Super7 ReAction - VAMPIRA!

ReAction Action Figures - Vampira (The Queen of Goth) - Super7 Boodega 2023

Super7 ReAction figures just keep getting better and better. This is one of my favorite toy lines out there. I love how there is a consistent retro format across lots of different licenses. And that "consistent" style has evolved to state where it can have subtle variations to best represent different genres. The G.I.Joe line perfectly captures a vintage animated look, while pulpy live-action characters like this Vampira have more realistic proportions and details. This figure is also noteworthy for being the most curvy female ReAction figure so far (which is ironic considering they made a Jessica Rabbit in 2022). Vampira is a classic TV horror host from the 1950s who inspired characters like Maleficent, Elvira, and even the 1964 television incarnation of Morticia Addams. She has been largely unmerchandized until this year, but within a month we got both a Toony Terrors figure and this ReAction. I hope it's not the end though because a 1:12 figure from NECA or Super7 would be amazing. Let's check out Vampira below!

Super Mario Bros Movie 2.5" - PEACH!

Super Mario Bros Movie - Peach Pull Back Racer - Jakks Pacific 2023

This figure was the first product I found in stores for the Super Mario Bros Movie earlier this year and it got me really excited. I've been buying Jakks Pacific toys of Nintendo/Super Mario and Sonic the the Hedgehog characters for years, and the 2.5" lines were always the consistent standouts for character diversity and sheer numbers of a figures. But the drawback was always severely limited articulation. Most of my 2.5" Jakks figures only have three points of simple swivel articulation (not that I ever complained). But this Movie Peach in her Mario Kart outfit has a surprising six hinge-and-swivel joints as well as a ball-jointed head. She's very tiny at just under 3" tall, so this is very impressive (especially for the price point). She is really great and so are all the other racer characters. Hopefully this isn't just a one-time experimental line though, because I would love to see more in this style. I guess we'll have to wait until the next Mario or Sonic movie to see though. Let's check out Mario Kart Peach below!

Super Mario Bros Movie 5" - PEACH!

The Super Mario Brothers Movie - Series 2 - Princess Peach - Jakks Pacific 2023

When the product for the Super Mario Bros Movie hit the shelves earlier this year, I honestly thought the initial wave of products would be the only items we would see. All the main characters were represented right off the bat. I hadn't seen the movie yet, or even really paid attention to the trailers in great detail. But considering this deluxe 5" series started out with Mario, Luigi, Peach, Toad, and Bowser, I think most collectors assumed the line was complete. But right around the time the first street date hit, images of Series 2 surfaced showing popular character variations like Tanooki Mario, Cat Mario, and this Mario Kart Peach. Peach donned this costume when she was returning to the Mushroom Kingdom to confront Bowser. Mario drove a gocart, Toad was in a monster truck, and Peach had a motorcycle. They travelled on the Rainbow Road and had a whole Mario Kart homage on the journey. I honestly would have expected a simple Fire Peach repaint before this new sculpt, but I'm very happy.

Super Mario Bros Movie 5" - PEACH!

The Super Mario Brothers Movie - Princess Peach - Jakks Pacific 2023

It's amazing to think that it took 38 years to produce a Super Mario Bros movie (that actually resembled Super Mario Bros - I don't count the 1993 movie). With such a strong collection of characters and an environment custom-made for adventures, it seems like an obvious money-maker. There have been several animated series produced over the years, but the full movie treatment didn't happen until 2023 - and, not surprisingly, it was a big hit. My favorite things about the movie was that all the characters looked video game accurate, and that Princess Peach was such a boss. With her origins firmly rooted in the damsel-in-distress role, it was great to see her take on a more independent persona. This deluxe toy line is a new scale for Jakks video game figures. Previously the largest ones were 4", but this line (and the new Sonic Prime figures) are now 5". The eyes have a glass effect that is both interesting and creepy, but it is a cool new feature that I haven't seen before. Let's check out Peach below!

