Skeletor Filmation Style Custom Action Figure Art - Masters of the Universe Classics

In 1983, Filmation Associates introduced He-Man and the Masters of the Universe to the masses with a nationally syndicated cartoon series. For many, this interpretation of the brand is the be-all and end-all for Masters of the Universe. From He-Man's reluctant use of violence to Skeletor's shrill tantrums, Filmation more than put it's stamp on the brand. Most notably were it's visual contributions; from the colorfully painted backgrounds to the streamlined character designs...and who can forget Man-At-Arms' Mangum P.I. mustache.

While I personally prefer the darker Pre-Filmation era of MOTU, I know there are many loyal Filmation fans. In fact, I was recently part of a very heated discussion at He-Man.org where they expressed their desire for Filmation versions of characters in the Masters of the Universe Classics line.

I weighed-in strongly opposed to the idea because to me, the "Filmation-look" means simplified details and design choices that make the characters look silly; ie removing He-Man's belt and bracer details and changing Tri-Klops's eyes to geometric shapes.

However, I eventually learned that what I was envisioning was not what they desired. They still wanted all the great details of a MOTUC figure, but wanted colors and styling to reflect those of the cartoon. With this in mind, I created this tribute to Filmation Skeletor in MOTUC.



The first visual that comes to mind when I think of Filmation Skeletor is the angry brows of his all yellow skull. To capture this look, I sculpted new angled brows to give them that "I'm-berating-Beast-Man" arch and then painted the whole face a very saturated yellow. I added some even brighter yellow highlights and then added a gloss finish to the sockets of his eyes and teeth to make them gleam with evil.

Next, I replaced the three-toed reptile feet (or "duck feet" as some say) with boot feet and repainted all the armor to make it more closely resemble the purple color of the animation cells. Then I added a glossy finish to some of the armor details to break up the solid color.

I sculpted the "crystal ball" between the horns of his Havoc Staff. In the Filmation cartoon, Skeletor used this crystal ball to view his evil plots unfolding. I repainted the handle, painted the skull black and then dry brushed it with a dark metallic. Finally, I painted Skeletor's finger nails an evil glossy black.



You might wonder why I know so much about a cartoon that isn't my preferred vision of MOTU. All I can say to that is that I grew up in the 80's...and I plead the fifth.

I hope Filmation fans dig him. I made him for you. If you do, be sure to follow this blog so you don't miss my latest creations. Until next time, I remain The Insidious One.