G.I.Joe Classified - COVER GIRL!

G.I.Joe Classified (Vintage) Series  - Courtney "Cover Girl" Krieger - Hasbro 2025

It's amazing how the G.I.Joe Classified figures just keep getting better and better. This Vintage-Card Cover Girls figure from last year (in her M.A.S.S. Device design) is probably the best looking female figure in the line so far. It's very rare to see a sculpted smiling face that doesn't look creepy, but this figure achieved it in spades. She comes with two heads and two separate hairpieces to give you four unique display options. When she first came out I had several preorders arrive on my doorstep only to find some very unfortunate paint errors marring my figures. I kept buying her desperate to find one without crossed eyes or a crooked mouth. I eventually found a booth at NYCC with about 15 of her and and I finally found my good one. The sculpt was just too good to not go the extra mile hunting a great paintjob. This blonde version of Cover Girl only appeared in the first 5-episode G.I.Joe miniseries in 1983, but her popularity is still strong 40+ years later (3 figures in the last 4 years!) Let's check out Cover girl below!

Super7 Reaction+ O-Ring - LADY JAYE!

G.I.Joe RAH ReAction+ O-Ring Wave 9 - Lady Jaye (Covert Ops) - Super7 2026

Lady Jaye has always seemed like one of the simpler characters to be made into a cartoon-accurate toy. She has a classic 2-tone green military uniform, a short haircut, and her signature weapon is a classic (looking) javelin. But her first figure inexplicably had a hat, a single-color bright green uniform, and they turned her simple javelin into some sort of gun. It was still a great toy and probably the best of the vintage female figures, but you never realize how off it was until you see this new Super7 ReAction+ version. Before this, the closest thing to a vintage-style cartoon-accurate Lady Jaye was her 5th version from 2006, but that was in the era where all the figures had disproportionately small heads. This new figure is perfection. It makes me excited to see their take on an update Scarlett - who suffered the most from the limitations of the 80's toy design. If this Lady Jaye and the previous Jinx are any indication, she will be great. Let's check out this classic Lady Jaye below!

Masters of the Universe - KITTRINA!

Masters of the Universe - Collectible Figures #56 - Kittrina - Altaya 2024

This time last year I posted the first review from my Altaya figurine collection. That was Dree-Elle, which I was excited to open because I had just gotten my Mondo Dree-Elle in the mail. That fateful day opened the floodgates and I knew I would have to finally open and photograph all 20 of the MOTU figurines I had purchased (of 77 total). The lone straggler of all those post was Kittrina, the fan-favorite single-episode character from The Cat and The Spider (1984) where she grappled with Teela and flirted with Battle Cat - all while sharing screentime with Webstor, who was introduced in the same episode. Despite her C-list status and minimal screentime, she is very much a fan-requested character. The funny thing is that both figures of her so far (the 2020 Super7 figure and this 2024 Altaya figurine) are pretty odd and lackluster. The main reason I delayed this post is because she is my least favorite of all my Altaya purchases. I'm probably too critical though. Let's check out the long overdue Kittrina post below!

Super7 Reaction+ O-Ring - LADY JAYE!

G.I.Joe RAH ReAction+ O-Ring Wave 8 (USA 250th) - Lady Jaye - Super7 2026

I love the trend of holiday repaints in all the Hasbro toylines. The Christmas and Halloween Star Wars figures have been a fun annual gimmick to hunt down in various stores. The unfortunate thing for me is that they've rarely involved female characters. I was theorizing with some friends this winter that the 250th Anniversary of the United States this year would likely prompt some patriotic repaints. And by Toy Fair time in February, I was proven right. We learned of Hasbro G.I.Joe and Transformers Walmart Exclusives in Red, White, and Blue, and also a Walmart exclusive wave of Super7 Reaction+ G.I.Joe figures. I was thrilled with this announcement because the Super7 set featured a never-before-seen Lady Jaye sculpt. Of course, as of today's announcement we now have seen images of a traditionally-hued Lady Jaye coming in the next Reaction+ wave, which is very exciting because I desperately want an O-Ring hatless cartoon Lady Jaye. Let's check out the 250th Anniversary Lady Jaye below!

