Mythic Legions - XYLONA!

Mythic Legions: Advent of Decay - The Legendary Xylona - Four Horsemen 2018

Of all the action figures in my collection, I think this Mythic Legions Xylona figure may possibly be the most unique. I go through phases where I love her, and others when she irks me. While her body is a standard female buck (although dressed in a leafy/foliage design) paired with the hoofed legs that we've seen on several creature figures, it's her head and neck that draws all the attention. She is a adorned with a large nondescript cervid head, which is turn is crowned with a massive set of antlers. They're so high that they add 50% to her height (I measured). The proportions are inhuman and are part of the reason I find her unsettling. Normal human proportions tend to place a vertical midpoint at the waist, but the midpoint of Xylona is her chest. When I imagine her at my scale, I think she's terrifying my eyes don't know where to go. That said, she is magnificent, utterly original, and perfect for the fantasy Mythic Legions line. I'm extremely curious to see this mold repurposed too. Let's check out Xylona below!

Marvel She-Force - TIGRA!

Marvel Superheroes: Marvel Hall of Fame - She-Force - Tigra - ToyBiz 1997

I love buying inexpensive action figures from the 90s and opening them fresh. It's like a time machine to the infancy of the toy collecting hobby. I really wasn't into superhero action figures back when these were coming out (I was really into collecting monster toys!), but honestly I'm kind of glad all these Marvel figures were off my radar, because I don't think I would have had easy access to actually buy any of them. I had three comic shops in my little town when I was a kid, but by the late 90s they were struggling (if not closed already). Same with the Kay-Bee Toys at the local mall. And I didn't discover eBay until 1998. Plus, my taste in superheroes was probably suspect. I think Tigra is awesome now, but back then I just knew her as the cat-girl that was always in those weird Marvel Swimsuit Special magazines. So all-in-all, I'm glad I unintentionally waited 23 years to start collecting them. The timing lets me overlook the aesthetic and engineering faults and just focus on the fun. Let's check out Tigra below!

Mythic Legions - LUCRETIA!

Mythic Legions: Advent of Decay - Lucretia (Illythias Brood) - Four Horsemen 2018

I love vampire lore. It's pretty rare when there is a vampire story on television, on the silver screen, or in books that I don't appreciate on some level. I like everything from the scary and monstrous to the eye-rolling and romantic. And female vampires get even more love from me, but they are predictably much less prevalent. Up until this Mythic Legions Lucretia figure, I don't think I had ever seen a female vampire in the style of Count Orlok (from Nosferatu 1922); a more demonic, inhuman looking design. Females are usually vampy, goth, gorgeous, and ultimately human-looking which I certainly don't mind, but I never realized how awesome a demonic-bat character could look. She's quite possibly the most wicked-looking figure in my collection. And just imagine how epic she could look with white demon/dragon wings! I'm becoming very obsessed with these Mythic Legions figures. I still can't believe it took a quarantine to finally convince me to crack them open. (Sooooo many more to go). Let's check out Lucretia!

Genseishin Justirisers - RISER KAGERI!

Konami Real Great Model Series - Justirisers S03 - Riser Kageri - Konami 2005

Genseishin Justirisers is the 2nd installment in the Chouseishin Series, a tokusatsu TV Franchise in Japan created by Toho in 2004 to rival Toei's Super Sentai and Kamen Rider series. This series is a big departure from its predecessor, Chouseishin Gransazer, which was notable for having twelve main heroes, by instead only having three. Each of the 3 characters has a dizzying number of themes. Riser Kageri is the token female and embodies the themes of : Virtue, Ninja, Tiger, and Wind. Riser Glen, the red male, embodies Courage, Samurai, Phoenix, and Flame. And Riser Gant, the male in black, represents Wisdom, Monk, Tortoise, and Thunder. I honestly had trouble deciphering it all visually until I was researching for this post. The symbolism in these designs is what I have grown to love most about them. Researching all the new properties that have emerged since my interest dwindled a decade ago has been a fun quarantine pasttime. (There have been a lot!) Let's check out Riser Kageri below!

