ZODAC

MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE: MASTERVERSE (MATTEL)

“Few are more powerful than the omnipotent master of the cosmos, Zodac.  As the keeper of the neutral balance between good and evil, the Cosmic Enforcer’s universal travels return him to Eternia – home of Castle Greyskull, the Nexus of Realities, and the center of the multiverse.  For a threat to the cosmic balance can come from anywhere at any time.”

While I *did* take a look at something Masters of the Universe related within the last month, it’s been four months since I really looked at anything new from the franchise.  It has a tendency to happen, especially when there are such gaps between the characters I actually want.  Look, this Mekaneck-erasure will not stand, you guys.  It’s driving me a little batty.  Making me but more figures of the *other* guy in a goody red helmet.  So, um, here’s another version of Zodac, I suppose.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Zodac is part of Series 5 of the Masterverse line, and he’s part of the “New Eternia” sub-branding for the line.  Thus far, New Eternia seems to be a way of doing classic versions of the characters, but with some optional updates to their looks, something that Zodac sticks to pretty closely.  The figure stands 7 inches tall and he has 32 points of articulation.  Zodac’s sculpt uses the basic male body as a starting point, as well as re-using the forearms from Barbarian Skeletor, and the feet from standard Skeletor.  He also gets a new head, upper torso, shins, pelvis, and an add-on for his armor.  The new parts are all pretty respectable recreations of that classic Zodac look.  The head’s certainly consistent with the way the classic version of the character tends to be depicted, to the point that I felt the need to double check that he wasn’t sharing his head with the Origins.  The two pieces are distinctly different, though.  The new upper torso replicates the vintage figure’s use of Beast Man’s torso, though in a far less bulky and less hairy way than the Masterverse Beast Men did.  His armored up pieces are generally consistent with his classic design, but he does get a little bit of updating, with his loincloth piece getting a fancier tabard sort of thing at the front, and his chest armor getting some shoulder pads.  It keeps his general look, while also cleaning him up just a little bit.  He also gets a holster piece, which adds a bit more practicality to him.  The look is cool, but I did find some functionality issues with how they interact.  The shoulder pads attach via clips on the back, which work fine, but they’re also meant for weapon storage, so you ultimately have to choose between them.  The holster attaches via one of the chest armor straps, which means that posing pulls the strap loose if you’re not careful.  Rather minor issues, though.  Zodac’s color work sticks to the classic set-up, with red, grey, and white.  It’s largely molded plastic coloring, but there’s some paint work on the head and torso armor.  It works out pretty well, and the application’s all pretty slick and clean.  Zodac is packed with two sets of hands, his weird sci-fi gun, as well as a staff piece, which can be split in two for storage.  Unfortunately, my figure was missing half of his staff, but Max was kind enough to loan me his for the review photos.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

So, it would seem I’ve apparently added Zodac to the list of Masters characters I’m buying in every style.  I didn’t really see that happening.  Certainly not with Zodac with a “c”.  Zodak with a “k”, perhaps.  But Zodac?  Well, I guess I have a soft spot for this goofy space guy.  This figure’s a pretty fun one.  I like the classic design with just those very slight updates.  The figure’s got a few little minor flaws, but he’s very fun, and I like that a lot.  Still holding out for that Zodak re-deco, though.

Thanks to my sponsors at All Time Toys for setting me up with this figure for review.  If you’re looking for toys both old and new, please check out their website.