Labyrinth - SARAH (MASQUERADE)!

Labyrinth Action Figures Wave 2 - Sarah (Masquerade) - Plastic Meatball 2025

I've been a fan of Jim Henson's Labyrinth for as long as I can remember. Initially, it scared me (but I still liked it), then my high school art teacher's obsession with the artistry of the film was contagious (he played in constantly in class) and I became a superfan. There were two scenes that always bugged me: the Firey scene (because of rough green screen effects) and the Masquerade Ballroom scene (because it slowed the pace and seemed romantically inappropriate/creepy to me). But over time my criticisms have softened significantly. I even danced to As The World Falls Down by David Bowie at my wedding. So I really appreciate this figure now. I knew a line of Labyrinth toys would eventually have multiple releases of the same characters in their different iconic outfits. Unfortunately for Sarah, she only really has two costumes, so this is it. Jareth has at least two more good ones to anchor future waves (finger crossed!). We need more goblins, and Fireys, and a million others. Let's check out Sarah below!

Toy Biz - MS. MARVEL (SHARON VENTURA)!

Marvel Hall of Fame - She-Force S3 - Ms. Marvel (Sharon Ventura) - Toy Biz 1997

In the late 80's I was about 9 years old and moved to a new town (from the boonies). This town had a main street I could walk to (alone) with three comic shops (plus ice cream parlors, newstands (with comics), and a Woolworths and a local drugstore that each had decent toy sections). It was amazing. Of course a few years later 90% of the storefronts were vacant - and the street still struggles to this day. But those comic shops kickstarted a lifelong passion for me. I only spent my meager allowance on G.I.Joe comics, but I browsed every item in the store with endless curiosity. I have vivid memories of this redhaired heroine wearing all the primary colors and seemingly holding her own in male-dominated titles. I never learned too much about her, and she didn't stick around very long, but I now know her as Sharon Ventura, the second Ms. Marvel. Sharon was a pro wrestler and love interest to the Thing. She underwent genetic enhancement, got powerhouse abilities, and took on a superhero persona. 

Super7 Reaction+ O-Ring - DAINA!

G.I.Joe RAH ReAction+ O-Ring Action Figures Wave 7 - Mara - Super7 2026

Super7 has given us yet another unlikely neglected character from the original G.I.Joe cartoon.... Daina. As young superfan of the G.I.Joe cartoon in the 80s, I loved the episodes when the Joes would clash with the soviet heroes, Oktober Guard. They were only in two episodes (about a year apart). The first was an episode about alien abductions called The Invaders and the second was the famous Arise Serpentor Arise. I always lean toward Sci-Fi themes (as opposed to straight-forward military plots) in my G.I.Joe fandom, so these stories were some of my favorites. The Oktober Guard's lone female member, Daina, was a standout. She was reimagined as a blonde mercenary decades later in the comics (which is where all her previous toy decos come from), but this raven-haired, sherpa-lined sharpshooter version from the cartoon was always my favorite. She is just the latest addition to the deep-cut characters in the Super7 Reaction+ line. I can't wait to see who's next. Let's check out Daina below!

Super Mario Bros - BIRDO!

World of Nintendo - 4" Series Wave 47 - Birdo - Jakks Pacific 2025

Birdo is easily my favorite villain in the entire Mario Bros franchise. It's not just because she's the most notable female character, either (and, yes, I'm aware her gender is a matter of debate and speculation, but I have always assumed she was female and will keep doing so until there is some official statement otherwise).  Rather, I think she was the first villain that had an interesting presence in the games. The fact that she hopped around protecting an egg, while confusingly spitting other eggs at you - and the only way to defeat her was to catch her own eggs mid-flight and toss them back at her - was twisted and weird. I loved it. And the noise that accompanied her egg-launching was oddly haunting. Jakks has been nailing it with their Nintendo (and Sonic) figures. There hasn't been a single one that has been poorly sculpted or problematic in any way. I've been waiting several years for this upscaled Birdo in the 4" Jakks line but she was worth the wait. She looks amazing. Let's check out Birdo below!

