The Flash III

Cheetah

The Character
The original Cheetah, Pricilla Rich, was a 1940s aristocratic debutante, who, after being overshadowed by Wonder Woman, has a complete mental breakdown. As the Cheetah, she had no special powers, but was, nonetheless, able to become Wonder Woman’s arch-rival. Rich’s niece (like many other relatives in the DC universe) later followed her lead, and became the new Cheetah. However, this was pretty much retconned out of existence by Crisis. Barbara Minerva, another wealthy heiress with an inferiority complex, is doing archaeology work concerning a tribe that accesses the powers of the cheetah in Africa, when she is attacked and her party is killed. With the help of the plant god Urtzkartaga, she becomes the new Cheetah, though the transformation leaves her disabled when in human form and blood thirsty as the Cheetah. She originally plots to get Wonder Woman’s lasso for archaeological reasons, but eventually resorts to attacking her out of revenge. Minerva briefly lost her powers when a businessman convinced Urtzkartaga that he was better-suited as guardian. Minerva eventually killed him and resumed the Cheetah mantle.

Presentation
The sculpts of the differing Cheetahs are well-executed, with the golden age version looking very representative of a 40s vixen with high-heel boots and red nails, and the modern cheetah looking more animalistic, with orange skin, bare hands and feet with claws, and a wild mane of hair. The only problem is that you would expect the modern Cheetah to be more muscular and athletic, but alas, they’re the same body, typical of DCUC. The paint on both figures is good, with the cheetah spots carrying over between pieces with no problems. The modern Cheetah has leggings and a top that are painted on rather than sculpted, as this was a zero-hour change by Mattel., though there have been sightings of the “naked” modern Cheetah for sale.

Accessories
Both ladies come with the same collector pin, with the classic Cheetah on it. The classic version has a dart gun on her right wrist, but it is molded, so I don’t consider it an accessory. Incidentally, the fact that the gun is molded on and has a clear top and bottom makes it difficult to pose, as rotating the arm puts the gun on the bottom or side, which looks funny.

C&C parts
Each figure comes with Trigon’s right leg.

What I like
The faces on both Cheetahs are well done, though the golden age Cheetah is particularly good, with the seam on her cap, red lips, blushed cheeks, and mascara-covered eyes beautifully representing the era from which she comes. Also, standing them side-by-side, it’s clear that one is a person in a cheetah suit and one is imbued with the spirit of a cheetah. Though the tails are not jointed where they attach, they do have a swivel joint towards the bottom, allowing the tail to be posed in different directions.

What I don’t
Due to their wide stance in package, these figures have trouble keeping their legs together. I tried surgery,

but they eventually returned to their original wide stance. Once again, the female figures do not have the extra hip joint, so their poseability is limited. They also, as usual, have arms that are too skinny, which is especially noticeable on the modern Cheetah. The modern Cheetah’s hair is also a bit odd with a couple of strange points sticking out on top—must be bed (or wherever Cheetahs sleep) head.


Issues/Problems
Aside from the aforementioned wide stance, my classic Cheetah had a loose elbow joint on her right arm that makes it hard to keep it pointed straight out. The plastic on the arms and hands is also VERY soft.

Summary
Overall, I’m pleased with the Cheetah girls. The sculpts are good, and the paint work really defines them individually while tying them together. That said, the quality control issues cannot be ignored.

Tidbit
Barbara Minerva eventually killed Pricilla Rich, so these two ladies aren’t exactly chummy.

Grade: C+

Catfight!