Marvel Universe MEDUSA!

Your Favorite Lunar Lady - Marvel Universe: Inhumans 3-Pack - Hasbro 2013
 
I get the feeling that we're never going to get another single-carded female in the Marvel Universe line.  Sure, they say we're getting Elektra and Dagger, but until I see them on the shelves I'll hold on to my doubts.  I actually don't mind buying the team packs and comic sets though, because I have a pretty quick turnaround time unloading my unwanted figures on eBay.  But at the same time, I'm not going to keep buying extra characters forever.  This is fair warning Hasbro:  Stop hiding the good heroines in multi-packs!  Okay rant over.  Medusa is a pretty interesting character.  I feel like every story I've read with her portrays her differently.  Sometimes she's regal, sometimes snotty, sometimes flirty, and more recently, kind of devious.  She's currently a replacement member of the Fantastic Four in FF and I have a gut feeling I'm not going to like her character very much in the coming months.  This figure is a massive improvement over the recently released (and reviewed) Mockingbird.  Medusa is better proportioned and articulated, and that makes a world of difference.  Let's check her out below!

Animated Statues of HARLEY QUINN!

Two Harley Quinn Maquettes from DC Direct 2004 & Warner Bros 1999

This post is a simple one that I've been planning to do for a long time.  A few years ago, the two "animated style" maquettes of Harley Quinn became an obsession for me.  They were at the top of my list for almost two years before I was able to acquire them both.  They are severely overpriced in the secondary market so it was a frustrating journey.  Anyway, in the process of hunting them down, I discovered a shocking lack of information, way too much misinformation, and no comparisons of the two extremely similar products.  For those not familiar with the origins of Harley, she was originally created by Paul Dini and Bruce Timm in 1992 for Batman: The Animated Series.  Having her origin in animation, these maquettes (3-D models for animators) are the ultimate Harley Collectible.  They look great, they have historical significance to the character's origins, and they are very well made.  This post is a simple series of comparison photographs, something which I wish existed few years ago.  Enjoy!

Birds of Prey - BLACK CANARY!

Dinah Lance from the Birds of Prey Boxset - DC Direct - 2003
 
The first time I ever liked Black Canary was in 2002's Batman: Hush storyline.  It was a very intriguing first impression, but a very alien one compared to the Dinah I've grown to love since.  I only have fuzzy memories of her scenes in that story (was she dressed like Mockingbird?), but I definitely remember being reminded of Coyote Ugly.  Sooo.. I'm thinking sexy barmaid fistfights?  I was too old in 2002 to not roll my eyes at that.  Who knows what it was, but something made me start reading Birds of Prey and then I was hooked (shhh.. I even have the show on DVD).  Black Canary is one of the very first DC heroines.  She debuted in a 1947 issue of Flash Comics, just five years after Wonder Woman first appeared.  Granted, that Black Canary had been retconned into this version's mother (only to be merged back into the same character again in 2011).  The only real difference is that the original character did not possess the metahuman "Canary Cry" ability, but other than that they possess the same fighting skills, same looks, and same name.  Plus Dinah hardly ever uses her cry anyway.  Let's check out this classic figure below!

World War II Icon ROSIE THE RIVETER!

Real World Action Figures - Rosie the Riveter - Accoutrements 2003
 
Rosie the Riveter is a symbolic cultural icon from World War II America.  Social norms in the 1940s were for women to be housewives, teachers, and nurses.  However, the demands of war saw the male labor force diminish greatly.  While all the men were being enlisted for the battlelines, there was a major effort to recruit women to fill in the vacant factory jobs back home.  Rosie the Riveter is the fictional figurehead of this movement.  She was the subject of songs, ads, and posters and was inspired by numerous real working women (and several non-working models).  She was a hit.  Eventually, the name "Rosie" became a nickname for almost any woman holding an industrial job during the war.  This action figure of Rosie the Riveter seems to be based off her two most iconic images.  The first being the classic 1942 "We Can Do It" poster by Pittsburgh Artist J. Howard Miller and Norman Rockwell's 1943 cover of Saturday Evening Post.  The main figure is clearly based on the Miller print, but her "Rosie" lunchbox and Riveter are original to Rockwell.  Let's check out the figure in detail below!

