MAFEX - Batman: Hush - HARLEY QUINN!

MAFEX #162 - Batman: Hush (Jim Lee) - Harley Quinn - Medicom Toys 2022

Harley Quinn has become one of the most popular characters in the DC Universe. From her humble beginnings as one of Joker's henchmen in Batman the Animated Series to her leap to mainstream comics, a solo title, then to video games, the silver screen, and then back to animation with her own show, she has run the gamut of pop culture. Despite all her changes and evolutions, I will always hold her appearances in Batman: Hush (2002-2003) to be her most iconic. At this stage, she still retained her classic jester design, but she was showing her more sadistic and unhinged side underneath the wacky antics. I know her comic persona was developed greatly in her solo series since 2000, but Hush was just different. She was suddenly darker and more formidable, but still with that zany edge that makes her so unique. I think this Mafex figure from 2022 is the best representation of her from this era. Previous attempts have all been a bit off, but this just captures her perfectly. Let's check out Harley Quinn below!

Transformers: Rise of the Beasts - ARCEE!

Transformers: Rise of the Beasts - Model Kits - Arcee - Bloks/Buluke/Blokees 2023

It's a sad state of affairs that toys, for me, have become a purely aesthetic venture. I unfortunately no longer play with toys and my enjoyment comes solely from admiration, nostalgia, and the thrill of the hunt. However, the recent trend of action figure model kits is the remedy I needed. Sitting down for hours as you sort and assemble dozens of tiny pieces and slowly assemble an articulated action figure is the perfect kind of adult play for me. Plus, as a bonus, I have gained a whole new respect for the engineering that goes into modern toys. This Arcee from the Rise of the Beasts movie is the least expensive kit I've purchased (my fourth) at under $18, but it's impressive for having a battery-powered feature with light-up eyes and chest. She isn't my favorite Arcee figure proportionally; her head and chest seem slightly enlarged in relation to her limbs. But looking at other kits from this brand, it seems to be the style. But overall I think she's great and fun addition to my Arcee shelf. Let's check her out below!

G.I.Joe Classified - SCARLETT!

G.I.Joe Classified Retro Card Series - G.I.Joe Scarlett - Hasbro 2024

This Scarlett figure is the one I have wanted since the G.I.Joe Classified line launched four years ago. The first Scarlett, and even her repaint, just looked a bit off. The recipe of a red ponytail, crossbow, and some yellow-ish costume elements were all present, but somehow it just didn't look like Scarlett. The movie figure in 2021 looked a lot better, but of course she was in a dark cinematic costume. But then this surprise retro-carded figure was announced and finally gave us the iconic Scarlett design, seemingly with an all-new sculpt. This might be setting a good precedent for apology figures and/or massive retoolings in the retro line. Plus the cardback on this figure is super thick and durable like the Marvel Legends Vintage line (unlike the flimsy packaging of the first few releases). I admit I've been more excited by the Super7 Ultimates figures because I prefer classic animation aesthetics, but this figure has me very excited for the future of the Classified line. Let's check out Scarlett below!

G.I.Joe Classified - LADY JAYE!

G.I.Joe Classified Retro Card Series - G.I.Joe Lady Jaye - Hasbro 2022

Lady Jaye is probably my favorite G.I.Joe character. Even though I love outlandish costumes and gimmicks in my adventure properties, Lady Jaye stands out as being one of the few characters in a military unit that is actually wearing army greens. Typically I would find this boring, but like me and my lack of tattoos, the normalcy makes her a standout among her edgy peers. I also love that she's butch. I feel like they amplified her relationship with Flint and even had a full episode of her running around in a pink frilly nightgown just to soften her, but you couldn't disguise how tough she was. She also managed to convince me that exploding javelins were a standard weapon like the guns, crossbows, and swords the rest of the characters were wielding. She was iconic. This Retro Card repaint of her Classified figure is a nice variation. Her green outfit is a brighter hue like her vintage toy and her face paint is better. Her missing hairpiece is the only real downside. Let's check out Lady Jaye below!

