Re-painting a MOTU Origins Skeletor - What Mattel should have done! - Toy Polloi

[@ovverman]

I've always wanted to see someone do this. Your paint job really turned that head around.

[@Geek_Chorus]

I know it's an unpopular opinion, but now I can unabashedly admit I love the open mouth Skeletor origins head sculpt. When I close my eyes and picture him, that's the way he looks in my childhood memories. At least for me it really captures the exuberant kinetic energy of "old boneface" as if he's roasting King Randor or cackling maniacally as he is wont to do. This repaint looks awesome too, great job as always!!

[@toypolloi]

The face has grown on me. But it I find it very limiting in what you can do with him. That's why I prefer the simpler face.

[@MrLurchsThings]

Such a huge improvement!

[@toypolloi]

Thanks. I wish Mattel had done this to start with. The sculpt is good, just the paint that lets it down.

[@tycondrius23]

I’d be interested to see the vintage style paint on the open mouth head 🤔 , great job as always 😊

[@lostonwallace1396]

Dave, you've made a mediocre looking Skeletor look the part of a winner! It's amazing what paint application can do to make a figure really stand out! You've really brought back the more familiar Skeletor that we all grew up with! Bravo!

[@thelucasveloso]

Wow! Never could put my finger on what exactly was wrong with that head, but now I know! Great job figuring it out and doing the paint job justice!

[@toypolloi]

Thanks

[@banzaibobA7V]

What a massive improvement. Proof positive as to how important a good paint job is to bringing the underlying sculpt to life.

[@sithcarebear1]

Wow Dave!! That looks Amazing! I totally agree that Skeletor is where they dropped the ball the most with the paint apps. You really proved your point here. Those small modifications made a HUGE difference in the overall appearance. He looks much more like the original and a definitive version of the character. I think I am going to get another and do the same. Cheers!

[@toypolloi]

Thanks. It is simple to fix which is why it's a shame Mattel didn't do this to start with.

[@mrbluesteen]

The Origins Skeletor head that came with keldor 2 pack looks very close to the Vintage head.

[@richardromanyshyn608]

Best attempt they made so far, I like the darker purple of Keldors armor too. Head looks like the mini comic back in the day

[@TOKYOTOYBANZAI]

Great work! Looks sooooo much better!! Loved the sludge-rock toward the end of the video too!

[@toypolloi]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@heisenbat]

Ah, the fillet technique! I do this for my clamshell/carded figures from waaaaay back. Thank you @Toy Polloi it's nice to see someone do it in a video

[@toypolloi]

It's nice to keep the cards as undamaged as possible as they can always be displayed with the figures. As a child I would tear them off. But I do like keeping the cards.

[@ActionPopCast]

I've been on the fence about getting a few origins figures to scratch the motu itch and honestly one of the things I've not liked is the Skeletor head. Well I guess thats no longer an excuse I can use 🤣 brilliant work 👏

[@toypolloi]

It bugged me as you can see. Easy to fix. I may repaint the other Skeletors I have now.

[@richardromanyshyn608]

If you are into doing customs, beware the arms don't come off on the battle armor figures. No Battle Armor Beastman for me I guess

[@TediI47]

Very tempted to give this a try. I told myself to hold back on skeletors as i have so many, but if i find one cheap i wont hesitate.

[@josecoto6709]

After seeing the result, I'm definitely repainting mine.

[@derheadbanger9039]

I always wondered about the dark edges on the side of the jaw of the vintage figure - but wow, it really makes abig difference! 😲

[@eltenda]

Outstanding job..! I would love one like that!

[@toypolloi]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@chipsdubbo5.56]

Wow that is night and day!

[@ZetZatar]

HUGE improvement! Well done! 👍

[@toypolloi]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@thochaos13]

I do prefer your version to the original one, but the second one is still my favourite.

[@HereIsWisdom1318]

Wow! Your paint-job is amazing!

[@toypolloi]

Thank you so much!

[@mrbluesteen]

I totally Agree! Nothing beats the Vintage skeletor head. 😂

[@johna4371]

Wow. I have an extra one of these and he's definitely getting this treatment.

[@impossiblepie]

Excellent work Dave!

[@Jaytee.]

This new paint job makes all the difference. Superb work. 😃

[@toypolloi]

Thanks 👍

[@rayantonetti7802]

Egad old boy that is amazing!!!! Great job Dave I need to go get some paints!!

[@TheCrazyparrot8]

Great job Dave!

[@knightwolfpro4494]

love the repainted skeletor. I have not seen the reissue Skeletor or He-Man in the wild anywhere let along discounted. very lucky find.

