Women have finally come to the world of Eternia! Teela is the first female release from the Masters of the Universe Classics line, but is she as popular as Smurfette or just another one of the guys? Read on to find out if Mattel actually did something right (it's not likely)!
Name: Teela
Line: Masters of the Universe Classics
Manufacturer: Mattel
Released: Fall 2009
Price: Online: $20.00-$40.00
Scale: Figure in 7.00 in. tall
Accessories: Alternate head (with snake collar), staff, sword, shield, and Zoar the bird
Sponsor Listings: Big Bad Toy Store-$34.99, Ka-Razy Kings of Toys-$34.99, Past Generation Toys-$39.95
I'd like to say Teela has a near-perfect sculpt, because there are some really beautiful details worked into this figure, and all things considered she still looks very good. Unfortunately, there are a few off problems that I cant exactly explain. First off, her chest appears very lopsided, or unbalanced, I'm not sure how to explain it, but her breasts certainly aren't centered within her costume, much more of the right one is visible. I think this may be due to the odd way she is constructed, because you may also notice from behind that her back appears attached slightly crooked above her clothes, and it is. The other issue I have is a pair of somewhat prominent mold lines on the front of her thighs. Aside from that, there are amazing intricate elements worked into her clothes, great shapes for her legs, arms, and chest, very attractive proportions (including the beefier butt), and some fantastic looking accessories, including Zoar. Her face is very pretty, has a nice neutral expression, and is loaded down with details in the features and in her hair. The alternate head and headdress look great too, and though I think you'll be happy with her appearance either way, I know for me, the snake collar hides the issues with her torso. I can't speak about the sculpting of her shield, because my figure was missing it, but from what I've seen, it's another nice piece too.
Sculpt Score: 8 / 10
Teela features a nice set of colors, with a realistic skin tone, a nice white-blue outfit, and shiny gold flourishes. The hair color is very attractive, and the two-tone brown on her boots works too. The only problematic color choice was the addition of an ugly red airbrushed swath on her chest, which is way too obvious and inconsistently applied, making her look very sunburned in two small spots. This blush is done well elsewhere, so I wish it wasn't botched there. Her other applications aren't particularly outstanding, as there are spots where the gold costume highlights are either outside the lines are too far inside the sculpt, but it mostly looks just fine. Her boots are much cleaner looking, and both of her heads are perfectly painted, eyes and all. I especially like the dark wash on the snake headdress, which brings out the lines carved into it. Her staff is fine if a little boring, and her sword looks good. Zoar is very striking with all the different colors fading in and out and the areas that require a softer touch look very crisp too. The one final problem I have is the presence of some slop and rubbing on various parts of Teela, mostly visible on her white costume.
Paint Score: 7 / 10
I appreciate some of the articulation design here a lot. The addition of offical rocker style ankles instead of the pseudo rocker ankles all the guys have had is a real blessing, allowing Teela to stay flat footed in crouched poses. And the way the hip joint has been implemented as a totally invisible swivel/hinge/swivel is a thing of beauty. She has all the articulation of the males (and exactly that of DCUC figures) at the hip, but without breaking the sculpt lines at all, and it looks wonderful. Teela also has a great range of motion in her neck, allowing so much personality to come through in every pose. Of course, with any extra positives there are always negatives to counter them, and Teela has her share of problems too. First off, her left wrist is totally stuck, and I nearly tore through the peg trying to twist it free the first time. I could probably free it safely with a little work, but I'm just not going to mess with it, and shouldn't have to. The way her shoulder joints were designed also creates a problem, because they hang very free on their swivel, making it hard to hold them up at some angles, resulting in them often falling to her side. She's also lost the waist swivel and hinged abs that the males feature, but I don't miss them too much right now, and appreciate the intact sculpt. Sadly, the problems she has are too important to give her a great score, despite her (and Zoar's) generous and (mostly) functional articulation.
Articulation Score: 7 / 10
Although nothing about Teela's visuals scream "FUN!", she still has a lot going for her in this category. There is the solid articulation model that allows for lots of posing (especially thanks to her limber neck), she comes with a pile of axtra accessories (including an articulated one), and she has an alternate head that's easy to swap on and off. She makes for a convincing warrior when fully decked out, so she'll fit right in the guys from the line, and should make for a fun pose or an entertaining play partner. The missing shield was definitely a let-down, as was her broken wrist, but both should be fixable through customer service (although you know that will be a nightmare too). There is also an issue with Teela's height, in that she's much taller than the standard male figure. I guess I don't have a big (hehe) problem with it, yet I could see it really limiting her potential for some. In the end, the quality control problems do outweigh all her accessories, but you can probably expect a much higher score if you aren't totally unlucky like me with which one of the batch you receive.
Fun Score: 6 / 10
If you managed to buy Teela when she originally appeared on MattyCollector.com, then you got her for $20 plus $8 shipping, a totally outrageous price for a 7 inch figure. The same size, and arguably better toy could be bought from NECA or Mezco at Toys R Us for $14, half the price. Mattel had more of an excuse when the run sizes of these figures were much smaller and on shakier foundations, but given the increased popularity, the price seems even more excessive. Of course, Teela does feature totally new tooling (except for Zoar), something that hasn't been seen since the original release in the line, so she feels a little more unique and valuable because of that. Other positives include the horde of accessories and multiple layers of semi-collectible packaging. Since I'm actually missing one of her accessories, and she also has a problem with a broken wrist, she's losing even more points here than usual. If it weren't for those problems, Teela would have scored better here than most Masters of the Universe Classics releases yet, but instead she's much too pricey.
Value Score: 4 / 10
66 / 100 - This is an Okay Toy
There's a good chance your Teela will be a good toy instead of an okay one, but thanks to some problematic quality control, Teela is limited in both fun and value, dragging her score down considerably. She's a must buy for MotUC regulars, but if you're just grabbing these here and there, consider her carefully.
-The Articulated One
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