Alteration Man - CARROLL!

Alteration Man - Carroll (Blue Knock-Off 2007 Movie Arcee) - Machine Boy 2014

Knockoff toys are something I rarely pay attention to. I typically buy items as soon as they are released, so picking up an unofficial reissue of a desirable figure is just not in the cards. But every now and then there is a redeco that I obsess over. When these Alteration Man Carroll figures were produced (by Machine Boy circa 2014), there was a main version which was a seemingly exact duplicate of the 2007 Movie Arcee from Hasbro in her dark fuchsia colors (so, a knockoff that I was barely aware of). But then there was this surprise blue variation that thrilled me. Any time I see a blue fembot, I think of immediately of Chromia. But in actuality, this is likely an attempt to replicate the Prime Arcee which was so popular in 2012-2013. Regardless of the intent, I was thrilled to have another variation of my favorite early fembot mold in my collection. The colorful lineup of variations is impressive (not quite as impressive as Energon Arcee, but a very close second). Let's check out Carroll 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!

Space Warriors - BIKE-TECH-FIGHTER!

Space Warriors - Bike Tech Fighter (Energon Arcee KO) - Agglo Toys 2005

In 2005, I remember being in my local BigLots and seeing this Space Warriors Bike-Tech-Fighter figure (I will refer to her as BTF from here on). I immediately recognized her as a massively upsized Energon Arcee but with better proportions - notably with longer retooled legs and overall a more traditionally female design (The Hasbro/Takara mold was a bit squat and blocky). I bought BTF and was immediately disappointed. As an inexpensive knockoff, she was predictably a mess. Her joints were loose, pieces didn't fit, paint was sloppy, and she couldn't stand. I sold her on eBay (for a lot of money). But two years ago when I got really into collecting the Energon Arcee molds, I regretted that sale and began the hunt to reclaim her. It took a few years but I finally have her in hand. Luckily twenty years of collecting has given me patience, tools, and a bottle of joint gum. Now she is the towering giant of my Transformers collection. Let's check out the Agglo Toys Space Warrior BTF figure below!

Final Faction - AMARI!

Final Faction - Alpha Team 1 - Specialist Amari - Greenbrier International 2022

In a time when the price of toys is skyrocketing and the exciting toy solicitations are hampered with financial trepidation, there is a surprisingly fun and well-made action figure line easily found at Dollar Tree. For the low price of $1.25 (no, not everything at Dollar Tree is $1), you can get these great 3.75" action figures with five points of articulation, accessories, and graphic cards. And impressively, the Final Faction line has had multiple wave of figures, variants, accessory packs, and vehicles (at Family Dollar and Dollar General). Plus there is a very well-made animated series on YouTube to add to the mythology. This figure came out almost exactly one year ago but it took me until now to photograph her, and coincidentally a few days ago I found a new wave (featuring a gold repaint of Shift). I hope this line continues for a while. There is a ton of potential and a quick Google search illustrates the large fanbase that already exists. I would love see see a female alien in the mix. Let's check out Amari below!

Wei Jiang - ARCEE!

3rd Party Transformers - Robot Force Deformation Era - Alcee - Wei Jiang 2014

I remember that not long after the 2014 Generations Arcee figure came out, there started to be 3rd party knockoffs of the mold popping up everywhere. A lot of these were resized to be "Masterpiece Scale." As someone who only collected female Transformers (of which the 2014 Arcee was one of the first great ones), I had no clue what this scale meant. Nowadays, of course, there have been three Masterpiece females (Road Rage, Blackarachnia, and Arcee), but the appeal of an upscaled Generations Arcee still didn't appeal to me until very recently. I realized that the Wei Jiang Alcee featured more classic colors than the main Hasbro release. It actually matches the color scheme of the scarce Target-exclusive Platinum Arcee repaint (but without the shiny paint). And I also realized I want as many Arcee representations as possible in my collection. There are a lot of disreputable eBay sellers offering Alcee. I have had several failed transactions but I finally got one. Let's check her out below!

Final Faction - SHIFT!

Final Faction - Alpha Team 1 - Specialist Shift - Greenbrier International 2020

It seems that roughly every ten years there is a knockoff G.I.Joe line that will give us some good female action figures. Back around late 80s, Olmec gave us Agent Telepathy in the Bronze Bombers line. In 2000, Lanard released the Wow Action Girls line which featured a ton of sport and career themed females. In 2010 Greenbrier released S.T.O.P. vs S.C.U.M. including the Dreadnok-looking Lady Lead. And finally in 2020, Greenbrier again gives us the Final Faction line and Specialist Shift. Greenbrier International is the in-house branding arm of Dollar Tree, so you'll see this company name on a lot of products there. I think these figures are very impressive considering they only cost a dollar. The sculpts are lovely, the designs are fun, the paint application is pretty good, and the plastic quality is decent. But the very best part of these toys is the hunt. There is rarely any notice before people start posting finds online. And Dollar Trees are pretty much everywhere. Let's check out Shift below!

