Masters of the Universe - DREE-ELLE!

Masters of the Universe - 1:6 Orko (Timed Edition) - Mini Dree-Elle - Mondo 2024

This is the first Mondo figure I've ever opened. I also own She-Ra and Teela (and have Evil-Lyn and Goddess pre-ordered), but I don't know where to display those yet, so they are still nestled in their shipper boxes waiting patiently for me to make some decisions. But when I was photographing my Altaya Dree-Elle earlier this week, I knew I had to free this Mondo mini-Dree-Elle from her plastic prison and get her in my photo tent. It was very interesting that the 1:6 scale Orko came with two mini bonus figures. I don't believe any Mondo 1:6 figures have included anything like this before. It's also funny to call them "mini" - because they are almost twice as large as the MOTUC Trollans (So I would call these 1:8 or 1:6 scale). But I'm a sucker for the 80s animation of my youth so I couldn't resist splurging on her. I view Dree-Elle as one of the quirkiest recurring characters in MOTU. Now comes the the grand experiment to see if I can recoup my money by selling the Orkos. Let's check out Dree-Elle below!

Masters of the Universe - DREE-ELLE!

Masters of the Universe - Collectible Figures #28 - Dree-Elle - Altaya 2023/2024

A side-obsession of my action figure hobby has been European magazine figurines. In the United States, the only series to really gain popularity was the British Eaglemoss Figurine collection which gave us hundreds of Marvel and DC figurines between 2005 and 2021. The typical business model is for a monthly character-specific magazine (which read almost like illustrated hardcopy wikipedia page) plus a figurine of that character. This seems like a super popular format and multiple publishers from different countries have produced figurine and magazines. One of my lesser-known favorites are the Marvel and Go Nagai Robot Collection series from the Italian Centauria. But a few years ago I discovered this amazing MOTU Collection from the Spanish Altaya. To the best of my knowledge, they released 77 figurines in Spain and France. I managed to pick up 20. I would have bought several more, but the secondary market prices plus shipping added up fast. Luckily I got all the ladies. Let's check out Dree-Elle below!

Fantastic Four: First Steps - SILVER SURFER!

Marvel Legends - Fantastic Four: First Steps - Silver Surfer - Hasbro 2025

Shalla-Bal is a legacy character in Silver Surfer lore. She first appeared in Silver Surfer #1 back in 1968 as Norrin Radd's (the original Silver Surfer's) love interest on their homeworld of Zenn-La (where she also happens to rule as Empress). Like most unpowered (yet powerful) female love interests (ie Lois Lane, Mary Jane Watson, Carol Ferris, Pepper Potts, Betty Ross, etc), Shalla has occasionally adopted the abilities and identity of her titular male counterpart. In Shalla's case, this has almost always happened in alternate-universe scenarios or issues of What If. Over the years, she has wielded the Infinity Gauntlet and become (at least) two different Heralds of Galactus. Her specific incarnation as Silver Surfer was in the Earth-X storyline from 2000. Shalla's surprise appearance in the Fantastic Four: First Steps trailer was very exciting for me, but her prescence is also a bit of a potential clue to the plot of the film (don't Google her before the movie if you don't want spoilers). Let's check out Silver Surfer below!

DC Comics - SUPERWOMAN!

DC Multiverse - Crime Syndicate - Superwoman - McFarlane Toys 2022

I've owned this figure for three years with little to no desire to open her. The majority of the female figures in the McFarlane DC Multiverse line have been great. I only consider there to be a few duds; Gotham Knights Batgirl, Punchline, and this Crime Syndicate Superwoman. In many ways I view this figure to be the most egregious because she is a very cool character who seems like and easy translation into toy form. But her uncharacteristic short haircut, bland face, and lack of her signature yellow cape just seemed like a confusing series of choices. I know this is representative of a very specific period in comics, the Infinite Frontier storyline to be exact, and that this is actually a multiverse version of Donna Troy (instead of Diana or Lois like all her previous incarnations) but the figure still seems off. Interestingly, the Donna Troy Wonder Girl figure looks more like an Earth-3 Superwoman than this one. But in its defense, this figure has a very impressive base sculpt. Let's check out Superwoman below!

