Saturday, January 28, 2023

Wrapping Up 2022: She-Ra from Masters of the Universe by Mondo

 
   
   There aren't many collectibles of She-Ra herself that I don't have in my Masters of the Universe Museum and if you had asked my prior to December which one was my favorite piece, I would have quickly responded the Sideshow 1/5th scale She-Ra statue. Mondo's 1/6th scale She-Ra shipped in December of 2022, however, and I have to say that it's probably my new favorite She-Ra collectible. She might not be as dramatic as the 1/5th scale maquette, but this is without a doubt the coolest She-Ra collectible ever made. She-Ra was a Mondo timed exclusive who went on sale for 48 hours beginning on July 12th, and she comes packaged with her buddy Kowl, so she's not having to handle the Horde all on her own. It's taken me some time to get around to this review because 1. There's been so much stuff coming out and 2: My She-Ra shipped with a flattened nose and a duplicate hair piece so I had to wait for Mondo to ship me replacement parts, which they absolutely did. The customer service was really fantastic. I don't dabble in the 1/6th scale much but I definitely make an exception for Maters of the Universe and I absolutely love She-Ra, Princess of Power. Ready for a look at She-Ra? Then join me after the break...





The Facts: She-Ra

Height: 11 5/8ths inches

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

Accessories: Six interchangeable hands, 2 hairpieces, bangs, 3 tiaras, 2 belts, skirt, choker, 2 swords, cape, comb axe, shield, scabbard, 3 piece display stand.

Credits: Concept - Emiliano Santalucia, Hector Arce
Sculpt - Tommy Hodges
Cut and Sew - Tim Hanson
Paint - Mara Ancheta, Tomasz Rozejowski
Packaging Art - Florian Bertmer
Packaging Design - Gabe Chicoine



The Facts: Kowl

Height: 3 1/2 inches

Articulation: Swivel shoulders.

Accessories: None

Non-Scalper Price: $250 dollars

The Positives:

* Let's start by taking a look at just She-Ra herself, sans cape. She-Ra is the first woman in the line so everything about her is 100% new. We'll surely get Teea and Evil-Lyn to follow, right? Dare we hope for more? Anyways, She-Ra does have many parts of her outfit molded separately and permanently attached, giving her the appearance of a traditional 1/6th scale figure but with everything being made of plastic and sculpted. Her skirt is a separate piece, as are her belts, her choker, and her tiaras, but more on those in a minute. Mondo really used the Filmation appearance of She-Ra for inspiration here, though there are some nods to the vintage toy in some of the accessories and in things like the more ornate bracers adorning her arms. The white and gold colors used here are beautiful and really make She-Ra impressive, giving her a classic heroic and almost angelic quality. 


* She-Ra is absolutely gorgeous. Seriously, she's beautiful here. Mondo credits Tommy Hodges with the sculpt and I think he did an amazing job. This is just such a perfect depiction of She-Ra and it looks amazing. In the ideal, perfect, never going to happen Masters of the Universe movie, She-Ra would look like this. 


* She comes with three different tiaras that can easily be swapped out to show off her different looks. First up I've got her wearing the Filmation inspired tiara with the wings on the sides. This is really nicely detailed and the different colors here are very nuances, really adding to the quality of the piece. My guess is that this will be the favorite of most folks. 


* The second tiara actually comes from the Sideshow statue I mentioned earlier. It's a lot like the Filmation styled tiara, but maybe a bit harsher and sharper, more like something a Valkyrie might wear in art or from something like a Boris Vallejo and Julie Bell image. The bottoms of the wings aren't just stylized; they extend to the sides of She-Ra's face to serve as protection. 


* Last up is the vintage toy inspired tiara, which might actually be my favorite. Since it shows off She-Ra bangs more there is a hairpiece that you plug in her forehead. I'm really back and forth between this one and the classic Filmation tiara. This one just has such an unusual look. You actually can't rotate it like the vintage toy, disguising Princess Adora's face, but the domino mask like design is still there. 




* Here's not only a close up of She-Ra's armor but also a look at one of the two belts he comes with. The first one is simpler, based on the Filmation version of She-Ra. The belt fastens easily in the back and is simple to remove and replace.





