Revelation Mer-Man Masters of the Universe Action Figure Review
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A comprehensive Revelation Mer-Man action figure review covering everything from his battle damaged eye to his new sword sculpt
Summary
The Masters of the Universe Masterverse Revelation Mer-Man is the first figure to come out of Wave 4. When I first saw the figure at Power Con 2021, I loved the design and new approach but now that I have the real thing in hand, he looks like he stepped right out of the Netflix Revelation Cartoon! This is the savage battle hardened look of Mer-Man from the cartoon. Although I would have preferred for him to be packed with an alternate head and armor so that he can be displayed in both versions, in hand this figure is very cool. I picked up this figure early, because I was just too excited once I saw him in package! If you want to know where you can pick one up, see our New Eternia Masterverse Barbarian Skeletor & Merman Revelation IN STOCK article, to see where you can get yours! I’ve got to say, Mattel has been really knocking it out of the park on these latest figures from Wave 4. To see what me mean, check out this in-depth review on New Eternia Viking He-Man!
Box and Art
Packaged in the typical Masterverse collector friendly window box, but once you get to the side and rear of the box, you are met with amazing artwork! On the side of the package, Merman can be seen underwater, welding his bident staff with a fierce look on his face!
But then wow oh wow, when you get to the rear of the package, the artwork on there is mind blowing! Merman is slashing his Arabian Scimitar in the crashing waves at menacing red octopus tentacles! This Illustration is both beautiful and dynamic! In my opinion, one of the best rear artwork pieces seen to date on the Masterverse line so far! Wow, love it!
Netflix Revelation Cartoon look:
This version of Mer-Man is not the classic version we are used to, but, Mattel really nailed it when it comes to the look of Mer-Man from the Netflix Revelation cartoon. Isn’t that what this Masterverse figure is supposed to be? Yes, it would have been great to also get his chest armor and alternate head so you can display him in both styles, but they really nailed the savage look of Mer-Man perfectly!
Head Sculpt
This Revelation Mer-Man head sculpt is a direct translation of the Netflix animated series! Representing the post battle hardened, apocalyptic look of Mer-Man. One eye is closed and seems to be scared from some battle Mer-Man went through that was not explained. I really would have preferred for them to package him an alternate head so you have the option to display him in his more classic look, but perhaps they will issue another version of Mer-Man and include his classic armor as well.
The back of his head is to be as expected and is a simple design, representing that typical Mer-Man shape you would expect in the Revelation style. The gills and ears flare back at such an intense angle and I like that they left the scull smooth and rounded as not to compete with the other parts of the head sculpt.
Chest and Back
This version of Mer-Man shares the same standard buck as the rest of the Revelation figures. His chest and back however are a new mold where his shoulder and upper back areas have some gill like folds molded into them, adding the aquatic look to this figure. His body has some scars as the only paint deco. He has no armor to speak of as this is the post apocalyptic look of Mer-Man who was a bit more savage and battle hardened, so he is not sporting any armor.
Arms
The arms are symmetrical, meaning they are both the same, but mirrors of each other. The figure is sporting orange with gold trim wrist bracers that contribute to that savage look. In this case, since he does not have any chest armor, something was needed to adorn his upper body.
Waist
Merman is wearing a teal-colored belt and it has what looks to be a small version of the aquatic looking tie that the vintage figure used to have in a golden yellow color with a blue jewel in the middle. Mer-Man is wearing an orange colored loin cloth and looks to be more of a cloth or skinned version versus the fury kind we usually see on Masterverse figures. It looks longer and more tattered looking than the standards loin cloths and contributes to that more savage look of this version of Mer-Man.
and loin cloth
Legs and feet
The legs are made from the standard Masterverse buck and seems to share the beast type with the exposed toes and shin armor. His feet are a reuse of the Revelation Skeletor but without the painted toenails. The shin armor however is unique design to this figure. It has gold trim, orange accents and sports a blue jewel at the top, giving his shin armor a more aquatic look. It has a very angular and refined look to it, which is a total juxtaposition to the savage look of this figure.
