Transformers Bumblebee SHATTER (Car & Jet)!

Transformers Bumblebee - Energon Igniters - Shatter (Jet & Car) - Hasbro 2018

I just saw the Transformers: BumbleBee movie today and one of the major highlights for me was the original female Decepticon, Shatter. I read online that she was inspired by the G1 character Nightbird, and I guess I can see that in her face, but otherwise she seems like a wholly unique creation. Shatter and Dropkick (voiced by Angela Bassett and Justin Theroux) formed a classic brains vs brawn that I loved. If the movie had used classic well-known villains, I would have spent the entire two hours nitpicking the performance. But as it was I could just sit back and enjoy the movie. These initial two toys aren't a great example of modern Transformer engineering, but I wanted to celebrate this character so I picked them up. There is a 12" Titan and a Deluxe Movie figure coming out soon that should hopefully make up for them. Overall I'm just glad there was finally such a significant female presence in the TF cinematic universe. Let's check out these first two Shatter offerings below!

A Long Overdue 2017 YEAR-END REVIEW!

A Collection of 2017's Most Amazing Female Action Figures All In One Post

I kind of love my new tradition of doing an annual review a full year later. While all the other blogs are posting their top picks for 2018, I'm flashing back to the yesteryear of 2017. It started because of pure laziness. For example, right now I have a stockpile of 2018 toys that I haven't even photographed yet (and won't get around to for a while). But a major unexpected perk is the chance to really look back with a bit more perspective than you get with the immediate year. I had to doublecheck so many dates while preparing this post, because it honestly feels like I was buying the A-Force set and the Wonder Woman movie figures this past year. But no, they were all in 2017. It's also nice to prepare a giant post where all the photos are already finished. The unspoken timesuck of having an active blog is photo editing - rotating, cropping, resizing, and retouching - it takes a lot of time. (Luckily I find it relaxing and I'm a pro multi-tasker). Alrighty, without further ado here are 172 images of my favorite 2017 action figures.

DC Multiverse LYNDA CARTER WONDER WOMAN!

DC Multiverse Signature Collection - Wonder Woman (Lynda Carter) - Mattel 2018

I exclaimed last week how the vintage-style She-Ra figure was a long time coming. It's easy to say that any new figure you really enjoy is long overdue, but it's rare when it's so undeniably true (like that She-Ra and this Lynda Carter Wonder Woman). From the mid-2000s thru 2011, I was a pretty active member on the official DC Comics message boards (which were eliminated around the time of the New52 reboot). On those forums, a Lynda Carter action figure was absolutely the number one most requested figure. I swear every hypothetical wishlist posted by one of the members included her. I thought we might eventually see one from DC Collectibles or NECA, but I am honestly shocked that Mattel is the company to finally follow through. And the quality of this figure is teriffic. The paint apps and likeness are honestly beyond my expectations. I know we haven't heard much more about this Signature Collection sub-line, but I have an extensive wishlist (Pfeiffer Catwoman!) Let's check out Lynda below!

Aquaman Movie 6" Basic - MERA!

Aquaman Movie 6" Basic Figure - Series 02 - Mera - Mattel 2018

I saw the Aquaman movie this weekend and found it really entertaining. The visuals and costumes were great. I especially loved the different races/species depicted among the seven undersea kingdoms. And who knew the cheesy seahorse steeds could be so badass?! I only had two issues with the film. Firstly, Black Manta seemed shoehorned into the story. He probably should have been the spotlight villain in the next Aquaman movie and let Orm take center stage here. (Although if they're prepping for a Legion of Doom storyline, they probably needed to get him on screen asap). My second complaint was a lot of weak dialogue. There were "serious" points where the movie morphed into a poorly written soap opera. Don't get me wrong, I liked the story, it was just the dialogue that was weak. I felt that Amber Heard as Mera looked phenomenal, but as an actress I felt that she did the best she could with the words she was given and the end result is a commendable, but not terrific performance.

Masters of the Universe Vintage - SHE-RA!

Masters of the Universe Vintage Wave 1 - She-Ra - Super7 2018

One of my biggest childhood disappointments was the She-Ra toy line in the 1980s. I was a sucker for all those cartoons that were nothing more than commercials for toys. But my only caveat was that they had to resemble the cartoon. Most did a decent job at this, but She-Ra was a total miss in my opinion. The toys looked good, but nearly every aspect was different from the filmation style. She-Ra's outfit, Swiftwind's entire color palette, and even the Power Sword was completely different (they just could have used He-Man's sword and been a billion times more accurate). So when this new vintage Filmation style figure from Super7 was announced I felt satisfied on so many levels. And the figure execution is practically perfect. Yes, she's a little shiny, and yes, she's a little taller than her vintage sisters, but I adore her. I can't wait to see what other characters come out in this line. I know Teela is next, but I'm hoping for more unreleased characters to fill in gaps like this She-Ra does. Let's check her out below!