[@vadergamer7722]

Thank-you for this video Awesome job!! Easy to understand and how to do this to make this figure so much more better. Thanks buddy

[@kaylemathewcomendador6964]

The way the new head was painted was the main flaw I had with the figure. That’s one of the reasons I preferred the first release head. The mouth may have been weirdly wide open, but the way stuff like the greens and yellows were painted were more akin to the vintage head. Thanks for showing there’s a way to repaint the new head more akin to the vintage head.

[@f.w.problems7690]

Nice work Mr P.! Dig the new tunes too🤘

[@blackcatgraphics1483]

Awesome job! Just wanted to add that this video had probably the best selection of background music I've ever heard! I'd easily listen to a full album by this artist!

[@510newguy]

I like your repaint but I also liked the look of friendly Skeletor to be honest haha

[@richardromanyshyn608]

Precious Moments Skeletor

[@manko8852]

Nicely done

[@briansadler7270]

Hit really is amazing how much better that looks. Never know untill you see it, but this really looks good. Definitely gonna have to try this on mine.

[@yellowgut]

I’ve repainted almost all of my origins figures, they look great!

[@druidarawnantihero]

That looks so good!

[@loganjorgensen]

Well you start to appreciate what the original paintjob was trying to do, almost like a lightmap the way it draws on deep shadows and approximates the skull hollows in the solid piece. Even the lack of eyes is implied better with more dark purple than hot red pupils.

[@user-c0br4k4in0m3rcy]

It is fooking fantastic, wish my origins skeletor had the new mold so I could do something similar

[@BigColorfulToyShow]

I really like your vintage coloring of the head, mattel should release a Origins Skeletor with that exact face paint 🙂. Now you have to replace the body, the armor and the weapons with the darker tones from the Origins 200x Skeletor and the Origins Keldor figure ;-)

[@MrReverbdeluxe]

Amazing work! Who new that there was a vintage sculpt underneath that face after all. I'll definitely be trying this on my spare copy now.

[@closetstarwarsfreak]

Personal I like the head that comes with the keldor 2pack. With the ruby eyes. Have you seen it?

[@SNDWRM]

Thats very very good!👍

[@NeverlandK_]

Great work 😊

[@toypolloi]

Thanks 👍

[@tycondrius23]

Oh also I dunno if this would help on the next version but the skull part of the face on the origins one is separate to the cowl with some heating it could probably be pried off to be painted separately

[@cyberius7042]

I'm not very handy with a brush, but this might be worth a try. Really, just blacking out the "cheeks" made a big enough difference to me.

[@BrynSmith76]

Wow, that looks so much better. I bet you could improve on the open mouth one too.

[@EnigmaticPenguin]

Wow, that’s fantastic! Your head is a major improvement. If I find myself brave enough one day I might attempt it on my own. I’d love to e see you apply the same fix to the other alternate skeletor heads as well.

[@13cdc]

The head that comes in the Keldor two pack is the best Origins head.

[@rohit1701d]

What colors are these? Are they acrylic? do we get these on amazon?

[@Mangahaulic109]

Incredible repaint.

[@Rocket1377]

I don't think Mattel's version is bad. It's very similar to how the 2009 Classics figure was painted. Your "retro" paint job does look very nice though.

[@greeneyes2030]

Love your videos, I'm always amazed at how creative and how well you are able to restore toys. I do have a question and I know I'm going to make my self seem really stupid lol but I have no clue about painting dolls/ toys and I have a newer Barbie that I was wanting to gloss the lips of because her factory lip paint is kind of on the matte side, I love the color I just wanna make them shiny and was wondering if you could tell me a good gloss paint I could use that won't damage her over time cause I've heard some glosses can damage dolls over time and I'm really paranoid about messing her up cause she is a favorite in my collection, Hope to hear back and thank you for making such detailed videos :)

[@toypolloi]

I use acrylic paints for all my restorations. Vallejo are a good make. To get the gloss look use a clear gloss top coat on whatever colour you paint in. You'll see me do this in many of my recent star wars figure restorations, I generally use a satin finish as that matches the look of the original paint, but gloss is available. Cheers

[@ChrisFoley0803]

Hey ! Well done, looks exactly like the vintage one. But I must say, that I never liked the vintage look of skeletor. Even as a kid I was disappointed that he did not look like in the first 4 comicks. I always wanted a "Alcala-look". But it would require a totally different head-mold for that. However, you did a perfect paint-job on that one. Have you ever tried to replicate an "Alfredo-Alcala-look" on a Skeletor ?

[@jameskent9759]

Excellent custom paint job! The shading on the skull made such a difference. Can I ask you though, after you've varnished where you've painted over Motu origins figures, do you find that they go a bit sticky/tacky? I've done repaints on vintage and origins figures, and found that the vintage doesn't go tacky like the origins does after putting a coat of varnish on them. I guess it's the different plastic that they use now. Anyways, keep up the good work. It's always inspiring to watch your customisations/repairs.

