Super7 Reaction+ O-Ring - LADY JAYE!

G.I.Joe RAH ReAction+ O-Ring Wave 8 (USA 250th) - Lady Jaye - Super7 2026

I love the trend of holiday repaints in all the Hasbro toylines. The Christmas and Halloween Star Wars figures have been a fun annual gimmick to hunt down in various stores. The unfortunate thing for me is that they've rarely involved female characters. I was theorizing with some friends this winter that the 250th Anniversary of the United States this year would likely prompt some patriotic repaints. And by Toy Fair time in February, I was proven right. We learned of Hasbro G.I.Joe and Transformers Walmart Exclusives in Red, White, and Blue, and also a Walmart exclusive wave of Super7 Reaction+ G.I.Joe figures. I was thrilled with this announcement because the Super7 set featured a never-before-seen Lady Jaye sculpt. Of course, as of today's announcement we now have seen images of a traditionally-hued Lady Jaye coming in the next Reaction+ wave, which is very exciting because I desperately want an O-Ring hatless cartoon Lady Jaye. Let's check out the 250th Anniversary Lady Jaye below!

DC Comics - WONDER WOMAN!

DC Direct Page Punchers - Wonder Woman (1st App) - McFarlane Toys 2025

McFarlane Toys has made a lot of Wonder Woman figures in the last five years. I personally own twelve, and I skipped a lot of variants and retools. Aside from a super classic bronze age design, my most wanted was always a first appearance figure in all her Golden Age glory. Her early stories in Sensation Comics and Wonder Woman are iconic and her costume is still instantly recognizable after 80 years of redesigns. I'm always a little surprised that there aren't more collectibles featuring this look. My historical knowledge of 1940's Wonder Woman is a little scant, but I gather that different artists interpreted her as wearing either a star-spangled skirt or short culottes, but I think I prefer the skirt interpretation for this figure. The only odd thing about this figure is that she is very tall. I feel that Wonder Woman's stature has gradually increased over the years, but I usually don't associate this First Appearance design with towering Amazonian height. She looks awesome, but looks odd in a lineup. Let's check her out below!

Marvel Toybox - CAPTAIN CARTER!

Toybox - Marvel Deluxe Box - Captain Carter & Hydra Stomper - Disney 2021

Spoiler Warning. I know this is broad, but if you don't want anything about anything nerdy spoiled right now, just skip ahead to the pictures. I say that because if I mention what the spoilers are about, that is the spoiler. (I'll get to the actual spoilage in a few minutes). The Disney Toybox line continues to impress. Each figure seems to be an improvement over the last both in aesthetic and construction. I got this Captain Carter and Hydra Stomper two-pack back in October when I was all packed-up for a November move. By the time I was all settled in my new home and began taking photos again in January, she was the oldest of my new toys and kept getting pushed to the backburner. But then yesterday I got the new Gamora figure and was inspired to finally dig her out of the back of my closet. She is amazing. I love it when a long-standing civilian character gets powered-up and takes center stage like Spider-Gwen, Pepper Potts Rescue, Jane Foster Thor, and now Captain Carter. It's a trope that I can get behind.

Marvel Legends - AMERICA CHAVEZ!

Marvel Legends - Doctor Strange (Rintrah BaF) - America Chavez - Hasbro 2022

Marvel has a great trend in recent years of reinventing old underused Golden Age characters for a young modern audience. I first took notice when a new Sun Girl was introduced in the 2014 New Warriors comic. It was a fun fresh take on a nearly forgotten character. But a few years earlier a new Miss America got the same treatment with the introduction of America Chavez as a young Miss America. I'll admit I don't know too much about this character. I read a bit of the 2013 Young Avengers book when she joined the team, and I picked up a couple of her first solo issues, but I'm currently catching up before the Multiverse of Madness movie. From what I gather, America Chavez has a very Superman-esque origin story. She's from another world (dimension?) and is sent to Earth as a child where she is discovered by a young Brooklyn family who raise her as their own. She has super strength, speed, and durability, and also can generate these glowing star-shaped portals which allow her to travel between realities.

Marvel Legends - CAPTAIN CARTER!

