Krofft Superstars ELECTRA WOMAN!

Krofft Superstars - Electra Woman - Living Toys/Art Asylum 2000

The Krofft Supershow was one crazy kids' show.  It was inventive, attention-grabbing, and unlike anything else on the air.  Hot on the heels of the successful H.R. Pufnstuf series, The Krofft Supershow featured several short live-action segments including Electra Woman and Dyna Girl.  This segment featured two magazine reporters who doubled as superheroines.  Their adventures were intentionally campy (a'la the 1960's Batman show), so of course there was plenty of colorful spandex and bad acting for all.  There were 16 twelve-minute segments in their single season (the girls didn't return for Season 2).  In 2000, Living Toys (with Art Asylum) released a series of four action figures from a variety of Sid & Marty Krofft properties.  It's a shame there was never a second series because there are a lot more deserving characters in the world of Krofft.  A Dyna Girl would have been especially nice to at least complete this duo, but I'd much rather have one than none at all.  Let's check out Electra Woman below!

Ben 10 - GWEN ANODITE!

Gwendolyn Tennyson in her Alien Form - Ben 10: Alien Force - Bandai 2009

I'm a sucker for translucent action figures.  As long as there are intentional design details like paint apps or a tint gradient, they'll find their way into my collection (ie..all the boring solid clear Susan Storms don't get invited to the party).  I've never seen a single episode of Ben 10, but the awesome character designs have been getting my attention in the toy aisles for years.  As fantastic as all the figures look though, I've always been disappointed by the lack of females.  The American releases have been limited to a single character, Ben's cousin Gwen (who happens to be a human/anodyne hybrid).  Bandai has released several Gwen figures, most in her mousy redhead human form. Her full Anodite form like we see in this action figure appeared in the second incarnation of the franchise, Ben 10: Alien Force.  I was super excited to finally get a great looking girl from this series.  She took forever to find, too.  Let's check her out below!

Star Trek's VINA the ORION SLAVE WOMAN!

Your Favorite Green Goddess - Star Trek: TOS - Wave 3 - DST/Art Asylum 2005
 
This has been a fun week of Star Trek reviews leading up to Star Trek: Into Darkness (which should be opening in theatres in a about 7 minutes as I type this).  I saved Vina for last because I'm a sucker for green skinned women (or blue or red for that matter).  Outlandish skin coloring make a character instantly interesting to me... and the Orion Slave Girls were definitely no exception.  My memories of the Green-skinned Orion girls actually weren't about Vina's episode, but rather the one where Yvonne Craig played a short-haired Orion.  I was always a big Batgirl fan, so I recognized her almost instantly.  The Orion Slaves Girls were presented as alluring, seductive captives from Orion who "no human male could resist" - basically they were intergalactic harem bellydancers.  However, the twist is that these girls are actually in charge and using their alien pheromones to try to commandeer the Enterprise.  This toy is pretty great, but only if you can get very creative with your poses.  Standing upright, her articulation is awkward and distracting.  But once you get her in a good pose, it's just magical.  Let's check her out below!

Ladies of STAR TREK: THE ORIGINAL SERIES!

Uhura, Janice Rand, and Christine Chapel - Playmates 1993 & 1996
 
Since the Art Asylum/DST figures of Janice Rand and Christine Chapel seem to be stuck in perpetual limbo, I really wanted to highlight these two notable characters.  Christine Chapel was the head nurse under Dr. McCoy in The Original Series.  She had a great backstory of joining the Starfleet with the ulterior motive of finding her fiancé who had gone missing from an expedition five years earlier.  She also developed an unrequited love for Spock during her time on the Enterprise.  Janice Rand was Yeoman to Captain Kirk on the bridge of the USS Enterprise.  She predictably developed a romantic connection to Kirk which was never fully realized.  Both these characters (and of course the amazing Uhura) epitomize The Original Series to me.  Their hairstyles and outfits are wonderfully dated in a futuristic kind of way, and their portrayal of strong, intelligent, female crew members paved the way for many great characters to come.  From 1992-99, Playmates created a huge library of 5" figures based on all iterations of Star Trek.  And these three ladies are my favorite of the bunch.  Let's check them out below!

