Mattel MOTUC Point Dread with Talon Fighter and Teela

When Masters of the Universe Classics first came out, it was uncertain if not doubtful that we would ever see vehicles in the line, and then the Windraider came along and changed everything. Now it seems like vehicles are becoming a yearly thing for the line and in 2014, we were given not just a vehicle, but a playset as well, as the Talon Fighter and its perch, Point Dread, made their modern day debut.

The first thing that needs to be noted on this set is the packaging, because it is gorgeous. The front of the box features a beautiful artwork of the Talon fighter with battles going on all around it. It’s truly a breathtaking sight. The back has some simple line art of not only what’s in the box, but of other figures in the line as well. It is a nice nod to the packaging of the original MOTU toy line, while also providing a much more interesting delivery of the cross-buys.

Before we look at either Point Dread or the Talon fighter, let’s look at the included Teela figure. Yeah you are getting a figure as well. This is as complete of a package as it gets.  This version of Teela is based on her appearances in the Filmation cartoon, which is oddly appropriate given how a new Filmation based line was released this year. Now despite what many reviewers and fans have said, I honestly like this Teela. While the lips do seem a little thicker than they should be, the head sculpt is not nearly as bad as it was made out to be. I’ll admit that it is easy to find a bad angle for it, some even make her look like she played Marsha Brady for the football scene. You can get good angles for her as well. The body is pretty much Teela’s outfit from the cartoons, and it looks pretty good. Much like Filmation He-man, it has a very simple vibe, but not quite as simple as He-man is. Teela really does look her best with Filmation He-man. Having them together makes all her flaws seem far lass noticeable.

 

For accessories, Teela has a sword and shield. Very simple in design, again going with that Filmation vibe. Still, it’s nice to be able to arm her up and have her able to go into battle. She also includes an alternate head with pilot’s helmet. The face on this head is very pretty, better than the normal head’s face, although it’s hard to say why. The helmet looks like a standard royal guard helmet with wing designs sculpted in. It also has a removable visor. It’s a fitting add on and I’m glad to have it.

 

The Talon fighter is gigantic. This may be the biggest vehicle we have gotten in the MOTUC line to date. It’s a big fat fighter jet that probably wouldn’t stand a chance of getting off the ground in real life. I’d say it would have a better shot of being a Thanksgiving turkey than a jet. But the fiction says it works, so I guess it works for He-man and Teela. All joking aside the sculpt is pretty good. Many bird like details in the wings, head and feet. I really do like the bird head on the front, very fierce. This thing is armed too, four guns ready to take out enemy aircraft or ground troops. There is also a satellite dish on top which makes me wonder if Man-at-arms was drunk when he designed this thing. I mean, is it supposed to be a radar dish or an air-break? You can rotate the dish a full 360 if you desire, but it’s still a weird place for it. Inside is amazing. Just about everything is sculpted in and painted. Lot of control panels on the front seat while the back has tools and a first aid kit sculpted in. I kinda wish these were removable, but that would be asking a lot. There are also some decals on the sides of the back seat for more control panels, and you get a choice of three more for a monitor in the front. I like having the option, but I’m also sad that I can only choose once. Again asking a lot, but swappable panels would have been awesome.

 

The Talon fighter is typically a two seater, although there are ways to get 3 in there. The back seat is actually quite spacious, giving you plenty of room for two female figures, or if you wish have a male and female figure get cozy in the back. Honeymoon scene anyone?

 

Last but not least let’s have a look at Point Dread. It looks like a small fort that’s meant to be on a mountaintop, which is how I think it’s supposed to look so good job there. There are stairs sculpted on the front but they are completely superfluous because good luck getting anybody to stand on them. They are too thin and too small to be used which is a shame but with how much went into the Talon Fighter I can let that slide. The interior is quite simple, a single room with a wooden floor, with the only piece of furniture being a computer control panel. Still get a nice couch and decent satellite service in here and He-man has a man-cave away from home.

 

On top is a perch for the Talon Fighter. It’s a nice perch which can rotate freely, making it easy to take off in any direction. The Talon Fighter actually clips into the perch and you need to pull a small release lever to get it off. This is a great feature given how heavy the Talon fighter is. Without that clip I could easily see the bird taking a nosedive in a moment’s notice.

 

Point Dread can actually split into two parts, with the top half able to clip onto castle Grayskull. It fits on snugly, but doesn’t clip in as solidly as it does onto its other half. The castle also looks quite ridiculous with Point Dread and the Talon fighter on top of it, given how big the fighter is.

 

All in all, this set is quite nice, if a little odd. The Talon Fighter does look cool, Point Dread makes for a good small base, and this may be the best chance newcomers to the line have at getting a Teela. It does come at a steep price, but I do feel it’s worth it, and if you’re a fan of the line, this will be a great addition to your collection.