He-Man 40th Anniversary Masterverse Update

Looks like the 40th Anniversary Masterverse He-Man received an update as we compare this new version to the one we first saw in March!

There has been an updated version of the 40th Anniversary Masterverse He-Man making it’s way around the net and it seems like there are some notable changes afoot for the most powerful man in the universe. Let’s take a look at the differences with the original 40th Anniversary He-Man images that were released back on on Friday, March 18, 2022 as part of Mattel’s mid March reveals.

Box Size Illusion

We love the community and we get things wrong we own up to it! We originally thought that the boxes between the two version seem different as the new, updated figure has a much wider stance and the right arm is more outstretched than the washed version we’ve seen since mid March. The original version looks like it’s in a Masterverse style box that New Eternia Beast Man came in (and Skelegod for that matter). After pouring over photos, we agree that the updated box shot has been stretched to appear wider, which is throwing things off!

For example, most people are saying the the updated image is stretched and the box is not actually wider and there are tell tail signs of this. For example, the Mattel Logo is oval but that still does not explain He-Man’s right arm being more outstretched and at a different angle. Also, there is more space between the arm and the left side of the cardboard box. We put together this image so you can see for yourself. Is this someone’s Photoshop job and not the real deal? Who knows until we get official word from Mattel.

Thanks to Vex Doppelganger from IG, who as been a long time friend of Toy Habits, he took time out his day to put together some photos to debunk the larger box theory we had so here they are! He added yellow highlights to show that the box dimensions are roughly similar to the standard single figure box.

Head Sculpts

The most notable difference is in the head sculpts between the two figures. The updated version has a different hair color altogether. At first glance, it appears that this is a new hair sculpt but it looks like the lack of brown wash (which we will get to soon) is making it look like it is new but we think it is the camera angle on this updated version that making it look dramatically different. What is different is the actual face sculpt. The nose and eyebrows appear much wider. The mouth also appears to have gone through an update but, again, it is very hard to tell but the result is the same. There is a visual difference between the two that you can’t unsee! As mas_q_motu on Instragram out it: “My humble opinion that head don’t hit nothing on that body, it’s a bad but very bad attempt to combine the new with the vintage, it needs a new sculpt…. It’s a Frankenstein He-Man.” We agree lol!!!

Brown Washing

When the images first surfaced of the 40th Anniversary He-Man, fans said that he looked like he was rolling around in the mud but it appears that the updated version has a clean buck without any washing to it. Although this is a cleaner look to the figure, you do lose a lot of the finer detail that is brought out in the washed version. Which style do you prefer?