If seems like years ago since we completed the vintage Masters of the Universe “Original 8-Back” characters in Classics, it is because it was years ago – the first full year of the line, actually. Well, six(!) years later and we can finally say that the original eight from Princess of Power are now finished, and our beloved monarch of Brightmoon, ANGELLA, has arrived at long last.
I am not one to discount getting a needed and demanded character in the Classics line, but getting a crucial character like Angella (or as we all know her, QUEEN Angella) in the last year of the vintage wrap-up is pretty indicative for how the Princess of Power releases have fallen in this line. I know the distribution in Club Eternia has been pretty even for them over the years, but the fact remains that if Club Etheria did not happen in 2014, we would have never been able to finish off all of the characters. However, despite the fact that it was slow-going for most of the time, the fact remains that Perfuma is the only character left that has not been fully revealed yet, but we know that will happen no later than SDCC.
Having gone so long without Queen Angella seems a little crazy, though. While she has never been one of my favorite PoP ladies, there is no denying her place as the political leader of the Great Rebellion and she was a pivotal regular on the old Filmation show. She made her debut during the Secret of the Sword saga (the first five episodes of Princess of Power) and continued to guide the Rebellion from the throne in Brightmoon under the protection of the Whispering Woods. The show has been her only substantial shot at characterization in her long existence, but there was a lot to take in. She is sworn enemies with Hunga the Harpy, her husband, King Micah, made an all too brief appearance on the show, and her relationship with her daughter Glimmer made for some very memorable storylines. Of all of the queens of Etheria, Angella certainly shined as a strong and well respected leader, so it was great that the PoP show had a viable political backing to the Great Rebellion, even though she made most of the key players live in tents (even her own daughter) while she hung out at the castle. I kid, I kid.
Speaking of the old cartoon, Angella follows the pattern of previous PoP personalities in that her overall look and design is based on how she looked in the show. There are some added “toy” details in her costume, like the lines in her bodice, and the details in the boots and belt, but overall, this is unmistakably Filmation. While this is most certainly my preference for PoP overall, it really comes to the fore with Angella since she has such a dramatic difference in appearance between toy and toon. Sure, several of the characters had strikingly different looks between the two medias, but Angella is almost unrecognizable from one to the other.
The vintage toy had Angella with long red hair and a rather sheer pink dress, the latter is something I find pretty ridiculous for a flying character. This costume emotes a more mature woman in the Rebellion and I like that her costume is very similar to Glimmer’s look without being exactly the same. As I said above, there are some added details parts of the costume to make them a bit more visually interesting, so I think the Horsemen (once again) found a good balance with the two. The most explicit toy influence comes in the form of the translucent pink halo that plugs into the wing mount on her back. It stays firmly in place but it can be easily removed if you want to stay strictly Filmation. At first I figured I would be in the latter camp, but I have actually grown to really like the halo, so I think I will be keeping it.
Angella’s likeness is also plucked right from the show, but with just a bit of patented “Classicizing” to help bring her into the same aesthetic of the rest of the line. She has been given strong cheekbones with this figure and her jaw is a bit more square. Now, the jaw isn’t so broad that it makes her look any less feminine, but she does have an experience and stern look about her that helps support her characterization. Additionally, I think her widow’s peak comes down on her forehead a touch further than it did before, but this is more a change that will be affected by preference. I doesn’t bother me at all, but your preference will depend on your holding to the previous look.
From a construction standpoint, Angella share several parts with previous MOTUC releases. Her thighs and arms are the most apparent, but when going over the figure, she does have a lot of new parts. Her bodice and leotard piece are all-new and bring some extra detailing with them. The leotard piece does look better than several recently releases like Mermista, but the look is accomplished by gluing the piece down rather than having it perfectly shaped. This is fine, but I am going to wager that some will still not find it optimal, but I think it is an improvement overall. Also, the combination of new and reused parts leave Angella a bit shorter than most of the other PoP females. When standing next to say, She-Ra, it is not a huge deal, but when she is next to her daughter Glimmer, the becomes pretty apparent. Now, this is probably due to Glimmer being too tall as much as Angella being a bit short, but you can really see it in the picture. Had this height difference been reverse, it would have been PERFECT because Angella should be taller than her teenage daughter. Plus, Angella was always taller than Glimmer in the Filmation cartoon for which these are really based. I will be solving this by having Angella posed “in flight” on the shelf, but be prepared for the disparity.
