The Evil Horde's SCORPIA!

Masters of the Universe Classics - Scorpia - Mattel/Mattycollector 2014

With the release of Scorpia earlier this month, my core Horde team is complete.  Sure, we'll get Entrapta and Double Trouble soon enough, but Scorpia, Catra, Octavia, and Shadow Weaver were always the main ladies of the Horde in my eyes.  When we got the first Adora figure back in 2010, I never would have dreamed we'd see all these characters in the line.  Mattel really made us wait for Scorpia.  Considering she appeared in 15 episodes, it's shocking that we didn't get her sooner.  (It's almost as shocking as how excruciatingly long it took her to get to my door after ordering her 2 weeks ago).  Scorpia is worth the wait though.  She's almost perfectly executed.  The crotch concerns you may be reading all over the internet are indeed valid.  It looks as if she's wearing a giant black diaper.  But honestly, I'm so in love with every other detail of this figure that I can shrug it off.  I will gladly take Scorpia's minor wardrobe issues over the bulky chestpiece problems the recent male figures have been suffering through.  It's all a matter of perspective.  Let's check out your favorite evil arthropod in detail below!

Kickstarter: I AM ELEMENTAL!

Series 01: The Seven Elements of Courage - I Am Elemental (Kickstarter) 2014
 
So I took the plunge and backed my first Kickstarter campaign today -- and I'm super-duper excited because it looks like the project is going to be a success.  I've been tempted by the Four Horsemen offerings in the past, and I unfortunately missed the boat with the Backyard Heroes.  But I'm almost glad I held out because the I Am Elemental campaign seems perfect for my first time.  The initial series of figure consists of seven brightly colored, highly articulated female characters representing different Elements of Courage (Bravery, Energy, Honesty, etc).  It has a ring of the "Seven Deadly Sins/Seven Holy Virtues" motif which I find very appealing.  The skintones are wildly colored (and racially ambiguous).  And the figures share a common core buck, but have unique accessories, heads, and variations on boots and gloves that offer some amazing variety while sticking to a common visual theme.  I think they're perfect.  Plus by the nature of the theology behind their design, they are tastefully sculpted and focused on true heroics rather than the typical thinly veiled titillation.  Let's check them all out below!

Justice League of America HAWKGIRL!

Justice League of America - Series 2 - Hawkgirl - DC Direct 2008

Hawkgirl is one of the oldest female costumed heroes in comics.  She was first introduced in All Star Comics #5 in 1941 and has held her own in the DC Universe ever since.  I was always aware of her as a character, but somewhat abstractly as I only ever saw her as the wife or girlfriend of Hawkman, and never a hero in her own right.  Then she was cast in the Justice League and Justice League Unlimited cartoons as one of the seven core members of the League.  This cartoon version was physically based on the Silver Age Shayera Hol character, although her personality was a new creation for the show.  These cartoons boosted her popularity immensely and now she is always considered one of the great DC heroines.  So when the Justice League of America comic rebooted in 2007, she was a shoe-in.  This action figure represents that incarnation of Hawkgirl (as Kendra Saunders) in the artistic style of Ed Benes via the sculpting prowess of Ray Villafane.  Let's check her out in detail below!

The Girls of LEGO CHIMA!

Eris, G'Loona, Windra, Rinona, Crooler, and Spinlyn - LEGO: Chima 2013-14

Hello my name is Alex and I have a Lego problem.  At first I would just pick up the occasional DC Lego: Catwoman, Harley, Ivy, etc.  Maybe I would aim to get one or two figures from each minifigure wave.  I was keeping it all in check.  But then they introduced this amazing little theme called  Legends of Chima.  Damn them.  Chima introduces a vast world of anthropomorphic characters.  So far, there are about 18 different animal tribes.  Some are good, some are bad, some are both.  So far, the only females figures have been in the Eagle Tribe, Lion Tribe, Crocodile Tribe, Rhino Tribe, Gorilla Tribe, and the Spider Tribe.  There are at least two more females due out later this summer from the Lion and Mammoth tribes.  But there are undoubtedly more ladies coming in the future.  I would love a female Bat, Vulture, Phoenix, and Fox.  These figures all come in big expensive sets which are completely breaking my bank.  Luckily they show up on eBay pretty regularly loose.  Let's check out the first 6 ladies below!

DC Collectibles WONDER GIRL!

