Marvel Legends - ELEKTRA!

Marvel Legends - Twin Packs Series 01 - Elektra and Ronin - Hasbro 2008

With all the buzz about Elektra lately, I wanted to go back and review one of my favorite of her figures. (If you're unaware of what Elektra has been up to, go read about Daredevil #25 and let's all wish for a new figure of her soon!). Back around 2008-10, Marvel Legends released a series of twin packs exclusive to Toys R Us that gave us a lot of truly great female figures in quick succession. I think it was one of those situations where pairing them with a male character made them more marketable. This line included Maria Hill (with a Sharon Carter alt head), Black Widow (with a 90's alt head), Valkyrie, Invisible Woman, and Elektra (with bandana alt head). Most of these came with variant versions as well: Black widow and Maria Hill having different color bodysuits and Elektra having a Skrull variant. These figures marked a terrific improvement in Hasbro's female character design. Let's not forget that the dreadful White Queen was released just a year prior. Let's check out the 2008 Elektra below!

Fortnite Legendary Series - GHOUL TROOPER!

Fortnite - Legendary Series (6" Action Figures) - Ghoul Trooper - Jazwares 2020

I was truly planning on skipping this figure all-together. Decomposing bodies, even when done in a cartoony way, just turn me off. So as excited as I was to see the second female character in the Jazwares Legendary series, she was a pass for me. But then right before Christmas I found myself in Kohl's and saw her in person. I still had the same feelings about the zombie aesthetic, but I was really intrigued by her backpack accessory. It is a zombified Cuddle Team Leader head. Of course, I thought it was an alternate head not a backpack. Being the weekend before Christmas, the checkout lines reached literally to the back of the store (to the toy section in fact). I left without a purchase and googled to find a pic of this "alternate head." I quickly learned my mistake, but then spent a few days thinking about how simple it would be to kitbash that backpack into a head. I soon drove back to Kohl's to get her and give my backpack experiment a shot (pics at the bottom). Let's check out Ghoul Trooper below!

Mission Fleet - CARA DUNE!

Star Wars: Mission Fleet - Defend the Child 5-Pack - Cara Dune - Hasbro 2020

When The Mandalorian Disney+ show was first announced several years ago, I never would have predicted that it would become one of my favorite chapters of the Star Wars saga. Sure, Din Djarin and Grogu are spectacular and could support the entire series. But the icing on the cake is all the fantastic female characters. There are legacy characters like Ahsoka Tano, the requisite Mandalorians like the Armorer and Bo Katan, and awesome standalone characters like Fennec, Xi'an, and the amazing Cara Dune. Cara is played by MMA fighter Gina Carano who has amazing presence on screen. Cara is someone you just don't mess around with and she's quickly become one of my favorites. Earlier this month, I was really excited to learn that (a) the Mission Fleet line was indeed going to continue. And (b) that there was a great multipack featuring Cara Dune already available on Amazon. FYI I read that there is a set with Bo Katan also coming this year. I can't wait. Let's check out Cara Dune below!

Roblox - VIE BATTLE WITCH!

Roblox Imagination Collection - Wave 02 - Vie Battle Witch - Jazwares 2020

Merry Christmas! I feel like I am often left out of the fun holiday toy trends. This year my friends are going bonkers for the Holiday Storm Troopers and constantly sending me pics of their cool displays. But I find female holiday figures can be pretty rare (and often cheesy). So imagine my surprise to find one of the weirdest and coolest seasonal action figures I've ever seen right before the holiday. Vie Battle Witch is in the newest wave from the Roblox Imagination Collection (realistically-proportioned figures apparently designed by players using the library of virtual add-ons in the Roblox system). Vie wears a shocking giant deer skull headdress with festive holiday details. I love skulls. I don't find them creepy or dark, but rather like interesting curiosities. But I must admit I love how the antlers and holiday details give a krampus-like vibe. The overall look is intended to be creepy, and I can totally see that, but I just think she's adorable. Plus the title of "Battle Witch" is just damn cool. Let's check out Vie below!

