Sign up for our newsletter for the latest news and updates!

Vintage Mattel Masters of the Universe Series 1 Man at Arms 1982 Review

The Mattel Masters of the Universe Man At Arms was first released in 1982 as part of the inaugural wave of action figures.  He was also known by the name Duncan. He was the best friend of  He-Man, was a soldier, inventor and the foster Father of Teela from the series. 

Initially he was released on an 8-back card and later the 12-back card. This figure was a great example of Mattel’s ability to fuse barbarian mythology to technology. 

The Best + Biggest Action Figure Database in the World!!

  • 60,000+ Action Figures
  • Release Dates
  • Checklists
  • Video Library
  • eBooks + Guides
  • Historical $$ Values

Learn more (click)

Recent updates

A Collapsible Table:

Man at Arms Review

Man at Arms was a member of the Heroic Warriors Clan and was by far the most tech savvy of all the original wave of figures. His design resembled that of a futuristic Spanish conquistador with his armour and helmet covered in sculpted hoses and cables.

His armour was removeable and he came with extra body armour including shoulder and arm protector.

His body was the standard He-Man torso, arms and legs but using a solid green plastic with no detail making it look like he is wearing a green body suit under his armour.

If you look closely, you can see he also has sculpted hair under his helmet, but in order to save costs it was painted in the same blue so it’s hard to notice it.

In the cartoon Man at Arms had an armour on both of his arms and legs whereas on the toy he only had armour on his left leg and arm, which fits in with Roman Gladiators who only wore armour on the side they generally defended with, giving more freedom of movement to his attacking arm. In the cartoon however, he was given armour on both sides to save on costs as this meant the same film cell could be used for multiple shots whereas if only one side was armoured, they would have to use a different cell for “reverse” shots.

He had swivel articulation on the head, arms and hips, with the same Power Punch action feature on his torso as He-Man and Skeletor. 

He also lacked the distinctive moustache that the cartoon character was famous for. For accessories he came with a mace and removable armour on his left leg and arm. The figure also came packaged with a mini-comic book.

One of the original working titles for Man at Arms was Arms Man. The earlier releases of the figure, on the 8-back cards, had red dots on the front of his helmet but later versions had these omitted. Man at Arms was the adoptive father of Teela.

Weapons and Accessories:

• Mace

• Removable Chest Armor

• Removable Arm Armor

• Removable Leg Armor

Values as of February 2022

MOC $200-$1500

MLC $20-$40

Loose $5-$15

Vintage and Modern Action Figures for Sale

    The AFR Action Figure Store
  • Worldwide Delivery
  • Multiple Currencies
  • Special offers
  • Monthly Sales
  • Customer Loyalty Prog

SHOP NOW SPEACIAL DISCOUNTS AVAILABLE ----->>

Buy Master of the Universe Figures

Masters of the Universe Pages

Masters of the Universe Links

Battle Ram Blog

Master of the Universe Variants


Recent Articles

  1. Mego Star Trek Action Figures: A Look Back at the Iconic Toy Line

    Feb 01, 23 12:37 AM

    Star Trek Logo
    Mego’s first Star Trek Action Figures were released as far back as 1974, pre-Star Wars, and were based primarily on the live-action TV series [ read more ]

    Read More

  2. Baseball Action Figures: A History of Sports Figures

    Jan 23, 23 11:08 PM

    Johnny Hero 01
    The very first baseball action figures were similar in design and look to Hasbro's popular GI Joe figure with interchangeable uniforms and a generic look

    Read More

  3. NHL Action Figures Guide

    Jan 15, 23 10:53 PM

    NHL Logo
    NHL Action Figures: A Look at the History and Evolution of These Collectible Miniature Hockey Players

    Read More

  4. NBA Basketball Action Figures Guide

    Jan 15, 23 09:07 PM

    nba-logo.jpg
    In 1986 Pat McInally, while browsing through the toy aisles of a local store saw rows of toys featuring super-heroes, but none based on sports heroes

    Read More

  5. NFL Action Figures Guide

    Jan 15, 23 09:06 PM

    NFL Action Team Mates
    As sales of sport trading cards continue to drop alarmingly sales of NFL action figures continues to grow despite the current economic crisis [Read more]

    Read More

  6. The Mattel Toy Company Story

    Dec 26, 22 02:58 AM

    Mattel Logo
    Mattel is one of the biggest toy manufacturers in the world and was founded in 1945 by

    Read More

  7. The Justice League of America

    Dec 20, 22 01:17 AM

    JLA Logo
    The Justice League of America or JLA is a fictional superhero team that, as well as striking fear into villains around the world [ READ MORE ]

    Read More

  8. The NECA Toy Company

    Dec 13, 22 02:41 AM

    Neca Logo 1
    The NECA Toy Company or the National Entertainment Collectables Association are a toy manufacturer based in New Jersey...[read more]

    Read More

PLEASE NOTE: All prices and values quoted on this site were correct at the time of publication based on the average value across several online and offline auction sites etc. The prices quoted ARE NOT an offer or solicitation to buy any figures at these prices.

Share the Love!

Enjoy this page? Please pay it forward. Here's how...

Would you prefer to share this page with others by linking to it?

  1. Click on the HTML link code below.
  2. Copy and paste it, adding a note of your own, into your blog, a Web page, forums, a blog comment, your Facebook account, or anywhere that someone would find this page valuable.
var l = window.location.href, d = document; document.write('<form action="#"><div style="text-align:center"><textarea cols="50" rows="2" onclick="this.select();"><a href="'+l+'">'+d.title+'</a></textarea></div></form>');

All trademarks and registered trademarks, whether or not so identified, are acknowledged to be the property of their respective owners. The use of a trademark does not imply that such use has been authorised, endorsed or sponsored by the trademark owner.