* Next up is a more ornate belt that is based on the vintage toy design. It's really nice looking, perhaps done kind of like scale mail, though I'm not sure it matches the rest of her outlet as well as the classic Filmation styled belt. 














* Those bracers are amazing! I love the detail in them and the warm look of the golden armor. They're perfect for She-Ra.





* She-Ra comes with two different hair pieces which can be easily plugged into the back of her head. First up is her standard hair. It's long and beautiful with some fantastic detail, really showing off what the Power of Grayskull can do for your fashion and appearance.






* Next up is a hair sculpt with a bit of a "hole" in it. What's that for? It allows She-Ra to wear a sheath to hold her sword. The sheath can tuck right between the gap in the hair. Smart thinking, Mondo!





* I'm also really digging those boots. They are incredible! Mondo's design team does an amazing job of coming up with great ways to embellish the existing designs and these are absolutely fantastic. 




* What really completes She-Ra's main look is her cape. This is a very nicely designed and manufactured piece made from a very thick, quality material. The gold trim is superb and really ties it all back in with She-Ra's primary color scheme. 





* It's also wired all the way across, so it can flare up dramatically in whatever pose you'd like. 





* Mondo's Masters of the Universe figures do not feel like your traditional 1/6th scale figure but more like an oversized regular action figures. Since She-Ra is more petite than the guys, she's lighter than them, but still pretty substantial. These are also very durable toys. The joints are really well made and I've had no concerns about breakage on the figures on any of them I've owned. Since she's thinner, She-Ra's articulation is also better and she can take more nuanced poses.



* She-Ra includes three sets of hands, all of which swap easily. You've got some open palms, some gripping hands, and some fists. Does She-Ra punch? This She-Ra does. Bam!





* She-Ra includes the same black plastic display stand that all of the previous figures have come with, but hers actually has a metal clip, ike a traditional doll stand, rather than the hook. She-Ra really does need the stand and it works well on her. You can place it on her waist but I'd recommend putting it on one of her thighs and sliding it up to hide it. It works really well. 




* Let's get into the accessories, one of the areas where Mondo always excels. First up we've got the Sword of Protection inspired by the Filmation cartoon. This is a fantastic sculpt of the sword, maybe the best we've ever seen in any medium, and it looks incredible. The details are just so sharp and aesthetically pleasing!




* Next up is a Sword of Protection that's a mixture between the vintage toy version (at least in color) and a new design inspired by the first edition Mondo He-Man's sword. This one is pretty wicked looking with a color scheme that matches She-Ra's armor nicely. 



* A scabbard is included that holds the gold sword nicey. It's got some fantastic details including leather strips that hold it in place (in reality, there are two plastic clips on the back that fit over the straps of She-Ra's dress), some white fur around the top, and a unicorn sculpt on the bottom. Hey! It's Swift Wind! Nice! Remember that He-Man's had a sculpt that resembled Batte Cat.





* Here's a shot where you can see She-Ra's sword and scabbard on her back. The cape attaches to the back of her dress with metal clips in such a way that it drapes, leaving a hole for the scabbard. The extra hair piece also creates a place for it, which looks fantastic. 


* While the vintage She-Ra (and the 200x She-Ra) came with a comb, the Masters of the Universe Classics She-Ra came with a comb axe, a mixture between an axe and a comb. It's a very cool accessory and Mondo borrowed the idea here, giving She-Ra a pretty nasty looking bearded axe. Imagine her going wild on some Horde Troopers with this thing; half the Horde would run away crying!





* This shield is amazing. It's a nice blend between the Filmation shield design and the vintage toy, nicely matching her armor. The sculpt and paintwork just blend together seamlessly, making this look like a piece actually made of metal. 





* Flip the shield around and you can see the rivets on the back and the leather straps which keep it in place on She-Ra's forearm. 


* I love that She-Ra comes with Kowl. The Netflix She-Ra and the Princesses of Power really shortchanged the fun Filmation characters, so I'm really glad to see Kowl back. He's a very solid figure and comes up to about She-Ra's knees. He's really colorful and has a fun, animated vibe to him. He's also really well painted with neat, clean paintwork.





