Tag Archives: Sorceress Teela

MASTERVERSE New Eternia Teela- SpartanNerd Unboxing and Review

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See the video review of this figure HERE.

I ordered MASTERVERSE New Eternia Teela from BigBadToyStore when she was first released, and this time I did something different…I ordered three other things that I sent to the “Pile of Loot.” So lots of reviews coming soon! (New Etheria Hordak, New Eternia Cobra Kahn, and Mythic Legions Belualyth…I will update links as I review them)

And why did I order this Teela, when I already had three other modern Teela figures? Keep reading!

PACKAGING

In this box you can see her very well. And she is looking upwards.

Teela came in the typical “Transformers” style packaging. (I use that term in reference to the way Hasbro has been doing TF toys for awhile…it increases the artwork and minimizes the blister plastic). We have a good image of her on the front holding the Staff of Ka…but you could mistake her for rowing a boat! After all, there is a Merfolk warrior looking on. (Aquaticans, I believe in Motu lore). As the image wraps around you can see her golden horse that was depicted in the early mini comics. (OK, so if Mattel doesn’t give us such a horse, this is the Four Horsemen’s chance to capitalize on what people surely will want!) Also in that wraparound image, we have an image of Castle Grayskull, but in 200x style! And we all know, Mattel and Mondo are both going to be issuing some 200x style toys. (This is a whole blog entry itself when more details get revealed).

The other side has the library image for people who store their action figures in the box, with her having windblown hair and wearing the “warrior goddess” snake headdress. And so we have homage to four different iterations of Masters of the Universe…200x with the castle, mini comics with the golden horse, filmation with the main presentation, and vintage toy with the hooded look.

The back has kind of generic photoshop of the figure, and just like the Green Goddess and Evil-Lyn, they have “airbrushed” off the seam at the thigh cut. We all know it’s there. Come on Mattel, why lie to us? Teela has a bio indicating that she has embraced her destiny as “the avatar” of “The Goddess of New Eternia.” Underneath this bio there are three cross-sell images that in addition to this figure includes Hordak and Kobra Kahn. I suppose the other figure in this was is New Eternia Moss Man, but he was offered only through Mattel Creations, mostly to Club Grayskull members at that. (The cross-sell functions for retail store shelves).

WHAT DO WE GET IN THE BOX

I told you there were seems in the thighs!
  • New Eternia Teela figure
  • Snake headdress
  • shield
  • Staff of Ka
  • Warrior Spear
  • a pair of punching fists

We have the accessories here for two different looks: “Captain of the Guard” and “Warrior Goddess.” And this starts to get into the weeds of who even is this character. Most people will remember Teela from the Filmation Cartoon and other iterations (200x) as the Captain of the Guard. And the presentation here is clearly homage to the vintage action figure, being a repaint of MASTERVERSE New Eternia Evil-Lyn with a different head. (In the vintage line, it was the other way around!) The whole Warrior Goddess thing comes from the early mini comics, which is basically an entirely different story from the Filmation show. When I was a kid I was confused by this, but you know…pretty much since I was in high school and began to get back into Masters of the Universe that there were different forces writing different stories has been clear. As Warrior Goddess, in the first issue she was green. (This is why I tend to call MASTERVERSE Revolution Sorceress Teela “The Green Goddess.” This is a fan nickname, like Baby Yoda for instance). In subsequent issues she was colored caucasian, and sometimes blonde instead of ginger. There is this whole story about Skeletor cloning her to be his bride also, and so that is why there is a Sorceress and more of a princess Teela. (It feels so weird typing all that. The mini comics were indeed different!)

Yep. This actually happened in the mini comics story “The Tale of Teela.” Funny how Skeletor says his plan is “simple.” I didn’t imagine all of that about Dolly the Sheep in the 1990’s did I? Also, this is a creeptastic plan. And this story was meant for CHILDREN TO READ. This story kind of explains why Teela has blonde hair and the goddess has red hair and wears that headdress. I’m pretty sure after this story, they began to use the word Sorceress to soften the religious connotations.

