“I’ll getcha, muscle man!”
Say what you will about Hordak; he might be an intergalactic despot whose primary focus is conquering planets to enslave the native populace under his fascist boot, but at least he is an equal opportunity employer. Let’s face it, Skeletor only lets one female prowl the caverns of Snake Mountain, King Hssss runs an all-male army, and even Randor only has one lady in his ranks, so what gives? Devastating dictator he may be, at least Hordak is not afraid to bring some powerful females into his undying ranks. Shadow Weaver, Catra, and Entrapta are great examples of this, and before the defection, Adora was Hordak’s favorite protégé. Scorpia is one of the most oft used enforcers as well, and she has been putting the hurt on the subjects of Etheria for decades now. However, for the first time ever, she is getting her due in plastic as the May 2014 Masters of the Universe Classics figure, and we cannot be more excited.
Wasn’t it always a bummer to see really cool characters in the old Filmation shows and then to not be able to have action figures of them? That happened countless times to me due to the show’s rich tapestry of one-off characters and arcs, so the fact that we are FINALLY getting Filmation characters in the cohesive Classics aesthetic is one of my favorite things about the entire line. I know that getting all of the vintage characters is priority number one for 2014-15, so I am looking to 2016 as the really exciting year for Filmation fans. Fortunately for us, Scorpia has long been considered an “A-List” Filmation character so when the acquisition of those rights were announced by Mattel, her release became more a question of “when?” rather than “if?”
I have to say that May of 2014 was a little longer of a wait than I would have originally expected, but let me tell you, she is worth it. In fact, not only do I find her to be the best Filmation figure that we have gotten thus far, she might be the best overall female the line has offered to date. That is really saying something because Castaspella, Catra, and Teela are pretty standout figures; however, Scorpia really plays to the Four Horsemen’s strengths in terms of a female figure because she really is more of an abomination than anything else. He-Man himself was heard to remark that she “isn’t much of a lady,” and her monstrous scorpion race not only makes her a dangerous adversary, but also a really interesting figure.
Scorpia is also unique in terms of character because she is female enforcer, something that most of the other Horde women cannot boast. Shadow Weaver is really Hordak’s second-in-command (and is pretty much on-par with him in terms of power), while Catra and Octavia (and formerly, Adora) were also seated in high ranks with a primary objective to boss people around. Scorpia, though, she is a tank fighter. She is someone that will run into a rumble pit alongside guys like Grizzlor and duke it out with the most wily Etherians. Sure, she usually got her ass handed to her (as was the routine for all evil characters on the Filmation shows), but even when she was foiled by watermelons (it happened), that did not stop her from coming back at the Great Rebellion and He-Man himself time and time again.
Now, Eric Treadaway has been teasing us with his machinations for Scorpia for a very long time. I think the first time he mentioned her was in an interview we had with him at SDCC many years ago, so to say that Scorpia has been a long time coming, even to Classics, is an understatement. Expectations have been running high for this pincered powerhouse, and I have to say that, overall, the Horsemen and Mattel were able to deliver a very striking figure that hits almost every note in terms of design and aesthetics. I really did not think she would be able to dethrone Catra as my favorite Horde girl, but she certainly has done it.
For starters, Scorpia has one of the most accurately dead-on face sculpts of the entire line, period. I have always felt that was the case for the aforementioned Catra as well, but as much as her figure elicits the Filmation source art, Scorpia runs right past her. Sure, Scorpia has some very strong features, like her pointed jaw and crazy eyebrows with green eye shadow, but everything that was there to emulate was captured perfectly in plastic. I love her expression, and it is so fitting for her. I think Octavia turned out to be a great figure as well, but her likeness and expression were kind of dialed back to the point that, if her face wasn’t green, she could have been any female. That is not the case with Scorpia at all and it is true from all angles. There is absolutely no mistaking her face for anyone else, and she turned out grotesquely beautiful.
However, while her face sculpt/overall execution is probably my favorite part of the figure, the rest of her is pretty dynamite as well. Her design really helps with that. I mean, she is a scorpion lady after all. Again, though, this really plays to the Horsemen’s strengths. They really made her claws and tail stand out on the figure and the gave her a much needed “Classics upgrade” over the more simplistic Filmation design. That is to say, they captured the overall design just right, but they added details to really bring her into Classics, and that does not always happen with Filmation figures (see: Shokoti). Her claws, tail, and shoulder/back armor is adorned with bumps and crags that recall an actual crustacean. They look good on the actual figure, but when you look at the pictures blown up to several times the normal size, you can really see the love and detail put into those spots. The bumps were left off of her head/helmet (anyone know which one it actually is?), and I think that was a smart move, but it does push me to believe that she is actually wearing a helmet and the “shell” on her head is not organic like the rest of the scorpion spots.
Her costume was faithfully rendered as well, and, for the most part, I think the figure captures everything. She does have the skirt/leotard issue that has been an ongoing struggle for Mattel design, but it does not seem as apparent on Scorpia as it has been with figures like Glimmer and Shokoti. You would think that the pink of her “scorpion bits” would really clash with the red and black of the Horde outfit, but it really doesn’t. Again, her headpiece is in red rather than pink, so that is more evidence that, at least to the 4H, it is a helmet and not her actual head. Her costume is pretty much lifted straight from the 2D source material, but there are enough lines and patterns to keep it interesting enough to hang with the rest of the figure.
As for production quality, again, I would say she is right up there with most of the figures we have gotten of late in the MOTUC line. Her joints are solid and the plastic is strong. She has a wrist twist for her claws and those are strong enough that she is able to hold weapons in them with no help. Her tail twists about ¾ of the way up (think Whiplash), and I know there are some that wanted more articulation in there, but your care will vary depending on your preference. I do have to say that her tail is made of a much softer plastic than what I was expecting, so it does have some pliability for posing to it, but is certainly not weak. Her paint is also pretty strong, but I have a little bit of black slop on her back, so you might watch out for that. The good news is that her face paint is pretty flawless.
Finally, Scorpia comes with an all-new Horde crossbow that captures that weapon’s tradition within the Horde, while being very representative of her as an individual. In fact, the scorpion motif works so well I think to date it is my favorite crossbow. The paint used is very shiny and the gloss suggests that it made of metal and looked after quite well. It attaches perfectly to her wrist with a clip, even though she could hold it if she had to. I know her claws and tail are her primary weapons, but it would have been cool to get another Filmation artifact with her, but there are already a lot of new pieces here, so I could see why an additional piece would not cost out.
The little skirt issue aside, I think Scorpia is pretty damned impressive and even with the the likes of Modulok and Two Bad released this year, she is one of the strongest 2014 figures yet. I really cannot believe how diverse and deep the Horde has gotten (we are getting at least one more member this year in the Entrapta), and even among the freaks of this faction, Scorpia really stands out. She is a bruiser that can go toe-to-toe with the Rebellion, and even if you are not a big Horde or Flimation fan, she is going to look great in any collection. Scorpia goes on sale along with Battle Lion in May at Matty Collector.
*Thanks for reading and thanks to the Horde at Mattel for sending Scorpia along. We have much more MOTU goodness coming, but you might have to, ahem, LOOK for it…
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