Action Figure Maniac Reviews: MOTUC: Serpentine King Hsss

Masters of the Universe Classics: Serpentine King Hssss
Mattel
Retail: $20.00 @ MattyCollector.com

I was a HUGE He-Man fan as a kid! So, it pleases me to no end that Mattel has offered an adult collectors line of Masters of the Universe figures.

Their most recent offering is Serpentine King Hsss. He was highly sought after and the way Mattel approached his release was a high point of contention among collectors, BUT the wait and having to purchase outside of the subscription were well worth it!

His packaging is similar to the rest of the line. Its a beautiful blister pack that prominently displays the figure and some of the accessories. The colors are bright and nice to look at. The back is reminiscent of the 1980s line showing other characters in the line and giving us a bio of King Hssss.

King Hssss is a pretty amazing figure. He is more ornate than the original torso that Mattel offered. We get a total of eight snakes with this one (including his main head) compared to the five on the original. We also get a new lower body that gives us snake-type legs. The scales on the body are fantastic and the way the snakes wind through each other at the mid-torso is a nice touch.

Articulation points on this figure are a little lower, but for good reason – six of the eight snakes are bendable and poseable. Standard articulation count is 10:

• Swivel joint at base of neck (x1)
• Swivel joint at waist (x1)
• Rotating hinges at each hip (x2)
• Swivel joints at mid thigh (x2)
• Hinge joints at each knee (x2)
• Rocking hinges at each ankle (x2)

The joints at the ankle are a bit soft. So, dynamic poses can be a bit tricky, but can still be done.

He comes with five accessories: a Snake Men shield, a spear, a mace, a sword, and a newly sculpted snake head that can be used on the original King Hsss figure.

Compared to the new Club Grayskull He-Man, he looks really good.

Breakdown:

• Playability – 5 out of 5. King Hsss is a definite hit when it comes to playability. The bendable articulation of the snakes and his size make him a formidable opponent for the Masters of the Universe.
• Collectibility – 5 out of 5. The blister pack on these figures is great! The figure looks beautiful, you can see some of the accessories, and the bio is awesome!
• Paint and Sculpt – 5 out of 5. Very nice. I don’t find any glaring problems. The scales are nicely done and I love the way the snakes wind around each other.
• Standability – 4 out of 5. His soft ankles give him a bit of a deduction here, but I still wasn’t disappointed.
• Articulation – 5 out of 5. Although he only has 10 points of standard articulation, the bendable snakes are a home run!
• Accessories – 5 out of 5. All of the accessories are character appropriate and the inclusion of the new snake head was nice.
• Affordability – 5 out of 5. $20.00 is a decent price for a collector’s figure these days.

Overall impression: 34 out of 35. Ohhhhhhh! Just shy of a perfect score! I think King Hsss is a great addition to the collection. He definitely appeals to hard core fans and casual fans should be able to afford and enjoy him too.

 

 

** He-Man, Masters of the Universe, and all related characters belong to Mattel. These images are for hobby only. Also, the background images were found on the internet. If one of the images belongs to you, I will gladly give credit.