[@toypolloi]

I coated this in a Mr.Hobby semi gloss varnish and it's fine. No tack at all. The other thing to try is a bit of talcum powder. That works as well but does give the paint a slight metallic look. Which can be quite cool.

[@jameskent9759]

@@toypolloi many thanks for the tip. Using talcum powder to give a metallic finish sounds interesting. I'll definitely give that a go at some point. 👍

[@cr0uchingtiger]

I really like the way your painted version looks like a skull vs the origins one which looks totally round.

[@TenkoVA]

It looks more like he hasn't eaten in a while and his skin tightened around his face lol

[@DeepVeinZombosis]

Amazing again

[@evanlindsey1100]

When are you going to paint Skeletor's armor? I've seen a few decent customs, and I think that you could pull one off extremely well.

[@Theopheus]

It looks amazing compared to the retail version and I think it's even better than the original. Have you done any research into the hardeners used by the toy companies? I first caught on to action figure customizing over 20 years ago when the internet was in its infancy (although as a child I did paint a few Robotech figures with model paints) and most people go with paint and clear coat, but it always leaves that glossy look, never looks quite factory, and doesn't hold up as well. I've spent a LOT of time over the last few decades periodically searching for information on what types of paints the actual manufacturers use and come up with nothing. In fact it was only recently that I finally learned about the face masking that apparently factories use for their quick paint applications.

[@IceWolfLoki]

I think the Origins teeth are fine it just needed the darkness added to the jaw and more paint in the eye and nose holes.

[@jansonsynder]

Dave, I have a logistics question or 2. 1. Is the original head one piece? I'm curious about the toy maker's paint steps under the hood. 2. Which green color was painted 1st?

[@toypolloi]

The original vintage head is one piece of dark blue/purple rubber. All the details are painted on. On that I think the lighter green/yellow was put in first. On the new origins version it's made from two pieces and the face is a green coloured plastic. On top of that yellow is painted. Cheers

[@bentbilliard]

It's definitely much better. That was the main thing that bothered me on the new Skeletor and made me actually not collect the Origins Series at all. I do have the vintage ones and those still make me happy enough anyway.

[@lofi-guy]

The Origins rise of evil 2 pack has a very good Skeletor spare head with it.

[@TenkoVA]

God that looks gorgeous. I may have to use this. Do you have any plans to do this with other characters?

[@looselycollected7505]

The biggest thing I didn't like about the open mouth one is that they made figures like Trapjaw with a hinged jaw. They also made the Masters of the WWE Universe line on the same style bodies as the Origins figures. And they had a Bray Wyatt figure with a hinged jaw. So why not make the open mouth Skeletor a hinged jaw as well?

[@carn9507]

They made Masterverse 40th Anniversary Skeletor from the SDCC two pack have a hinged jaw too. Which makes me even more annoyed that set sold out before I could get one.

[@BrinPaints]

This makes me really want to do a full on miniature bust style repaint of him, make him more in line with the art they did instead of necessarily the classic toy

[@georgemartinezjr]

Hey Dave Great Hob In Old Happy Face . Have ever used a Pyrogravure To alter or repair the Face in Acruon Figure

[@portland-182]

Great stuff. Is the new Skeletor perhaps a candidate for a classic head swap? A bit of Lego may save the day?

[@toypolloi]

That was my initial plan. But with a good paintjob the new head looks just as good.

[@Bucky749]

You might want check out the podcast garden plots with skeletor even not into gardening it well done and the actor does great making feel like it is skeletor doing and brings in his minions .

[@toypolloi]

Thanks. I will check it out.

[@richardromanyshyn608]

Looks fantastic. Mattel couldn't have dropped the ball any harder than they did with every Skeletor head in Origins so far. I noticed you are always using acrylic paint. When I tried what we have here, it's not durable at all and soapy water would wash it away. Is that acrylic enamel you are using? I switched to model paint but then am leary on using it on old soft heads. Or what kind of clear are you going over everything with? Great video and yes Mattel needs someone to consult with at times. Rest of the line looks great with vintage and box art heads to choose from

[@toypolloi]

Thanks. Put a good clear top coat on at the end.

[@richardromanyshyn608]

@@toypolloi Thanks

[@bartfoster9285]

Looks great. I don't understand why they can't get it right.

[@knuthamsun6106]

infinitely better 👌😑 I just don’t understand what they were aiming for with this, they got the paint right on the 12” Skeletor I’m also not a fan of the new trap-jaw eyes It’s a shame 4HM didn’t have any input on the Origins head sculpts

[@zarnistastudios]

Well the results definitely speak for themselves. I only have a few origins figures and it’s the first sculpt with the open mouth. I may see if I can try some of your ideas…

[@gunnarjordan6980]

The new ones look cool but are different colors.