The vintage action figure came with this hood and snake staff, as well as a sword I believe. I never had a female action figure until I was 12 years old and got Evil-Lyn for Christmas, so I only know what I have seen in vintage toy stores. But I can see how all of this can be confusing for who this character actually is. But it is just fine to think of her as “He-Man’s girlfriend”.

(In the newest Netflix cartoon, Revolution, Teela and He-Man are practically married by the power of Grayskull at the end! If they make figures of this, I am the first in line! The designs were so pretty!)

FIGURE REVIEW

Well, I am at the point of wondering what the greatest action figure of the year is, and I was starting to think they couldn’t be better than MASTERVERSE New Eternia Evil-Lyn, but Teela has proven me wrong!

Teela jumped right into the den of zombies and skeletons! Notice Skeletor’s Staff of Ka being very large and unpainted BOO!

She has the same body as Evil-Lyn, only painted with lighter colors as Teela. The same boots, arm bracers, everything. She has a different skirt piece, and this is a point to bring up because in my figure, this was flattened down far too much, and also askew from the position it should be in. I was able to fix it, but if you are a mint in box collector, look out!

So this sculpt and paint are brilliant. Maybe the best part is that she looks like a real woman with maybe legs that are only slightly too long…(Mattel Barbie dolls famously have this too, so…) In other words, no hyper-sexualized design like something from Street Fighter. The upper body is tastefully presented, and that is kind of refreshing.

Her face sculpt and paint. The image on the back makes her look like the face is more round than it is. She has her hair pulled back in a ponytail, which I guess gives her a high forehead look. But her eyes…They are done very pretty. But I asked the SpartanWife if she thought the same thing as I do. I think she is looking upwards? So for Force Captain, this looks kind of strange if she is just standing there, but not if she is stabbing something with that spear. For the hooded goddess look, this looking up looks more spiritually powered up and otherworldly appropriate.

ACCESSORIES

This Teela proves that Evil-Lyn didn’t come with enough stuff. Sure, you could argue that cape was something, but really it was inexcusable. Teela’s accessory count is very welcome in the MASTERVERSE line. They are bronzy-gold in the same color as the highlights painted on the main figure. BUT…this means the Green Goddess’ Staff of Ka remains the best of the three we have been given. (Skeletor’s throne came with one also)

The Green Goddess’ Staff of Ka is still the best one we’ve been given in MASTERVERSE.

This shield looks very royal and feminine at the same time, and has that barbarian spike in the middle. The spear as well looks like it belongs in the throne room. The only paint of the accessories that I see is the spot of green on the eyes of the snake mask and a brighter colored ring around the “neck” on the Staff of Ka.

The headdress fits loosely to her face, and yet feels snug. How did they do that? I managed to get the Masters of the Unvierse Classics Weapons Pack snake armor on the earlier MASTERVERSE Revelation Teela figure only with a hairdryer. (Granted, it was for a different line…) Teela’s tiara is hidden perfectly by the mask when she has it on, and it really kind of is that she is presented as a different character. A person could be justified in having two of these! (I won’t. I’ll wait on Sorceress of Havoc to come out…that will be AWESOME if they do that!)

Four Teela figures. From top left clockwise. MASTERVERSE New Eternia Teela, MASTERVERSE Revolution Sorceress Teela, Masters of the Universe Classics Battleground Teela (with Revelation alternate head), and MASTERVERSE Revelation Teela kitbash, with Classics weapons and Super7 Ultimates! Conan the Barbarian ceremonial snake dagger.

In the above picture I have kitbashed some MOTUC with MASTERVERSE. Ultimately, the earlier MASTERVERSE Teela seems a lot more “babyish.” You can also see the improvements they have made in the knee joints so they look less lumpy. I heard another reviewer complain about having single jointed elbows, but I think that is the best choice…the arms just look better this way.

