Bandai is definitely going strong with their Thundercats toy line. Releasing a plethora of figures on multiple scales surely can’t be an easy task. I have to say though, that overall I am a fan. I’m digging the figures, and loving that I can have playsets and vehicles for the small figures, but still collect all the characters on a 6 inch scale as well (my preferred scale to collect in). Cheetara is definitely a main character, and fans have been asking for her for a long time. How does she stack up?

Keep reading after the jump to find out!

PACKAGING:  The packaging is the same as every other 6 inch Modern figure in the line so far. It’s got the logo at the top, and a very cool picture of Cheetara with her name on the bottom left corner. It suits the style of the new series well, and Cheetara looks nicely displayed inside. Although, there does seem to be a LOT of extra room. I’m not sure why the packages for these figures were made to be so tall, but it’s pretty unnecessary and seems like a waste of raw materials. I think it was done so to accommodate larger characters while still having the same exact sized package, but even a large character like Mumm-Ra still had plenty of room at the bottom. It just seems weird. The packaging is collector-friendly though. It’s just held together with flaps taped down on the back that easily allow you to remove the figure and place her back if you desire. More companies definitely need to start doing this.

PACKAGING SCORE: 4 / 5

 

 

 

SCULPT: Her sculpt is pretty simplistic in most areas, but given the source material it’s definitely accurate. She has some good layers in her sculpt that add depth and detail, while still keeping the simplistic aesthetic. She has a good neutral expression on her face, that could be good for a variety of poses and displays. Her hair is a tad wild looking, but it’s accurate to the cartoon. She has several cheeta spots on her shoulders and in her hair that are actually sculpted in, instead of just painted. Her hands seem a bit large though, and there are some areas of her sculpt, like her hair, that hinder her articulation some.

SCULPT SCORE: 3 / 5

 

 

 

 

PAINT: For the most part, everything is painted the right color on Cheetara. Some parts were lucky to have been molded in the appropriate colored plastic, and other parts weren’t. Her joint discs and pins are all black. This has been an issue with every Thundercats figure so far. For some reason, Bandai molds all the joint discs and pins in the same color, and it ends up being completely different from the color of the joint it’s supposed to be a part of. Also, her eyes and lips seem to be off. Her eyes seem too small and close together, and her lips don’t seem right either. Compared to this prototype image which features a PERFECT face for Cheetara, I’m disappointed by the results of the actual figure’s face. There doesn’t appear to be any sloppiness to the paint job though, or any over spray or bleeding. There could have been some more shading to help bring out the sculpt.

PAINT SCORE: 2 / 5

 

 

 

ARTICULATION: Cheetara has some pretty good articulation. I’m assuming though, due to her being a female and therefore having a smaller build, she’s not as articulated as the 6 inch modern Lion-O and Panthro before her. She has a ball jointed neck, ball jointed shoulders, single jointed elbows, ball jointed wrists, mid-torso swivel, ball jointed hips, thigh swivels, single jointed knees, and hinged rocker ankles. Her hair gets in the way a bit, so if you turn her head and try to lift up her arm that her hair is covering, it’s not gonna get much movement. I was really disappointed by her lack of double elbow and knee joints. Being the runner and most agile one in the group, you would think she would need those most of all. Also disappointed by her lack of bicep swivel and waist articulation. Her mid-torso swivel is just that. It’s not a ball joint, and it doesn’t let you tilt to the side as it does with Lion-O and Panthro. It just turns left and right. Her thigh swivel was done really well though, as it’s hidden right where her legging hits her thigh bracers. Also done really well is her ankle joints. You have the standard up and down movement, but also some really great rocker joints that give you an insane range of movement. It would have been nice to get the bulk of her hair on some kind of hinge as well, so you could move it up and down to help it not get in the way when she moves her head. I’ve seen this done on a few figures before, with great results so it is possible. Overall, she still has a pretty good range of movement, though it could definitely be better.

ARTICULATION SCORE: 2.5 / 5

 

 

 

ACCESSORIES: Cheetara only includes one accessory though it is definitely the only one she really needs anyway. She comes with her signature staff, which is the only weapon she ever uses in the show. It’s done surprisingly well. It’s a good height, and has some nice wood detailing sculpted all along the length of it. Unfortunately it’s without any paint to help accentuate that sculpt, but it was pulled off quite nicely nonetheless. She could have included some alternate hands, or even a stand to help put her in running poses. They do still have ALL THAT ROOM in the bottom of the package after all.

ACCESSORIES SCORE: 3 / 5

 

 

 

 

FUN: It’s hard to deny the inherent fun that Thundercats invokes. Nostalgia aside, it’s still a fun concept that seems to be paying off with kids today. Any kid would have fun with this figure, as well as any adult who happens to be a Thundercats fan. Despite its flaws, it’s still pretty fun. Granted, if it wasn’t Cheetara and was a lesser known character with this many flaws it most certainly wouldn’t be fun. But luckily for this figure, she’s a Thundercat.

FUN SCORE: 3 / 5

 

 

 

 

 

 

OVERALL: If you’re a fan of the Thundercats, you can probably overlook the flaws and enjoy it for being another addition to your Thundercats team. If you’re not a fan, you probably wouldn’t give this figure a second look. She holds up well, and you can get a good variety of poses out of her, but she is too flawed to be a great figure. Overall, I would say this is definitely a good figure.

OVERALL SCORE: 3 / 5

 

 

Where to buy:

• Amazon has Cheetara for sale for $29.65 and with free super saver shipping.
• Entertainment Earth currently has Cheetara for preorder for $16.99 and is due to ship in February.