Action Figure Overview: Masters of the Universe Classics - Blue Mer-Man (Mattel, 2010)

Masters of the Universe Classics Blue Mer-Man

In the early years of the Masters of the Universe Classics line by Mattel, many of figures weren't available in stores and could only be purchased online through Mattycollector.com.  This made it much less likely that the figures would sell to casual fans or kids simply because they weren't aware of the series' existence.  However, around 2010, a series of 2-packs featuring one DC Universe character paired with a similar Masters of the Universe character started to hit the shelves in Toys R Us stores.  The first two were He-Man / Superman and Skeletor / Lex Luthor for around $30 per 2-pack.

The original Masters of the Universe Classics Mer-Man and the later "Blue" or "Mini-Comic" 2-pack Mer-Man

In late 2010 / early 2011, the second wave became available.  This wave included Stratos / Hawkman and Mer-Man / Aquaman.  I think some people were able to get these new 2-packs online from Toys R Us directly for about $30, but in stores, the price jumped to $35 despite the fact that a lot of the first wave 2-packs were still sitting around in Toys R Us stores around the country.  At the time, there was a lot of complaining about the price in the collector community.  Many of the DC figures had little change from their previously released versions and the MOTU figures were often just re-paints.  However, I think the 2-packs were great for getting these toys into the hands of kids.  Also, looking back now, I think the sheer quantity of these 2-packs is what kept the price of characters like Stratos, Mer-Man, and Zodac reasonable in the Classics line.  You can find those characters for around $20, but try finding a Classics Beast Man today (who wasn't part of the 2-pack / Toys R Us lineup) for that price!  I've seen the Classics Beast Man sell for over $100 out of the package!

Masters of the Universe Classics "Blue" Mer-Man

The Mer-Man from the Mer-Man / Aquaman 2-pack was a different color than original Classics Mer-Man release.  This Mer-Man was colored blue as a nod to the old, vintage Masters of the Universe mini-comics.  The initial mini-comics were created using the concept art rather than the final production figures, so there are quite a few differences in the characters in the early mini-comics and the toys that were in the stores.

The 200x Mer-Man (left), the 1st Classics Mer-Man (center), and the 2-pack "Blue" Mer-Man (right)

The original Classics Mer-Man figure was green; like the vintage figure, but a slightly greener green.  This version came two heads; one that resembled the original figure and another that looked like the head shown on the artwork from the back of the original, vintage toy packages (the image below is from the card back of the original 1982 Teela package).  The figure also came with Mer-Man's famous 'Corn Sword' and a trident.  The trident was a nod to the 200x version of Mer-Man and the sword was a cooler version of the one that came with the original, vintage figure.

Mer-Man as pictured on the back of the original 1982 package

The new 2-pack version of Mer-Man had only the head based on the artwork and the sword (this version was blue and yellow rather than solid yellow) and lacked the original figure-style head and the trident.  I suspect that since this version was supposed to be the mini-comic variant, Mattel didn't see any reason to include the vintage toy head or the 200x trident since neither appears in the mini-comic.  However, this is still a point of contention with collectors who feel like the 2-pack version of Mer-Man is lacking.  I personally think Blue Mer-Man is great!  Yeah, it would be cool to have the trident and who would turn down an extra head?  But I'm just happy that the 2-packs were around to get these toys out to a wider audience and keep the prices down low enough on some of the core characters so that I can afford them!

Masters of the Universe Classics Blue, Mini-Comic Mer-Man from the DC vs. MOTU 2-Pack

What do you think of the Masters of the Universe Classics "Blue" Mer-Man?  Did you buy any of the MOTU Classics 2-packs when they were in stores?  Tell me in the comments!

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