Her boots/shins are, of course, new and that does not only bring a visual difference, but an engineering one as well. The ankle joint is hidden, much like most of the newer male boots and as you know, that tends to make the joint stronger. I like this because it takes out another break in the sculpt as well. This is vital for this figure because Angella has some pretty hefty wings strapped to her back and if her ankle joints were weak, there would be no saving her from a posing standpoint. The good news is that these are more than strong enough to support the weight of the figure and the wings and she stands very easily on her own. If this was an engineering choice by Mattel design then good on them for taking this into consideration.
Speaking of the wings, this set up is new to MOTU Classics, but not to Mattel. While we have had lots of female characters with wings in the line, none of them have had these angel or “bird” wings before. The wings are actually articulated so that they can expand and fold, and they are attached to her back via an alternating hinge (like a door hinge) instead of a plug. If you have (or are familiar with) the DC Universe Classics Hawkgirl figure, these are her wings and they work in exactly the same fashion. The hinge allows for a lot of good movement and posing options for the wings, though they are not removable. The top of the hinge allows for the attachment point of the halo as well.
That halo is one of two included accessories, and the other will serve as her primary weapon and I am calling it the Sword of Brightmoon. This is not something that was included with the vintage figure but rather made a very brief appearance in the aforementioned Secret of the Sword. Angella can be seen holding the sword after the liberation of Brightmoon and this makes for another great Filmation artifact included in the line. It is brand new and Angella looks great holding it, so kudos for getting us a new piece that makes for another inclusion of MOTU history. I would have loved to have seen another accessory included, like maybe an extra head for her flashback long-haired look, but I imagine those wings ate up most of the budget.
Finally, I wanted to mention a couple of things about her card back bio, something I normally avoid in these previews. First, be ready for a few snafus with locations because “Eternia” has replaced “Etheria” in a couple of instances. Also, the bio calls Angella the “Queen Regent” of Brightmoon, which, if you buy into the Classics canon has some pretty strong ramifications. As Regent, this suggests that Angella is not the birthright monarch of Brightmoon, so that would make her husband, King Micah, the heir to the throne. Now, that is fine as far as I am concerned, but the bio does not mention Micah at all (or Hunga, for that matter). So, until we get a figure of Micah (which I hope we do), Angella is only the caretaker of the throne until Glimmer would (apparently) come of age. This changes the landscape and character dynamics quite a bit, but as no one in the kingdom discounts her role (nor do the other Queens/Empresses of Etheria like Castaspella and Frosta) she will continue as the figure head leader of the Rebellion.
Well, it took a long time but we finally have our Queen Angella figure – the PoP “Original 8-Back” is complete! Overall, I think this figure turned out really nice and I dig the sculpt a lot; it is another one of those cases where the Classics figure has made me like the character more than I ever have in the past. There are a couple of quibbles, particularly about her height, but nothing is close to being a deal breaker for me. Angella is a great addition to the PoP faction and the Classics line overall, and we are only a Peekablue and a Perfuma away from completing the original characters from the vintage PoP sect, so that is very exciting! Angella will ship to Club Eternia 2015 subscribers automatically and will be available for day-of purchase on April 15th at Matty Collector.
Oh, and don’t forget to check out our Video Breakdown to see some articulation highlights and comparisons:
*Thanks for reading and thanks to the MOTUC crew at Mattel for sending Angella along for a preview. Don’t worry, we have more MOTUC Madness coming soon!
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