Trap Jaw Masters of the Universe

From the film Moonraker comes an action figure for the Masters Of The Universe series. Trap Jaw got his inspiration from the “Jaws” character from the movies. The minicomics were the first indication that Trap Jaw was a part of the the evil gang. He was first featured in, “The Menace Of Trap Jaw”. He was a criminal from another dimension. Mattel made him into an evil action figure in their second series of He Man toys.

The powers that Trap Jaw has come from the mental instability he had when he was in his first dimension. Being a psychotic and cybernetic, he is quite violent in the comics and is portrayed as a mass murderer. Thanks to his lack of intelligence he is seen as a bumbling fool but has a few moments in the limelight. One of those times was in the episode, “Double Edged Sword”. In this program he goes after the mineral Eternium that powers the Royal Kingdom. He eventually finds it and eats it, supposedly making himself as powerful as He Man. There are times he has some technical abilities since he must be able to load different weapons on his mechanical right arm. He has various weapons that can installed on the arm, to suit the occasion. There is a hook, a lasertron, a sword blade, an energy bow, a rocket launcher, a freeze ray, an elongated laser, a flamethrower, a fire extinguisher ( to put out the fires the flamethrower caused ), a miniature laser, a claw, a grabber, a dropper, a pile driver and the fly swatter. The fly swatter is only shown on his arm in one episode. He can be thought of as an evil “Inspector Gadget” of the Masters Of The Universe series.

Trap Jaw and other 1982 and 1983 Mattel action figures are 5 ½ inches tall. This was a departure from the standard 3 ¾ inch figures of the day. He came with three tools for his mechanical arm. His body was a bluish green color and his famous jaw was a part of his red helmet. A removable neon green “skull and crossbones” belt protects his midsection. His face is also neon green. Trap Jaw has legs that are a mix of human and machine. His red shorts match the color of his helmet.

The Mattel Trap Jaw action figure came with the “power punch” feature from Mattel. This feature was a waist that twisted and snapped back into position. It was powered by an elastic band located inside the toy which wore out with extended use.

The original Mattel Trap Jaw action figure did not have different versions for the toy itself, but sometimes a “glow ring” was included for the children to wear. The main difference for collectors is the fact that some packages are an “8 back” and some are called a “12 back”. The “8 backs” are rarer as they were the first to be made. They have eight Masters Of The Universe figures drawn on the back. The “12 backs” came later and have 12 figures on the back of the card.

For the collectors, there are plenty of Mattel “Trap Jaws” to be found online. He can be found in unopened bubble packages or “loose” without one. If he is in a package Trap Jaw will range from between $300 to $600 depending on the condition. If he is loose he can go for $20 to $70 dollars. His mechanical arm accessories are fairly easy to find.