Merry Christmas from Eternia!

Merry Christmas from all of us here at Weird Fantastic Toy Adventures!

Hey!! Kids Comics: Power of Point Dread/Danger at Castle Grayskull

The Power of Point Dread!/Danger at Castle Grayskull! is a 1983 Masters of the Universe comic and audiobook. No author is credited; it was illustrated by Alfredo Alcala. In the first story, Skeletor tricks He-Man into leaving Castle Grayskull unprotected; in the second, Skeletor captures Teela and tricks his way into the castle.

The audio presentation, which includes voice acting, music, and sound effects, is pretty solid. Be advised, though, that in this pre-Filmation production, none of the characters sound like their cartoon counterparts.

Alcala's art is good, as always. He's using a distinctly different style from his runs on the mini-comics; it's perhaps more reminiscent of the first run, but it isn't quite as impressive as either of them.

Review: Castle Grayskull - Fortress of mystery and power (1982)

I recently repainted and restored my old Castle Grayskull Playset, but today I wanted to review the actual vintage playset...

Castle Grayskull was made as a playset for Mattel's Masters of the Universe toy line. It would become one of the most popular Christmas presents for pre-adolescent boys in the 1980s.

The price point was generally within reach of the parents of a child in the target age range for the toy line. The castle was also user-friendly, possessing many settings and functions suitable for the 5" action figures it was built to complement, as well as being small enough to be put away at the end of a play session.

Castle Grayskull was conceived as the central location for the battle between the forces of good and evil. The original playset was released in 1982, and all other depictions of the castle originate from it.

Review: Master of the Universe Coloring Book - The Bridal Path

Masters of the Universe: A Coloring Book

Year: 1982

Cover artist: Unknown

Writer: Unknown
Illustrator: Unknown
Colorist: Øyvind Johannes Meisfjord

Publisher: Golden Books

Production Code: #1144-11

Series: Golden Coloring & Activity Books

Øyvind Johannes Meisfjord joins us again today with a story which originally appeared in a Golden Books coloring book which featured three stories -- Raptures Of The Deep, Cloudy Climbs, along with this one, Bridal Path. All of the plot points of the original pre-filmation storyline are present, as well as the recurring theme of Skeletor wanting to make Teela his bride.

Review: Masters of the Universe Sticker Fun Coloring Book

Masters of the Universe Sticker Fun

Year: 1982

Cover artist: RL Allen

Writer: Unknown
Illustrator: Alfredo Alcala
Colorist: Øyvind Johannes Meisfjord

Publisher: Golden Books

Series: Golden Coloring & Activity Books

Today's adventure is a special treat originally presented in the Facebook group Ancient Library of Grayskull by Øyvind Johannes Meisfjord. The pages of the book were also hand colored by Mr. Meisfjord himself using coloring pencils! Mr. Meisfjord has kindly given permission for his post to be shared here.

Review: Masters of the Universe Origins Evil-Lyn

The only female member of the Evil Warriors, Evil-Lyn is a witch who aids Skeletor as his second-in-command with her powers of evil magic. While more intelligent than Skeletor's other minions, she is not quite as powerful as Skeletor. Evil-Lyn can be quite treacherous and if given half a chance, she would seize power for herself. She readily admits to being on no side other then her own, occasionally working independently towards her own ends. Evil-Lyn has many magical powers at her disposal and carries a magical wand topped by a mystical blue crystal orb.

Evil-Lyn was originally introduced into the Masters of the Universe collection in 1983 in order to add a female character to the Evil Warriors. Billed as the 'Evil Warrior-Goddess,' Evil-Lyn's action figure is identical to Teela's except in color scheme, head mold, and accessories.

Although initially envisioned as an evil counterpart to Teela, she is actually more like an evil counterpart of the Sorceress. Evil-Lyn has little in the way of warrior skills, however she more than compensates for this with her expertise in magic and witchcraft.

Custom Castle Grayskull Weapons Rack 2.0

I couldn't leave it alone... I had to remake that second weapson rack! I just wasn't happy with my first attempt which used a miniature wooden easel. This time I used wooden dowels of the correct diameter. It was stained and twine was used to make real lashings to hold it together. Even the weapons are all painted this time! Check it out...

Special Adventure: Castle Grayskull Decorative Shields

When Skeletor made his first dramatic entrance into Castle Grayskull in the very first mini-comic, He-Man and The Power Sword, one of first things that caught my eye were those two shields hanging on the wall behind him!

What are those mysterious shields? Where did they come from? Who did they once belong too? What did they represent? They looked so dadgum cool, that I just knew my new repainted and refurbished Castle Grayskull playset had to have those shields too!

At first I thought I would end up having to recreate them myself, but during my reseach on the interwebs I ran across DJ Force's Weapons Forge on Shapeways! DJ Force offers 3d printed accessories for your favorite action figure toylines, from recent brands like Masters of the Universe Classics to vintage 80s brands like M.A.S.K. or Starcom." All the things you never even knew you were missing! He also runs a shop on TeePublic which offers t-shirts, hoodies, and stickers.!

Latest Eternian Toy Adventures...

I thought I would do a quick post to show everyone what I have up to lately...

With the release and recent acquisition of Mattel's latest Masters of the Universe Origins collection, I have rediscovered my love of He-Man and all things Eternia!

As you know the old vintage Castle Grayskull playset was repainted to go with the new figures. At first I thought I would stop there and leave the inside untouched, but it all started when I decided the interior of the jaw bridge had to be painted... Then it was the laser gun, that lead to the weapons rack... which in turn lead to the combat trainer!

Hey!! Kids Comics: Masters of the Universe Mini-Comics 4

Masters of the Universe Mini-Comics 4

Year: 1981

Cover artist: Alfredo Alcala

"The Vengence of Skeletor"

Writer: Donald F. Glut
Illustrator: Alfredo Alcala

Publisher: Mattel

Issue: Series 1 --- 4 of 4

Plot: The conclusion of the story featuring an all-out slugfest between He-Man, Stratos, and Teela against Skeletor, Beast Man, and Mer-Man!

Review: Masters of the Universe Origins Teela

Teela, heroic "warrior goddess," is a capable female fighter imbued with the spirits of great warriors long deceased. She roams the deserted landscapes of Eternia atop her unicorn charger.

Teela first met He-Man after she had been captured by Skeletor and Beast Man in order to become Skeletor's bride. She was taken to Castle Grayskull where she was later freed by He-Man and Man-At-Arms. The Spirit of Grayskull tasked her to be the guardian of the castle in a later adventure.

Teela was originally released in the later half of 1982 as part of the first wave of eight action figures of Mattel's Masters of the Universe collection and was the first female figure in the line.

The action figure was originally supposed to be two seperate characters, the Sorceress/Goddess and a female warrior, Teela. The two characters would later be combined into one figure as Mattel believed there would not be enough demand for two female action figures in the initial wave.

Castle Grayskull: Stygian Moat

A true legend among Masters of Universe fans, the original Stygian Moat was created by Mark Taylor for Castle Grayskull over 31 years ago! When he made the original prototype of the castle, Mark also designed a cardboard playmat to represent a moat. Unfortunately, in order to keep costs down, this playmat was never even considered for inclusion with the retail playset.

For years it was believed that Mark's original artwork had been lost forever, however a small black and white photocopy of the moat was recovered by The Power and Honor Foundation. An enlargement was made and Emiliano Santalucia re-colored it, using old reference photos in order to remain as true to the original as possible.