The Ladies of POWER RANGERS: NINJA STEEL!

Power Rangers: Ninja Steel - White & Pink Ranger Action Heroes - Bandai 2016

I'm really curious to see how well this current incarnation of the Power Rangers franchise does this year. On one hand, the movie merchandise and popularity could overshadow the Ninja Steel show. But on the flipside, kids might just be in non-stop Ranger mode and the show could act as a natural continuation of their excitement. I'll be interested to see which way it goes. I'm personally not super excited about the Ninja Steel series. Mostly just because I don't have a fascination with ninjas (Last year's constant Ranger coverage was because I do happen to have a fascination with dinosaurs). If the future powered up modes look interesting, I'll pick them up, but I highly doubt I will be a completist. In the Japanese version of the show, there was a female Green Ranger that joined the team. If she shows up in the American version and gets a toy I'll be ecstatic. Any females that aren't pink or yellow are totally appealing to me... like the awesome White Ranger in Ninja Steel! Let's check out Pink and White below!

January 2017 Collection of MARVEL MINI-MATES!

Marvel Mini-Mates Series Series 69 and Blind Bag Series 01 - DST 2017

This has been an amazing month for Minimates. It's uncanny how they come in such surges (at least the interesting female characters). We can go through an eleven month dry spell only to have six new figures come out within a week of each other. It can be pretty overwhelming. I'm combining the Marvel Series 69 releases with the first series of Marvel Blind Bag figures for this review. The Mini-Mates Series 69 is dubbed "Most Wanted" and is definitely impressive for including both an Enchantress and Tigra. (Indeed two of my most wanted figures). The Series 01 Marvel Bling-Bags offered us amazing figures of Silk and X-23 Wolverine, a cool unhooded variant of Spider-Gwen, and an unexpected Deadpool 2099. I'm really excited to see what other figures they squeeze into future blind bag assortments. I'm hoping we'll see a Gwenpool, Moongirl, and Riri Ironheart at the very least. Toy Fair always has a few fun reveals and I'm certainly looking forward to it. Let's check out all the ladies below!

Batman: the Animated Series FUNKO POP!

POP! Heroes BTAS #154 Batgirl, #156 Harley Quinn, #157 Poison Ivy - Funko 2017

It's interesting how a simple design motif can provide such a diverse group of variations on a single character. I have a ton of POP Harley Quinns, a bunch of Batgirls, (and one lonely Poison Ivy). And I can easily say that this new Batman: The Animated Series line has given us the best version of each of these characters so far. Actually, considering that Harley originated on the show, this POP could also be considered her first appearance figure. The Batgirl and Poison Ivy are so clean and bright that they really stand out in my collection. When I started prepping this post early last week, the BTAS Wave 2 lineup had not been officially announced yet and I was full of complaints about the lack of Catwoman. But the London Toy Fair showed us the design for her awesome figure and I am stoked. Now I just hope they can squeeze in a Mystery of the Batwoman at some point! These POPs are nothing short of spectacular. Let's check out Batgirl, Harley Quinn, and Poison Ivy in detail below!

ThunderCats Classics - PUMYRA!

ThunderCats Classics - Series 01 - Pumyra - Mattycollector Exc - Mattel 2016

Ever since Mattycollector was formed and the MOTUC series began, I have been wishing for the same treatment for ThunderCats. But the thing is, I wouldn't ever collect a ton of them like the He-Man/She-Ra stuff. I only really like the actual ThunderCats. Mumm-Ra, the Mutants, and all the secondary characters honestly never really interested me. So my ideal ThunderCats collection would be limited to maybe 15 characters max. That's why I was so excited that one of the first ThunderCats Classics figures announced was Pumyra. I actually like Pumyra a lot more than the main female cat, Cheetara, but she always plays second fiddle. It's all bittersweet though since the line ended after one wave anyway. I have faith that Super7 will pull through with more figures in the future, but we'll all have to be patient. They just announced the Hawke/Delora MOTUC figure, so obscure characters are definitely on their radar (fingers crossed for Lynxana someday!) I can't wait to see more. Let's check out Pumyra below!

WWE Wrestling - BECKY LYNCH!

WWE Series 62 - WWE Divas First Time in the Line - Becky Lynch - Mattel 2016

I've been saying for years that I'm going to stop buying WWE ladies (I don't know anything about sports and I'm seriously low on shelf space after all), only to cave in again and again when I see a gorgeous figure hanging on the pegs with that tantalizingly low $9.99 price tag. This Becky Lynch figure was my latest temptation. I picked her up back in December because I was impressed with her rusty color palette and her steampunk stylings. She's actually very different looking from all my other WWE figures... and that's apparently all the incentive a weak-willed collector like me needs. In reading Becky's bio, I learned that she suffered a bad head injury while wrestling in Germany back in 2006 and took quite a long hiatus from the sport. She didn't wrestle again until 2013 when she signed up with WWE's developmental property, NXT.. She's been very successful since her re-entry into the sport and recently held the 2016 WWE Smackdown Women's Championship title for three months. Let's check out Becky below!

Jada Metals - Suicide Squad - HARLEY QUINN!

Metals Die-Cast - Suicide Squad - 2.5" Series 01 Harley Quinn - Jada Toys 2016

I'm very aware that most of my readers do not like the Jada Metals figures at all, but I still maintain that the tiny 2.5" ones are really cute. Now that they seem to be readily available in the new Funko sections at Walmart, you can go check them out for yourselves (Especially the Batgirl figure, she's my favorite). These Suicide Squad Harleys were on my radar since summertime, but I wasn't really planning on getting them until I saw them last week on the shelves. Now I'm just hoping they scale down all the cool Marvel ladies into this scale. I would love a Lady Deadpool and She-hulk at the very least. It's painful for me to pass on all the cool 4" character I see in the stores, but I'm steadfastly holding out for the smaller size. I think the Harleys in this Suicide Squad line are especially fun because they made multiple original variants. In the 2.5" series, the domino-masked and ponytailed hybrid is weird but cool. I'm excited to see what else they show at Toy Fair. Let's check out the Harleys below!

DC Collectibles Icons - ATOMICA!

DC Collectibles Icons #12 - Atomica (Forever Evil) - DC Collectibles 2016

This figure has one of the most gorgeous sculpts of 2016 in my opinion. I make similar claims alot, but this one can be taken a little more seriously since I don't know anything about this character and picked her up purely because she was stunning. I liked her so much that I wanted to assemble a small collection of other Atomicas to simulate her size-changing abilities. That's why it took me so long to get this review posted. Atomica is a modern member of the Crime Syndicate, the other-dimensional evil JLA. As a counterpart to The Atom, I believe she is the only gender-swapped member of the team. Atomica was brought into the main DC reality by the Outsider where she aligned herself with the JLA with the subversive evil goal of bringing the rest of the Crime Syndicate (along with her lover Johnny Quick) to our world. She succeeded (by hacking into Cyborg's programming) and the evil JLA reigned terror until, of course, they were defeated (thanks dc.wikia.com!) Let's check out Atomica below!

Classic Batman '66 Dorbz - BATGIRL!

Funko Dorbz #232 - Batman Classic TV Series Batgirl - Walmart Exc - Funko 2016

I have extremely fond memories of watching Batman (in syndication) in the early 80s. My brothers and I would race home from the park, turn on the tv and sit as close as we could get to the screen (ignoring my father warning about color tv "radiation poisoning"). Anyway, I love all the Batman episodes, but there was a special added excitement when that cartoon of Batgirl swinging in for a kick was inserted into the opening credits. That meant she would star in the episode alongside Batman and Robin. She was only introduced in the final (shortened) third season, so she appears in less than a quarter of the episodes. And if your tv stations were as bizarre as mine and played things out order, then it was always a crap shoot. There are far too few Yvonne Craig Batgirl collectibles out there, so I was super excited to get this Walmart exclusive Dorbz repaint (Now I need a Catwoman though!). They announced a second wave of Pops for 2017 so I know we'll be getting a Batgirl there, too. Let's check out Batgirl below!

Marvel Legends Civil War - SCARLET WITCH!

Marvel Legends: Civil War (Abomination Series) - Scarlet Witch - Hasbro 2016

I'm really glad Hasbro waited until Captain America: Civil War to give us a Marvel Legends Scarlet Witch. Her outfit isn't drastically changed in concept, but the longer waistcoat and leather pants looks a thousand times better than the Avengers: Age of Ultron jacket, skirt, and thigh-high look. This version is much more "costumey" while still consisting of relatively standard civilian clothes. An Age of Ultron version would look more like a Gilmore Girl than a superhero. This action figure is stunning. Although I love the Scarlet Witch in comics, I thought her presence in the movies has been a bit forgettable. And the costume was pretty unexciting. I was really planning to pass on this figure, especially when she became so notoriously difficult to find in stores, but then I randomly saw her at a Barnes & Noble a couple weeks ago and was very impressed by her. The sculpt and paint is perfect. Hasbro has been really great at nailing actor likenesses recently. Let's check out Scarlet Witch below!

Funko POP Suicide Squad - DR. HARLEEN!

Suicide Squad POP! Heroes #135 - Dr. Harleen (Walmart Exc) - Funko 2016

I made an important decision this week to purge most of my POP variants. Harley Quinn was honestly the reason for this. I have a ton of Harley POPs. By getting rid of the black & white versions, the metallics, the GITDs, I am able to pare down the collection to a mere eleven figures (and then the Bombshells Harley was announced which will make it twelve!). I've had this Dr. Harleen Quinzel POP in my collection for a while but keep forgetting to post about it. I love that the Suicide Squad movie managed to work Harley's origin story into the plot. It has recently been altered in the comics and I wasn't a fan of the changes, so it was nice to see the classic smitten psychiatrist on the big screen. It's also pretty rare to get a civilian version of a female hero. This was the first POP I've personally owned that has glasses and I'm pretty impressed at how nice they look. I feel like glasses on toys are usually a train wreck, but Funko pretty much nailed it. Let's check out the Walmart exc Dr. Harleen Pop below!

Invisible Jet with Mini Retro WONDER WOMAN!

Invisible Jet w/ Mini Retro Wonder Woman - Legion of Collectors Exc - Funko 2016

Funko makes a lot of different products these days. I think it's fun to see them experiment with new styles, and lately their test kitchen seems to be the various "powered by Funko" subscription boxes. The Women of DC box surprised everyone with this 1:28 scale retro Wonder Woman. My first reaction was slight disappointment over the loss of a potential Pop, Dorbz, or Mystery Minis. But when I finally opened her (three months later), I really appreciated the effort. I love this scale, but it's pretty rare these days (especially for DC characters). When the 3.75" Harley and Joker action figures were included in the Suicide Squad box, it was also a completely new product with uncertain future plans, but now we know there will be a whole line supporting the scale. I'm hoping there will also be future figures in this 1:28 scale, but I'm not sure how marketable they'll be to a wider audience. Maybe we'll see something more at Toy Fair in a month. I'm really looking forward to it. Let's check her out below!

Marvel Legends - MS. MARVEL (KAMALA KHAN)!

Marvel Legends - Sandman Series - Ms. Marvel (Kamala Khan) - Hasbro 2016

Hasbro has been doing a great job at getting new characters on the shelves in record time. I think the fastest has been Spider-Gwen with only 16 months between her first appearance and shelf. Kamala Khan isn't too shabby either at 32 months (Silk at 23 months is another recent notable one). Kamala Khan is the third official Ms. Marvel (I usually exclude Moonstone) and is notable for being the first Muslim character to star in her own book. I love this character. She has a great personality, her costume is a awesome (I love the re-purposing of the lightning bolt and sash), and it doesn't hurt that one of my favorite artists (Takeshi Miyazawa) draws of ton of her issues. I only have one problem with Kamala, but it's a big one... I can't stand her powers. Kamala is a shapeshifting inhuman that can stretch like Mr. Fantastic and Plastic Man. Aesthetically, I just don't like oversized swinging fists, spaghetti arms, and stilt legs. It looks clownish to me. Oh well you can't win them all. Let's check her out below!

Masters of the Universe Dorbz - SHE-RA!

Funko Dorbz #245 - MOTU She-Ra - Funko-Shop.com Exc - Funko 2016

I first discovered Funko-Shop.com in September when I saw that there had been an exclusive Yummy Mummy and Fruit Brute Dorbz 2-pack on sale (and I'm still very sad that I missed it). I quickly learned that since December 2015, the website has been releasing new exclusive items every week. I'm a pretty OCD person, so of course I started compiling a list of every exclusive I had missed. Luckily there weren't really any "must-haves" that slipped by (just a lot of Hikari and Freddy Funko items for the most part). The coolest one was the Paul Feig Pop. Anyway, I've been checking the site every Wednesday since and the items have been getting better and better. In December, the website has "Funko's 12 Days of Christmas" where there are 12 consecutive days of product reveals. It's was on the 10th day this year that this beautiful She-Ra Dorbz was listed. She was limited to 3000 pieces and has since sold out. Hopefully everyone who needed her snagged one. Let's check her out below!

Miraculous Ladybug - WAVE TWO VILLAINS!

Miraculous Ladybug: Wave 02 - Antibug, Chloe, and Stormy Weather - Bandai 2017

I'm so glad that the Miraculous Ladybug line is continuing. I saw major potential in the cool roster of characters, but I was afraid that the first wave of the two main characters (Ladybug and Cat Noir) and their civilian identities (Marinette and Adrien) might be the beginning and end of the line. But then I was in Target last week and literally did a double take when I noticed these new figures hanging next to the DC Superhero Girls. I guess my expectations for a second series were pretty low because I've since discovered that information about these toys has been on the internet for a while. I realize that I haven't googled the line since the first wave came out in July.  And that is very unlike me. But I won't make that mistake again. I'm already hyped about the third wave (two characters verified already!) The action figure revolution is happening, and it's in the pink aisles! Next I want to see Monster High and SpacePop in this format. (Not to mention DC Superhero Girls Wave 02). Let's check out the villains below!

Warcraft Movie 6" Figures - GARONA!

Warcraft (The Movie) - 6" Action Figures: Wave 02 - Garona - Jakks Pacific 2016

I feel really bad when a toy company puts a lot of effort into a movie-based toyline only to have the whole thing flop. It makes it worse when it's not a top-tier company with lots of overhead (like Mattel and Hasbro) either. I didn't hear anything about the Warcraft movie. Nothing good, nothing bad, nothing. That's never a good sign. The toy line from Jakks Pacific didn't fare too well either. I swear my TRUs and Targets didn't sell any of these toys. They are now stuck on clearance endcaps gathering dust. Somehow I doubt this second wave of 6" figures will ever see the light of day in stores, but I was luckily able to snag her pretty cheap on Amazon before Christmas.  It's a shame because too few companies are producing figures in this scale and I always want to see more. This line reminds me a lot of 2012's Hobbit series from Bridge Direct. It also wasn't a perfect toyline (nor successful), but both also showed a lot of potential. Hopefully Jakks gets another cool license soon so they can keep the momentum going.

Avengers 6" Action Figures - BLACK WIDOW!

Avengers 6" Action Figures - Wave 01 - Black Widow - Hasbro 2017

It's pretty rare when I'm totally caught off guard by an action figure hanging on the pegs. Especially when it comes to the big toy companies like Hasbro and Mattel. But yesterday I stopped in Target before work (I'm desperately seeking the Cheetah and Sinestro Imaginext set) and I did a doubletake when I saw this figure hanging next to the Marvel Legends. My immediate thought was "Oh, they're expanding that Guardians of the Galaxy Animated line to include the whole MCU." But there is a distinctive scale difference so this wave is a new thing all-around. This Black Widow isn't the most amazingly-sculpted figure ever, but at a price point of $7-8 it's pretty nice. I'm all about seeing a good mix of collector-quality figures and regular retail figures on the shelves, especially when they are decently articulated, sculpted, and priced. Hopefully we see a lot more figures like this in the future. And kudos to Hasbro for including a female in the first wave (of only 4 characters). Let's check out Black Widow below!

Star Wars The Force Awakens - REY!

Star Wars: Force Awakens - Rey (Limited Articulation Figure) - Hasbro 2016

There has been an interesting trend in recent years where the big toy companies (Mattel, Hasbro, Bandai, etc) have been maximizing their profit potential by offering lesser-quality versions of their hot sellers to discount stores. These assortments almost never include female figures so I haven't paid much attention. But then I was strolling through Big Lots back in November (the day after election day if I recall correctly) and I found this pretty stunning little figure for $6. She only has four points of articulation (neck, shoulders, and waist), but she has a unique scale (somewhere between the 5.5" Black Series and the 6" Elite Series), and a great sculpt. I'll totally keep my eyes peeled for similar figures in the future. I've read a lot of vitriol aimed at these figures from the collecting community, but you won't hear that from me. I think they're pretty sweet. In fact, if they do a Leia I'll be ecstatic since it will probably have only sculpted clothing (Yay for no cloth!). Let's check out the limited articulation Rey below!

Marvel Collectors Corps Dorbz - SHE-HULK!

Marvel Comics Dorbz #178 - She-Hulk - Marvel Collector's Corps Exc - Funko 2016

She-Hulk is one of my favorite marvel Super-Heroes. She's the first character I ever heard of who completely embraced her powers and rejected the idea of a secret identity. The fact that she always juggled being a superhero while having a career as a lawyer was also very impressive. Her solo books haven't always been my favorite titles, but I always loved her presence in the team books like Avengers, Fantastic Four, and most recently A-Force. She's always received a decent amount of merchandise since her first Toy Biz figure back in 1996. I count this MCC-Exclusive Dorbz as her 16th collectible item (excluding Heroclix, statues, and random PVCs). She is definitely due for an updated Marvel Legends figure, but luckily Funko has taken an interest in her in the meantime. In the past year we've gotten a POP Vinyl (both regular and GITD), a Mystery Mini, this Dorbz, and an Upcoming Rock Candy (again both regular and GITD). It's an exciting time for our favorite emerald beauty. Let's check her out below!

Suicide Squad - HARLEY QUINN (NIGHTCLUB)!

DC Multiverse: Suicide Squad - Harley Quinn - Amazon Exc - Mattel 2016

Easily the biggest (toy-related) disappointment for me in 2016 has been Mattel's Suicide Squad line. The male figures have been decent for the most part, but the ladies were pretty horrible. There were two Harley Quinn versions in stores; one with a jacket, and one without. Both are beastly and way too subtle of a variation to warrant two figures. I have one of them and plan on customizing the hell out of it to see if I can make it better. The Katana is better, but not by much. The only acceptable female in the wave was this Amazon-exclusive "Nightclub Harley" but the problem is that I seriously doubt anyone really cares about this outfit. Come to think of it, my customization might actually entail swapping heads. And if I do that, I can easily replace this figure in my collection because she's usually super-cheap on Amazon (Currently $9.89). I really hope the next Harley movie (Gotham City Sirens?) brings us some apology figures in this scale and price point. Let's check out Nightclub Harley Quinn below!

Marvel Legends - ENCHANTRESS (V2)!

Marvel Legends - Dormammu Series - Mystic Rivals - Enchantress - Hasbro 2016

When this Enchantress figure was announced this past August I was royally pissed off. I had just dropped roughly $140 for the giant SDCC exclusive Raft boxset (specifically to get the Enchantress figure and sell off the rest). The Dr. Strange/Dormammu wave was only a month from hitting the shelves and the lineup had been announced, or so we thought. But five days after the SDCC Hasbrotoyshop sale they announced this slightly repainted version would be a secret addition to the retail wave. I felt really taken advantage of. And I had been on cloud nine with the Marvel Legends line for years so that really bummed me out. But then when I saw her in person I decided there were enough color variations to warrant a duplicate purchase. Yes, both figures are blonde in green outfits, but almost every shade is different. This character gets so little play in the merchandise world that I couldn't help myself. Anyway, I still feel like a sucker so I put off this review for 4 months. Let's (finally) check her out below!

Super Dino Drive - PINK & PURPLE RANGERS!

Power Ranger Super Dino Charge - Dino Super Drive Pink & Purple - Bandai 2016

In all the excitement over the Power Rangers Movie merchandise and the Ninja Steel line hitting the shelves, this final assortment of Power Rangers Dino Charge is almost getting lost in the shuffle. Dino Charge / Dino Supercharge was the first incarnation of Power Rangers that I ever watched all the way through (well, I'm a few episodes away from completion). And because of that I've been really excited to collect all the powered up versions of Shelby and Kendall. Actually, there might still be another wave of figures to look forward to because the Poisandra figure has been shown a few times already (and I'm also really hoping for a figure of the female Aqua Ranger and Wish Star). These Dino Super Drive figures seem even more armored than the final figures of past years. I think the leg armor really makes a dramatic change from the typical torso enhancements. Hopefully the Ninja Steel figures have good power-ups as well. Time will tell. Let's check out Dino Super Drive below!

Funko ReAction - The Dark Crystal AUGHRA & KIRA!

ReAction: The Dark Crystal - Aughra and Kira (Retail) - Super7/Funko 2016

Sorry for the lack of posts lately! I had a very busy and festive Christmas/New Year's season including two separate houseguests staying with me and filling the whole time in-between. One thing I did manage to achieve in that time though was getting my toy room completely in order before a home reappraisal inspection a few days ago. It feels really good to be so organized. But now I have a lot of backed-up posts to write. I probably won't get to to my 2016 year-end review for months at this rate! This retail wave of Funko's Dark Crystal ReAction series is perfect. They are pretty much the exact toys I've been fantasizing about for decades. I really hope that Super7 continues this momentum with the Henson brands. I would love some podlings, urSkeks, more Mystics and Skeksis, and of course a Build-a-Figure Orrery. There is almost endless potential. But in the meantime, this current roster is extremely satisfying. Let's check out Kira, Aughra, and all the rest of the inhabitants of Thra below!