Skeletor v2 MOTU Chronicles Wave 4 In Hand Review

“I am not nice, I am not kind, and I am not wonderful!” Well, Skeletor, we beg to differ because this figure is pretty wonderful! We got our hands on the Skeletor v2 from MOTU Chronicles Wave 4 and I am so excited to finally have this guy in hand and share our thoughts with you. We already brought you a look at the MOTU Chronicles Wave 4 in-box images not long ago, and now it’s time to go beyond the packaging and really dig into what makes this updated Skeletor tick. The Chronicles line continues to impress me with how it reimagines these classic Eternian characters, and getting a v2 Skeletor with that goblet accessory we first spotted at Toy Fair is just so much fun. The Masters of the Universe Chronicles Skeletor Version 2, and the figure lines up with the MAA V2 included in an upcoming Entertainment Earth case assortment. So let’s take a look at the Skeletor v2 MOTU Chronicles Wave 4 in hand review!

Packaging

The box artwork features a striking portrait of Skeletor cloaked in his purple hood, with glowing red eyes peering from deep within the skull, set against swirling cosmic purple energy. Through the large front window, you can see his bright blue skin contrasting sharply against the dark armor and purple detailing, with the Havoc Staff and goblet packed alongside alternate hands.

Here’s a closer look at the side panel which uses a tall silver sword as a dividing line between He-Man and Skeletor, with He-Man’s youthful portrait on the left showing golden hair and dark metallic chest armor. I like how the runic markings etched along the blade add a fantasy element to an otherwise clean, minimal panel layout.

The opposite side panel breaks up the dark box with two narrow windows that let you peek at the figure inside. The rectangular character illustration between them shows Skeletor in his heavy hood and layered chest armor, gripping his staff against swirling purple smoke.

The back of Skeletor’s box places a large character illustration against a black star field with glowing purple rock formations beneath his feet. Two smaller inset photos on the left side show him in different configurations, one with the Havoc Staff and goblet together, and another in a more relaxed seated-style pose enjoying his chalice. The cross-sell strip along the bottom previews Skeletor V2, Evil-Lyn, and Man-At-Arms as the wave 4 lineup.

Here’s a closer look at Skeletor outside the box art, sitting in the clear plastic tray with all his accessories laid out around him. The Havoc Staff has a fantastic ram skull topper with curling horns sculpted in weathered gray, and you can see the goblet and a pair of alternate fists packed alongside him, ready to swap out.

Figure Details

Skeletor comes equipped with both the Havoc Staff and a smaller silver mace-like weapon, and the full spread of his purple cape really sells the scale of the figure once you get him posed with both accessories. I like how the goblet is absent here, letting you focus on the layered armor across his forearms, where the dark gauntlets have a rough, almost bark-like texture that contrasts nicely against his cyan skin.

Skeletor’s purple hood has a great weathered, fabric-like texture in the sculpt, and the way it frames that golden yellow skull face creates a sharp contrast you really appreciate once he’s out of the box. His leather-like belt and loincloth are covered in ornate scrollwork detailing, with the layered strips hanging down in slightly different lengths for a natural, worn feel.

Skeletor’s Havoc Staff has a wonderful sense of weight to it, with the ram skull topper showing deep hollowed-out eye sockets and ridged horn detailing that spirals back in thick, textured coils. I’m really digging the open splayed hand here, where each finger is individually sculpted with the same crackled skin texture that runs across the rest of his cyan body.

The mace has a chunky, irregular head with a rough, almost molten silver finish that looks like solidified metal, and the short brown shaft fits snugly in his grip. Something I appreciate here is the dark gauntlet cuff riding up above his wrist, where the coarse sculpted texture transitions cleanly into the smooth cyan of his fingers.

Outfitted with the full cape and Havoc Staff together, you can see how the purple fabric drapes with enough heft to frame the figure without overwhelming the detailed armor underneath. The goblet is a nice inclusion in this wave, but I like that this configuration lets the knee armor and those layered purple boot straps breathe on their own.

Skeletor’s chest armor has a great medallion with a small red gem at its center, and the ornate sculpted filigree across the shoulder piece and bracers matches the dark purple-gray tone of the belt. You can see how his bright cyan skin really pops against the deep purple of the cape and boots, creating a color combination that works even better in hand than it does in the packaging.

A close-up reveals the incredible depth in Skeletor’s skull face, with deep black eye sockets housing tiny red pinprick eyes and fine bone texture sculpted across every tooth and ridge. The chest medallion features intricate concentric ring patterns radiating outward from that red gem, surrounded by twisting vine-like sculpted detail across the entire shoulder piece.

Now let’s take a closer look at the torso sculpt, where you can really appreciate the skin texture across the cyan areas, a fine crackled, almost stone-like surface that gives the figure a much more organic feel than smooth plastic would. The belt buckle features a circular gear-like emblem with a tiny skull at its center, echoing the ornamental style of the chest piece but with its own distinct motif.

I like the way the dark gauntlet on his forearm has that pointed, angular crest rising from the wrist guard, with a sculpted eye-like emblem pressed into its center. The shoulder armor sits as a separate layered piece over the cyan skin, and you can see the red gem on the chest medallion peeking out from beneath the harness where it crosses over from the opposite side.

Here’s a closer look at the crackled, stone-like skin texture from the side, where the mottled white and cyan patterning across the torso and arm has an almost marbled mineral quality that feels different from every angle. The gauntlet’s sculpted crest with its concentric swirl emblem sits flush against the forearm, and the pointed loincloth strips hang with just enough separation to feel like individual leather panels rather than a single molded piece.

Here’s a closer look at the lower half of the figure, where the dark brown loincloth panels drape over his thighs with chevron-patterned sculpting and small embedded shield motifs on each strip. The purple boots feature layered black shin guards with a feathered, scale-like texture, and the soles have a rough, armored tread that continues that same dark tone down to the feet.

Here’s a closer look at the cape from the back on its own, and the braided chain motif running down the center has a slightly raised, almost rope-like dimensionality that separates it from the finer ribbed weave surrounding it. The hood’s cowl bunches naturally where it meets the dark shoulder armor, and the tattered, uneven hemline along the bottom edge gives the whole garment a lived-in quality.

You can see how the back of the loincloth has a simpler, cleaner design than the front, with broad flat strips ending in pointed, jagged edges and a fine leather grain texture pressed into the surface. The bracers from behind show a gnarled, almost fossilized wood texture wrapping around his forearms, and the circular buckle detail on the belt carries through consistently from the front.

V1 vs V2 Comparison

It’s comparison time! We can see V1 original lighter blue Skeletor on the left and V2 bright blue Skeletor on the right. The difference in the cyan skin tone between them is immediately noticeable, with the V2 figure on the right running a shade brighter and more saturated than the V1 one on the left. It’s cool to see how the Havoc Staff looks to be almost identical with the ram skull and the horn curvature showing subtle variation in the gray wash.

From the back, you can see how the purple cape has a braided spine detail running down the center seam, with fine ribbed texture across the entire fabric surface that gives it a real woven quality. I noticed that the hood sits slightly differently between the two figures, with the V2 one on the right draping a bit more loosely over the shoulders, letting more of the cyan skin and dark armor peek through at the arms.