Tweeterhead Teela Exclusive Masters of the Universe

Ever since Sideshow started their modern interpretation of the iconic Masters of the Universe statue series, I was hoping that they would go deep into the character list. There are just so many characters for which I have lots of nostalgia due to the 80s cartoon series. That's what happens when you watch that stuff every weekend and after school!

Sideshow stopped their series and handed over to the folks that they were collaborating with over at Tweeterhead. And thank god they did, because Tweeterhead continue to do some awesome work! The statue releases are still few and far between, but each one is just too good for me to pass up!

This recent Teela statue is no exception. Click the link below to see my full video review over on the Kool Kollectibles YouTube channel! Make sure to like and subscribe to stay tuned for more reviews coming up on the channel.

Box art and contents are as you'd expect for this 1/5th scale. Everything is well protected and secured in the foam packaging. I love that they included two swap out head sculpts, and they actually make more of a difference that I thought they would (more on that later).

The set also comes with two swap out weapons. The standard version includes only the sword, which is made of metal and is beautifully detailed. Be careful of the base of the blade where it connects to the hilt. There were reports that this can separate from the hilt, and it's difficult to glue back in a stable manner.

The hilt has a peg that insets into the blade, and mine did have a bit of movement but not enough to separate. Either way, just be careful, because the weight of the metal blade does make it more fragile at that connection point.

Once all the separate pieces are connected, she looks absolutely gorgeous. As I mentioned before, she comes with two swap out head sculpts. The core part of the beautiful face is the same, with the key difference being her hair. One shown below has her hair up in the style similar to the classic cartoon. This actually gives her a more mature, almost regal appearance. I prefer this head sculpt over the second which is shown further below, because I like the mix of original cartoon styles with this more modern interpretation of the characters.

The base is a gorgeous stair case in the style that Sideshow used for the original He-Man statue. The hue of the green of the Castle Grayskull stone is a pretty good match. I also love the purple slimy tentacles emerging from the depths of the castle too, with that glassy orangish eye peering out. It all comes together for a great sturdy base to the statue that doesn't overpower the main point of interest.

The shield she wields in her left hand is also nicely molded and painted, with nice details. The gold highlights bring out the pattern, and it has just a scattering of weathering. Her overall outfit doesn't have too much weathering either, but the boots have a touch.

The outfit itself I think fits this style beautifully. It has that iconic style from the cartoon, with just enough tweaks for that modern, more mature, style too. It's different to Sideshow's original Evil-Lyn, which is great. I'm glad that they didn't go too far in trying to cover her up, since that classic Teela look is her in her white and gold leotard. The gold highlights across the left shoulder and chest are nicely sculpted and painted, and complement the sculpted fur on her right shoulder and back.

The second head sculpt has her hair in a pony-tail, which gives her a more youthful appearance. Both are gorgeous sculpe, and both have that subtle makeup on her face that isn't too over-bearing. Really, either sculpt looks great, but I'll be displaying her with the updo.

The exclusive version swap out piece is the Staff of Ka. It's not made of metal, but has a great curling design with the cobra twirled all the up. The gold paint application is also nicely done. It's a complete swap out arm at the shoulder, so not just a swap out hand. Some people reported having issues where the gap at the shoulder was more noticeable, but the seam on mine was fine.

The styling of the pose is both sexy and purposeful, and looks great from any angle. It's reminiscent of the She-Ra pose, but I'm glad she's looking in the opposite direction. The skin tone is nice, and has enough subtle shading to bring out the musculature detail.

No matter where or how you display this statue, it's going to draw lots of attention and raise conversation. It's what every great statue piece should do!

I think Tweeterhead have done a fantastic job in keep this series of statues going. I loved Masters of the Universe as a kid, and this modern interpretation by Sideshow and Tweeterhead have kept that love going.

I have their Mer-Man preordered, with that exclusive coming later this year from Sideshow. Luckily they announced Trap Jaw with no exclusive, so all the swap out parts are standard. This definitely saved a lot of money by preordering from Popultcha, which is the Australian partner of Sideshow. That Trap Jaw looks absolutely incredible, so I cannot wait to add more henchmen to the collection!

