In the modern Masters of the Universe mythos, King Grayskull might be point of origin of the Power of Grayskull that we have all come to know and love, but let’s make it clear: that power would not have been preserved without the selfless work of his widow Queen Grayskull.
When the king was taken out by Hordak, his essence and power would have been lost without her work, and while she helped pass down the important role of Sorceress of Grayskull (of which she was the first), the King’s power laid in wait for thousands of years until Adam and Adora decided it would be a good time to be born. So forget that tired old and outdated cliché about “behind every good man is a good woman” because while old Devann was busy being dead, Veena was making sure the fate of Eternia did not fall to intergalactic depots. That puts her right at the forefront.
Protector, teacher, seer, advisor, caretaker – these are all roles of the Sorceress of Grayskull, a title that we have learned has been passed down to a worthy holder for ages. Teela’Na, the Sorceress we know and love from He-Man’s time, follows a rich tradition of esteemed ladies that have taken up abode in the big green fortress of mystery and power, but that all started with Grayskull’s Queen and she set the tone for role, and in doing so, she probably ensured the safety of Eternia for years uncounted. She did not get nearly enough time to shine on the short-lived MYP cartoon, but her characterization and role instantly struck me, and I have always held a high appreciation for her, even over King Grayskull himself.
Even though I know a lot of people don’t embrace it, I have always been okay with the role of King Grayskull in the modern MOTU canon. He is not anything original, but along with He-Ro, his existence goes a long way in explaining the Power of Grayskull, if that is something that you want explained. That being said, I would be perfectly fine if his role did not exist, but I have to say I find the historical reference to the Sorceress much more essential. Like that old knight from Indian Jones and the Last Crusade, that job is handed off to those most worthy and they devote their lives to it. Without the role of the Sorceress, Eternia would most likely be lost at this point, so Veena’s inclusion in this line is essential for me.
The only question I have had about her is why did it take so long to get her into the line? I mean, King Grayskull was the first figure to be released way back in 2008, so he has been lonely for a long time. Well, none of that matters now as she is very close to dropping as the November 2015 figure of the Club 200X mini-sub, and from a character perspective, she will probably go to the top of the heap from that group for a lot of people. Like those who came before her, Veena (or Queen Grayskull, as she has to be called due to active trademarks), I find her to be great overall figure, and she will really help pull your Preternia display together.
This will probably sound like a broken record at this point after the Ceratus First Look, but I have a tough time pointing out any major fail points with this figure, as I just don’t think they exist. There is some funkiness to the character design that I will get into a moment, but as far as taking a screen image and turning it into a plastic figure, the Four Horsemen pretty much nailed it. The more Egyptian theme was more cohesive back when the current Sorceress had that (terrible) pyramid outfit, but even now, it is not hard to see how Veena’s theme fits in, and that the Sorceress costumes have just gone through more of an evolution by He-Man’s time. Her outfit is striking and she has a couple of firsts for the line as well.
At first glance, you can see that there is some reuse here, but there is not as much as you would expect. Her costume requires new forearm and shin adornments, but she also has new bare feet, and her torso is new too, even though I just assumed it would be shared from Battle Ground Teela. All of her new costume pieces are very ornate to match that 200X style, and while she does wear a fairly lengthy skirt, it is made of a nice flexible plastic. The head sculpt is very nice as well and Veena looks very feminine, but very strong and stoic, so it is befitting the character. Her headdress/helmet is nicely done with soft flaps, and the gold paint used there and throughout is very striking.
Veena does have her signature wings as well, and while they are most certainly source-accurate, they are a bit unwieldy too. The placement of her wings has always been odd to me, seeing as how they are in the small of her back, but they do give a unique look. You can certainly find several different poses for them as they snap into the sockets via a ball joint, but they are really big, and past the pegs, they don’t have any articulation. So they don’t fold up very well, and if you are vanilla poser like I am, she might cause a bit of frustration when trying to get her to stand among her Preternia counterparts on the shelf. I wish there was a mid-wing joint that is similar to the one in Angella’s wings, but that is not a huge issue, just be aware of it.
Also, she does have the blue shawl thing too, and I have to admit that I am not a fan of this. Aside from using it for these pictures, it will likely go in the bin. Mattel really gave it a go to make it work as it is made of some very soft plastic, but due to the sculpt, it just doesn’t sit naturally about her arms. The ends kind of flare up, so unless there is a bit of an updraft below her, it just doesn’t look convincing. Plus, as soft as it is, the shawl still inhibits the arm movement when on, so your posing options might be a little limited. As I said, I don’t personally care for this piece, but it is a part of the costume, so I am sure many will be glad to have it; there is nothing wrong with it per se, but since she already has the bulky wings, I have this removed in the interest of streamlining Veena just a bit.
Finally, the figure comes with her trademark staff, and right away you can see that it has changed since the prototype. Originally, there was to be more blue fabric (like the shawl) about the staff on the original sculpt, but it has been removed in production. Frankly, I don’t miss it at all, and its omission helps draw in more similarities between it and the modern Sorceress’ staff. The bird theme is carried over from the costume, and this one matches the more Egyptian feel the Veena exudes. It is painted in that shiny gold paint, and there is a red jewel accent in the head. The sample has a bit of slop around it, but I am pretty sure this will not be widespread.
Well, kids, the 200X subscription is looking to be the runaway hit of 2015, and with five of six now accounted for, the odds will not change to being unfavorable overall. Veena joins guys before her as a great figure and a character that is really essential to the collection. My little Powers of Grayskull display is looking good, and it is good to have a feminine touch among all of the ancient dudes. Like I said, I find Queen Grayskull to be more intriguing than the King, and the hallowed role of the Sorceress of Grayskull got its start in her capable hands. Veena goes up for sale on November 16 at Matty Collector.
*Okay, thanks to Mattel for sending this figure all the way from Preternia. Don’t despair, we have a special weekend edition of our First Looks coming tomorrow to close out this latest batch.
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