World of Nintendo - SAMUS!

World of Nintendo - Series 1-2 - Metroid: Samus - Jakks Pacific 2015

Samus Aran is the protagonist of the Metroid series of video games.  Starting in 1986, the series now has 12 games released, all of which star Samus Aran.  Samus is a space-faring bounty hunter in an advanced power suit who steamrolls through alien planets and spaceships fighting the jellyfish-like Metroid invaders.  I think a lot of players of the early 8-bit game had no idea Samus was a girl until later on in her development.  I never played any of the Metroid games, but I think I would have had I known more about her.  Apparently the earliest handbooks made her gender pretty clear, but the bulky armor still confused young gamers; me included.  It's kind of amazing that there are currently three really good Samus figures on the market.  The high-end Figma figure is beautiful, and the Amiibo figure is everywhere, but I personally think this World of Nintendo version is the best choice for quality and price.  This series has a ton of potential and I'm excited to see what comes out of it next.  On to Samus!

Marvel Legends - SPIDER-GIRL!

Spider-Man Infinite Series - Hobgoblin Wave - Warriors of the Web - Hasbro 2015

May "Mayday" Parker is one of those characters that I have desperately tried to get into.  The idea of a girl wearing Spider-Man's costume was such a novel idea to me.  I couldn't believe it hadn't been done before. I remember discovering her on a Wizard Magazine cover while on vacation with my family.  (I discovered Cassandra Cain in the same issue actually).  Over the years I tried and tried to get into the comic but it just didn't stick.  I always loved her design so I kept going back.  Her fanbase was phenomenal though and her title was continually resurrected and rebooted.  Even now, she's been a major player in the Spider-Verse storyline and the Petra Parker Spider-Girl in the Web Warriors cartoon plays homage to Mayday.  Pretty good for a character that started off as a hypothetical one-shot in "What If...?"  This figure is amazing.  Hasbro has been knocking it out of the park with their Marvel Legends figures lately.  My Spider-Lady shelf is positively exploding. Let's check out Mayday below!

Marvel Legends - ULTIMATE SPIDER-WOMAN!

Spider-Man Infinite Series - Hobgoblin Wave - Warriors of the Web - Hasbro 2015

Ever since Ultimate Spider-Woman first appeared way back in 2006 I've been obsessed.  In the Ultimate universe, Jessica Drew is a clone of Peter Parker, embodying all his powers and memories.  This origin led to some interesting romantic interactions over the years.  She's expressed a natural attraction to red-headed girls (a'la Peter's enfatuation with MJ).  But she's also had some bizarre romantic trysts with men.  In the instance of Iceman, the fact that she retained all of Peter's memories made it very interesting.  I didn't realize it at the time, but it really touched on a lot of gender and transgender issues, albeit in a very vague sci-fi way. But beyond all her backstory, Spider-Woman's costume just seems so incredibly cool to me. It is so simple, yet very unique.  I found myself eagerly buying every comic she was in for years.  It didn't hurt that the amazing Stuart Immonen was the main artist during much of her character development.  Without further ado, let's check out Ultimate Spider-Woman!

TOY FAIR 2015 Coverage - OTHER COMPANIES!

Mezco - NECA - NJCroce - Madame Alexander - Monogram - Schleich - I Am Elemental

TOY FAIR 2015 Coverage - DC Collectibles & DST!

DC Icons - Designer Series - BTAS Femme Fatales - Marvel Select

TOY FAIR 2015 Coverage - FUNKO!

 POP! - Dorbz - Legacy - ReAction - Mopeez

S.H.Figuarts - SAILOR MOON!

S.H.Figuarts: Sailor Moon -  Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon - Bandai 2013

So I've been writing this blog (and loving it) for a little over three years now. I started it not knowing if I would find an audience, and frankly not really caring if I did. I was doing it for me. I love this hobby and when I realized there was a gap in the female action figure representation online, my hobby naturally extended out of my toy cave and onto the internet. It's been a lot of fun and I hit new thresholds all the time. Last week was another first. An amazing reader of this blog sent me a package full of fantastic action figures. You are an absolute star, James!  Opening that box made me feel more appreciated than I would have expected. The first of several reviews from this gift box is the S.H.Figuarts Sailor Moon from Bandai. I have a thing for Magical Girl series. I've done reviews of Winx and W.I.T.C.H. figures in the past, and it's always bugged me that I had no representation of Sailor Moon in my collection.  That problem is definitely remedied now though!  Let's check out Sailor Moon below!

Marvel Legends - SCARLET WITCH!

Marvel Legends Infinite Series - Allfather Wave - Maidens of Might - Hasbro 2015

The Scarlet Witch has been through some amazing transformations in the past decade.  She is one of those characters with phenomenal powers that are criminally underutilized in the comics (like most of the female mutants).  Wanda Maximoff can change reality on a whim.  This power seems frightening and unstable honestly. But her storylines didn't focus on that until the fateful House of M storyline in 2005.  Ever since then she has been awarded the proper sense of awe and caution she deserves.  Her role in the upcoming Avengers: Age of Ultron film will likely elevate her even further.  She's finally living up to the Maximoff name.  This figure is one of the most desperately needed re-dos in the Marvel Legends line.  Her 2005 figure from the Legendary Riders line is bafflingly bad.  This new figure has some definite flaws, but it is a long-awaited and major improvement.  Wanda shares the "Maidens of Might" slot in this wave with Captain Marvel.  Let's check out Scarlet Witch below!