If you were looking for a little intrigue in your Masters of the Universe Classics collecting, Mattel has provided exactly that with a new secret sale and unannounced figure.

Earlier today Mattel silently launched a brand new Masters of the Universe Classics figure called "Spirit of Hordak". The figure's listing will apparently be popping in and out of MattyCollector.com on this page, and it will require a little bit of good timing to actually complete a purchase. If you just visited and missed Spirit of Hordak, the page will read: "You’re too late. Hordak is back in hiding."

If you're lucky enough to spot him and make a purchase, you'll find the following text and photos alongside the purchase link.

Congratulations! By magic or by luck, you’ve found a secret figure! Now you see him… but this master of manipulation can disappear at any moment so act quickly!



This all-clear figure features painted red eyes, chest emblem and removable armband, and comes with a fan-demanded Hordak® cross bow in vintage white. Trust us, this visitor from the dark dimension is up to no good… but you’ll have to get the figure to see his complete bio. Straight from the 2013 mini-comic, “The Secret Origin of Skeletor,” this highly collectable figure is not available with Club Eternia® subscriptions or even during regular monthly sales, so make sure you check back often to try to catch him the next time he decides to project onto this page!



Please Note: This item is on its way to our warehouse! The expected availability is 5/10/13; items ordered at the same time will be held until this one arrives.

This is totally unprecedented for Mattel, and I have to admit I'm impressed that they actually pulled it off. And that's where the positivity ends for this collector. I don't have a lot of interest in purchasing this particular repaint, but if I did, I'd be in an awfully foul mood right now. For completists or fans of this particular deco, making a purchase is going to be a stressful process. In all likelihood it's going to be an expensive process as those with the time and dedication to finding this figure will be buying as many as they can to sell at inflated aftermarket prices, leaving little for the regular buyer.

Right now we have very little information about this figure's rarity, its listing schedule, its bio, or anything else for that matter. The only answer we do have is that we finally know where the previously-teased white crossbow belongs. This isn't the first time buying a Masters of the Universe Classics figure has been difficult, but at least it was always unintended in the past.

I'll be bringing more details as I get them, but in the meantime keep looking for the Spirt of Hordak on MattyCollector.com. Maybe it's this ghostly Hordak that killed the Ghostbusters line...

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Update #1: This image is currently visible on MattyCollector.com, and does indeed indicate that Spirt of Hordak has sold out. I still believe there will be more Spirit of Hordak figures listed for sale in the future, but this evidence suggests otherwise.

I expect Mattel to release a statement sometime in the next day or two.

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Update #2: Over on MattyCollector.com, the following exchange occurred.

Shecky: This was a complete and welcome surprise, so my question is should we expect any future unannounced figures, or was this a one-shot deal? Toyguru: If we told you it wouldn't be a surprise now would it?

I have no idea what that means either, but I have a feeling Toyguru's (Mattel Brand Manager Scott Neitlich) coy attitude means this is probably a little more under control than people currently believe.