All I hope for is an announcement for Man-At-Arms, Sorceress, Beast Man, and Tri-Klops to be released, and then I can die happy! 😀

Tweeterhead Hordak EX statue

The previous Sideshow statues in the Masters of the Universe series were beautifully done. I was very disappointed when it was revealed that Sideshow had given up on the line. But thankfully, Tweeterhead has taken up the reins, with their first statue to continue the series being this incredible Hordak.

Click the link below to watch my full video review over on the Kool Kollectibles YouTube channel! Hope you can give the video a thumbs-up and subscribe too to stay tuned for upcoming videos!

I was so happy that I managed to secure the EX version direct from Tweeterhead. Despite the shipping fiasco, the final statue is a work of wonder! The aesthetic perfectly captures the style from the previous Sideshow statues, so they all look like they're one continuous series of characters.

The surprise in the EX set was the cannon arm, which is a great homage to the 80s cartoon. It goes beautifully with the cartoon styled EX head sculpt. The swap out head is slightly larger than the regular head, and I think fits the overall body proportions better.

The staff is nicely done, but if that takes up too much space, then you can choose to use the swap out left hand which is just a resting hand. But for me, the staff just adds so much more menacing presence to the statue on display. I'll definitely be going with the 80s style head sculpt and cannon arm for my display.

A cape is provided that has pleather on one side and a red satin finish on the other. It doesn't seem to hand or fold around the shoulders very naturally, so I will be leaving it off. It does have too much of a Dracula feel to it, and the statue seems to be a bit too busy with the cape and the cannon arm and the staff. Swapping out for the more simpler parts might suit going with the cape instead.

Leaving the cape off also shows off more of the incredible detail in the body sculpt. The paint app is very well done, with sharpness and no colour bleed. The shading in the paint app really brings out the details in the sculpt, with a good dose of weathering and splashes of metallic red and silver.

The regular head sculpt is the more realistic style similar to that of the regular Skeletor sculpt. It's beautifully painted, but unfortunately mine came with a paint chip on one of the horns. I've been in contact with Tweeterhead, but am still waiting for confirmation that a replacement will be sent. I'm hoping to hear back from them soon.

The base is also nicely done, and I do like the big magnetic Horde symbol. The overall pose is the usual one-leg-up-pointing-into-the-distance style, but it suits the character well so I'm OK with it. It perfectly complements Skeletor and Evil-Lyn, and adds a great villain to my collection.

I really hope Tweeterhead continue deep into this series of characters. I already have the upcoming Teela EX version preordered, and hope for characters such as Man-At-Arms, Beastman, Trap Jaw, and Mer-Man. If you're a MOTU fan looking for a great, more adult-oriented interpretation of these characters, this series is just for you! Go support it! :D

Sideshow Masters of the Universe Orko statue

Sideshow have not announced any further Masters of the Universe statues, so this new Orko may well be the last in their nice but brief foray into this franchise. And what a shame that would be, since this aesthetic style is great for those holding nostalgia for the original cartoon characters but wanting something a bit more modern in their display cabinet.

Overall the Orko is another nice addition to the series. Click the link below to check out my full video review on the Kool Kollectibles YouTube channel. Make sure to click that like button and subscribe to the channel :)

Packaging is simiar to the previous releases, and everything is packed nicely in the foam as you'd expect for statues in this scale. However, I'm not sure why the shipping cost from the USA is so expensive for this statue. It was actually more than the Evil-Lyn statue which I think is larger and heavier. That extra shipping cost and the 10% GST on top of everything put a dampener on that since I ordered from Sideshow to get the exclusive arm holding his magic book.

The base is nicely done in a similar style and paint app to He-Man. The sculpted detail and paint shading is done well, but it would've been nice if those rings were made of metal to give that extra premium feel to the base. The base feels pretty solid and doesn't feel too hollow.