Roblox - NITR0-Z!

Roblox Imagination Collection - 4" Figure Wave 02 - Nitr0-Z - Jazwares 2020

I've always been really drawn to anime-esque character design. Although the actual anime and manga I consume is very drawn in a simple and retro style (Takahashi, Tezuka, Miyazaki, etc), that doesn't mean the more modern bright colored hair, animal ears, and goggles aesthetic doesn't appeal to me. In the past I've been obsessed with the idea of toylines like Palisades Space Channel 5 or Bandai's EXH, but the actual execution of the toys kept me from ever making any purchases. This new Nitr0-Z figure is the first time I've ever actually purchased a character from this design genre... and I think she's awesome! The bright colors, dynamic sculpt, great articulation, and cool translucent accessories make for a figure that's hard to resist. Roblox is a game system that frankly confuses me. I gather that players can create characters and games and challenge others to play. The characters historically seemed to be blocky lego-like creations, but lately (luckily) they have much more realistic human bodies. 

The Mandalorian - THE ARMORER!

Star Wars Black Series - The Mandalorian 04: The Armorer - Hasbro 2020

One of my favorite things about the various modern Star Wars media is the introduction of female characters in the style of different factions from the original Star Wars trilogy. We've now seen numerous female Jedi, female Imperial Officers, and female Stormer Troopers. But my favorite additions have been the great female Mandalorians. Starting with Isabet Reau and Rav Bralor, and soon the very popular Sabine Wren. But now with the groundbreaking Mandalorian show on Disney+, we are being exposed to so many more. The upcoming Bo Katan figure looks fantastic (and I hope she is followed by a Koska Reeves). But I think a lot of us were surprised to see a figure of the Armorer. She had a couple quick appearances in Season 1 and I remember being thrilled to hear a female voice emanating from the armor, but I never once expected to get an action figure of her. Her Rocketeer-esque color palette and her non-combat armor is a very interesting addition to the lore. Let's check her out below!

War for Cybertron - ELITA-1!

Transformers: War for Cybertron (Netflix Walmart Exc) - Elita-1 - Hasbro 2020

When I first saw the solicit photos for this Elita-1 figure, I must admit I was unimpressed. I had been following the rumors of a deluxe-scale Elita for a while and considering the awesome G1 designs of  Moonracer, Firestar, and others in the past few years, I was excited to get a super classic Elita. But the eventual pictures were very far from that version I predicted. It was clearly an Arcee redeco, her color was more red than pink, and her head shape looked more like Optimus Prime than Elita-1. But then this Summer I watched the Netflix War for Cybertron series and instantly fell in love with this new version of my Elita-1. She had so much presence and authority that I couldn't take my eyes off her. Suddenly this figure I was sneering at a few months prior was my most desired figure of the year. Then came the long wait. She was originally supposed to be released in September as a Walmart Exclusive. But she didn't hit shelves until December. But she was well worth the wait. Let's check out Elita-1 below!

Marvel Legends Toy Biz - PHOENIX!

Marvel Legends Series VI - Jean Grey Phoenix (Standard Ver) - Toy Biz 2004

When Marvel Legends began back in 2002, I was instantly smitten. At the time I was a year into my first professional job and making decent money, yet still paying a mere $350/mo rent. That translated into a lot of expendable income. And as soon as I bought a series of young adult necessities (Ikea furniture, my first DVD player, etc), I was quick to revisit all my old hobbies. I found a comic shop near my office and quickly became a regular. My favorite toys at the time were the DC Direct LOSH, which I thought were amazingly advanced. But soon came the fateful day when I stopped in and found the first wave of Marvel Legends. I bought Captain America and Iron Man and was so excited to see the line eventually include female characters. But I think we all know how awkward most of those early attempts were. I didn't buy any for years, and even then it was under duress. But then last week I saw this Phoenix in a toy shop and suddenly thought she looked pretty great. Let's check her out!