Kobra Khan’s almost here, so it’s a great time to wrap up February’s Masters of the Universe haul. Last on our list is the Sorceress. One of the few Masters of the Universe Classics figures to have an action feature which is unusual because I don’t think her vintage figure did.
The only female Masters of the Universe figure I had as a kid was Teela. I didn’t even know Sorceress had a figure until I got back into MOTU with the 200X relaunch. I was a bit surprised by it too since He-Man was such a heavily boy-themed line. Sadly, the MO2K line wasn’t given this opportunity. We were lucky the Four Horsemen were able to get a staction figure to us. But with the in depth roster of MOTU Classics, I had no doubt we’d be seeing the Sorceress eventually.
This Sorceress figure is based on her familiar comic book/cartoon/original action figure look. Personally, I’m not a big fan of the whole bird motif. Wearing a costume made of feathers always seemed a bit weird to me. But I can still recognize a great sculpt when I see it, and the 4H did a fantastic job here. There’s plenty of detailed sculpting with all of her feathers. Plus, she looks as if she stepped right out of the Filmation series.
I realize the Horsemen have a certain style, and most of the MOTU women have a similar look. But I feel like Sorceress and Teela look particularly alike. The Sorceress also has one of the prettier faces in the line, which is always nice.
I only have one complaint when it comes to the Sorceress’ head, and it’s not even about the sculpt. The figures we got at IAT all shared the similar problem of the head dress being positioned too high. I’m definitely going to pull her head out and readjust the piece. It should be fairly easy, but it’s still a pain to have to do.
The majority of Sorceress’ pieces are molded in the proper blues, whites, and oranges. What little painting there is on her head dress, boots, and wings is all very clean. In fact, I haven’t noticed any slop on my figure, which is always nice.
I’m not really sure why, but Mattel chose to paint the insides of her wings blue. I don’t think it looks bad, but it’s definitely not the look of the original figure or her Filmation counterpart. Can any of you hard core MOTU fans shed some light on where this design came from? Continue to page 2…
Not being able to sit doesn’t bother me much, I think the only figure I ever pose “sitting” is He-Man (on Battle Cat). I’m holding out for the white version, though!
“My biggest problem is with how her wings attach to her shoulders, but I’m not really sure how this could have been done while still keeping the action feature.”
Emiliano at he-man.org had some ideas.
My problem is that the action feature shouldn’t have been included in the first place. Soft “rubber” (or even fabric) wings would have worked much better and allowed for sitting poses, as well as more articulation in the arms.
Hear, hear! Fabric wings, tied on at the wrists. Raise the arms, the wings automatically spread. No bulky hinges. Also, she gets to sit down.
This is the 30th Anniversary year. Surely a LITTLE splurging in soft goods one one or two figures (such as Shadow Weaver) wouldn’t have bankrupted Mattel?
Logistics.
Great figure! Great pics! Great review!
“This is definitely a problem since seventy percent of her job description entails sitting on the throne.”
70% of MY day entails sitting on the “throne,” too.
“I’m not really sure why, but Mattel chose to paint the insides of her wings blue. I don’t think it looks bad, but it’s definitely not the look of the original figure or her Filmation counterpart”
in the cartoon (and original Zoar figure) the backs of the wings were blue, I think mattel added it to the inside of her wings as having blue feathers on the back on not the front doesnt really make sense…but thats just my guess here is a pic from MOTU cartoon
http://www.google.com/imgres?q=zoar+falcon&hl=en&sa=X&biw=1600&bih=805&tbm=isch&prmd=imvns&tbnid=SbGAuwuLg4pACM:&imgrefurl=http://www.he-man.org/forums/boards/showthread.php%3F211772-can-Toyguru-get-Sorceress-s-colours-fixed&docid=5myXfI6RgjZ8tM&imgurl=http://frankshemanpage.net/evilseed09.JPG&w=712&h=477&ei=-a5sT9eAG-jA2gWjwvjnBQ&zoom=1&iact=rc&dur=326&sig=117724077480374603488&page=1&tbnh=150&tbnw=203&start=0&ndsp=32&ved=1t:429,r:15,s:0&tx=105&ty=96
I’m holding out for a Millenium Sorceress. They could say that’s Teela’s look when she takes the mantle.
I read somewhere that this figure had some issues and people were returning it or Mattel was accepting returns…
Her design is excellent except for the wings. Wish they had done a better job but hey you get what you pay for $20.
Great review with excellent pics, as ever! STILL waiting to get this figure in the post (along with Hot Giant Floating Jawa Chick and Worst Ever Cavity Search Man). Looking forward to it (always loved the Sorceress), but still not liking those wings.
The figure isn’t perfect and softer wings (ala the first wave of Silverhawks) would have worked better. But she’s still the Sorceress and I’m glad we finally got her. Now for Rammy!
She’s not 100% perfect but still one of the most requested characters ever, so I’m glad she can be checked off fans’ wish lists. Maybe if Mattel had gone with softer wings like the ones used on Kenner’s old Silverhawks, the action feature would have worked better? Still, the original Sorceress figure couldn’t sit down very well without acting rather un-ladylike…
She’s not entirely perfect but still one of the most requested characters ever, so I’m glad she can be checked off fans’ wish lists. Maybe if Mattel had gone with softer wings like the ones used on Kenner’s old Silverhawks, the action feature would have worked better? Still, the original Sorceress figure couldn’t sit down very well without acting rather un-ladylike…
I’ve been waiting for a Sorceress my entire life… Never saw the Vintage figure, never owned a Staction… and I’m STILL WAITING for my Sorceress to arrive!!