Three's Company - CHRISSY SNOW!

Three's Company - Chrissy Snow (Standard/SDCC) - Syndicate Collectibles 2025

One of my earliest TV memories is a random episode of Three's Company where the bubbly blonde Chrissy Snow (brilliantly played by the late Suzanne Somers) injures herself while wearing roller skates in the bathtub. I forget if she breaks a leg or an arm, but I feel like she's in a cast for the rest of the episode. This stood out to me because it was the first time I ever saw an adult doing something irresponsible while an audience laughed. I distinctly remember darting my eyes back and forth from the screen to my parents wondering why they didn't think this scene wasn't dangerous, scary, or bad. It's a lesson/distinction we all must have learned early on, but Chrissy burned this into my fragile young psyche and I remember it clearly. Of course I saw a million examples in the following years; Jerry Lewis, Dagwood, Amelia Bedelia, Inspector Gadget, etc - it's a trope that know no bounds. Chrissy Snow was the breakout character of the show, with Suzanne Somers appearing on a whopping 50 magazine covers in 1978. 

Three's Company - JANET WOOD!

Three's Company - Janet Wood (Standard/SDCC) - Syndicate Collectibles 2025

Three's Company was a super formative show from my youth. It originally ran from 1976-1984 and was in regular syndication for many years after. I awkwardly find myself circling back to the show in the midst of first-date conversations -- it was that level of formative for me. I truly never expected to see action figures from this show, but I shouldn't be surprised by anything these days. The show was an American remake of the British show Man About the House - both about three platonic roommates (one man and two women) living their young single lives, hiding from their landlords, and getting into hijinks with their flirty neighbors. Joyce DeWitt played Janet Wood, a petite quirky florist who was portrayed with the air of a tomboy (at least in comparison to the bubbly blonde Chrissy), but beyond the short hair and boyish nightshirts, she really wasn't a tomboy at all. Of the three figures in the line (so far... c'mon Ropers 2-Pack!), she has the worst likeness, but she's somehow still instantly recognizable.

Masters of the Universe - QUEEN MARLENA!

Masters of the Universe Origins Cartoon Collection - Queen Marlena - Mattel 2025

One of my favorite bits of Masters of the Universe lore is the origin story of Queen Marlena. As a kid, I certainly didn't watch the episodes in order, so even though her backstory was first told in the second episode (Teela's Quest), it was a late revelation to me when I eventually watched it. Captain Marlena Glenn was an astronaut/pilot from Earth who travels off-course and crash-lands on Eternia. She meets Randor, they get married, and then she gives birth to the twins Adam and Adora. The fact that the two main heroes of the franchise are secretly half-Earthlings was my favorite piece of trivia as a child (and will probably be a story point in the upcoming movie). I love that this new Cartoon Collection Queen Marlena figure continues the MOTUC tradition and has the option to be displayed as Captain Glenn (sort of). This Queen Marlena is perfection to me. For a character who appeared in the majority of episodes, she has been really neglected in the merchandising department. Let's check her out below!

Transformers Blokees - ARCEE!

Transformers Blokees: Galaxy Version 9 Darkest Hour - Arcee - Blokees 2025

It's amazing how quickly Blokees have become one of the most popular collectibles out there. Every store I stop in has displays or counterboxes. The mom and pop stores seem to have the best selection, followed by FYE, and then Walmart and other big box stores are good for a counter box or two. They seem to be filling in the void left by the dwindling selection of Funko product. The selection of female characters is not very impressive overall, but every one I buy I like better than the last and the lines are so prolific that there will undoubtedly be more. At the very least I predict Arcee to be repainted as a green Paradron Medic in the near future. When I went into my local toy shop yesterday, I was excited to see the Series 9 counterbox. I had been keeping my eye out for this new wave for months. But to my dismay, there were only two boxes left. One weighed a lot, and one was light as a feather. I took a gamble and bought the light one.. and huzzah! Got her. Let's check out the Arcee Blokees below!

