The Ladies of MINECRAFT: DUNGEONS!

Minecraft: Dungeons - Valorie & Adriene and Skeleton Sets - Mattel 2020

When I was a kid my mom was always doing counted cross-stitch. It was her relaxing hobby when watching TV or sitting on the bench swing while my siblings and I played in the yard. At one point, she told me if I drew out designs on graph paper, she could stitch it for me. It wasn't long before I had stacks of paper and developed my own little cubist universe. Those memories are what attract me to the simple pixelated designs of Minecraft. But over the past five years, I admit I started to completely ignore the toys. It seemed that the token female character, Alex, was just going to rehashed over and over with only the slightest changes - and frankly I was bored. That's why I was so excited to see a new wave of toys for the 2020 Minecraft Dungeons game that included two female characters in the first offering. Of all the Minecraft players I personally know, I would say 3/4 of them are girls, so it makes sense for Mojang to try to finally repair the gender gap. Let's check out Valorie and Adriene below!

Halo - KAT-B320!

Halo Infinite: The Spartan Collection - KAT-B320 - Jazwares Toys 2020

It's so interesting how Halo toys make a resurgence every few years from a new company. When I started getting into toy collecting many moons ago, Joyride Halo line was a seemingly permanent fixture in the toy aisles. I didn't pay much attention to Halo until 2011 when McFarlane included one of the first females (aside from Cortana and Dare), the pink Spartan Air Assault. But it was the following release that got me really intrigued me, Kat from Halo Reach. This figure was great because she had a unique identifying name (as opposed to a random armor description), with a distinctive metal arm, and an unhelmeted head (which was pretty rare in the McFarlane line at the time). So when I saw that the first female included in this new Jazwares Spartan Collection was a Kat figure with an unhelmeted head, I knew nostalgia would draw me in to collecting yet another Halo line. At least the scale is new territory for me. The 7" scale actually harkens back to that original Joyride line. Let's check out Kat below!

Fortnite - SINGULARITY!

Fortnite - Singularity (Solo Mode) - 3.75" Series -  Jazwares Toys 2020

If you asked me to describe the qualities of a character that would cause me to overlook a toy, this Singularity figure from Jazwares 3.75" Fortnite line would hit all the benchmarks: A helmeted face; A nondescript armored body; A generic repurposed accessory; And from a video game property. I've skipped more action figures like this than I can count. But there's one quality about Singularity that overrides all my scruples: her color palette. I don't know what it is about these colors, but I am inexplicably drawn to them. Her base color is a dark teal overlaid with bright turquoise armor and maroon details. It's a color combination I have never seen before, but that I am nothing short of obsessed with. And once I had her in hand, I began to appreciate other details that I might have overlooked; especially her helmet shape. There's something almost dragon-like about it and the more I see it the cooler I think it is. Hell, I would even buy toys of the (less impressive) alt mode colors. Let's check out Singularity below!

Fans Hobby - WHEEL BLADE!

3rd Party Transformers - MasterBuilder MB-12B Wheel Blade - Fans Hobby 2020

This is a really fun exclusive variant. The Fans Hobby Athena (Minerva) figure came out earlier this year and I was immediately hoping the body would be reused for another fembot, but I wasn't expecting something so soon. I realize a flightless Windblade homage may seem a little strange, but if Arcee can be a motorcycle or giant spider and no one bats an eye, I think anything is possible. This figure was exclusive for the TFCon 2020 (a virtual event this year). It was limited to 800 numbered pieces and only available through The Chosen Prime. I've been ordering from The Chosen Prime for years (I've bought 16 figures through them!) I originally chose it because the price and stashing policy was the best (although nearly identical to TFSource if I remember correctly). But since then I've come to appreciate the company for their customer service and all-around good vibe. So I was really happy that an exclusive I specifically wanted was a joint venture with them. Let's check out Wheel Blade below!

Mortal Kombat - KITANA!