* I love Kowl's headsculpt! He's just so cool. I can hear his know it all voice in my mind right now!



* Kowl has articulated shoulders, so he's really more of a glorified accessory than a full on figure, but he looks really fun. I love how he looks like he's ready to party!

The Negatives:

* She-Ra definitely needs her stand because her ankles are a bit loose, causing her to tumble more easily than I would like. Definitely use the stand, especially if you have her on a higher shelf or near an edge.



* I want to complain that she doesn't have any way to pose her without her tiaras, but showing her portrait from the side just makes her look even more fabulous. For the Honor of Grayskull, indeed.
   Mondo's figures have definitely gone up in price pretty significantly since He-Man was first released in 2019, but I find She-Ra to be one of the most impressive releases yet. She's probably up there with Man-At-Arms and Mer-Man, maybe with a bit of an edge since she looks so darn phenomenal. She's pricey, yeah, but I definitely think this might be the best She-Ra collectible released. There are quite a few nice display options considering you can swap out her tiaras, belts, and weapons. Every inch of the figure is just perfection when it comes to sculpt and paint and the accessories are also just fantastic. Plus, you've got Kowl, the know it owl. This is an Epic release and one of my favorite items from 2022. She-Ra is long since sold out since she was sold only as a timed pre-order, but it's entirely possible that Mondo might re-release a variant edition at some point in the future. It'd be pretty tough to improve on this one, though.




I've reviewed so many figures of She-Ra/ Princess of Adora that she has her own archive. Check out the Crystal Castle for all of my She-Ra reviews.


If you're looking for more of Kowl I looked at the Masters of the Universe Classics Loo-Kee and Kowl 2-pack and the vintage toy colored Kowl from the End of Wars Weapons Pak.

For Mondo Masters of the Universe figures check out the following:
Faker (Mondo Exclusive)
He-Man Scareglow (Classic Variant) 
Skeletor















4 comments:

  1. As i told you i never liked MOTU, only the live-action film. But i must admit this She-Ra figure is fantastic. Being a 1/6 figure must be hella expensive, as the Sideshow Collectibles Cobra Commander was 300-400€ minimum in Europe. How much you paid for this She-Ra?

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    Replies
    1. She was $250. And I own that Sideshow Cobra Commander, too. The one with the trenchcoat? He's awesome. I never bought any of the Sideshow Joes other than him but, man, he's impressive. I'd love to see the Classified Series take some pointers from some of those figures as they were great updates that still captured the flavor of their ARAH counterparts.

      Someday, I'd love to see someone make a figure based on the movie concept art for She-Ra. I dream about the MOTU movie we could have gotten if the climax of the 1987 film returned to Castle Grayskull, saw He-Man connect with She-Ra and the rest of the warriors she has mustered, had them enter Grayskull through the dungeons and encounter King Hiss and the Snake Men, and then proceed to the final conflict like in the film. There was some crazy cool stuff in the early screenplays.

      Delete
    2. She was $250. And I own that Sideshow Cobra Commander, too. The one with the trenchcoat? He's awesome. I never bought any of the Sideshow Joes other than him but, man, he's impressive. I'd love to see the Classified Series take some pointers from some of those figures as they were great updates that still captured the flavor of their ARAH counterparts.

      Someday, I'd love to see someone make a figure based on the movie concept art for She-Ra. I dream about the MOTU movie we could have gotten if the climax of the 1987 film returned to Castle Grayskull, saw He-Man connect with She-Ra and the rest of the warriors she has mustered, had them enter Grayskull through the dungeons and encounter King Hiss and the Snake Men, and then proceed to the final conflict like in the film. There was some crazy cool stuff in the early screenplays.

      Delete
  2. I have a nice collection of the Mondo MOTU figures, so she's got some support. And yeah, it is funny that Mondo has been doing Filmation styled "cute" characters like Burbie, Relay, Orko, and Kowl. I've just found it kind of funny, sort of like how they included the "vintage" heads with the first couple releases.

    I still hate that I skipped the Filmation Hordak with Imp Mondo, but I already had the standard release. I really just wanted the Imp from that one.

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