Monday, November 2, 2020

Action Figure Review: Teela from Masters of the Universe Origins by Mattel

 

   Today we're checking out the last figure from series 1 of Mattel's Masters of the Universe Origins line and it's Teela, the heroic Warrior Goddess! Series 1 has been all A-list MOTU characters with nearly every figure being from the original series of figures and Teela is absolutely one of the MOTU A-listers. Considering that she even showed up in The New Adventures of He-Man, it's safe to say that Teela has shown up in as many incarnations of MOTU as He-Man himself. That's some star power! Teela was the last figure I got my hands on as I actually ordered her from Walmart.com but something weird happened with my order and it bounced around for a bit before being delivered. Let's take a look at Teela after the break and see if she's a worthy successor to the vintage toy...

The Facts:

Height: 5 1/2th inches

Articulation: Swivel/ hinge ankles, boot swivels, swivel/hinge knees, ball jointed hips, swivel waist, swivel/hinge shoulders, swivel/hinge elbows, swivel/hinge wrists, and a double ball jointed head.

Accessories: Staff, shield, armor, and minicomic

Non-Scalper Price: $15 dollars




Comparison:

* On the left is the MOTU Origins Teela while the vintage Teela figure is on the right. While these two are obviously very similar you're never going to mistake the two figures as they have some very different details. Less metallic gold on the new figure along with fairer skin, and darker boots. She looks somewhat Filmation inspired to my eyes.

The Positives:

* Teela captures the feel of the vintage figures though the details on her outfit and on her bracers are quite a bit sharper. She shares a body with the Origins Evil-Lyn, just like the vintage figure did (though Teela was releases earlier than Evil-Lyn). The paint applications are really nice and while they're not metallic, they look much more gold than yellow. Remember how Mattel used yellow for gold on familiar inspired characters in MOTUC? Well, fortunately they didn't do that here if a Filmation inspired look is what they're going for. She's very true to the vintage figure but there's still something about the colors that looks Filmation-esque to my eyes.

 

* I really like Teela's headsculpt. The headsculpt is quite lovely and a big improvement over the vintage toy. The eyes look fantastic! So does the sculpted hair. She's incredible!


* Like with Evil-Lyn, I like the articulation used on the female MOTU Origins body. It's quite good, maybe even with smoother articulation than the male body. I thought I wouldn't like the knee joints that feature the upper leg hiding the joint but in person they actually look pretty good and work quite well.

* Just like the male figures in the line the women are also modular and the limbs, torso, and head can be easily separated to make your own lazy boy customs!

 

* Teela's serpent armor is also molded from the more rubbery material Mattel is using on the Origins figures so it holds detail well and fits on the figure quite easily. Seriously, you can take this armor on and off again with little worry about it breaking or tearing. It's nice and sturdy.

 

* The Staff of Ka is very close to the vintage toy though the shaft is a bit thicker so the wider Origins hands can grasp it more easily.

 

* Teela's shield is very, very similar to the vintage toy's shield. Rather than a clip on the back to fit on her wrist this shield has a simple handle for her to hold.

 

 

* Each figure in the first series also comes with a mini comic. Yes, an actual minicomic. Each character comes with the same comic but the art is really nice and it's actually an 8 page comic with a story. Not as cool as the vintage minicomics but still a nice extra.






The Negatives:

* My Teela has some errant paint slop on the back of her outfit. I guess she sat in something messy. while taking a break from defending Eternos Palace.

   Considering all of the Masters of the Universe Origins figures I've reviewed, I'd put Teela as the best figure in the line, just a bit ahead of He-Man himself. She's a solid retro styled figure on her own but if you're interested in placing her alongside of some vintage figures or using her (or her parts) to replace your vintage Teela, she's worthy. Mattel did an excellent job on this figure and she's my favorite individual figure in the line thus far. She's definitely deserving of an Epic rating.

   Having reviewed the entire first series and looking at what has been revealed so far, I'm really curious as to where the line is going to go. I'd love to see more "new to toy form" characters (minicomic characters, etc.) and/ or characters who didn't exist in the vintage line. I'd love to see the swappable parts be taken advantage of more, too. This line really needs to establish more of an identity than just articulated vintage styled figures and the interchangeability could really help with that. 

 

Was Teela one of your first loves? If so, check out my reviews of Teela toys such as the vintage Teela, the M.U.S.C.L.E. green Teela and the standard M.O.T.U.S.C.L.E Teela, the Mega Construx Teela from the Battle for Eternia Collection and Teela from Battle Bones, the 200x Snake Teela, the ReAction Teela (Shiva), the NECA Teela micro-bust, the neo-vintage Teela and Frozen Teela, the Tweeterhead Teela bust, an appearance in 1983's Colorforms Masters of the Universe Deluxe Play Set, and Super7's Ultimate Teela.

For more figures from Masters of the Universe Origins check out the following:
Skeletor






6 comments:

  1. This a very lovely figure and very much a homage to the vintage figure. This line is hitting all the high points right now... I hope the next waves will be as easy to get when they finally hit the stores as this one has been for me. I noticed today that Wal-Mart restocked all these figures, but still no sign of wave 2.

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    1. I haven't seen anyone with the second series of figures that hasn't got them from an international seller yet. The line should show up multiple stores (not just Walmart) starting in 2021, so hopefully it'll make it easier to find. I'd love to be able to just preorder figures from BBTS and Amazon.

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  2. That headdress is outstanding. Great figure.

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    1. They did do a great job on her headsculpt. The details on her tiara and hair are superb.

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  3. Awesome review. It inspired me to buy it. Just curious, I see there's a letter and number etched into the plastic of the legs. On mine the right leg says R1 and the left leg says R2. Does yours say that too? I'm wondering if mine has two right legs.

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    Replies
    1. Since they're different numbers I doubt it's too right legs. Maybe that's just the part number? I need to check mine and see what her legs say. Do they look correct?

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