SPARTANNERD RATING OF MASTERVERSE NEW ETERNIA TEELA

I can’t say enough good stuff about the sculpt. (1 point). The paint is very good even if the choice to have her looking upwards is questionable…but she isn’t derp. (1 point). Very good articulation and she stands very well with no stupid problems. (1 point). Her accessory count is very good also. (1 point).

And OK. This is my new “go-to” Teela. I am retiring the kitbash that I have used forever. I’ll keep using MOTUC Battleground Teela for that even more barbarian “skimpy” look, but this figure is downright beautiful, and fun to play with to boot. So with the “feels point” I award MASTERVERSE New Eternia Teela a 5/5. Do you agree or disagree, Hub City Geeks? Let me know in the comments!

Super7 Ultimates! Conan Battle of the Mounds Valeria (Spirit) and MASTERVERSE New Eternia Teela. Valeria is a spiritual descendant of the Masters of the Universe Classics.

Mythic Legions Ninian Infantry

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Watch the YouTube unboxing review HERE

When I saw these guys…I immediately bought TWO. I had been gifted some money for Christmas, and I spent it on a bunch of figures. I thought this was so good I had to get more than one.

Evidently, this was offered at Legions Con, as a preview for a big pre-order set coming up. A set with a story about thousands of years before the main story of Mythic Legions…(which I don’t know much about anyway).

So why was it so great? Keep reading!

PACKAGING

I took some photos and videos at home while I was sick, and some when I was on a trip in early February to the SCMEA convention in Columbia, SC. The hotel had a nice office area and also a good table with a book light that made for a terrific spotlight! (See New Eternia Evil-Lyn on the runway!)

So we get this blister. And it looks really cramped. It doesn’t help that the plastic collector friendly case is very reflective.

We get a lot with this figure. you can see it with the main head, an open mouth head to its left, and a spear to the right. You can see the zippy bag behind him.

But extra striking on the front of the packaging is the foiled out MYTHIC LEGIONS branding.

On the back we have this desert that we have seen before I’m pretty sure. But there is a HUGE Four Horsemen Studios symbol, also in foil.

The story of Mythic Legions is summarized in this too-small-to-read text on the back. This is all I know of the story, besides some that I have picked up from bios on the internet. This is the main way Four Horsemen Studios want you to get this story. As far as I know there is no comics or cartoons or anything, though supposedly there is a video game going to come out some time.

Let me summarize this story even more.

“Mythos has been a peaceful place, with legions of followers devoted to past heroes. There are rumors about evil forces from the past coming back to wreak havoc, and they are bringing their own dark villains to lead them.” How’s that?

On the side we get this bio for Ninian infantry. A true army-builder. You can make it who you want it to be. (I’m pretty sure this is a male…there are definite females in the Bassylia wave made available to pre-order. But as it is, it’s hard to tell with snakes.)

And “snake-men” is what the Ninian Infantry amounts to! That’s why I had to get it. No doubt MASTERVERSE will be coming out with Snake Men in 2025. Too many hints have been dropped. The packaging for Snout Spout…the even more recent packaging for Battle Armor Skeletor. They’re coming in MASTERVERSE form, no doubt. In the original MOTU line Cobra Kahn was the “harbinger,” and to me these guys fill that role as far as my collection is concerned.

WHAT DO YOU GET IN THE PACKAGE?

Package contents:

  • Ninian Infantry figure
  • Alternate open mouth head
  • Optional tail
  • Optional pauldrons
  • Spear
  • Mace
  • Shield
  • Five pairs of additional hands

Exceptional amount of things, I would say. And this guy didn’t even cost that much. Roughly the same as other “army builders.”

NINIAN INFANTRY FIGURE REVIEW

I strongly suggest using the hair dryer. I didn’t have any problems, like for instance with the Monkey King, but just be cautious. I never have been able to get the pauldrons on or the tail in properly without using a hair dryer.

He stands very well, and is super articulated. There is soft goods layered underneath the plastic armor, and it is all very complimentary.

