2014 has been a pretty big year for the Princess of Power corner in Masters of the Universe Classics. Mattel has been celebrating the 30th anniversary of She-Ra and her pals with a dedicated six-month figure subscription they have dubbed “Club Etheria.” While this is where we have gotten a good deal of the PoP sect in Masters of the Universe Classics this year, some of the characters have found their way into the proper Classics line, so if my memory is correct, but the time December 31 arrives we will have gotten twelve releases throughout the year (depending on if you count the SDCC Hordak and Imp, and if you do, that makes thirteen). That is an entire year’s worth of Club Eternia monthly figures, so while we have had a long go of it in populating Etheria since Classics began, 2014 is certainly a banner year. Towards that end, I cannot think of a better figure to wrap up the year for me than the Club Eternia December figure Mermista.
I love Mermista as a character and she is pretty much tied with Frosta as my favorite PoP character. Her mermaid concept and design are, of course, unique, and I feel that helps bolster her to a level above most of her Rebel friends when it comes to fitting into the fantasy aspect of Masters of the Universe as a whole. The idea of having a mermaid in the fray with bee men, crab dudes, and a spider guy is perfectly fitting, and that aspect brings a more fantastical characterization to the PoP sect. Plus, I just think mermaids are cool and a lot of our own myths and stories involving them are very interesting and common to a lot of cultures. So to say I have been waiting on Mermista for a long time is an understatement, but now that she is getting close to hitting Matty Collector, I have to say that she was mostly worth the wait. She is not quite perfect (Spinnerella will probably be considered the overall winner of December), but she is most certainly going to bring a lot of eye-catching and unique qualities to the Great Rebellion.
I will start strong with this one and say that, after taking pictures for this preview, I will likely never display Mermista with the optional and included “human” legs. It is not that I don’t like the concept of Mermista being able to switch from fins to legs, because I really do, and I REALLY appreciate the idea of being given the ability to choose between the two options, but the fact is the mermaid tail is executed so much better than the legs. I will take some time to talk about the tail specifically in a moment, but at the end of the day, the leg portion just turned out disappointing to me and it is due to an old nemesis that has been haunting the ladies of MOTUC: the hip section. You know what I am talking about here and whether you call it the hips, crotch, leotard, underwear or whatever, Mermista follows in a long tradition of that piece just not coming through production correctly.
Probably the most prolific and maligned of the (now passed) previous design regime, the “granny panties” effect on many of the women varied from figure to figure, but the best results were really just met with the assertion that they look “okay.” I wish Mermista was not hit by this, but as you can see, she was. Her actual legs are fine and the boot reuse from Netossa is completely appropriate, but the hip overlay that makes up the lower portion of her leotard is big, flat, and not at all formfitting. So, if you have been bothered by this issue in the past, you are not going to get any relief here. As in the past, I am sure the original Horsemen design was there, but like Glimmer, Octavia, and others, that design did not survive production. It is a shame for sure, but at least Mermista offers a more iconic alternative to this, something that most of the ladies cannot boast. I will say this right now: thank goodness for Brandon Sopinsky, the new designer working on the line. After talking with him at SDCC, he seemed to understand the issue, and after seeing an early production shot of Queen Angella, it looks like he has FINALLY solved this issue going forward. So, thanks Brandon, I am sure many fans are grateful for the work you are already doing on the line.
Now, if we can move on to something more positive: the alternative Mermaid tail is simply fantastic and it is very, very striking. As much as I find the human hips section a letdown, I feel even more strongly about how well the mermaid tail turned out, and that is how I will always display Mermista on my shelf. The design, sculpt, and final overall product are all great, and you will have a variety of options for posing and display with this piece. First, I want to say that coloring is eye-catching and the fact that glitter has been added to the surface of the tail is not only a great idea, but it is executed well. If the Four Horsemen have gotten a lot of practice sculpting over the past few years, it has been with feathers and scales, so that trend holds here. The scale effect is really enhanced and brought out by the glitter effect, so good on whoever decided to add that.
