Super7 Reaction+ O-Ring - COVER GIRL!

G.I.Joe: The Movie - ReAction+ O-Ring Action Figures - Cover Girl - Super7 2024

How crazy is it that after 40-some years, this original version of Cover Girl is getting so much attention. I frankly never understood why she got the weird redesign after her 1983 debut. I assume it had something to do with Hasbro's avoidance of long hair on their figures. But giving her short auburn hair just made her look like a variation of the Scarlett toy. Considering she would have been the only blonde main character as well made this a very confusing decision. But it seems like this "M.A.S.S. Device" design is finally getting some attention with three figures in a few short years. I bought this Reaction+ O-Ring figure just shy of a year ago. I bought so many versions of her because her eyes were always off-center, and by the time I secured a good one, the "newness" excitement was gone and I never opened her until this week. The new Pythona figure lit a fire under me and made me finally free these ladies from their packaging. They're pretty great. Let's check out Cover Girl below!

Super7 Reaction+ O-Ring - JINX!

G.I.Joe: The Movie - ReAction+ O-Ring Action Figures - Jinx - Super7 2025

G.I.Joe was the first action figure line that captured my attention as a youth.. mostly because it included a decent amount of the female characters from the cartoon. Then when I was in my twenties and made a conscious decision to start collecting action figures, my first goal was to assemble all the female G.I.Joes. It wasn't terribly hard to get them all back then, but I quickly realized many of the characters didn't really resemble their animated counterparts. A major one for this was Jinx. She has several very iconic scenes in G.I.Joe the Movie, but her toy just looked different. Mainly, she never wore the generic ninja mask that her toy sported. She was either completely unmasked or blindfolded (this figure really should have come with a blindfold). So seeing this figure so early in the Reaction+ O-Ring line really brought me joy. It's not quite as exciting as a never-before-seen vintage figure (like the just-released Pythona), but she is still super cool to have. Let's check out Jinx below!

Toy Biz - FERAL!

Marvel Comics -  White's Guide Exclusive - X-Force's Feral - Toy Biz 1998

There's an interesting trope when it comes to superhero team building in bronze and modern age comics. You typically see a big looming muscle guy in the background, a token female, some sort of "alpha male" leader,  and there is almost always an animalistic growling character squatting on the side. I loved the rare occasions when the wild character was female. To me, the most famous example of this is Feral, the runaway Morlock who joined up with Cable and the remains of the New Mutants just as X-Force was forming. I always found her very appealing, even if she could be chalked up to a simple Wolfsbane stand-in. Her backstory is very gritty in a typical 90's style with abuse, death, and drug addiction taking center stage. But I mostly found her design and aggression fascinating. Also, her antagonistic-but-protective relationship with her visually-similar mutant sister, Thornn, was amazing. This Toybiz exclusive figure is an awkward mash-up of the Deathbird head paired with the Tigra body.

Epic Hero Series - INVISIBLE WOMAN!

Marvel Epic Hero Series - Fantastic 4 First Steps - First Family - Hasbro 2025

I'm not surprised that Fantastic Four: First Steps was such a hit. From the very first teasers and trailers I knew they finally got Marvel's First Family right. The retro vibe, the shiny space age aesthetic, and the strong family dynamic in the forefront was the perfect recipe. What was surprising was how off-the-mark the previous three movies were. I saw each of them once and just felt they were each lacking the heart that makes this team so great. It's a little odd that there is a belated rush of merchandising months after the movie left theatres, but suddenly we have Titan Hero Series and Epic Hero Series. I quite enjoy these 1:18 scale Epic Hero Series figures (now called Epic World of Action). Their production planning is pretty bizarre with only a few select movies and properties getting figures. But I'm glad First Steps made the cut. Now of course I would love a few more figures, namely a powered-down Sue and a Silver Surfer (but my hopes aren't very high). Let's check out Sue Storm and the First Family Collection below!

Princess of Power - DESPARA!

Mattel Creations Club Grayskull - MOTU Origins - Despara - Mattel 2025

One of my favorite things to arise from the modern Masters of the Universe stories was the introduction of Despara. While not a wholly new concept, the name and costume of this character are a welcome reimaging to one of the glaring issues (in my humble opinion) with the original She-Ra, The Princess of Power cartoon. We all know that an infant Adora was kidnapped by Hordak from Eternia and raised in Etheria to become a powerful Captain in the Evil Horde. But when we met Adora in this role, despite having the cool title of "Force Captain Adora", she looked and acted identical to the pleasant and pretty member of the Great Rebellion we followed for the rest of the series. I always thought this was a missed opportunity to give She-Ra a wicked side. Well, more than 20 years later, DC published a digital MOTU comic that reimagined Adora as the evil Despara, complete with a mask resembling her abductor "father" Hordak. This was actually a more extreme redesign than I imagined, but I really like it.

Powers of Grayskull - SHARELLA!