X Faction - IRON LADY!

Iron Lady (Unlicensed Pepper Potts Rescue) PVC Statue - X Faction Studio 2017

This was a figure I really struggled with. I've seen it popping up on eBay for a few years and I always been really intrigued. I love Rescue as a character. There have been so few female Iron "Men"  in the comics (Rhodey Stark and Antoinette Stark come to mind - but they are both one-and-done type characters). So when Pepper Potts donned the armor I finally thought we had one with staying power. And I have been proven right. The new movie has really solidified her in the public eye. And I really like the blue armor in the MCU. But it made me quickly nostalgic for the classic red armor (which I felt would be completely phased out in the blink of an eye). So I caved and bought this Iron Lady. There are two big moral problems with this figure. Firstly, she's unlicensed. I'm known to pick up the occasional bootlego, but in general I like to respect intellectual property. Secondly, there is some major dubious intent here. Be forewarned, this is an adults-only collectible. Let's check out Iron Lady below!

True Heroes: Sentinel 1 - BLINDSIDE!

True Heroes: Sentinel 1 - Smash & Blindside 2-Pack - TRU/Geoffrey LLC 2017

I have a lot of obsessive compulsive qualities. For your sanity, I'll only mention the toy-related ones here. Many years ago I got the idea in my head that the "True Heroes" TRU G.I-Joe knock-off brand would eventually have to introduce a female character. In my mind, this was a certainty. Since then I have checked the military aisle every single time I've gone into the store (which is at least twice a week). FYI I also have made the same search for a random toy on Yahoo Auction Japan every day for about 10 years (I have serious issues). These obsessions almost never pay off, but last week I found this little two-pack with what I believe is the first ever female Sentinel 1 character, Blindside. These figures are cheap with minimal articulation (like the Chap Mei Discovery Channel figures), but I still think she's really cool. Years ago the True Legends line had a Medusa figure that was pretty cool too. Of course now, my obsession is not itched, but rather teased. I'll be eagerly hunting the next one now.

Decool BootLEGO - Dark Knight Rises CATWOMAN!

Decool Super Heroes - DKR Catwoman Brick Figure - Decool 2014

I've had an interesting change of heart in the past six months or so.  When I started collecting LEGOs a few years ago, I was instantly frustrated by the questions of authenticity when purchasing figures on eBay.  I started my collection with the second round of DC Superheroes in 2011.  I quickly bought up Harley, Catwoman, and Poison Ivy in stores.  Then tried to hunt down the old 2008 releases only to consistently confronted with fake versions.  I hated it.  I vowed never to buy a fake LEGO.  But that was before a few very interesting 3rd Party manufacturers started to produce characters we would likely never see in an official LEGO set.  My first cave-in purchase was the Fantastic Four, quickly followed by Stargirl.  Then about a month ago this little Catwoman started appearing on eBay.  This is the first BootLEGO character that was a definite must-have for me.  I must say that she is of excellent quality and I will now be keeping my eye out for future figures like this.  Let's check out DKR Catwoman!

African American Ladies of BOOTLEG G.I.JOES!

Knock-Off G.I.Joe-Type Figures from Lanard, Olmec, and Berchet

I had originally planned to do a separate review for each of these three figures individually for my series of Black History Month reviews, but time is short and they work so well as a group, so here they all are together.  We all know that black female characters are a rarity in boy-centric toy lines.  For some reason, even properties that have tons of female characters and tons of black male characters will rarely (if ever) combine the two minorities.  I did a review earlier this month on the lone African American G.I.Joe figure, Carla "Doc" Greer, but now I will focus on some cool bootlegs that have been released over the years to give us some sorely needed diversity in our 3&3/4" collections.

Vintage Goodness: MEDECINS SANS FRONTIERES!

1988 G.I.Joe knock-offs from Berchet of France

I first discovered Mission Medecins San Frontieres ("Doctors Without Borders") on yojoe.com many years ago in their "Not G.I.Joe" section.  The information on that site was basic, but it prompted me to do some research and discover the rest of the line.  It was a LONG time before I finally was able to get the two females of the set.  I didn't pay much for them, roughly $2.00 each (plus crazy shipping from France), so I don't think they're excessively valuable or anything, but I rarely see them on ebay.  If you're into G.I.Joe bootlegs, especially ones with original sculpting details, this is definitely a series you should be hunting down.