Vykron Masters of the Universe Trademark Registered

Back in May 2023, fans got the exciting news that Mattel had officially renewed the trademark for Vykron, and just days later, he was revealed as a Mattel Creations Exclusive as a New Eternia Masterverse figure. Fast forward to today and not only do we have the confirmation that Vykron’s trademark is now officially registered, but we can also breathe a sigh of relief knowing his name won’t be altered like we saw with the Road Ripper becoming the Ground Ripper. With Mattel introducing the new Club Grayskull membership, it only makes sense that Vykron could eventually make the leap into the MOTU Origins line. To help fuel that speculation, Mr. Home Arcade has put together some fantastic concept designs using a mix of MOTU Classics pasts that give us a glimpse of what Vykron might look like in Origins scale, which opens the door for some exciting possibilities if Mattel decides to go down that path.

Vykron History

Vykron is a character from the Masters of the Universe toy line and media franchise. The character was originally released as a convention exclusive figure in 2012 by Mattel. In terms of his backstory, Vykron is described as a shape-shifting warrior who can take on various forms and appearances. In the original release of the toy, he came with three interchangeable outfits, allowing him to transform into a barbarian, a spaceman, or a military soldier.

Mark Taylor is a former toy designer who worked for Mattel in the 1980s, during the development of the Masters of the Universe toy line. Taylor is known for his contributions to the early development of the franchise, including the creation of many iconic characters such as He-Man, Skeletor, and Battle Cat. The drawing depicts a character with a similar design to the 2012 convention exclusive Vykron figure, with three interchangeable outfits representing different eras of human history (prehistoric, medieval, and modern).

As the Battle Ram Blog states: “As Taylor tells the story, Mattel was looking for a new boy’s action figure line that could be produced without paying licensing fees to a third party. The company had passed on making Star Wars toys, and of course Star Wars had become enormously successful in the meantime. Mattel’s existing boy’s lines (Clash of the Titans, Battlestar Galactica and Flash Gordon) could not compete with Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader. As part of the initiative to create a new male action figure line, Roger Sweet (a designer at Mattel), used some of Mark Taylor’s drawings to assist in developing a pitch for a new line of action figures. For a presentation to Mattel CEO Ray Wagner, Sweet created three rudimentary action figures, which were really Big Jim figures packed with extra clay muscles. In Roger’s concept, the character could be a generic hero, outfitted with science fiction, barbarian or military costumes, and would have access to science fiction vehicles.”

Barbarian

The figure here is shown geared up with armor that calls back to the vintage concept design, featuring a brown chest harness with silver accents and a furry gray back piece that drapes off the shoulders. His silver helmet is detailed with a red jewel at the center, matching the old prototype style. The bracers and boots are sculpted in dark gray with blue highlights, tying into the belt’s circular emblem. He’s pictured holding a large double-bladed axe with etched detailing, which really emphasizes the classic barbarian look of this concept brought into MOTU Origins form.

The version on the right makes use of New Eternia Vykron parts to create an alternate take on the concept figure, most notably adding the white fur around the shoulders and a different chest emblem that swaps out the blue gem for a solid silver centerpiece. The look is completed with darker bracers and a slightly altered helmet design, giving this version a distinct twist while still keeping in line with the classic concept styling.

Space Man

This version shows off a space-style armor design that almost feels like it could cross into the Star Wars universe, with the helmet giving off a Mandalorian vibe despite leaving the face exposed. The helmet slips down snugly over the head. His armor features a bold central plate that connects to the open chest harness, giving him an unmistakable futuristic warrior look. With the bright orange and silver color scheme and wing-like attachments, he could easily fit in with the New Adventures lineup, making for a really unique concept spin.

The figure on the right takes on a full sci-fi makeover, built with New Eternia parts to create a sleek alternate design. He’s outfitted with a bright orange and white chest rig featuring a sculpted control box and breathing tube that connects into a helmet with oversized black visor lenses and a central crest. White gauntlets, fur-trimmed boots, and a circular belt plate finish off the look, while he’s armed with a silver ray-gun style blaster to complete the futuristic vibe.

Military Soldier

This design takes things in a wild direction with a full-on military theme. The helmet doubles as a turret, giving it a face-like appearance, while the shoulder armor is sculpted with tank treads wrapping across the top. The long cannon extending from the headpiece drives the armored vehicle look even further, and the massive green leg pieces reinforce the tank-inspired styling, making this one of the most offbeat takes of the concept lineup.

Here the figure on the left makes use of New Eternia parts, giving him a more modernized armored appearance. The helmet is reshaped into a sleeker design with dual cannons mounted on either side, while the chest plate is reworked with sharper panel lines and more angular sculpting. The forearm guards and shin armor are also updated, swapping out the bulkier tank treads for slimmer, mechanical-style plating. Standing next to the turret-headed version on the right, you can really see how the alternate parts create a fresh spin on the tank-themed concept while still keeping the military-inspired feel intact.

Vykron: May 2, 2023

Vykron’s trademark was renewed on May 2, 2023 and Mattel revealed and released the figure figure for preorder in the Masterverse line on June 6, 2023

This new version of Vykron looks spectacular! They went with a new take on the Miliary helmet and space helmet this time around. Instead of Tank Head, they went with more of a mechanical bird like helmet with laser canons on either side. Then for the Space Ace instead of the very Mando looking space helmet, they went with a design that is much more MOTU inspired and resembles a Zodak/ Stratos inspired design. Mattel nailed the Barbarian look complete with furry shoulder accents and his classic Vykron helmet!

MOTU Classics Vykron Figure

Vykron is definitely an interesting piece of history and in 2012, he was released as part of the Masters of the Universe Classics line.

His bio reads: “His Fifty years before Prince Adam was born, Vykron the Warrior fought in the gladiatorial arena of Lord Choloh, ruler of the Vine Jungle. Learning from each defeated opponent, he became a master of many combat techniques and weapons. As much a champion as a showman, he would often dress in outlandish garb to rouse the crowd and show off his skills. In his final match, he fought against the great Gygor. Before a cheering crowd, the evil fighting gorilla ripped Vykron’s body in half – at long last defeating the arena champion. Following this match, Gygor claimed not only the arena championship but rule of the Jungle itself, forcing Choloh to abdicate his throne. In life, Vykron™ was the greatest of Choloh’s gladiatorial warriors, fighting in any environment at any time.”

This figure paid homage to Roger Sweet’s designs and it essentially was a standard He-Man figure that came with a ton of interchangeable armor and accessories to recreate the three different looks. The top of He-Man’s head was notched out so you can replace it with the barbarian style helmet or the space the helmet and the buck was stripped down so you can interchange the armor with ease.

Barbarian

The majority of this figure is the same as He-Man and the forearms and hands were a new design. He was also designed with unique gauntlets (even though they’re only ever visible on the barbarian version of the figure. He had armor that resembled the vintage figure armor with a gray furry back to it.

Space Man

The space armor and suit looks more like he belongs in the Star Wars Universe as the He-Mandalorian although he would be been cast out of the clan because his helmet did not cover his face – “this is the way.” His helmet slips over his head and seats where it’s notched out, similar to his barbarian look. He does have a very large piece of “family jewel” armor that connects to his open chested armor. He looks like he belongs with the New Adventures series but it’s an interesting concept.

Military Soldier

The military sentry or soldier look is the kookiest one of all! His turret head looks more like a face and he has tracks that run around the top of his shoulder armor. They really leaned into the tank look with the long turret and oversized leg armor.