Dragon Flyz NOCTURNA!

The Evil Dreadwing's Femme Fatale, Nocturna - Dragon Flyz - Galoob 1996

Who doesn't love a good mystery?  It's especially exciting when a mystery centers around an "unknown" toy.  I've been searching high and low for some kind of proof that this figure exists, but beyond the fact that I am holding her in my hands, I'm coming up at a complete loss.  Dragon Flyz (and their girly counterpart, the Sky Dancers) were produced by Galoob from 1995-1996.  They had a cool playable gimmick of being able to launch into the sky with the aid of dragon-shaped launchers that hide a ripcord schematic in their tails.  The toys all have raised necks that allow room for a rotating, hinged set of foam wings that extend from centrifugal force and send the figures soaring.  There was a corresponding cartoon that was actually pretty cool.  I kind of wish the toys had ditched the flying gimmick and had more stationary back-mounted wings like in the cartoon.  But alas, the toys were popular and you can still see the gimmick being used in toys today (current Disney Tinkerbell toys come to mind).

English Novelist JANE AUSTEN!

Real World Action Figures - Jane Austen - Accoutrements 2002

I've always had a soft spot for Accoutrements and all their wacky novelty action figures.  I believe the first one I ever saw was Edgar Allen Poe.  Then Jesus.  Then Casanova.  Then who knows.  There are a ton.  It wasn't until recently that I decided to start hunting down a select few.  Luckily most of them are readily available on eBay without breaking the bank.  The first I will review is the famed English novelist, Jane Austen.  While I can honestly say I've never read any of her books, I have seen plenty of film adaptations of her work.  Plus she has twice been the subject of the amazing trend of novel mash-ups with Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters and Pride and Prejudice and Zombies.  There's nothing like a pop-culture gimmick to expose people to the classics.  I know this action figure is meant to be absurd, but it's honestly pretty cool.  It's well made, accurate, and quirky.  What's not to like?   Let's check her out below.

Power Girl & Supergirl as NIGHTWING & FLAMEBIRD!

Karen and Kara as Kandor's Dynamic Duo - DC Direct - DC Armory - 2008

Back before the DC Reboot I was a (somewhat) regular member on the DC Message Boards.  When I think back to the monthly reactions to DC Direct solicitations I'm kind of embarassed for all of us collectors.  DC Direct was able to produce beautiful action figures of obscure characters (and obscure variants of major characters) consistently for roughly 13 years.. and, oh yeah, we were getting new product monthly.  And what was the perpetual reaction to this brand?  "Ughh they're out of scale with their figures from three years ago" and "Ughh more SuperWonderBats."  Well, I've been revisiting my DC Direct collection and falling in love with them all over again.  Nightwing and Flamebird were especially bemoaned, mostly because they were such obscure characters.  But I think we all missed that they're pretty damn cool characters.  The flawless sculpts by John G Matthews are just icing on the cake.  Let's take a second look at these lovely ladies now that we've had a chance to cool down.

Anthropomorphism at its Finest: The VOGUE CATS!

My Little Kitten, Cats N' Fun, & Vogue Cats - Fun Time Products 2007

It's a pretty rare thing when two completely different genres of toy collecting come together in a fresh new product.  The two genres I'm talking about are (1) the hyper-accessoried toy lines like Polly Pocket.  And (2) the ever-impressive animal figurine market with companies like Schleich, Safari, Papo, and Bullyland constantly creating competition for each other and inspiring better and better figures every year.  (not to mention all the added pressure from the newcomers like CollectA and MojoFun).  The Vogue Cats have blended these genres together perfectly.  They are pretty difficult to find today and can fetch a pretty penny in the secondary market.  During the course of their shelf-life, they were packaged under three different names: Vogue Cats, My Little Kitten, and Cats N' Fun.  I've found that single figures are usually found as Vogue Cats, but the larger action playsets come as Cats N' Fun.  Let's check them out below!