Masters of the Universe Classics SORCERESS!

The Guardian of Castle Grayskull Makes Her Long-Awaited Debut from Mattel

The Sorceress is one of the most iconic women of 80's cartoon/toy culture.  She was always mysterious, protective, powerful, and wise, guiding the most powerful men and women in the universe toward victory time and time again.  I remember going to this feed store where I grew up in rural Pennsylvania and seeing the original Sorceress action figure having on a peg in their shabby toy aisle (I believe it was the last 5 feet of the birdseed aisle).  That figure was actually quite a shelfwarmer there because I would love to go "visit" her and beg unsuccessfully to have her purchased for me.  She must have easily been there for a year, collecting dust and being ignored by all the other country boys.  It was twenty years before I finally got my vintage Sorceress, and another five before I got my hands on this wonderful toy.  A long wait, but well worth it.

Disclaimer: I know I refer to her as both "The Sorceress" and just "Sorceress" interchangeably, pay no mind to me, I can't decide which I prefer.

The Sorceress comes in standard MOTUC packaging, but with a 30th Anniversary logo on the back.  I must say that I really appreciate that Mattel hasn't been dynamically posing these figures in the boxes.  It's been a major disappointment over the years with their DCUC line to open up a great-looking figure only to find the limbs warped from being twist-tied into action poses.  These straight-forward stances are a relief and they look great.

I love this figure.  It has a couple drawbacks, but all-in-all she has exceeded my expectations.  I had cringed a few times in the past few years when I tried to imagine how they would deal with her wings.  I feared a rubber feathery cape, or a solid backpack-style plummage.  Their final solution is unique and interesting, and most importantly, she look great in her classic "wings spread" pose.

The wings are pretty great, but I'm terrified i'm going to break them off.  They're long and rigid and only attached by the barrel-peg on the shoulder.  I also wish that the central stationary piece of wing down the middle of her back was a little wider at the top.  There are often gaps you can see through depending on how she is posed, but facing straight forward with her arms out (but not all the way up), she looks great.

The shoulder barrel-pegs are a little unsightly from the side.  Okay, they're very unsightly, but I think the functionality of the wings is worth a little kibble in the awkward sideview.

The Sorceress' face is a little bland and vacant to me.  Close-up she looks great, but from a distance she has a bit of deer-in-the headlights look.  I think perhaps it's the orange eyeshadow and the set of the eyebrows.  Maybe this is just my figure though.  Also, my last and final minor complaint:  The white part of her costume covering her chest looks.... thick...like she's wearing an outfit made out of Play-Doh.  Don't get me wrong though, I'm just trying to give some constructive criticism to avoid being such a giddy reviewer. 

The Sorceress comes with her staff (Staff of Ra? - I always thought it was called this but I can't find proof), and Zoar (The Sorceress in the falcon form she is forced to assume whenever she leaves Castle Grayskull).  Zoar comes with removeable armor and a perch.

Here is a comparison shot with the vintage figure.

An interesting benchmark has been reached with the release of the Sorceress.  This was the last MOTU "Updated" female figure (Excluding POP figures).  I understand all the Super Powers fans with their DCUC obsessions now; the Then-and-Now displays are very fun.

Look at all the pretty birds!  Heres the roster: MOTUC Screech (from Evil Lyn v1), DCUC Beast Boy as Falcon, MOTUC Glory Bird (from Star Sisters), MOTUC Zoar v1 (from Teela v1), DCUC Jayna as Eagle (from Wonder Twins SDCC 2-Pack), and finally MOTUC Zoar v2 (from Sorceress)



Cheers!