Review – Masters of the Universe Classics Strong-Or

After the fantastic Lord Dactus action figure (review here) we are forced to flip to the other side of the quality coin where we find the Masters of the Universe Classics Strong-or* action figure.

It’s not that it’s a terrible action figure.

No, what’s happening here is that the dramatic difference in my excitement level for the two toys reflects poorly on my thoughts about Strong-Or. It’s unfair to poor Strong-Or, but it’s how I feel.

The Good

To be fair, Strong-or* does look kinda cool and he is clearly right at home in the Masters of the Universe Classics series. At a glance, everything about the toy is a perfect example of the great work Mattel has been doing on the entire line. A few specific “goods” that leap out at me are:

• Right Arm – Two interchangeable forearms/fists means you can “extend” the right arm to represent what would have once been an “action feature.” Simple, but works well and adds some goofy fun to the look of the toy.
  
• Head – The Strong-or* head sculpt looks fun and instantly makes me think he should be partnered with Cy-Chop (review here). That may seem weird, but I think the two fit together nicely.
  
• Parts Reuse – I’m classifying this as “good” because I continue to be impressed by the cleverness of the parts reuse and figure design in the line. Economic and artistic double win!

The Bad

As much as I like the Strong-or* head I’m also listing it as kinda bad (but only a mild bad) because of the paint accidents. Rough paint apps on the head — as well as splatters on parts of the body — downgrade the figure a bit. Actually, I’ll admit that it’s the paint accidents more than anything that have me instantly less-than-happy with the toy.

Which, as I mentioned, is totally unfair of me. I can’t expect every single figure in the line to be a Lord Dactus and I do understand that these are mass-produced toys and there will be some paint slop at times.

So is this a positive or a negative review?

The Ugly

Definitely the Strong-or* paint accidents that I mentioned. Click on some of the photos for larger versions and you’ll see where the mohawk-like spikes, ears, and biceps have some loose paint where it shouldn’t be. And even the armor has some splatters, meaning that I walked into the toy with some doubts and walked out more unhappy than I would have been if the paint apps had been neatly applied.

Closing Thoughts

I’m torn on Strong-or* because I both like the character design and dislike the paint troubles. Visually he is nowhere near as fantastic as either Lord Dactus (review here) or Cy-Chop (review here) . . . but he is actually a fun design.

So I’m dropping the review here with this final thought:

The toy has problems, but ultimately it is a fun design and I will eventually grow to see beyond those paint problems. I think.