Showing posts with label GITD. Show all posts
Showing posts with label GITD. Show all posts

Tuesday, November 4, 2025

Superthings - NEBULAXIA!

Superthings: Rivals of Kaboom - Evolution - Nebulaxia (GITD) - MagicBox 2023

When I travel to other countries, I love to hunt down toys I've never seen or heard of here in the United States. Last year I was in England for a week and annoyed my travelling companions by stopping by every toy and candy shop we passed. I only found a single solitary "unknown to me" toyline the entire time though. Superthings is a kid-focused franchise featuring toys, merchandise, and a cartoon with a ton of fun vibrantly-colored characters. I believe the toyline was first and spawned the rest of the franchise. Googling now, I can see a handful of cool female characters (my favorite is Sourbette). But when I was there, the only lady I could find was Nebulaxia, a space-y adventurer with a UFO-shaped helmet, a cool space blasters, and a sidekick (Star Explorer) that looks like Saturn with wheels. Plus she glows in the dark, which is my favorite gimmick in all of toydom. I was very happy to find a figure so weird and quirky. Plus she could easily fit in my luggage. Let's check out Nebulaxia below!

Thursday, October 30, 2025

NECA GITD Retro - BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN!

Universal Monsters  -  SDCC Retro GITD Bride of Frankenstein - NECA 2025

The 70s and early 80s were a dark time for female action figures. Despite some iconic ladies in pop culture like Wonder Woman and Princess Leia, they had almost no merchandise. You could fit all the female action figures in existence into a shoebox (I'm excluding soft Mego figures). With Universal Monsters, it seems there was always toys around (notably from AHI and Remco), but the Bride was always excluded. In fact, I believe (with the exception of an old Aurora model kit) she was never represented in plastic until 1998 when both Hasbro and Sideshow released figures. The TMNT April O'Neil as the Bride (1994) has such notoriety, because it was the first time her image (even in homage) was in action figure form. Since 2023, NECA has been gifting us with Remco-styled redeco's of the Ultimates figures on vintage cards. I had assumed this line would be limited to the original 6 Remco characters. But then we were surprised by the inclusion of The Invisible Man, Nosferatu, and of course, the Bride.

Sunday, October 26, 2025

Five Nights at Freddy's - TOY CHICA!

Five Nights at Freddy's - Toy Chica (Jump Scare Action) - Jazwares 2025

It surprises me that the first Five Nights at Freddy's game was released just eleven years ago. I feel like I've been seeing these character designs and toys for decades. And the genre of innocent-turned-twisted jumpscare games that were seemingly influenced by this franchise is overwhelming. In the beginning, I wasn't a huge fan of that bulky character designs. I was frankly shocked to learn that Chica was female. It wasn't until much later that the female FNAF characters actually looked female. This is one of those tricky scenarios where I try to not limit my appreciation of the female form to only svelte hourglass proportions. But when you have anthropomorphic animatronic characters with bulky genderless bodies and faces (or even decidedly male bodies and faces) the decision to finally include some stereotypical feminine traits is very appreciated. This figure is little odd since essentially naked except for a bib and underwear, but I thought she looked pretty fun. Let's check out Toy Chica below!

Wednesday, December 20, 2023

ThunderCats Ultimates - CHEETARA!

ThunderCats Ultimates - Cheetara (Super Speed Glow) Exclusive - Super7 2023

I have a feeling that 2024 will be an exciting year for ThunderCats fans. In February, there will be a new comic from Dynamite released (it has been six years since these characters have been in print). And if Dynamite gives this license the same treatment as they gave Gargoyles in 2023, we are in for a treat. But I also have a completely unsubstantiated hunch that we will hear more ThunderCats news. Like a new show or movie. Again, just a premonition. But in the meantime I am pleasantly surprised by this Super7 Ultimates Super Speed Glow Cheetara (a Super7 store exclusive). When she was first shown back in May, I was intrigued, but not obsessed. I generally love GITD toys, but a multi-hued yellow redeco of Cheetara got a lukewarm initial reaction from me. But all the other ThunderCats always seem to get cool variants, so it's nice to see her getting her turn. In-hand I think she's really fun. The copper-colored details and cheetah spots look especially great. Let's check out Cheetara below!

Wednesday, August 24, 2022

Super7 ReAction - SCARLETT!

ReAction Action Figures - Glow Patrol (SDCC Exc) - Scarlett - Super7 2022

In 1987, G.I.Joe: The Movie was released and the classic era of G.I.Joe came to a close. New cartoon production ceased, the comics petered out, and the new toys had no real context anymore. (Batman was all the rage). But then in 1989 there was a new faction in the Cobra toyline that snatched my attention back: Python Patrol. These toys seemed classic, but refreshed and exciting. I didn't even watch the cartoons explaining the redecos until this Summer. (The new cartoons resumed in 1989 produced by DiC). The toys are very nostalgic to me since they mark by last childhood fascination with the property. This Summer, Super7 revealed the SDCC Exclusive Glow Patrol faction in their G.I.Joe ReAction line. While these are fantastic original decos on their own merit, my gut reaction was "OMG it looks like a Python Patrol Scarlett!" Python Patrol was all male Cobra characters, so this thought was nonsensical. But it's still what I think every time I see her. Let's check out Glow Patrol Scarlett below!

