All but the very earliest Masters of the Universe figure cards featured artwork of the character in battle or on patrol somewhere in the wilds of Eternia. Some – if not all – of these paintings were created by Errol McCarthy.

The artwork is brighter than Rudy Obrero’s box art. The characters’ poses are less realistic. But there is an exciting quality to the illustrations which actually conveys more about the landscape than the characters themselves.

The examples below were scanned from a portfolio of McCarthy’s Masters of the Universe work which was released by Super7 when they held the MOTU licence. These colourful images are celebrated by fans.

He-Man on the lookout with Teela and Man-At-Arms. This is a neat example of how McCarthy presented his landscapes. The forms of the grasses, clouds and hills look like they could have been created by linocut.

The twilight glow of this illustration is rather special. Skeletor skulks toward Castle Grayskull, doubtlessly with malevolent intentions. The placement of the fortress on the barren outcrop is interesting.

Another example of McCarthy’s curious landscapes. Teela the Sorceress spies on Skeletor and Beast Man, surreptitiously pondering what the evil creatures are up to. The copse of trees is cleverly designed.

A painting that leaves much to the imagination. Man-At-Arms and Teela are obviously high in the hills near a thundering waterfall, searching for trouble. The pine trees are deceptively simple.

Mer-Man in his element. This character was sometimes portrayed as a simpleton, but there’s mercifully none of that nonsense in this illustration. Mer-Man is presented as a master of his environment.

An interesting battle scene in a volcanic corner of Eternia. Does He-Man look somewhat startled by the appearance of Beast Man? Or is the evil warrior fleeing the confrontation? The brushed clouds add momentum.

The winged warrior, Stratos, catches the evil warriors by surprise. Skeletor drops his Havoc Staff when he spies his adversary. The geological formations of the mountaintop are dramatic. The use of shadow is clever here.

This image contributed to one of the great MOTU controversies. Is Zodac an evil warrior or not? Well, in this illustration he is clearly attacking the heroic warriors. The caption on the card back emphasised the point.

The atmospheric glow behind Faker is subtle but separates him from the background. He-Man has a murderous expression on his face. McCarthy’s illustrations were never brutal but there’s implied violence here.

There’s quite a lot going on here. Evil-Lyn’s magical ability is shown through her spying. But it’s her concealment in the swamp that is the most interesting part of the picture. She’s obviously at ease amid the bugs and snakes.