DC Comics - KIDROBOT KEYCHAINS!

DC Keychain Series - Catwoman, Wonder Woman, Supergirl - Kidrobot 2015

It seems like the older I get, the more I love super-cute things.  When I was younger I held on tightly to some silly preconceived notions of masculinity that would have had me sneering at today's popular toylines like Funko POP, Imaginext, and Mini-Mates.  Heck, I probably even would have turned my nose up at Legos.  It's been a long slow acceptance for me to admit that I simply just like what I like.  Sometimes those are gorey monster toys, sometimes they're adorable doe-eyed keychains.  Who cares. These Kidrobot keychains are pretty great. They're cute, well designed, and their paint apps are on point.  The best part is that I didn't realize that these are seemingly the precursors for the Kidrobot DC Blind Box figures that are in comic stores next week.  The Blind Box figures have a different character assortment and are roughly twice the size of these mini keychains with some limited articulation. Depending on character selection, I think I'll be hoarding both scales of these figures.  Let's check them out below!

Halo - COMMANDER PALMER!

HALO 4 - Series 03: Commander Sarah Palmer - McFarlane Toys 2015

Halo is one of those toy lines that I have no interest in, but then I keep getting suckered in by cool action figures that magically appear when the shelves seem to be devoid of my typical superhero fare.  This is now my 5th Halo toy which is surprising because I've never played the game, or even seen any gameplay aside from random commercials and that election day episode of The Good Wife.  (Interesting connection I just discovered: Ridley Scott, director the Good Wife is directing a digital feature called Halo: Nightfall featuring Good Wife star (and future Luke Cage), Mike Colter.  Nice cross-promotion there.  But I digress).  Commander Palmer gets some special attention because she's the only character I have two of.  I couldn't resist her SprüKits model from earlier this year, although I may have skipped it if I knew this version was on the horizon.  This figure is of typical high quality along with my other McFarlane toys.  If other companies out there put this much effort into quality I'd be one happy boy.

Masters of the Universe Classics - QUEEN ANGELLA!

MOTUC Club Eternia - Angella - Mattycollector.com Exclusive - Mattel 2015

Every time I get a new MOTUC figure, I confidently proclaim it to be my favorite action figure ever. This Queen Angella of Brightmoon figure is definitely no exception. She's one of the most dynamic and interesting figures in my POP collection. Angella was far from my favorite character in the cartoon. There's no good reason for this, I just never thought she was that interesting in comparison to the rest of the Great Rebllion. Plus her hair always annoyed me. When this figure was first teased, I thought the re-use of DCUC Hawkgirl's wings was lazy, and when the first reports found her height to be significantly shorter than previous POP girls (including her daughter Glimmer), my expectations were lowered to pretty dismal levels. However, as soon as I got this figure in my hands, all my fears were assuaged.  The wings look a thousand times better on Angella than Hawkgirl, and although she is shorter than the rest of the girls, I will personally only be displaying her with a flight stand, effectively eliminating the problem.

Microman - LADY COMMAND!

Microman Lady Command (Reissue) - Regular Assortment - Takara 1999

Microman is the grandfather to modern action figures.  They burst onto the scene in 1974 with small scales, interchangeable parts, and an average of 30 points of articulation per figure - a set of characteristics that is still impressive even by today's standards.  G.I.Joe and Transformers owe their development to these fantastic toys. Their unique scale and articulation is a clear inspiration for modern 3.75" figures, and later robot-themed Microman waves were literally rebranded to become the earliest Transformers.  I also love that Microman has such a unique, timeless style.  The bright colors mixed with their trademark metallic heads and occasional translucent pieces is still recognizable and utilized by the brand today.  The Lady Command series was rare and represented the only females in the original run (1974-1984).  So when a major resurgence in the line happened in 1999, they were some of the most popular reissues.  Let's check them out in detail below!

X-Men Ninja Force - DEATHBIRD!