Super7 Reaction+ O-Ring - ARCTIC SCARLETT!

G.I.Joe RAH ReAction+ O-Ring Action Figures Wave 6 - Scarlett - Super7 2025

In the second episode of G.I.Joe, The M.A.S.S. Device Part II, Slave of the Cobra Master (September 1983). Scarlett, Snake-Eyes, and Snowjob (and others) head deep into the Arctic to seek a red radioactive crystal (one of the three elements needed for the M.A.S.S. Device). The scene is relative brief, but memorable - especially because it is so early in the vast G.I.Joe canon. Super7 seems to love G.I.Joe The Movie and The M.A.S.S. Device. The number of ReAction figures they've made based on these two storylines is pretty amazing. A figure of Scarlett in an arctic parka was not on my bingo card at all, and if pressed I could come up with a handful of never-before-made characters I would have taken in place of her, but now that she's in my collection I'm pretty happy to have her. The exciting is that their character choices are getting so obscure that I have no idea what might be coming next. (I'm always hoping for Oktober Guard and more Cobra-La though!) Let's check out Arctic Scarlett below!

Super7 Reaction+ O-Ring - MARA!

G.I.Joe RAH ReAction+ O-Ring Action Figures Wave 6 - Mara - Super7 2025

Sometimes my childhood memories don't hold up to my adult scrutiny. As a kid, my absolute favorite episode of G.I.Joe was "Memories of Mara" (S1E45, Nov 15th, 1985).  The story featured Shipwreck rescuing a blue-skinned woman from the ocean. You're led to believe her hue is due to cyanosis, but during CPR attempts, he realizes she has gills on her neck and climbs back into the water with her to continue his revival attempts. Turns out Mara was an escaped Cobra Eel lab test subject. She was supposed to be amphibious, but accidentally turned out completely aquatic and unable to breathe on land. As a kid I found this concept mind-blowing and one of the first mer-people I ever saw represented in my cartoons. As an adult, it's a pretty odd 22-minute story with some major logic holes. But even still the nostalgia is palpable with this new figure. Despite me begging for her on forums for years ("Please! Such an easy re-use of parts!"), I never expected to actually get her. Let's check out Mara below!

Masters of the Universe - TEELA!

Masters of the Universe - Collectible Figures #6 - Teela - Altaya 2022/2023

I'm pretty sad that my reviews of these Masters of the Universe Altaya figurines are coming to a close. I discovered them shortly after they started being released back in 2022 and it became a major obsession of mine to get all my favorites. There were fifteen female characters released, which were all a requirement for me, and I cherry-picked an additional four male characters. Honestly if I could afford them I would get the whole series. But eBay markups and shipping from Europe were a major roadblock. Teela was the figure that got me hooked. She was the 6th figure in the series and looked just like the 2014 Pop Culture Shock statue I was so covetous of. But when I got her in hand, she was the most disappointing of all due to a mispositioned hairpiece and a stunned facial expression (I fixed the hairpiece that you see in these photos, but when I got her she had a gigantic forehead). It almost made me think the effort to acquire them was too great for the return, but I'm glad I continued. Let's check out Teela below!

Masters of the Universe - SORCERESS!

Masters of the Universe - Collectible Figures #HS1 - Sorceress - Altaya 2022

The Sorceress has always gotten the short end of the stick in the merchandising department. For such an iconic, powerful, and maternal figure that is in almost every episode of He-Man and whose mysterious origins are a major keystone in all of Eternian lore, she simply hasn't ever had a great piece of merchandise produced. There have been some close ones, like the Super7 Club Grayskull figure from 2018, but all her figures have been slightly off. Similar to the Evil-Lyn post from yesterday, this Altaya Sorceress figurine shares a lot of design similarities with the 2015 Pop Culture Shock statue, which I personally feel is the nicest-looking Sorceress product made. Of course that statue was always very expensive, and this newer figurine is much easier to display and (slightly) less expensive. This figurine is a bit of a mystery to me. I believe she was a subscription-exclusive figure unavailable in stores. She fetches about 8x the price of the other characters, but she's worth it. Let's check her out below!

