Whew! Have you had enough of the Masters of the Universe Classics First Looks yet? Of course you haven’t! You know, this latest round kind of has an unofficial theme of rewarding the stalwarts. By many a vintage fan’s mark, Fisto and Sorceress are long overdue, but more so we are finally getting the once only prototype Star Sisters and a Fan’s create a character that never came to be in the vintage line is kicking off the 30th Anniversary celebration. The thing I am the most excited about though is that finally, after years and years of waiting, Mattel has the rights to make those awesome characters that originated on the FilMation shows. Yeah, it is kind of a big deal. I mean, I can now look forward to figures of Icer, Shokoti, General Sunder, The Enchantress, Strong Arm, Scorpia and a mountain of others. I really cannot describe how excited I am for so many of these characters. So when it was announced that they were fair game at SDCC 2011, everyone knew that Mattel had to come out guns blazing. And boy did they. Yup, arguably the most important and most demanded FilMation character, Shadow Weaver, was announced as the 2012 Club Eternia incentive figure. Well, we knew that she have to be good because we are making up for 25 years of not having her and I can tell you, the evil mistress of magic of the Horde is one heck of a way to get things started.
As I said in the last First Look at the Star Sisters, I am a fan of the Princess of Power franchise. The story, designs and characters all appeal to me quite a bit. I do recognize that there are those that don’t care for it, and that is fine, but there are a handful of characters from that mythos that seem to get a pass. She-Ra, Catra, Frosta and Shadow Weaver are all pretty much universally demanded by even the most ardent detractors. And why not? They are certainly very strong characters that have great qualities, but Catra and Weaver also have that big time Horde affiliation that works very well in their favor. Yeah, the Horde are the most ultimate badasses in all of Eternia (and Etheria) and Shadow Weaver is easily Hordak’s head witch and his second in command. I really loved their dynamic on the old PoP show and while there was often tension, especially in terms of power, there was also a great deal of mutual respect. In the show, Hordak was most certainly the tech and Weaver was the magic of the Horde, together they are a deadly combination. Through their combined efforts they kept Adora loyal to the Horde for years and helped the Horde become the most powerful entity across many dimensions. Now, in the MOTUC story line it is apparent that Hordak is clearly both magic and technology, but as he comes more the tech side in the modern times, he most certainly needs a powerful witch right at his side.
I have to admit that I actually really like most all of Shadow Weaver’s biography on the card back. It very closely resembles the FilMation history and I have to tell you that having her in hand, I really want my Castaspella and Norwyn figures. Maybe even a Light Spinner as a variant somewhere down the line. The FilMation characters and stories open up so much to the MOTUC figure line I get so excited just thinking about it. I also like how they kept Shadow Weaver’s age and time of affiliation with the Horde closer to the current MOTU timeline. There are a heck of a lot of old guys and gals running in that organization and I think the variety is good for its own sake, but also good to show off just how powerful Shadow Weaver really is. I mean, to go right to the top in an organization that has members that are thousands of years old is pretty impressive.
The figure itself is also pretty impressive and she is one of those that turned out exactly as I would have hoped she would. I could actually picture her MOTUC figure in my mind’s eye before she was unveiled so good on the Horsemen for getting her so true to form. There is a lot of new tooling going on here and I think that Toy Guru has said that the only reuse in this figure her shoulders, and I believe it. She is not as articulated as much as a standard MOTUC figure, but for a hovering witch in a hooded dress, she has got where she needs it. I am fond of a lot of things on this figure but her head sculpt is really just right on. It is perfectly shaped and even thought she just has two yellow slits for eyes in an all black and shadowed face, it is really spot on. I am glad that Mattel did not even try to “go there” and show us what she looks like under her hood with an alternate head or the like. She should be hideous under there and we should never EVER see it. My imagination can do its worst as far as I am concerned.
Even though she is most likely disgusting under that cloak, she has managed to keep her girlish figure and the sculpt shows it. She has basically the same female articulation as any girl above the waist, but below, the Horsemen have managed to incorporated some movement even in a solid chunk of dress. She does have hip cuts so she can bend to a degree, but I don’t think she would be able to “sit” and look natural. Not that she would need to. What she can do is “loom” very nicely over other figures when she is up on her stand. It actually works very well so I am glad they included the point. As for the color, well the maroon does in fact now match Orko, just as Toy Guru said and I like the choice to go darker, it is more imposing.
I know that there has been a lot of curiosity about how well her arms would be able to move with her cloak, and I think they work well. The plastic that they used for the back piece is soft enough and just the right size so that she can move without much restriction. Indeed, she can have her arms up in the classic spell casting pose or down at her side and look very natural. I especially appreciate the triceps attachment points as it keeps the flow right now point. This is very much a success in engineering, especially after the Sorceress wings and I think that most people will be satisfied with the choices that were made.
Her hands are really the only little niggle I might have and it is only due to personal preference. It is great that they included her (not oft used) want so she needs a hand to hold it, but I kind of wish she had two spell hands. I know, it is a small thing, but I would have actually traded the wand for some magical “mists” that could snap on her hands (much like the upcoming power bolt that will be attachable to Thunder Punch He-Man’s fist). Like I said, it is a very small thing and completely preferential to me personally, but I do like the wand and it it fits in her hand very well. The crystal has a slightly blue tint to it and it is great for action posing. Her other accessory is her spell book and it is very accurate to the the book she kept on her alter in Horror Hall on the show. It does not open and she can’t really hold it well, but it is nice thing to have and hopefully Matthew K will be building a Horror Hall diorama where it can be properly stored.
The last included piece is her clear stand that is 100% necessary to put her in her classic hover poses. I am very glad it was included and it is made of a very clear plastic so it is not distracting at all. It is just the right height so she floats higher than the other figures stand, but she is not to a height that looks like she is “flying”. It inserts into the bottom of her gown and fits very securely so she will stay put for most of the shelf poses she will be placed in once she start to ship.
Well, Shadow Weaver represents a lot of really great things. She is the best sub figure yet (and I am sure she will go for a mint on the aftermarket) and we finally have a toy of such an important character. More Horde, more Horde I say! The FilMation gates are now open and she was the perfect way to start it all off, I just hope we get a ton of characters from both shows before it is all said and done. What a great time to be a MOTU fan! Right now she is set to ship next month with Fisto and Sorceress but the schedule could still change. She will also come with the exclusive map of Preternia so that will be something to look forward to as well. Trust me though, this lady of dark magic is well worth the wait, even if it is 25 years in the making.
*Thanks for sticking with us, we have one more MOTUC First Look to go in this round. Remember, Shadow Weaver is an exclusive for subscribers so you cannot buy her from Matty Collector. Thanks also to Toy Guru for sending this sample along.
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