In its early days, the Masters of the Universe Classics line had so few figures that each stood out as unique, but with many more released since then, does Tri-Klops stand a chance at uniqueness? Has Mattel just created another "middle of the pacK" figure that we've seen most of before, or have they refined the line so much that even Tri-Klops is worth a purhcase. Read on, because the answer might surprise you!
Name: Tri-Klops
Line: Masters of the Universe Classics
Manufacturer: Mattel
Released: Summer 2009
Price: Online: $20.00-$30.00
Scale: 6.00 in. (figure in 6.75 in. tall)
Accessories: Sword, doomseeker, stand, glow in the dark ring
Sponsor Listings: Dinosaur Toy Vault-$35.00, Past Generation Toys-$44.95
Tri-Klops unsurprisingly makes use of the basic He-Man body that we've seen for over a year now. While it's nothing new and fantastic, it still looks good and exudes the spirit of the line perfectly well. The huge muscles and slightly squished proportions pay homage to MotU of old without compromising the modern asthetic too much, along with featuring crisply sculpted muscle groups and perfectly smooth edges. The costume accessories (bracers, boots, undies) all seem quite natural on the body, and each has enough small details to help bring him to life that little bit more. Tri-Klops' big new addition to the piece repetoire is his chest gear, which is admittedly kind of ugly, but does capture the style of his classic figure, which was the intent. The technical quality is also wonderfully high, thanks to the Four Horseman, with small grooves down the middle, wavy trim underneath the pecs, small knives carved in on the back, and tiny rivets along the collar.
It's obvious that a lot of care was put into these molds, new and old, especially the new head. There isn't a whole lot of face visible underneath the visor, but what there is, looks great. He has deep set facial features and very sharp lines around his mouth, along with a strong cheekbone and wildly flared nose. At first glance, the head seems just a little too wide (I certainly thought it was) compared to other MotUC figures, but it's actually right in scale and manages to differentiate itself from other humanoid heads in the line thanks to the bold features. The most important part of this sculpt sits right atop his face, the spinning visor! It's a well engineered piece that allows the green visor to turn 360 degrees around his head, revealing one of three "eyes" at the front. Each of the three eyes is sculpted with a lot of detail and personality, so depending on your mood (or Tri-Klops' mood), I think all three could work wonderfully in a variety of displays. He also comes with a couple accessories, a sword with a great straight-blade design (that I prefer over the standard power sword mold), and a doomseeker (I don't know MotU well enough to explain the relevance (as far as I can tell, it's a floating bird head with wings)). Both of these items show the same attention to detail and quality sculpting techniques that are inherent to Tri-Klops himself, making fine additions to the figure. There's nothing about Tri-Klops' sculpt that just knocks me to the floor in amazement, and it's mostly simpler pieces that we've seen before, but he looks good, fits the line, and there's nothing fatally wrong, so a high score is only appopriate.
Sculpt Score: 9 / 10
It may not look like there's a lot going on with Tri-Klops' paint, but there is a surprising amount of extra little touches to really spice things up. For instance, his loincloth could easily have been cast in one color and forgotten, but a very subtle gray/blue drybrush effect was added. Similarly, numerous areas feature the use of two colors where just one would have been sufficient, like his orange armor bits, the green straps on his black boots, and the dual tone nature of his light-green bladed sword and subtly lighter daggers. These differentiations really help prevent the toy from looking too cheap, which is a thankful step forward in this price range. Applications for all these small details aren't quite so appealing, often messy and under-applied. The bracers, belts, chest-stripe all have poorly defined circles and crazily crooked dark orange stripes down the middle. I don't know what the intent was with the paint here (maybe to make the armor look antiquated a bit), but it just looks sloppy to me. The green stripes on his boots are much better, and they even continue onto the bottom of his feet, which is a great small addition. The eyes on his visor are nice and cleanly painted, and he even features paint underneath his visor, with black "sunglasses" and some sort of green wiring. The doomseeker features equally strong color choices and mostly clear applications. A few stray paint marks are visible on Tri-Klops himself (an orange splotch on his back, a black smear on his boots), but they're not severe or regular enough to be a big issue. Another problem is a slight color matching issue from his visor to his tunic, the visor is a shade or so darker. No one's going to walk up and notice it right away, but it's definitely there, another small problem contributing to his less than perfect score.
