Every so often toy companies get lucky with the timing of when a figure hits the shelves and interest in the character increases. That’s even harder for wrestling figures as sometimes a character’s popularity has waned by the time collectors can get the figure. It’s rarer for it to work the other way, but that’s the case with the WWE Natalya figure.
It’s good to see Natalya involved in the main (i.e. only) feud in the WWE Women’s division as she’s currently embroiled in a feud with champion Charlotte. As a fixture of the former Divas division, it’s great to see she hasn’t been forgotten and completely stepped over for the hot new arrivals from the Divas Revolution. Natalya has had a few figures before, but this latest version better reflects her current look.
Remember what I said about timing? This isn’t exactly Natalya’s current attire. The figure is based on her phase acting as second/valet/eye candy to Tyson Kidd and Cesaro. But as Mattel lucked out here, Natalya’s wrestling attire isn’t far off from this look, so it works.
It’s May and I’m still not tired of the 2016 packaging style. That’s an encouraging sign. As usual, we get a big portrait on the front and a checklist style back. I still would love to see a better bio on these cards. That can’t be that big of an expense, right? Heck, if Mattel or Hasbro asked, I’d do it for free(-ish).
The divas are a lot harder for Mattel to get down than their male counterparts. The major hurdle is that there’s a certain level of attractiveness that needs to get captured with the women. The male wrestlers can be more of a caricature, but every detail of the female sculpt is important to really get the likeness down.
Sculpt-wise, this is a pretty good attempt. Natalya has more of a pronounced face and overall physique than some of her peers and the figure reflects her broader body. She doesn’t look frail like some of the Diva figures, one of the weaker aspects of that division of Mattel’s line. Natalya even has more muscular arms. I’m thinking Natalya would work great for customizers looking to do a ver. 1 Chyna custom figure.
Natalya’s outfit surprisingly features a ton of unique sculpting from her studded bra, corset, pants, and gauntlets. Initially, I thought Mattel just reused a lot of the Elite 37 Stephanie McMahon, but Nattie got a lot of dedicated parts. Even two fists! 
Natalya should be shorter than her peers since she’s 5 feet 5 inches. She definitely should be looking up to the 5 foot 8 inch Paige and 5 foot 10 inch Charlotte. I would show her with Cesaro and Kidd, but I’m a slacker and haven’t opened/reviewed Cesaro yet and haven’t picked up Kidd.
The paint somewhat lets Natalya down. The more minimal paint job works for the male wrestlers, but the females require a bit more attention and paint applications, specifically the face could use more paint to better reflect how the women look. Eye shadow is the biggest in capturing that look. Mattel tried, but it wasn’t applied perfectly on my figure. I wasn’t all that optimistic on my chances on finding another Natalya or one with a better paint job, so I grabbed it, but if you’re lucky enough to be in position to choose between two, I’d recommend paying close attention to the eye paintwork.
The rest of the paint is overall pretty solid. There were a few missing parts in the metal bra, but on the whole, this was a really solid paint job right down to one of Mattel’s better incorporating hair highlights.
Articulation is also not surprisingly, but still disappointing. Nattie’s shoulder piece restricts her arm movement more than most Divas figures. While it looks like with a little work it could be removed, I doubt getting it on would be easy without boiling hot water to take off the arms. Nattie does have a sculpted top, so if you wanted a more modern wrestling Nattie, that could work.
I really wish Mattel provided double knee articulation for the Divas. Nattie desperately needed it as she has very little back-and-forth range. It remains a struggle for Mattel. Granted, this is supposed to be Natalya in her valet role, so her knee articulation isn’t as pivotal, but it would have been nice to have more posing options.
If you want to count the shoulder piece, that’s all Natalya has by way of accessories. That’s understandable, though, since she’s a $10 Basic figure and they rarely come with extras.
I’m torn on this figure. From a sculpt perspective and the particular non-wrestling time frame Mattel was going for with this figure, she’s an easy 10. But articulation-wise, she’s one of the more statue-like figures we’ve gotten in either the Basic or Elite line with the below-waist articulation essentially worthless. If you want a second for Kidd and Cesaro, this Natalya figure is a must-buy. Given Natalya’s prominent screen role currently, there might be a chance for a better wrestling version down the road.
