http://nerditis.com/...verse-classics/
Masters of the Universe has a huge variety of characters! There's the muscle-man, skull-man, bee-man, cowboy, a pair of tops, a fish man, a skunk, a guy with a telescoping neck, and a suicide bomber.
Blast Attak is a robot whose entire super power revolves around blowing himself up. Oh, the eighties were a simpler time, indeed! But hey, a classic figure is a classic figure, and this guy was one of the last, with some interesting confusion on his allegiances - varying sources listed him as a Snake Man or Evil Warrior, depending. For what it's worth, he looks nothing like a snake.
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BLAST ATTAK: BLAST APART ROBOT
REAL NAME: PROGRAM ROBOT SERIAL NUMBER 1710
Blast Attak was originally brought to Eternia in a spell of light by Skeletor to boost his ranks before the second Ultimate Battle Ground, but the android was quickly stolen by the Snake Men and reprogrammed to act as a mercenary in the army of King Hssss. Literally a walking talking time bomb, Blast Attak’s body is comprised of a series of microscopic nanites which can reform after detonation allowing him to blast apart over and over in an explosive attack against enemies. Although created with some semblance of artificial intelligence, his evil programming often overrides his own commitment to self-preservation. Blast Attak is a robotic muscleman with an extremely short fuse. He loves to surprise enemies with his sudden blast apart power!
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Well, okay, then! Blast Attak doesn't die when he explodes anymore! That's, uh... a relief, I guess? He's still basically a suicide bomber.
PACKAGING: ****
MOTUC packaging has never changed. It is unending, like the ourobouros. Oh please, free us from this purgatory.
SCULPT: ****
The original Blast Attak was a surprisingly complex He-Man sculpt with very little parts reuse. Mattel got around that last part by copiously using Trap-Jaw and Roboto pieces, which are really just their generic techno-parts. You wouldn't call the furry skirt a He-Man skirt, right?
The figure does a great job of representing Blast Attak's strangr, almost biological look - he's got a blue orc face even though he's meant to be a semi-intelligent robot. He looks more like some sort of space mutant executioner, but I suppose that is meant to distract you before he detonates.
This figure does not replicate Blast Attak's action feature. In no way does he come apart, and in fact his armor is glued on - you can't take it off to reveveal his skinny chest. It is for the best, budget-wise, that he doesn't come apart, but still kind of a dispappointment.
PAINT: ****
Blast Attak's paint job is surprisingly complicated for a MOTUC figure, and faithful tothe original. Mattel painted a lot of the little details on his armor, and used a lot of different shades to match his apropriate color scheme. The original figure actually looked pretty great, and Mattel had their work cut out for them.
There is a tiny bit of slop on Blast Attak's face, but it is mostly a border issue - be aware of it, and if you are buying this figure in person, compare faces before purchasing.
ARTICULATION: ****
Blast Attak is articulated just the same as any MOTUC figure – ball-and-socket shoulders and hips, ball-jointed head, swivel biceps, waist, wrists, and shins, hinged elbows, knees, and ankles.
His limbs have a good range of flexibility, actually slightly more than most MOTUC figures. It probably helps that his costume doesn't even include an intrusive loincloth, and the armor isnt too hard to work with.
ACCESSORIES: ****
Blast Attak comes with new versions of his vintage weapons - a big techno-poleaxe and a robo-whip. The axe is insane, a gigantic mess of pipes and valves and blade that looks like it was cobbled together in a junkyard. Even though it lacks paint, the weapon fits Blast Attack extremely well, and it's a great update of the original.
Blast Attak also has a whip, which looks like it was repurposed from a power cord. Unlike most toy whips, it is an entirely limp, flexible piece of rubber - it doesn't hold a pose, it behaves like an actual cord. Aside from looking exactly like his vintage whip, it's pretty cool in its non-preposed state.
His weapons are perfect, but Blast Attak has only one flaw - his left hand is too wide to comfortably hold either weapon! He is clearly designed to grip something, but what? This is a holdover from an older figure, and it does get in the way of posing Blast Attak with both of his weapons. It isn't impossible, but you need to lean the axe against his hand rather than let him hold it properly.
VALUE: **1/2
A pox on MOTUC pricing! A pox!
THINGS TO WATCH OUT FOR:
Nothing. Blast Attak is durable.
WHERE TO BUY:
As of this writing, he is still available on Matty - so hurry!
OVERALL: ****
Of the first group of figures of 2015, Blast Attak is easily a standout. He lack the flaws od many of the others, and instead manages to hit that sweet spot of a faithful adaptation nicely updated to modern collecting sensibilities. Sure, he can't blast apart, but in this hyper-sensitive litigious age, it might be for the best.
