Marvel Legends Infinity War - BLACK WIDOW!

Avengers Infinity War: Wave 2 (Cull Obsidian BAF) - Black Widow - Hasbro 2018

After we got that beautiful Black Widow figure way back in 2014's Marvel Legends Winter Solder line, I honestly didn't think I would need another Scarlett Johansson figure. I thought that figure was near perfection. And sure enough the next few Black Widow figures were just simple repaints (the Amazon exclusive 4-pack and the weird Hulkbuster re-release). But then several months ago the Avengers: Infinity War promos started to hit and suddenly our Natasha Romanoff had a pretty distinct redesign with blonde hair and a green vest. I still wasn't sure if this would warrant a new figure purchase, but when early in-hand pics of this figure started popping up I knew I would cave. Her facesculpt is a subtle but significant improvement of her previous figure, and the blonde/green coloring gives her a pretty unique overall design in comparison. At this point I'm not even sure what other MCU figures I'm even wishing for. (The upcoming Sif figure is the only other one I can think of). Let's check out Black Widow below!

Star Wars Black Series - QI'RA (CORELLIA)!

Star Wars 6 " Black Series #66 (Solo Movie) - Qi'Ra (Corellia) - Hasbro 2018

I just saw Solo: A Star Wars Story last night and I was really impressed. My previous criticisms about the designs were pretty unfounded. I had complained that the outfit we see here on this Qi'Ra action figure looked way too modern, but in the film it actually fits in. If I recall correctly, this particular outfit is almost always shown in either dim silvery-blue lighting or while seated in a vehicle, so it's not as distracting as I feared. When I got home from the theatre, I immediately started Googling to see what other toys we would be getting and I was happy to discover that we will be getting three additional 6" females from the movie (don't research that if you don't want spoilers). And that's not even including any additional Qi'Ra figures. There haven't been any announced yet, but she had several iconic looks in the movie (the caped one was my favorite) and if she follows the trends set by Leia, Rey, and Jyn, she'll likely get at least one more figure. I'm excited to see what the future will hold. Let's check out Qi'Ra below!

Marvel's Spider-Man - SPIDER-GIRL!

Marvel's Spider-man (Disney XD) - Spider-Girl (Anya Corazon) - Hasbro 2018

I still haven't watched any episodes of the new Marvel's Spider-Man cartoon on Disney XD. But given the amount of merchandise attention that Anya Corazon is getting from it, I know I need to start soon. I have a great fondness for all the various Spider-Women that have been introduced over the years - Jessica Drew, Julia Carpenter, Mayday, Spider-Gwen, Ashley Barton, all of them. But above and beyond my favorite has been Anya Corazon (once she donned the Spider-Girl outfit -- her Araña phase wasn't my favorite to be honest). Her comics were witty and fun and I adored them (check out the Spider-Girl: Family Values TPB). Once the Spider-Verse storyline happened and we were suddenly introduced to dozens of cool new Spiders, I was afraid she would be overshadowed. But she's maintained a decent presence and now her role in the Disney XD show is making her a permanent fixture in the Marvel Universe (in my humble opinion). This toy is proving my point. Let's check out her new kid's line figure below!

Ant-Man & the Wasp Marvel Legends - WASP!

Avengers Infinity War: Wave 2 (Cull Obsidian BAF) - Wasp - Hasbro 2018

I was already really looking forward to Ant-Man and the Wasp in July, but something about this figure launched my excitement to a whole new level. The Wasp I am familiar with is Janet Van Dyne, the original Avenger who will be portrayed by Michelle Pfeiffer in this movie. The Wasp played by Evangeline Lilly in the movie is Janet's daughter, Hope Van Dyne (her father is Hank Pym / Michael Douglas). Hope was originally introduced in the MC2 comic universe (where we were introduced to Spider-Girl (Mayday), Stinger, American Dream, Wild Thing, etc). She was a villain known as the Red Queen who was the nemesis of Stinger (Cassie Lang) - who is coincidentally a young character in the movie played by Abby Ryder Fortson. I doubt these characters will have the same dynamics as portrayed in the comics over the years, but I'm curious to see how they all fit into the MCU. This Marvel Legends figure gives me the first really detailed look at the costume and I think it's amazing. Let's check her out below!

