Thunderbirds - KAYO KYRANO!

Thunderbirds Are Go - 3.75" Series 01 - Kayo Kyrano - Vivid Toy Group 2016

After the success of the rebooted Captain Scarlet franchise, 2006's The New Captain Scarlet, work began on a reimagining of another great Gerry Anderson property, Thunderbirds. And nine years later, the CGI-animated series Thunderbirds Are Go premiered and ran for three seasons. The original Thunderbirds series debuted in 1965 and was very popular. It inspired films, an anime series, comics, and radio. The 2015 reboot, Thunderbirds Are Go, continued the unfortunate trend of swapping the puppets for CGI models, but at least this series retained a very puppet-like quality to the character design. Kyro Kyrano is a reimagining of Tintin Kyrano, a character from the 1965 series (played by Vanessa Hudgens in the 2004 live-action film). The new version plays a much more prominent role as a co-pilot and head of security - as opposed to a simple love interest character. I bought this toy in Toys R Us sever years ago but never got around to reviewing her until now. Let's check out Kayo below!

New Captain Scarlet - DESTINY ANGEL!

Gerry Anderson's New Captain Scarlet - Destiny Angel - Bandai 2006

Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons was a 1960's science fiction television show by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson. The show featured their signature electronic marionette puppets and scale vehicle models. It was actually their 8th show in this "Supermarionation" style, but it stands out as one of fan favorites (along with Terrahawks, Thunderbirds, and Stingray). And like any successful product of yesteryear, Captain Scarlet got the reboot treatment in the early oughts. In 2005, New Captain Scarlet premiered on ITV in the UK and lasted for two seasons and 26 episodes. The big departure from the Gerry Anderson universe is that this series ditched the puppets for CGI animation. It wasn't a bad show, but a huge part of the property's appeal (for me at least) was those unique puppets. There's a new Destiny Angel figure coming from Big Chief Studios later this year and it inspired me to finally review this older toy. She's very well made and very playable. I only wish she was 1:18 scale like all the other Anderson figures.

Lightyear 5" - DARBY STEEL!

Lightyear - Standard 5" Series - Space Ranger Alpha Darby Steel - Mattel 2022

One of the most surprising and enjoyable (for me at least) revelations in the movie Lightyear was the introduction of Darby Steel. I can admit that from the promotional images and early toy reveals, I completely thought this was a male character. But, no, Darby is a cranky and cantankerous ex-con who has a Suicide-Squad-style agreement to shorten her sentence by joining Izzy and the Junior Zap Patrol. For the majority of the movie she is wearing the hodgepodge dented and reclaimed armor that the rest of the resistance group are wearing (not the most visually appealing design for my collection). But by the end of the movie, she gets the full Star Command Space Ranger uniform - and thankfully she got a toy in this look. I never saw this figure in stores, but she was readily available online. Darby's specialty (i.e. criminality) in the movie was her MacGyver-like ability to turn anything into an explosion. She's so fun and unexpected for a saccharine Pixar property. Let's check out Darby Steel below!

Lightyear 5" - IZZY HAWTHORNE!

Lightyear - Crystal Grade 5" Series - Space Ranger Alpha Izzy - Mattel 2022

It's amusing to me that my favorite part of the Lightyear movie is when Izzy finally donned the Space Ranger uniform at the end. I think a childhood full of shows like He-Man and Voltron that dangled transformation sequences in front of us as the pinnacle of awesomeness has effected my adult perceptions. Without any advance knowledge, I knew that Izzy, Mo, and Darby would get official uniforms eventually (these toys weren't shown until well after the movie debuted) and I watched the entire movie in hopeful anticipation of a simple costume change. The second wave of the Crystal Grade series (I think it was exclusive to Walmart) finally gave us a single poseable figure of Izzy in this design. There was a cumbersome action-feature-laden version and several included in large multipacks, but this was the most readily available. I keep finding new products every time I Google and it's honestly a little overwhelming. Still waiting on an Alpha Class in this design, but oh well. Let's check out Izzy!

Lightyear 5" - ALISHA HAWTHORNE!

Lightyear - Deluxe 5" Series 2-Pack - Hostile Planet Pack - Mattel 2022

Yet another Lightyear toy product that only showed up at Kohl's. When I first learned of this figure set I didn't know much about the movie yet and didn't realize Izzy and her Grandmother Alisha were different characters. All I knew is that I was obsessed with this woman in the Star Command suit (and in some promotional material she was just referred to as Commander or Cadet Hawthorne, further confusing me). But by the time I learned more and finally saw the movie, my favorite part was the Grandmother/Granddaughter generational dynamic between the two female leads. Of course they don't share any scenes, but their individual relationships with the time-skipping Buzz are the heart of the movie. This two-pack features their struggles on the wild planet of T'Kani Prime where they are constantly attacked by living vines and aggressive insects (and subsequently stranded). I love when an antagonist in a film or show is unbridled nature so I really appreciate getting these accessories. Let's check out Alisha below!

Lightyear 12" - ALISHA HAWTHORNE!