Star Trek: The Next Generation BEVERLY PICARD!

Star Trek: TNG - Capt. Beverly Picard - Previews Excl - DST/Art Asylum 2007
 
So this is my favorite chase figure of all the DST/Art Asylum ladies.  In the final episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation (titled "All Good Things..."), Captain Jean-Luc Picard finds himself suffering from random temporal displacements.  One moment he's with his familiar crew, the next he is far in the past.  And then suddenly he's in an unfamiliar future.  It is in that future that he meets Beverly Picard as Captain of the USS Pasteur.  I enjoyed this so much because it showed the fulfillment of their relationship without resorting to a "season-finale-jumble" where all the storylines are wrapped up in a haphazard way (I've seen this happen one time time too many).  With a simple cameo, we knew that Captain Picard and Beverly Crusher were married and that her professional potential was fully realized by her becoming Captain of her own ship.  This figure looks older than the look they gave to Gates McFadden in the show, but it still embodies an older Dr. Crusher perfectly.  She also looks appropriately stern and Captain-ish.  Let's check her out in detail below!

Star Trek: The Next Generation BEVERLY CRUSHER!

Star Trek: TNG - Wave 4 - Dr. Beverly Crusher - DST/Art Asylum 2007

Dr. Beverly Crusher was the Chief Medical Officer, the key maternal figure, and a perpetual love interest aboard the USS Enterprise.  She was originally cast with the goal of having her develop a romantic relationship with Captain Picard.  Over the course of the series, we learned a great deal about their backstory, including his longstanding love for her as well as his friendship with her deceased husband, Jack Crusher.  Their relationship was mature, subtle, and very different from other Starfleet flings.  Having her son, Wesley Crusher, growing up aboard the Enterprise made for a great maternal dynamic that was also very unique in the world of Star Trek.  Gates McFadden was perfectly cast in this role.  And I love her even more after discovering that she previously worked as a choreographer in two of my favorite movies: The Dark Crystal & Labyrinth.  This toy is pretty great.  The likeness is decent, very recognizable, but the face seems a tad too angular and doesn't really capture her spark.  Let's check her out below!

Star Trek: The Motion Picture - ILIA PROBE!

Star Trek - Warp Factor: Series 2 - Ilia Probe - Playmates 1997

Star Trek: The Motion Picture was a landmark event for fandom.  I'm not talking about Star Trek fans specifically, but all geeks in general.  Star Trek: The Original Series ended in 1969, ten whole years before this motion picture came out.  This was largely to due to the show's popularity in syndication and an ever-growing fanbase.  I think we take it for granted that nostalgic properties are brought back to life easily today, but in the 1970s it was crazytalk.  Lieutenant Ilia was the navigator aboard the USS Enterprise who was killed by a probe of the alien entity V'Ger.  Soon after, V'Ger create another probe in the likeness of Ilia to return to the Enterprise and collect data (believing the enterprise was a living organism).  The probe was a complete duplication of Ilia down to a molecular level; even retaining her memories and personality.  Pure Sci-Fi genius if you ask me.  Ilia's important role and striking appearance made her a very memorable character.  Let's check her out below!

Star Trek: The Next Generation ALYSSA OGAWA!

Star Trek: TNG - Wave 5 - Nurse Ogawa - Chase Figure - DST/Art Asylum 2008

Nurse Alyssa Ogawa is a Star Trek character that I only have vague memories of.  She worked as an ensign under Beverly Crusher in the medical bay aboard the USS Enterprise.  (Eventually she became a Lieutenant and even took over Beverly's duties when she was unable to carry them out).  I remember seeing a later episode once where she was pregnant.  Pregnancy aboard the Enterprise was something I had never really given thought to before that, so the memory stuck (even though I'm sure there are many cases of procreation throughout the series).  This figure from Diamond Select Toys and Art Asylum was a chase figure in the last full wave of The Next Generation figures.  She has the same body as several previous females in Starfleet uniforms, but has a very unique smiling face that really makes her stand out from the rest.  The addition of Alyssa, along with Ro Laren, really made for a respectable number of females in this line.  Let's check her out in detail below!