The Ladies of CHOUSEISHIN GRANSAZER!

Konami Real Great Model Series - Chouseishin Gransazer - Konami 2004

In the mid-aughts, I was obsessed with Japanese tokusatsu vinyl figures. Besides some vague exposure to Power Rangers and Beetleborgs, the genre was basically unknown to me. I spent a lot of time back then browsing Japanese auction sites (for other non-action-figure hobbies of mine) when I first came across the trend of 1:12 vinyl figures. I was fascinated by these inexpensive and bountiful collectibles. Just when I had written off Japanese pop culture as only schoolgirl uniforms and cat ears I discovered this world of colorful armor and intricate design themes. The vast majority of these figures were produced by Bandai, but this amazing Chouseishin Gransazer is apparently made by Konami (I say apparently because despite the copyright stamped on the figure and the logo on the packaging, I can't find solid proof that Konami ever made toys). I especially like this group because there are a whopping twelve main characters including four females. Let's check them all out below!

Terry Dodson WONDER WOMAN!

DC Comics - Wonder Woman Series 01 - Wonder Woman - DC Direct 2007

I can't believe it's taken me thirteen years to photograph and post on this amazing figure. I believe most Wonder Woman collectors would claim this is their favorite representation of the character in plastic, and I definitely agree that she is spectacular. She was released in line with the the rebooted Wonder Woman comic from 2006 with art by Terry Dodson and writing by Allan Heinberg (the man behind Young Avengers and the screenplay for the 2017 Wonder Woman movie, among other things). The first story arc of the 2006 series is constantly reprinted in collected form as "Who is Wonder Woman?" and is probably at your LCS right now. I just picked it up a few months ago and it's still a great read with beautiful art. This figure is indeed gorgeous, but it doesn't exactly look like Terry Dodson's art. In fact, I think the Adam Hughes figure I reviewed earlier this week looks more like Dodson's art than this. But despite that you can't deny the perfection of this sculpt. Let's check her out below!

My Favorite WONDER WOMAN!

DC Comics Justice League of America Boxset - DC Direct 2009

Wonder Woman is a sticky situation for us collectors of female action figures.  I will go out on a limb and say that she is the single most merchandised heroine of all time, and I seriously doubt any ladies will be stealing that mantle from her anytime soon.  I don't dislike Wonder Woman, but I pointedly ignore the standard monthly solicitation of yet another Diana figure or statue.  I am an obsessive collector so I have to put my blinders on or I will be penniless and living in a star-spangled hovel.  A few years ago I started reading the revamped Wonder Woman comic with art by Terry and Rachel Dodson and I suddenly had a renewed interest in the character.  I made it a goal to find the single best figure I could find of her and limit myself to that one piece.  Of course I now have a small handful of Dianas, but they entered organically into my collection, because each time I made a purchase I truly thought I was replacing my existing perfect figure with a newly-produced superior version of that single perfect representation.

Dx9 Toys - COCOMONE!

3rd Party Transformers - DX9-D03C Cocomone (Go-Bots Crasher) - Dx9 Toys 2015

I think Crasher is forever doomed to get toy representations that are just re-decoed male characters. But considering that her character is literally developed from a repurposed genderless (but male-presenting) Machine Robo toy, I give her a pass. When I think back to my various childhood traumas, a surprisingly high number of them center around animation. The flying skeleton girls from Return of the King, everything about Rikki Tikki Tavi, and the frighteningly insane cackle of Crasher from Go-Bots. The way she would stomp around was equally scary. Yet you could always find me glued to the TV waiting for a glimpse of her.  As one of the most iconic Go-Bots characters, I'm surprised there hasn't been more merchandise for her. The vintage Go-Bots toy is the only official item (with some variant re-releases), followed by the Transformers Fracture homage, and finally this 3rd Party Cocomone figure. I'm still waiting for a perfect representation (ideally an original sculpt!) But until then this Cocomone is pretty terrific.