Though I was never particularly fond of the animated incarnation of He-Man, for many it was the definitive version. "Masters of the Universe" is a secondary brand-name for the denizens of Eternia in the minds of Filmation fans, who refer to all elements of the mythology as simply "He-Man."

And yet their particular version of Eternia's mightiest mortal has never really been rendered in three dimensions and that classically cheesy pageboy haircut. The original toy was designed before there was a cartoon, and the newer toys are designed as if they were the originals made with better technology. Fans wanting Filmation-styled lead characters are told some spiel about how if you put those characters through a "classicizer" machine, they'd look like the toys we have now. Bottom line: Mattel isn't making cartoon He-Man any time soon.

But Icon Heroes is. He may not be articulated, but he is in the key pose you'd most want him to be in - one that, ironically enough, none of the current articulated figures can duplicate (though one out later this year will come close).

Like the figures, this is sculpted by the Four Horsemen (with Joe Amaro) and joins Icon's other licensed products like the power sword letter opener and Grayskull business-card holder. It's 12 inches tall and a non-cringeworthy $60, coming in September.

It may not be my preferred cup of He, but to those for whom it is, you have some power...finally.

Superman is at least two months away from release. More images and details will be shown in the coming weeks. Patience grasshoppers

— NECA (@NECA_TOYS) May 1, 2013

In those two months, can you make him not look like his outfit is crocheted? And can you make him look like Henry Cavill?

I love NECA usually, but cannot quite fathom what they were thinking in releasing this image. Normally they blow Mattel and Hasbro out of the water, but the Movie Master images look better than this guy.

I'll believe a man can fly out the window if a discerning kid is given a final product that looks like this.

Speaking of Mattel, here's their Comic-Con exclusive New 52 Shazam/Captain Marvel figure, just announced...

In other news, my bank account to be emptied in July. We already know about Batusi Batman, but now Mattel has revealed two of the most-requested classic MOTU toys, rather impressively using some existing figure parts along with clip-on rock parts that can more-or-less reproduce the warrior-to-rock transformation feature of the vintage toys. Thank Holy Jesus I can actually set my own SDCC schedule this year and have a hope in hell of maybe, MAYBE getting these.

Also announced so far: Battlestar Galactica Hot Wheels Viper and Raider, and a Superman vs. Zod Movie Masters 2-pack with lights and sounds.

I've seen many a custom of Saruman's tower, but this two-footer is the real deal.

They went all out on this, too. It has action features like trapdoors, a light-up Palantir and an Ent figure with spring-loaded throwing action and Bionicle-style articulation.

I can't remember the last time in my life I bought Lego, but this one is actually tempting me back, the preciousssss...

Oh, wait, it's $200. Of course it is. Carry on.

After the jump, a video of the set's designers showing off the details...

That's more than Hasbro's Cloverfield toy cost. But you get bragging rights with this - it's part of a limited edition of only five.

Monster Factory

Created by Toronto-based designer toy company Monster Factory, this guy is part of a Bad Robot-inspired exhibit that opens tonight in L.A.'s Gallery 1988 West, an exhibition space where most of the shows are dedicated to pop-culture and nerdy things. Ten percent of the proceeds go to JJ Abrams and Bryan Burk's favorite charity, The Mission Continues.

The robot will supposedly be available to purchase via the Gallery 1988 website (I don't see him there just yet), but if you want him you'd best move as quickly as he does through the tall grass - even at that price tag, I wouldn't expect him to last long.

It looks to be about four feet tall and fully posable.

What's most impressive, though, is that for a Lego construction, it's incredibly smooth - none of the bricky bits are showing.

Followup question: given how much Lego costs, and how insanely high-end Japanese toys can get - is it possible you could just flat out buy an Evangelion figure that size for less than the price (and labor) of the Lego version?

Created by Capt. Bayley, who also goes by the name of Broken Journalist, this Imperial Perambulator, er, Walker looks ready to battle H.G. Wells' Martian tripods. Some seriously impressive work here.

All images used with permission. There are a lot more on Flickr.

Seems like they were inspired by Mattel's similar celebration of He-Man at 30 - and the praise that fan figure, Castle Grayskullman, received. (Let us all pause to note that the Four Horsemen's FANtastic exclusive came first.)

From the press release:

Hasbro is giving kids and fans the opportunity to make the "Fan Built Bot" character with votes determining everything from being an AUTOBOT or DECEPTICON--to its vehicle or other mode, color, personality and more. Kids and fans are encouraged to vote daily! Also, to keep with the theme of the fans being the ones who really shape and create this new TRANSFORMERS character, Hasbro will also give fans a say in the naming of the new character. More details on the naming will be announced soon.

It sounds good, but in reality your options are very limited in the poll. It can be Autobot or Decepticon, have one of ten generic alt-modes, one of ten weapons, one of five color schemes and one of six personality traits. That's it. If anything, this poll exposes just how easily most Transformers mix and match the same basic ideas in every possible combination.

I hope there will be more ways to offer input, because frankly this feels like they have a bunch of designs ready to go anyway, and just want you to tell them what combination to put them in.

Anyway, go vote if you like.

Okay...what I don't get is that Hasbro isn't doing anything remotely like this. For once, you clearly have a movie in which a bazillion different versions of the hero costume are canonical - and so far all I've seen in the kid range are hardly what you'd call movie replicas. But you can pull them apart, so there's that.

Also: given how much these things cost (around $300), who is saving all their pennies to buy the more obscure variants? Obviously someone.

The pictures speak for themselves, really. For those wondering, the "Power Pose" series is basically stuck in one position with limited articulation; the other two categories speak for themselves.

Yes, another company has a 1966 Batman toy line coming out. This time it's Mezco, who, with their smaller-scale block minifigs, might be offering the most affordable collectibles in the bunch.

Mezco's Facebook

Want playable figures with sculpted likenesses? There's Mattel. Larger-scale collectible figures? NECA.

But if you're seeking the all-important category of "stuff to screw around with on your desk when you should be working," I think Mezco wins.