New 52 Teen Titans: Series 01 - Wonder Girl - DC Collectibles 2014

Wonder Woman's niece makes her New52 action figure debut in this new figure from DC Collectibles.  Cassandra Sandsmark was never related to Wonder Woman until her  (and Diana's) history was rewritten in the New52.  Before that she was a young girl who found some artifacts that gave her superpowers.  In the New52 she was introduced in a very similar way with a pair of powerful bracelets giving her powers.  Soon, however, it was revealed that her father was a demigod of Zeus - now officially tying her to Diana.  This action figure is pretty great.  There is some really creative use of plastics that really makes her pop.  Cassandra's torso and legs are cast in a translucent dark red plastic with layers of gold glitter embedded in it.  These layers of glitter in the translucent plastic create a very cool effect when you move her around.  Her skin is cast in the semi-translucent fleshtone plastic that we saw with the Brightest Day ladies and the Arkham City Catwoman.  It looks decent, but somehow creates a blurry effect and makes her features look less defined.  Overall though, she's a total catch.  Let's check out Cassie Below!

G.I.Joe: Retaliation JINX!

G.I.Joe: Retaliation - Kim Arashikage (Jinx) - Hasbro 2013

Everytime I begin to review a new G.I.Joe figure I get really upset.  The figures are great, but I've truly been priced out of this line and I just can't catch up no matter what I do.  My first venture into collecting female action figures was an attempt to get every female G.I.Joe.  And I was very very successful until the past few years.  I even have an original Glenda in my collection.  But Hasbro's convention exclusives have made my collection incomplete.  It took me forever to get the exclusive Zaranas and Zanya, and I've never been able to get any of the exclusive females since.   No Jinxes, no Crimson Asp, no Daina, no Freestyle, no Night Force Lady Jaye, No Baroness and Ravage, and none of the collector's club ladies.  The secondary market prices are far above my budget.  When I saw this Jinx figure at TRU this weekend, I was like a deer in headlights.  It had been forever since I had bought a 'Joe.  Do I even collect them anymore?  I ended up buying her, but with a really sad notion that she may be my last.  Please Hasbro, stop making the females so hard to obtain! There's a very sad boy in Philly with a stagnant G.I Joe shelf pleading.

The Women of THE OUTER SPACE MEN!

Terra Firma, Ohpromatem, and Horroscope - Four Horsemen 2013-14

I love the retro toy trend of the past few years.  It seems like every few months I hear about another company taking the plunge into retro styled toys.  BifBangPow, Funko ReAction, and Fresh Monkey Fiction are all taking part.  But the Four Horsemen's Outer Space Men line seems special.  They've taken a somewhat forgotten toy line from the 1960s and breathed new life into it with modern Glyos technology and creative use of transparent plastics.  And the absolute best part (in my humble opinion) is that the original creator, Mel Birnkrant, has created additional female characters for all the various extra-terrestrial species.  So far, three have been produced (with a fourth Astrodite figure being shown at the 2013 Extra-Toyrrestrial event, but as of yet unreleased).  The final three designs (Poseida, Moltina, and Dezdemona) will hopefully be produced someday, because the designs are awesome and these initial three figures are amazing.  Let's check them out in detail below!

Marvel Legends Infinite Series - BLACK WIDOW!

Captain America: The Winter Soldier - Series 02 - Hasbro 2014

Whew I thought I would never get my hands on this figure.  Between being an absolutely gorgeous rendition of Scarlett Johansson, a short-packed female, and the placeholder for the Mandroid build-a-figure torso, this Black Widow has become quite the holy grail for Marvel collectors lately.  All props go to my new geek-buddy Carl who snagged me an extra (the best part was the clandestine toy swap out of the trunk of a car in the grocery store parking lot!)  This figure is everything she's cracked up to be.  Utterly gorgeous headsculpts, great articulation, and amazing detailing on the costume.  I haven't seen the movie yet so I can't speak to accuracy, but I have a hunch she's spot-on.  The only minor let-down is her lack of personal accessories (i.e. guns).  She has extra hands with gun-gripping poses, but no guns aside from those sculpted into her holsters.  Although I will gladly sacrifice all future weapons for alternate heads like Black Widow comes with.  They are equally fantastic and I'm tempted to hunt down another figure just to display them both.  Let's check Black Widow out below!