Sure he looks like the creepy Burger King mascot, and as terrifying as that may be, it doesn't necessarily mean he's a bad figure himself. Can King Randor overcome the problematic likeness and earn his way into your heart and onto your shelf? Keep reading to find out! 

Name: King Randor, Heroic Ruler of Eternia
Line: Masters of the Universe Classics
Manufacturer: Mattel
Released: Fourth Quarter 2009
Price: Online: $25.00+
Scale: 6.00 in.
Accessories: Sword and staff
Sponsor Listings: Past Generation Toys-$39.95

     As you were probably expecting if you're familiar with the Masters of the Universe Classics line, a lot of King Randor's parts are from molds we've seen before. He's mostly just the basic He-Man body with a few new pieces of tooling. The chest armor is brand new, along with the cape attached to it (it's much different than He-Ro's). Topping off all the new tooling is his bearded head, crown and all. The costume is a mix of formal and more barbaric elements, bringing together ornate gold symbols on the chest with strapped fur boots. It's odd to see a fur loin cloth right alongside a golden crown, but if this odd assortment works anywhere, it's in the fashion capital of the toy world, Eternia. All of these costume elements are sculpted as well as can be, sharp and crisp, never shy on the extra details, and totally unreliant on paint to bring out necessary aspects of the wardrobe. For instance, the tiny bronze dots inside the cross on Randor's chest could have just been painted on, and instead they are tiny little sculpted spheres, adding that unnecessary but appreciated touch of attention to the figure. Another nice detail that could have been neglected is the way his cape includes a draped hood section at the top, something you rarely see yet adds a lot to the cape's appearance.
     His accessories are top-notch sculpting work as well, coming in as some of my favorites in the line so far. His staff blends simplicity in the shaft with a complex head, making it a much more attractive version than He-Ro's overly designed one. It's slick looking, features enough details to impress, but doesn't overpower you either. His sword is much the same, with harder lines and more geometric shapes than He-Man's power sword, a big plus for me. It's perfectly accomplished from a technical standpoint, but there's one tiny design issue I would change. The hilt is too long, so it looks more like a two-handed sword than it should, especially frustrating in that King Randor can't come anywhere close to holding it with both hands. Both do weapons continue the cross theme established by his chestpiece, a welcome decision that really pulls the figure together nicely. 
     The new head for King Randor looks eerily like the Burger King mascot's head. I guess that means he's very "king-like", a good neutral likeness that makes him look noble and courageous. He's got lots of details worked into the skin that's visible, including wrinkles around the brow, creases at the cheeks, and even tiny crows feet extending out from his eyes. Those small touches that show his age are a real pleasure to see, and it shows how much care the Four Horsemen put into each and every new head they create. The one issue with this head is the simplistic and sloppy crown placed on it. The edge along the bottom of the crown is far from straight or smooth, it's scarred along one side, and it sits on his head crookedly. The crown isn't intended to be removed from his head, so mine was just assembled a little off center. It's not a big deal in the scheme of things, but it might really bug some folks, and I've seen it similarly crooked on some people's figure, straight on others, so it's definitely a risk when you buy him, and a hard one to fix.

Sculpt Score: 8 / 10

 

     Worst color scheme of the year? I'm pretty sure we have a winner (see comic)! The red and blue with gold accents works splendidly, a real classy look that's hard to beat. Unfortunately, when you add a giant glob of orange, as is the case with Randor's pants, then the whole thing just turns into a rainbow trainwreck. Let's go through all the different shades on this fellow: orange, red, shiny red (accents on armor), gold, light blue (cape), dark blue (boots), shiny blue (orbs on chest/sword), black, white, silver (sword blade), brown, tan, and maroon (the small rivets on chest). I think when the list is that long, they're might be something a little iffy. Thankfully all of the colors do match across pieces where they're supposed to, and each shade on its own is beautiful. The blue on his shoes is as close to my favorite color in the entire world as it could get. Not necessarily a bonus to the figure's score, but worth mentioning since it's so pretty. Despite that, this toy just looks ridiculous as a whole. I know Mattel is aiming to pay tribute to the original figures, but a change or two here would have been completely understandable to me. Whatever the case, the ugly design is done well, so I can't fault it too much; they accomplished what they wanted here.
     Unfortunately not quite all of the more intricate applications are so well-accomplished. There are come color gaps along the edge of his silver blade, gold plastic showing through where it isn't supposed to. Similar underspray is a problem on his golden chest decorations, the red underneath springing out in numerous spots. The painter seemed to get careless in the corners, leaving quite a bit of red out and visible where it shouldn't be. Other applications are just fine, and though nothing really amazes in any way, most of the figure is adequate. Randor's hands actually received a dark red wash to bring out some of the finer sculpt details, which was achieved, but also resulted in some ugly red globs along the creases of his fingers. It may not have beem so problematic if both hands matched, but one looks much better than the other, pointing out the flaws in the weaker hand even more. The trouble continues along the line where his crown meets his hair, gold oversprayed onto the brown hair along the top edge, a pretty sloppy looking job. Thankfully his face takes a turn for the better with clean piercing-blue eyes and a nice beard line. I also love the way the two shades of brown have been applied in his hair to really make it look full and life-like, highlighting all the great sculpt details in it as well.

