Avatar - NEYTIRI (METKAYINA REEF)!

Avatar: The Way of Water - Neytiri (Metkayina Reef) - McFarlane Toys 2022

Avatar: The Water of Water is in theatres right now but I waited too long to order tickets and everything is sold out until next Wednesday night. So in the meantime I get to live vicariously though the toys. The general gist I get from the trailers is that we get to meet another community of Na'Vi who live either in (or surrounded by) the sea. When the second wave of Avatar figures was announced, I'll admit I was a little bummed to learn we would be getting a second Neytiri instead of a new character, like Kate Winslet's Ronal for example. But the figure looks different enough in person that I appreciate her anyway. I assume this version of Neytiri represents her look when either visiting or battling the sea-Na'Vi. She's wearing a completely different outfit, her bow is new, and she has a headsculpt that is entirely different (new facial expression and hair). If I didn't know better, I could be convinced it was a new character. Still, I really hope we see future waves. Let's check out Neytiri (Metkayina Reef) below!

Avatar: The Way of Water - NEYTIRI!

Avatar: The Way of Water - Neytiri (Standard Version) - McFarlane Toys 2022

It's been thirteen long years since the first Avatar movie hit theatres and I am very excited to see the long-awaited sequel. When it comes to movies, I love being fully emersed in a new setting, where the place is almost a character in itself. Avatar gave me that in spades. The world of Pandora, the Na'Vi people, and all the flora and fauna create a magical moviegoing experience and I can't wait to experience it again. Back in 2009 I went all-in on the toylines from Mattel. I bought every character and every giant creature. At one point my dining room table was completely covered in banshees. But I admit I always thought the quality of those toys was lacking. They had announced the sequels right away so I was already fantasizing about which company would get the license and give us the improved toys I desired (my money was on NECA). But who would have guessed McFarlane would come to the rescue and give me the Neytiri I always wanted. She is wonderful. Let's check out Neytiri below!

My Little Pony - CAPTAIN CELAENO!

My Little Pony the Movie - Captain Celaeno - Walmart Exclusive - Hasbro 2017

I've made several serious attempts in my life to become a Brony. It's a life I can totally see myself diving into. And all my friends (at least the ones who know about my toy obsessions) assume I already am one. But I just couldn't ever get into the show and the toys just haven't drawn me in the way I would expect. But every now and then I see an MLP toy that excites me and I'll hunt it down. This figure of Captain Celaeno from My Little Pony the Movie was definitely one of those. The unfortunate thing is that this Walmart-exclusive figure never really hit the stores. As far as I can tell she was only released in Canada... until a few weeks ago when I found her FiveBelow!  I mean, if you have to wait two years to find a sought-after toy at retail, that's definitely a satisfying conclusion to the hunt. Captain Celaeno is an anthropomorphic parrot pirate voiced by Zoe Saldana. I'm kind of obsessed with her design. The green plumage and crystal peg leg are so cool to me. Plus the overall sculpt is great. Let's check her out below!

Infinity War Basic - GAMORA!

Avengers: Infinity War - Basic Series 02 - Gamora - Hasbro 2018

One thing I keep hoping for with each new Gamora movie appearance is for her character to be more ruthless and violent. My comic references are roughly thirty years old so maybe she was always a loving and vulnerable character, but my main takeaway is that she was the "deadliest woman in the whole galaxy." Unfortunately we don't really get to see that side of her. Her fighting prowess seems equal (at best) to the other characters. I hate to think that in such a groundbreaking property that they felt the need to soften her for general audiences. This basic series Gamora is sadly the weakest of the line. I've seen her in stores about six times now and every single one had really off-kilter eyes. All my photos here were taken after I impatiently touched her up (with no before pics unfortunately). But note that I mimicked the paint job that was already there, I just made her eyes line up. The detail in the irises and pupil was much less that the other figures. Let's check her out below!

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 - GAMORA!

