The Walking Dead - ALPHA!

The Walking Dead - Comic Series - Skybound Exc - McFarlane Toys 2015

I still haven't read any of The Walking Dead comics, but this figure is really making me want to start. All information I'm gleaning about this figure is pure conjecture from the packaging graphics.. but it's some pretty awesome conjecture. I gather that Alpha is the leader of a band of survivors that wear skinned walker heads as masks to "cloak" themselves. It's a pretty gross and cool concept. I really hope Alpha and her tribe make it into the show. I'm guessing she's on the "good" side since The Walking dead always likes to play with the "appearances can be deceiving" concepts, and she looks pretty gruesome... so she must be friendly, right? Time will tell. Skybound.com has released a lot of great exclusives over the past few years. (Skybound is Robert Kirkman's Entertainment company FYI). It seems to be a great way to get us characters that aren't a good fit for the stores. Hopefully there are many more.  Let's check out Alpha below!

Marvel X-men Legends Infinite Series - JUBILEE!

Marvel X-Men Legends - Build-a-Figure Jubilee - TRU Exclusive - Hasbro 2015

Jubilee has never been a favorite character of mine.  When she first appeared I thought she was a cheap knock-off of Boom Boom, but then I quickly realized she was intended to be another Kitty Pryde-type character in the X-men roster. I thought she was silly and pretty much just ignored her until she became the focal point of X-men the Animated Series back in 1992. She was pretty hard to sweep under the rug at that point. But everyone seemed to love her so I tried to give her a shot. It took decades for me to warm up to her. Literally. It was while reading 2011's Wolverine and Jubilee mini-series that I finally saw what everyone else did. Of course at this point she was a vampire on the run with a kidnapped baby (which was a bizarre turn of events), but for the first time I enjoyed her. Of course I found that a quick way for that hard-earned respect to be rendered obsolete is to make her Legends figure a nearly-impossible-to-complete exclusive build-a-figure and then package her torso with the criminally shortpacked Storm.  It was a frustrating, yet bountiful, year for Marvel Legends. Let's check out Jubilee below!

Marvel X-men Legends Infinite Series - STORM!

Marvel X-Men Legends - Jubilee Series - Storm - TRU Exclusive - Hasbro 2015

This figure was the bane of my existence all year. It's one thing the have a shortpacked A-list female character, it's another thing to include a major (female) Build-a-Figure piece with such a figure, and it's yet another thing to make the entire wave exclusive to a single store. To me, this figure represented the cruelty that companies like Hasbro can inflict on the collecting community. I go to Toys R Us a lot. I pass four different locations in my regular travels, and I have an additional six in close proximity that I can easily hit on the weekends. But I never saw this figure once in the stores. I promised myself that I would get her by the end of the year, and here she is, but she cost me a small fortune. This figure is stunning though.  I completely understand why everyone wanted her. Plus the Jubilee legs and torso are a major bonus. I hope she gets re-released in some form so everyone can own her. This next year should be a pretty good one for X-men Legends. Let's check out Storm below!

Halo 5 Guardians - SPARTAN KELLY!

Halo 5 Guardians - Series 01 - Spartan Kelly - McFarlane Toys 2015

Halo toys just keep getting better and better. Each time I buy a new figure, I swear it will be my last, but then another character gets released and I'm back on the bandwagon. Halo 5: Guardians has a lot of great potential for female figures. There are already two females (Holly Tanaka and Kelly-087) for this game, with a third generic green figure on the way soon. But there are at least two more named females in the game (Olympia Vale and Linda-058). There is already an older figure Vale figure out there, but an updated one would be awesome.  I really just want female Halo figures in every color of the spectrum. I almost skipped this Kelly figure because I thought her coloring was too similar to Commander Palmer's for my multi-hued army. The earlier version of Kelly had white armor and would have been better, but she's really hard to come by at a good price. So alas, another silver Spartan on my shelf.  At least the gold-domed helmet distinguishes her.  Let's check out Kelly below!

Power Rangers - PINK DINO STEEL & DINO DRIVE!

Power Rangers Dino Charge - Dino Steel & Dino Drive - Bandai 2015

I'm combining my reviews of these two figures because I've had them on the back burners forever. For those unaware, Power Rangers typically get several costume upgrades throughout the course of a series.  So far in Dino Charge, there was the Standard costumes, the armored Dino Drive costumes, and the differently-armored Dino Steel costumes. This review will cover the latter two costumes of the Pink Ranger so I can be all caught up. I don't usually get all the variations of the figures (because the changes can be subtle and not interesting for display purposes), but the Dino Charge series is a little different because there are at least ten rangers, and I'm hoping for a variety of female action figures in new colors (Aqua/Cyan especially!). We already got a surprise Purple so my hopes are high. I'd hate to miss out on a full set so I'm picking up the Pinks when I see them. Let's check out Dino Drive Pink and Dino Steel Pink in detail below!