Mortal Kombat XI - Kitana (Edenian Blue Version) - McFarlane Toys 2020

For someone like me who doesn't play any video games, I get bizarrely excited for new Kitana figures. In the past few years I've picked up three very different versions of the figure. Each time, of course, part of the excitement is the (always unfulfilled) assumption that there will be more characters made. At the very least Mileena and Jade would make for an amazing trio. But, no, the recent lines all seem to produce no females other than Kitana. At least the old 90's lines would typically toss in a Sonya Blade. I have some faith that this newest McFarlane Toys line might be different though. For starters, McFarlane is well-versed at producing toys for video game properties, even if they're just adding a handful of new figures each year. Secondly, Mortal Kombat XI is loaded with cool characters. And 12 of them (of 37 currently) are female. I think we'll definitely see some more ladies in the line, and I honestly don't even have a preference for who is next - which is a refreshing position. Let's check out Kitana below!

Marvel Toybox - GHOST-SPIDER!

Toybox - Marvel Action Figures #24 Ghost-Spider - Disney Store Exc - 2020

I must admit that Disney's Toybox line has really been impressing me lately. When they first started rolling out back in 2017, I had pretty low expectations for character selection and overall quality. My first purchase was a Star Wars Rey who, at the time, was an overproduced character with chunky articulation and an odd face sculpt. I still loved the figure and I was still intrigued by the line, but I couldn't say I was necessarily excited. However, the next three years would see a steady (but slow) flow of new characters across a handful of licenses (Disney, Marvel, Star Wars, Pixar, and NBX). And the quality has steadily improved. The face sculpts alone are getting better and better - at least for Marvel and Star Wars (the recent Bo Peep looked creepy imo). Spider-Gwen aka Ghost-Spider was a character I knew would eventually come to the line, and she does not disappoint. She has a great sculpt and her sturdy build and articulation create undeniable sense of playability. Let's check out Ghost-Spider below!

Star Wars - PRINCESS LEIA (ENDOR)!

Star Wars: The Black Series 6" - Princess Leia Organa (Endor) - Hasbro 2020

My favorite of the original Star Wars movies is Return of the Jedi. It was one of the first movies I saw in the theatre and I became absolutely obsessed with ewoks. It actually started when choosing toys at Kay-Bee. My mom would say we could each pick one "Star Wars guy" (or a matchbox). We lived deep in the woods and I was a nature and animal fanatic, so Ewoks were a predictable choice for me. And of all the Star Wars movies, the forest moon of Endor had the most relatable setting to me. Imagine idolizing characters for two movies, then finally seeing them in an environment that looked like your backyard. It made me feel connected. And my jealousy when Leia first met Wicket was palpable. I was the weird kid who dreamt of discovering his very own bigfoot, mokele-mbembe, or E.T. in my woods. But I digress. I've been waiting for this version of Leia since the Black Series began. It's not the most glamourous or memorable look, but it is definitely the most nostalgic for me. Let's check her out below!

Impossible Toys - VALKYRIE!

3rd Party Transformers - TRNS-01 Valkyrie (Arcee) - Impossible Toys 2010

I'm a little sad that this Impossible Toys Valkyrie figure is the last of the 3rd Party Arcee homages in my fembot hunt. It's funny actually, because my first 3rd Party purchase ever was the TRNS-EX1 Ninja (Nightbird) back in 2011, and my lackluster impression from that figure (which was a simple retooling of this Valkyrie) caused me to steer clear of 3rd Party figures for years. My Ninja figure felt flimsy, with loose joints and seemingly fragile joints. So until I recently set out a goal to get all the main Arcees, I had written off this figure completely. But upon opening her last night, I was pleasantly surprised. She didn't seem so brittle anymore, her joints were tight, and her headsculpt was brilliant. Maybe I just had a bum Ninja. Or maybe the fact that it was a retool meant to molds had degraded. But either way, I was very happy to go out with a bang with this very impressive Arcee homage. And let's not forget, this was the first transforming G1 Arcee figure ever. Very impressive indeed. Let's check out Valkyrie below!