As always, the Four Horsemen Studios have given us a terrific sculpt and such good paint. Each scale has a paint hit. And there are scales on this figure from the tip of the head to the feet. That is incredible! The design they went with is a surprising homage to the Coral Snake, a species that lives on the coast of South Carolina. Not my first thought when I think of Snake Men, but here we are! (Coral snakes are actually red, black, and yellow. BUT, these guys still make me think of them).

You can of course choose to use the tail or not to. Masters of the Unverse Snake Men don’t usually have tails. I like the tail, however. And I also prefer the fanged head.

He stands with no problems and can balance in several poses. There is a scaly “hump” on his back that you can remove to see what you usually see on the backs of Mythic Legions characters. (It’s a rectangular slot, and then the two holes are there for pegs)

ACCESSORIES

We have had the mace and the spear before, but never with this “enamel” treatment. It is like hardened, glossy paint on the business end.

PICTURED: Masterverse Revolution Sorceress Teela (I call her Green Goddess), and Mythic Legions Ninian Infantry. This image of Snake Mountain is from the recent New Eternia Panthor (review coming soon)

The shield is new, and I don’t really know which way is up. And is that a snake tail? A lizard? Well, I know what it looks like. NUMBER MUNCHER. (See there, I just out-nerded all of you!)

All those hands…this is similar to the amount of hands that came with the space version of Wal-Torr the Mad. I guess we won’t be getting too many other snake guys in these colors or something.

PROVE HOW GOOD IT IS, SPARTANNERD

This figure is so photogenic. The Meso-American styling is creative and unexpected. With snake men, my first thought is “green.” Which is pretty stupid when you think about it. Most of the Masters of the Universe snake men are fairly colorful.

The figure looks great with Evil-Lyn. Remember the 200x story, where she sold out to the Snake Men, and her payment was to be eaten by King Hiss?!! No wonder Skeletor tried to feed her to an inter-dimensional being.

PICTURED: MASTERVERSE New Eternia Evil-Lyn and Mythic Legions Ninian Infantry. Evil-Lyn is using a blue lightning magic effect, proving that those effects don’t have to be for good guys.

Ninian Infantry also goes very well with Wu Kong, the Monkey King. Similar colorfulness. And these people seem like they would be enemies. In fact, aren’t snake men everyone’s enemies.

PICTURED: Figura Obscura Sun Wu Kong the Monkey King vs. Mythic Legions Ninian Infantry.

NOPE. Thulsa Doom worships the snake god Set.

PICTURED: Mythic Legions Ninian Infantry X2, Super7 Ultimates! Battle of the Mounds Conan the Barbarian, wearing MASTERVERSE New Eternia Beast Man’s armor and wielding the bloody axe exclusive to the Battle of the Mounds set. Being sacrificed by Thulsa Doom is Valeria (Spirit), also from Battle of the Mounds. This backdrop is from the Mythic Legions Ogre Accessory set (I think)
PICTURED: Cosmic Legions Wal-Torr the Mad and T.U.5.C.C. Pilot, both with the Illuminati Ninian Infantry heads. This backdrop is an Extreme Sets piece called The Compound.

Try these heads out on the Cosmic Legions space men. The Horsemen have already offered a “character pack” using these heads with a Cosmic Legions figure also. I thought of this with the space men first, so I beat them to it! (I did pre-order these blue heads, and also some traditional alien heads.)

And let’s not forget about the packaging for Snout Spout.

PICTURED: MASTERVERSE New Eternia Snout Spout vs. Mythic Legions Ninian Infantry. The backdrop was the surprising diorama that featured King Hiss and Lady Slither, a part of Snout Spout’s packaging.

SPARTANNERD RATING OF MYTHIC LEGIONS NINIAN INFANTRY

Sculpt, terrific

Paint, unexpected and brilliant.

Accessories, perfect for army building, and extra head at that.

Articulations, no stupid problems. Just remember the hair dryer.

And what does this add to the SpartanNerd’s collection? So Much Value! Snake Men, I’m waiting.