Weapons and Accessories:
Mer-Man comes packed with a bident staff, a sword and 4 gripping hands. The lack of accessories compared to some of the other Revelation figures is a bit disappointing as he is a very simple figure, with no chest armor, so they certainly could have packed more with this Mer-Man figure. The accessories he does come with however are very cool, so let’s take a closer look.
Bident
The Bident staff that comes packed with Mer-Man is very reminiscent of that of the Greek god Poseidon but with 2 pincers rather than the typical 3 of a trident. This is a departure of the typical 3 trident staff previous versions of Mer-Man have come with. The Bident staff has a more refined look than previous versions, less barbaric looking than that packaged with say the Mer-Man classics figure. The shaft is a metallic aquamarine color that really resembles the color of the ocean. The tips of the staff looks to be of a silvery green metallic color and has orange trim wrapped along the top portion of the staff.
Sword
The sword has an all-new design, no longer the “corn cob sword” we are all used to Mer-Man coming packed with. It has more of a Arabian Scimitar look to it with it’s jagged blade that has a small curve to it. The hilt angled with a black grip with orange accents on the top and bottom of the hilt. The color of the sword is a lighter version of that silvery green that is on Mer-Man’s Bident and NO it DOES NOT glow in the dark!
It is a refreshing change for Mer-Man, but I have have to say, I do miss the corn cob. It would have been nice for Mattel to package an original version of Mer-Man’s swords that with this figure as well.
Hands
Mer-Man comes packed with four extra hands, in addition to the ones that comes standard on the figure. There are 2 open chopping hands and two punching hands. The fingers have a webbed look, to go along with the fact the Mer-Man is an aquatic creature.
Comparison to MOTU Classics
As you can see the MOTU classics version of Mer-Man is the classic vintage style Mer-Man we were all used to, complete with aquatic rustic armor, trident staff, bow tie belt and furry loin cloth. The new Revelation Mer-Man however as we discussed through out the article, has that savage battle hardened look with no armor, battle scars, and a tattered loin cloth. The bow time belt remains, but is a much smaller scale. And this time Revelation Mer-Man is armed with very refined looking bident staff rather than his classic aquatic trident staff.
For fun, we decided to throw the MOTU Classics on the Revelation Mer-Man and he actually looks great!!!
Displayability:
This is a great looking version of Mer-Man, but as I have mentioned several times in this article above, the displayability options for this version of Mer-Man are limited to just the savage post-Apocalyptic look only. Had they packed Mer-Man with some armor and an alternate head, it would have transformed this figure and given way more displayability options to the collector.
Ratings:
Toy Sorceress
Michael
This version of Mer-Man looks fantastic and is a direct translation from the Netflix Revelations cartoon. The details in the Trident staff and sword were fantastic. But because of the lack of accessories and limited displayability options for Mer-Man is why I’m giving this figure a 6.0/7.0 and not a perfect score. If you are a Mer-Man fan, I still highly recommend this version, but hope that Mattel chooses to also release the more classic look to Mer-Man in the future, complete with 2 open eyes, chest armor and that corn cob sword we all know and love!
Where to Buy
UPDATE: As of today, the Big Bad Toy Store has the Masters of the Universe Revelation Mer-Man is in stock!
If you want to know where you can purchase Merman, Barbarian Skeletor or Viking He-Man, check out our article: New Eternia Masterverse Barbarian Skeletor & Merman Revelation IN STOCK! Stock seems to be coming in and out, so be sure to check back if they are sold out, because they will likely get more, and they ship super fast!
Check out our video review of the Wave 4 Revelation Mer-Man here too
Be sure to check out our reviews of other Masterverse Wave 4 figure here:
Barbarian Skeletor written review and video:
Viking He-Man written review and video:
Hey all,
Love the site, as well as the YouTube channel. Just wanted to “be that guy” and point out you used the wrong spelling for waist. You used “waste” as in trash, which this figure certainly is not. Keep on bringing us the good news, take care.
This is great and please be that guy…how funny! Sometimes we are typing so furiously we make some oopsies lol. Appreciate and thanks for the kind note!
No problem, love your group’s passion. Would love to help any way I can.