Marvel Legends - GOTGv2 Mantis Wave - Daughters of Thanos - Hasbro 2017

This has been a crazy year for Marvel Legends ladies so far. I've picked up eight amazing figures so far (nine if you count Kamala Khan - who I think was technically released in 2016, but didn't hit stores around me till mid-Jan). Then in quick succession was Polaris, Dazzler, and Angela. Now in the past five days I've added Gamora, Mantis, Nebula, Mary Jane, and Sue Storm to my collection. And I can't even wrap my head around the A-Force boxset, the Thor SDCC Exclusive, and the rumored Gwenpool and new Spider-Woman (then of course movie Enchantress, Hela, Jessica Jones, and Elektra). My Marvel Legends shelf is in total disarray and I have no motivation to organize it since it will be changing every month. These new Guardians of the Galaxy figures are gorgeous. I thought the 2014 Gamora figure was pretty nice, but she is nothing compared to this beauty. Zoe Saldana must be so happy that they finally managed to make an action figure that resembles her. Let's check her out below!

Guardians of the Galaxy Dorbz - GAMORA!

Guardians of the Galaxy Dorbz #016 - Gamora - Vinyl Sugar / Funko 2015

I'm running out of things to say about Guardians of the Galaxy. One thing is for certain through, Marvel definitely has another unlikely female superhero to merchandise out the wazoo. People forget how much of a random choice Black Widow was for the Avengers roster. Sure, she had a legitimate place on the team, but she was far from the obvious choice for the sole female. Spider-Woman, She-Hulk, Wasp, or Scarlet Witch were much more prominent (and more super-powered) Avengers who were passed over for the role. But everyone loved her on the big screen and now she's one of the most merchandised Marvel ladies ever. Gamora (and the entire GOTG team for that matter) was a very unlikely candidate for inclusion into the Marvel cinematic universe. But the success of the film has been undeniable and there are plenty of green-skinned beauties on the shelves to prove it. Plus I'm sure we'll see another wave in 2017 when the sequel is released. I think it's inevitable. Let's check out her Dorbz below!

Avatar - Movie Masters NEYTIRI!

James Cameron's Avatar - Movie Masters Series 01 - Neytiri - Mattel 2009

Avatar was one of my favorite movies of the last decade. I went to see it on a whim without any great expectations. It also happened to be the first modern 3-D movie I had seen. I was instantly swept into the story. It was a little Ferngully, a little Dances With Wolves, but mostly it was its own beast. I ended up seeing it about four times in the theatre, That's only happened two other times in my life: with Kill Bill and Lion King.  My favorite thing about Avatar was the forested moon of Pandora with all its alien flora and fauna.  At one point I had purchased every creature available in this line.  The were pretty big.  I had no room to display them except on my dining room table in my old apartment.  At one point my landlord had to come over for something and I was pretty embarrassed of the spectacle of it all.  Eventually I sold them all except my Neytiris, and I always kind of regret that.  Neytiri was an amazing character in the film, I'm hoping that she plays a major role in the sequels and gets more figures!

Star Trek (The 2009 Movie) - CADET UHURA!

Star Trek: Warp Collection - Cadet Uhura - Playmates 2009

2009's Star Trek movie was a perfect example of how amazing a well-done property reboot can be. It was exciting, funny, faithful to the original series, and I certainly left the theatre wanting to see more. For such a great movie though, the toys were pretty lackluster. In all my stores they just sat on the shelves for months collecting dust. I can't speak for everyone's reluctance to buy them, but I thought they looked awkward and sub-par to every other line out at the time. The character likenesses were way off-base. This Uhura doesn't look a thing like Zoe Saldana. The scale was another issue. If they would have been scaled to fit in with the DST Star Trek line, I would have definitely been more interested. But as is, we were presented with something very different than what the collector community was expecting. It's a real pity because a well-done toy line for this movie could have been very successful. This figure isn't horrible by any means, but it falls way short of its potential.  Let's check her out below!