Another of the original eight figures from the vintage MOTU line has made his Origins debut! Stratos, everyone's favorite winged jetpack-wearing ape man, was something of an anomaly in the MOTU line, as he included no weapons. Sure, he had his armor and wings, but all of the other figures had some sort of armor, plus weapons, to boot! This made him rather unpopular among my peers back in the day, as we would tend to choose a figure with more gear whenever we were able to pick out a toy. This relegated Stratos to the status of a "gift figure." I don't know how widespread this was, but practically everyone I knew who had Stratos had gotten him as a gift because he was never one they picked out themselves. Unlike most of my MOTU toys, I have no memory of when I got my Stratos. It was very early on, though, and I had the more prevalent red wing/blue armor version. I always liked him, though he wasn't a favorite. Still, as one of the original eight, he's practically guaranteed a place in every incarnation of MOTU toylines. How does this newest version fare? Read on...
The sculpt is no surprise, as he remains Beast Man from the neck down. The same fur detail is present, and it remains a good sculpt. The smooth "baby booties" he has for feet still bother me, though. Obviously, this line is heavily based on the vintage toys, but improving on aspects of the design such as this falls well within its purview. Stubbornly sticking with these smooth, bland feet just feels lazy. The spiked weapon on the back of the right hand is also present. (As some lines have dispensed with this for Stratos, it's worth pointing out.) The wings have some nice detailing, with some nice fine texture work on the feathers. The head is a bit of a departure from the vintage figure. It has a slightly different expression, and is wider, particularly at the base. I imagine the wider base is to allow for a good range of motion, but it changes the look noticeably. It's not a bad thing, just worth noting.
As usual, there aren't many paint apps, but what's there is applied very neatly for a mass-market retail toy. The light blue used on the goggles pops nicely, though it's worth pointing out that the eyelids are not painted gray, as was the case with many runs of the vintage figure. Mattel opted for the blue wing/red armor color scheme for Stratos's debut in the line, and the parts are molded in the appropriate colors. This isn't my preferred color scheme, but I don't dislike it. If you have a MOTU WWE Rey Mysterio handy, you can do a quick and easy swap to get the red winged version, if you like.
Speaking of those wings and the armor, well, that's all Stratos comes with. The armor fastens at the front, and the wings clip onto the wrists. This is a simpler method than the vintage figure used, and sidesteps some of the problems the original figure had. This wave's minicomic is also included. This is another figure that feels mighty light, and he really could have used an energy blast, a Grayskull mace, or, y'know, the Staff of Avion. The staff is even featured in the included comic! Would it have killed them to include it? It just feels a little chintzy. The standard articulation is present, with swivel & hinge shoulders, elbows, wrists, hips, knees, and ankles, swivels at the waist and calves, and a ball-jointed head.
Despite not being the most exciting figure, Stratos has become a fan favorite over the decades, and I'm glad to see him pop up in the line early on. Given the possibilities for color variants and army building, we'll surely be seeing him again. When that happens, hopefully the design team will improve on some of the figure's shortcomings. I'm pretty sanguine about this figure's lack of any weapons, but I won't be so forgiving if it happens a second time. That said, these figures retail for $15, so you're still getting a decent value, and adding a core character to the collection. Stratos has only gotten cooler over the years, so I definitely don't regret adding this fella to my Origins collection. That's it for today, but fly back over for more in three days! Until then, stay safe out there, and happy hunting!
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