MOTU Classics Catra Video Review by Pixel Dan

[kylun flac]

not originally a big fan of the pop figures. but matty has been doing an amazing job with bringing them into motuc.
i already love this figure. i love that they have been going with the filmation look rather than the old toys.

[markatisu]

As for the hand, I have two Catra's in front of me and both have the same colored hand. I'm not sure why Dan's sample had an oddly colored hand, but it honestly is the first I've seen.

Why it is a bit more flimsy I'm not sure. I'll need to ask Bill and Terry in design and see what I can find out.

It is really an oddity, thanks for chiming in! Can't wait for the figure

I wonder if the odd color is why its so spongy?? Hopefully most people don't have to find out

[Darkspecter]

Interesting about the sword. To be perfectly honest...I would have preferred all hard accessories because...like 85% of fans seem to hate the comb-whip and also, you could blow dry or "boil" the whip and pose it. You can't...I don't know...FREEZE the sword to make it more sturdy!

Spongey hand: Maybe they were running out of plastic near the end and mixed in some water?

[kagamigod]

Thank you Dan for another great review. This review is my reason for being more excited to see the POP figures in this line over the vintage remakes. Just so you understand, I love the MOTU figures we are getting as they are exactly want I wanted as a kid, but they are better articulated vintage figures where as the POP figures are cartoon characters made plastic and that excites me more to see then the remakes. By no means am I disappointed with the MOTU guys, its they are exactly how I imagine them and POP stuff looks more like I want them to and not the crappy toys from the 80's that were made for girls.

[Darkspecter]

...and POP stuff looks more like I want them to and not the crappy toys from the 80's that were made for girls.

Okay...I love this Catra figure a lot, but I have to say something. I am REALLY sick and tired of hearing how "crappy, terrible and ugly" the original PoP figures are. This is not directed at you kagamigod, it's just that I've read this from maybe 5 people in the last few days and it's getting really old. If you're not fans of the original figures, that's fine.

There are fans of the original PoP toys, and even people that do not like them want to see some of their intricate details make it into this line (like She-Ra's boots and bracelets). A lot of people complained about MOTUC She-Ra for many, many different reasons, but one of the big ones was that she looks WAY too bland next to the MOTUC women (like Teela).

The PoP toy designs are very intricate and ornate. Most of the Filmation designs are dull coloured, over-simplified versions of the characters. They did the same with He-Man and crew, but in MOTUC we get the great details of the MOTU toys. Heck, Filmation He-Man would look very plain and boring in this line!

Anyway, my whole point here is that there are quite a few folks that love the toys and toy designs (me included!) and are hoping to get them in MOTUC. So, if you don't like something...that's cool, but you don't have to put it down, be mean or even rude about it.

...and this isn't just a PoP thing, it bothers me when people say the original MOTU figures are terrible too.


/rant.

[markatisu]

Anyway, my whole point here is that there are quite a few folks that love the toys and toy designs (me included!) and are hoping to get them in MOTUC. So, if you don't like something...that's cool, but you don't have to put it down, be mean or even rude about it.

I enjoy your passion but I think its just something you are going to have to learn to deal with.

I mean look I am the last person to act like I don't like the POP line because I have 100% of it starring me at the face everyday

But I do think compared to MOTU it got the shaft, its why I think they have such a difficult time adapting it to MOTUC (missing details that diehard POP fans want). It is hard for people to notice the details that each doll might posses.

The dolls were made to wear dresses and be compatible with the Fantastic Fashions, that is just the simple fact of the matter. It complicates how people viewed the line for various reasons, no right or wrong but it did change the point of view.

Don't let it get you down and just rejoice the characters will see a MOTUC version that gives the line a chance with fans who probably ignored it in the 80's.

If you really want to debate feeling like your line is being trashed, consider how I feel when New Adventures is discussed

[kagamigod]

Okay...I love this Catra figure a lot, but I have to say something. I am REALLY sick and tired of hearing how "crappy, terrible and ugly" the original PoP figures are. This is not directed at you kagamigod, it's just that I've read this from maybe 5 people in the last few days and it's getting really old. If you're not fans of the original figures, that's fine.

There are fans of the original PoP toys, and even people that do not like them want to see some of their intricate details make it into this line (like She-Ra's boots and bracelets). A lot of people complained about MOTUC She-Ra for many, many different reasons, but one of the big ones was that she looks WAY too bland next to the MOTUC women (like Teela).

The PoP toy designs are very intricate and ornate. Most of the Filmation designs are dull coloured, over-simplified versions of the characters. They did the same with He-Man and crew, but in MOTUC we get the great details of the MOTU toys. Heck, Filmation He-Man would look very plain and boring in this line!

Anyway, my whole point here is that there are quite a few folks that love the toys and toy designs (me included!) and are hoping to get them in MOTUC. So, if you don't like something...that's cool, but you don't have to put it down, be mean or even rude about it.

...and this isn't just a PoP thing, it bothers me when people say the original MOTU figures are terrible too.


/rant.

