Skeletor

SUMMARY:
Skeletor, the “Evil Lord of Destruction,” was produced in Taiwan, Mexico (Aurimat), Argentina (Top Toys), Venezuela (Rotoplast), Brazil (Estrela), France, Spain, India (Leo) and Greece. This figure has a removable harness, skirt armor, staff, and a power sword. Like most vintage figures, it has a twisting punch action. 

The Aurimat Skeletor is characterized by pale greenish-blue skin tones and a face paint application that resembles the Hong Kong Skeletor with pointy yellow paint (rather than rounded).  The accessories are a dark grayish-purple or a lighter bluish-purple and are all marked Hong Kong. The figure is found usually marked © Mattel. Inc. 1981, but 1983 marked versions do exist. There’s reportedly a “Mexico” marked Skeletor variant, but that is unconfirmed. Skeletor (just like He-Man) has variations of the hand callus. 

The Aurimat Skeletor was initially released in the first year of Los Amos del Universo production (1984). The accessories on the first release are semi-rigid, dark-grayish purple marked HONG KONG, and a batch number. The hand mold is unique in that it has a ridge on the right hand for better weapon handling. The boots are dark purple to match the accessories, and both boots and accessories look black in certain light scenarios. The accessories on this figure can fade to light gray tones. 

The following year (1985), the Aurimat Skeletor was released without the hand ridge, with much lighter purple accessories that are thinner/more flexible, and what appears to be lighter boots as well (not in all cases). 

Skeletor was presumably released for a third wave (1986). The logic would be that it would be without a hand bump. It's believed this is the release with the MEXICO marking on the back.

The Aurimat Skeletor figure features two primary face variations. The first is a muted yellow tone, often referred to as the "ghost face," while the second has a brighter, more vibrant yellow paint application. Minor face variations seem to exist as well.Typically, the muted face is associated with the first edition and the vibrant face with the second, though this pattern isn't always consistent.

Aurimat Skeletor is particularly prone to color shifting and material degradation, making it challenging to distinguish true factory accessory variants from changes caused by aging. Purple plastic often fades to blue, while darker purples can shift toward gray. As a result, accessories can be found in a wide range of shades along this spectrum.

DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS:
1. Pale greenish-blue skin tone
2. HK-style face paint (pointed yellow paint)
3. Soft heads
4. Dark accessories

1984 RELEASE:
(Hand callus)
MARKED: © Mattel. Inc. 1981
HARNESS: HONG KONG (Batch no. 24)
SKIRT: HONG KONG (Batch no. 22)
SWORD: HONG KONG (Batch no. 23)
STAFF: HONG KONG (Batch no. 21)

1985 RELEASE:
(No hand callus)
MARKED: © Mattel. Inc. 1981 or possibly 1983
HARNESS: HONG KONG (Batch no. 24)
SKIRT: HONG KONG (Batch no. 22)
SWORD: HONG KONG (Batch no. 23)
STAFF: HONG KONG (Batch no. 21)

1986 RELEASE: Unconfirmed
PRESUMED MARKED: © Mattel. Inc. 1981 MEXICO
ALL ACCESSORIES MARKED: HONG KONG