Power Rangers Dino Supercharge PURPLE RANGER!

Power Rangers Dino Supercharge - Purple Ranger - Bandai 2015

It's not every day that a Purple Ranger comes around.. especially a female one. As far as I can tell, this is a first. One thing that really impressed me when I first reviewed Dino Pink earlier this year was the sheer number of Rangers in this lineup. Included in the bunch were three females: Pink, Purple, and Cyan (or Aqua?). I honestly didn't expect to get any of the second-tier Rangers in action figure form. But then a few months ago some pictures were shown of the first waves of Dino Supercharge were shown with two new females: Purple.. and possibly Blue? Purple started showing up in stores around me this week. On the shelves, she looks really purple, but in photos I realize she looks very fuchsia. I have some added pics near the bottom that make her color look more distinct. Purple Ranger is themed as a Plesiosaur, which doesn't exactly seem like the most threatening of beasts. She's probably like Aquaman in the Justice League.  I love her though. I hope we get a whole spectrum of ladies!

Mortal Kombat - KITANA!

Mortal Kombat X - Princess Kitana - Mezco Toyz 2015

Fighting games don't have a good track record for sensible female costumes. Fetish lingerie with boots seems to be the status quo. (How this ever became the standard getup for a formidable female warrior boggles the mind). Mortal Kombat X is the sixteenth game featuring Kitana.  I haven't played video games in years, but I was definitely a gamer 22 years ago when Kitana made her first appearance. To be honest, the girls in the early years of Mortal Kombat kind of annoyed me. This is mostly because they were just multi-hued versions of the same character. Jade, Mileena, and Kitana reminded me of the Chipmunks with their minimal color-coded differences. I wanted variety dammit! Over the years their looks have evolved independently into the impractical mass of straps we see today. Don't get me wrong, this action figure is really well made and looks great.  And I don't regret picking her up for a second. I just think no fighter would be caught dead trying to spar in this outfit. Let's check her out below!

Masters of the Universe - TEELA (and Customization!)

MOTUC Point Dread & Talon Fighter - Mattycollector Exclusive - Mattel 2015

Teela is probably the greatest female character in the original He-Man and the Masters of the Universe series. The Sorceress and Evil-Lyn were awesome, but at the same time they were pretty archetypal witch/mage types. Teela, on the other hand, was the daughter of King Randor's weaponer, Man-at-Arms, and Captain of the Royal Guard. Most of the time she was tasked with protecting the seemingly aloof Prince Adam - much to the amusement of the viewing audience. The first Teela figure in the MOTUC line was amazing. Her only issues are that she looks pretty modern in comparison to more recent figures that favorite the simplified Filmation style. She's also very expensive to acquire on the secondary market. So this Teela 2.0 figure was a much-demanded figure that had everyone's hopes high. Then the production figures were shown with a misshapen face and the disappointed grumbles could be heard across the blogosphere. I can be pretty handy with minor touch-ups to figures so I was excited to try my hand at fixing this figure. I'm super happy with the results. Pics and details at the bottom. Let's check out Teela 2.0!

Star Wars Elite Series - REY!

Star Wars Elite Series - Die-Cast 6" Rey - Disney Store Exclusive 2015

As I type this, there are thousands of geeks sitting in the theatre getting their first glimpse at The Force Awakens. I'm not going to get a chance to see it until next week at the earliest, but I'm still super excited. I watched a bunch of cast interviews this afternoon on YouTube and they made me really curious about the character Rey. Based on some of J.J. Abrams' and Carrie Fisher's comments, it sounds as if Rey is the focal point of the film. Of course, most people know the truth of that by this point, but I'm still in the joyous speculation phase. This Elite Series figure eluded me for many months after I missed her on Force Friday. I felt like a crazy person calling my Disney Store every Monday after they got their shipments in. That never panned out, but one day I randomly stopped in a different location and she was the lone figure sitting on the shelf.  Things always seem to work out one way or another. Let's check out the Elite Series Rey in detail below!

Star Wars 6" Black Series - CAPTAIN PHASMA!

Star Wars: The Force Awakens - Black Series 06 - Captain Phasma - Hasbro 2015

Of all the things to look forward to in The Force Awakens, I think I'm most anticipating the character of Captain Phasma.  I'm especially curious to see if she's even portrayed as a female. Everyone knows it's Gwendolyn Christie under the helmet, and it's a safe assumption that her voice will be altered in a genderless vader-ish kind of way.  I guess my curiosity is whether or not she will remove her helmet at any point in the film and reveal her gender. Although, I would kind of enjoy it if it were not made explicitly clear that she's female.  I guess we'll all know soon enough. I was really really impressed by this figure. I didn't think it would be able to top the Disney Store Elite Series Captain Phasma, but it totally does.  The articulation and proportions are superior in my opinion.  Plus there is likely to be many more 6" scale figures in the future rather than the 7" of the Disney figures.  Let's check out Captain Phasma in detail below!

