Marvel Legends - WASP!

Marvel Legends Infinite Series - Ant-Man (Ultron Wave) - Hasbro 2014

Woohoo lookee what I found yesterday!  I wasn't paying attention to release dates for the Ant-Man wave (or any of the upcoming ML waves for that matter), so when I went into Toys R Us yesterday afternoon and saw this I thought I was hallucinating.  Buried there amongst the overstocked Avengers and Spider-Man figures was this lone Wasp. There wasn't another Ant-Man figure in sight.  I snatched her up and immediately started looking over my shoulder in paranoia as if her appearance was some mistake. But alas, she was real.  Janet van Dyne first appeared as the Wasp in Tales to Astonish #44 in the Summer of 1963 as a partner to Ant-Man.  Within a few months she would earn her permanent place in the Marvel universe by becoming one of the founding members of the Avengers in Avengers #1 1963.  I was a little upset that she wasn't included in the two previous Avengers movies, but then again I never thought there would ever be a solo Ant-Man film.  It makes sense that they saved her for this movie.

The Fifth Element - DIVA PLAVALGUNA!

ReAction Figures - The Fifth Element - Diva Plavalguna - Super7/Funko 2015

The 1997 French film, The Fifth Element blew my mind when I first saw it.  I knew nothing about the movie, but just blindly went along with friends to the theatre.  I was totally unprepared for the spectacle I would behold.  It reminded me of a cross between all my favorite sci-fi/action movies.  There was a little Stargate, a little Star Wars, a little Indiana Jones, a little everything.  And it was funny, but not in a way that would distract you from the action or the plot.  Writer, Director, and Producer Luc Besson is the brilliant man behind such classics as La Femme Nikita, The Professional, The Transporter Series, and District 13 (to name a few).  And costume designer Jean Paul Gaultier is the epitome of a fashion celebrity (I just learned he designed many of Madonna and Marilyn Manson's looks).  All the brilliant creativity converged into a beautiful film that still seems as fresh today as it did back then.  So, yeah, this series of figures from Funko has been a long time coming.  Hopefully this is only the beginning.

Imaginext WARRIOR QUEEN!

Imaginext Blind Bag Series 5 - Warrior Queen - Fisher-Price/Mattel 2015

If you would have told me five years ago that one of my biggest obsessions would be a Preschool toyline by Fisher-Price I would have called you mad. But after I bought my first Imaginext figure (Catwoman - way back in the Summer of 2011), I was kind of hooked. I think a major proponent behind my building anticipation for this line has been the extremely slow incorporation of females into the character lineup. There have been only one or two Imaginext females released each year since Catwoman. Of course, 2015 is shaping up to change all that. The blindbag Series 4 included two females, and now this surprise Series 5 contains another. Then there are three Power Rangers Ladies and an upcoming Cheetah in the Super Friends theme. That makes seven and it's only June. I'm guessing they'll be at least three more. The Woodland theme is just begging for a female elf or faerie, and the Rescue Heroes have yet to make Ariel or Maureen into figures. I can hope. Let's check out the Queen below!

Funko POP! Guardians of the Galaxy GAMORA!

POP! Marvel #51 - Guardians of the Galaxy - Gamora - Funko 2014

I'm finally getting around to posting all my Guardians of the Galaxy products from last summer.  So bear with me.  I often avoid movie figures because they tend to have boring "real world" costumes, they're usually in a slightly different scale than comic or cartoon themed figures, and they almost always end up saturating the toy stores and becoming shelfwarmers... and eventual clearance items.  One thing that can always get me to crumble under the pressure though is some wicked green skin.  So, yeah, I now have a cluster of Gamoras now gracing my shelves and I'm excited to gather more as sequels come out.  Half my reason for wanting to get these figures reviewed now (besides the fact that I have had them photographed for over a year) is that I'm super excited about the classic Gamora figure coming in the Entertainment Earth Exclusive set this Summer.  She's already pre-ordered with a spot reserved on my shelf.  Patience is a virtue that I have in short supply.  Let's check out this Gamora POP below!

