Mattel’s Brick Shop is finally expanding beyond cars with its first character-driven playset, tied to the upcoming Masters of the Universe movie.
It’s been pretty quiet on the Mattel Brick Shop front since its first Hot Wheels collection dropped last year, but the long-promised range of ‘new lines with both new and familiar IP’ for 2026 is kicking off with a new Masters of the Universe playset in April. Battle for Castle Grayskull will retail for $64.99 in the US and recreates the movie’s climactic battle sequence between He-Man and Skeletor.
This is the first time we’ve seen a product under the Mattel Brick Shop banner look beyond the confines of buildable cars, and is also the first to include Mattel’s NanoWorld figures. Brick Shop is positioned as a direct competitor to LEGO, and Mattel has described it as ‘a new brand in the building sets category’ that’s ‘designed to disrupt the status quo’. Early products have proven cheaper than equivalent LEGO sets, with no stickers and exclusive metal elements in the box.
Battle for Castle Grayskull includes 16 NanoWorld figures, among which are He-Man, Skeletor, Teela and Evil-Lyn, along with Beast Man, Sorcerous, Zoar and Cringer (which are apparently exclusive to this set). The product copy suggests it also includes ‘special effect bricks’ and ‘stunt sticks’ to bring the scene to life, but how those will work in practice remains to be seen.
Mattel’s MEGA product line includes several Masters of the Universe sets, but it seems like the company is trying to make a clear distinction here between those junior playsets and Brick Shop’s adult-targeted builds, most obviously through the use of static NanoWorld figures (rather than MEGA’s articulated figures). That hasn’t gone down especially well with potential consumers, however.
Battle for Castle Grayskull debuts April 25 at retailers worldwide, while the new Masters of the Universe movie – which stars Nicholas Galitzine,Camila Mendes, Alison Brie, Kristen Wiig, Jared Leto and Idris Elba – is scheduled to premiere on June 5, 2026.
What’s next for Mattel Brick Shop?
During the media launch for the first wave of Brick Shop sets in 2025, Roberto Stanichi, Executive Vice President of Hot Wheels & Head of Vehicles and Building Sets at Mattel said: “This is only the beginning. We already have new vehicles and series in development that we can’t wait to show you for 2026. Beyond Hot Wheels, Mattel Brick Shop will continue to launch new lines with both new and familiar IP to bring fans new building experiences that elevate play and display features.”
So far, that’s translated into this single Masters of the Universe model. But we already know that Mattel has secured rights to DC characters such as Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman from the second half of this year, giving us a clue to what might come next for the Brick Shop brand. If Castle Grayskull is any indication, we could be looking at superhero-themed playsets with NanoWorld figures of Bats, Supes and Diana.
Given the brand’s early focus on vehicles, there’s also a chance Mattel might try its hand at Batmobiles, which would offer a more direct point of comparison with LEGO sets (that’s basically all the DC theme is right now). In terms of other product lines that might fall under the Brick Shop umbrella, Mattel has a bunch of IP under its belt that could make the transition, including Barbie, Star Trek, Jurassic World and American Girl.
Some of those may be conditional on the LEGO Group’s licensing agreements with their respective partners, as they’re operating in the same space (construction toys). But it’ll be interesting to see what Mattel Brick Shop cooks up next – this Castle Grayskull playset is already a pretty sharp left turn from a Mercedes-Benz 300 SL…
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