There’s a lot to be upset about in the world today, but at least for the moment ridiculous dorks like me who buy too many action figures still have a lot to smile about. This summer we’ll be in the FOURTH year of having at least two entirely separate retail lines of figures based on He-Man and his friends, something that seemed unthinkable in the late 2000s and the 2010s, when He-Man seemed doomed to be relegated to an overpriced boutique line for adult collectors that I always thought had an air of being both a little stodgy and slightly embarrassed about itself. I did feel a little bad back in the late ’00s and early 2010s about not being able to really buy into the Masters of the Universe Classics line, but there did always seem something drab, and dare I say it, anti-fun about the line — like the objects of worship of the world’s most boring cult and also a line of commemorative plates, if that makes any sense. But it also at the time looked like the only way we’d ever get new figures for all these wild and woolly characters across the vast scope of the classic He-Man line and its spin-offs and sequels, so I did want at least some of them. I daresay, though, the old line feels a bit surplus to requirements here in 2025, where I now have two action figures manufactured within this decade of Evil Horde member Leech and a third on pre-order.
Now that I guess I’ve run off anyone who still holds the Classics line in high esteem — not how I expected to start this review, but I’ve gotta go where my muse takes me — let’s bask in the glory of this brand-new action figure of 1986’s whirling spinny-guy with a radar screen on his chest, Sy-Klone, a wonderfully ridiculous character who, nevertheless as embodied in this magnificent modern 7″ action figure winds up looking weirdly cool with his nifty tech details and marbleized sheen. In most versions of his backstory he’s an athlete of some sort of who gets turned into a cyborg whose augmentations give him tornadic abilities. While the old toy had a dial you could turn rapidly to spin his torso, on this figure these powers manifest as the red energy effects you can plug into his arms to simulate such rapid spinning or plug into his shield accessory as though that were spinning.
I’ve always liked Sy-Klone’s bright, bold color scheme, but I really do think that the almost golden hue substituted for the bright yellow and the extra red accents on his collarbones add a little something that takes the design of the character to a new level. I will say, though, that I’m glad that his helmet still looks like something out of TRON; I do think whoever did the 2000s redesign for that era’s Masters of the Universe revival made a slight misstep by giving that version of Sy-Klone’s gear some samurai-inspired touches. Speaking of missteps, as you can see my Sy-Klone here does seem to be wearing his hat at a slight angle; guess it got glued a teensy bit lop-sided at the factory. Not too put out about it, it’s noticeable but subtle, and …
… it’s a lot less noticeable when he’s wearing his visor and faceplate, a new accessory of the sort you tend to see in this line. New Eternia is one of a few sub-lines under the Masterverse banner, and this sub-line tends to feature detail-added versions of the Masters of the Universe characters with accessories that allow you to change up their appearances, often inspired by early concept art. The faceplate seems unique to this toy, but the visor slit was part of an early draft version of the character. Aside from the shield, the two energy/whirling effects, and the faceplate, the only other accessories Sy-Klone has included with him are two gripping hands that you can substitute in place of his balled-up fists, which can hold a peg on the back of his shield, which as you can see also can be plugged into his back (see also: most modern Captain America figures).
Masterverse New Eternia Sy-Klone is a joyfully nifty action figure of a wonderfully daft old superheroic He-Man character that carries forward the inherent silliness while also making it seem kinda modern and cool. If you dig the aesthetic on display here, he might just be worth your twenty-five-or-so bucks — I certainly don’t regret adding him to my ever-growing MotU legions, and am happily stunned we’re still living in a world where Mattel continues to offer both these sharply detailed reinterpretations of this world and the charmingly retro Origins line (and its Cartoon Collection spin-off).