Skeletor and Man-At-Arms Coming to MOTU Origins Sketch Book Series

Well here we go again, Origins fans, because just when you think the Sketch Book Series might slow down, Die Welt der Meister Magazin drops a nugget that gets the gears turning all over again. According to the magazine, Skeletor and Man-At-Arms are headed to the MOTU Origins Sketch Book Series, and I have to tell you, this is exactly the kind of deep cut concept love that keeps this line feeling fresh while still honoring its roots. The Sketch Book Series has carved out a really cool lane by pulling from the original Masters of the Universe concept art, giving us figures that feel like they stepped right off Mark Taylor and Roger Sweet’s drafting table from the early 80s. Skeletor has been teased in different forms before, so now the big question is which version we are actually getting. Could it be his original concept look, or are we finally seeing that Battle Armor inspired take that was recently teased on the Fright Zone box art? We even covered Dragon Blaster Skeletor in a separate article, although that one was a custom by bombstaroutkast, so the possibilities feel wide open. And then there is Man-At-Arms. The concept version was recently hinted at on the Fright Zone packaging, but let’s not forget the Paladin (that was also supposed to be a concept for Man-At-Arms) concept tease that showed up on the Multi-Bot box art. As someone who grew up obsessed with these early ideas and alternate looks, I genuinely love that Mattel keeps mining this material. We do not know which versions will ultimately land in plastic, but honestly, I would welcome every single one of them.

Sketch Book Series Paladin (Concept for Man-At-Arms)

We could be looking at a future Sketch Book Series character as Mark Taylor has revealed an early version of the character in his “Sketches 1” set of prints that he made available at Power-Con 2018. This character, called Paladin. His costume takes on a primitive feel, covered in layered armor plates and fur, with a ventilator positioned near his face rather than on his chest as seen in later Man-At-Arms designs.

He carries a futuristic rifle and a spiked orange mace, giving him both medieval and sci-fi weaponry. According to Dušan M, this was apparently the design used in the “Rob-N & The Space Hoods” toyline concept. The original concept actually featured a red and orange color scheme, as shown in this original B-sheet for the Rob-N & The Space Hoods concept Man-At-Arms, courtesy of Axel Giménez and Rebecca Salari Taylor.

Man-At-Arms

The concept Man-At-Arms is also featured!

The role of a Man-at-Arms in the government of Eternia was to advise the ruling planetary monarch and the Royal Guard on military and police affairs. Another figure that was delayed and produced in the MOTU Origins Power Con 2020 exclusive Lords of Power set. As seen in Mark Talor’s B-Sheet design, the name for the figure was dubbed “Arms Man, the concept for his armor added an element of fur or bristles and had hoses and wires coming from it. Interestingly, like Skeletor’s original concept for his Havoc Staff, his mace weapon was originally supposed to function as a ball and chain, detaching from the handle to be swung about on a string.

Skeletor Tease

We can see the early concept of Skeletor as he is contained in the Fright Zone in the holding cell, over the shoulder of Hordak as he commands Grizzlor to attack He-Man.

Skeletor Concept

The original concept for Skeltor featured a similar, yet different, design aesthetic to the Evil Lord of Destruction we know today. In fact, the working name for the character below was Evil Incarnate and this illustration was part of the design process for the character that would become Skeletor.

Dragon Blaster Skeletor

With the confirmation that MOTU Origins Sketch Book Series Spikor and Sy-Klone, with his subsequent figure reveal, package reveal, and preorder, the door is wide open to explore other figure concepts that could make it into the line. Given Sy-Klone’s package reveal, we could see Two-Bad making it to the line, along with He-Man and Evil Incarnate (aka Skeletor) that were teased on Hordak and Grizzlor’s box art. We recently featured the Dragon Blaster Skeletor concept in our MOTU Origins Sketch Book Series Part 2 article and is amazing to see it in plastic! The amazing and talented customizer, bombstaroutkast, has created a concept that we hope to see make it to the MOTU Origins Sketch Book Series line!

Dragon Blaster Skeletor Artwork

Although no notable action feature is revealed, a precursor to Dragon Blaster Skeletor was illustrated by Colin Bailey. The chains and the lock are identical to those used on the 1985 dragon-centric variant. It’s really cool to see some elements of the concept figures making their way into the vintage lines designs.

Dragon Blaster Skeletor Concept

bombstaroutkast did a fantastic job tranlating the art found in the Power and the Honor Foundation book and turning it into an outstanding figure! As the original art design lacked a Dragon, bombstaroutkast felt he needed to add this element to the design, which we thought was a great choice!

This version of Skeletor also features some notable differences with his original release and vintage figure. For example, bombstaroutkast sculpted huge tusks that protrude from his chest. He also have him a set of black chains, which contrats nicely with the set of silver chains on the Dragon.

Battle Armor Skeletor

You’ll also notice a very different chest design for Battle Armor Skeletor as this too draws upon early sketches and concepts.

The MOTU Origins Sketch Book Series Battle Armor Skeletor by bombstaroutkast brings the original concept art to life with an imaginative and faithful execution. In the vintage illustration, Skeletor is depicted with a monstrous armored chest plate featuring a snarling, dragon-like creature mouth, along with clawed feet and a darker look.

The concept figure translates this into a three-dimensional sculpt with impressive detail, showcasing the fierce green dragon head on his armor with sharp teeth and red eyes. The custom it captures the core design beautifully, complete with Skeletor’s classic purple hood, boots. It’s a striking homage that blends vintage inspiration with the talent that bombstaroutkast pours into this work!