Marvel Legends Infinity War - SCARLET WITCH!

Avengers Infinity War: Scarlet Witch & Vision TRU Exc 2-Pack - Hasbro 2018

I swear I was going to be strong and skip this Scarlet Witch repaint. But just like the second version of Enchantress a few years ago, once I saw her in person my willpower faded and before I knew it I was standing in the checkout line. I figure there were two reasons behind my purchase. The first is that this is likely the last toy I will ever purchase at Toys R Us. I've been feeling very nostalgic and sad about all the closures so every little purchase now carries some weight. The second reason is that this is a really terrific repaint. The only real difference is the hair color and the facepaint, but it is a major improvement over the Civil War version from 2016. The heads seem to have identical sculpts, but it's really difficult to tell in person. (She also comes with different energy accessories). Wanda's role has escalated in each movie and in Avengers: Infinity War the trend continued and she had a lot of screentime. So I'm really glad she got a great redeco (even if I didn't realize she needed one). Let's check out Scarlet Witch below!

Power Fx Marvel Titan Hero BLACK WIDOW!

Titan Hero Series - Avengers Infinity War - Power FX Black Widow - Hasbro 2018

I've been struggling with time management recently. I'm my defense, I've been planning a wedding and it's really been stressing me out. But the one nice thing about not having time to photograph my newest purchases is that I get to clear all the older pics off my camera. I wasn't planning on posting a review of this TitanFX Black Widow figure because I had just done one for the standard release when I found her in Target. But the improvements in the sculpt of the PowerFX version were so impressive to me that I knew I would eventually have to post on her as well. While the price point of these PowerFx figures are double or even triple the cost of a standard Titan, I think the added play value of the soundbox backpacks are worth the cost. The funny thing is, if I would have posted this review right after I took the photos, I wouldn't have acknowledged the fun factor, because I didn't even pay attention until I got my Wasp Titan months later. The details are explained further down. Let's check out Black Widow below!

Funko Vynl - HARLEY QUINN!

DC Super Heroes Vynl - Harley Quinn & The Joker 2-Pack - Funko 2018

Harley isn't just for the comic nerds anymore. She belongs to the world now and our opinions about her character trajectory don't carry much weight anymore. I'm actually pretty okay with most of her various evolutions. I was skeptical of her most recent Skullbags punk rock look at first but I quickly grew to love it. And honestly all the comic looks had the same gradual acceptance for me. That's because my all-time favorite look will forever be her original cartoon and early comic outfit. Whenever a piece of merchandise comes out in that red and black jester getup, I feel an irresistible draw toward it.  I pick and choose with all the other Harley looks, but the classic will always be a shoe-in. I'm getting rather fond of Funko's Vynl line. This Harley was my fourth Vynl (Sorceress will be my 5th when she arrives), and I like them more and more with each purchase. I'm really hoping we see a Catwoman next just to round out the Sirens. A Huntress and Batwoman wouldn't hurt either. Let's check out Harley below!

Star Wars 12" Solo - QI'RA (CORELLIA)!

Solo: A Star Wars Story - 12" Action Figures - Qi'Ra (Corellia) - Hasbro 2018

I have a lot of misgivings about Solo: A Star Wars Story. I don't know much about the plot or anything. But just judging from the few commercial spots I've seen and the toys that have already hit the shelves I have some misgivings about the film's aesthetics. I like all the actors involved and I actually think their costumes are very cool and creative. However, they just don't say "Star Wars" to me at all. I just can't wrap my head around how people can be dressed so hip and modern at one phase of a story only to move on to A New Hope and suddenly be dressed like they're from a different era... specifically an error backwards in time. When Phantom Menace came out Queen Amidala had lots of outrageous (slightly "modern") fashions but somehow it didn't seem to stray far from the Star Wars aesthetic that we have come to know. But all the Solo imagery I've seen so far just seems disconnected. I'm definitely going to see it in the theatre, but I'm finding it hard to withhold judgement. Let's check out Qi'ra below!