Skeletor

SUMMARY:
Congost began the production of the Spain Skeletor in March 1984, followed by a second release in 1985 & 1986 (marked Spain in the torso), and culminating with a 1987 & 1989 release of the promotional Skeletor, which used the Skeletor He-Man molds.

While all Spain-made figures were made by the Congost factories, we tend to refer to the initial release as the “Congost” Skeletor, due primarily to the Congost logo in the blister. This figure did not have a country marking on the figure, rather it was just marked Mattel Inc on the torso and had all unmarked accessories. All accessories on this figure are soft/gummy. The Congost Skeletor came in 2 different variations. Both variations can be identified by the back marking "© Mattel. Inc. 1981", the France-style face paint app, and the soft/gummy weapons. The accessories are short strap. Where these 2 different Congost Skeletors vary is in the translucency and the sword mold. One version has an opaque head that does not allow light to pass. This figure came with the standard mold Congost accessories (unmarked). The other version has a translucent head, as well as an extremely rare sword without the female slot.

It is a subject of debate whether the opaque head or the translucent head came first. Some believe the translucent head was the very first release, while others affirm it came the following year, during the transitional period during which the card backs where changed from having Congost logos to Mattel Spain logos.

The next release had the Spain Mattel logo on the blister as opposed to the Congost logo. The figure is marked SPAIN, and it has bluer skin tones. The face paint app is more "France-like" than the Congost release. The accessories on this figure are identical to the standard Congost accessories. This figure was released both on an individual blister and presumed on a twin pack with a Skeletor figure.

Where there seemed to be a dramatic change is in the third Skeletor release, known as the “Promocional” due to the promotional language on the blister. For this figure, Congost used the France Skeletor mold. The figure is marked MADE IN FRANCE on the torso, and FRANCE on the vest, skirt, and staff. The sword is marked TAIWAN and has a high batch number in the fifties. There's evidence that this figure could have at certain times come with a France-marked sword as well. This figure came with translucent leg bands, as opposed to the black leg bands of the prior two He-Man releases.

This promotional figure can sometimes be confused for a France Skeletor. A few key differentiators are the bluer accessories (As opposed to light purple on France) and bluer tones overall.

VARIANTS:
1. First Edition Congost
2. Spain Marked
3. Promotional Release