Star Wars 6" Black Series - BOUSHH DISGUISE LEIA!

Star Wars - Black Series - #16 Princess Leia Organa (Boushh) - Hasbro 2015

While the Star Wars films aren't known for having a wide array of female characters, the characters they do have tend to run the gamut of roles.  We saw Princess Leia as a snarky rebel leader, a skilled fighter, a metal-clad slave, and my favorite, a knight in shining armor. In a nice turn of events during Return of the Jedi, Leia dons the outfit of recently killed bounty hunter Boushh to rescue Han Solo from Jabba the Hut. I'm glad this was the choice for the second Black figure Leia. (Next I want Hoth or Endor!)  I had a real tough time finding this figure when she was supposedly hitting the shelves this past summer, but luckily she (and her whole wave) seem to be heavily stocked in Walgreens right now. Hopefully everyone seeking her out can find her as easily as I did.  I'm trying to post all my backlogged Star Wars posts this week before The Force Awakens comes out. It's probably going to be weeks before I get to see it in the theatres, but I'm already excited.Let's check out Leia in her Boushh disguise below!

World of Nintendo - DIXIE KONG!

World of Nintendo (2.5") - Series 1-5 - Jakks Pacific 2015

The Donkey Kong Country game series came out in 1994 and totally revitalized the Donkey Kong Franchise.  The original Donkey Kong was meant to be the flagship Nintendo character, but was quickly overshadowed by his nemesis Jumpman (aka Mario).  Donkey Kong was one of those weird games (like Zelda) where the titular character was a non-playable focal point of the game.  The Donkey Kong Country series changed all that.  Suddenly there were multiple ape and monkey characters to play.  And finally they were protagonists (against crocodiles or the Tikis).  Donkey Kong Country 2 introduced the first playable female character, Dixie Kong.  Like most female characters in games and comics, her skills made her one of the best characters to play (she whipped her ponytail around like a helicopter to knock out enemies).  Add her to the ranks of Princess Peach, Storm, Marge Simpson, Orchid, and Chun-Li as the most kickass characters to play in their respective games.  Let's check out Dixie below!

World of Nintendo - PRINCESS PEACH (2.5")!

World of Nintendo (2.5") - Series 1-6 - Jakks Pacific 2015

Princess Peach started out as a stereotypical damsel in distress. Her pixelated early incarnation (as Princess Toadstool) was the objective of the original NES Super Mario Brothers game. As you defeat King Koopa in the final castle, an unanimated blob of a princess congratulates you and tells you to play the whole game again (the most anticlimactic ending ever!) From those inauspicious beginnings, she has overcome the odds and become a formidable playable character, and even the star of her own game (Super Princess Peach 2006). I love when characters evolve with the times. This 2.5" figure was a surprise to me when I found her in Target this week. I had just picked up the 4" version at TRU the week before and had no idea this smaller one was on the horizon. Jakks Pacific doesn't seem to have the same pre-release fanfare that Mattel and Hasbro drum up, so I'm often unaware of the products before I'm holding them in my hands (which I secretly find thrilling). Let's check out Peach below!

World of Nintendo - PRINCESS PEACH (4")!

World of Nintendo (4") - Series 1-3 - Jakks Pacific 2015

The World of Nintendo series from Jakks Pacific is really picking up speed. I feel like every time I go into Target, Walmart, Toys R' Us, or Walgreens, I see a new figure I didn't know existed. In fact, in researching this Princess Peach (ie.. trying to determine her series number and release date), I discovered three more figures I will now be hunting for.  Princess Peach is the most recognizable of the Nintendo ladies, so she understandably gets the frontrunner status in this line. She already has two versions (next one being reviewed tomorrow), so hopefully that is a good indicator that we will see Daisy, Rosalina, Zelda, Toadette, and others on the shelves before too long. Although what I'm really hoping for is an 8-bit Princess Toadstool to go with my 8-bit Mario, Luigi, Link, and Donkey Kong (Also, my better half gave me permission to display the 8-bits around the house..not just in the toy room.. that's a total first!)  This is such a cool line. Let's check out Princess Peach below!

Batman: Arkham Knight - CATWOMAN!

