Masterverse Galactic Protector He-Man In Hand Review
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Baseon on the 1989 New Adventures of He-Man cartoon and vintage action figure, Mattel brings us the first of the New Adventures sub-line, Galactic Protector He-Man! As you may recall, Galactic Protector He-Man was revealed back in at Mattel’s booth at San Diego Comic Con, 2022. A Target Exclusive, this figure looks to be the next hottest and most anticipated figure to come to the Masterverse line! Fans have been waiting since last summer for this figure, and he now finally starting to show up in store! Be sure to check our article on how to find one at Target! We finally have him in hand for this Masterverse Galactic Protector He-Man In Hand Review and MOTU Classics Comparison!
Here we get to take a look at both his Galactic Protector armor and helmet and then his more traditional power harness.
Packaging
This new package is an exciting new step for the Masterverse Line, because it is the first character, we are getting in the New Adventures He-Man logo on the front of the packaging! Galactic Protector He-Man comes packaged with his famous green glowing power sword and matching shield. This space swashbuckler includes an alternate full chest armor and gold helmet to give alternative options on how you want to display him! He also comes with 2 alternate punching hands. Check out the video below for a full 360 view of his packaging. We also get a look at the amazing artwork which we will look at in full detail below.
Artwork Reveal
Side Box Art
Taking a look at the side art, we get incredible artwork by @natebaertschart! We can see Galactic Protector He-Man wheedling his power sword aloft with the red busts behind him! He is dressed in his short chest armor and he is holding his sheild. The glow of the bursting red rocks can be seen behind him.
Here is a closer look at that amazing artwork.
Rear Box Art
On the back of the box, we get more amazing artwork by @natebaertschart. This time, Galactic Protector He-Man is dressed in his helmet and full chest armor running through a galactic planet with aliens in the back ground and distant planets seen in the dark blue sky!
Art Direction & Graphic Design by @manuel_eduardo_caritas
Artwork by @natebaertschart
Toy Design by Terence Higuchi
Story by @yesreallyrob
Again, here is a closer look at the magestic artwork from the back of the package.
Galactic Protector He-Man Up Close and Personal
The awesome thing about this new Galactic Protector He-Man is that he has two totally different display options with his more traditional power harness and then he has his Galactic Protector armor and helmet. Either way you display him, he looks amazing! So you can choose how you want to display him or buy two and display him both ways!
The added articulation of his double jointed elbow allows him to grab his sword out of the sword holster on the back of his power harness or back of his armor. He looks great posed grabbing the sword from his back!
Below is him in his more classic Power Harness look. Mattel did a nice job redesigning his power harness into a more modern take on the late 80’s /90’s classic look!
Here we have Galactic Protector He-Man wearing his protective armor and helmet! It’s nice to be able to choose which way you want to display him!
Head
Surprisingly, this figure’s face sculpt looks great! It seems that Mattel nailed it when it comes to the New Adventures He-Man look! He-Man is sporting that more youthful look with more modern hair style and his longer hair in a pony tail in the back.
You can see with his helmeted look, that since it’s a helmet that fits over his head, and not an alternate head like on the MOTU Classics, you can see his ponytail sticking out from the back! This is a nice little added detail.
Chest and Back
Galactic Protector He-Man’s chest uses the same standard Masterverse buck as most of the figures. His chest is not the larger bulked up chest of the 40th Anniversary He-Man but rather the chest of the Revelations He-Man. But Mattel has improved the look of the torso by really cutting back on the textured skin tone and shininess of previous figures. I think this is great because now the texture of the arms and torso match much better!
He-Man’s power harness design harkens back to the 1989 New Adventures He-Man figure! This harness is a beautiful homage to its vintage counterpart with the same over one shoulder triangular design with the horizontal lines, red straps with gold accents. You will see below in the image of the vintage figure, that they really look similar. Unlike the MOTU Classics version which slightly took a different design direction. We will look at closer below.
The back of the Power Harness has a loop to holster his Galactic Power Sword and straps with the y-typical style MOTU straps. This is great because it is nice and sturdy, and the strap does not pull apart.
Photographed below is the 1989 Vintage New Adventures He-Man. You can see the similarities in design of the Power Harness, belt and boots!
Galactic Protector Armor:
Galactic Protector or New Adventures He-Man as he is also called comes with his classic Galactic Protector chest armor. Similar to the power harness, the Galactic Protector chest armor is also a beautiful tribute to the 1989 vintage action figure! Extremely similar in sculpt, you can see from the image below that the new Galactic Protector chest armor follows the same type of little techno features as his vintage counterpart. The Masterverse one has some nice added paint applications of red and silver accents. The back of the Galactic Protector armor includes a power sword holster as well, just like the vintage figure!
Pictured below is the vintage 1989 New Adventures of He-Man Figure dressed in his Galactic Protector chest armor.
