Shadow Weaver Evil Mistress of Dark Magic Masters of the Universe Classics Action Figure Item No.: No. W8907 Manufacturer: Mattel Includes: Magic wand, magic book, clear stand Action Feature: "Hovers" on clear display stand Retail: $20.00 (give or take $490) Availability: February 2012 Other: Subscription-only figure for 2012
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I originally had Fearless Photog slotted in here, but because my Shadow Weaver showed up late I decided to bump him back a few weeks. (I work ahead.) Why am I doing this? So you can either decide that Shadow Weaver is worth overpaying for, or do what I suggest: start watching lots of eBay auctions, and get yours when there's a slight dip in the market. A quick glance on eBay says the lowest she's selling for is about $66 shipped in the USA, but goes as high as $150. She's not worth $150. I don't even know that she's worth $60, but I won't lie to you when it comes to hyping this figure because I didn't even know what a Shadow Weaver was until I caught reruns of She-Ra on the Qubo channel about a year and a half ago. "Oh cool," I thought, "evil Orko with boobs. Wonder why they didn't make a figure of her?" (Probably because in the vintage line, the She-Ra girls were dolls. And this would make for a dull doll.)

Her design is somewhere between "they cheaped out on the legs!" and "they didn't cheap out enough on the legs!" The figure has about 11 points of articulation, with standard MOTUC movement from the waist on up, plus a 1990s Star Wars-style "unileg" hip joint. Personally, I'd have preferred they drop the waist and hip joints completely since they don't add much to her poseability, but that's me. She includes a clear display base to make it look like she's floating, which is great, and it also sort of provides a joint. You can tilt her a little on it, so she can look like she's floating forward or to the side if you're so inclined.

The design of the figure is, like the rest, a mix of classic 1980s-ish fantasy with modern articulation. She doesn't look exactly like she popped off the screen, but quite close with her Horde belt, black fingernails, and gray, barely-visible skin. The yellow eyes pop out of her black face quite nicely, and that design is mirrored on her magic book as well. The flowing robes look like she's actually hovering, so when you get right down to it they did a fantastic job. I should note, due to the way her robes flow she's a little wobbly when standing directly on a flat surface like a shelf or a table.

I have nothing to whine about when it comes to the paint, and her flexible "cape" looks strange at first but flows nicely when removed from the packaging. But her gear? They did a nice job here. The wand has a little crystal ball at the end of it which you can actually see through, and it looks great. Evil-Lyn's various orbs have been translucent, but you really need to shine a bright light through them to realize they're not opaque. I'd love to see this color of plastic used on a future Evil-Lyn staff, because it works. The want is painted silver with darker markings, and it looks like it's metal from a decent distance. Quality stuff, man. The book is also good, but it reminds me of the 2000s Simpsons line in that it's an accessory and there's not much I can do with it. Sure, she can hold it in her left hand, but after that? It just looks good. A face sits on the cover and is surrounded in a gold metal pattern which leads you to the spine, where you'll see sculpted faux hinges. A magical lock brings the green tome to life, but the green part is just a little too clean and new for what is probably an ancient book of spells and mystery. It's not bad, but what am I complaining about? This book is probably going to go in a box somewhere.

To touch on one final detail about the figure itself, the hands are quite good. The right hand was designed to hold her wand, while the left is an excellent example of getting a lot of out a design. The fingers are extended in a menacing, casting-a-spell pose but the fingers and thumbs are positioned so she can carry some accessories, like her book, as well. Kudos to the sculptors for making sure she can interact with her accessories successfully! (I realize that probably sounds like a back-handed compliment but it isn't meant as one. I got a lot of figures that just won't hold their stuff.) Plus she reminds me of a mishmash of several bosses and villains from The Legend of Zelda series, specifically Zelda II and A Link to the Past. (Gender bent, of course.)

Additional Images

Other Tidbits

• This is the third "Club Eternia" exclusive figure. The previous two were Wun-Dar, a He-Man variant based on a mysterious brown-haired He-Man figure from the 1980s, and Preternia Disguise He-Man, based on a costume from the 1980s (and new 2012) mini-comics.
• Shadow Weaver makes her toy debut here. Her on-package bio (see below) confirms an obscure tidbit from a UK comic, before she turned evil her name was "Light Spinner."
• The figure was "free" with the Club Eternia program, which costs $20 to sign up for-- and it requires you to buy another $490 worth of toys. So in another, more accurate light, it's $510ish with another 22 or so figures and large creatures.
• Despite her origins as a villain on a cartoon made to sell dolls to girls, this may be the most-desirable character in the Masters of the Universe Classics toy line at press time.
• Shadow Weaver is the first toy officially made from Mattel's acquisition of the license for Filmation (cartoon) characters. Mattel previously made other characters which debuted in the old cartoons (like Orko) only when they previously existed as a Mattel toy or appeared in the 2002-era Masters media.

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