Super7 ReAction - JANICE!

ReAction Action Figures - Electric Mayhem Wave 01 - Janice - Super7 2024

Modern Muppets programs have a tendency to get canceled too soon. The Muppets (2025) lasted just 17 episodes, Muppets Tonight (1996) ended after 22, and most recently, The Muppets Mayhem (2023) was canceled after a mere 10. I'll be honest, I only ever saw one episode of Mayhem and it didn't immediately capture my attention the way 2015 series did, but I had friends and family who raved about it and I really like the creative team behind it, so I will start it again this week. The series features the Muppet band, Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem as they tour and create an album. It features lots of classic Muppets but most notable (for me) is the iconic spacey lead guitarist, Janice. Even if the series didn't have a massive cultural impact, it still prompted this great Reaction line from Super7. It would be awesome to get a whole Muppets line to go along with the Sesame Street figures, but in the meantime, this lone Janice is the only Muppet ReAction in my collection. Let's check her out below!

The Muppets - JANICE!

The Best of the Muppets Series 3 - Floyd and Janice - Diamond Select 2024

It's sometimes a little odd to realize that for the longest time there were only two female Muppets in the main cast. Miss Piggy got all the attention, but the lead guitarist for Electric Mayhem, Janice, was there from the very beginning with her iconic lips, lanky stature, and valley girl drawl. I always knew the lore that she was based on Mick Jagger with Janis Joplin's name, but beyond the exaggerated mouth, I didn't see the connection. But then last night I saw her original concept sketch for the first time I finally saw the likeness. I've wanted a Janice figure forever, but back in the heyday of the Palisades line, I wanted the pink-shirted Chase version, but was unable to ever find her. Then all these years later I was finally able to add this amazing DST version to my Collection. This figure was originally released in 2018 in a set with Floyd, but this review is for the re-released "Best of" version last year. I'm playing catch-up with this line so I'm grateful for the reissues. Let's check out Janice below!

The Muppets - MISS PIGGY!

The Best of the Muppets Series 1 - Kermit and Miss Piggy - Diamond Select 2024

I have always been big fan of Jim Henson. And his flagship creation, The Muppets, is very hard not to love. Yet, somehow, I've managed to not have any Muppets in my toy collection until very recently. Many years ago, when I started collecting toys as an adult, the epic Palisades Muppets line was in full swing. There ended up being over 100 amazing figures, but it was just too overwhelming and intimidating for me. I never purchased any but I always regretted not picking up a few choice characters. Flash forward 15 or so years when Diamond Select Toys started a new Muppets line in 2018. I've been eyeing them since they started coming out and there have been several times where I almost took the plunge and bought them all. But it was the recent "Best of" re-releases last year, combined with a random bogo sale at FYE right before Christmas that finally made me pull the trigger. Now I'm addicted and I can't believe I waited so long to add these characters to my collection. Let's check out Miss Piggy below!

Female Character ACTION FIGURE COMICS COVERS!

The Coolest Variant Cover Trend of Recent Years - Fantasy Action Figures

This is the first post I've made on this blog that doesn't have to do with real action figures or statues. Comic Book cover variants are a major trend in the hardcopy comic world. Back in the day, variants would be rare incentives for some super-special issue. But now it's actually rare when and issue doesn't have at least one variant. Different companies will have themes, like Lego covers or Women of Power. But my favorite by far has been the Action Figure covers. There are a few early examples of this kind of cover, but I believe the current trend was kicked off by the various Marvel Star Wars comics from Spring of 2015. There were tons of action figure variants across all the Star Wars titles at the time. Then later that Summer, Marvel's Secret Wars event used the same tactic and its momentum has only grown since then. There are usually a few Marvel Action Figure Variants each week now. And other publishers are picking up on the trend as well.  Let's check out a slew of these covers below!

Super7 ReAction - STEELHEART!

