Review of She-Ra Princess of Power
Masters of the Universe Classics Action Figure

Introduction

Regular readers know that I was not a fan of Masters of the Universe back in the day. I was in my early twenties at the time, and spending all my effort and money in the pursuit of da ladies. And besides...it was a bad cartoon. Yes, I know that's sacrilege, but I've never understood the appeal outside of nostalgia.

But the Masters of the Universe Classics series of action figures from Mattel is terrific, an exceptional homage to the old combined with the best of today. The June releases went on sale this week, and their were two new figures - She-Ra (the subscription figure) and Keldor.

I'm checking out She-Ra tonight, since she was shipped to me as part of the subscription plan late last week. Not having to wait for the 15th and battle both time and Digital River is a blessing, that's for sure. Still, it took a week for her to arrive, so I assume they used Donkey Express.

While She-Ra was originally an attempt by Mattel to interest girls in the Eternia universe, she appealed to boys as well. The powerful twin sister of Adam/He-man, her alter ego Adora was already released in the series. Fans have been waiting quite awhile for this key character to stand beside He-man on their shelves.

She-Ra was the usual $20 at Matty Collector, but she sold out quickly. That's the norm with this line, and Mattel continues to underestimate demand, probably in an attempt to create more buzz and hype for the series. I suspect it will eventually backfire on them, but considering how badly the entire ordering process has been handled for the series and yet it still keeps marching along strong, I may be wrong.

Packaging - ***1/2
Same today as it was yesterday. I love the packaging, and I think the retro stone appearance works perfectly with the series. The consistency might be a little boring for those of us that open our packages, but the MOCers appreciate it.

One nice touch is the addition of the "Princess of Power" sticker in the original typeface on the bubble.

Sculpting - ***
Since She-ra comes wearing the more glittery head, that's the one I'm largely using for the grade here. I'll briefly mention the second head, but its quality will have a greater effect on the Accessories section.

And that's why the Accessories grade is higher than the Sculpting grade - I much prefer the simpler portrait. The disco version isn't awful - it's the Four Horsemen, after all. But the large, funkadelic hockey mask/crown/disco decoration that she's wearing leaves me cold. It doesn't help that it fits at a slight angle, making it goofy and sloppy. It does come off, but then she has a large hole in the center of her head, much like one of the low men...or women. (Of course, that also means you can flip it upside down, if you'd like, a nice nod to the original.)

The sculpting on the costume is much better however, and I love the overall effect. Rather than merely paint on various aspects, all of them are sculpted with raised edges and clear definition.

The sculpted skirt interferes a bit with the legs, making her less posable than some of her sisters, but she still stands fine on her own. The hands are both in gripping poses, and work great with either included weapon.

Paint - ***1/2
There's lots of gold and white here, befitting a princess of power. The lines are generally clean and even, and even her blue eyeshadow is just about perfect.

While the glittery wings on are actually stickers, they are the best part of that portrait. They are applied evenly, certainly better than I've ever applied a sticker.

There's still the occasional sloppy spot, but she's much better than some of the previous ladies in this series, who tended to have more paint issues than their male counterparts.

Articulation - ***
While she has as much articulation as the other girls, she's a bit more restricted.

Neither head can make full use of the ball jointed neck due to the long hair, but the simpler version doesn't sit as low on the shoulders, and therefore works a bit better. some folks may not like the look of the hair up off the shoulders, and if you try hard enough (and heat up the head enough) you may be able to get it to sit a little lower, but I preferred having the ability to tilt the head.

The heads don't swap particularly well though, and after doing it a couple times it loosened up to almost bobble head status. The hair actually helped in this situation.

The rest of the joints work well, especially the arms, but the skirt tends to restrict the legs quite a bit. That makes any deep fighting stances difficult, which was a bit of a disappointment.

Accessories - ****
You can never go wrong with two heads, and this is one of those times where the second head (probably considered the 'accessory' by most) is superior to the one she comes wearing.

This less blingy look is much prettier, and lacks the goofy ornamental face piece. The simple winged crown looks much better, and actually appears functional as well, unlike the more clunky version that would obstruct most of her peripheral vision.

Swapping the heads is harder than it should be though, and both fit very tightly at first. You can also remove the cape during the head swap, making it another potential accessory. It looks great, but the costume is strong enough to work either with or without it.

There are also two weapons - a sword and a funky ax. The sculpts on both are good, but the sword has more detailed paint work, and includes a very cool jewel. I think the back of the ax is actually a comb for Battlecat.

A similar jewel is set in the center of her shield, which snaps on either forearm. Fully armed, she looks as deadly as her brother.

Fun Factor - ****
She might not be quite as posable as some of the other females in the line, but she's still damn fun. In fact, this is still the best toy line on the market right now - too bad so few kids will ever get to appreciate it.

Value - **1/2
While I'm not a huge fan of the $20 price point, I have to admit that with two heads, two weapons, the removable cape, and the shield - including the inset jewels - the price is a lot easier to take.

Things to Watch Out For -
I mentioned how difficult it is to swap heads, and in fact, you may want to use some hot water to soften them up a bit. Doing so may reduce the bobble head issues I had, as well as make it less likely you'll damage the post.

Overall - ***1/2
I'm very glad - as I'm sure many of the original fans of the overall He-Man Universe are - to get She-Ra. She's critical to the series, as far as I'm concerned.

She's also as pretty as the other females in the series, and the accessories and two portraits add to her value. I wish I could get some deeper stances, and I'm not a fan of the more psychedelic head sculpt, but I'm still very happy with the overall figure.

Score Recap (out of ****):
Packaging - ***1/2
Sculpting - ***
Paint - ***1/2
Articulation - ***
Accessories - ****
Fun Factor - ****
Value - **1/2
Overall - ***1/2

Where to Buy 
This was a Matty Collector June release, and as always, she sold out in a heartbeat. Subscribers had theirs billed and shipped last week, however - that sub is getting better and better. You can search ebay for her now, but don't forget about next month's releases!

Related Links -
I've covered quite a bit of this MOTUC series:

- the last regular figure was Tytus.

- prior to that, I looked at the other May release, Optikk.

- seems like it was just yesterday that I covered Evil-Lyn.

- prior to that it was Moss Man.

- check out the cool MOTUC Display stands.

- just before that I covered Battle Cat and Trap Jaw, and prior to that was Adora.

- I really liked Scare glow, although he's not exactly what you'd call a key character.

- She-Ra isn't the first girl in the series - Teela has that honor.

- before that there was Webstor, one of my favorite, and Tri-klops, another one of my favs.

- prior to that was Man-at-arms, Hordak, Zodac, Faker, Mer-man and Stratos, starting out with He-man, Skeletor and Beastman together in one review.

You should also hit the Search Reviews page, in case any other applicable reviews were done after this one was published.

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