Petronix Defenders - EMMA & KITT-10!

Petronix Defenders - Emma's Pet Mobile and Kitt-10 - Giochi Preziosi 2022

Petronix Defenders is a French animated series from 2022 featuring four friends with technologically advanced backpacks that can transform into robotic pets. They go on adventures helping various animals with heavy-handed educational lessons throughout. The token female of the group is Emma (sometimes known as Bridgette, depending on your location). I had noticed this toy for several years on European toysites, but just picked her up while travelling abroad this past Summer. I love cat-themed characters and I'm always fascinated by the token female heroes in preschool properties, but buying this figure was a no-brainer. Luckily, she is significantly more interesting in person than in her solicit photos. Most of the images I was seeing online didn't ever have her pigtails showing (as seen on the cardback). She has a simple design with a minimal color palette, so little details like that make a huge difference. She makes a fun new addition to my preschool shelf. Let's check out Emma below!

DC Comics - PUNCHLINE!

DC Multiverse - The Joker and Punchline Two-Pack - McFarlane Toys 2024

When Harley Quinn burst onto the scene in 1993, it took me a solid 8-9 years to get on board and fully appreciate her (and 15 years before I bought my first Harley action figure). I can be very protective and judgmental to changes within the Batman Universe. So it's no surprise that I'm extremely reluctant to embrace this new Joker sidekick, Punchline. I've only read a single story with her in it, and I honestly wasn't a fan. Her origin reads like a slightly modified version of Harley Quinn (a former victim of the Joker who became an obsessive fan and eventual cohort). But her crimes are far more aggressive/gruesome and lack the quirky fun of Harleen. Plus her costume looks like a Hot Topic Roller Girl and doesn't seem very functional or inspired. But, given my track record, I will probably become obsessed in 2035 and will be glad I have this figure. I had almost zero initial desire to buy this toy, but when the set was clearanced for $23, my FOMO kicked in and I got her. Let's check out Punchline below!

Dr. Wu - ALIE!

Dr. Wu No. DW-MS35 - Alie (3rd Party Elita-1) - Mechanic Toys 2024

I find it endlessly amusing that the best Elita-1 figures come from unofficial 3rd Party companies. I've thought the various official Hasbro releases have been pretty great. But each one has something a little off about it. This Dr. Wu (Mechanic Toys) Amie figure is a prime example of how this character should be done every time. I'm a sucker for the original 80's cartoon designs so the modern interpretations that take artistic liberty with proportions and structure will always take second fiddle to a super classic look like this. The original batch of Dr. Wu fembots came out back in 2022 (at the same time as a competitor line from NewAge), and I was always sad that an Elita-1 homage was excluded from the lineup and replaced by endless Arcee variants. It took a few years, but they finally produced this late-release Amie and I couldn't be happier. This is quite possibly the nicest Elita-1 figure ever. If she were a larger 6-7" scale, she would be perfect. Let's check out this beautiful 3rd Party Elita-1 in detail below!

Transformers - SOLUS PRIME!

Transformers: Age of the Primes - Solus Prime (The Thirteen) - Hasbro 2025

In Transformers canon, Solus Prime is the very first female Transformer. She was introduced in the comics between 2004-2009 (there was a big time gap between being talked about and referenced and being fully introduced) along with the other member of The Thirteen. The Thirteen Primes were created by Primus to defeat Unicron. Solus was the only female and was a forger of weapons and artifacts to be used in their battle. She even created a virtual replica of Unicron to help them all train. Her weapon/tool, the Forge of Solus, is one of the most powerful artifacts in the universe. It contains a miniature neutron star and has the ability to "create anything from anything." It has a legacy more far-reaching than Solus herself. Solus Prime has appeared in multiple iterations of the comics and television runs, plus an RPG and the recent Transformer One movie. This figure was a long time coming, but it is a great representation of the character, so I guess she was worth the wait. Let's check out Solus Prime below!

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - RENET!

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Mirage) - Renet the Timestress - NECA 2022

The NECA Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles toylines have introduced me to a lot of new characters over the years. When I see those annual visual checklists I'm always amazed at the breadth of the character selection. Renet is an apprentice Time Master and ally of the Turtles who first appeared in the pages of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #8 (Mirage) in 1986. I had never heard of this character, but I remember the fan reaction when this toy was revealed to be ecstatic. I've since learned that she has appeared in numerous iterations of TMNT comics (including the current Turtles of Grayskull crossover series), two animated series, and numerous games (CCG, Video Games, and HeroClix). It's amazing that such a cool-looking character with such longevity had escaped my notice for so long. I originally planned to swap this figure in favor of her blue Walmart variant. But in retrospect, I prefer the red outfit because it seems to match the overall Mirage palette better than the blue. Let's check out Renet below! 

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - APRIL O'NEIL!

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Mirage) - April O'Neil (v2) - NECA 2025

April O'Neil has had a lot of very distinct looks since her comic debut over 40 years ago. Even in the initial Mirage Comics run before the cartoon ever began, she had several drastic changes in appearance. You would never know it was the same character year-to-year based on looks alone. For a while, she had an appearance that many casual readers might have interpreted as African American (she was not). But the half-tone print of the black-and-white comics made her complexion darker and her (very 80s) perm (which was a plot point) combined to to give her a racially ambiguous appearance. I've heard that this era was even the inspiration for some of the modern interpretations of April as a young black woman (or child) in properties like Rise of the Teenage Mutant Turtles or the Mutant Mayhem film. This NECA figure perfectly captures this early look. Ironically, the original NECA April figure looks completely different, but that's just how the comics were. Let's check out April O'Neil below!

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - KARAI SHREDDER!

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Mirage) - Karai as The Shredder - NECA 2024

I don't know very much about the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. When I was a kid I was very turned off by cartoon properties that overused stereotypical "hip" language like "radical" and "cowabunga." I was in elementary school but a little beyond my years and I felt that shows like TMNT and The Simpsons were made by adults who were pandering to kids in a cheap way. I may have disapproved, but I was pretty much the only one because shows like this were always wildly popular and impossible to ignore. I knew there was a rich history from the early Mirage Comics, but I never explored that history. The Karai I know from later animated iterations of the TMNT franchise is sometimes the daughter of Shredder and sometimes just raised by him. I was unaware that she actually ever became The Shredder until leaked images of this toy hit the internet last Summer. I love female versions of existing iconic male characters, so this was a figure I was instantly obsessed with. Let's check out Karai below!

Alteration Man - CARROLL!

Alteration Man - Carroll (Blue Knock-Off 2007 Movie Arcee) - Machine Boy 2014

Knockoff toys are something I rarely pay attention to. I typically buy items as soon as they are released, so picking up an unofficial reissue of a desirable figure is just not in the cards. But every now and then there is a redeco that I obsess over. When these Alteration Man Carroll figures were produced (by Machine Boy circa 2014), there was a main version which was a seemingly exact duplicate of the 2007 Movie Arcee from Hasbro in her dark fuchsia colors (so, a knockoff that I was barely aware of). But then there was this surprise blue variation that thrilled me. Any time I see a blue fembot, I think of immediately of Chromia. But in actuality, this is likely an attempt to replicate the Prime Arcee which was so popular in 2012-2013. Regardless of the intent, I was thrilled to have another variation of my favorite early fembot mold in my collection. The colorful lineup of variations is impressive (not quite as impressive as Energon Arcee, but a very close second). Let's check out Carroll below!