PICTURED: MASTERVERSE Revelation King Grayskull, armed with the techno sword from the 200x Castle Grayskull. He is fighting the Mythic Legions Ninian Infantry.

So I rate this figure a 5/5. Do you agree or disagree, Hub City Geeks? Let me know in the comments!

MASTERVERSE Revolution Sorceress Teela…SpartanNerd Unboxing and Review

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Looks like the SpartanNerd is playing with his dolls again…

At this point I have several female action figures. I really value my girls. But I was on the fence about this one because of the preview photos, but also…I mean you can see what threw me off of getting her. She is beautifully painted and sculpted, but that upper thigh cut and the execution of the leg joints makes her look awkward right away. And not just me…I asked a few others and they felt the same way.

I get that MASTERVERSE figures have advanced articulation, but Mattel…KNOW YOUR CUSTOMERS. Who are we? Middle-aged adults who are more into displaying or photographing our figures. To that end, anything that makes the figure look worse…at least give it second thoughts. This has been a thing since the MOTUC She-Ra had the hole in her head…since the MOTUC Sorceress had big drums on her back to execute wing articulation.

Now depending on your feelings…maybe you LIKE the way this looks. It doesn’t work for me, and is why I almost punted on this purchase.

PACKAGING

You can see the window box at the top of the post how she looks on the shelf. It is a big MASTERVERSE-style window box, showing a great illustration of the character surrounded by magical snakes. I am going to say that it is notable that she is called “Sorceress Teela.” This is one of the Revolution designs from the Netflix show. In the past she has been known as “The Goddess” or sometimes “The Green Goddess” and also “The Sorceress of Serpos.” But they are going to stick with “Sorceress Teela” which is fine. I kind of like the idea of her being a different character, and maybe someday there will be a “New Eternia” release, maybe even with translucent plastic like they did with MOTUC. (I’ve only seen that one in box…it has notorious crumbly plastic). Readers should know…there is ANOTHER figure out there with the same name, with a more traditional “sorceress of Zoar” design. Maybe I’ll pick it up one day, but I am salty still about the MASTERVERSE Revelation Sorcerss’ problems.

They absolutely cheated on the back of this box…that is a picture of the toy…notice that they photoshopped out that seam at the upper thigh articulation. The cross-sell on the bottom features Man-Of-War, Sorceress Teela, New Eternia Mer-Man, and New Eternia Battle Armor Skeletor. I really want Battle Armor Skeletor, but it looks like I might have missed it.

I generally like what is on the back and sides. One of the sides shows Sorceress Teela holding the Staff of Ka and the other shows all three staves (Havoc Staff, Staff of Ka in a neutral pose, and Staff of Zoar). In the cartoon, she had to master all three kinds of magic to become the “Tri-Sorceress.”

Just a side note…I’m completely into the design of husband-and-wife He-Man and Teela the Tri-Sorceress at the end of the show. AND I think they could sell those two as a set and I would totally buy it. In fact…don’t tell anyone…I would buy this as a BARBIE set! (Also…when will we get the completely awesome Sorceress of Havoc?!)

WHAT DO YOU GET IN THE BOX

Contents:

  • Sorceress Teela figure
  • Staff of Ka
  • Snake magic effect
  • Alternate hands (she has gripping and open hands)

Not many accessories…

FIGURE REVIEW

PICTURED: Sorceress Teela using the Snake Men backdrop that came with New Eternia Snout Spout. This photo makes her look a bit like an Egyptian goddess. Egyptian has already proven to be OK for the Sorceress back in the 200x days.

As a figure, the paint is really good. This is green plastic all over, but such a pleasing shade! They painted the toenails black and the fingernails red. The armor is non-removable (painted on). That she has long sleeves painted on and naked legs makes her more reptilian. They also gave her painted anklets.

I don’t know if it is the bare feet or not, but I have had a hard time getting her to stand.

