Prepare for Trouble! And make it Double! Wait – wrong property! Sorry! But as you might have guessed, Masters of the Universe Classics is getting a double dose of trouble (and mischief) when the new Club Etheria mini-subscription launches in July. Taking the first leg is the mysterious (and highly underused) secret agent spy for the Great Rebellion – DOUBLE MISCHIEF!
Okay, sorry again, but I just cannot do it. I know that this new Rebel has to be called Double Mischief due to copyright and legal reasons, but let’s face it, this is Double TROUBLE and as such, that is how I will be referring to her for the rest of this First Look. I realize that a name is just something that you slap on the packaging for an action figure, but Double Trouble perfectly articulates the personality and shtick of the character, plus it rolls off of the tongue so well. Double Mischief? Well, not so much. The important thing, though, is that after 30 years, she is returning to action figure form.
Unless you were into the vintage Princess of Power toy line, chances are you have very little exposure to Double Trouble. She holds the dubious distinction of being the only figure from the toy line to not, for some reason, be featured in the She-Ra Filmation cartoon. I do not know why that is, perhaps someone could cast some light, but that just adds to the air of mystery that this already mysterious character holds. Now, maybe the Horde character Loni was a bit of a tribute to Double Trouble, but that notwithstanding, this is the first go around with her for most of us.
The good news is that figure turned out pretty well for the most part. She is certainly not as nice as the previously featured Flutterina, but Matty got most of the things right. However, one of the most crucial aspects of the figure did not come through production/design as nicely as we would have hoped, but if you have been paying attention, you are already acutely aware of what that is. I know the neck/face isn’t perfect, but actually having the figure in hand, the look isn’t nearly as obvious and giant as close-up Internet pictures show.
So let’s get right to it: Double Trouble’s action feature gimmick was that her head could turn inside of her helmet to give her a smiling “heroic” look or a frowning/mischievous snarl for her “evil” appearance. This is so she could go into the Fright Zone and pose as a faithful member of the Horde and report on their doings to the Great Rebellion. She is Glimmer’s cousin, so I imagine her status in Brightmoon is pretty high, so that is some dangerous work she is handling for someone of noble stock. Truth be told, she was one of the few PoP figures that carried over the MOTU line’s action gimmick that was popular with kids, so I have to wonder if the original Double Trouble figure moved well on her own, even though she was not supported by the cartoon.
The head turning feature has been preserved in the Classics figure, so you can choose your own adventure and have Double Trouble stand with the Rebels or the Horde. The actual rotation movement works well enough, and the little green dial on the top of her helmet moves the head around while the movement of her long and flowing hair remains independent. This is achieved by having the head, helmet, dial, and hair all be different pieces that articulate together, giving you lots of different hair and face display options.
However, for the sake of the action feature, the design and construction of the face and neck suffered in production. I really wish that Ruben and team were able to find a happier medium between form and function here because in the production process, Double Trouble lost her neck. Well, she didn’t lose it per se, but it was really turned into a rounded drum that is as wide as the rest of the head. So it makes the face(s) look flat and the chins run right into the neck area. It just makes everything look kind of weird, despite the fact that the sculpts and paints are strong. Now, I am not familiar with all of the challenges that come with making an action feature like this work, but if the neck area was going to have to be so compromised, I wish they would have gone with two complete separate and interchangeable heads to complete the effect of the action feature, but not give Double Trouble a bit of “drum head.” Like I said, the faces look okay and the neck isn’t as noticeable in person as in these big photos, but I do wish that perhaps a better compromise could have been found. It certainly does not ruin the figure (at least for me), but Double Trouble should have been another home run for the Rebellion.
The rest of the figure did turn out quite nice in overall execution, and I am very glad to welcome green as the newest color to join the ranks of the Rebellion. There are several things that make Double Trouble stand out from the rest of the Etherian crowd, but her dominantly green color scheme is a good place to start. There are several different shades of green in her helmet, bodice, and tights, and there are golden accents to help set them off in her high collar and belt. Her cape is also green and it is cast in a very cool translucent plastic. I know this was done to preserve the “shimmering” effect of the original doll, but it looks really great and is perhaps a little on the nose with your ability to “see right through it.” I hope her deception skills aren’t as transparent as her duds.
Double Trouble also features silver boots that are great updates of the originals, and, like Flutterina, she has those great rocker ankles in tow. I am not sure how a character is able to pull off a color scheme of assorted greens, gold, AND silver, but Double Trouble makes it look good. Her hair also looks good, and it is really wild to have a figure with such long locks. Again, it is recreating the look of the original, but that ponytail is long and can take up a lot of space, so I am glad it can be posed independently in any position around her head. The ponytail is big, but it is not so heavy that it inhibits the figures ability to pose or stand well on its own. It also features a wash to give Double Trouble a bit of a “dirty blonde” look, and that paint effect is something that is not used very often in Classics, so I am glad they were able to pull it off with success.
Finally, Double Trouble has lost her vintage shield and comb in lieu of a brand new crossbow. While I wish they would have just included a green version of the ubiquitous PoP shield, I have to say that the bow is one of the best “new” accessories that the line has offered. See, it works just like her face-changing action feature in that the front can be turned from a “good” green look to the Horde version in black featuring Hordak’s ugly mug. This is a really cool idea from the Four Horsemen that fits the characterization of Double Trouble perfectly. So I am not going to cry too much for the missing shield because the crossbow is great and I realize that the face gimmick took up a lot of the budget on this one.
Well, I am certainly glad to have Double Trouble in my Classics collection, and this is certainly my first real foray into getting to know the character. I do wish that the aesthetics of the neck/face were a bit better with the action feature, but I think a lot of people will not mind it too much once they have it. The fans out there that are creative and innovative will be coming up with some great “fixes” I am sure, so I will be excited to see those after July 15th when she goes on-sale. It looks like the Club Etheria figures will continue to get better and better as they year goes on, so I am excited to see the rest of the lineup at SDCC in a couple of months!
*Thanks for reading and thanks to those pesky Rebels at Mattel for sending Ms. Mischief along for this feature. Don’t worry, we will have more MOTU tomorrow!
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