Masters of the Universe Origins - Castle Grayskull: Unboxing & Review

When I began collecting the Origins line I never thought I would collect more than Origins figures of the Original 8 of the vintage line. Ok... yeah right.

I never thought I would ever get the new Origins Castle Grayskull... Heck I have a vintage Grayskull that has been repainted and customized! But when we were at a local Wal-Mart to get a box of coffee and I saw this thing sitting on the shelf in the wild, well... Just like always, into the cart it went!

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.

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!

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.

Vintage Castle Grayskull: Restored & Customized

Priced at $19.99, Castle Grayskull was released as the flagship playset of the original Masters of the Universe line in 1982 and was marketed as being "The Fortress of Mystery and Power for He-Man and his Foes."

Yes, you read that right. The castle, as originally envisioned, could be occupied by either side. It most certainly was not the good guys' clubhouse. Heck, even the original box art features an assault by the good guys on a castle controlled by Skeletor! Not the mention, Beast Man is over there helping the heroes...

Super Powers: Batman's Wayne Foundation Playset

Here is something I have been wanting to do for quite a while, recreate the Mego Wayne Foundation Playset for the Super Powers Collection.

What a lot of folks may not know or remember is that in 1970s during the Bronze Age of comics Batman relocated his entire base of operations into the very heart of Gotham City!

After Dick (Robin) Grayson left for college at Hudson University, Batman decided he needed to be closer to the city to fight crime so as Bruce Wayne he became more involved in the day to day operations of the Wayne Foundation and moved from Stately Wayne Manor to the penthouse of the Wayne Foundation Building in downtown Gotham City. The Wayne Foundation is a charitable organization created in memory of Bruce's Father Dr. Thomas Wayne.

Super Powers Batcave Revisited

Today I decided to get the Batcave Command Center Playset out and set it up for a while... there are some minor changes from the last time though... A few of the decals were replaced with different decals and a mat for the floor was added.

I found a little metal tea set that I thought would be perfect for Alfred. Alfred is always bringing something like this down to the cave for Bruce and Dick!

The Penny, Joker Card, and Batcomputer can be found in papercraft templates gallery of my deviantArt page.

Doctor Who and An Unearthly Child Playset

Entering the yard

An Unearthly Child (sometimes referred to as 100,000 BC) is the first serial of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was first broadcast on BBC TV in four weekly parts from 23 November to 14 December 1963. Scripted by Australian writer Anthony Coburn, the serial introduces William Hartnell as the First Doctor and his original companions: Carole Ann Ford as the Doctor's granddaughter, Susan Foreman, with Jacqueline Hill and William Russell as school teachers Barbara Wright and Ian Chesterton. The first episode deals with Ian and Barbara's discovery of the Doctor and his time-space ship TARDIS in a junkyard in contemporary London. The remaining episodes are set amid a power struggle between warring Stone Age factions who have lost the secret of making fire.

Super Powers Telephone Booth Playset

Thanks to Pat Crawford with Reprobubbles and his 3D printer a long lost un-produced playset from the Super Powers collection is now a reality!

Joker's Toxic Lab Playset with Figures

Joker, Penguin, and Riddler have captured Robin! Will they dowse
him in a bath of acid or will Batman save him? You decide!

Has Batman arrived in time? With Robin in the clutches of the Capture Claw™, dangling over a bubbling vat of deadly acid, Joker bounces around on his pogo stick, Penguin menaces with a huge machine gun, while Riddler laughs on manically at the dire situation. What happens next? You decide!

The Joker Toxic Lab (unboxing)

Box Front

He's a toxic terror! The Joker is mixing creepy chemicals to poison the citizens of Gotham City. Can Batman save them? Re-create scenes from the animated series with this action-packed playset!

Koona t'chuta Solo?

Dr. Frankenstein's Lab Playsets

Today we are taking a look at McFarlane Toys' Dr. Frankenstein's Lab Playsets from Series 1 & 2. These sets were released in the late 1990's and each featured a diorama and 2 character figures.

WWE Figures Collection

I made this video back when I was collecting Mattel WWE Wrestling action figures. At the time I was also trying to get as many Jakks Pacific playsets and as much graple gear as I could get my hands on as well!

Kenner Gotham City Bank Playset

If there is a bank in Gotham City, chances are that at some point its going to be robbed!

The Joker and Bob the goon are robbing the Gotham City Bank! Can Batman and Robin stop the bank robbers from stealing the money bags and gold, or will evil prevail? You decide!

Kenner Real Ghostbusters Fire House Headquarters Playset

If you were a fan of the Real Ghostbusters cartoon show in the late 1980s, and were collecting the action figures produced by Kenner, then this playset was a must-have item!

This thing is massive! Three floors tall, the Fire House Headquarters has a "Ghost Pursuit" firepole, "goop grates" with 5 oz. can of Ecto-Plazm play gel, a "ghost containment" unit for storing ghosts, and opening and closing fire house doors! Yes, even the doors were considered an accessory back then! Action figures sold separately...

Review: Kenner Super Powers Hall of Justice Playset

Its the Super Powers Collection Hall of Justice playset! Although early concept artwork originally envisioned the Hall of Justice as merely a figure storage case, by the time it reached production it had been expanded into a full fledged playset. However, some storage case elements did carry over. The "teleportation" and "revitalization" chambers give the playset added value, allowing it to become a storage case for up to 10 Super Powers figures.

Super Powers Batcave Command Center

Earlier, a Super Powers Batcave diorama was created on an Ultarama display system. Today, a Kenner Batcave Command Center playset has been modified into a Super Powers Batcave!