The vintage figure did have an action feature. The wings were spring loaded, and would pop up by moving the tail feathers on her back.
The wings might have worked better if they had been similar to those of the first series Silverhawks, which shared a similar action feature. I’m just happy to see another of the iconic characters completed. Now for Ram Man, Jitsu, Mekaneck, and Two-Bad.
I think someone’s put a spell on this review: I’ve tried to comment several times and nothing shows up.
The wings might have worked better if they had been similar to those of the first series Silverhawks, which shared a similar action feature. I’m just happy to see another of the iconic characters completed. Now for Ram Man, Jitsu, Mekaneck, and Two-Bad.
Okay, first one who says “you can say that again, Clutch” gets one in the groin. 😉
is it me, or it does it seem to anyone else like vault’s sorceress has her headress set a little far back on her skull? her brow just seems… large. not a huge thing, but noticeably, at least it seems to be.
to those who were suggesting fabric wings, i would just like to say “no.” the fabric would not have looked good at all, they’re wings, not a cape. sure, the articulation could have been preserved, but it would have looked crap. i’ve seen several suggestions ’round the web that would have looked good yet still moved, and i can’t help but think that, given a better time window for design, either mattel’s in house team or the horsemen could have done better than they did. this was just a rush job and it shows, as the solution doesn’t really address the problems.
Well, the thing is DR, I’ve been a proponent of soft goods since I was 8 years old (1982), when I got my first cloth-robed Jawa, which looked great and was fully poseable, even at that tiny scale. If DONE CORRECTLY, soft goods can look good, as well as allowing for better poseability and balance. The trick is getting it done correctly, because Lord knows companies don’t want to waste time, money, and materials doing anything well anymore. Case in point: Sorceress’ cheap thigh joints. But even if you discount Barbie altogether, Mattel is capable of decent fabric garments for their boys’ toys.
As I recall, my original Scare Glow’s fabric cape looked damn sweet, so much thought and effort was put into it. Ninjor’s tunic and hood worked out okay in my book, and added a nifty extra dimension of play value. Even Prince Adam’s vest looked pretty darn good for a mid-1980s toy. Admittedly, Randor’s cape looked like what it was: cheap and faintly tatty, while Hordak’s vinyl capes were just plain cheap and nasty.
I know soft goods support tends to be an unpopular opinion with some, but I stand by it with total conviction, so long as it’s executed properly. If I’m going to pay full price for an action figure, I’m going to want it fully poseable. And if given the choice, I’d rather have a flexible piece of cotton with a feather print on it than a Sorceress with huge Frankenstein bolts coming out of her shoulders and a tendency to fall flat on her back because the weight of her segmented Batmobile-armour cape keeps pulling her down.
eh… i like well executed soft goods when applicable… but feathers are a lot more like plastic than cloth. i would prefer to see a soft, rubberized kind of plastic, like the type we’ve seen on some of the motuc pants lately, or like the ryu hayabusa neck scarf NECA released a while back. that could handle a nice texturing and look good, while being light and flexible enough to allow the articulation to shine.
did you by chance pick up the scarabus fig from the horsemen? they’re still available on storehorsemen.com and those make use of some very creative sculpt details to hide layering of soft plastic goods so that the armor bits still work w/ the articulation. that’s the kind of innovation i’d like to see on the sorceress to really make her design shine, but that’s not the line motuc is, sadly. still, i can’t help but think, seeing what they did w/ scarabus, that if the horsemen had been given time and a budget, they could have given us something more satisfactory to all parties than the toy we’ve been sold.
No, I’m afraid I didn’t know anything about Scarabus or his kin until I came to this website a few short months ago. (I’m not as active an online presence as I used to be a few years back, thanks to arthritis putting a crimp in my customising.) They look damn cool and all, but I’m afraid I can’t afford the money or the space to take up collecting yet another toy line, as cool as it is.
I can’t help but look at that softer plastic used on Snout Spout’s trunks and trunk, though, and wonder how quickly it might deteriorate. I agree with you that it would do a darn good job holding a delicate feather-cape sculpt and allow for better flexibility and reduce weight considerably. I just get the feeling that I’d have to replace it when it starts to crumble.
Enh, we’ll see what happens, eh?
“My biggest issue with the hard plastic wings is that they prevent Sorceress from sitting down.”
Lol. So one complaint is that the sculpt keeps your action figure from being inactive?
70% of her job description is an accurate statement. On the show, and I think in many of the comics, she sat on a cool throne inside Castle Grayskull. It’s kind of like selling a Green Arrow figure without the bow.
Ok, that’s way too harsh. But you get where I’m going with this. I don’t like soft goods on my MOTUC anyway.
After hearing the RGD podcast with the designer, I understand why she’s like that though and it doesn’t bother me as much. And there’s no throne for her to sit on anyway.
“I realize the Horsemen have a certain style, and most of the MOTU women have a similar look. But I feel like Sorceress and Teela look particularly alike. ”
Well…. they should, Teela is the cloned daughter of the Sorceress after all 😛