Masters of the Universe Origins Snake Mountain Playset Review

Snake Mountain will require some assembly out of the box, but you should be fine just referencing the box art. The look of the playset is very faithful to the original 1983 Snake Mountain, both inside and out. The exterior has the familiar gnarled purple mountainside with light gray airbrushing, and a giant, poseable green snake protruding from the top. Inside you can see even more familiar features like the acid pit, and observation monitor. However, this is far from a 1 to 1 replica! This edition brings even more to the fold, including a weapons rack, a prison cell that can be installed either in the basement or under the trap door, and a skeletal throne. The creatures that were once relegated to stickers are now flexible, dimensional, rubbery creatures that you can plug into special places in the landscape. The entire thing is assembled with a hinge, letting you set up the display closed, or spread out. When spread out, all of the accessories and platforms can be installed properly for greater variety of play. Folded up, it’s much easier to store, and while most accessories store inside, not all of them do, especially the large exterior walkway.

No figures come with the set, so you’ll need to bring your own (sold separate) Masters of the Universe Origins figures to populate it. If you do have them, they fit right in, and can be posed very effectively (unlike on the 1983 version) via the foot pegs and graspable rails, like on the interior ladder. The only old feature missing from this new version is the voice changing mechanic in the wolf’s head microphone, now only a modest, but nevertheless menacing looking tower sentinel.  This modern Snake Mountain may not include any exclusive figure, but that helps bring the price down on this awesome optional expansion set that will please both old and new fans alike.