World of Nintendo - SAMUS!

World of Nintendo - Series 1-2 - Metroid: Samus - Jakks Pacific 2015

Samus Aran is the protagonist of the Metroid series of video games.  Starting in 1986, the series now has 12 games released, all of which star Samus Aran.  Samus is a space-faring bounty hunter in an advanced power suit who steamrolls through alien planets and spaceships fighting the jellyfish-like Metroid invaders.  I think a lot of players of the early 8-bit game had no idea Samus was a girl until later on in her development.  I never played any of the Metroid games, but I think I would have had I known more about her.  Apparently the earliest handbooks made her gender pretty clear, but the bulky armor still confused young gamers; me included.  It's kind of amazing that there are currently three really good Samus figures on the market.  The high-end Figma figure is beautiful, and the Amiibo figure is everywhere, but I personally think this World of Nintendo version is the best choice for quality and price.  This series has a ton of potential and I'm excited to see what comes out of it next.  On to Samus!

Marvel Legends - SPIDER-GIRL!

Spider-Man Infinite Series - Hobgoblin Wave - Warriors of the Web - Hasbro 2015

May "Mayday" Parker is one of those characters that I have desperately tried to get into.  The idea of a girl wearing Spider-Man's costume was such a novel idea to me.  I couldn't believe it hadn't been done before. I remember discovering her on a Wizard Magazine cover while on vacation with my family.  (I discovered Cassandra Cain in the same issue actually).  Over the years I tried and tried to get into the comic but it just didn't stick.  I always loved her design so I kept going back.  Her fanbase was phenomenal though and her title was continually resurrected and rebooted.  Even now, she's been a major player in the Spider-Verse storyline and the Petra Parker Spider-Girl in the Web Warriors cartoon plays homage to Mayday.  Pretty good for a character that started off as a hypothetical one-shot in "What If...?"  This figure is amazing.  Hasbro has been knocking it out of the park with their Marvel Legends figures lately.  My Spider-Lady shelf is positively exploding. Let's check out Mayday below!

Marvel Legends - ULTIMATE SPIDER-WOMAN!

Spider-Man Infinite Series - Hobgoblin Wave - Warriors of the Web - Hasbro 2015

Ever since Ultimate Spider-Woman first appeared way back in 2006 I've been obsessed.  In the Ultimate universe, Jessica Drew is a clone of Peter Parker, embodying all his powers and memories.  This origin led to some interesting romantic interactions over the years.  She's expressed a natural attraction to red-headed girls (a'la Peter's enfatuation with MJ).  But she's also had some bizarre romantic trysts with men.  In the instance of Iceman, the fact that she retained all of Peter's memories made it very interesting.  I didn't realize it at the time, but it really touched on a lot of gender and transgender issues, albeit in a very vague sci-fi way. But beyond all her backstory, Spider-Woman's costume just seems so incredibly cool to me. It is so simple, yet very unique.  I found myself eagerly buying every comic she was in for years.  It didn't hurt that the amazing Stuart Immonen was the main artist during much of her character development.  Without further ado, let's check out Ultimate Spider-Woman!

TOY FAIR 2015 Coverage - OTHER COMPANIES!

Mezco - NECA - NJCroce - Madame Alexander - Monogram - Schleich - I Am Elemental

TOY FAIR 2015 Coverage - DC Collectibles & DST!

DC Icons - Designer Series - BTAS Femme Fatales - Marvel Select

TOY FAIR 2015 Coverage - FUNKO!

 POP! - Dorbz - Legacy - ReAction - Mopeez

S.H.Figuarts - SAILOR MOON!

S.H.Figuarts: Sailor Moon -  Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon - Bandai 2013

So I've been writing this blog (and loving it) for a little over three years now. I started it not knowing if I would find an audience, and frankly not really caring if I did. I was doing it for me. I love this hobby and when I realized there was a gap in the female action figure representation online, my hobby naturally extended out of my toy cave and onto the internet. It's been a lot of fun and I hit new thresholds all the time. Last week was another first. An amazing reader of this blog sent me a package full of fantastic action figures. You are an absolute star, James!  Opening that box made me feel more appreciated than I would have expected. The first of several reviews from this gift box is the S.H.Figuarts Sailor Moon from Bandai. I have a thing for Magical Girl series. I've done reviews of Winx and W.I.T.C.H. figures in the past, and it's always bugged me that I had no representation of Sailor Moon in my collection.  That problem is definitely remedied now though!  Let's check out Sailor Moon below!