Marvel Comics - X-Men Ninja Force: Space Ninja Deathbird - ToyBiz 1997

Deathbird is one of my favorite villains in the Marvel Universe. My first exposure to her was in the Spotlight on Starjammers special from 1990. Soon she was making regular cameos during Jim Lee's run on X-Men. It wasn't long before I was seeking out her earliest appearances in Ms. Marvel. I was pretty smitten. Deathbird is a Shi'ar mutant and sister of Lilandra (Empress of the Shi-ar Empire and love interest of Charles Xavier). She is a delightfully wicked character. (Plus her renewed popularity paved the way for Cerise, my favorite new addition to Excalibur in 1992). This Deathbird figure epitomizes what was awesome about ToyBiz figures in the 90s. It's an amazing character choice and it's a great, non-gimmicky execution (all "ninja" naming conventions to the contrary). The only critique I have of this figure is that she has a pretty busted face. Luckily she was always sporting some hideous growl in the comics and her headpiece obscures much of her face. Let's check out Deathbird below!

Justice Society of America - HAWKGIRL!

JSA: Series 01 - Hawkgirl (Kendra Saunders) - DC Direct 2007

There have been a ton of great Hawkgirl action figures over the years.  I can think of five great ones right off the top of my head... and those are only the ones from DC Direct.  Not to mention the extensive number of animated Hawkgirl figures.  Yet despite the abundance of these feathered heroines, it's easy for me to confidently claim this version as my favorite.  Surprisingly, this was only the second collector-oriented Hawkgirl figure (after DC Direct's Hawkman & Hawkgirl 2-Pack from 2000), yet to me it stands out from the pack.  The two main focal points for me are (1) the amazing sculpt by Sam Greenwell.  She looks feminine and strong - which are the main components I look for in my action figures. And (2) the removable mask.  Normally I think this functionality would be a recipe for disaster on an action figure, but it is literally perfect.  I don't know if that credit also goes to Sam Greenwell or the DC Direct production engineers, but either way it's a fantastic achievement.  Let's check out Hawkgirl below!

Ultraman - ANDRO FROL!

Ultra Hero Series - Andro Meros 4: Andro Frol (Vinyl Figure) - Bandai 2003

I'm a big fan of Japanese vinyl figures.  Between the major Japanese genres like Super Sentai, Kamen Rider, and Ultraman, there are an overwhelming number of characters with awesome designs.  If these characters were all made into the typical high-end collectible figures like Figma or SHFiguarts, they would be laughably unobtainable for me. Heck, even if they were produced as standard American-style action figures, the sheer quantity of tempting characters would have me bankrupt in no time.  That's why I love these inexpensive, simply-made vinyl figures from Bandai. Andro Frol is one of the four new characters introduced in the 1984 mini-show Ultra Super Legend: Andromelos. She is the princess of the Andro people and has many powers including: energy beams from her forehead, generation of a force field, and telekinesis. I always thought her design was really cool with her futuristic armor and little angel wings. Contrasting design elements like that always thrill me. Let's check her out below!

Gormiti: Supreme Eclipse Era - LORD OF THE AIR!

Gormiti: The Supreme Eclipse Era - Jessica (Lord of the Air) - Giochi Preziosi 2010

Gormiti is a popular Italian toy line created in 2005 by toy company Giochi Preziosi. The original incarnation of Gormiti was small 2-3" monster figures very reminiscent of 1987's Battle Beasts. The figures were split into good and evil factions and themed after four natural elements: Water, Earth, Forest, and Air. These toys were very popular and have really interesting color-themed designs. By 2008 there was an animated series. The major new development in the cartoon was the introduction of four young characters who gained the ability to transform into the Lords of Nature. The young Jessica Herleins could now become the Lord of the Air and rule over all the Air creatures. These human characters led to larger-scale (true) action figures. There were three iterations of the show and each featured an evolution of the character design. This feathered version of Jessica is from the second series (the Supreme Eclipse Era). In the first series she looked more like a Faerie. Let's check out Jessica below!