Star Wars Revenge of the Sith - MON MOTHMA!

Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith - Republic Senator Mon Mothma - Hasbro 2005

I recently watched Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005) again specifically to see the Mon Mothma scenes which I didn't remember. I'm not a big fan of that movie, nor its two predecessors, but Genevieve O'Reilly's performance in Andor (I just finished season 2 last week) was so amazing that I wanted to see how she first played the character 20 years ago in Revenge of the Sith. Unfortunately, that was an effort in futility because I didn't realize all her scenes were cut. The footage and screengrabs I see on the internet are only from DVD bonus footage. And that is a shame because the scene I just watched on YouTube is great. Plus it gives a lot more depth to Padme Amidala. I suppose Hasbro didn't get the message of these scenes ending up on the cutting room floor, because we still got this great action figure representation of her non-appearance. I love that the character of Mon Mothma was such a major player in Andor. She's truly become an obsession of mine. Watch the show if you haven't!

Star Wars: Power of the Force - MON MOTHMA!

Star Wars: The Power of The Force - Mon Mothma w/Baton - Kenner/Hasbro 1998

In the late 90s, the excitement over the upcoming film Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999) triggered an absolutely flood of nostalgic Star Wars product. I was pretty unaware of this movement at the time. Oddly enough, I remember my sister obsessively stopping in toy stores hunting for these Power of the Force figures that her boyfriend was collecting (this was several years before the action figure collecting bug bit me). When I revisited all the Star Wars collectibles years later, I was overwhelmed by the numbers of toy released in the late 90s. They were mostly in the same scale as the vintage Kenner figures, but had slightly more dynamic sculpts that gave them a unique aesthetic in the history of Star Wars collectibles. This Mon Mothma figure was the first time she was produced in plastic. As such an iconic character and such a long-awaited release (15 years), I'm surprised this figure isn't more valuable (I picked her up last week for $4). She's pretty great. Let's check her out below!

Star Wars Retro - MON MOTHMA!

Star Wars Retro Collection - Return of the Jedi - Mon Mothma - Hasbro 2023

Star Wars was a big deal in my home growing up. We had picture books, toys, and bedsheets emblazoned with the characters. But interestingly, due to the era, I didn't see A New Hope or Empire Strikes Back until the mid-80s when we finally got a VCR. So my focus was on Return of the Jedi which I saw in the theatre and which had all the spinoff TV movies and cartoons feeding my childhood awe. A unique character from Return of the Jedi was Mon Mothma, the poised and commanding leader of the Rebel Alliance. I found her captivating. Princess Leia and Oola also stood out to me, but something about Mon Mothma's presence really shaped my early respect for powerful women. When Hasbro started releasing the Retro Line a few years ago, this is exactly the type of figure I wanted; unproduced core characters missing from the vintage line. Frankly I'm surprised there haven't been more like this, it's really a missed opportunity. Check out her eBay prices if you want to see the demand. Let's check out Mon Mothma below!

Kamen Rider - CRANE ORPHNOCH!

Kamen Rider 555 - Rider Kaijin Series #05 - Crane Orphnoch - Bandai 2004

Kamen Rider 555 is the 13th installment in the Kamen Rider series from 2003. The villains of this series are the Orphnoch, a mutated evolution of zombie-like human monsters with animal or plant characteristics. Several of these Orphnochs retain their human morality and work to protect humanity. The Wolf, Horse, and Wildcat Orphnochs are the main characters of the series, but Crane is a major recurring "good" character with a seemingly massive fanbase (if the merchandise and subsequent CCG and videogame appearances is any indication). I've always been really drawn to the Kamen Rider monster aesthetic... especially when there is a strong animal theme. I bought this figure blindly back in 2004 and only worked to learn about her later. The Orphnochs have an added appeal of being a monochromatic gray/stone palette which looks awesome in group scenes. There are quite a few females represented, but Crane was always the standout to me. Let's check her out below!