{"id":26296,"date":"2013-12-25T09:41:14","date_gmt":"2013-12-25T15:41:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=26296"},"modified":"2013-12-25T09:41:14","modified_gmt":"2013-12-25T15:41:14","slug":"motu-classics-castle-grayskull-review-36-pics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=26296","title":{"rendered":"MOTU Classics: Castle
Grayskull Review (36 Pics!)"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/a> The impossible is finally here! When Mattel first geared up for MOTU Classics, when it was just the wee little fighting men coming out once-a-month, there were a few items, key to MOTU lore, that fans immediately started thinking about: Battle Cat & Castle Grayskull. Battle Cat proved to be relatively easy, and pretty magnificent, but the Castle seemed impossible. We were told it was a long shot. We were reminded again and again of the obstacles. It would be complicated. It would have to be huge. It would have to be expensive. <\/p>\n

Five years after picking up that first He-Man figure, the Castle is finally a reality. The process was definitely complicated. It is huge. It was expensive. But, on the whole, to give out a summation here in the opener, it was worth it. <\/p>\n

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These last few years, my shelves have more or less become a shrine to the 80s. You\u2019ll catch some glimpses in the pics (the Castle was simply too large to shoot traditionally, I apologize in advance for the quality of some in the gallery images). There are modern figures of Shipwreck & Snake Eyes. Optimus Prime & Soundwave. DC Classics updates to Super Powers. Marvel Legends has well-covered the Secret Wars line (it wasn\u2019t hard). <\/p>\n

Most of my 80s loves are represented on those shelves by a key icon that represents the property. Thinking about it that way, the Castle simply had to get done. It\u2019s perhaps bigger than even He-Man, certainly most of the villains, when it comes to representing MOTU. Who doesn\u2019t know or remember Castle Grayskull, even if they can\u2019t name any of the characters? What did Mattel put on the 30th Anniversary logo last year? What do they use as their SDCC backdrop? And the packaging graphics? The Castle is MOTU. It represents it in a way no other playset from another line really represents that property. Thinking about it that way, I can\u2019t believe it might not have gotten made. It just feels like it had to happen. I\u2019m glad it did. <\/p>\n

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The better part of that is that it\u2019s just a great toy to own too. The Four Horsemen\u2019s sculpting work is typically impressive and that carries over to the Castle as well. In some ways, I know the vintage one can never be replaced, but the sculpt is what gives this one the best change. The softer lines in the vintage Castle gave it a more leathery look (though I never cared at the time!). The MO2K castle while technically impressive was too uniform, almost computer rendered. This Castle looks made out of stone. The details are crisp and sharp throughout on the exterior. <\/p>\n

The interior is still just a relief of this fantastic outside; doing real internal walls would be excruciatingly I imagine, but the crispness on the outside keeps the softer inside from looking too out of place. Plus, there is so much greatness packed inside with terrific sculpting on the monitors, floors, etc. that I didn\u2019t even think about the interior walls for awhile. <\/p>\n

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The paintwork is top notch, another way that sets it apart from previous Castles. The vintage went mostly without. So do the MO2K version, ironically, at least if you had the first version that didn\u2019t even paint the crest\/shield on the door. Duh. That\u2019s not the case here. The external supports & roofing are finally brown. The door is fully painted. The Castle finally looks truly impressive even closed up. (Because I had to use flash photography, the Castle does appear a little differently in some pics. The greens might appear brighter than they are for example, that\u2019s mostly just my inexperience with using the flash, so please bear with me.)<\/em> <\/p>\n

Inside, there\u2019s plenty going on, almost too much to cover. I tried to hit all the notes in the images if I miss something here: the working elevator, the spots for weapons storage, the training device, the throne & working trap door, the removable skulls on the elevator, the rear entrance which can be used with Scareglow\u2019s key, the turret laser & flag, just about everything from the original is included, minus that Weapons Rak that was sold a few years ago (though we did get a handful of new weapons). There are a couple things like the winged batpack that I\u2019m not sure what to do with, but it\u2019s neat. Continue to Page 2…<\/a><\/p>\n

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Out of everything on the inside though, I think I\u2019m happiest with the removable floor. It comes apart into small enough chunks that everything stores in the closed Castle, but it looks amazing when fully assembled. It opens up the Castle to being so much more than a giant clamshell! I don\u2019t know if I\u2019ll really be able to display it open, but it\u2019s a great option for those who can. <\/p>\n

Now, this is a Mattel product so there are a few \u201cduh\u201d points here and there. The hole in the floor for the flight stand is just silly. I didn\u2019t snag a pic of it, but you can find one if you Google it. The Wind Raider is just too big to be in there. It looks weird and takes up pretty much all the space. The Sky Sled does fit too, but again, why? It feels like someone loved the idea and no one was brave enough to say, \u201cdude, really?\u201d That said, it\u2019s cute \u2013 I don\u2019t mind it, but Mattel should\u2019ve included a plug or a cover for the rest of it. Happily, one creative collector has jumped in and made a great cover, I reviewed it a few weeks ago here. <\/p>\n

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The other two things I was less than pleased with though were cost issues. The dungeon sticker is still just that\u2026 a sticker. The 4H did sculpt a fantastic grate, but it just couldn\u2019t be included. Admittedly, I\u2019m not sure how it would work if you wanted to put a figure in there, but the sticker just\u2026 sticks out with nearly everything else sculpted. Luckily, more enterprising collectors have crafted a fantastic grate that does fit into the dungeon with a little effort. You can find out more here. It\u2019s a great piece, I bought one before I moved last year and I regret I couldn\u2019t find it for the shoot. (Plus, it\u2019s not painted. I can\u2019t paint to save my soul). <\/p>\n

The other is the Grayskull Robot\/Armor. I plugged the hole in the floor. I bought a replacement grate. That\u2019s all good, but the Robot\/Armor being a hollow shell requires a much bigger fix. I honestly wish Mattel had skipped it for now and released it as a sub figure instead. Looking at the one-piece shell, I just know it would make for a cool figure or even just a suit (where you could pop anyone\u2019s head inside the helmet). I still am hopeful Mattel could find a way to replace it with a full figure someday, but that seems pretty low on the priorities. Possibly, rightly so. <\/p>\n

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Overall, though. The frickin\u2019 Castle is here! I had a blast opening this thing. It\u2019s obnoxiously big, but I\u2019m glad I go it. The Four Horsemen and Mattel did a great job even with those few caveats I listed at the end. It just wasn\u2019t a toy line until it got a playset. And even though I really don\u2019t know where I can put it, it makes me kinda wonder if Mattel could do it again. Does Castle Grayskull sate our need for a MOTU playset? Or is there a chance this giant could sit at one end of my shelves with an admittedly, not-as-iconic-which-version-would-you-do purple counterpart across the way? Wait, did I just answer my own question? Even if we don\u2019t get another playset, the Castle is what we needed. It should\u2019ve been the crowning achievement in the line and I think it is that. <\/p>\n

The gallery for the Castle is 36 pics. It’s one long parade of silliness. I hope you enjoy!<\/p>\n

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