Masters of the Universe Classics Faker

Now this rare variant of He-Man is pretty tough to find, so tough that the only place you're likely to find him is in the Royal Palace trash.  (Or at Mattycollector.com.)  But for those of you lucky enough to find him on the shelves of specialty stores or buy him off said website, you'll have to beware that you don't end up buying the original He-Man instead.

For you see, there are very minute differences that make this He-Man variant very unique in his own right.  If not for these, they'd look so alike that even the real Masters of the Universe wouldn't even be able to tell them apart.  But we are way smarter!  For example, did you notice the bluish tone to his shin?  Yup, that's the first clue that this guy is not simply the original re-release.

Other differences include the slightly red-brown hair, red eyes (betcha almost missed that), and get this--if you look closely enough, you'll see that his leather harness is not He-man's, but a repainted version of Skeletor's!

I got this funky variant at a good local price of S$45 (US$32),which is a good $5-8 under the usual prices at the local specialty stores.  Upon cracking the package open, I discovered that he's got a VHS tape player on his chest!  That's a sweet Easter egg of a difference to set him apart for your average original He-Man release.

Also, don't be thrown off by the name they give you one the package--Faker.  This guy's the real deal!  He's really He-Man!  He's the truest, most original He-Man variant you'll ever find.  He's so close to the real thing that you might even think of him as a genuine fake.  Don't believe it?  Well, click on and see, non-true-believers!

Like: That blue skin!  Why?  It's blue!

Na'vi, Mystique, Smurfs, Beast, Keldor/Skeletor, Blue Merman, Nightcrawler, Braveheart, The Guardians of Oa--they all have one thing in common:  they're cool because they're blue!

Why is He-Man blue, you ask?  Maybe the guy decided to one up Mel Gibson and do full body paint.  Maybe the guy choked on something, couldn't die and simply turned blue.  Or maybe he went to a Trollan tanning salon with Orko...


Like: That you know he's the real Most Powerful Man in the Universe because he looks good in all sorts of different clothes.  This is something even the original He-Man can't boast of.  Skeletors leathers?  Done.  He-Man's grey harness?  No problem.  A cape and boots? He's a rock star.  In fact, he's so good at looking good that even the leathers he comes with make original He-Man look damn fine.

Like: That he's exactly the same sculpt as He-Man--if you're ever gonna buy another He-Man on top of the original color, you might as well get his one, because Blue He-Man is the only other version that's not painted the same boring blond and orange and brown.  (Currently in the MOTUC line, there's Original He-Man, Battle Armor He-Man, MOTUC vs DCUC He-Man, and this Blue He-Man!)

Like: That sexy chest tattoo of a giant tape deck (all the better to record and play back the macho lines said in combat/the cheesy lines used on Eternian wenches.)  Dislike: That he comes with an orange Power Sword and a half and Skeletor's leather harness. Something's missing in this department...I know!  Blue Battle Cat with orange stripes!  Yeah, like that'll ever happen.  But overall, just too few accessories (not counting the harness) to justify the cost compared to other figures.  And like TAO mentioned in his review over at Articulated Discussion, that's just not a good deal for a straight repaint.

Like: The splendid paint applications all round. From the intense red eyes, to the wash on the orange harness, to the black belt and bracers with a silver dry-brush.  These are things that you look out for and appreciate when it comes to a quality figure.

Like:  That they tried to fake Blue-Skinned He-Man's origin and make it so absurd that you've just gotta love it.  They even call him Faker on the label!  Great touch.  Built by Man-At-Arms to be He-Man's sub when Prince Adam was need?  With blue skin?  Then dumped in the trash when MAA realized that he wouldn't work out?  Then Tri-klops finding him and "turning" him to the evil side?  It's so ridiculous it's gotta be fake.

Dislike: That he captures only the moment when He-Man died  from choking on one of Teela's meatballs.  Whatever that means.

Dislike: That he never truly appears in his funky blue in either the 80s series or the 200X series.  Come on, people-who-make-animated-series(es).  Give Smurf He-Man some love! Really, it's time people got to know the real He-Man!

RATINGS 

Aesthetics: 7/10 - I'm not a big fan of blue and orange together (as the wife will tell you.  Right, dear? :P)  But as two separate colors, they are awesome.  (Like who can turn down Orange He-Man?)  And while this blue He-Man here is just exactly what he is (a blue He-Man) he's nothing new.  So no new sculpted part, folks.  What he does have though is awesome paint apps.  So the points in this category come from there mainly.

Poseability: 9/10 - No joints are blocked by tooling/accessories, so that's a good thing.  Only things that might get in the way are the shoulder pads but those are shiftable/removable/soft.

In general, I love the playability/poseability of male MOTUC figures so far, so there's never been a doubt about how well they can move, except when stuff like molded vests (Adam's ab crunch) and capes and hair (Keldor's head) might get in the way.  But these are almost always removable/loose enough to shift around so this category is always gonna rate high.

Fun: 10/10 - Blue skin tone, interchangeable heads that match by virtue of being the same sculpt as He-Man and same skin tone as Keldor/Skeletor (and even Orko!), the same "clothes" as Skeletor.  This guy's got no excuse not to be funny.  He's like Zartan from GI Joe, except you'll know it's him when you see him because he's not a master of disguise.  He just fakes it.

Value: 6/10 - Loses points here for minimal accessories, and I mean minimal. Ok so it's not Stratos minimal, but it's less than what the paying customer deserves.  Luckily, I got him slightly cheaper than what you'd pay for in specialty shops here.  And I was sorta waiting for his price to drop to an acceptable level before even thinking about buying him, so I guess I'm happy enough...


Overall: 8/10 - He's still a solidly good 8.  Why?  Because you can't put a good toy down. With the way Blue He-Man here is able to interchange his parts for variety/a barrel of laughs makes him just too fun to pass up.  So whether you're solely a He-Man collector or a Na'Vi lover, you'll want Blue-Skin He-Man for sure.  even if you aren't, this guy grows on you with that loving red stare of his.

In conclusion...Wuh?  Whaddaya mean his name's really Faker?  This is a crap review?

He's Blue Variant Choked-to-Death He-Man.  You're a crap review.  Look, how else do you explain the crossbones on his chest?  He must've died and the Masters must've dressed him in a ceremonial burial battle harness, not realizing that He-Man can beat anything, including death.  Hence, he rises from the grip of death and takes out Skeletor and his goons just as they are about to capture Castle Grayskull during his funeral...Whaddaya mean he fools the likes of me? Who you callin' a fool?  Faker's not his real name!...It is, you say?  Well Faker you, man!  He's not that good at Faking it...is he?...