Paint Score: 7 / 10

 

    It's the same old standard articulation model for this line with King Randor. All the points you'd expect, each in good working order. Unlike most of my MotUC releases so far, King Randor is free of any loose joints, even his ankles are tighter than average. And although some of the joint ranges aren't that wonderful (his elbows bump the biceps pretty quickly), none are any more restricted than normal. The extended chestpiece doesn't affect the ab crunch adversely. and the loin cloth stays mostly out of the way of his fantastically engineered hip joints. Posing the king is enjoyable and although you won't be getting him into any deep Spider-Man acrobatics, there's enough diversity in his poses to keep refreshing his shelf-stance occasionally. Playing is easy too, because the joints are smooth, his cape is flexible, and swapping heads with other figures is super quick. That ball jointed head not only makes for quick swaps, but it's also great for adding personality, because unlike DCUC neck joints, this one provides up/down, left/right, and tilting movements. If the arm articulation were a little more productive, this would be a complete set of articulation, because everything else is almost perfect in a functional sense and looks good too. 

Articulation Score: 9 / 10

     If you're as scared of the Burger King guy as much as me, you'll probably be more terrified of this toy than entertained. He's just not a particularly engaging character or design. The costume feels more chaotic than cool, and even the long cape can't save it. He-Man looks goofy, but he still looks fun and dynamic. King Randor just looks goofy, and I don't think anyone's going to enjoy him just for his looks. The two nifty accessories definitely help here, as both the sword and staff are fun in his hands or elsewhere, making him seem more reasonable as a warrior and play partner. Combining those extras with his articulation actually makes King Randor perfect for kids who want to throw him around on the floor. Unfortunately for them, he's almost entirely inaccessible and overpriced, a negative for kids and collectors alike. It's hard to enjoy a toy if you feel like you paid too much for it, and a lot of people might have those doubts with Randor. Of course if the nostalgia for Masters of the Universe from days of yore kicks in, then Randor is likely going to be a quick favorite for you regardless of any shortcomings. In summary, he has the articulation and accessories, but the charm and excitement for him as a character might be missing for most of us.

Fun Score: 7 / 10

     I would love for Masters of the Universe Classics figures to get higher scores than they do, because I really want to like this line. There's just one giant problem getting in their way from being the top toy line of the year, and it's the price. To get one of these toys when they come out on MattyCollector.com each month, it's going to cost you at least $28, for a 6 inchish figure that's certainly good, but not $30 good. Obviously people out there do buy these toys, paying a premium for nostalgia, so some find them worth the cash. I do agree that most of the quality control issues that plagued past figures have been cleared up, and I'll even admit that Mattel seems to be trying to make things better, sometimes. And despite the crooked crown, this is a well-made figure that's durable and has two very neat accessories. Still yet, there's too much weighing against those positives, because almost every piece on King Randor is one we've seen before, comparable figures are sold for so much less, and MotUC has an ever-increasing production run that should lower costs. There's just no justifiable reason for these toys to cost so much. Maybe when the line first started it made sense to charge $20 plus shipping, but nowadays, it just doesn't click. I'm stilling buying them of course, it's just a tough $30 to swallow every month. Nothing about this particular figure makes him any more valuable than past releases, meaning he's quite simply overpriced. 

Value Score: 5 / 10

8 / 10 - A few lazy mistakes compromise an otherwise fantastic sculpt.

7 / 10 - Some slop and odd color choices are present. 

9 / 10 - A nice set of joints that are fun to play with and work well.

7 / 10 - The weapons are entertaining with his articulation, but there isn't much else to really make him stand out.

5 / 10 - Not enough toy for too much money. 

72 / 100 - This is a Good Toy

King Randor is far from the best release in the line yet. He is worthwhile if you're happy with the line as a whole and interested in the character. It's the casual fans and passer-bys that may not want to invest in this pricey figure. The prices on this line require that everything else about the figure is perfect in order for it to really stand out, and King Randor isn't perfect. 

-The Articulated One 

This could be the figure given away in this month's Review Commentator Contest. Join the discussion by leaving a comment on this review for a chance to win!

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