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The witch has perhaps one of the broadest of character references of any group in history. Many of course used to seriously believe that they existed, and we need only look at the witch hunts of the early modern period in Europe, or episodes like the Salem witch trials in colonial America in the 1690s, to see how seriously they were taken by some. Books like the 15th century 'Malleus Maleficarum' helped to stir up persecution of anyone accused of witchcraft, and many women met an untimely end thanks to these beliefs. Whilst they might be feared or respected in real life, witches have a much more varied image in fiction and fantasy. We think of the Wicked Witch of the West in the Wizard of Oz, or the witches in Shakespeare's Macbeth, as examples of negative characters, but also of Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter novels, or Granny Weatherwax in the Discworld series, as heroic witches, acting for the good of all.

The witches in this set seem to cover a lot of these perceptions as they display a wide variety of characteristics. If the classic image of a witch is of an old, ugly and wizened woman with a malicious expression and countenance, then the first two figures in our images above are quite the opposite - they show mature women, but smiling and apparently very friendly. They brought to mind Terry Pratchett's witches in the Discworld, and look to be both pleasant and entirely non-threatening. Many of the rest of the figures follow the trope of women with pointy noses and chins, long robes and long pointy hats. Others have no hat, revealing in better detail their harsh faces and unkempt hair, so a little less typical, but still giving an aura of wickedness. The very last figure has a large horned headdress and holds a large staff, and put us in mind of Maleficent, as played by Angelina Jolie in the film of the same name (2014). Now Maleficent was not a witch, but perhaps Dark Alliance thought she would work well as a witch, or perhaps this is just coincidence.

The poses are a real mix, and nicely thought out. There are broomsticks a plenty of course, and several staffs being held, while one witch is apparently stirring a pot (doubtless containing a potion) with an excessively large stick. One is stroking a cat (her familiar), while another is smoking a very large pipe, and a third seems to offer up a potion in a bottle taken from a basket she holds. We particularly loved the witch riding her broomstick, but really we liked all of the poses. The sculpting is not so great, although the faces are quite nicely done - well enough to superficially judge the character of each figure at least. There is very little flash apart from the first witch in our last row, who has an enormous blob of extra plastic that covers half her head and seriously disfigures the model. This is another fun collection, and whether you want witches for a scene from Shrek or Shakespeare, you should find something here that meets your needs.