Batman: Arkham Knight - #7 - Catwoman - DC Collectibles 2015

The Arkham series of video games has given us quite a few great action figures over the years. Surprisingly though, this is only the second DCC Catwoman to come out (Harley has six if you include the repaints). I feel like the Harleys have been getting better and better, but while this Catwoman is a distinct improvement over the Arkham City figure, it still pales in comparison to recent Comic versions. The digital design from the game gives Selina a long lanky body which looks great during gameplay but looks awkwardly stretched out in toy form. This is not a bad toy by any means, I just had high hopes after the recent Arkham Knight Harley and Arkham Origins Dr. Quinzel exceeded my expectations. Another pitfall of this specific figure is inconsistent and sloppy eye paint. Some of the figures I saw had pink eyes (where the white should be) and others, like mine, had heavy lower eyeliner, but very light eyeliner on top. It was an easy fix for me, but a disappointment overall.  Let's check out Catwoman below!

Batman Dorbz Series 1 - POISON IVY!

Batman Dorbz - Series 01 #32 - Poison Ivy - Vinyl Sugar / Funko 2015

Poison Ivy is the Batman character that has grown on me the most over the years. When I first started reading Batman comics in the 1980s, I found her kind of annoying and boring. In retrospect though, I think her character was just not well fleshed-out yet. In fact, I did some investigating and I count only 17 comic appearances that entire decade (in the 1990s she had about 80, and it's been escalating ever since). I credit a huge part of her character development to her roles in Batman: The Animated Series and The New Batman Adventures (and even more mainstream recognition through Uma Thurman's portrayal of her in Batman & Robin). Now she's an A-List villain with a role in every video game, cartoon, and toy line. I love how we all now know her as a complex, disturbed, ruthless character, but we still empathize with her flora-vs-fauna fanaticism. She's quickly become one of my favorites. Plus I'm really excited for her solo mini-seires this January. Let's check out the Poison Ivy Dorbz below!

Batman Dorbz Series 1 - CATWOMAN!

Batman Dorbz - Series 01 #31 - Catwoman - Vinyl Sugar / Funko 2015

I'm totally smitten over the Funko/Vinyl Sugar Dorbz line.  I was a little iffy when I fist saw them at Toy Fair earlier this year.  Sure, they were cute, but I didn't know the price point and wasn't sure if I wanted to take the plunge into a new collectible line.  But once I saw the first wave hit the stores this Summer, I knew I would be in trouble.  The one saving grace for my wallet and my shelfspace is that I don't know how diverse the line will be.  My main four favorite DC characters are already out and I seriously doubt the second-tier players like Huntress and Batwoman are on the agenda.  Still, I'm very happy with the selection so far and I'm excited to see what the future holds for this line.  I think at the very least we'll see a few more Catwoman variants: Batman '66, Classic purple, etc.  I'm glad they started with the modern comic version though, she tends to get left out a lot.  The same treatment could also be applied to Harley and Batgirl.  Only time will tell.  Let's check out the new Dorbz Catwoman below!

WWE Elite Collection - STEPHANIE McMAHON!

WWE Elite Collection: Series 37 - Stephanie McMahon - Mattel 2015

Stephanie McMahon has had a very dynamic career in the WWE (and WWF).  She is the daughter of Vince McMahon, the Chairman and CEO of WWE (which probably means nepotism played a big role in her career).  She began behind the scenes as an Account Executive but eventually became a stage performer. This exploited her lineage and had her be the focus of kidnappings, love triangles, and feuds. In 2007 she became the Executive Vice President of Creative and in 2013 she became the Chief Brand Officer - a role that she still holds today.  I think it's awesome when I'm watching a movie then I IMDB the cast only to find that the star is also the writer.  I get that same feeling from Steph; She's a popular presence in the ring, and an integral part of the show behind the scenes. This toy is pretty great, too. Her outfit is very unique compared to my other Mattel WWE ladies and the face and hair look really good (there have been a few busted faces lately).  Let's check out Stephanie McMahon below!

Imaginext PILOT (AMELIA EARHART)!

Imaginext Blind Bag Series 6 - Pilot (Amelia Earhart) - Fisher-Price/Mattel 2015

These Imaginext figures just keep rolling out. The Series 6 blind bags appeared in stores without any preamble last month and sent collectors into a tizzy. Unfortunately for several weeks the only place they were showing up was Fred Meyer stores in Washington and Alaska. Luckily they've seemed to appear everywhere now. I finally found mine in Target last week. The character selection in this line thrills me. Just a few short years ago I was very frustrated with the selection of Imaginext females, but now I'm confident that we will see many more awesome ladies in the coming years. I would like to see a Statue of Liberty, a Cleopatra, a Rosie the Riveter, and a Dragon Lady - of course the blind bags figures never have names, so we're left with simple descriptors to identify them. I'm pretty sure we'll actually see them all eventually though. This pilot figure was an unexpected but welcome addition to the already diverse lineup. I'm really excited for what the future will bring. Let's check out Amelia Earhart below!