G.I.Joe Classified - BARONESS!

G.I.Joe Classified Retro Card Series - Cobra Enemy Baroness - Hasbro 2022

The G.I.Joe Classified Retro Carded line had issues from the very start. In theory this was a great idea; vintage redeco'd homages on giant retro cards. The nostalgia potential was very high. But in actuality, we got re-released figures with very minimal changes (just fewer red and gold highlights in the case of Baroness), and a fraction of the accessories. So the main appeal would be the cardback display. But the original releases used the flimsiest cardboard. They were about as as sturdy as a cereal box and looked pretty banged-up and raggedy on the pegs. And if you pre-ordered them from Walmart, they likely arrived tattered in a soft mailer pouch (Note: later characters were on very sturdy cards). If my Walmarts are any indication, I think the Baroness and Lady Jaye Retro figures are the greatest shelfwarmers of my adult life. That, said, I actually prefer this Baroness to the elusive first release. Her skin tone and paint apps are better, and the simplified paint details look sharper and truer to the character.

Marvel Legends 3.75" Retro - SPIDER-WOMAN!

Marvel Legends 3.75" Retro Series - Wave 8 - Spider-Woman - Hasbro 2023

I've been delaying making a post about this figure because I find it so depressing that this was the final release in the amazing Marvel Legends Retro line.  It was a short-lived line from 2021-2023 but managed to give up nine awesome female figures, all in a nostalgic "Secret-Wars-esque" style with costume and character choices specific to the late-70s-to-early-80s era. In my mind, Dazzler, She-Hulk, and Mystique would have been among the obvious next releases. But even if we would be destined to only get repaints, Julia Carpenter, White Elektra, and Mary Jane Watson (from Black Widow?) would have been welcome additions. I just saw so much potential in this line and was so sad to see it unceremoniously come to an early end (or "pause"). But luckily the final two figures, Firestar and this Jessica Drew Spider-Woman, were my most wanted figures, and they are pretty perfect. Few characters embody the Marvel gender revolution of this era like Spider-Woman. Let's check out Jessica below!

Apex Legends - WATTSON!

Apex Legends - 6" Action Figures Wave 7 - 19 Wattson - Jakks Pacific 2023

Wattson is the most recent addition to the fun line of 6" Apex Legends figures from Jakks Pacific. I have never played this game, nor do I know much about it. But the action figures really appeal to me with their diverse designs and genre-mixing characters. Wattson is a technology-based character who is an expert in electricity. She seems to be wearing an insulated uniform with large conductors on her back. Her role in the game is largely to set up protective electrical perimeters as a defensive measure against your opponents. Jakks Pacific does a great job with human-scaled figures. The vast majority of their product seems to be for Super Mario Bros or Sonic the Hedgehog, so it's a treat to see them work on non-cartoony humans. The last line I remember them doing like this was for the World of Warcraft movie back in 2016. Wattson was released way back in March of 2023 with no word of new figures since. But I am certainly hoping for more soon. Let's check out Wattson below!

Marvel Legends - WASP!

Marvel Legends - Avengers Classic Giant-Man and Wasp 2-Pack - Hasbro 2024

Way back in 2010 when the Avengers (2012) movie was first announced and rumors started to fly, I was very excited at the prospect of seeing Janet van Dyne as the Wasp on the big screen (and of course getting lots of cool toys). Janet was one of the original Avengers from 1963 so I (wrongfully) assumed her presence would be a given. But no, in her place was Black Widow, a non-powered espionage-based character who didn't join the Avengers until 1991. I was baffled and upset. I eventually grew to really like the MCU Black Widow, but Wasp was a glaring absence to me. The character eventually appeared in the Ant-Man movies (not donning a costume until 2018) but as a new character, Hope van Dyne, the daughter of Janet and Hank. Janet eventually appeared in the MCU played by Michelle Pfeiffer and got decent costumed screentime in Quantumania (but almost no merch). In the time, a classic helmeted Wasp figure rose to the top of my most-wanted Legends list. It took years but she is perfect.