Fortnite - SKULLY!

Fortnite 7" Premium Action Figures - Skully - Epic Games / McFarlane Toys 2020

Just when I think I might give up on one of the various Fortnite lines, a new product comes out that sucks me right back in. So far, I think that McFarlane Toys Fortnite figures have been the least inspiring. This is mostly due to the high cost and slow release schedule. Plus comparatively, the Cuddle Team Leader seemed awkwardly proportioned and too tall and Dark Bomber's face, although technically not bad at all, looked like it was stamped on cheaply. So, yeah, I was ready to give the whole line the axe. But then this character named Skully was revealed who I had never heard of before. At first glance I was unimpressed. She looked like another forgettable militant character that I've seen a thousand times before. But upon further inspection I really dig her design. The maroon and teal colors really pop with the rainbow details and her bright blonde hair. Plus the candy-skull details on her hip, backpack, and axe combine to create that quirky vs deadly that I love about Fortnite. She's amazing. Let's check out Skully below!

Perfect Effect - MOTOBOT RC!

3rd Party Transformers -  MotoBot PE-DX01 RC (Arcee) - PerfectEffect 2012

This MotoBot RC figure is the first 3rd Party Transformer that really caught my attention. Prior to this mold in 2012, all the fembots looked like simple model kits. A lot of their features looked soft (and improperly molded), there were plastic flashes, odd proportions, and exposed screws. But these figures from PerfectEffect really stood out from the pack. They looked amazing: well-proportioned, excellent details, lots of accessories, and bright, molded colors. I even liked that fact that the design seemed to be based off her current IDW comic appearances rather than her classic G1 look. Although a classic look was still my main desire at the time (Generations Arcee wouldn't be released for another two years), I really appreciated this unique modern interpretation and was excited to get the figure. Of course, I didn't pick her up until I found her at a toy show last year, but better late than never. She still holds up great against the other more recent 3rd Party figures. Let's check out the Perfect Effect MotoBot RC below!

Iron Factory - PINK ASSASSIN!

3rd Party Transformers - IF EX-16 Pink Assassin (Arcee) - Iron Factory 2016

Iron Factory was really on to something special when they started this 3-inch line of fembots. Between 2015 and 2018 they released seven amazing figures. Granted, there are several repaints and several simple retools, but the overall effect is a nice little troop of pocket-sized female Transformers. I only wish they would release more. Chromia, FireStar, and Moonracer would make a perfect three-pack. The tricky thing is that two previous releases (the Elita-1 and Dark Arcee homages) were surprise pack-ins with larger figures. So this makes me jump with excitement for every single Iron Factory solicitation. But with no new fembots in the last two years, I fear the line may be done. I've owned several of these ladies for years, but I only started opening them recently. I'm excited to review them one-by-one. The scale, articulation, sculpt, and paint apps are top notch. And the anime-inspired faces might seem cheesy on a larger figure, but with these it's downright adorable.  Let's check out Pink Assassin below!

Titans Return - ARCEE!

Transformers: Titans Return - Hascon Exc Arcee w/ Ultra Magnus - Hasbro 2017

This Arcee figure has a very frustrating history for me. At first, I didn't want her at all. As pink redeco of the Titans Return Blurr, this was precisely the kind of Transformer I tried to avoid. She was a convention exclusive, and she was using a male body.. a recipe for meh. But then I picked up the Nautica figure and suddenly I had a change of heart. This body appeared way more androgynous than I expected and I regretted not trying to get Arcee. Then, in true flip-flopping fashion, I again decided not to get her when she was $24.99 on the hasbrotoyshop and toysrus websites for months. Then she sold out, and I suddenly had to have her. I'm not sure how much I ended up paying, but I eventually snagged her on eBay. I have a hunch that this Arcee is the last of her kind. In recent years, there has been a major push for female-specific body molds. Sometimes a repurposed male buck yielded decent results, but the gender-consistent options now available probably make that a thing of the past. Let's check out Arcee below!

Ocular Max - AZALEA!

