I didn’t have the regular Skeletor when I was little, with Battle Armor Skeletor filling that role. That was a cool toy, but once I got Dragon Blaster Skeletor it became my favorite variant. He wore armor with a dragon clinging to his back, with the same water spitting action feature as Kobra Khan. It was great! However, under the armor was just a regular Skeletor, so after I found some accessories at a garage sale, he was also able to become my regular Skeletor. Now he’s back with the usual MOTUC update in detail and articulation. He lost the vintage figure’s action feature, like most MOTUC, but with a new mix of parts, you may be able to armor swap your way into your own preferred version(s) of Skeletor.

Build and Deco
This is the same head sculpt as previous Skeletors, just with a different paint job. The face is a combination of yellow and bright green like regular Skeletor, with a more gradual color transition, and green teeth. The eye sockets are lined with the same purple as his hood, and the red pupils are larger than any previous variant.

Clockwise from bottom left: regular (reissue) Skeletor, Toys R Us (DCUC vs. MOTUC) Skeletor, Robot Chicken (Mo-Larr vs.) Skeletor, Battle Armor Skeletor, Alcala Skeletor (included w/ Demo-Man), Dragon Blaster Skeletor

The body borrows a few parts from Kobra Khan for variety. He has the same human torso, upper arms and legs as regular Skeletor, the scaly boots introduced with Khan, and the spiky Whiplash / Khan forearms. He’s also the first Skeletor since the original (non-reissue) to have the open left hand. He also has the unique Skeletor loincloth, which the vintage Dragon Blaster Skeletor actually did not have. The loincloth is black instead of the regular Skeletor’s purple, with metallic purple studs. His feet are purple instead of blue, and his fingernails are painted purple like Keldor’s.

Have I said Skeletor enough times in this review?

Unfortunately, like other recent figures (such as Vykron, Spikor, and Sir Laser-Lot), the arms and legs are black plastic painted blue, instead of cast in blue plastic. Some paint has already chipped off of the shoulder on mine. This is a particularly unfortunate figure to have been stuck with this cost saving measure, since the dragon’s claws are likely to scrape against his shoulder. I must note though, the paint at least matches the (unpainted) torso very well.

Vanity Smurf really let himself go.

Articulation
DB Skeletor has all the articulation you would expect from MOTUC: ball-jointed head; shoulders that bend out to the sides and rotate forward and back; hips that go forward and back, out to the sides and rotate; ankles, knees, abs, and elbows that bend; and boots, wrists, biceps, and waist that rotate. The right arm’s movement is hindered a bit by the dragon’s feet. The head has a great range of movement. All the joints are tight, with the elbows being very tight and clicky.

Accessories
Dragon Blaster Skeletor’s main attraction is his armor with the dragon riding on his back. Like the vintage figure, the armor is dark purple with red trim, with the appearance of muscles sculpted on it. Running all along the trim are studs which are painted a metallic red. It works like most MOTUC armor, pegging together at the bottom. It’s made of an unusually hard material, which can make it difficult (and painful!) to get off and on.

The dragon is quite a bit different from the vintage figure. The vintage dragon had stubby, barely defined legs and a big head, while the Classics version is bigger, with longer spikes, a much longer tail which now sticks out significantly, and a smaller head. Overall, it’s much more detailed. Like the original, the dragon is red, gradually turning to purple along its spine. It has a bright green collar and lock, attached to a real metal chain which runs through Skeletor’s armor and attaches to his wrist with a bright green manacle, a part reused from Scareglow’s reliquary. Unfortunately, the collar is part of the sculpt and can’t be removed, and the dragon is permanently chained to the armor, even though you can take him off the back.

HIC SVNT DRACONES

The dragon’s head is something people have taken issue with on this figure. While the vintage head had just a few large teeth in an open mouth, the Classics mouth is effectively closed because it’s so packed full of long teeth that it doesn’t look like it would be able to move its jaw. The head is on a ball joint, but doesn’t move down far enough to actually look straight ahead. The head is removable and can be swapped with other MOTUC heads, though it is a harder plastic than most, so it can be difficult to get on and off.

Like other Skeletors and the vintage figure, he comes with a purple Power Sword. It’s the same dark purple as before, with the blade painted a metallic purple (lighter than the swords from previous Skeletors). This time the handle is not painted black, which I think is great, since a weapon’s handle is often the first part of a figure to lose its paint.

DB Skeletor also comes with the third and final minicomic included with figures this year, following Thunder Punch He-Man and Snake Man-at-Arms. Some big stuff happens in this one, but I won’t spoil it. Look for appearances by a LOT of characters. Next year there will be one more minicomic, The Secret Origin of Skeletor, which will be included with the sub exclusive figure, King He-Man.

Extra Fun
With more options on the table, you can mix and match accessories and heads to create the Skeletor you want. Use this new body with regular Skeletor’s armor, or give this armor to somebody else to make a new Dragon Blaster variant.

Wrap Up
There are a lot of little things wrong with this figure, but overall it’s a decent update of the vintage figure, and looks great battling Thunder Punch He-Man.

Dragon Blaster Skeletor was sold in September 2012, so you’ll have to check places like Amazon, BigBadToyStore or eBay to get it now. New figures go on sale on MattyCollector.com each month, usually on the 15th, and sell out within a few days (or minutes in some cases).

From October 16, 2012 to January 3, 2013 pre-orders are open for a MOTUC Castle Grayskull. It will only be made if enough people pre-order it by November 12. So if you want one, spread the word. The castle will be based on the original prototype design, which was the way it looked in the 80s minicomics. It’s not cheap though, and shipping can be really high for international customers.

Happy Halloween