The transluscent plastic for the smoke effect is also quite nicely done, and the gradual change in colour has a nice effect. The main body of the statue connects to that smoke effect via a fairly strong magnetic peg on the lower back.

The sculpting of the red gown has a nice flowing effect, and the various shades of red and black wash give it a realistic colourway. The detailing in the chest plate and belt are nicely done, with sharp paint application too.

The standard right arm comes holding his staff. It looks nice being held the way it is to balance out the statue's pose. This is unlike the book which is held too close (but more on that later). The head sculpt is also pretty nice. I wonder if some mixed media in the cowl would've been a nice difference, but getting those folds consistently made would've been tough.

The ears sticking out through the hat is a style not every fan will like, and I probably would've preferred just the standard cartoon style. But this is a difference that is still nicely done that fits in with the overall aesthetic of the series.

The exclusive comes with the swap out arm holding his magic book. The written detail on the two visible pages is actually quite intricate and is very realistically done. The only fault I have with the swap out arm is that the mold was changed in production from the prototype! The prototype shows the arm being held lower, similar to the staff holding arm, so that the book is held further away from the body.

But now they have the arm held higher and the pages of the book barely miss his right ear. The balanced look with the book held lower is much better. I contacted Sideshow about the difference in sculpt, and they said it was a production change that was made. No reason was given for the change, and they just offered a full refund if I didn't like it. I'll keep it, but it's a shame such a strange change in sculpt was made that negatively affected the way the statue looks on display.

The rear of the statue has some nice detailing in that chest/back plate. The sculpting and paint details on the eagle is nicely done. Overall, most things fit well and seamlessly on the statue to give it a nice dynamic style next to the other characters.

Here you can see some of the detail in the book. The sculpting and paint app on the hat is decent, but I would've preferred a straight red hat with no ears sticking out. Now that would've been a nice exclusive swap out accessory!

Displayed with the others, the current series of MOTU statues do look fantastic. The consistent style really stands out in the collection, and is a great mix of nostalgic details and modern twists. I really do hope that Sideshow and Tweeterhead continue this series and announce more characters in 2019. It would be a complete shame if they decided to stop now when the original concept art print had so many awesome characters to make!

Sideshow Masters of the Universe She-Ra Exclusive

I've loved the previous releases by Sideshow in this Masters of the Universe statue series. The new aesthetic is a nice interpretation on these cartoon characters, blending the iconic 80s features of the characters whilst giving a more mature style for today.

I thought the prototype of She-Ra looked fantastic, and overall the final production version is pretty close. Click through below to check out my full video review over on the Kool Kollectibles YouTube channel. Hope you can give the video a thumbsup and subscribe to the channel too!

The box art comes in the same style as the previous statues, with nice photos of the prototype. It's always good to use those pics to compare the final production version and see if there are any major differences. For this one, there are a couple of minor tweaks to the head sculpt to change the facial features slightly.

Everything is packed in foam nicely. I got the exclusive version which comes with the additional swap out left arm holding the shield. This is a pretty nice exclusive accessory to differentiate it from the standard arm. The shield itself looks pretty nice, and the paint application is decent.

As I mentioned, the head sculpt is tweaked from the prototype. I think the prototype version had fuller and softer features. The final version has sharper lines and seems a fraction more elongated, giving it a more Amazonian-warrior look. I think both sculpts are nice, and this stronger look is equally appropriate for the warrior princess.

The main issue I had with my head sculpt was the helmet or cowl. It doesn't sit quite perfectly centred on her face, so the side pieces down her cheeks aren't quite symmetrical. They are a softer plastic so there's a bit of play to move them, but it would've been nice if they had centered it perfectly when glueing that helmet piece on.

The sculpt of the body is great, and captures her beauty and grace pretty well. The flowing hair, and ability to bend the wire in the cape to match the flow in the wind is nice. The shoulder pauldron piece that clips the cape to the body is a little fiddly, but once connected properly it does a pretty good job in keeping it together. Just take some time folding the cape in a realistic manner and it'll look great on display.

