MOTU Masterverse New Eternia Man-At-Arms review (2023)
New Eternia Man-At-Arms proves it’s hard to improve on an excellent design. That’s been the ‘curse’ since the original Man-At-Arms figure debuted. He-Man can get all kinds of fancy armor enhancements, but MAA’s look was spot-on right from the start.
I’ve gotten mildly obsessed with the whole New Eternia concept and have adjusted my MOTU collecting from Revelations and Revolution figures to this new look, fresh take of the MOTU lore. Wonder if there’s any chance we can get a new cartoon series out of it?
The New Eternia Man-At-Arms isn’t dramatically changed from the Revelation figure, but it’s enhanced in some ways that I needed to have this upgrade for my New Eternia display. Let’s take at this new Duncan figure and see if he really was worth me adding a third version of He-Man’s most trusted ally in my collection.
Packaging: I’m a huge fan overall of Mattel’s packaging work in their various lines. The upgraded Masterverse setup is my current favorite of all the various lines I collect.
It really comes down to the story being told with the artwork. Yes, the figure visibility is limited, but I really dig how it invites your imagination to envision what’s playing out. In this case, Duncan is leading the Eternian Guard into battle with their standards and swords at the ready.
I love how it carries over to the left side to make for a nice sized image. Over on the right side, we get a bookcase display portrait image of New Eternia Man-At-Arms in his default figure look and his alternate head sculpt in a full shot.
The back features the New Eternia Man-At-Arms figure in a digital backdrop with a few smaller images showing off the accessories and display options. As always is the case for Mattel, the bio is exquisitely told helping to set the stage for what’s happening in New Eternia.
Likeness: At first glance, New Eternia Man-At-Arms might not look that different from previous iterations. The chest plate armor is streamlined and not nearly as bulky, but it’s got more tech details and a tighter bevor (the section that protects the lower portion of his face).
His left shoulder pad is larger with clashing swords sculpted into the middle. Instead of a larger separate bracer, it’s now a longer extended piece that rests just underneath the shoulder pad. This makes more sense as a fully protected arm he can use to block while preparing to strike with his right arm.
The belt is also slimmer while including a pattern around the gems leading to the larger center red gem. Instead of the usual loincloth, New Eternia Man-At-Arms has a pleated leather skirt piece, which makes for a nice visual upgrade for him.
His head sculpt conveys a thoughtful determination for whatever scenario he faces. New Eternia Man-At-Arms’s helmet is also streamlined and not as bulky as previous versions. His left knee and shin armor is about the same size as the normal look. Over on his right leg, his boot is less warrior barbarian like He-Man and more palace guard with a leather-like appearance with less pronounced wraps.
Scale: New Eternia Man-At-Arms doesn’t need to be a giant and is about eye to eye with He-Man and Skeletor’s various forces besides the bigger behemoths like Two Bad and Whiplash.
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Paint: Masterverse figures have a very high level of consistency. Paint issues are not a concern with this line and that’s certainly the case with New Eternia Man-At-Arms. The armor gets some new paint apps with copper for the middle canister and tubing.
All of the dots on his helmet are clean with none of the red bleeding over to the sky-blue helmet. His facial hair is immaculate, His belt has a more muted blue and the same shade of red for the center jewel.
Articulation: Like all the other figures in the Masterverse line, New Eternia Man-At-Arms has 30 points of articulation. The left shoulder armor bunches up a little, but it doesn’t severely hamper his arm articulation.
New Eternia Man-At-Arms has:
- neck
- ball-jointed shoulders
- bicep
- elbow (double-jointed)
- wrist
- wrist hinge
- torso
- waist
- hip
- thigh
- knee (double-jointed)
- ankle
Accessories: New Eternia Man-At-Arms has a solid amount of gear.
He’s got his standard mace. Surprisingly, it’s not the same one used from the Revelations figure. It’s slightly slimmer with a rounded top. Additionally, it has more detail like small cracks and divots in the dome. The coloring also shows some wear and tear with a washed out base and a more vibrant orange in the dome.
A new enhancement of the mace is a ball and chain element to the dome. This feels like a natural addition and allows MAA to keep some distance from Skeletor’s goons.
When he has to, MAA can go toe to toe and comes with a set of swappable fists.
To mix up the look to New Eternia Man-At-Arms, there is additional helmet option. This one is rounded to lean more into the classic style and feels like a natural pairing with the alternate head sculpt.
It’s also more classic skewing with a clean-shaven portrait. I really appreciate this inclusion as it offers more New Eternia possibilities. Does Duncan decide to go for a more youthful look by shaving in this new reality?
Worth it? I got New Eternia Man-At-Arms for $18 thanks to a Creations Mattel sale. Regularly, he’s $21.99, which definitely doesn’t feel like a bad deal considering the display options and unique detailed work to the figure.
Rating: 10 out of 10
With tight joints to firmly hold poses and great display options, it feels like I won’t need another Man-At-Arms in this scale from Mattel.
Where to Get It? He is normally found at Target, but you can also grab New Eternia Man-At-Arms from Amazon and Entertainment Earth.
As an Amazon Associate and Entertainment Earth affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases.