Funko Rock Candy - ELVIRA!

Rock Candy Vinyl Collectible - Elvira Mistress of the Dark - Funko 2017

Happy Halloween everyone! I love this holiday so much but the past couple years I've been too swamped to really celebrate. Or maybe I'm just maturing out of it, who knows. But regardless of my costume status, every year I still get very much in the Halloween mood. I get obsessed with vampy toys, I re-read my favorite creepy comics (like Courtney Crumrin and newcomer Girl from the Other Side), and I watch my classic favorites like Creature from the Black Lagoon or Nightmare Before Christmas. A few years ago I had the pleasure of meeting Elvira at a big Halloween Ball she was hosting in my city. I rarely talk to celebrities because I'm no good at gushing platitudes and prefer to just observe. So yeah, I was the creepy Dracula lurking nearby as she greeted fans and solidified my notions of her being a badass super-talented rockstar. She's just so cool. I'm so happy Funko has jumped on board and produced so many Elvira items recently. Now we just need a Dorbz! Let's check out her Rock Candy below!

DC Bombshells - BATGIRL!

DC Designer Series: Ant Lucia #5 - Bombshells Batgirl - DC Collectibles 2017

I love Batgirl. She is one of my longest-lasting comic book infatuations (right behind Catwoman). And she was the catalyst that made me really boil down and analyze what kind of characters I am drawn to - that being female versions of established male characters. It's easy to view this as reductive and almost following an "Adam's rib" type origin, but I have always seen it as an interesting gender-swap experiment where extremely popular characters are altered (improved) by applying feminine traits and principles. The majority of female heroes fit this mold actually, but Batgirl will always be my baseline example. These Bombshells designs by Ant Lucia are extremely popular. It took me a long time to warm up to them personally, but now I'm officially hooked. Of all the designs however, I must say that one of my least favorites is the Batgirl paratrooper look. It's not horrible or anything, just not my favorite. I'm just not a huge fan of a goggles-and-bare-midriff combo I guess. Let's check out the Bombshells Batgirl below!

DC Vinimates - HARLEY QUINN!

DC Comics Vinimates - Series 01 - Harley Quinn - Diamond Select Toys 2017

Sorry for the lag in posting recently. I've been travelling for work and super busy leading up to it preparing and rehearsing four hours of presentations. I got home Thursday and have been recovering from absolute exhaustion ever since. It's tough living a dual life as a daytime corporate (wannabe) baller and a nighttime toy nerd. I've picked up so much cool stuff in the past few weeks though and tomorrow I'm going to spend hours photographing it all. I'm really looking forward to getting back into the groove. I picked up this Harley Quinn Vinimates at Walgreens over a month ago but am just getting around to posting it now. I still much prefer standard Mini-mates, but I am pleasantly surprised at how much I dig this little pre-posed vinyl Harley. There's an Arkham Asylum (sexy nurse) Harley coming out soon too and I'll definitely be getting her as well. If this is the only way to get DC figures in 'mate form, I guess I'll take it. I only hope they expand the character roster. Let's check out the Harley Quinn Vinimate below!

Titans Return - WINDBLADE!

Transformers: Titans Return Deluxe 5 - Windblade & Scorchfire - Hasbro 2017

It's very impressive that a mere three years after her introduction to the Transformers toy line, the fan-created character Windblade has already received three unique full-sized figures, one small Legion Class and Tiny Titans figure. And that's not even counting the repaints. The Generations figure got a Takara redeco and an SDCC gold-highlighted repaint. Then the Robots in Disguise figure got a black-masked redeco and a gray SDCC exclusive. Now I'm fully expecting some interesting versions of this new Titans Returns figure. But before I'm distracted by the eventual slew of repaints, there are so many more cool figures on the horizon. Recently we've seen leaked photos of Elita One and Moonracer (both of which look great!) And I'm most excited about the Novastar (aka Firestar) which we haven't even seen yet. It's an awesome time to be a collector. Now I'm naturally going to push the envelope and start wishing for a Beta figure. If don't get anything if you don't ask. Let's check out Windblade below!

WWE Wrestling - NIA JAX!

WWE Series 72 - WWE Divas First Time in the Line - Nia Jax - Mattel 2016

There comes a point in action figure collecting when you feel like you've seen everything. Every type of person, every type of alien, every color hair, every oversized weapon imaginable. But then it hits you like a ton of bricks when you see a plus-size female action figure hanging in the aisle and it stops you dead in your tracks. It's amazing to me that there hasn't been more body diversity in this hobby. Considering the real-world diversity of body types we see every day, the only bucks we see range from adolescent to muscular, but nothing beyond that. Sure I understand that most male figures are idealized Supermen as well, but not all. Without hesitation from the toy companies we get every male from Tyrion Lannister to Andre the Giant. There was an Amanda Waller JLU figure years ago. But that is literally the only female figure I can think of who broke the body mold before this Nia Jax hit the shelves. It's about time. Now we just need an MLF Thumbelina! Anyone? Just me? Fine. Let's check out Nia Jax!

DC SuperHero Girls - STARFIRE!

DC Comics Super Hero Girls - 6" Action Figure Series - Starfire - Mattel 2017

Starfire is a character that has really grown on me throughout the years. When I was first exposed to her (in the glorious Uncanny X-Men and New Teen Titans crossover comic from 1982) I actually really despised her. I was very young and I know my distaste just had to do with her appearance. And I know my problems focused completely on her hair. I still have trouble looking at the rust-colored, poofy, and inexplicably parted hairstyle. Then years later, as much as people disapproved of her New 52 reboot depiction, I overlooked everything in appreciation of her long-overdue hair makeover. I suddenly thought she was awesome. And I even liked her detached over-sexualized alien attitude that was a major point of debate. I now saw her as aggressive, creepy, and interesting which was a total 180 from my previous perceptions. Since then, I've seen her in several other interesting incarnations including her 12-issue solo series and her role in DC SuperHero Girls. This figure is a great addition to the line. Let's check her out!

DC SuperHero Girls - HAWKGIRL!

DC Comics Super Hero Girls - 6" Action Figure Series - Hawkgirl - Mattel 2017

I feel like we've been waiting forever to get some new DC Super Hero Girls action figures. But in reality, it has only been 18 months since the first figures hit the shelves back in the Spring of 2016 and we've seen a steady release of new product since then (albeit very few new characters in that mix). Katana was the last new female character introduced and that was almost a year ago. But now two of the most colorful and exciting characters (in my humble opinion) are released at once (Hawkgirl and Starfire) with a great-looking Cheetah on the horizon. Suddenly my excitement in the line is renewed and I'm already formulating my wishlist; Star Sapphire, Killer Frost, Miss Martian, Black Orchid, etc etc. I'm always a dreamer. This Hawkgirl figure is just stunning. I always thought her color blocking made her look like a would-be member of the original Teen Titans, and this figure illustrates that perfectly. Now you just have the challenge of actually finding her (she seems extremely scarce). Let's check out Hawkgirl below!

Star Wars 6" Black Series - HERA SYNDULLA!

Star Wars: The Black Series #42 - 6" Hera Syndulla - Hasbro 2017

One thing I really love about the Star Wars universe is all the cool alien species. To me the most original and iconic of all these races is the Twi'lek. The only real identifiable feature of the Twi'Leks is the twin appendages protruding from the backs of their heads. Other than that, their appearance can vary quite a bit. Bib Fortuna is the most recognizable Twi'lek from the original trilogy, but my eyes were always on Oola. Then the blue-skinned Aayla Secura in the sequels captured my fancy. But easily the most high-profile female Twi'lek is Hera Syndulla. Hera is a main character from Star Wars Rebels who is slowly being incorporated into the mainstream storylines (a mention in Rogue One and an appearance in Forces of Destiny animation tying her to Return of the Jedi and Leia). This Black Series figure is another way she's being incorporated into the mainstream. To the best of my knowledge, this is the first Hera figure that is not sculpted in an animated style (and she looks great!) Let's check her out in detail below!

Bath Squirter - SPIDER-GWEN!

Marvel Comics Bath Squirter Toys - Spider-Man 5-Pack - Walgreens 2017

This is a pretty silly review to post, but I bought this random novelty item at Walgreens several weeks ago (I'm hunting at Walgreens daily these days) and I'm kind of obsessed with it. Walgreens has been known to carry lots of interesting exclusive action figures in the collecting world (Marvel Legends, Walking Dead, Power Rangers, PEZ, Star Wars, and every kind of Funko Product ...to name just a few), but they also carry an abundance of pop culture novelty items. This most recent purchase of mine is a pack of 5 rubber Spider-Man rubber bath squirters. My excitement of course came from the inclusion of Spider-Gwen. And while I'm certainly not taking a bath with her anytime soon (or who knows.. maybe pics coming soon?) I find that she fits in very well with my non-action-figure collection of Pops, Metals, Vinyls, etc. I also used to have quite a collection of rubber duckies when I was younger so this is an interesting merging of two hobbies for me. Let's check out Spider-Gwen below!

Kotobukiya ArtFx Plus - HARLEY QUINN!

ArtFx Plus 1:10 Pre-Painted Statue - DC Comics Harley Quinn - Kotobukiya 2017

I've really slowed down on Harley Quinn collecting. The sheer abundance of new Harley products is just too much to stay current with. However, one product I have always wanted was a Kotobukiya ArtFx Harley Quinn. Ever since Catwoman and Batgirl were released back in 2013-2014, I knew she would be next (but I didn't expect it to take three years and for the ArtFx style to have changed). The style changes in this line aren't that drastic; the faces are more detailed/realistic and the size is fractionally larger. But that's okay because there is already a new Catwoman 2.0 on the horizon (as well as a Poison Ivy) and I can only assume a new Batgirl will soon follow. The only bad thing about this figure is that she does not have the standard magnetic feet and metallic base. Instead, she has metal rods protruding from the soles of her feet that anchor into a clear resin base. This is a bummer for me because I prefer to display these pieces without bases. Curious to see how the other will be. Let's check out Harley!

Funko Vynl - BATGIRL & POISON IVY!

DC Vynl - Batgirl & Poison Ivy 2-PAck - SDCC LE 2500 Pcs - Funko 2017

I'm still on the fence about these new Funko Vynl figures. It's not a natural thing for me to be drawn toward super-deformed stylistic toys at all. Over time, Funko Pops and Dorbz have worn me down and I now accept them wholeheartedly. But these Vnyls actually remind me of all the reasons I was initially so resistant in the first place. But it didn't hurt that one of the very first offerings of this line was an SDCC Exclusive 2-Pack featuring Batgirl and Poison Ivy. I'm pretty much addicted to Bat-Family females so I was completely unable to resist this set when I found it in Hot Topic. But the second most appealing set (imo), the NYCC Lion-O and Mumm-Ra set failed to impress me when I saw them in TRU this morning. I actually really enjoy the Batgirl and Ivy set though, so I assume I'll continue to be a selective collector of this line. I hope Cheetera is next. Then Catwoman, then Jem, then the Sorceress.. yeah, with the right character selection I could get totally hooked on these. Let's check out Babs and Pam below!

Thundercats Classics - WILYKIT!

ThunderCats Classics - WilyKit & WilyKat - SDCC Mattycollector - Mattel 2016

The ThunderCats Classics line was one of the shortest-lived excitements of my adult collecting life. After basking in the glory of Mattel and the Four Horsemen's amazing Masters of the Universe Classics line for eight years, the idea of the same treatment for ThunderCats was an intoxicating notion. It was especially exciting for me when one of the first characters announced was the often-forgotten Pumyra. But before long the whole Mattycollector empire crumbled. MOTU was coming to a close and ThunderCats was DOA. I still have high hopes for Super7 continuing this line because it seemed like such a false start without Cheetara and Tygra. This ThunderKittens set of WilyKit and WilyKat was an SDCC exclusive in 2016. I'm really impressed with these two figures. The sculpt and execution is pretty much perfect. I was so deflated by the line cancellation that I've have had them sitting unopened for a year. But now that I have them out I can't believe I ignored them for so long. Let's check out WilyKit below!

Thor Ragnarok - VALKYRIE!

Marvel Legends - Thor Ragnarok (Target Exc) - Thor & Valkyrie - Hasbro 2017

I'm really looking forward to Thor: Ragnarok. My excitement is mostly focused on my obsession with Cate Blanchett, but I'm also pretty intrigued to see how Tess Thompson's portrayal of Valkyrie will be. I honestly don't have a fixed opinion on how Valkyrie should act. I have a generic impression of her being humorless gruff warrior, but it's a vague idea (and likely outdated). The one aspect of Valkyrie I did have a solid idea on was her appearance. I won't lie and say I wasn't hoping for a more traditional Valkyrie; super-tall, broad-shouldered, blonde-braided Brienne-of-Tarth Norse warrior type. This is purely based on my nostalgia for the comic design. But I am very open-minded and excited to see this new envisioning of the character in action. Hopefully she isn't just a replacement for Sif and gets a chance to shine and be an individual. It can be tough being a supporting character in a big superhero movie. (And if she's popular enough, we might even get a figure of her in her white armor!) Let's check out Valkyrie below!

ArtFx Plus - SPIDER-GWEN!

ArtFx Plus 1:10 Pre-Painted Statue - Marvel Now! Spider-Gwen - Kotobukiya 2017

I'm not a huge collector of statues. But sometimes there is a great representation of one of my favorite characters and I just can't resist. I now own four ArtFx+ statues and I've been very impressed with all of them. The 1:10 (7") scale fits in very nicely with an action figure collection, and the price point is at that medium $50-60 level where it won't break the bank, but you'll probably be selective about you character choices. This is the first Marvel ArtFx I've picked up and I'm very happy with my purchase (my advice is to find someone with a Barnes & Noble membership and snag one of their 20% off coupons. That's the cheapest way I've been able to get one). I'll likely get any future Spider-ladies they produce (A classic Jessica Drew would be amazing), but I won't be holding my breath considering there is a decent number of Spider-boys on the schedule and no other women on the horizon besides Gwen. Maybe there will be some surprises at NYCC this week though.  Let's check out Spider-Gwen below!