This Rare Light-Up Skeletor Figure Is Worth Even More Than The Original

One of pop culture’s most iconic villains, Skeletor is also among the most collectible characters in the Masters of the Universe line, with a carded sample of his original 1981 figure worth upwards of a $1-2k to collectors today. But far more valuable is a 1988 variant of Skeletor that American fans didn’t even know existed until the advent of the internet: Laser Light Skeletor. 

Only distributed in Italy and Spain, Laser Light Skeletor was one of the last figures released in Mattel’s original Masters of the Universe line. Few samples are known to exist, and fewer still make it to the United States to be sold to eager He-Man collectors for a four-figure price tag. On eBay now is a rare mint-on-card Laser Light Skeletor, itself worth the $3.5k asking price. But this seller has sweetened the deal by adding Skeletor’s mortal enemy and another vintage Masters of the Universe grail: Laser Power He-Man.

Why This He-Man & Skeletor Were Only Available in Two Countries

Released in 1988 in Spain and 1989 in Italy, Laser Light Skeletor and Laser Power He-Man were designed by Mattel without plans to distribute the figures in the United States. Mattel designer David Wolfram explains that “While MOTU [Masters of the Universe] was tanking domestically, it was still going strong internationally, which was a year behind in the product cycle. This was done to have something new for that market.” 

Both mark significant departures from the line’s other He-Man and Skeletor figures, with Skeletor especially undergoing a major redesign. Wolfram cites William Gibson’s Neuromancer and the work of Alien concept artist H.R. Giger as influences on the more bio-mechanical Laser Light Skeletor. His initial sketches for the figure referring to it as “Bio-Mechazoid Skeletor.” 

In this early design, Skeletor is without his iconic hooded cape or havoc staff, with the staff swapped for a capture-claw accessory. This was changed by the second round of concept art for the figure, which balances Wolfram’s Giger-inspired redesign with still being recognizable as Skeletor. Laser Power He-Man saw a less involved design process. The concept art basically resembles the finished figure, a sci-fi spin on He-Man and his power-sword weapon.

How These Figures Became Iconic Holy Grail Items

Since their discovery by the global He-Man fandom in the 1990s and 2000s, both figures have become iconic for their status as coveted holy grail figures. Mattel has made tribute figures inspired by Laser Power He-Man and Laser Light Skeletor in both their Masters of the Universe Origins and Masters of the Universe Classics lines. Laser Light Skeletor is even recognizable to fans of The New Adventures of He-Man cartoon as the basis for its updated Skeletor design. 

The pair in this eBay listing are easily distinguished as the Italian versions of both figures. He-Man sports a new headsculpt seen only on the 1988 Italian production run; the 1989 Spanish Laser Power He-Man uses the original 1982 He-Man headsculpt. While Laser Light Skeletor himself is unchanged between the Spanish and Italian production runs, the figure boasts two packaging variations. 

The Spanish figure was sold as “Ojos de Fuego” (Fire-Eyes) Skeletor, and its packaging written in English, Spanish, and Portuguese. The Italian “Occhi de Fuoco” ( also meaning “Fire-Eyes”) Skeletor has a card in English, Italian, and French, as seen with this sample. 

Loose, Laser Light Skeletor sells for $600-1k depending on condition, affected heavily by the presence of his cloth cape, staff, and a working laser battery pack. In package, the figure is worth at least $2.5-4k, with the Spanish card the more desirable variant. This makes the $3.5k price on this listing a relative bargain when the loose Laser Power He-Man is taken into account. Along with fellow European-only releases Tytus and Megator, Laser-Light Skeletor and Laser Sword He-Man are the undisputed rarest figures in the original line, and this set will make an impressive centerpiece to one Masters of the Universe collector’s shelf.

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