Paint Score: 7 / 10
This is the standard Masters of the Universe Classics articulation pattern, which is generally a good thing. He has a number of great points that allow for a diverse range of poses. I'm sorry to say that some joints are sculpt restricted (the hips, plus his elbows bump the biceps without much movement), yet it's still very possible to make him look at home in his surroudnings and alive with personality. Unlike some of my previous MotUC toys, his articulation is tight and holds his weight quite effectively, making him a lot less frustrating to manipulate. None of the joints were stuck or broken, and while that's to be expected, it still helps preserve strong scores. My favorite attribute is how good this articulation looks with the figure, particularly the sneaky thigh swivel way up there at his hips. Preserving the line of the thigh (which is unfortunately, due to wardrobe) one of the most visible parts of these figures) really helps the look without compromising the joint. I'm also especially pleased with his neck that offers a huge range of motion, up, down, and all around, which is important with someone with a design centered specifically on the head. Overall, this is a pleasing articulation model without any major flaws except a few limited movement options.
Articulation Score: 9 / 10
This category is a little different for me than most Masters of the Universe fans, because I don't adhere to the nostalgia model that many buyers of this line do. Reliving your childhood with an updated toy from your past is definitely an amazing feeling, and many fans are going to be filled with glee when picking up this Tri-Klops figure for the first time, because he's exactly what they always wanted 25 years ago. I don't have that response, so the toy has to earn any giggles of excitement from me. If you're a MotU fan of old, I'd suggest he's probably going to be a 15 in this category for you, and although I think he's fun, he doesn't perform quite so wonderfully with me. First off, there is a substantial amount of articulation, and that's always an enjoyable element. Playing with him or posing him will definitely take some time, because there are a lot of cool options to consider and fun ways to bring him to life on your shelf/carpet. His design isn't the most interesting or visually stunning, and may even earn some questioning glances (my girlfriend is "intrigued" by the MotU designs). There's nothing inherently fun about a guy in revealing green armor, so some imagination is certainly required. I also wish we had more clues as to his allegiance, because there's nothing that clearly defines him as an evil character, and if I didn't know any better, I'd stick him in the good guys' camp. He does come with a couple entertaining accessories, mainly his dangerous-looking sword which can be stored on his back (storing weapons is always a blast), and the oddity that is the doomseeker. Both of those can add a lot of play time and posing variety. There is also his action feature, and I guess being able to choose an eye with a different type of vision is always a little extra enjoyment. Add all that up, and even without nostalgia on his side, he's a very enjoyable toy.
Fun Score: 9 / 10
And this is the score-killer. While he's better than some past figure (Faker anyone?), Tri-Klops is still excessively overpriced. At the technical price of $20, he's not totally terrible, but when you factor in $8 shipping (it's the cheapest option), you're looking at a $28 figure, that's really more like a $15 figure. I don't know about you, but paying $13 extra for no clear reason, isn't one of my hobbies. Tri-Klops also features a lot of tooling we've seen in the past, with only a few unique pieces to add to the party, and that never helps my perception of value. He includes a few accessories, including a glow-in-the-dark ring intended for humans (not adult ones though, as it's too small). The doomseeker and clear stand are cool additions that could have been left-out, so that helps too. The packaging does its job, but it's not nice enough to warrant the extra cost, and while the sculpting is top-notch, there's nothing about the paint any better than many other $12-$15 figures in this scale. If you're a huge fan of Masters of the Universe (or need to have toys to review), then Tri-Klops might be worth the outageous price, but otherwise, I can't recommend you spend the money. If you're just a casual collector of things you like from here or there, then Tri-Klops probably isn't worth the investment.
Value Score: 5 / 10
9 / 10 - He looks good with small details and smooth lines.
7 / 10 - Some sloppy areas and lazy applications hold back great colors and subtle effects.
9 / 10 - A number of attractive points with only small limitations.
9 / 10 - Accessories, an action feature, and articulation add up to an entertaining toy.
5 / 10 - He's very simply too expensive for what he is.
78 / 100 - This is a Good Toy
Tri-Klops is technically a great action figure, there's no doubt in my mind about that. That is if he's given to you for free, but since you do have to pay for him, his score drops drastically, as he is very much overpriced.
-The Articulated One
This could be the figure given away in this month's Review Commentator Contest. Join the discussion by leaving a comment for a chance to win!
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