Review – Masters of the Universe Ice Armor He-Man

Okay, I’m not the biggest Masters of the Universe fan in the world, and I pretty much only stick to the villains, but I’ve gotta be upfront and say that this Ice Armor He-Man from the 200X series earlier this decade is one of the coolest-looking Masters of the Universe action figures I’ve ever played with. And not just cool in the cold sense, either.

Great Sculpt

Ice Armor He-Man, from his shaggy boots to his shaggy hair, is a work of art. Sculpted by the team at Four Horsemen Studios, this He-Man has a younger, almost boyish look to him that we don’t see in either the eighties Masters of the Universe line or today’s Masters of the Universe Classics series. Fitting, I guess, since the animated series from the time this toy was released (a series I still haven’t watched, even though I’ve been told many times that it’s fun) featured a He-Man that looked younger than the classic character design.

Starting with the boots, shown below, the figure’s sculpt is crisp and clean. Take a look at the sculpted fur of the boots and the leather straps and armored plate on the boots. This isn’t exactly a realistic design, but as Poe Ghostal points out in his review of Ice Armor He-Man this figure design is fantasy barbarism at its best, more Conan-like than the earlier He-Man design (which is funny, since David Wecker and Roger Sweet’s Mastering the Universe book made it clear that the line was inspired by Conan).

Ice Armor He-Man’s muscles are more chiseled than they are sculpted, with abs cut out of steel and arms and legs hammered out of the toughest plastic we’ve ever seen in an action figure. It’s ridiculously over-the-top, but it all comes together to look great. And part of the look of the figure has to be the dynamic pose; take a look at this photo at OAFE for a comparison shot of two He-Man figures from this older series and you’ll see just how dynamic this guy is.

The sculpt is A+ quality. Fantastic!

Minimal Paint

Ice Armor He-Man is cast in flesh-colored plastic — which is the bulk of the figure’s color design — while the hair, boots, wrist bands, and other details are cleanly painted. There’s no detailed washes or drybrushing on the toy, but all of the paint falls in the proper places with just a few sloppy parts where the boots meet He-Man’s legs. It looks like the hair — a softer plastic than the rest of the figure — may have been cast in yellow and then glued on, which would explain how the eyes were so cleanly painted on the face. It’s not masterwork paint, but it’s adequate and looks good for a mass-produced action figure that’s almost seven years old.

Articulation

It’s a good thing the sculpt is so good and Ice Armor He-Man’s default pose is so exciting because you’re not gonna get any great poseability out of this figure’s limited articulation. Swivel-hinged shoulders and t-hips are it; Ice Armor He-Man’s torso twists, but that’s only because it’s part of the toy’s “special” feature: twist the torso back and then press the button and He-Man snaps back around (see the photo, below, for a look at the button on his waist).

Accessories

Ice Armor He-Man comes with a shield (and two disks), a fur cloak, and a staff/spear. The shield and disks are extremely lame pieces; the idea is that a disk sits on the shield and when He-Man’s button is pushed he snaps into place and fires a disk from the shield. It’s an awful gimmick and I tossed the shield and disks aside.

The staff/spear looks great, with the piece cast in clear-blue plastic that makes it look like it’s crafted out of ice with leather straps around the center of the shaft. The photo below gives you a good look at the staff/spear which fits perfectly into He-Man’s left hand.

The cloak accessory, shown below, is where the Ice Armor in Ice Armor He-Man comes from. This fur cloak has leather straps and an armored plate and shoulder pad for ornamentation, but it’s the shards of clear-blue “ice” on the shoulder pad that gives the figure its “ice armor.” As beautifully sculpted as the rest of the figure, it’s obvious when you start playing with the toy that this accessory is vital to the figure’s design and not simply a throw-away accessory. There’s a slot on the back of the cloak where you can slip the staff/spear, but it doesn’t look great there. According to Poe Ghostal’s review there was originally an ice axe that was meant to be carried here. Too bad we didn’t get the axe, because that would have been awesome.

Closing Thoughts

As you can tell by the photos, Ice Armor He-Man is a great action figure that is almost as much a decorative statue as it is a child’s toy. The sculpt is great, but it’s the clear blue plastic used in the accessories that takes this figure from kinda cool to freezingly awesome. The shield and disks are a bit lame, and the lack of ice axe is disappointing, but what we do get is a great He-Man design that’s perfect for a freezing environment. Sure he’s not wearing much in the way of clothes, but he’s Ice Armor He-Man and he can take any cold, no matter if its a natural freeze of the icy cold of an evil wizard.

I grabbed this figure for under $10 and I say any Masters of the Universe fan would be happy to own one of these at that price. A great design and a great addition to any winter-themed action figure display.

Philip Reed now wants a Fire Armor Skeletor.