MOTU Origins | Leech

The first word to describe the Evil Horde is that they are “Monsters” as most of the characters produced by Mattel in 1985. They’re far off from the goofy “kiddie-fied” version that appeared on Filmation’s She-Ra series. The toys were not part of the Princess of Power toy line but were released under the MOTU mainline. Leech is one of the creatures loyal to Hordak, and one of the unique characters that stood out for the action figure’s gimmick having suction cups for hands, feet, and even for the character’s mouth. The revival of the action figure would include the same concept for the MOTU Origins, including his roots as a character.

Mattel has been churning out a lot of Master of the Universe figures, and they continue to expand with the announcement of the Masterverse version Leech, this figure is taking inspiration from the 1985 vintage version with added modernized articulation and accessories.

Originally, Leech was released as a basic carded figure and features suction cups for both hands and feel that also have functions on the figure’s mouth. With the MOTU Origins release, this figure has a lot going on with some inspirations going back to the art draft in developing the character.

Leech is truly a terrifying monster by design, and based on the product artwork and various concepts this character was not merely a joke when the creators conceived its development. Despite being one of Hordak’s bumbling henchmen in the She-Ra cartoon he is still a formidable foe appearing on the series several times, but his abilities were not used the way the toy’s gimmick was built to mimic it.

Deluxe Green Monster

Leech was released in 2022 as part of the deluxe assortment with Snout Spout for wave 9 at the same time celebrating the Masters of the Universe fortieth anniversary that shows the upper left corner of the card back featuring a holographic foil sticker instead of the usual “New for 22” that you see in the previous card backs for its release year. But other than that, there a no notable difference with the card back still with the bursting red rocks and cross-sell details at the back.

The main art depicting the character in the swamp takes inspiration from its original vintage art that featured Man-at-Arms, but for this take it features Tung Lashor from Wave 12 assortment that was not available in the Southeast Asian market. The card back also shows the gimmick of this figure that can stick to smooth surfaces.

Besides the Wave 9 assortment, this also shows the cross-sell featuring the Roton vehicle that has been popular among longtime fans and was also sold in retail. But the notable part to sell this character will always be the card back art, and the mini-comic insert (more of this below) that defined the character.

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Leeching into Terror

Upon opening the packaging you get a big boy body in Leech. The wide rotund figure is a bruiser if taken seriously as a monster among the Evil Horde, and he’s no pushover when it comes to size as he stands over 6 inches without even being hunched like his vintage toy counterpart. The figure comes with a pair of hands and an alternate head that is based on the MOTU Classics figure. Of course, Leech also comes with a bright red Horde Crossbow as an “on-brand” as most of the Evil Horse have the same weapon that even Hordak carries.

But the one that makes this character a favourite is because of the built-in gimmick that can stick to all smooth surfaces. The figure is a big body although the upper torso seemed to be hollowed out making Leech lightweight, and it makes sense when you stick him to smooth surfaces as compared to the vintage version that had a mechanism built-in the torso that had a switch on its back to activate the sucking gimmick for the head that is completely different with this version.

Featured Articulation:

• Head on the Ball Joint
• Ball-Joint at the Shoulders
• Swivels/Bend at the Elbow
• Hinges at the Wrist (Alternate Hands)
• Waist Articulation
• Swivel Knee Joint
• Boot Cut Swivel
• No Ankles Moves (Suction Cup Feet)

Life Sucking Creature of the Night

The aesthetic of Leech looks good with the suction gimmick, but the way his torso is painted looks kind of cheap the lower part of the torso should be painted since the armour shows it covers half of his body. But just like the vintage version, it takes inspiration from how the figure was painted.

But it is still a creature that is terror in the dark with the alternate head that makes the character far less of a goofy henchman that makes a serious-looking monster that any heroic warrior has to deal with. The alternate pair of hands makes Leech more of a gruesome monster without even the need for the signature Horde crossbow.

It would have been better if Mattel had added alternate pairs of feet as sometimes this figure is top-heavy due to the way the suction cups can only stick to smooth surfaces and they make up for not having internal parts for the torso and making it lightweight.

Overall, Leech is a great figure and one of the best-looking monsters being creatures that is part of the Evil Horde due to the alternate head and pair of hands. The lack of paint on his torso is forgivable since the vintage version had a similar detail, but the lightweight torso despite having used good quality plastic looks cheap.

It is not every day you see a classic figure get a modern recreation, but the feel is not as close to what the vintage version used to be. It is still an improvement from the original figure due to the articulation and the way it uses simpler technology for the suction gimmick and still captures the nostalgia that it carries as an action figure.

Leech is part of a ninth wave in the deluxe assortment with a higher price point that features extra accessories and the "Suction" gimmick that sticks to smooth surfaces, which originally retails for at ₱ 1,299.75 (**$ 35.42 AUD | $ 25.99 USD) from Mattel locally distributed by Richprime Global Inc. that went on clearance since 2023 for ₱ 800.00 (**$ 21.86 AUD | $ 14.24 USD), which was discounted again for a limited time for ₱ 640.00 (**$ 17.49 AUD | $ 11.40 USD) during a Special MOTU Sale from 1-31 March 2024 by Ollie & Co Glorieta. For more about MOTU Origins and the store that carries this toyline, like & follow them on their social media via Facebook!

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