Masters of the Universe - EVIL-LYN!

Masters of the Universe - Collectible Figures #9/10 - Evil-Lyn - Altaya 2022/23

Something I especially like about these French/Spanish Masters of the Universe figurines from Altaya is that they have very similar poses and styles to the Pop Culture Shock statue series (distributed by Sideshow). I always coveted these statues, but they were way out of my price range. These newer figurines are like miniature versions of those masterpieces. Despite all of Evil-Lyn's transformations over the year (thankfully almost always true to her signature design), I will always be most fond of her original 1983 Filmation design with pale yellow skin, purple and blue clothing, and a long black cape. Her scenes from the first (aired) episode, The Diamond Ray of Disappearance, are dynamic and amazing. The image of her standing atop a mountain with her cape billowing while Skeletor announces her, "Evil Lyn, Sorceress of Night!" was fused into my young brain. Having a new representation of her from that era to add to my collection thrills me. Let's check her out below!

Super Friends - JAYNA!

DC Retro - Super Friends - Wave 3 - Jayna and Gleek - McFarlane Toys 2025

If there have to be unnecessary add-in characters for a cartoon franchise, I appreciate when they at least fit the aesthetic and make an interesting addition to the roster of established characters. Zan, Jayna, and Gleek first appeared in the 1977 animated The All-New Super Friends Hour, the successor to Super Friends (1973), where they were the replacements for the previous Wendy, Marvin, and Wonder Dog characters (who I personally found pretty awkward alongside the other heroes). But Zan and Jayna has cool costumes, weird powers, and interesting origins. Considering these characters were presumably added for marketing and kid appeal, they surprisingly weren't actually merchandised (aside from an occasional coloring book or lunch box) for over 30 years. This newest figure from the McFarlane Retro line is my favorite yet (at least the Jayna is, Zan looks a little bloated). The "best" figure of her before this was a SDCC exclusive DCUC figure from 2009, but she truly looked frightening.

Transformers - ARCEE!

Transformers AMK (Advanced Model Kit) Mini - Series 2 - Arcee - Yolopark 2025

It's easy to get a little confused by all the Arcee figures that have been coming out over the past few years. Between the official licensed product and various 3rd Party manufacturers, there have been a plethora of little pink robots invading my toy room. I'm not complaining, I'm just amazed (and a little embarrassed that I can't keep them straight). This non-transforming Yolopark model kit is the newest addition and she's pretty great. I first heard of Yolopark this time last year when they released two Transformers One Elita-1 figures before Hasbro mentioned one. They were fun pre-painted snap-together inexpensive model kits. This Arcee from the AMK Mini line is a (predictably) smaller scale with very condensed packaging. Her pieces were already removed from the sprues and contained in a foil pouch within the small box. I'm desperately waiting for one of these lines to make more G1 ladies beyond Arcee and Elita-1, and I have a good feeling Yolopark will be the first. Let's check out Arcee below!

Masters of the Universe - SHADOW WEAVER!

MOTU Origins - Cartoon Collection - Shadow Weaver - Mattel 2025

As 2025 winds down, I won't lie that I have a little disappointment over the She-Ra 40th Anniversary year output. We've had some great releases, and there is still a heavily rumored Glimmer on the way. But I had high hopes for some deep cuts. I wanted Octavia, Peek-a-Blue, Castaspella, and a million others. Perhaps there is a whole lineup of additional POP characters stuck in tariff limbo, but for now I'm trying to be grateful for the one we already have. Shadow Weaver is easily the most iconic villain from the original She-Ra cartoon. She was in 52 episodes and her simple sinister design was hard to forget. I always knew she was a shoe-in for the Cartoon Collection line, but I'm a bit surprised that her head looks the least like her Filmation design than almost all of her previous figures. The shape of the face hole, the overly-pronounced nose sculpt, and the overall hood silhouette just looks off. But the draping cloak and sleeves look incredible. Overall I'm pretty happy with her. Let's check out Shadow Weaver below!