Marvel Legends What If...? (The Watcher Series) - Captain Carter - Hasbro 2021

A staple trope of superhero comics from the very beginning has been Patriotic characters. We all know Captain America and Wonder Woman. But there have been tons: Miss America, Patriot Pat, Miss Victory, Yankee Girl, etc, etc. But despite the prevalence through comics' history, there have been very few toys. For the record, I consider any character emblazoned with a flag motif, regardless of country, as patriotic. I have long wanted a female Marvel Legends figure that could be a stand-in for Captain America. And despite her British allegiances, this Captain Carter fits the bill perfectly. She's an established non-costumed character suddenly in a heroic role. The figure's buck is tall and strong, her hairstyle is delightfully retro, and her costume is instantly iconic. As far as I know she has only appeared on the single debut episode of What If...? on Disney+, but she already has at least five toys that I know of. I think that momentum must mean we haven't seen the last of her. Let's check out Captain Carter below!

Fortnite - FIREWORKS TEAM LEADER(S)!

Fortnite - Fireworks Team Leader - 3.75" Jazwares 2020 & 7" McFarlane Toys 2019

Life, Liberty, and the Bear Suit of Happiness. I've wanted to post the McFarlane Toys Fireworks Team Leader figure for months, but I didn't get around to it until the 3.75" Jazwares version came out and Presidents' Day rolled around. I don't even know if stars and stripes are typical for this holiday, but it's as good an excuse as any to get my butt in gear.  Fireworks Team Leader is yet another variation of the pink Cuddle Team Leader. I know of at least six version of this design. We have already seen toys of Cuddle, Fireworks, Panda, and Spooky Teams Leaders. But there are also versions named Bundles and Ragsy that I'm sure we'll see in some form eventually as well. As much as I get bored with re-use of a mold, there's something so zany about these bears that I'm eager to get them all. It should be interesting to see what McFarlane and Jazwares unveil at Toy Fair next week. It's really fun to have a whole new property to look forward to. Especially one with such limitless potential. Let's check out Fireworks below!

Alpha Flight - VINDICATOR!

Marvel Legends - Alpha Flight Boxset (Amazon Exc) - Vindicator - Hasbro 2019

This new Amazon-exclusive Marvel Legends Alpha Flight 6-Pack is a dream come true for me. I have wanted a full inclusion of this team into the Legends line for a long long time. There have been a handful of false starts in both the Marvel Legends and Marvel Universe lines with an occasional Guardian, Sasquatch, Puck or Northstar released, but the entire team seemed like a pipe dream. The 90's ToyBiz lineup was surprisingly good (and thorough), but the scale and sculpt could never hold up to modern scrutiny. In the past two years we have seen an updated Sasquatch and Guardian which gave me hopes that we would see some more members. But I never would have predicted this. I was especially scared that we wouldn't see a Heather Hudson as Vindicator since she wasn't an original hero on the team (she took over the role later on after her husband died). She ended up leading the team and is honestly the most iconic character on the whole roster for me. Let's check out Heather McNeil Hudson as Vindicator below!

The Tick - CAPTAIN LIBERTY!

The Tick (Live Action Series) Action Figures - Captain Liberty - N2 Toys 2001

Happy Independence Day! I always try to find a patriotic figure to review on this day and this Captain Liberty is one I've been dying to get to for years. I never watched the live-action Tick television series (nor the animated one), but I've always thought this figure was gorgeous. I know fans of the show weren't too pleased with the actor likenesses in this series, but since I don't have any personal fanboy criteria to demand, I can honestly say that this sculpt is wonderful in its own right. I agree it looks nothing like actress Liz Vassey, but the statuesque patriotic figure looks great anyway (in my humble opinion). I like this sculpt so much that I've been googling for days trying to figure out who the artist was behind it. No luck on that front though. N2Toys is best known for their Matrix and Babylon5 action figures, but they had several other interesting product lines for the brief years they were in existence (1999-2001?) before reforming into Mirage Toys (Alias and South Park). Let's check out Captain Liberty out below!

DC Collectibles STARGIRL!

DC Comics: The New 52 - Stargirl - DC Collectibles 2014

Stargirl is one of those rare DC characters who I know next to nothing about.  In fact, with all my obsessive reading of DC Comics, I don't think I've read a single issue that she's appeared in.  That said, I've been curious enough about her various toys and comic covers over the years that I've googled her plenty to find out more.  Courtney Whitmore first appeared in 1999 as a new version of the Star-Spangled Kid (with a costume modeled after the Zoo Crew's Yankee Poodle.)  Soon she was given the Cosmic Staff and became Stargirl (the new Starman).  The character was created by Geoff Johns in honor of his younger sister, Courtney, who was a victim of the TWA Flight 800 crash.  That tragedy struck a major chord with me.  I grew up roughly 30 minutes away from the high school that lost 16 students on that flight.  Although I didn't know any of them, we were the same age and from the same rural area.  Knowing that Stargirl is a tribute to a victim of that tragedy makes me like her even more.

