Mosquitor was so delayed that that figure actually turned up in the same parcel as Wave 20. Although it’s good fun to get a jumbo-sized delivery, it’s suddenly very hard to keep up! Not that I’m complaining, the future for the Masterverse line as a whole isn’t looking great so this could be the last wave in the line.
As with Wave 19, this is going to be a quicker (?) post covering all of the figures in the wave.
Masterverse Wave 20
The previous wave had a strong Evil Horde showing with Mantenna and Mosquitor. Now this wave arguably goes further with Despara, Dragstor and Keldor. The latter is a slight stretch I’ll admit. However if you subscribe to Keldor once being Hordak’s apprentice (and the bio on the back of the box does) then this is a three for three, Evil Horde related wave!
Keldor
Talking of Keldor, let’s kick things off with his figure.
In case you don’t know, Keldor is who Skeletor was before he had an accident of the face melting kind! Getting into the weeds of Skeletor’s origin is way beyond the scope of this quick overview, but I do think the design of Keldor here owes quite a lot to the version that appeared in the Masters of the Multiverse comic series. In my overview of Wave 19 I wondered whether the Anti-Eternia He-Man figure drew on that series. If so, that makes that figure and this one of Keldor a pair that could go together quite well.
The design of the figure isn’t a one to one of the version seen in the comic series. The armour and colour of the hood and cape are different for instance. But the white top or shirt and design of the face really make me think of the comic series version.
One Figure, Four Different Looks!
Perhaps the biggest draw of this figure is that it comes with a removable hood and two different heads. The hood is made of a flexible green plastic and sits over the head. It’s nice and easy to remove, just be careful of Keldor’s pointy chin beard!
The head that the figure comes with already on is what you might call the standard look for Keldor: blue skin, long black hair and a moustache and goaty combo. It’s very nicely sculpted and painted.
The alternative head is quite gruesome! It’s an almost zombie-like head featuring the poor Keldor mid-transformation into the skull-face Skeletor!
Despara
A more obviously Evil Horde-related character, Despara comes from the 2012 – 2016 series of DC Comics. I’ve not read this series but I think it takes the idea of Prince Adam’s twin sister working for the Horde before she becomes She-Ra a few steps further. What if she had been a deadly enforcer for Hordak?
Despara has had figures in the Classics and more recently the Origins lines. Both of these look pretty faithful to the comics version of the character. This version of Despara goes in a different direction however.
Out of the box, Despara looks like a mean but fairly standard looking warrior. However you can put a helmet on the figure’s head to change up the look. Not only that, there’s also the option of swapping out the helmet for a very creepy looking face mask!
Adora!
There’s more! The figure comes with an alternative head which looks very much like Adora. If you then take the armour off, you have a pretty good looking figure of Adora! So Despara is really a two in one figure, which is awesome. I can see plenty of collectors getting two in order to display the different looks next to each other on their shelves.
Dragstor!
Completing the line up is Dragstor! This character is a classic Evil Horde member and goes back to the original 1980s line. Having said that, Dragstor was released towards the end of the line so this is another deep cut we have here.
Wheels Maketh the Monster
What makes Dragstor’s appearance in the Masterverse line surprising is the original figure’s action feature. This was a motorised wheel mounted in the figure’s chest which could be powered up by pulling a ripcord through the figure. If the figure was then placed face down on the floor, it would zoom off!
Doing justice to this action feature in a highly articulated figure must have been problematic. The Classics version only had a detailed but moulded on wheel. To the Origins line’s designers’ credit, they managed to keep the articulation while adding the action feature in this recent version of Dragstor.
This Masterverse version sits in between the Classics and the Origins version. It has a fully rotating wheel in the torso but it doesn’t have a ripcord. Even so, I really was expecting this version to follow the Classics and simply have a moulded on wheel, so this is a fantastic surprise!
Wheely Good Hands!
This version of Dragstor may not have an action feature but it does have wheels for hands! These can replace the normal hands and make for a very unique look for Dragstor.
Okay, they might not be terribly practical! However I think they are a great idea and almost make up for the lack of an action feature.
Worth It?
Although each of these characters are deep cuts, they have appeared as figures before. In fact, Dragstor and Despara have been added to the Origins line quite recently. Keldor has had a version based on his appearance in the Revolution cartoon appear in the Masterverse line previously. But this new version is such a different take that it feels like a different character entirely.
If the lack of an action feature for Dragstor bothers you, go for the Origins version. If you prefer a more comics-accurate version of Despara, again go for the Origins version of her.
If like me you’re a Masterverse collector, all three figures are worth getting. These characters really don’t get figures very often and with the line as whole possibly ending or slowing down, this could be your last chance.
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