Arms, Waist & Legs
Arms: This version of He-Man uses the standard Masterverse arms buck. They are not the larger bulked up arms of the 40th Anniversary He-Man but rather the arms of the Revelations He-Man. He is wearing a gold wrist bracer on his right wrist, and a more intricate one on his left wrist. Similar to that of Battle Armor He Man, you can plug in the Galactic Sheild into the peg hole on this left sides wrist bracer. The bracer holds the Sheild nicely, as you just need to be sure that it is pegged in all the way. Then it holds it securely. He also includes two interchangeable closed fists hands that you can easily swap out.
Waist: Galactic Protector He-Man’s waist is a simple design but a total through back to the 1989 vintage action figure! Wearing a gold colored belt, with red loops and a silver and gold “H” shaped belt, this version of He-Man is a perfect homage to his vintage counterpart.
Legs: He-Man’s legs are a very simple design. Dressed in Blue pants and gold boots, this too is an homage to the 1989 vintage action figure! Now that we have this leg and boot design, it’s only a stones throw to making a Princess of Power Bow action figure, just like they did in MOTU Classics!
Acessories
Galactic Protector He-Man comes with a ton of accessories for a standard release figure. You get
- Power sword
- Power shield
- Helmet
- Galactic Protector Chest armor
- 2 alternate fist hands
Power Sword:
Just like the vintage figure’s sword shown below, this version of He-Man comes with the bright day glow green translucent power sword with the hexagonal gold hilt!
Power Shield
Also, just like the 1989 vintage figure, Galactic Protector He-Man comes with a bright day glow green translucent power shield that plugs into the left wrist bracer. It has the same shape and design as the 1989 version!
Galactic Protector Helmet & Armor
The version of He-Man comes with a separate gold colored helmet and Galactic Chest armor, both styled after the 1989 vintage versions. Unlike the MOTU Classics version, this He-Man has a removeable helmet so you can see his ponytail in the back when he wears it. You can see the vintage versions below and how simlar they are in design and sculpt. Surprisingly, the new chest armor is made of a harder plastic, and not too soft and stretchy, but it fits him well.
Masterverse vs. MOTU Classsics
In the words of the great Pixel Dan, it’s comparison time! Let’s take a look at the new Masterverse Galactic Protector He-Man vs. his MOTU Classic counterpart! You can see that the figures are version similar in design, but of course the Masterverse figure is a 7″ scale where the MOTU Classics is 6″. The power harness design is also different. Where the MOTU Classics is all gold and has a red He-Man Cross on the chest, the new Masterverse version looks much more like the vintage figure’s power harness. Both are cool, but I appreciate the homage to the vintage figure. The belts, pants and boots are similar on both. But where the MOTU Classics figure outshines the Masterverse on is on the head sculpt! The four Horsemen did an incredible job on the MOTU Classics head sculpt. It looks more detailed, older and more stern than the youger and less detailed Masterverse version. Also the gold accessories and paint is shinier on the MOTU Classics version, which I prefer over the more dull colored gold plastic of the Masterverse figure.
Accessories on both are similar. Both have a very classic, vintage inspired power sword and power shield designs. But again the gold-colored hilt is much brighter and shinier on the MOTU Classics version.
Here you can see He-Man with his Galactic protector armor on. Where the Masterverse one is nice is that it is an homage to the vintage armor and almost an exact translation in sculpt. Whereas the MOTU Classics one was a more modern and detailed design that took cues from the vintage but added alot more details. It also has alot more paint applications. Where the Masterverse figure shines here is that it comes with a removeable helmet, so when placed on He-Man’s head, you can still see his ponytail sticking out of the back. But the MOTU Classics version is a whole new alternate head with the helmet molded on the sculpt.
And here is a look at starting right to left: the 40th Anniversary New Adventures Origins He-Man, the MOTU Classics Galactic Protector He-Man and finally the Masterverse version.
History of Galactic Protector He-Man
As a kid, I was out of collecting He-Man toys by the time the New Adventures of He-Man came on the scene, but I really loved the design of the Galactic Protector in vintage form and in Classics! The Battleramblog has a fantastic article entitled HE-MAN: MOST POWERFUL MAN IN THE UNIVERSE! (1989) and we encourage you to read it!
The Masters of the Universe Classics line took this figure to an 11 and gave it a really nice deluxe treatment even though it was a standard release of the figure. He-Man has a very cool look with the blue tights and his space armor. He also came with a new hip piece with his unique belt.
Since this figure came with so many different accessories, you can create many combinations to achieve an appearance that you wanted to display proudly on your shelf. While the look is more familiar of his ponytail head sculpt and his chest harness, I actually prefer the helmet and the armor look better, since it resembles his vintage figure.