Transformers FRACTURE (aka GoBots CRASHER)!

Transformers (2007 Movie) - Allspark Power - Fracture - Walmart Exc Hasbro 2007

Few villains scared me as a child quite as much as Crasher from GoBots. She was erratic, psychotic, and she stomped around in a thunderous rampage. Truly frightening. I feel like a lot of villains in my childhood cartoons were simplified with comic buffoonery, making them much more palatable for their young audiences. But Crasher wasn't pulling any punches. I always wanted there to be a great action figure of her. The vintage figure was blocky and nondescript. Then nada. But in 2007, Hasbro released this Generations Mirage repaint as a Walmart exclusive named Fracture in their products from the first live-action movie. While this not a perfect representation, she was still a terrific first attempt. Since then there was a decent 3rd Party homage to her (again, a repainted male body), but I still have high hopes for a perfect version eventually. She's too iconic to go unrepresented forever, even if the licenses are in locked down in obscurity. But in the meantime, I'm happy to make due with what we have.

Ralph Breaks the Internet - VANELLOPE & CALHOUN!

Wreck-It Ralph 2 - Action Figures Series 01 - Vanellope & Calhoun - Bandai 2018

I'm slow at a lot of things. It's just my nature not to rush things or show up anywhere early (which is amusing considering my overwhelming desire to hunt down toys the second they come out). Another odd time contradiction is how much I love Pixar movies, but how extremely slow I am at actually watching them. I honestly just watched the first Wreck-It Ralph a few months ago (6 years after it came out). So at that rate who knows when I'll actually see Ralph Breaks the Internet, but I might make an extra effort just because I'm so excited about all the cool new female characters. Vanellope is an obvious carry-over from the first movie, and the "comfy Princesses" brand has a ton of potential, but I'm more obsessed over the new video-game-inspired characters like Yesss, Shank, and of course Calhoun. I love that Bandai is giving all of these characters action figures right away. Then again, I'll probably be clamoring for the other main Sugar Rush racers. I'm never satisfied. Let's check out Vanellope and Calhoun below!

Aquaman Movie 12" True Moves MERA!

Aquaman Movie: True Moves 12" - Basic Series 01 - Mera - Mattel 2018

I'm in the process of revamping my toy room right now and one of the focuses will be to better accommodate my booming 1:6 scale action figure collection. I know there have been 12" action figures for decades, but in the past they almost always have had removable clothing and high price tags and they blurred the lines between dolls and action figures. I have nothing against dolls, but I've limited myself to not collecting them (strict parameters are very important for a compulsive collector like me). But then back in 2016 I first started paying attention to a new trend of lower-cost, fully-sculpted 1:6 action figures. They had been coming out for a while, but female characters weren't included until early 2016 (Wonder Woman and Black Widow). Now this scale seems to be a staple product for most comic-based movie merchandise (I'm eagerly awaiting the inevitable Captain Marvel figures). In a few short years I somehow assembled 25! This newest Mera one is probably the best yet. Let's check her out below!

Spotlight on RITA REPULSA (Movie Version)!

A Collection of Rita Repulsa Figures from the 2017 Film - Bandai & Funko 2017

I apologize for the long hiatus in my postings. I've be re-doing two rooms in my house and my workload at the office has literally doubled (temporarily while coworkers are on leave). And on top of all that, I'm getting a new computer next week.. and I predict a rough transition unfortunately. But I haven't stopped toy hunting (follow my Instagram!) and I have such an exciting backlog of toys to photograph (which I will be starting in a few hours). And at the same time, I have stockpiles of older reviews I've been intending to post. This Character Spotlight on Elizabeth Banks' version of Rita Repulsa from the 2017 Power Rangers movie has been a long time coming. It was urged on by the fact that I finally watched it for the first time on Tuesday. I really enjoyed it and I'm glad to hear that Hasbro is developing a sequel. I loved how they had a backstory where Rita was a former Green Ranger (with Zordon being the Red Ranger). It was a fun twist. Let's check out all the Ritas below!