Women of Halloween Part 7 - MYSTERIA!

Filmation's Ghostbusters' Vampy Siren from Schaper 1986

Would you believe this is the only toy I own with rooted hair?  I loathe rooted hair more than sun-faded plastic and missing accessories!  Do I reject all toy lines with rooted hair? Absolutely not.  She-ra and Golden Girl paved the way for girl adventure toys.  Not to mention the amazing three ladies in this very Ghostbusters line.  What I hate about rooted hair is its sloppy, frazzled appearance, its penchant for collecting dust, and its allusion that all female figures must make some concession to doll-status (only allowing them one foot in the door of the action figure arena).  Maybe some people would only buy a toy if you could dress it up and make it pretty, but I know they completely missed their mark with me because I was cursing up a storm as I brushed her hair in preparation for these photos.  Actually, I may just customize her with some sculpted hair ..hmmm.  Anyway, back to the lady of the hour, the lovely Mortici.. Mysteria!  I never caught wind of the Addams family inspiration until years after I was watching Ghostbusters after school.  To my naive eyes, she was completely original.  She was the most vain, wicked, silly, sophisticate in the Hauntquarters.  So clearly I was enamoured.

Women of Halloween Part 6 - HEXADECIMAL!

ReBoot's Queen of Chaos, Hexadecimal, From Irwin 1995

Early CGI was kind of awesome.  Probably because it was so different that you would totally pause the channel to watch this groundbreaking artform come to life in jerky movements, heavy gradients, and constant dramatic environment sweeps.  It definitely always grabbed my attention and ReBoot was one of the best examples of it during my high school years.  Sure, I may have been obsessed with Robotech, Studio Ghibli and old Hanna-Barbera adventure cartoons at the time, but those weren't the kind of things that you could openly share with your cool friends at the lunch table.  ReBoot, however, was considered a very acceptable cartoon to watch (as long as you watched Aeon Flux too).  Hexadecimal was the stand-out antagonist of the series.  I remember her being very creepy in all her dramatic witchery.  For those who have never seen her in motion, her face remained locked in a solid "mask"expression, but she would slowly pass her hand in front her face and the creepy expression would change...usually into something creepier.  She was very original and very awesome.

Women of Halloween Part 5 - ZUUL!

The Beautiful Gatekeeper of Gozer as a 2012 SDCC Exclusive From Mattel

When I reviewed the NECA Gozer figure earlier this week, I wrote that a lot of people had fuzzy memories of her role in Ghostbusters.  I wholeheartedly believe that is because a certain Mrs. Sigourney Weaver stole the spotlight with her portrayal of Dana Barrett / Zuul the Gatekeeper of Gozer.  She was so interesting and visually dynamic (and with minimal effort it seems.. seriously, a coppery-gold satin robe and windswept hair?  I could've come up with that) that she earned a permanent spot in most moviegoers memories.  I'm shocked she was never made into an action figure before this.  This figure is interesting.  In giving us the option of having her sitting or standing, I believe Mattel sacrificed a lot of articulation.  It's a shame she isn't more of a true action figure like the rest of the Ghostbusters line.

Women of Halloween Part 4 - The WHITE WITCH!

Lion, Witch, & the Wardrobe Disney Store Exclusive from Hasbro 2005

Jadis the White Witch is the powerful northern sorceress who was responsible for casting Narnia into the 100-year winter, and, in turn, creating that surreal snowscape that I got so eagerly lost in as young reader.  I was always captivated by evil queens, especially those that managed to avoid the cliches of black cloaks and evil laughs.  I must admit that I haven't seen The Chronicles of Narnia: the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe movie from 2005 that this figure is based on, but I have read the books, seen at least two British movies/television serials based on the books, and I was even cast in an awkward stage version of it when I was 16.  So I have a lot of love for this character, and I have been a huge fan of Tilda Swinton since she first caught my eye in the late nineties.  Needless to say I just guilted myself into putting this movie on my netflix queue - hopefully my critique of the movie holds up to my love of this action figure.

Women of Halloween Part 3 - FUNKO POP! WITCHES

The POP! Vinyl Line From Funko Shows Us How Adorable Dark Side Can Be

Welcome to the third installment in my month-long Halloween celebration of the wickedest plastic women on the market.  I have been dying to find an justification to collect more Funko POP figures.  I have being buying their female super-heroes but they are released in a painfully slow trickle.  I had been wanting to assemble a collection of classic movie villainesses for years, but scale and quality inconsistencies kept me from taking the plunge.  Then one day earlier this year I made a fateful step into a Disney store where I saw their collection of Disney POPs.  A few google searches later and I was hooked and a few months later I had a nice little collection going.  I hope this line continues forever.  There is so much potential for more fantastic characters and my fingers are crossed that we'll see them.

Women of Halloween Part 2 - GOZER!

Your Favorite Sumerian Deity from the 2004 Ghostbusters Series by NECA

When remembering the climactic final scenes of  Ghostbusters, everyone always remembers the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man, the Terror Dogs, The Gatekeeper and the Keymaster (and all their Freudian intermingling).  But I can't even count how many times I've heard the reaction "Ohhhhh Yeah, I remember her!" when presented with an image of Gozer.  She was the main antagonist of the entire film, she was the reason everything happened, and she technically was the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man, yet for some reason everyone forgets her.  She was definitely forgotten in the toy world until NECA produced this wonderful figure in 2004.  The likeness of actress (and Serbian model) Slavitza Jovan is very good.  She comes with an alternate head and a pair of alternate "lightning" hands. It should be noted that the sculptor, Sam Greenwell, produces some of the most dynamic and beautiful action figures.  Sometime in the near future I will start a sculptor spotlight feature and he will be one of the first.

Women of Halloween Part 1 - ELVIRA!

The Mistress of the Dark Exclusive from Amok Time

I love Halloween, I love action figures, and I love vampy women.  This month, in honor of all three, I will attempt to review a fantastic wicked lady every day.   The first figure for the month is the Amok Time Exclusive Monstars Elvira figure.  She came in two variations; Plain-face and Winking-face.  In my opinion, the plain face is the superior version.  The wink version is an admirable attempt to capture the mischievous flirt that is Elvira, but it is nearly impossible to capture a quirky expression in plastic and have it look right.  There are a lot of different Elvira figures out there; mostly statues, garage kits, and a few action figures, but I personally find this version of the Amok Time figure to be the best.

Avengers Movie Series - Figure 14 BLACK WIDOW!

Scarlett Johansson Finally Makes her 3.75" Action Figure Debut from Hasbro

I say "finally" because there was a cancelled Black Widow figure solicited for the Iron Man 2 toy line a few years ago.  I wanted it desperately because I have always been a fan of Scarlett.  Some of these figures made it on to ebay, but I was not one of the fortunate few able to snag one.  I was assuming she would be re-released for the Avengers movie, but this final version that finally saw widespread release is a total retooling of the IM2 figure.  The Avengers version is great with lots of nice details and a very passable likeness of Scarlett Johansson.  The only thing I regret about not getting an IM2 version is the great hair.  The new version is fine and very movie-accurate, but I loved her Iron Man 2 hairstyle and it's a shame we won't see it.  Hopefully they'll find a way to sneak her onto the shelves eventually.