According to The New Adventure | Wiki Grayskull | Fandom:
As this story opens, space map of the Tri-Solar System, and its twin worlds, beautiful Primus and darkly-scarred Denebria, are shown, along with their moons, Enos and Nordor, respectively. The map indicates various cities and regions, and their relative locations.
The action then kicks in, as we find Captain Hydron and Lieutenant Flipshot, soldiers in Primus’ league of Galactic Guardians, fending off another mysterious attack on Titus, home of Primus’ space observatory. Convinced by this senseless siege that they can wait no longer, the two pile into their command ship, and set out on a time-travel mission to the past, to locate the one man whom the ancient legends foretell can save Primus from ultimate destruction: He-Man. The Galactic Guardians send out a distress message to He-Man, and receive a transmission from planet Eternia. The voice over the radio says that the source of his power, Castle Grayskull, is under siege. The Guardians can help, the voice continues, by transferring Grayskull’s power into their ship until the danger has past. Hydron and Flipshot are more than glad to help, and open a Laser Gate from orbit high above Grayskull, and slowly begin draining the Castle’s fantastic energies into their ship. Little do they realize that the voice that instructed them to do so does not belong to He-Man, but to his mightiest, most evil enemy, Skeletor. Within the Castle, the beautiful falcon-garbed Sorceress appears to a sleeping Prince Adam, alerting him to the peril that threatens to plunder Castle Grayskull. Getting dressed in record time, Adam raises his sword, and invokes the power of Grayskull. The sword flares, then horribly, the power evaporates. The power of Grayskull is no more.
Rushing outside, Adam sights a gloating Skeletor, who is ready to board the Guardians’ starship and finally seize all the power he has sought for so long. Adam fearlessly jumps Skeletor, and as the two struggle, they both are teleported into space. They materialize in front of a stunned Hydron and Flipshot, and as Adam and Skeletor grapple, Adam cries out that they have been tricked. Realizing their error, the time-travellers rally to Adam’s aid. As they hold off Skeletor with their specialized fighting tactics, Adam grabs his sword. Since the power is within the ship, it should be able to help him now. “By the power of Grayskull!” he shouts, just as Skeletor reaches out to grab the sword from him. In a rush of realization, Skeletor suddenly learns He-Man’s most powerful secret. “You?!” he gasps. As they both clutch the sword, a fiery, lightning-charged explosion erupts from it. Skeletor slumps to the floor, burned and badly wounded by the blast, while a voice rings in Adams ears: “By the powers of the past and future joined….” the voice intones, “Prince Adam is no more! You are He-Man! Long live He-Man!” The voice belongs to the Sorceress, who was brought along with the power of Grayskull. She appears now as a floating holographic image, wearing a white and silver digitized costume. He-Man has a new look as well: red, gold, and blue space-age armor. Hydron and Flipshot kneel before the champion they have sought, and tell him of their planet’s need for his heroic aid. He-Man of course pledges his help, but insists that Grayskull’s power be returned to where it belongs first. The Sorceress explains that this is not possible, due to the merging of the powers of present and future. He-Man is concerned: if he embarks on this mission, will he ever see his parents or his friends again? The Sorceress assures him that there is a way, but again insists that they leave for the future. There is evil there, but she cannot see its face. While they speak, the still-smoldering Skeletor crawls away, and finds the starship’s escape pods. Strapping himself into a stolen shuttle, Skeletor screams, “Evil’s face is mine!”
Too late to stop him, our heroes can only watch helplessly as Skeletor’s shuttle pod blasts off, speeding directly into the time-portal created by the starship. Skeletor escapes into the future.
The New Adventure | Wiki Grayskull | Fandom
Where to Buy
Using the Target app still shows Masterverse Galactic Protector He-Man as a pre-order but he is sitting Target stores now! My suggestion is to go to your local Target today if you can, and start by scanning the bar code in the Price Scanner! It seems likely that the most stores will either have this in the back, or in the process of putting it on the shelf. Ask a nice target employee to look up the DPCI Code: 087-26-4522, and get it from the back of the store if it’s not out. Also you can scan the UPC bar code at the price check kioks and it will tell you what stores nearby have it in stock!
- Go to your local Target
- Scan the bar code into the Kiosks machine
- See if it says ” Available at x # of nearby stores”
- If so, first ask an employee at the store you are at to look up the DPCI Code: 087-26-4522
- They can tell you if they have it in stock at the store and if not, ask who does!
- If you don’t have a Target near you or you don’t want to drive around, you can still Pre-order him at Galactic Protector He-Man. He should start to be shipping soon!
Galactic Protector He-Man can be purchased on Target
Store PDA showed Feb 26th release date, and the Target.com website shows a March 2nd release date.
Be sure to check out our NEW MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE SHOP PAGES! You can find links to your favorite retailers for all your favorite MOTU figures all in one convenient place from the vintage line all the way up to Origins.