Mine isn't quite as good as I would want, but I've left it for now. I'll adjust more once I swap out the replacement shoulder piece. I got a replacement since the paint app on mine was scratched up. Sideshow have sent me a new one, but I haven't had the chance to change it up yet.

The skin tone over the body is even and consistent. There's not too much in terms of skin texture though, so a bit of subtle freckling would add a tad more realism to the paint application. One problem I did find with the paint app was around the white parts of her dress. Particularly towards the hem, the green tinge of the underlying body or paint layer shows through, giving parts of the dress a greenish, almost corroded look.

I don't think this was intentional, and I've seen photos on the forums of statues with far worse green than mine. For She-Ra, her dress should be a bright white with perhaps a bit of weathering. But I do think the green is just a QC issue where sufficient white paint was not used to hide the green underneath.

Overall though, I think Sideshow have done a pretty good job with She-Ra. She complements He-Man and the others well with this style. The base of course sticks out from the rest, but that's to be expected of the Crystal Castle. The transluscent parts perhaps could've been done to look less plasticky, as well as the jewels on the sword and shield, but they're not too bad in the scheme of things.

I'm hoping that Sideshow announce more characters in this series. I really hope others from the core cast, such as Sorceress, Man-At-Arms, Beastman, Merman etc are all made. They would look fantastic in this style. Orko is up next though, and has been delayed until around September. I'm hoping that turns out great too!

Masters of the Universe Classics!!!

Well, after sitting on the fence about this line for about 2 years, I finally caved and made my first order of the Masters of the Universe Classics figures. And once I got them, I realised how stupid I had been for 2 years waiting this long!!! My mission was to get as many of the key characters from the very first episode of MOTU, and so I picked up He-Man, Battle Cat, Man-At-Arms, Skeletor, Mer-Man, Trap Jaw, and Evil-Lyn. I also ended up getting my other favourites Hordak and She-Ra.

But then you might ask, so where is Beast Man, Tri-Klops, Teela, and Sorceress? You know how I said I waited 2 years. Well, these 4 are some of the rarer MOTUC figures, and are now commanding some ridiculous prices on ebay. Teela and Sorceress are topping $150 dollars now at recent auctions I've watched, and Beast Man just today ended at auction on $142!! And that's not including shipping!!! So for 7" figures, these prices are pretty crazy. The figures I got were all in the range of $30 - $40, so much more reasonable. The four I mentioned are certainly gaping holes in the collection, so I'll definitely try to get at least Teela, Beast Man, and Tr-Klops somehow at semi reasonable prices. Will just have to see how I go. But onto the figures I did get, and WOW!!! These figures are AWESOME!! I totally get why Hasbro is now branching the Star Wars figure line into the 6-7" realm, and if they end up anything as good as these MOTUC figures, many fans will be well pleased!!!

When I got the NECA Street Fighter 4 figures and the recent Playmates TMNT Classic Collection figures, I thought they were amazing with all the articulation. And these MOTUC figures are every bit as good. They all come super-articulated, and are mostly stacked with accessories! Some like Trap Jaw, Mer-Man, and Man-at-Arms came with alternate headsculpts, all have their assortment of weapons, and the overall quality is top-notch!

When displayed together, these figures simply look amazing. From the great paint apps to Battle Cat, Man-at-Arms, Hordak, and Mer-Man, to the way in which He-Man can now do his iconic pose, to the amazing staffs and other weapon accessories, these figures just bring back so many great memories of watching the 80s cartoon as a kid. I do have to say the way in which they package these figures tends to bend the accessories a little, and it is hard to get them to straighten out, but other than that and the odd minor paint blemish, I can't recommend these figures enough!

So like me, if you've been sitting on the fence about these figures, JUMP OFF NOW!!! Get online and buy before the prices of all of them start going crazy. Right now, only a handful are commanding silly prices, but unfortunately for me, most are the ones I want! Either way, definitely check them out if you were ever a fan of the cartoon or the original figures, cos they really are great. Here's a quick rundown of the figures on my youtube channel too!

Thanks for reading and watching! Hope you can all check out the Facebook page and the youtube channel too! Talk soon! :)