Sorry if I added to the list of "haters", but I grew up on the Filmation toon and the look of that is the look of the characters I see whenever i think of them. So to finally get them looking like this as a toyline is like a dream come true for me. I am not opposed to seeing the vintage toy versions of these figures in the line as well, but if I had to choose one or the other, I'd choose the other/Filmation look. Yes I am a strong advocate for She-Ra 2.0 to have the Style guide/Filmation dress because I love the She-Ra we got, but I want her to be even better than that. Especially after seeing Catra w/ so much more articulation in her legs. So again forgive me, but please understand that Filmation is what introduced a lot of us to POP and the toys from then did not look or live up to the standards most boys of that time would have collected. Trust me I do wanna see this too:

[Darkspecter]

But I do think compared to MOTU it got the shaft, its why I think they have such a difficult time adapting it to MOTUC (missing details that diehard POP fans want). It is hard for people to notice the details that each doll might posses.

I agree. I think a lot of people can't see the great designs for what they are because of the rooted hair and fabric clothes (which a few MOTU figures had BOTH of...).

I LOVE both designs of Catra, but no matter what anyone says, Toy Catra looks and WAS a bigger badass than Force Captain Adora.

Her design is very savage/wild!





I think the MOTUC Catra figure we're getting is wonderful and I'm crazy excited for her, but that (pictured above) is Catra to me!

If you really want to debate feeling like your line is being trashed, consider how I feel when New Adventures is discussed

I know. I love NA too and it breaks my heart.

[kagamigod]

If you really want to debate feeling like your line is being trashed, consider how I feel when New Adventures is discussed

Amen to that brother. This is the other reason I love this line.

[Darkspecter]

Sorry if I added to the list of "haters", but I grew up on the Filmation toon and the look of that is the look of the characters I see whenever i think of them. So to finally get them looking like this as a toyline is like a dream come true for me. I am not opposed to seeing the vintage toy versions of these figures in the line as well, but if I had to choose one or the other, I'd choose the other/Filmation look. Yes I am a strong advocate for She-Ra 2.0 to have the Style guide/Filmation dress because I love the She-Ra we got, but I want her to be even better than that. Especially after seeing Catra w/ so much more articulation in her legs. So again forgive me, but please understand that Filmation is what introduced a lot of us to POP and the toys from then did not look or live up to the standards most boys of that time would have collected. Trust me I do wanna see this too:

I understand, and I am happy for this Catra too! I always wanted a Filmation She-Ra and Catra as well. So, it's a dream come true...I just am sad because, like a lot of the MOTU fans always talk about the cardback pictures being their DREAM figures...and the 4H have done that...well...the cardback pics for PoP were my dream figures.

Also, I've seen that Emiliano pic of Catra. That's just the repainted version of this Catra. I really am not that excited about it. She may end up in a ToysRUs two pack, which would be cool, but I'm dying for Toy Catra.

[kagamigod]

Also, I've seen that Emiliano pic of Catra. That's just the repainted version of this Catra. I really am not that excited about it. She may end up in a ToysRUs two pack, which would be cool, but I'm dying for Toy Catra.

No I actually posted the wrong pic, I meant to use the one Emiliano did of the classic toy as a MOTUC or should I say POPC?

[kylun flac]

why the soft claw hand?
bad move?

[markatisu]

I agree. I think a lot of people can't see the great designs for what they are because of the rooted hair and fabric clothes (which a few MOTU figures had BOTH of...).

The fabric clothes I can understand, I never got the heat that rooted hair brought on. I guess I am just secure in my masculinity to never be bothered by brushable hair

I think the MOTUC Catra figure we're getting is wonderful and I'm crazy excited for her, but that (pictured above) is Catra to me!

Is it sad I think I want Shower Power Catra more than Original Catra, those leopard pants and cape rock!

I know. I love NA too and it breaks my heart.

It sucks to be an NA fan, our figures were not the same size as vintage and hated for not being the worthy of He-Man because it was in space. Its like cutting someone then rubbing salt in the wound to make sure it hurts

[kagamigod]

It sucks to be an NA fan, our figures were not the same size as vintage and hated for not being the worthy of He-Man because it was in space. Its like cutting someone then rubbing salt in the wound to make sure it hurts

Not to totally derail the thread but aren't they fighting to be Masters of the Universe and not the Masters of Eternia? It's only logical that at some point the battles would eventually move out into space and onto other planets.

[CarKrash]

Soft miscolored zombie hand is strange.

I'm liking this figure, and I love the MOTUC cost for this month. Catra's gonnabe a welcome addition for my Horde. Thanks for the review.

[Darkspecter]

No I actually posted the wrong pic, I meant to use the one Emiliano did of the classic toy as a MOTUC or should I say POPC?

Oh, yeah. I like that one.

Is it sad I think I want Shower Power Catra more than Original Catra, those leopard pants and cape rock!

It's not sad, she's actually my FAVOURITE version of Catra! Bubble Power She-Ra is my favourite She-Ra and Battle Blade Skeletor is my favourite Skeletor! I love some of those variants. Regular Hordak is my fav of him, but I would REALLY have to sit down and think about my favourite He-Man.