Ocular Max (Perfection Series) PS-04 Azalea  - Mastermind Creations 2018

Of all the 3rd Party Arcee figures out there, this Ocular Max Azalea from Mastermind Creations seems to be the most popular. There are already five variations of her announced (three released so far), and I have a gut feeling there will be more. Mastermind Creations first fell into my radar back in 2015 when they released their Reformatted line of fembots (Eupatorium (Elita One), Salvia Prominon (Solus Prime) and Azalea (IDW Arcee)). They were all fantastic and they marked the first time I ever spent real money on 3rd Party figures. But they were pretty stylized figures that didn't really fit in with official Hasbro or Takara products. Then three years later they shocked me by unveiling one of the most perfect looking G1 Arcee figures to date. It's not a perfect designs by any means, but it sure looks it. I hope they make more fembots, MMC did a deep dive with characters in 2015, so I hope this engineering gets the same longevity (beyond the repaints). Elita 1 would be amazing. Let's check out Ocular Max Azalea below!

Fans Toys - ROUGE!

3rd Party Masterpiece-Scale Transformers FT-24 Rouge - Fans Toys 2018

This Masterpiece-Scale Rouge figure from Arcee marked a huge turning point for me in collecting Transformers. I was always patiently waiting for official TakaraTomy or Hasbro products to come out, but upon seeing this figure, I realized the 3rd Party market was always going to pay more attention to the female Transformers than the main companies ever would (of course this was before Power of the Primes hit the shelves). This Rouge figure also confused me because it make me realize I hadn't been paying attention to the market and I had completely lost track of all the fembots already released. I vowed to backtrack and become a completist. I won't go crazy getting repaints. Arcee alone gets tons of re-releases in Stealth Mode and as the Paradron Medic, I would go broke trying to keep up. But trying to get each mold and seeing what these different 3rd Party companies can do has been a really fun side hobby (and I credit these companies with lighting a fire under Hasbro's butt).  Let's check out Rouge!

War in Pocket - LEAH!

Third Party Transformers - War in Pocket 14: Warrior Leah - Dx9 Toys 2016

I'm truly surprised how much I love this figure. In general, she is significantly cheaper than the average 3rd Party figure. Plus she's a smaller scale and she comes in a 2-Pack with Toufold (Kup). I ordered her years ago on a whim and never had very high expectations. But when I finally opened her last week, I was instantly enamored. She measures about 3.75" tall so I had instant flashbacks of playing with my G.I.Joes. If Takara had been making toys like this in the 80s I would have been all over them and the crossover play potential would have been insane. Leah is also very easy to transform. That's one thing smaller-scale figures like this will always naturally have over the bigger ladies, much simpler engineering. I think Dx9 could have had a lot of fun with this scale and made a ton more characters. Elita's Army would have blown my mind. But I'll take single female Leah if that's all that's meant to be. It will be fun to compare her to the future BFS Robot wave. Let's check out the Dx9 Leah below!

Toy World - TW-M06 LEIA!

Third Party Masterpiece-Scale Transformers TW-M06 Leia - Toy World 2017

2020 is going to be the year of Arcee. The Movie Series figure just came out, and there are three more on the horizon: Cyberverse, Earthrise Deluxe, and Masterpiece. I'm very excited. I'm so excited, in fact, that I finally opened all of my 3rd Party figures that I've been stockpiling for years. For a long time there weren't any official G1 Arcee figures out there, so the 3rd Party market eagerly filled the void. I have quite a collection to review, so prep yourself for a parade of pink robots. This Leia figure from Toy World is currently the largest one in my collection towering at 8" tall. I think she looks great, and she feels really solid (and heavy!) Although one thing I've found that 3rd Party figures have in common is extremely complicated engineering. When I opened Leia last week I found myself literally awake until 7am trying to transform her torso back to bot form. I resorted to YouTube videos (Xakimus Prime, you are a life-saver! That move at 6:05 mark killed me) and I will likely never attempt that again. Let's check out Leia below!