Man-at-Arms: Maces of the World
—A Breakdown of Vintage MOTU Variants by Country—
During the vintage Masters of the Universe era, Man-at-Arms was produced in ten different countries, each release featuring distinct versions of his signature mace. Below is a guide to the known variations, organized by country of origin.
In Spain (Congost), the mace is unmarked and comes in a peach color. There are two known variants, both using a smooth mold which I’ll refer to as the "Spain mold." This mold was also used later by Rotoplast and Estrela. These maces were included with both Congost-marked and Spain-marked figures.
The Spanish Reedition version is also unmarked but uses the French mold, cast in the same peach color as the original Congost release. All accessories with this figure follow the French molds.
The Hong Kong version is marked "HONG KONG" and is made of vivid orange plastic. It’s more flexible than some of the later versions, and has a batch no. 9.
Rotoplast in Venezuela produced a light orange mace with a grainy texture. It is unmarked and uses the same Spain mold described above.
The Malaysia variant is marked "MALAYSIA" and includes either a batch number 1 or 5. This version is more rigid than the Hong Kong or Taiwan releases.
Aurimat in Mexico produced two versions. The first edition, made for the Mattel Inc-marked figure, is Hong Kong marked, fairly rigid, and dark orange. The second edition, made for the Mexico-marked figure, is also Hong Kong marked but features a lighter orange tone that tends to discolor to yellow over time. This version remains rigid as well.
Leo in India released two notable variants. The standard edition is marked "INDIA" on a raised bar and a batch no.5 was included with the conventional Leo Man-at-Arms. The second, often referred to as the "black boot variant," is unmarked and was packaged with the black boot Man-at-Arms figure featuring an arm cuff. Accessories in this version are darker than the standard Leo release.
Estrela in Brazil used the Spain mold and produced two distinct variants. The first edition closely resembles the Rotoplast version with a grainy, light orange finish. The second edition (pictured) is smooth, semi-rigid, and more refined in appearance. Neither version is marked.
The French version is unmarked and uses the unique "France mold." It stands out with its translucent plastic and vivid coloration, making it one of the most eye-catching variants.
Top Toys in Argentina also produced unmarked maces. These are rougher in texture with visible excess plastic, likely due to mold wear. While all share the same mold, colors vary. The conventional release is a dull orange, while several reeditions exist with differing tones depending on the plastic batch. The pictured version is one of the orange reeditions.
Taiwan released two known mace variants. The first edition is marked "TAIWAN" and was included with the red dot Taiwan figures. It has no batch number and features a darker orange tone. Later Taiwan editions are also marked "TAIWAN" but include a batch number 5. These are lighter in color compared to the first release.
For reference photos and side-by-side comparisons, visit
motuvintagevariants.com
