GOTG Miniature Figurines - NEBULA & GAMORA!

Marvel Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 - Figurine Set - Disney Store Exc - 2017

I just got back from seeing Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and I loved it. One of the most impressive things about the film for me was the gender diversity. In many of the biggest action scenes there were more women on the screen then men. I kept thinking of the first Avengers movie and how Black Widow kind of got lost in the crowd. The Guardians really didn't suffer from that at all. I was impressed at how complex of a character Nebula has become. In the first movie she seemed a little 2-Dimensional, but now I totally get why Hasbro waited until this movie to give us a Legends figure of her. The new characters of Mantis and Ayesha were both great, too. The only thing I didn't love about the movie was baby Groot. I know I'm alone in this, but the adorable charms of that little guy have the opposite effect on me. These Disney Store PVC figures are pretty great. I'm excited to keep stalking the stores to see future movie assortments. Let's check out these exclusive Gamora and Nebula figurines below!

Mini-Mate Women of GUARDIANS of the GALAXY V2!

Marvel Mini-Mates GOTG Vol. 2 - Gamora, Nebula, Mantis, & Ayesha - DST 2017

I just bought my tickets to go see Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 this Friday and I'm getting pretty hyped up. I've managed to accumulate a decent amount of merchandise from the movie already. Lots of Funko stuff, Marvel Legends, animated spin-off figures from Hasbro, etc. But the first figures I actually picked up were these Diamond Select Mini-Mates. Mini-Mates never fail with Marvel movie products. Even movies that are mysteriously never fully merchandised (like any of the recent X-Men films or Dr. Strange) will get a full lineup of characters in Minimate form. This GOTG2 series was actually the first time I saw that Ayesha would be in the movie. I was first exposed to Ayesha when she was known as "Her" (the counterpart to Adam Warlock aka "Him"). It's funny how there will be a Marvel Legends Adam Warlock (who I'm not sure is even in the film) but Ayesha is left out. At least DST will always give us a full roster. Let's check out the Gamora, Nebula, Mantis, and Ayesha below!

Amanda Conner - SPACESUIT HARLEY QUINN!

DC Designer Series: Amanda Conner #2 - Spacesuit Harley Quinn - DCC 2017

I love DC Collectibles' Designer Series line. One of the things I get the most joy out of in this hobby is seeing very stylized 2-Dimensional comic and cartoon designs translated into 3-Dimensional sculpture. The more stylistic the art, the harder the challenge for the sculptor, and (generally speaking) the more impressed I am. I hope we see future lines from Dustin Nguyen and Mike Allred, mostly because the art seems like a challenge and I'd love to see the results. An Amanda Conner line was an obvious choice from the beginning, but I think having the first wave be all Harleys was a surprize to most. Hopefully there's a second line with other Amanda classics like Power Girl, Terra, and Black Canary. This Spacesuit Harley is a fun choice for this line. Although the outfit only ever appeared on a single comic cover (the spacesuit inside the issue was really different). It's a perfect wacky variant. The final two (Holiday and Superhero) will be here by next week and I'm excited! Let's check out Spacesuit Harley below!

DC Multiverse - WONDER WOMAN (CLOAKED)!

DC Multiverse - WW Movie (Ares Series) - Cloaked Wonder Woman - Mattel 2017

Here is my final review of the basic Wonder Woman 6" line. I'm looking forward to reviewing the awesome 12" figure (I saw it at Barnes & Noble today, but couldn't bring myself to pay $3 above MSRP for it haha). And I'm super excited about the Menalippe and "standard" Wonder Woman 6" figures that should be popping up as exclusives soon. If you haven't seen the exclusive Wonder Woman figure yet, check out the Hong Kong TRU site. It's a scaled-down version of the 12" figure with a shield accessory for Ares. I think she'll be my favorite of the series when I finally get her. This cloaked Wonder Woman is a very nice figure, but definitely my least favorite of the group so far. I feel like this should have been the exclusive like the Nightclub Harley last year with the standard version seeing a wide release. But who knows what additional Diana figures we'll see with the Justice League film this Fall. We could be gearing up for a full-on Amazonian overload. Let's check out the cloaked Wonder Woman below!

