SUMMARY:
The Aurimat Mer-Man can be identified by its bluish-green skin tones, unpainted belt, semi-translucent soft head, and powder orange face paint app. Both the harness and the sword are semi-rigid, lime yellow. The figure had a separate release for each one of the 3 years of the Los Amos del Universo production (1984-1986), and all 3 have minor differences. I suspect all say MEXICO under the head, but I’ve only verified this with the third release.
The first release (1984) is marked © Mattel. Inc. 1981, has a pronounced callus in the right hand for better handling of weapons, dark green skin tones, and an unmarked sword. The harness is marked © Mattel. Inc. 1981 MEXICO on all 3 releases.
The second release (1985) is similar to the first release, except for having less pronounced (but still visible) callus in the right hand. The accessories are about the same. The body is slightly lighter in color.
In the third and last year of production (1986) Aurimat modified the molds to now say © Mattel. Inc. 1984 MEXICO on the lower back. The figure is a lighter bluish-green, and now no longer has a callus in the right hand. This pattern of removing the callus seemed to happen to all figures (not just Mer-Man) in the 1986 line-up.
The sword comes in 2 different variants. A standard length, darker sword, and a longer, brighter, yellow sword. The long sword is the longest of all sword variants. Both swords are semi-rigid and unmarked.
DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS:
1. Bluish-green skin tones
2. Unpainted belt
3. Semi-translucent head with powder orange face paint app
FIRST WAVE (1984):
(pronounced hand callus)
1. MARKED: © Mattel. Inc. 1981
2. HARNESS MARKED: © Mattel. Inc. 1981. MEXICO
3. SWORD MARKED: Unmarked
SECOND WAVE (1985):
(slight hand callus)
1. MARKED: © Mattel. Inc. 1981
2. HARNESS MARKED: © Mattel. Inc. 1981. MEXICO
3. SWORD MARKED: Unmarked
THIRD WAVE (1986):
(no hand callus)
1. MARKED: © Mattel. Inc. 1984 MEXICO
2. HARNESS MARKED: © Mattel. Inc. 1981. MEXICO
3. SWORD MARKED: Unmarked
THIRD WAVE (1986): Brick red shorts variant
(no hand callus)
1. MARKED: © Mattel. Inc. 1984 MEXICO
2. HARNESS MARKED: © Mattel. Inc. 1981. MEXICO
3. SWORD MARKED: Unmarked