It sucks to be an NA fan, our figures were not the same size as vintage and hated for not being the worthy of He-Man because it was in space. Its like cutting someone then rubbing salt in the wound to make sure it hurts

I actually quite like them, because they fit in better with PoP. They're similar sized to Bow. Speaking of Bow, he was criticized for being smaller than MOTU, but in Filmation, they are all shaped like Bow.

[bcrduke]

Pretty steamy review there, Dan

Crotch shot of our host... teasing us with the skirt lift...

Almost NC-17


Kidding!!

Nice review I'm surprised by the soft plastic of the sword. That's not good.

Otherwise, I am really excited for this figure.

I do hope we get the vintage toy version though... she could look SO good updated for this line (see above sketches), and would look awesome battling Vikor and/or BG Teela.

[Prahvus]

So, Mattel succeeded in BOTCHING the figure again !

Yes, of course, the figure looks great (cool sculpt, like almost any other MOTUC figure), and since the skirt is soft (like it should be), the movement range and articulations are good.

The head is where I'm split : it's good that there's no bobblehead issue. On the other hand, for people who like to mix and match, it's a bit sad the head can't be removed without breaking the figure.

Also, it's really dumb that the red mask can fit on her forehead, but cannot fit properly on Catra's eyes and nose. Any SERIOUS designer or brand manager should have thought about that and would have found a solution...

But why oh why did they have to choose a RUBBERY, SQUISHY plastic for the left hand ? You still wonder ? The answer is easy, though : COST CUTTING !

Yep, that's right : due to that "very limited budget" Mattel has allowed to MOTUC (just because they don't believe in this brand and don't want to invest in it), they had to go with a crappy, rubbery hand instead of a proper one ! The result : that left hand looks (and feels) cheap. That would be the kind of material I could expect for a $1-$5 toy, NOT for a $20 one !

The same goes for the sword. That "bendable" sword is so bad that the jewels come off ! YET, WE THE FANS HAD REQUESTED REPEATEDLY IN THE PAST THAT WEAPONS WOULDN'T BE MADE OF SOFT PLASTIC ANYMORE !!!

That goes to show : the guys at Mattel don't listen to us, and they won't even correct simple things like that !

Now... Catra is one of the few feminine figures I really want. Marlena is another one. Since the guys at Mattel don't seem to want to mend their evil ways and don't give a damn about QC, I took my decision : after the very few female MOTUC figures I want are released (and they are very few in number), I won't bother buying more. There might be exceptions IF some other female figures are really great (sculpt AND quality-wise), but other than that, I'm done with the girls.

Battleground Teela might be the 1st female figure I won't buy if she has any problem. She shouldn't have any problem, but even for easy figures like her (quite naked, so there should be no problem, really), Mattel finds ways of releasing them with faults. I'm waiting impatiently for BG Teela's review to get a proper opinion.

[bcrduke]

Yeah, the more I think about it, the more I think that this squishy hand is totally ridiculous.

The right hand just came from the jumbo bag of existing female right hands.

The left hand is a newly tooled/produced piece... just like the masks, the sword, the whip-comb, the cape, the head, etc.

I wonder why they decided to make the sword and hand out of soft plastic, but not the pony tail?

What the heck??

[Darkspecter]

I wonder why they decided to make the sword and hand out of soft plastic, but not the pony tail?

What the heck??

BINGO! There's the million dollar question!

[GrtEternal]

OHMANOHMANOHMAN!!!!

I want Catra!

[JimPansen]

Yeah, the more I think about it, the more I think that this squishy hand is totally ridiculous.

The right hand just came from the jumbo bag of existing female right hands.

The left hand is a newly tooled/produced piece... just like the masks, the sword, the whip-comb, the cape, the head, etc.

I wonder why they decided to make the sword and hand out of soft plastic, but not the pony tail?

What the heck??

Maybe if they want to use her head for another version down the road, it is better that its from a unique mold. The weapons and hand( and certainly the whole outfit) are all from one mold, so they don´t want to use one of that parts on another version. If, they have to use them all.
It´s just cost cutting.Huge let down

[Mr. Shokoti]

Poor Catra! Her pimp hand is weak.

[Colton]

Big big review!
One of the best figures so far, but this soft left hand is kinda ugly, isn´t?
I hope, it was just this only one.

[Toymaker]

She looks better in the review than she has in pictures.

Loving that you now have Mays Avatar up now, wondering when that was gonna come!

She's freaking awesome! Best female figure so far. Now bring on Entrapta, Catra needs someone to boss around!

She can boss Grizzlor!

How about a harder Sword in a weapon pack down the road?

I still think a Ruby (Red Stone) on both the sword and shield would have made catra look so much nicer instead of that pink stone!!

There's a obvious contender for WP3, harder plastic sword with red rubys, so not the same as this one.

I LOVE both designs of Catra, but no matter what anyone says, Toy Catra looks and WAS a bigger badass than Force Captain Adora.

Her design is very savage/wild!

I think the MOTUC Catra figure we're getting is wonderful and I'm crazy excited for her, but that (pictured above) is Catra to me!

(

That Catra design would make a great MOTUC figure IMO, maybe after Teela, She-Ra and the hopefully upcoming 200X Evil-Lyn, Catra could be the next female variant?