Masters of the Universe Classics: Teela Warrior Goddess Figure Review

I admit I have no real interest in Mattel's "Masters of the Universe Classics" (MOTUC) line.  But when I heard much buzz about the upcoming Teela figure, I found myself just a tad bit curious.  I checked those forums and found myself falling in love with the sculpt of Teela.  Now, don't get me wrong.  When I was much younger, I loved the MOTU.  I had almost every single action figure from the old school line from back in the day.  Heck, I even had an old-school Teela (you know, the one with the wide hips and big butt).  Seeing an updated version of Teela had me sold.  Luckily, I was able to snag one for myself.  I figured she would sell out in seconds, but she lasted for a week or possibly more.  She was made available for sale via MattyCollector.com on October 15, 2009 for public consumption).



Flavor Text:


"Teela Warrior Goddess

Real Name: Teela

The adoptive daughter of Duncan, the current Man-At-Arms, Teela grew up in the palace of King Randor.  Trained from an early age in the ways of battle, at 18 she became Captain of the Guard, leading Randor's troops and acting as a defacto member of the Masters of the Universe.  She has yet to become aware of her true heritage as the magically cloned daughter of, and heir to, the Sorceress of Castle Grayskull.  She carries the Staff of Ka which was once used by the Snake Men in their epic battles against the Horde and King Grayskull during the Great Wars.  Teela uses her magical staff to track her foes' every move!"



The Good:

• Teela has 19 points of articulation: ball-jointed head, jointed shoulders, swivel upper arms, hinged elbows, swivel wrists, quasi-swivel/hinged legs, hinged knees, swivel boots, hinged ankles with hinged "side" ankles (for lack of a better term).
  

• Teela has an astounding amount of accessories (a total of 7) for a 6-inch figure: regular head, "battle-mode" armored head, snake armor, sword, shield, Staff of Ka, and Zoar the falcon.
  

• Zoar the falcon has 4 points of articulation: hinged wings and swivel claws.

• The facial sculpt of Teela is very well done.  Her calm and yet feminine demeanor is befitting of a warrior goddess.  All action figure sculptors take note, this is how you sculpt a woman's face (particularly you, NECA).

• Earlier on, I thought Teela had a bit too much blush on her cheeks, but as time passed, its presence grew on me and I've come to accept it.
  

• This is one of THE definite "nostalgia-inducing" figures I've owned so far.  I used to have the old-school Teela figure (you know, the one with the over-sized hips and bright pink lips).  It's nice to see The Four Horsemen keep the "classic-look" of Teela's armor intact, but with more "bells and whistles" detailing.

• Although Teela is missing a crucial point of articulation (the ab-crunch or swivel waist), her "multi-hinged" ankles more than make up for the loss.
  

• Teela's left hand is sculpted perfectly to fit the sword in her hand without any sort of "looseness" in her grip.  Her right hand is sculpted a bit too tight for her to hold the Staff of Ka, but with a little persuasion, it manages to fit in perfectly.
  

• Teela's chest is sculpted just right, and I'm glad that she wasn't endowed with any over-exaggerated features (like double "D" chests).  I've heard people complain that her chest area was a bit lacking, but I think it's perfect.  After all, it's armor she's wearing over it.

The Bad:

• You'll notice the back of Teela's neck is "sticking out" allowing the ball-joint to be seen on both sides of her head.  Also, if you examine the back of her head, you can definitely see where her head and neck ball-joint meet look unbalanced/off-center.  While this isn't too much of a big deal, this is probably the only real negative aspect of this otherwise flawless figure.

• It's strange, but Teela is sporting the "sun-burned" look around her neck and upper-chest area.  She must've forgotten her sun-screen or something.

• The paint application in certain spots is just plain sloppy.  The gold paint is smeared between Teela's circular belt around her waist in the back.  Paint around her armored wrists are either scratched off or haven't been applied properly.
  

• The overall paint application for Zoar the falcon is okay but there is a noticeable smear on the right-side wing right where the hinge is.  There is also a black dot near the back of its head.
  

• I had a hard time placing Teela's shield on her armored right wrist.  Due to the design of the shield, I was afraid of scratching the paint off of the already problematic armored wrist area.  I wish the "snap-on" shield were sculpted more tightly.

The Ugly:

• Not surprisingly, there's nothing ugly about this figure.

Additional Notes:

• I've heard that some people have received their Teela's without her ponytail attached.  Luckily, I haven't had that problem.

I purchased this figure online via MattyCollector for a total of $28.00 (price includes S&H and tax).  My review of this figure has been late, so you will no longer be able to purchase Teela from MattyCollector directly.  Your only recourse is eBay or other online retailers such as BigBadToyStore who will obviously price-gouge you, because they can.  Despite the somewhat high cost of individual figures like this, Teela is one figure that you can't miss.

NOTE: I DO NOT REPRESENT MATTEL, eBAY, OR BIGBADTOYSTORE.  I HAVE NOT BEEN PAID TO MENTION THEIR NAMES.

Teela is the only reason behind my sudden interest in the "MOTUC" line.  She is one of the finest female action figures I've ever seen sculpted so.  It may come as a surprise to you, but Teela actually looks like a woman (you know who I'm referring to ::cough:: cough:: NECA).  The Four Horsemen have done one hell of a job.  With great sculpts and large number of accessories, my $28.00 is well-spent.

Score: (out of five)