WWE Elite Collection - PAIGE!

WWE Elite Collection: Series 34 - Paige - Mattel 2015

Paige is an English WWE wrestler who started her career at the shocking age of 13. She is the daughter of English professional wrestlers, Sweet Saraya (later Saraya Knight) and Ricky Knight.  In 2003, her father began a wrestling training school where Paige first began to experiment with the sport.  (Her brothers also fell into the famly business as the Zebra Kid and Zac Zociac).  In her first 6 years wrestling she traveled across Europe competing in a tremendous number of leagues and championships including WAW, WAWW, W3L, HEW, RDW, RQW, & PWF. She would win some, lose some, and often compete against her mother in the ring (inheriting her titles in the process). In 2011 Paige made her American debut with Shimmer Women Athletes and within a year was signed to the WWE. She has gone on to win numerous titles since them including WWE Divas Champion and NXT Women's Champion. For many fans, this figure was a long time coming.  Let's check out Paige's inaugural figure below!

Kidrobot HARLEY QUINN!

DC Comics - Mini Series: 1 - New 52 Harley Quinn - Kidrobot 2015

I remember the first time I walked into a Kidrobot store.  It was in the early 2000s and I was spending my New Year's holiday in San Francisco.  Before my trip, a friend from Texas told me to check out the store.  I had no idea what to expect, but when I did the requisite touristy stroll through Haight-Ashbury I was immediately drawn into a wonderland of design and color.  Vinyl art figures were never really my thing, but this store totally won me over.  Not that I could afford a single thing in the store at the time.  Actually, the store outpriced me for many years, but I still always found myself wanting to browse whenever I found myself near a location.  It wasn't until a few months ago when I made my first purchase.  This of course was only a set of keychains, but it was a first tentative step down a slippery slope.  This first series of DC Minis are blind-boxed and stand about 3" tall (just a tiny bit shorter than Funko Pops). Hopefully we see a series two, or at least some more keychains.  Let's check out Harley below!

Guardians of the Galaxy (Miniature) GAMORA!

Guardians of the Galaxy - Miniature 2-Pack : Star-Lord & Gamora - Hasbro 2014

I took these photos almost a year ago but I'm just getting around to posting them now.  I was a little worn out by Guardians of the Galaxy products last summer, but that definitely didn't stop me from buying them.  These 1:28 scale figures are usually total shelfwarmers in most shops I frequent.  In the past, figures of this size (roughly 2.5") would be cheap sloppy toys created solely to provide a pilot for a vehicle.  But in recent years there has been major advancement in the quality of these tiny little wonders.  They suddenly look really really good.  I can honestly say that this is the best-looking Gamora figure in my collection, but I know she's often overlooked in the toy aisles.  I've mentioned in past reviews how this scale is very nostalgic to me.  When I hold one of these figures I am instantly reminded of Dino-Riders, M.A.S.K., Starcom, Eagle Force, Jayce and the Wheeled Warriors, etc, etc.  Some of my absolute favorite 80's properties.  Let's check out this awesome miniature Gamora below!

DC Collectibles - NEW 52 POISON IVY!

DC Comics (New52) Super-Villains  - Poison Ivy - DC Collectibles 2015

Of all the new character redesigns that came about in 2011's New52 reboot, Poison Ivy was the one that I had the most mixed emotions about.  At first glance, I absolutely hated it.  I thought she looked like a boring spandexed superhero and nothing like the elemental goddess she was.  But then I started reading Birds of Prey and I started to really like the new look.  I know the previous Jim Lee green-hued Ivy was a fan favorite, but I always thought she looked ridiculous.  The one-piece swimsuit design, "sexy" hair, and how she was always standing tiptoed didn't really seem like qualities the detached-from-humanity villainess would care about. So I was definitely open to a change.  Her New52 character was really cool.  For a while she was the creepy member of Birds of Prey that the rest of the team begrudgingly accepted into the ranks.  But it wasn't long before Ivy showed her true colors and betrayed them all.  Now she seems more like her old self in the pages of Harley Quinn.  Let's check out Ivy below!