Don’t think for one second that we are taking any time off from bringing you new Masters of the Universe Classics previews. Sure, we already featured the 2015 Club Eternia exclusive figure, Oo-Larr, but also shipping in March is another figure with some exciting merit. That’s right, Huntara is finally getting her due in Classics and aside from being a bad ass bounty hunter from Silax, she is also a fan choice figure, coming to our shelves after almost two years!
Remember all the way back to the 2013 San Diego Comic Con when Mattel held their annual Mattypalooza panel? I do, because I was really stoked when they announced that those of us who were in attendance would get a chance to vote on a character that would be made in the line. Sure, we had gotten to choose Panthor’s finish and Granamyr’s color in the past, but we had never gotten to pick a completely unique character – how exciting! Well, the vote was between Huntara and Lord Masque and what was probably considered a bit of an upset, our favorite purple lady held victory! I know I voted for her, but I figured Masque would pull it out because he was pretty much considered a given since the announcement of the Shokoti figure. Well, history was made and come next month, we will cross Huntara off the list and continue to wait on our dear Masque.
Even before that vote, I remember when Mattel announced the rights to produce Filmation-originated figures, I was instantly keen to get a Huntara figure. She, along with guys like Sea Hawk, General Sunder and the prominent Horde characters were by far my most wanted from the She-Ra show. Looking over my collection now, Sunder, Vultak and Dylamug are really the only MAJOR standouts still missing, so Huntara finds herself a part of a pretty impressive history of getting important characters into plastic for the first time. Sure, she was only a one-shot episode player, but her design, story and character left a lasting impression on a lot fans.
And why not? I mean, let’s take a look at her: she is purple, she has a Mohawk AND a twisted ponytail, she has head tattoos, carries a couple of light sabers and got the best of She-Ra and crew without breaking a sweat. If that is not a resume for an action figure, I don’t know what is and once again, even in a sea of crazy looking characters, Huntara instantly stands out as wholly unique on our Classics shelves. So, at the end of the day, even though poor Shokoti is likely getting lonely at this point, I think the SDCC fan base made a good decision. Don’t worry kids, Masque will be along eventually.
So, after waiting for what feels like forever, Huntara is here, and overall, Mattel and the Four Horsemen did good job in bringing her into the line. She is not that complicated of a figure, but she does feature a lot of new parts due to her costume and I am happy to say that they did not cut a lot of corner when it comes to reuse when they probably could. For instance, at first glance it looks like this figure utilizes the Battle Ground Teela torso as a base, but it is actually all-new. The costume is complete sculpted in place as one piece, with the exception of the shoulder pads. This actually helps streamline her and she feels skinnier than a lot of the other females, so that helps highlight her alien form.
Additionally, her skirt piece is made from a fairly soft plastic (like her shoulder pads) so there is not much articulation impediment, and the fact that she wears pretty pretty short shorts. Now, even though it looks short, the skirt does cover the thigh cuts of the figure from straight on, so they don’t stand out and I am glad they used these legs instead of the BG Teela legs because they offer a lot more functionality. In essence though, they HAD to use these legs due to one of my minor issues with the figure: she does NOT have any boot cut articulation. So, the only rotation that you will get in the legs is at the top of the thigh, so be forewarned. I don’t think it really inhibits her much at all and several other females have had the same scheme, so this should not be anything that is new, even though it is not completely ideal.
I do want to comment about the head sculpt just a bit and say, from the start, that I think it is very nice. The Mohawk and braid are done extremely well and the latter does not inhibit neck movement at all. Huntara also has a very classically “pretty” face and while that is nice, this is one of those instances where I wish they would have gone a bit more chiseled and stern. See, it is no secret that the artists at Filmation likely modeled Huntara after 80s icon Grace Jones (the cartoon model is almost a dead ringer) and if you are familiar with Jones, you know she can probably kick your ass just by looking at her. This fit perfectly with Huntara’s characterization so I wish this was carried over a bit more overtly in the figure, but I have a hard time complaining about a sculpt that is as nice as it is with very clean paint details.
Huntara also comes with a few accessories: her requisite light saber-esque twin swords and Oo-Larr’s axe. Now, I already discussed the latter in Oo-Larr’s review, but whether or not this accessory was intended to come with Huntara (there are conflicting stories about this), it was meant for the Jungle He-Man. I will say this though, the handle is thin enough that Huntara can hold it without stretching out her hand much, so if you want her to wield it, she certainly can.
Her swords are a ton of fun and are just cool weapons that are pretty unique in the MOTUC world. They are, ahem, more sophisticated than say, a blaster, and Huntara used them with deadly skill in her episode. They are cast in a clear green plastic to help create the effect and I can’t wait to see Matt K light them up in his eventual feature next month, it will be good! She has two C-clips that are meant to be holsters on her back, so that is a nice touch, though she will always have them ready and in hand on my shelf. Now, I kind of wish we would have gotten two non-ignited hilts as well for that purpose, but that is not a huge deal. What I do REALLY wish we would have gotten with the figure was an alternate head recreating her hooded look when she was tracking She-Ra. Budgets, man – what are you gonna do?
Hey kids, you picked her and she turned out to be a solid addition to our Great Rebellion shelves (take her background from the show, not the bio, please)! If you are not interested in a Mohawked purple chick with tattoos that is a master tracker and fighter, I don’t know why you collect this line and she will certainly bolster the ranks of the Rebellion – they needed another pit fighter. Now, Huntara will not have any “day of” sale stock next month, so hopefully you subbed up. Not all hope is lost, though, she will likely return to the site at a later date, so don’t go over-paying for her just yet. Oh, and she is not the only Fan Choice figure we are getting this year – Mara will be along in August as well. 2015 is certainly paying off as far as fan service goes so far this year and Huntara makes for a great addition to that.
*Thanks for reading and to the fans that helped vote Huntara into the line. Also thanks to Mattel for sending along this sample for preview, don’t worry, we will have more soon!
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