[@Grim2]

Really weird how much they slack with the colours. It's easiest thing they can get right and yet... like, look at Hordak for example and how long it took them to paint his eyes properly and STILL issues with the paint on the rest of him remain...

[@toypolloi]

That's what I don't get. What I showed here is the same amount of paint applications. So it is possible within their budget.

[@MrAugenpeter]

The Super7-Version looks more like „Awkward Teenage Years Skeletor“!

[@plattenstories]

Very impressive! Great music btw. Who is it?

[@toypolloi]

Thanks. Music should all be listed in the video description. Cheers

[@markomontalvo3055]

Hola amigo lindos Skeletors ok

[@wolfman210]

Personally I like Mattel's version because he looks both evil and ghoulish and like he enjoys being evil and ghoulish. The Retro looks more like a tragic or misunderstood villain to me.

[@zoltanmolnar6937]

i will paint he-man boots to red as it was in vintage figure.

[@lonbekel-l9b]

I know I'm slightly color blind, but I always thought Skeletor's accessories were Purple not dark blue.

[@toypolloi]

The vintage ones are purple/dark blue. The Origins ones are much bluer. Cheers

[@lovejoy740]

You can pull the hood off also

[@carn9507]

eh I dunno, I never felt the original Skeletor toy looked skull-like enough. He looked like he still has some rotting flesh on his face still with the green and with the way the teeth and jaw are still not fully detailed as they would be if it was full skull and looked too obviously painted on like he's wearing a mask or something. I don't collect Origins (Masterverse is more my thing, I just far prefer the extra detail, proportions and articulation) but I do have that second head Skeletor and kinda regret it because the first release with the open mouth is so much for fun for figure photo scenes and memes and funny pics. Your repaint looks good. I just would like to see it go further with finer details and look more realistic but your goal was to match the vintage figure more and you done that.

[@jarredcramer9493]

Can you do one of He-Mans Head?

[@toypolloi]

The He-man head is already pretty good. Not sure what I could do to improve it.

[@Bernhard2024]

What! You got the International version of Origins in UK? I thought they would sell the US-version in your country? Than you have not text inside the minicomics as well- What a freaky decision of Mattel! i went to London one mounth ago and i couldn`t find any MotU toys in shops. Not even at Forbidden Planet. And a friend told me, that some shops in UK stoped selling MotU.

[@toypolloi]

The US version doesn't have the correct legal text on for the UK.

[@ultramaximusreviews]

That for sure looks better. I really did the open mouth one through from Hasbro. I did a 200X custom a while back kzbin.info/www/bejne/pYWld5ecrq6qrrc and my personal favorite was my Battle Armor Faker kzbin.info/www/bejne/pXvEip2Yf9V8eqM

[@andrethib]

Ick, that Super 7 Skeletor is scary, and not in a good way...

[@StillABigKid]

A "few Skeletors"? That's an understatement. Great work and loved the 70s cop show music during the paint mixing.

[@lipranditoys]

Mattel did a horrible job with heads on this line. Not only is amazing how in 2022 they aren't able to keep as much detail as they did 40 years ago. All new sculpts for He Man's face are unbearable, and skeletor looks ridiculous with the new paint deco. What you've done shows how easily Mattel could've improved the new figures.

[@carn9507]

Those Super 7 Reaction figures are awful (I never understood the point of modern figures that are worse than 40 year old figures, the fact that the Reaction Battle Cat and Panthor have to have big holes in them because He-Man and Skeletor can't move their legs apart is ridiculous) but the artwork on the card is nice.

[@toypolloi]

I think I only bought the one I have for the card. I've not seen any super7 figures that appeal to me.

[@SockFullOfCatLitter]

Update: If you don't wanna buy the update of the Origins Skeletor if you already bought him. His head is now in Origins Dragon Blaster.

[@SockFullOfCatLitter]

Great job, one question, I simply took a vintage figure and squeezed it on my origins. Why not just make a filler mold based on the inside of an origins head and do it that way?

[@toypolloi]

Not sure what the question is? Why not do something different to what I showed? 🤷 The point of this video is to show what little needed doing to make the face look like the vintage one.

[@SockFullOfCatLitter]

@@toypolloi Sorry what I meant was I hodge-pedged a vintage head onto an origins Skeletor. I don't have the talent. :) SO I though maybe if I filled it with clay to make it more secure.

[@toypolloi]

Nice. That was my first plan as well.

[@jozefgoos1735]

Nicely done