theming; More "paint-ops."
6. Fans have noticed far
fewer MOTU commercials
being aired in comparison
to other popular toy lines.
Is Mattel looking into
producing and airing more
television spots?
Yes. You might have noticed
the release of the Skeletor
vs. He-Man ads. This will
continue to air throughout
2003. In the 1st year
of release, MOTU has actually
aired 6 commercials -
a very aggressive advertising
stance in terms of production.
In Fall 2003, we will
advertise both the Mutant
Slime Pit and Castle Grayskull
- along with more figure
advertising.
7. The fans really want
their mini comics with
the figures, any more
information on this?
Again, this could
be done in limited quantities.
Frankly, we're considering
this as part of the He-Man
Club initiative!
8. You mentioned in the
previous Q&A that
ratings were not a consideration
in the time-slot change
of the cartoon to Saturday
evenings. Would you help
quell fans concerns about
the show only being renewed
for another thirteen episodes
in season 2 vs 26?
We have been renewed
for 13 episodes at a time...
this doesn't necessarily
mean that only 13 episodes
will air in the next season.
There is still a possibility
that 26 new episodes will
deliver for season 2.
Of course, the more the
better from a branding
and storyline standpoint.
A little "Did You
Know?" -- Did you
know that between the
original episodes of He-Man
from the early 80's, She-Ra,
the New Adventures of
He-Man in the late 80's
and the new release of
He-Man in 2002, there
have been MORE MOTU episodes
than Simpsons episodes!
9. Might we expect any
more updated vehicles
from the classic line?
The upcoming DragonWalker
bares little or no resemblance
to its classic counterpart.
(The Wind Raider as featured
on the new cartoon series
is in high demand by the
fans.)
The Wind Raider
is in development for
Fall 2004. It will look
more like the classic
counterpart than the Dragon
Walker. The Dragon Walker,
hitting shelves very soon,
is incredibly cool, with
its mechanical stomping
action... and will play
an awesome role in the
entertainment for season
#2.
10. The word "Battle"
is becoming a cliche with
the new line with as many
times as it has been used.
Will we have a bit more
variety in upcoming toys'
names?
Yes. We know that
the "Battle"
word is used often...
The issue for us is finding
words that make sense
from a global perspective.
"Battle" is
a globally friendly word,
as ironic as that might
seem. We've challenged
our copywriting team to
be creative and to deliver
names that match the entertainment
and some how work globally.
11. As long as you're
giving us all of these
different versions of
He-Man and Skeletor, will
we see a Skeletor with
a cape as he appears in
the new cartoon series?
Great idea. Another
possibility for the Collector
Club.
12. Do you have any sales
figures (percentage-wise)
of MOTU's fan base of
collectors vs children
that you could share with
us? Are you satisfied
with the reception MOTU
has received from the
youth of today?
I can't share
specifics. I will tell
you that the collector
base on MOTU is one of
the largest of any adult
collector brand... in
terms of % of overall
sales and in terms of
number of collectors.
However, rest assured,
that the overwhelming
% of figure purchase influencers
are under 8 years old.
13. Any more information
you can pass along to
the fans regarding DVD
releases of either new
or classic cartoon series?
Regarding DVD
releases and VHS releases,
I, unfortunately, can
not share information
regarding distribution
partners until the terms
are finalized. Until then,
we will continue to pack
out new episodes in VHS
(and in DVD format) to
figures.
14. In a previous Q&A
you mentioned that Mattel
was revisiting the possibility
of additions to the Commemorative
Series. Can you give any
more specifics on this?
Again, this would
be driven through a Collector
Club... You should watch
for more announcements
on this in the next 2
months.
This
June the Icons
of Evil: Beast Man
One Shot Slashes its way
into a comic book store
near you!
What
terror is lurking through
the Berserk Islands
of Eternia?
It is whispered from village
to village that a savage
Beast Man
has been lurking about!
And a young sorcerer named
Keldor
is determined to find
out if the legends are
true…but who is
seeking whom? Will Keldor
find this savage
Beast Man or
will the Beast
Man find him!
This
issue is the first in
a series of One-Shots
featuring the back stories
of some of your favorite
Masters of the
Universe villains.
Invincible Scribe, Robert
Kirkman, Penciller
Tony Moore,
and MVCreations
bring you the first epic,
bone chilling tale! Icons
of Evil: Beast Man
One Shot is a must-have
for any He-Man
and the Masters of the
Universe Fan!!
Icons
of Evil: Beast Man
One Shot will be whopping
48 pages and cost $4.95
Brought to you by Image
Comics and
MVCreations!
Thanks to a press release sent to Cool
Comics, we've learned that Contender
Entertainment in the UK will be releasing
the original filmation Masters of the Universe
cartoon on DVD for Region 2 starting this
August!
May
28
Masters
Fan, pH6, reports that the new Masters
of the Universe cartoon will air in Finland
on MTV3, Saturdays at 9:40am, starting August
23rd!
Due
to unfoerseen printing problems, the Tommy Lee Edwards
variant for Masters of the Universe Volume
II, Issue 3 will ship one week late. The regular cover for
the comic by Emiliano Santalucia will arrive
as scheduled tomorrow. MVCreations
apologizes for any inconvenience.
The new line continues its spread across the globe!
The new cartoon debuted on Saturday, May 24th in Holland.
May 23
Masters Fan, Talon Fighter, was the first
to report a chase Whiplash figure. This chase
has black wristbands and loincloth, a silver belt buckle,
different colored green bands on the chest, and a different
color scheme on the weapon
IGN.com reports
on the new Masters of the Universe game for
Playstation
2, Game
Cube and XBox.
They have recently posted a hands-on review of the game. You
can read it here.
(W)
Val Staples (A) Emiliano
Santalucia and Enza Fontana
(Cover) Emiliano Santalucia
FC
32 Pages $2.95 Monthly
series
Treachery
from within! Can it be
true? What has happened
to turn a one time trusted
ally of the Masters against
them? Will this be a turning
point in Skeletor's victory?
Will Eternia and the Masters
ever be the same? Find
out as the Masters face
what could be their final
battle against the Forces
of Evil!
UK
fans rejoice! The new He-Man and the Masters
of the Universe cartoon starts to air on CNX,
Monday, June 30th at 8:00am.
We will post more details when they become available.
May
21
Wave 3 Villains: Fire Armor
Skeletor, Whiplash, and Two Bad have begun showing
up in retail stores. Be on the look out for this awesome new
assortment!
May 19
Cartoon
Network will once again air the new Masters of
the Universe cartoon daily. In addition to the Saturday
night 7:30PM time slot, you can catch He-Man
at 6:30AM EST/PST Monday through Friday starting Monday, June
2nd.
Make way for children's Masters of the Universe
underwear. Masters fan, Zosox, has posted
images of the two kinds available: He-Man
& Battle-Cat and Skeletor
& Panthor. Each come with a trading card
that can be cut from the packaging.
Ring
of Collectors has posted a "BreakDown"
review of the new Prince Adam and Sy-Klone
figures in their forums. Check
it out!