PICTURED: Sorceress Teela with Savage He-Man. Savage has 40th anniversary He-Man’s head, and she is presenting him with the armor and weapons similar to the first “mini-comic.”

You can see in the storybook homage photo above that Savage He-Man doesn’t have trouble with his bare feet. But he has big boats while she has dainty green princess feet, and maybe it’s the giant hood that causes the balance issues.

PICTURED: MASTERSE Force Captain Teela and Sorceress Teela, both with their heads swapped. Notice Force Captain’s headdress is the MOTUC weapons pack version, as well as the Staff of Ka. I only did this head swap for the review…why would you ever do this for a main display?

Speaking of the hood, I wish you could remove it from her head. That this is glued on takes away from what could have been an amazing feature of the toy.

The tail is soft goods…effectively making this a “dress.” I know you are wondering out there, so here you go…(pictured below)

PICTURED: Sorcerss Teela and Conan Battle of the Mounds Valeria (Spirit)

If you have Sorceress Teela “half-cheek” it you get an unsightly view of those upper leg joints. Similar to Super7 Ultimates! Conan Battle of the Mounds Valeria. And if you zoom in you will see that the black stripe visible in this picture is a shadow, not paint. (That’s how bad it is…Cringy)

Ultimately, though, the tail isn’t meant to do this…it is meant to always cover her backside. And it doesn’t look bad. I wish it had print on both sides of the dress, but one sided works just fine.

ACCESSORIES

PICTURED: MASTERVERSE New Eternia Skeletor Throne and MASTERVERSE Revolution Sorceress Teela. She is showing off the Staff of Ka that she came with, as well as the one that came with the throne.

The Staff of Ka is really what pushed me over the edge to go ahead and purchase this. This is the best painted snake staff we have had in Mattel Masters of the Universe ever. You can see how lacking the Skeletor one is by comparison in the picture above. In fact, I plan on painting Skeletor’s now (maybe one day when it snows).

PICTURED: Sorceress Teela with Mythic Legions magic effects.

The snake magic effect is cool…I just wish there were more of it. BUT…you can use Mythic Legions Magic Effects with her just great!

SPARTANNERD’S RATING OF MASTERVERSE REVOLUTION SORCERESS TEELA.

Why does The Sorceress always get messed up in action figure form? Below is a picture of four versions of Teela and Sorceress Mattel has given us.

Each of these have had some kind of issue except for MASTERVERSE Force Captain Teela. MASTERVERSE Revelation Sorceress (Teela-Na) has those stupid soft-goods wings. Masters of the Universe Classics Battleground Teela has the strange “table” effect on the waist when you turn the body. And now the Green Goddess has the strange thigh-cuts that make her pelvic region awkward for Reverend SpartanNerd to talk about. And notice I “kit-bashed” Battleground Teela and Force Captain Teela. I still think the legs on the MOTUC version are the better female legs. That double jointed knee looks like cellulite. And the MOTUC version also just didn’t have a thigh-cut. It wasn’t needed and the Four Horsemen knew it.

As it is, Force Captain Teela with the MOTUC gear is still the best. But as much griping as I have done about Snake Sorceress (Green Goddess and Snake Sorceress are the names I usually use), as an action figure she is great. She really “feels” like a different character, actually in the show as well. And she is very enjoyable to play with…not displeasing to the eye. I think the thigh cut problem looks its worse while the figure is standing in the box, which is too bad for MOC collectors. As you are posing her around, you can minimize her un-sexiness actually much better than you can Super7 Valeria (Spirit).

So positives…Terrific paint, on both the figure and also the Staff of Ka. She is very articulated and is currently the most “free” to pose female figure because her armor is painted on. Negatives…the articulation seams are unsightly visible and especially distracting from what would be a great female body sculpt. She didn’t come with many accessories, and that the hood is non-removable is a missed opportunity.

I am going to rate this figure a 2/5. She’s a lot of fun but has her problems…problems that are poor design choices that could have been handled differently. Do you agree or disagree, Hub City Geeks? Let me know in the comments!