{"id":15931,"date":"2011-12-19T03:00:09","date_gmt":"2011-12-19T09:00:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=15931"},"modified":"2014-09-28T23:34:06","modified_gmt":"2014-09-29T04:34:06","slug":"motu-classics-com-swiftwind-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=15931","title":{"rendered":"MOTUClassics.Com:
Swift Wind Review"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/a>This review was originally published on December 19th, 2011.<\/strong>
A large part of the delay in getting my MOTU Classics Swift Wind review up is because Mattycollector didn\u2019t bother to ship my November order until December, but I\u2019ve been a little hesitant at taking a look at this brightly-colored unicorn since he arrived. This will be my first horse review.<\/p>\n

I think some of my hesitance about reviewing Swifty is that I\u2019m not sure if he\u2019s a figure or a vehicle. It may sound silly, but Battle Cat, and subsequently Panthor, made the leap to being individual figures in the line. They\u2019re just as much fun on their own as they are rides for our favorite characters. <\/p>\n

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Swift Wind doesn\u2019t quite feel that way. It\u2019s not a knock against the figure, a horse simply shouldn\u2019t be as articulated as a giant cat, but his status as a horse does leave me feeling a bit more like he\u2019s window dressing, a ride for She-Ra, a vehicle. And I haven\u2019t reviewed many vehicles here at IAT (I can only think of one off the top of my head in the last three years). It left me unsure of what metrics to use in this review. Do I look at Swift Wind and measure him to Battle Cat? Do I simply look at how well he works as a steed? I don\u2019t know. I still don\u2019t right now. This review might be more blathering than usual. Just a heads up. <\/p>\n

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Last year, Mattel spent a fair amount of time promoting a fan vote between \u201cRoyal White\u201d and \u201cClassic Pink\u201d, the two decos of the original Swift Wind toy. In retrospect, it was a little odd when you think about it because, unlike the vintage MOTU guys, the She-Ra branch of MOTU Classics really tends to draws inspiration from the cartoon designs and forego replicating the original toys. White (thankfully) won the Swift Wind vote, but collectors didn’t get an upgrade of the Royal White Swift Wind, but rather Swifty as he appeared in the cartoon itself. <\/p>\n

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For my money, I\u2019m glad Mattel\/Scott\/Four Horsemen made that call. While I understand that some collectors have attachment to those original toys and would like to see those designs updated, that\u2019s not what I\u2019m looking for with MOTU Classics. The last<\/em> thing I want out of any MOTU figure is just to see the vintage toy get an unimaginative upgrade. With Swift Wind though, there was another component \u2013 this is his iconic look. The original toys, which would surely make cool Classics, simply can\u2019t replace his cartoon design in my eyes. In fact, if I\u2019d been collecting Princess of Power toys as a kid, I can only imagine annoyance at why Mattel didn\u2019t make Swift Wind match the show in the first place. In a way, this feels like righting a decade\u2019s old wrong, but I\u2019ll understand if fans of the original toys disagree. I’d moved off to Ghostbusters & G.I. Joe by the time She-Ra was hitting store shelves. <\/p>\n

The sculpt here is… a horse. The most impressive thing about it though is the size. He\u2019s much bigger than I expected \u2013 about 8\u201d tall and a foot-and-a-half wingspan. This guy is going to take up space, so be prepared. <\/p>\n

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The horsemen have sculpted horses before, and this latest iteration is just as well done as the horse that served as steed to the Headless Horsemen many years ago. Clearly the Four Horsemen know their stuff when it comes to animal sculpts and that\u2019s showcased yet again here (and while more horses are surely in our MOTUC future, I long to finally see their talents applied to a Winged Victory in the DC line). <\/p>\n

The detail work on the wings is superb, as are the small anatomical details of the horse, and the gear he sports. I did have to laugh at the\u2026 uh, windswept main there. Swift Wind & Marzo are gonna have to hang out\u2026 <\/p>\n

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The saddle & mask are removable, which moves Swift Wind closer to a version of his non-powered self, Spirit, but the bridle piece is glued in place (and covers some unsightly articulation). Also, any Spirit-form is also prevented by the slots where the removable wings snap in. I imagine there will be non-unicorn horses in our future, but I can\u2019t say that I\u2019m really down to pay another $30 ($35?) for a regular Spirit version should that come up. The saddle clips-on similar to Battle Cat\u2019s armor while the mask if held on through simple friction similar to Panthor\u2019s helmet. The mask is surprisingly snug, owing to the great engineering put into this figure. Continue to Page 2<\/a><\/p>\n

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While the overall sculpt was really impressive, the paint work on mine was less than stellar. The shading on the horse itself turned out really well, but we\u2019ve got some slop on the wings, blue paint on the horse\u2019s neck, pink slop on the left side of the mask, and the tip of the unicorn horn is already missing paint. I love that the colors are so vibrant and bright, but I wish they\u2019d been applied a little more cleanly. <\/p>\n

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While, my opening might sound like I\u2019m picking on Swift by calling him more vehicle than articulated figure, he does sport a decent amount of articulation. The tail & wings are all ball-jointed, each leg features three hinge joints (with a slight swivel, but I\u2019m not sure if that\u2019s intended). And the neck has upper (a hinge) and lower articulation (a large ball-joint). The legs are articulated enough (and have strong ratchet joints) to get some decent walking poses and a couple great \u201creared up\u201d poses with some helpful balancing from the tail. <\/p>\n

The ball joints on the wings and tail are super-versatile, but my left wing just doesn\u2019t want to stay in and frequently requires reattachment. My favorites joint are on the neck though as the combination allows Swifty to be particularly expressive. I do have some trouble getting him balanced on all four legs, but that\u2019s nothing new as I have a little trouble getting Battle Cat sorted out too. <\/p>\n

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Overall, despite my hesitance to review him, I’m really happy with my Swift Wind purchase. He’s another great piece in the line and, if I can find some room on that increasingly tight MOTU shelf, his bright colors and vibrant design will certainly make sure he stands out. While She-Ra 2.0 (Bubble Power) and quite a few of the figures can ride Swift Wind (the saddles features the same raised center as Battle Cat’s and Panthor’s saddle), I don’t think I’ll have him lugging around a figure on my shelf too often. He looks great on his own. I imagine that answers my question as to whether he’s a vehicle or a figure. He may not have the same versatility of Battle Cat (though you can make Swifty fly around the room), he is still his own character and that makes him a figure for sure. Heck, maybe he should’ve gotten a Great Rebellion sticker. If only the Great Rebellion had had a Heroic Fighting Graphic Designer to make one. <\/p>\n

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For more MOTU reviews, check out our
MOTU Classics Collector’s Guide<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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