The tail is also nicely articulated, but if I had one nitpick with the tail, it would be this. There are points at the fin, “knee,” hips, and waist, and the movement combination of these joints enables you to have a lot of options when displaying the figure. In fact, if you wanted Mermista to “stand” on her tail, there is a small plastic stand that clips to the fin that is included. It is fine for what it is and will serve its purpose, but I would not plan on being able to do anything too crazy with it. I personally like using the Toy Biz Marvel Legends Series 2 Namor “wave” base, and you can see it in these pictures. However, I was planning on having my Mermista sit on the edge of the Rebellion shelf with her tail hanging over the end. I will be able to do that, but the hips don’t quite achieve a 90⁰ angle, so she will need to be propped up to sit naturally. I know that seems like a tiny little nitpick for a very specific posing option, but so be it. I will say, though, everything else about it is fantastic and the fin itself has a wonderfully fantastic but organic shape to it.
The other major component of the figure is, of course, the head. As an overall line, MOTUC head sculpts have been very good and there have only really been a few that I feel missed the mark. The female head sculpts have been faring pretty well this past year, and characters like Entrapta, Flutterina, and the upcoming Spinnerella are some of the best that the line has ever offered. I think Mermista has an interesting head sculpt, and if you take a quick glance, you can see that she was not sculpted by Eric Treadaway. I have known Eric for a long time now and I have been collecting action figures sculpted by him for even longer, so I think that I have gotten pretty good at spotting an Eric head. Indeed, I am pretty sure that Mermista was sculpted by the famous “Fifth Horseman” Djordje because she does have some of his notes as well. He has provided some very dynamic sculpting in the line in the form of Tri-Klops, Bow, and others, but as you know, his style is a little bit different.
That is how I would describe Mermista’s head sculpt: a little bit different. Eric’s consistency provides some nice cohesion to the entire MOTUC line, so characters like Flutterina and Spinnerella fit in with each other quite well. Djordje does some very strong work to be sure, but his head sculpts provide a little bit more variation from figure to figure. That is something that a lot of fans certainly support and that is the case with Mermista. She has a very unique look and sculpt, and she does not look like any other female in the line. I am not sure how to describe it exactly (thank goodness for pictures) but while the MOTUC Mermista does capture the overall feel of her Filmation look, she seems more… stately. I am not sure that is the right word for it, but a lot of the PoP ladies have a young look about them and while Mermista certainly does not look “old,” she looks like a woman in a larger cast of girls. Does that make sense? There is something about her that seems proper, like, say, Cate Blanchet. I am not saying that she looks like Cate, but I get the same feel from her. Her eyes are a different shape and she has darker lipstick on paler skin, so she seems refined. I don’t know, maybe I am just looking into it a little too much, but you can see for yourself.
The thing that does stand out to me is that I think her forehead is a bit too big, but that has just as much to do with the sculpt of the hair, in my opinion. This figure definitely has the Filmation hairstyle and it is pretty well done overall with a nice attention to detail. The widow’s peak is an example of this, but I think that adds to the larger forehead as well since it makes her overall hairline feel a little further back. Angella kind of has the same thing going on, but her hair has better placement on the head, so there is not as much space between the peak and the eyes. That being said, the rest of the hair is just beautiful and it is long and flowing and almost looks like a flowing waterfall at the bottom, so I really dig it. It is also made of a very soft plastic and that is so refreshing for this line. Mermista’s head moves pretty freely due to this, despite having a lot of hair.
Finally, Mermista comes with her two vintage accessories: her shell and the standard PoP shield. I don’t think I need to say much about the latter as you know what you are getting, just that it is now coming in green. The shell is kind of fun too, and it is certainly a unique accessory, but it kind of leaves her without a melee weapon. In fact, in her bio, she has to steal Mer-Man’s trident just to remove his head (something that is absolutely NOT being incorporated into my canon!), so it might have been neat to get a spear or something, but I am personally not very fussed. Maybe the DCUC Black Manta trident would work well for her.
Mermista has been a long time coming and I am glad that she is wrapping up Club Eternia for 2014. In her mermaid form, I find that I like this figure a great deal, even with her larger forehead. As I said, the hip overlay execution is not as successful as it could have been, but it looks like she might be the last of that in the line with Brandon at the design helm. I am planning on Mermista being a strongly debated figure, but that is the natural order of things when it comes to MOTUC. Her mermaid design and tail are executed well, and inviting a new mythological creature into the Masters world is always welcome for me, so I still consider her a win. Sound off in the comments below if you agree or disagree! We are only an Angella (who has been revealed), Peekablue, and a Perfuma away from completing the vintage Princess of Power character lineup – I cannot wait until they are all together!
*Thanks for reading and thanks for the gang at Mattel for sending Mermista along for a First Look. Check back soon for more Masters goodness!
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