Marvel Legends - SCARLET WITCH!

Marvel Legends Infinite Series - Allfather Wave - Maidens of Might - Hasbro 2015

The Scarlet Witch has been through some amazing transformations in the past decade.  She is one of those characters with phenomenal powers that are criminally underutilized in the comics (like most of the female mutants).  Wanda Maximoff can change reality on a whim.  This power seems frightening and unstable honestly. But her storylines didn't focus on that until the fateful House of M storyline in 2005.  Ever since then she has been awarded the proper sense of awe and caution she deserves.  Her role in the upcoming Avengers: Age of Ultron film will likely elevate her even further.  She's finally living up to the Maximoff name.  This figure is one of the most desperately needed re-dos in the Marvel Legends line.  Her 2005 figure from the Legendary Riders line is bafflingly bad.  This new figure has some definite flaws, but it is a long-awaited and major improvement.  Wanda shares the "Maidens of Might" slot in this wave with Captain Marvel.  Let's check out Scarlet Witch below!

Marvel Legends - CAPTAIN MARVEL!

Marvel Legends Infinite Series - Allfather Wave - Maidens of Might - Hasbro 2015

I absolutely love this figure.  Carol Danvers has always been a hit-or-miss character for me.  There are times when I adore her, there are times when I find her annoying.  Same goes for her costume.  Sometimes I love it and sometimes I hate it.  Her current incarnation as Captain Marvel, though, is all love.  The fact that she's in a full body suit with no bared midriff or awkward thongs, yet is more appealing than ever, speaks volumes.  Her hair is awesome too.  Cool modern hairstyles are really underrepresented in female heroes, let alone in toys of them.  Marvel Legends is set to have one of those most amazing years for female figures ever, and this Captain Marvel is an awesome way to start.  Carol shares the "Maidens of Might" slot in this wave with Scarlet Witch.  Each of the two comes with variant Odin heads, capes, and weapons as BAF accessories which make them both very sought-after figures.  Kudos to Hasbro for this figure and this entire year's lineup.  Let's check her out below!

Throne of Atlantis MERA!

DC Universe Animated Movie #12 - Throne of Atlantis Mera - DC Collectibles 2015

I'm ashamed to admit that prior to 2010's Brightest Day storyline, I had never heard of Mera.  Since then, of course, I've embraced her as one of growing number of powerhouse female characters in the DC Universe.  And it appears that the world has embraced her too. After decades of consistent B-list (maybe even C-list) status and no merchandise whatsoever, we have received a steady stream of collectibles in the past 5 years.  I estimate that we now have 3 Mera action figures, 1 Mini-bust, 3 Statues (Covergirls, Ame-Comi, and Bombshells), 1 Eaglemoss figurine, and 4 Heroclix.  If I had the space and finances, I think that would make a cool little collection.  Mera stars in the newest DC Animated Movie, Justice League: Throne of Atlantis, which was released on DVD last Tuesday.  I think it's great of DC Collectibles is keeping a unique scale and style for their Animated figures.  The fact that this wave is numbered #9-12 (after Justice League: War and Son of Batman) shows a real dedication to consistency.  I really like this tall and stylized female buck so hopefully we more figures in the future. Let's check out Mera below!

Kotobukiya ArtFx BATGIRL!

DC Comics ArtFX 1/10 Scale Statue: Batgirl - Kotobukiya 2014

Kotobukiya's ArtFX statue line is the first series of "plastic" statues I've purchased.  Their Bishoujo lines of DC and Marvel characters as well as DC Collectibles' Ame-Comi series have been extremely tempting for me.  The price is much less than standard collector statues, and they come out much more frequently.  But there has always been a stylistic quality that led me to decide against taking the plunge (mainly they were too cartoony, too T&A, or both). But this ArtFX line seems perfect.  Sure, the faces seem to have a distinct anime style, but overall they are great comic representations.  My only qualm is that I wish there were more.  I think it's odd that we haven't seen a Harley Quinn or Poison Ivy yet.  Perhaps we'll see something new at Toy Fair next week.  I'm excited to see their new Super Powers statues, but hopefully that hype doesn't rule out future comic-styled characters.  There's so much potential I'd hate to see it squandered.  But I digress.  Let's check out Batgirl below!