Friday, September 27, 2019

Action Figure Review: She-Ra vs Shadow Weaver from She-Ra and the Princesses of Power by Mattel

    I just finished reviewing all of the standard releases from She-Ra and the Princesses of Power so I guess it's about time that I got around to checking out the very cool SDCC 2019 set of She-Ra vs Shadow Weaver, huh? I didn't get this set until after I already had the standard figures and I guess I'm kind of glad, as this set is much nicer than those figures. The packaging is very attractive (but not collector friendly!) and it features not only a very cool Shadow Weaver, who is extremely creepy and cool in the new show, but also an upgraded She-Ra. Seriously, she's quite a bit nicer than the standard She-Ra, even though they have the same body and headsculpt. If you're looking for just one item from She-Ra and the Princesses of Power for your collection, this is what I'd recommend. Mattel definitely goes all out on their SDCC offerings and this one is a real beauty. Let's check out this set after the break...



 The Facts: She-Ra

11 7/8ths inches

Articulation: Swivel/hinge knees, balljointed hips, swivel/hinge shoulders, swivel/hinge elbows, swivel/ hinge wrists, and a balljointed head.

Accessories: Outfit, boots, chest armor, tiara, gauntlets, and the Sword of Protection.


 The Facts: Shadow Weaver

Height: 10 inches

Articulation: Swivel/hinge knees, balljointed hips, swivel/hinge shoulders, swivel/hinge elbows, swivel/ hinge wrists, and a balljointed head.

Accessories:Robe, sash, 2-piece stand, and shadow magic effect.

Non-Scalper Price: $40 dollars
 Comparison:



* On the left is the SDCC She-Ra from this set while the standard retail She-Ra (still a Target exclusive as far as I know) is on the right. The underlying bodies are the same as are the plastic chest plates, tiaras, headsculpts, boots, and gauntlets. The outfit on the SDCC 2019 version features a much nicer, pleather like material, a much shinier and thicker skirt, a longer cape, and longer hair with glittery strands woven in.
 The Positives:


*  I really do like the look of the costume, especially with the better quality materials used for the SDCC 2019 outfit. Mattel seems to have taken the designs from the new Netflix show and softened them up a bit, making them fit in better with a more traditional doll-line. In this style, She-Ra is still instantly recognizable thanks to her distinctive costume and color scheme. The mixture of various types of fabric with some plastic parts looks good and gives the figure more depth.



* Just like with the standard figure, She-Ra's gauntlets and the details on her armor (the gold shoulder pads, belt, chest piece) are removable plastic pieces. The chest piece, belt, and shoulders pads are one single piece, by the way.


*  I like the headsculpt on these. While the design is definitely based on the Netflix show, She-Ra's features have definitely been changed a bit. She-Ra has real rooted hair, too,which I'll cover in a minute it as it is much longer than the standard figure's hair. She also has her tiara, which is removable. If you get it on right and work with her hair it stays on pretty well.



* This cape is definitely much more regal than the standard She-Ra's cape. We're talking a full cape rather than a half cape. The material is quite nice and it feels very rich. This is some 1987 He-Man movie level stuff here, folks. (I like He-Man's caped look, so I meant that 100% as a compliment.)



 * This She-Ra features hair that's much longer than the standard figure's hair. It also has little strands of some sort of shiny streamer woven in. It's kind of cool, for sure, and makes her seem more magical.


 * Also like the standard figure, She-Ra has fully painted boots. They're a bit chunky, helping the figure to stand up more easily.


* The articulation on these reminds me a lot of the articulation on the DC Super Hero Girls dolls from a couple of years back. There isn't a lot of articulation but there's definitely more than I'm aware of on most doll lines. She-Ra's got swivel/hinge shoulders, knees, elbows, and wrists as well as balljointed hips and a fully balljointed head. Overall she seems to have enough articulation for a kid to have fun with while still not having so much as to be frustrating to play with.


* She-Ra's Sword of Protection features the same mold as the sword that comes with both version of She-Ra and Adora, but it has glittery sparkles in the blade. I like it!


* Let's talk about Shadow Weaver now, as she's completely new. I really like her look in the show and she's one of the best of the re-imagined characters (plus, voice actress Lorraine Toussaint knocks it out of the park). It's pretty cool to see some of the Horde released in this style and Shadow Weaver looks phenomenal. Her long red robe is one piece while the shimmering red vest-like piece is a separate garment that could be removed for a more Filmation-like appearance. The tailoring is excellent. This might be some of the best tailoring in this line.

* In the Netflix series, Shadow Weaver obscures her face (disfigured by the Spell of Obtainment) behind a mystical mask. It still manage to give her the always creepy, mysterious and expressionless feel of the classic character while also moving forward and adding some degree of expression to her. I love the work on her mask, especially the very severe white eyes. Plus, you can see her pointy gray ears poking out from behind it.

 * Shadow Weaver has some seriously long, wavy hair that flows like... well, like a shadow. it suits the character well and Mattel did a nice job with it here. I've got one of these sets set aside for my daughter as well (she'll begetting it soon as a surprise) and I have no doubt that she'll enjoy brushing Shadow Weaver's hair as much as she enjoys brushing everyone else's hair.


* Shadow Weaver is smaller than She-Ra (she's closer in size to Catra or Adora) but she has the same articulation that those figures have, even though most of it is hidden underneath her long robes. Her legs might be hindered a bit but she still can take some excellent, dramatic poses. She definitely needs her stand to stand upright, though.




* And here it is! Yup, Shadow Weaver comes with a fairly plain 2-piece black plastic stand.



 * I love the tattered robe at the bottom. It looks really cool and seems to capture quite well the "feel" of how Shadow Weaver moves on the show.


* Shadow Weaver comes with a glittery black piece of magic. It kind of wraps around her wrist and she can hold it in her hand, giving her a way to show off her magical powers. It completes her look perfectly!
 The Negatives:

*  I have the same concern with this She-Ra's elbows that I had with the Battle Armor She-Ra.  The hinges seem a bit too tight. You need to be fairly careful moving the elbows or you could end up breaking the joint rather than moving it.



 * I kind of wish Shadow Weaver's stand was a bit taller to allow her to hover off of the ground a bit more. I think it would look much cooler and give the tattered hem of her dress a bit more room to be shown off.
   For $40 bucks (that was the original asking price though you most assuredly won't find that now) this is an incredible set. You really get some cool stuff here and some very well done figures. I hope Shadow Weaver makes it to regular retail at some point, as the figure's so cool that it would be a shame if more kids and collectors couldn't get their hands on her. This She-Ra is also much better than the standard release. This is a Great and a 1/2 set and it shows how nice these could be. I like most of the dolls we've gotten, don't get me wrong, but if they were all as nice as these I think they'd be even more popular!


   If you're a She-Raver who digs She-Ra/ Princess Adora then check out the figures I've reviewed: The Masters of the Universe Classics Galactic Protector She-Ra, the Club Grayskull She-Ra, the ReAction She-Ra, the She-Ra from the Super7 Battle for Etheria 2-Pack, and Mattel's She-Ra and the Princesses of Power She-Ra, Force Captain Adora, and Battle Armor She-Ra and Swift Wind.

For more of the dastardly Shadow Weaver check out my review of the ReAction Shadow Weaver.

For more She-Ra and the Princesses of Power reviews check out the following:
Battle Armor She-Ra and Swift Wind
Bow
Catra
Force Captain Adora
Glimmer
She-Ra

2 comments:

  1. My mind is blown! I had no idea these existed!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. They're about twice the original price on the aftermarket, now, which isn't terrible considering that the shipping on this massive box has got to be crazy.

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