Women of the COOPERSTOWN COLLECTION!

Starting Lineup - Dottie Kamenshek (Kenner 1996) & Pepper Davis (Hasbro 1998)

I've been meaning to review these two figures forever. Then recently I saw a post from the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media Facebook page (I suggest following it!) about 2017 being the 25th Anniversary of A League of Their Own. I love that movie and it exposed me to the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League when I was a young lad of 13. At the time, Startling Lineup figures were the bane of my existence. Scarce toy aisle space was being taken over by sports junk, and along with it came jock collectors, which was an awkward hybrid kind of peer I had trouble relating to. It wasn't until about six years ago that I discovered the inclusion of eight female athletes in the line. My favorites of the group were easily the two baseball players from the AAGPBL. I only wish they had made more. It's notable that these two figures also mark the transition between the Kenner and Hasbro brands (All the Kenner lines were absorbed into Hasbro between 1991 and 2000). Let's check out Pepper and Dottie below!

Star Wars 6" Black Series - SABINE WREN!

Star Wars: The Black Series #33 (Rebels) - Sabine Wren - Hasbro 2017

When the Star Wars Black Series was just announced I wasn't sure how robust the line would be with female characters. I wasn't too excited about getting a dozen different Leias (This was before we knew any details of The Force Awakens or Rogue One after all). And sure, I have three Black Series Leias already and they are all great figures in their own ways, but what I was really waiting for were characters from the Star Wars animated universe in this scale. Last year we saw Ahsoka Tano and now we get the infamous Mandalorian graffiti artist (and bounty hunter dropout), Sabine Wren. Hasbro alters these characters a little bit to fit in with their live-action Black Series counterparts. I really appreciate the stylistic changes because Star Wars will always be one unified universe in my head, but the animated designs really don't blend in well on my toy shelves. Rest assured this Sabine fits in perfectly. Now I'm super excited about the Hera Syndulla figure. I love this line. Let's check out Sabine below!

Funko Guardians of the Galaxy MANTIS Collection!

GOTG Vol. 2 - Rock Candy, POP, Dorbz, & Pint Size Heroes - Funko 2017

One of the things I'm most excited about with the upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 movie is to get to know the character Mantis better. I've always noticed her in the comics, but her character's origins and powers always confused me. Although her look has changed pretty drastically over the years, her signature antennae and Asian features have remained constant. But as far as her powers and origins go, I've always been kind of lost.  She can communicate with plants and certain alien races, she is empathic, she's a martial arts master, and she has bizarre control over her body (like heartbeat and bleeding). And now in her most recent incarnations she's also a telepathic precog. Her background is equally muddy. With depowerings, mindwipes, time travel, and celestial prophecies, it's kind of hard to keep straight. That's why I'm looking forward to the movie version. I'm assuming they'll take the best parts of the character and make it as cohesive as possible. Plus her look is very cool update of the comic design.

Miraculous Ladybug - LADY WIFI!

Miraculous Ladybug Action Figures: Wave 02 - Lady Wi-Fi - Bandai 2017

I'm very excited about what the future holds for all the various Zag Heroez/Zagtoons properties and all the potential action figures that could come from them. If this Miraculous line from Bandai is any indication of the production quality and character assortment coming down the line, we are going to have a great few years. Check out Superstar, Pixie Girl, Zak Storm, Ghostforce, etc to see just a small selection of the new cartoons on the horizon. This Lady Wi-Fi figure is pretty elusive. I believe she is supposed to be included in the second wave of Miraculous figures, but she is not in the assortments that are showing up in stores, and she's not ever shown on the character lineup on the cardbacks (but the rest of wave two is). There is a third wave in the works including Volpina, Puppeteer, Bumblebee, and a new Ladybug, so I have feeling this little lady is going to get lost in the mix. I caved and ordered mine off Amazon to avoid missing out. Let's check out Lady Wi-Fi below!