Lightyear - Deluxe 12" Series - Space Ranger Alpha Alisha - Mattel 2022

One of my favorite tropes of modern character creation is when an established male design is applied to a new female character. The Buzz Lightyear costume debuted in the first Toy Story movie way back in 1995 and is probably the last design I expected to be applied to a female character, but 27 years later we get the movie Lightyear and a ton of characters wearing the classic Space Ranger uniform, including three prominent females. This 12-inch-scale figure of Alisha Hawthorne is my favorite figure of all the Lightyear products. It is well articulated, a perfect likeness of the animation model, and very playable. The downfall was that she was next to impossible to find. Only a few weeks ago (roughly 8 months after the theatrical release) did she seem to show up in wide distribution at places like Walmart and Target. Before that, she only sporadically appeared in places like Kohls. If you're going to add any single Lightyear figure to your collection, this should be the one. Let's check her out below!

Fortnite - SIONA!

Fortnite Victory Royale Series - 6" Series Deluxe - Dio & Siona - Hasbro 2022

There's something special about astronaut action figures. When I was a kid, there were certain toy archetypes that were always present: The soldier, the farmer, the fireman, the policeman, the ninja, and of course, the astronaut. And of all these, the astronaut is the only one that doesn't imply labor or violence. As a nerdy curious kid who eschewed chores and fighting, there was only one choice for me. Unfortunately there have been very few female astronaut toys over the years. That's why when I saw this Fortnite Deo and Siona 2-pack I just had to have it. These figures combine a lot of the traditional astronaut visual cues: domed helmet, white bulky body suit, and a series of tubes or harnesses wrapping around them. But then they have the Fortnite twist with bright green hair and orange costumes details. The fact that they are both Indian in origin only adds to the appeal. As infrequent as female astronauts are, women of color as astronauts are exponentially more rare. Let's check out Siona below!

Buzz Lightyear - MIRA NOVA!

Buzz Lightyear of Star Command - Mira Nova - McDonald's Australia 2001

There's something about Happy Meal toys that thrill me when they're made right. I feel like a majority of the time I only see weird gimmicky plastic contraptions or my favorite characters inexplicably in the driver's seat of a little car. But every so often you get these cool little action figures. Of course, the downfall is the best ones have an annoying habit on being Australian and very tricky to obtain on the secondary market. This Mira Nova figure is a prime example. The American Happy Meal line were little "launch vehicles", but the Australian set were four well-designed action figures. Buzz Lightyear of Star Command was a Toy Story spinoff from 2000. It expanded on Buzz's "fictional" life before ending up in Andy's toy bin. Mira Nova is a rookie Space Ranger and Princess of the Tangean people. She has telepathic abilities and can phase through walls. There were a number of toys produced for this cartoon, but Mira was always left out. Until Australian McDonald's swept in to save the day! Let's check her out below!

The Women of THE OUTER SPACE MEN!

Terra Firma, Ohpromatem, and Horroscope - Four Horsemen 2013-14

I love the retro toy trend of the past few years.  It seems like every few months I hear about another company taking the plunge into retro styled toys.  BifBangPow, Funko ReAction, and Fresh Monkey Fiction are all taking part.  But the Four Horsemen's Outer Space Men line seems special.  They've taken a somewhat forgotten toy line from the 1960s and breathed new life into it with modern Glyos technology and creative use of transparent plastics.  And the absolute best part (in my humble opinion) is that the original creator, Mel Birnkrant, has created additional female characters for all the various extra-terrestrial species.  So far, three have been produced (with a fourth Astrodite figure being shown at the 2013 Extra-Toyrrestrial event, but as of yet unreleased).  The final three designs (Poseida, Moltina, and Dezdemona) will hopefully be produced someday, because the designs are awesome and these initial three figures are amazing.  Let's check them out in detail below!

Alienators: Evolution Continues - LT. LUCY MAI!

Alienators: Evolution Continues - Basic Figures - Lt. Lucy Mai - BanDai 2001

One thing I absolutely love about this hobby is finding cool little gems I knew nothing about.  I've been impressed with a few different Bandai figure recently and found myself doing some research into past properties of theirs.  That's where I found this beautiful lady.  Alienators: Evolution Continues was an animated series spinoff from the 2001 live action film Evolution starring David Duchovny and Julianne Moore.  The cartoon followed the same general plot as the film:  a meteor crashes in the Arizona desert carrying alien cells that quickly evolve into blobby, insectile alien creatures.  Oddly enough, comedy ensues.  Lt. Lucy Mai is the no-nonsense female member of the Alienators team.  The toys are a notable addition to my Bandai collection.  They're well made, well articulated, they have fun designs, and they're very playable.  If I would have known about them when they came out I would have been all over them.  Let's check her out below!

African American Ladies of BOOTLEG G.I.JOES!

Knock-Off G.I.Joe-Type Figures from Lanard, Olmec, and Berchet

I had originally planned to do a separate review for each of these three figures individually for my series of Black History Month reviews, but time is short and they work so well as a group, so here they all are together.  We all know that black female characters are a rarity in boy-centric toy lines.  For some reason, even properties that have tons of female characters and tons of black male characters will rarely (if ever) combine the two minorities.  I did a review earlier this month on the lone African American G.I.Joe figure, Carla "Doc" Greer, but now I will focus on some cool bootlegs that have been released over the years to give us some sorely needed diversity in our 3&3/4" collections.