Mattel Creations Club Grayskull - MOTU Origins - Sharella - Mattel 2025

The origins of Sharella have always been a bit confusing to me. I was aware of the tiny anonymous female character sprinting in the background art on the 1987 Megator box, and that she was some unnamed warrior from the Powers of Grayskull pre-Eternian storyline. But at some point she was given the name Sharella and tied into the earliest Masters of the Universe lore. Currently Sharella is generally accepted to be the "human" form of the Pre-Eternian Snake Goddess (sometime errantly referred to as "Green Teela" or "Green Goddess").  When I think of Teela and her eventual transformation into the feathered Sorceress of Grayskull, I can grasp that Sharella is the warrior (or priestess) that eventually becomes the Pre-Eternian Goddess. This figure is the prefect type of release for the Mattel Creations Club Grayskull exclusives. Diehard fans (who would subscribe to the Club) would be the target audience for such an obscure character. It certainly made me happy. Let's check out Sharella below!

Transformers Furai Model Kit - ARCEE!

Transformers Furai Action Model Kit - Arcee - D4 Toys/Flame Toys 2025

I've been hesitant when it comes to purchasing heavily stylized Transformers toys over the years. I'm specifically the super-detailed, almost cinematic, figures made for the Asian toy markets. Some of these are 3rd Party, and some are officially licensed by Hasbro. But while the male characters look strong, dynamic, and interesting, the predominant trait for the female characters is often sex appeal. The Arcee (Nicee) figure from Big Fire Bird (and all her retools/repaints) is a prime example. The figure features enormous organic-looking breasts on slim robotic body. I find it bizarre and off-putting personally. For a long time, I judged these Furai Model Kits in the same way. There is definitely some intended titillation in the underwear region (there is always a thong motif and a pronounced pubic mound), but at least they look largely robotic. The true reason I caved and picked up a couple of these, though, is that I love putting together action figure model kits. This one was very satisfying. Let's check out Arcee below!

Void Rivals - SOLILA (and DARAK)!

Transformers & G.I.Joe - Void Rivals SDCC Exclusive Boxset - Hasbro 2025

Void Rivals is one of the best comics I've read in recent years. I was a little late to the party and only picked up the Vol 1 TPB this time last year, just as the Vol 2 TPB was being released. I had read the Cobra Commander TPB a few months before and was thoroughly impressed by the art and story. The way they tied in so much great 80's G.I.Joe lore and told an engaging origin story with that modern Image Comics edge just blew my mind. The Transformers crossover was a surprise to me as well. I decided to dive deep into this new Energon Universe created by Robert Kirkman and Skybound for Image comics. This universe merges the Transformers and G.I.Joe properties while also including original titles, like their inaugural release Void Rivals. The story starts out with two lone representatives of warring worlds, Solila the Zerkonian and Darak the Agorrian, crash landing on a rocky planet (or moon, asteroid, or comet? It's desolate and barren and far from home) while each attempting to capture a

She-Ra the Princess of Power - HUNTARA!

Masters of the Universe - Collectible Figure #59 - Huntara - Altaya 2024

I'm typically not a huge fan of one-off brutish characters in 80s cartoons, but in Huntara's case I make an exception because I like her purple skin and her design origins. There is a adventure cartoon trope where a new character arrives on the scene and is duped by the bad guys into think the main hero is actually the enemy. The episodes always pan out the same.. with patience, reasoning, and communication winning the day (plus a new hard-won ally for the hero and a thwarted villain). I think this plot existed several times in She-Ra, but the episode "Huntara" from November 1985 definitely seems to have made the most lasting impression. Huntara comes from the warrior planet Silax and is greeted by the deceitful Hordak upon her arrival and convinced that She-Ra is a great scourge to Etheria. She appears very different from other Princess of Power characters with a punk Road Warrior vibe. My favorite tidbit is the writers described her as a "Grace Jones type" and she does indeed resemble the 80's icon.

She-Ra the Princess of Power - CATRA!

Masters of the Universe - Collectible Figure #61 - Catra - Altaya 2024

As much as I've been loving these Masters of the Universe and Princess of Power import figurines from Altaya, there always has to be a least favorite in the bunch. The prize-holder of of that esteemed position is Catra. I love this character. I love her design, I love her power, and I'm even quite fond of her incessant purring. This figurine, however, has a really odd pose. I feel like it's intended to look strong and impactful, but the position of her hands and her slightly stooped-forward position looks awkward. Also her face doesn't quite look right (it's definitely good, but all the other figures have been near perfection). And finally her angled placement on her stand is just odd and makes her stand out from the other figures in the series in a bad way. All the others are facing forward, but her staring off to the left screws up my display. It's such a first-world series of complaints I know, but I'm still happy to add another Filmation Catra to my collection, even with all her quirks. Let's check her out below!

She-Ra the Princess of Power - SCORPIA!

