We are in a new year, but there is still time to check back on the final 2014 releases of Masters of the Universe Classics! December 2014 was a banner month for the toy line as fans got two figures in the main subscription: Gwildor, and my personal favorite, Mermista! So let’s check everything out.
Up first is Gwildor. Released on a larger card and bubble, Gwildor is a slightly smaller figure based on the 1987 Masters of the Universe movie. He might be small, but he comes with some heavy duty accessories. His staff and two versions of the Cosmic Key are included. One Cosmic Key is based from the film and the other is styled after the vintage toy.
Looking at this figure more closely, we can see some wonderful detailing. From the beard to the facial sculpt, Gwildor is a highly detailed version based on the movie. This is something I have noticed about the figures based from the movie, they have a look to them that sets them apart from the other MOTUC figures. Even both Cosmic Keys have so much detail to them. They look incredibly amazing.
The back of the card shows off other MOTUC releases. These are all releases we have come to know throughout the line.
Gwildor’s bio is a mixture of all kinds of things. It hints at his role in the movie without really going into the movie. Instead there is a great emphasis on Gwildor: the Early Years. He is a fascinating character and while I have not opened him yet, I do like the figure and it is nice that he is a part of the line.
Grade: A (Another superb figure that comes with even greater accessories. His film accurate appearance is yet another reason why fans will be going nuts for him.)
Now that we have Gwildor out of the way, let’s look at the figure I have been patiently waiting for. Mermista is the mist-i-fying mermaid from the second wave of the vintage She-Ra line. She is also my favorite. From the moment I found out that MOTUC was going to be an all encompassing toy line I counted down the weeks, months, and years that she would eventually be released. The wait is finally over.
Here she is in package. For a standard figure Mattel really packed as much as they could with her. She fits in the bubble nicely and there is so much to look at that my excitement for this release took a few days before I could muster the strength to open her. I just wanted to look at her in package completely in shock that she was finally here.
Turned around there are other PoP releases, as well as Mer-Man. It might seem off that Mer-Man is on the back of this card, but after the bio, it will make sense.
So let’s check out the bio! The bio is nice. It isn’t exactly the greatest that she beheads Mer-Man though. While I feel like Mermista is strong enough to behead Mer-Man, I don’t know that I needed that story point. I would have rather there been some sort of twisted forbidden love story with Mermista and Mer-Man with an epic battle between Mermista and Octavia or something. I just don’t like the idea of the characters being killed in the bios. That’s just my opinion though, I am well aware that the bios are not the total truth. Also, I’d rather it be Mer-Man that loses his head and not Mermista!
Out of package Mermista is simply stunning. Her tail is really long and swathed in glitter. Some of the glitter rubs off, but it is not bad like a glittery birthday card or something. Her look is also a nice combination of the vintage toy and her appearance in the cartoon. I am completely thrilled for how she turned out. The tail has three points of articulation. The overall design is just genius.
Up close Mermista has a really nice face. Her hairline resembles other images of Mermista perfectly. The lip color looks nice too. The eyes and eye brows are stunning. There is a serene look to her facial expression. It works so much.
Flipped around we can see yet another great hair sculpt. I have read that her hair looks like cascading waves. I would agree. The blue is a perfect shade and her hair is made of a slightly softer plastic. I adore the material used in her hair sculpt! I wish that softer plastic had been used with other heavy haired beauties like Entrapta and Spinnerella.
There is enough articulation in the tail for her to sit back in a relaxed pose of sorts. The pose reminds me of her appearance in various forms of media, like stills, and her animation.
A stand comes with Mermista when she is connected to her tail. Like the previous pictures above, Mermista slides on and is able to stand straight on her own.
Other accessories included are a sea shell and shield. They are in a darker green which lends itself to the colors used in the cartoon while the vintage toy has a lighter sea green effect. The shield is a standard PoP shield while the sea shell does have a different shape to it form the vintage toy.
One other accessory that Mermista came with was of course her legs. Her torso detaches and can snap on to either the legs or the tail. She is very similar to King Hiss in terms of that design, but Mattel perfected that device with Mermista. It’s a tight snap on fit for the mermaiden. While King Hiss felt a little loose from the legs and torso, Mermista has a nice seamless transition between either look.
Here she is with her legs. Some have mentioned the look of her diaper-like lower body piece. While figures like Adora and Marlena certainly have a diaper-like look on their non-skirt pieces, it doesn’t look so bad on Mermista. With the upcoming April release of Angella, the design team has certainly fixed that look though. For the female characters out of skirt, this style will be getting a nice update.
And now for some fun pictures of Mermista in all her glory!
The pictures were easy. I had spare tridents that were easy to slide into Mermista’s hands. I wish they had released a trident for her, but all is well. The great thing about being a toy collector is that you do end up coming across other items to fill in when needed.
Here we have the PoP ladies from the second wave of the vintage line in Classics form. In just a year the MOTUC releases for PoP characters from that second wave rose dramatically. All that is left from that second wave are the exciting Perfuma and Peekablue. Both of which we will hopefully get in 2015. After many years of collecting this line, I am thrilled to be seeing these wonderful characters getting the royal treatment. With the December MOTUC review over and done, there will just be one other December release to look at and that’s Spinnerella! Check back soon for that final article from 2014.
Grade: A+ (Was there any doubt she’d be getting this grade? Mermista turned out perfectly well. I am thrilled with how she turned out and all the nice details and touches that were added.)
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