Mattel is now offering their Masters Of The Universe: Origins Castle Grayskull Playset, which is inspired from the original release in 1982. Castle Grayskull makes its debut for a new generation of fans, and also is of interest to those of us that remember the original one, that have some great memories playing with this back in the 1980’s. Castle Grayskull is one of the most recognizable and memorable playsets of all time, and this new one is a perfect representation of it. It’s also been 19 years since we’ve gotten Castle Grayskull on store shelves (not including Classics as that was exclusive to Mattycollector, as well as the Mega Construx offering that was also recently offered, and that was mostly also sold online also. After almost two decades, Castle Grayskull is back on store shelves with an all-new line that also pays homage to the vintage line of the 1980’s, which is something that both fans new and old will enjoy.
Thank you to Mattel for providing their Castle Grayskull playset for review.
Availability: April 2021 – Timed Wal-Mart Exclusive
Castle Grayskull is packaged in a box with beautiful artwork, showcasing it along with many Masters of the Universe and Evil Warriors characters in a battle scene. This artwork is spectacular, and really shows some great action shots of many iconic characters. The sides show additional artwork, including showcasing characters and vehicles, and the back shows Castle Grayskull, and many figures that are available now, along with the Land Shark.
Castle Grayskull pays homage to the original 1982 release, and comes with many of the same features and accessories that remember from your childhood. This includes the iconic green stones that are sculpted throughout the front, back and sides, along with the moss that you see on the top, and along below the eyes and nose. It also features the front gate with a crest featuring a skull, and brackets, including a handle that are painted with a metallic silver, and the crest is in the same green as the castle. There is also a hole to insert the Power Sword, which opens the jaw bridge and allows He-Man to enter.
The top of the castle includes a gun that a figure can hold, which can pivot and turn, as well as a flag with two different stickers on either side.
The inside has a lot of the same features it did that you recall from the ’82 offering, including a latter that can be moved to the first and second floor, an elevator, a computer, a throne that rotates and activates a trap door, two flags hanging down, two weapons rack and a rotating hammer. The elevator also works the same way it did in the original release, and includes a string to manually move it up and down. It’s also not meant to hold some figures that have a bit of weight to them. The weapons rack include removable accessories, including an axe, a blaster, a mace and a sword. The smaller weapon rack is brand new to this release. The set also comes with a sticker sheet, which requires you to place the stickers on the accessories and shown in the instructions.
The Sorceress can’t fit on the throne as the wings get in the way, but other characters can be placed on it such as He-Man and Teela. Once the trap door is activated, any figure standing on it will fall down into the dungeon below.
The Temple of Darkness Sorceress includes some shared parts with Teela, including the upper legs, and the rest of the sculpt is unique. The outfit is all white, including transparent wings that have hinges, and she comes with her iconic staff. The outfit is nicely sculpted, and she comes with her eagle style head piece sculpted around her head. The facial details are nicely done, including the painted eyes, and mouth.
Castle Grayskull is compatible for the Origins line, including Masters of the WWE Universe figures, as well as the vintage line of the 80’s, as well as any 5 1/2″ figures.
Overall, Castle Grayskull is a fantastic playset that both those of us that had one in the 80’s, as well as a new generation of fans will enjoy. The sculpt, accessories, features, and overall display and likeness make this a great set. Make sure to grab this set now, and if you do, make sure to keep the box as it’ll be worth more with it in the long run on the secondary market.
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