Marvel's M2 1st Appearances AMERICAN DREAM!

American Dream: The Star-Spangled Fangirl  - M2 1st Appearances - ToyBiz 1999

Shannon Carter grew up idolizing Captain America.  Unlike most fans, however, she had a closer connection to her hero in the form of her Aunt Sharon Carter, an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.  She even found herself being a tourguide in the Avengers Mansion.  She first appeared as American Dream in the pages of A-Next (in Marvel's alternate M2 Universe) alongside Spider-Girl, Thena, and Stinger.  After that series ended, she starred in a solo title, as well as Captain America Corps.  This action figure is the only merchandise ever produced of Shannon (Shocking that there hasn't been a Heroclix or Minimate at least).  It has all the standard pitfalls of 1990's ToyBiz figures (awkward proportions, weird pose, giant accessories, etc), but it's still a pretty fantastic toy.  Her super-iconic costume is recognizable to almost anyone.  Your non-nerdy friends will undoubtedly ask who she is (and if she was in the movie).  Let's check out American Dream in detail below!

Impact Wrestling MISS TESSMACHER!

Deluxe Impact Wrestling: Series 10 - Miss Tessmacher - Jakks Pacific 2013
 
I should have saved this star-spangled character for a patriotic holiday!  I'm always happy to get a wrestling figure that isn't wearing pink, white or black.  Although I shouldn't complain because most of my recent figures have definitely been straying from the repetitive color palette of the past.  An interesting thing about my purchase of wrestling figures is that I usually have no clue who the women are when I find them in the store, then in the preparation for a review I learn all about their careers.  I'm getting quite an education over the past few years, too.  I even seem somewhat knowledgeable when I catch an episode of Total Divas on E! now.  Miss Tessmacher has been in the wrestling world since 2006 and has worked for WWE, ECW, and TNA under various names: Brooke, Brooke Adams, Brooke Tessmacher, and of course Miss Tessmacher.  These Jakks Pacific figures are hit and miss for me.  Each one seems to have features I like and dislike.  This particular figure is more on the "miss" side for me with her oddly proportioned body parts, but she still packs quite a punch.  Let's check her out below!

Three Mini LADY LIBERTIES!

Mini-Mates, Playmobil, and Lego - Statues of Liberty - 2010, 2011 & 2012

Happy Independence Day!  I'm typing this far in advance because I will be celebrating the 4th high in the mountains with no cell phone reception and (most likely) no internet.  It will be nice to get away for a few days, but I've been planning to review these fabulous green ladies for months now and no mere holiday excursion will deter me now.  The Statue of Liberty is such a unique and timeless symbol.  Her image is so pervasive sometimes that it takes some little plastic toys like these to make me notice how cool she is.  The pale green of oxidized copper, the stern gaze, the Roman garb - everything about her is interesting.  I'm frankly shocked their aren't more figures of her.  Sure, you can find PVC figurines of every Looney Tunes character in the world dressed in the the green sash and spiked crown, but solid green, non-costumey representations like these are very rare.  Now I just need a Funko POP, a mini Mez-Itz, and a Kubrick (and the POTA set piece doesn't count).  Let's check these ladies out below!

The Tick's AMERICAN MAID!

Twist and Chop American Maid - The Tick - Series II - Bandai 1995

Happy Memorial Day!  I had a whole list of patriotic characters to potentially review today, but American Maid was the winner.  The Tick: The Animated Series introduced the mainstream world to a wonderfully wacky world  filled with puns and absurd heroes.  In reading the wikipedia page right now, I learned that The Tick was created as a comic store newsletter mascot in 1986.  New England Comics, the store chain he was created for, soon began publishing The Tick in his own comics and a legend was born.  A lot of the characters were parodies of popular Marvel and DC characters.  American Maid was no exception and is considered a blended parody of Captain America and Wonder Woman.  She was a reluctant ally of The Tick and initially preferred to fight crime alone -- with her weaponized high heels and tiara!  Plus she loved disguising herself to infiltrate the bad guys.  All-in-All, she was an amazing heroine.  Bandai's representation of her is pretty much perfect, too.  Let's check her out below!