LooseCollector - DARNA!

Darna - 1:12 Scale Action Figure - Executive Replicas LooseCollector 2020

When this figure first showed up in my social media feeds back in 2020 I was immediately covetous. I had seen imagery of this character seemingly all my life, but didn't know her name or anything about her. I went on a googling spiral and became obsessed with getting this toy. Unfortunately I was seeing pics of collectors actively receiving their preorders and she had been sold out for months. But after a few years she popped up on the LooseCollector again in very limited quantities and I finally snagged her. Darna is the most famous of the Pinoy comic superheroes. She was created in 1950 by Mars Ravelo with inspiration from Superman comics brought to the Philippines by American solders during WWII. She is a kind of mashup of Superman, Wonder Woman, and Shazam. She has since transcended the comic world and has appeared in fourteen films between 1951 and 1994, four television serials, and several animated TV shows. Truly an iconic character. Let's check out Darna below!

Marvel Legends - LADY BULLSEYE!

Marvel Legends - Mindless One Series - Lady Bullseye -Hasbro 2023

In 2008, a new adversary was introduced in the pages of Daredevil. Lady Bullseye was inspired by the Lady Snowblood manga from 1972 (which also inspired Kill Bill), but firmly rooted in Daredevil lore since the character modeled herself after Bullseye. When Maki Matsumoto was a young girl in Japan, she was imprisoned by the Yakuza and faced a grim and dire future. On an unrelated mission, Bullseye entered the Yakuza stronghold and slaughtered her captors. That vision lit a spark in her. Flash forward to adulthood, and Maki is the assassin Lady Bullseye working with The Hand and living a civilian life as a lawyer working in close proximity to Matt Murdock. The first time I heard of this character is when a Marvel Legends prototype of her was displayed at conventions in 2009. But I didn't really embrace her until a picked up a TPB (Daredevil: Lady Bullseye) about 10 years later collecting her first story arc. She's an interesting character that I'm glad finally got a figure. Let's check out Lady Bullseye below!

Wild Republic's SISTERS OF THE SEA!

Sisters of the Sea: Mermaids - 6" Action Playsets - Wild Republic 2014-2023

Mermaid action figures are very hard to come by. As common as mermaid dolls, mermaid plushes, and mermaid figurines may be, articulated action figures are extremely rare. I first discovered these Wild Republic mermaids back in 2014 when the first Sisters of the Sea figure showed up at a beachside 5&10 shop while I was on vacation. Then I quickly found a color variant and I knew I'd be obsessing over this line for a long time. The newer figures have swapped out the catchy "Sisters of the Sea" name for - ahem - "Mermaid Moveable Playset" but the colors and wow factor just keep improving. This line is notoriously hard to find. I suggested your zoo, aquarium, and museum gift shops, and any beachside novelty shops. I check all my locals places obsessively, but it's worth the effort to score a well-sculpted (yet inexpensive) mermaid. They are not collector toys. So, yes, the paint can be sloppy, and yes, the joints can be loose, but I love them anyway. Let's check out the Sisters of the Sea below!

Gormiti - JESSICA THE AIR LORD!

Gormiti: Elemental Fusion - Jessica (The Air Lord) - Giochi Preziosi 2008

Gormiti is one of those properties that is a perfect recipe for great action figures. The characters are brightly-colored, creatively-designed, and nature-themed with great elemental factions. The television portion of the franchise essentially reboots every few years with a new assortments of characters, and I always scour the internet to check out the new toys. The main distribution is in Italy with availability across Europe, but here in the US we barely see any. I always wish for more female characters that can get merchandised, but it would also be a double-edged sword because they're really hard to get. As for now, there is only one merchandised female character, Jessica the Air Lord, who got three action figures between 2008-2010. This Elemental Fusion version is a repaint of her first figure with less (no) accessories but with an added voice feature. She was exceptionally hard to get (not because she's valuable, but because overseas shipping is out of control). Let's check out Jessica below!