ReAction Action Figures - SilverHawks Wave 01 - Steelheart - Super7 2025

When Super7 first announced the SilverHawks license a few years ago, they mentioned all the types of product they were planning to produce. While the Ultimates line gets the lion's share of attention (and the SilverHawks Ultimates have been amazing) I was personally even more excited by the ReAction figures. Of course, it took them nearly three years to finally make them, but they are amazing and very much worth the wait. In all the different vintage-inspired toylines I collect, the goal is always to assemble a Ladies of the Eighties lineup. And with some of the lesser-produced ladies, like Jem, already in the line, ReAction is ahead of the game. I predict we'll even see the TigerSharks ladies in the next few years. I suspect the delay of this SilverHawks wave had to do with the perfecting of the metallic deco. While I truly appreciated the pearlized gray animated look in the first Ultimates figures, the multi-colored metallic just looks so much better. Let's check out the ReAction Steelheart below!

TF Upgrade Kit - ANTAGONESS!

TF Upgrade Kit - DC-01 Antagoness - Mechanical Skull Studio/Dima Core 2024

When I opened and reviewed the Transformers Legacy Evolution Antagony figure twelve months ago, I had very mixed feelings. I loved that I finally had this character in plastic. I thought she was frightening - how she couldn't feel pain and was obsessed with inflicting it upon others. Plus I love insects, so she kind of filled the void of a missing female Insecticon. My issue, however, was with the figure itself. Antagony is destined to continually be a repaint of Inferno, who is unfortunately always extremely bulky and monstrous with no femininity at all. I personally love duality in a character, so the more aggressive and maniacal a character acts, the more beautiful and feminine I want her to look. In researching for that review, I had seen her IDW Comics redesign which had her looking more like Blackarachnia. I never expected to see a toy of that design but was pleasantly surprised to find this 3rd-party upgrade kit which lets you totally transform the original figure into a tall, sleek fembot. Let's check it out below!

Spidey and His Amazing Friends - GHOSTASAURUS!

Spidey and His Amazing Friends -  Ghostasaurus & Spidey - Hasbro 2024

In the August 2024 episode of Spidey and His Amazing Friends titled "Go Dino-Webs Go!", the main three heroes, Spidey (Peter), Ghost-Spider (Gwen), and Spin (Miles) are given Dino-Web suits by their new shape-changing friend, Reptil. These suits each have green crystal spider logos on the chest, and when the heroes press that crystal they can transform into a dinosaur. Spidey becomes a T-Rex, Spin becomes a Stegosaurus, and Ghost-Spider becomes this awesome Pterodactyl. This is all done to combat the Green Goblin who is terrorizing the countryside in a giant mechanical Tyrannosaurus Rex. I really dig anthropomorphic dino characters in general, but when I saw this Ghostasaurus figure, she reminded me of the female Archaeopteryx Teryx from Dino-Saucers with her color scheme and wings (a sentiment I also had for Gormiti's Jessica). But this toy is very cool in its own right. Spider-Gwen's costume design would look awesome on anything though. Let's check out Ghostasaurus below!

Miniforce X - LUCYBOT!

Miniforce X Commander - LucyBot Genesis Machine (KO Version) - Jumpgo 2018

This figure has been a thorn in my side for many years. I have ordered her multiple times but have been scammed repeatedly. Recently I tried again, after a several year hiatus, and was successful. Albeit, for a knockoff version, as the original is now scarce and expensive. The anthropomorphic fox character, Lucy, has had several bot forms over the many seasons of Miniforce, but I love this one because it looks the most like a G1 Transformer. Miniforce (and many other kid-focused South Korean shows I've seen) is amazing because it blends genres seamlessly. Lucy is a cute cartoony pink fox that would appeal to very young children. But when the action arises, she can change into a human Super-Sentai-esque warrior. And then that human form can pilot different robot mecha (like we see here), and then those bots even combine into a mega-bot. I can imagine kids growing with this series and just latching on to different aspects as their interests change. It's rather genius. Let's check out the knockoff Lucybot below!