Masters of the Universe - Collectible Figure #70 - Scorpia - Altaya 2024/2025

There is something about Scorpia from the original 1985 She-Ra: Princess of Power cartoon that makes her stand out to me as one of the greats. Namely, she is the only prominent character with beastly characteristics (that all the male Horde and evil Warrior members take for granted). Yes, I know Octavia is pretty monstrous, but she only appears in two short episodes. Meanwhile Scorpia appears in fifteen with her signature snapping claw hands, whipping scorpion tail, and absolutely horrible voice. Realistically, I acknowledge that she is an idealized woman with a few gimmicky add-ons, but in a universe where "pretty" was seemingly a prerequisite, Scorpia stood out as being badass and awesome (awesome looking... I still can't stand her voice all these years later). My fingers are crossed for a Cartoon Collection figure reveal of her soon (her image has been featured on packaging and the upcoming Sting-Or figure has a great scorpion tail). Maybe an NYCC debut? Let's check out Scorpia below!

Batman '66 Comics - WONDER WOMAN!

Batman '66 Comic Retro Series 11 - Wonder Woman - McFarlane Toys 2025

Between 2013 and 2016, a big trend in DC Comics publishing was Batman '66 comics featuring the likenesses of Adam West and Burt Ward. It started with a core title of 30 issues and was followed by a wacky assortment of various 6-issue team-up mini-series like Archie, Green Hornet, Man from U.N.C.L.E., Steed and Mrs. Peel, and Legion of Super-Heroes. These stories effectively added a ton of non-canonical characters to the wider Batman '66 universe (like Two-Face, Poison Ivy, and Harley Quinn, among many others). An additional source of characters came from a variant cover theme in the Summer of 2014 where eighteen DC titles had Batman '66 variants drawn by Mike Allred. This cover series is where we saw Wonder Woman in Batman '66 style for the first time. (The later Batman '66 Meets Wonder Woman '77 comic series doesn't count because it was drawn to resemble Lynda Carter). It's amazing that those covers inspired a toy ten years later. Let's check out Wonder Woman '66 below!

Batman '66 Comics - BATGIRL!

Batman '66 Comic Retro Series 11 - Batgirl (BTAS) - McFarlane Toys 2025

When I think about fun color variations to the Batman '66 Batgirl mold, I can admit this release wasn't one of them. I would have much preferred a more unique color combination for a re-release; like the New52 version with purple and black, or a Steph Brown blonde version (or a re-issue of the Yvonne Craig version to pair with the new Batgirl Cycle). But instead, we got a Batman the Animated Series repaint. Without the cartoony Bruce Timm sculpt to go along with it, this looks almost identical to the recent The New Adventures of Batman figure except a slightly darker palette and blue gloves and boots (and differently painted eyes). It sounds like some significant differences, but in person they are just way too similar for my tastes. Of course, that doesn't mean I can resist a Batgirl toy when I see her on the shelf... it only means I am unmotivated to open her and delay her review for almost a year. I'm still holding out hope for a Poison Ivy in this line, but that looks unlikely. Let's check out Batgirl below!

Transformers Cyberworld - ELITA-1!

Transformers: Cyberworld - Quick Change Cyber Changers - Elita-1 - Hasbro 2025

The newest animated incarnation of Transformers is a webseries on YouTube called Transformers: Cyberworld which debuted in July 2025 and is produced by Hasbro and Omens Studios. There are only seven 5-minute episodes so far (as of me writing this post), featuring a Secret-Wars-type setting where characters are tested and challenged in different battle scenarios. It's pretty random but fun to watch. The cast is small with only nine characters so far. Luckily Elita-1 is present as the token female character and luckily Hasbro green-lit the series for a toyline. The character designs are small and blocky, but I appreciate the variation from the other figures on the shelves right now. Elita-1 has a cool color scheme which I can only describe as Coral and Guava. It's pretty hard to photograph but has a cool sherbet-y aesthetic in person. She also transforms into a boat which is a unique vehicle mode for her. The Cyber Changers lines don't offer a lot of articulation, but I still love having her in my collection.

Transformers Rescue Bots - ELITA-1!

Transformers: Rescue Bots - Classic Heroes Team - Elita-1 - Hasbro 2025

Several years ago the popular Transformers: Rescue Bots preschool toyline had a spinoff line featuring additional classic characters like Starscream and Mirage. This line was called the Classic Heroes Team and had packaging graphics that occasionally featured Arcee (you can spy her on the back of this figure, too). Ever since first seeing this illustration, I was obsessed with getting a classic Transformers fembot in this blocky preschool format. Well, it took three years but we finally got one. Of course, it's Elita-1 and not Arcee, and it's just a simple repaint of Bumblebee, but I still think she's really fun. It's easily the most feminine of the modern Rescue Bot sculpts, and her bold pink paintjob certainly adds a lot of bright color to the existing female lineup of Quickshadow and Whirl. I hope we'll eventually get the teased Arcee and maybe some others, but realistically they'd probably just be repaints of this same figure. Let's check out the Classic Heroes Team Elita-1 in detail below!