Sectaurs - STELLARA!

Sectaurs: The Warriors of Symbion - Wave 1 - Stellara - Nacelle Co 2023

For years Stellara has been an unobtainable holy grail for me. I have seen prototypes of her unreleased vintage figure pop up for sale numerous times, mostly in the range of several thousand dollars. (Although once I learned of a completed eBay auction with her just listed as "unknown purple girl" - the lucky bidder had major bragging rights for that score). She seemed unobtainable but not necessarily out of reach (if that makes sense) which made her all the more desirable in my eyes. Sectaurs was one of my favorite 80s properties. Nature and fantasy were my favorite genres and it was an added bonus that all the characters looked somewhat creepy with their stern faces and large insectile eyes. When Nacelle announced this figure I quite literally shrieked. I would finally add this elusive member of the Ladies of the Eighties club to my collection. She is perfection to me. Her articulation and sculpt is modernized, but in a way that is a love letter to the classic line (similar to the aesthetic of MOTU Origins). 

Funko Pop - PRINCESS ARIEL!

POP! Animation #831 - Thundarr the Barbarian's Ariel - ECCC Exc - Funko 2021

I find few genres as aesthetically pleasing as adventure cartoons from the late '60s thru early '80s. Filmation and Hanna-Barbera dominated this market at the time, but the newly-formed Ruby-Spears Productions ('77) had a few great contributions as well, my favorite being Thundarr the Barbarian ('80-81). Thundarr follows three nomadic heroes on a future Earth where the moon has been split in two causing massive climate change and the fall of civilization. Old magicks have replaced technology and the remnants of modern cities lie in ruin along the heroes' path as they help the civilians with evil wizards, werewolves, or monsters. It's like Conan meets A-Team meet Planet of the Apes. Also, it's hard not to see the influence to He-Man. The sandy page-boy haircut, furry clothes, and a power sword is all very familiar. And remember, this show pre-dated He-Man, Blackstar, and the Conan movies. Ariel is a young sorceress hero and has one of my favorite animation designs ever. Let's check her out!

Scooby-Doo Imaginext - DAPHNE & VELMA!

Imaginext Scooby-Doo - Velma Dinkley & Daphne Blake - Fisher-Price 2018

I'm finally catching up on all the backlogged Imaginext figures I've had laying around forever. The only downfall to running a review blog, is that I can't rip open a toy as soon as I buy it. Waiting until I have time to photograph them in the packaging puts my patience to the test. I never would have expected to like a Scooby-Doo Imaginext line so much. Sure, the main characters look great (except for Scooby himself ironically). But the great thing is that this line has proved to be a great vehicle for all the "monsters." The removable hoods are perfect for reminiscing over those iconic "jinkies!" moments. The only sad thing is that so far this line has only shown up at Toys R Us. It hasn't been expressly declared an exclusive, but I feel that the future availability of the line is uncertain. I would love a One-Eyed Skeleton, a Phantom Racer, and a 10,000 Volt Ghost - they were always my favorites. Maybe Target, Wal-Mart or the revived Kay-Bee will pick up the line and give us a few more sets. Let's check out Velma and Daphne below!

Skysurfer Strike Force SLICED ICE!

Skysurfer Strike Force - Fully Poseable Action Figures - Sliced Ice -  Bandai 1995

Skysurfer Strike Force was an animated series from 1995 that never got its proper time in the sun. It lasted two seasons and was fairly popular.  But for some reason it was lost to time and you almost never hear mention of the cartoon or the toylines. The story in a nutshell is that there are five protagonists with powerful watches that transform them into the Skysurfers - and also turn their vehicles into giant hovercraft/surfboard things.  The bad guys are a group of "bio-borgs" led by the evil Cybron, who stole a technologically-developed brain from Skysurfer-One's Dad and connected it to his own brain to make himself an evil genius. Yeah, the plot is weak, and so are the surfboard gimmicks to be honest. But what is great about this series is the throwback to 80's cartoon culture by means of outlandish character design and wonderfully repetitive transformation sequences. When watching this show, I see correlations to Bravestarr, Silverhawks, C.O.P.S., and so many more, despite airing at a time when most cartoons were in the choppy early stages of CGI. This show just had a classic quality about it that I really appreciate.

Thundarr the Barbarian's ARIEL!

Princess Ariel - Hanna-Barbera's Thundarr the Barbarian - Toynami 2003
 
Thundarr the Barbarian is easily one of the coolest cartoons I've ever seen.  The setting is a post-apocalyptic Earth in the year 3994 AD where a runaway comet nearly collided with the planet but instead broke the moon in half and drastically altered the climate and geography of Earth.  The civilization that emerged in later millenia was steeped in sorcery, hyperscience, mutations, and barbarism.  The show began in 1980 and ran two seasons with 21 total episodes.  A standard episode consists of Thundarr, Ariel, and Ookla the Mok arriving on horseback to a recognizable human landmark (NYC, Mt. Rushmore, Seattle, etc) where they help resolve some form of injustice (a'la the A-Team).  It combined so many different facets from so many different properties that it was hard not to enjoy it.  Princess Ariel is a Sorceress with a mysterious past (mostly just because it was never explained).  She talks a lot of her stepfather's library where she learned about magic and the history of Earth.  Because of this, she leads the educational tone of the show (in historical geography at least).  Let's check out this gorgeous figure below.

Dragon's Lair PRINCESS DAPHNE!

Your Pinup Princess from Dragon's Lair 3-D:  Series One - AnJon 2002

Dragon's Lair 3-D was the fourth video game in the epic Dragon's Lair series which started in 1983.  One thing that made this series stand out from the rest was the princess.  Animation for the game was provided by Don Bluth, the ex-Disney animator responsible for such non-Disney classics as The Secret of Nimh, An American Tail, and The Land Before Time.  Bluth created Princess Daphne as a decidedly more sexual character than similar damsels in distress, even reportedly using Playboy pinups as inspiration.  Needless to say this provided major encouragement for all the adolescent gamers out there.  Over the years, this property has inspired plenty of games, comics, cartoons, and merchandise, but surprisingly very few action figures.  Then in 2002, the company AnJon produced an amazing set of action figures based off the Dragon's Lair 3-D: Return to the Lair game for Xbox, Gamecube, and PS2.  AnJon did the characters justice with this high quality lineup.  On to the Princess Daphne review!