Revelation! Revolution! New Eternia! And more! In the early 2020s Mattel launched its first-ever mass-retail collector-oriented, highly articulated line of action figures based on the beloved Masters of the Universe property. Starting out as a tie-in with the concurrent Netflix "Revelation" animated series, the line spread into many corners of the MOTU mythology, even expanding into new storylines for the venerable cast of barbarians, wizards, and monsters. Join us as we explore the booms and busts of the MASTERVERSE.

Episode 055: Masters of the Universe Masterverse

In 1997, Hasbro for the first time revived their beloved 1980s reboot of G.I. Joe for its 15th anniversary...and all hell broke loose! Well, kind of. The 1997-1998 revival of the Joe team and their rambunctious rivals, Cobra, saw the O-ring figures make a brief return (and only in Toys "R" Us). Many of the choices made with this revival live in infamy to this day - from the legendary Pimp Daddy Destro to the disastrous Stars And Stripes Forever box set. We explore the highs and lows of this strange time in Joe history. Join us!

Episode 054: G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero 15th Anniversary (1997)

It's time for more micro-playset mayhem! What if you could play with an entire planet? Well, in 1998 Trendmasters attempted to answer that question with their line of battling cosmic bodies, known north of the border and on television as Shadow Raiders. Each themed fortress planet and moon was equipped with a full regiment of tiny alien soldiers and rocket-launching military hardware, which they needed to keep their worlds from being devoured by the menacing Beast Planet. Join us as we explore this nearly forgotten corner of 90s toy lore!

Episode 053: War Planets

It's 2026 and O-rings are back! After years of producing action figures that use classic Kenner-style 5 points of articulation, Super7's ReAction Figures line has evolved. No longer constrained to simple standing poses, ReAction Figures now move like G.I. Joe. We explore Super7's treatment of Hasbro's army action dolls, which has seen adaptations of characters from the original cartoon and comic, new versions of old classics, and even some never-before-seen designs. And we try to answer the age-old question of: are these figures really worth the price of admission? Tune in to find out!

Episode 052: Super7 ReAction+

Is it gambling, or is it toys? Are they still Transformers if they don't transform? And what the heck is a blokee, anyway? In today's episode we unravel the mysteries of the mini-model mania gripping the world of licensed action figures in the 2020s, diving deep into the world of China's Blokees brand, from Transformers to Mega Man to...Hatsune Miku? So buy a case or a blind-box and build some curiously high-quality action figures with us!

Episode 051: Blokees

Our 50th episode! Today we bring back the ever-popular Jake Setzke, the Funny Prince himself, to talk about five of our favorite toys from each of our collections. From Transformers to Masters of the Universe to Exosquad and beyond, this special extra-long episode covers nearly every corner of the action figure universe. Join us

Episode 050: Our Favorite Toys with Special Guest Jake

Launch all Valkyries! In this week's episode of Mutagen Men we climb aboard the SDF-1 to face down the Zentraedi and the other marauding aliens facing the world of Robotech, which featured a mashup of three different classic mecha anime TV series. Airing in the 1980s and later on Toonami in the 90s, the show was a gateway into the wider world of mech anime and featured a landmark toyline from Matchbox as well as a host of merchandise produced by other companies in the years following. Join us as we explore the varied corners of these lines and try not to talk too much about Harmony Gold!

Follow along:

https://www.toyarchive.com/Robotech/main.html

https://web.archive.org/web/20070117220527/http://www.robotechmuseum.com/toyindex.html

https://www.flickr.com/photos/evil_king_macrocranios/albums/72157632938993771/

Episode 049: Robotech

Build, customize, and mobilize! In today's Mutagen Men we travel to the distant Planet Zi, a world of mechanical life-forms known as Zoids, machine-like animals modified into piloted war machines. Dating back to the 1980s, Tomy and other companies have been producing Zoids model kits near constantly in the decades between, including several forays into North America. These model kits feature intricate robotic animals - mammals, reptiles, dinosaurs, and more - overloaded with weaponry and piloted by tiny plastic soldiers. Despite its depth and longevity, Zoids remains a fairly obscure toyline. Join us as we climb into the cockpits of our Strikezillas and ponder this mystery! 

Resources:

https://www.zoid.us/ 

https://theironbible.com/ 

https://zoids.fandom.com/wiki/Main_Page 

Episode 048: Zoids

Welcome back to the world of indie toys! In today's return to the boundless rabbit hole of the Glyos System Series, we explore one of its largest realms: SpyMonkey Creation's Battle Tribes, and its spin-off series, ManOrMonster Studio's Warlords of Wor. These lines feature miniature fantasy and sci-fi figures taking heavy inspiration from Masters of the Universe and pro wrestling toylines, with every figure including a variety of head, outfit, and accessory options. Join us as we discuss favorite tiny barbarians, orcs, wrestlers, and dragon men, and touch on many corners of the wider Glyos world! 

Resources:

https://glyos.fandom.com/wiki/Battle_Tribes 

https://glyos.fandom.com/wiki/Warlords_of_Wor 

Episode 047: More Glyos

Mattel's Masters of the Universe toyline is full of colorful characters with fantastic powers and incredible action features. One of the oldest is Teela, the warrior goddess, sorceress, barbarian warrior, and only female figure in the first wave of toys. Teela appears in nearly every iteration of Masters of the Universe, her snake staff ready to fight back the hordes of Skeletor. In today's episode we explore the many toys of Teela, starting in 1982 and journeying through the latter years of Classics and into the Super 7 era. Join us!

Episode 46: All About Teela

The MUTAGEN MEN explore the toys of the past, present, and future. We are: Eric "Toys and Tomfoolery" Setzke Dustin "The Dragon Fortress" Verburg Luke "Video Dracula" Jones

Mutagen Men Toycast