Tuesday, August 23, 2022

Super7 ReAction - BARONESS!

ReAction Action Figures - Glow Patrol (SDCC Exc) - Baroness - Super7 2022

I normally despise random redecos of action figures that have nothing to do with the character in question. This stems from my perpetual disappointment in character diversity in the toy aisles in favor of 20 new colors for Batman (or any alpha male character the companies need to promote). Don't get me wrong, I love Batman, but give me a blue version, gray version, and black version and call it a day. Although perhaps if a female action figure ever got this same treatment I might change my tune. For SDCC 2022, Super7 released a new faction in their G.I. Joe ReAction line: Glow Patrol. As far as I can tell, this is completely original (despite tons of historic factions to draw from). But I love it. The green-hued good guys and the blue-hued bad guys look great. And glowing gimmicks are always fun, especially with Super7 who knows how to do GITD right. I look forward to what other variants they can come up with to challenge my long-held "redecos are bad" beliefs. Let's check out Glow Force Baroness below!

Wednesday, June 15, 2022

POP Funko - POLARIS!

Marvel POP! #927 - X-Men Polaris (GITD) - NYCC/GameStop Exc - Funko 2021

Late June is the time of year when I get really excited about Funko Pops. Any day now there will likely be a series of Summer Convention exclusive reveals (usually followed by a few random product leaks from Asia that end up being Fall Convention exclusives). The reason I get so excited is because there is a trend of having one single essential classic female character revealed each time. These are characters never seen in standard store assortments, but they are usually some of my favorite characters. In the past we've seen Spider-Woman, Huntress, Zatanna, Stargirl, etc. Maybe this year we'll finally see Firestar, or Hellcat, or Bette Kane, or Clea - anything is possible. The most recent was last Fall's Polaris in all her green Silver Age glory. She's an absolutely gorgeous Pop that is both an obscure yet quintessential character. The average MCU fan wouldn't recognize her, but any semi-serious comic reader would know her significance. Conventions are the perfect way to deliver these ladies to our collections.

Friday, February 12, 2021

POP Funko - SHE-RA!

POP! Retro Toys: MOTU #38 - She-Ra (Specialty Series GITD) - Funko 2021

I am one of the fortunate collectors who nabbed the original She-Ra Funko Pop back in 2013. To this day, the one I personally bought (on the fateful morning I hunted her down as my lcs was opening) is the only one I've seen with my own eyes. And for the crazy prices she brings in, she's got imperfections. Mine had issues like a bent sword and a head that's permanently cocked at an angle. Plus her hair color in person has an almost fluorescent quality to it. But this new version is amazing. The detailing and pose is a great improvement. And I'm personally never a fan of She-Ra toys having gold paint on them. Although I think the intention of the animation was to have gold accents, on screen it read as a darker yellow/orange, and that's what I've always wanted on my toys. It's interesting that her head and upper body is Filmation, but her belt, skirt, shield, and sword are from the vintage toy. The Specialty Series release (only available at small independent retailers) has GITD armor. Let's check her out below!

Saturday, June 27, 2020

MOTU ReAction - EVIL-LYN & SORCERESS(ES)!

Masters of the Universe - ReAction Figures - Evil-Lyn &  Sorceress - Super7 2018

I feel like I might say this about a lot of 80s ladies, but I honestly think the Sorceress is one of the most iconic characters from my childhood. Whenever there is a wise, all-knowing, mystical character I am intrigued. But add the fact that she is female with with a mysterious past and a bird motif that lives alone in a scary castle and I dive straight into full-blown obsession territory. The Sorceress was the first female introduced in Super7's Masters of the Universe line, and in many ways she's the most disappointing. In her original release, the face seemed constantly misprinted giving her a cross-eyed and unbalanced face. Her cloak is also made from a very awkward material. It's seems both stiff and fragile, so the way it looks in the package is pretty much what it will look like on your shelf. The later versions had much better faces, but the cape remained ungainly. Evil-Lyn on the other hand is a perfect retro interpretation, which makes it shocking that there was no variations released. Let's check them out below!

Sunday, September 9, 2018

Funko Bat-Family DC BOMBSHELLS!

A Variety of Bat-Family Products: Dorbz, POP, and Rock Candy - Funko 2017-18

The amount of DC Bombshells merchandise that has come out over the past year has been a little overwhelming. The majority of these products have been from Funko.  They have released tons of products from their Pop, Dorbz, and Rock Candy lines (Plus the first Vynl figures have been solicited and I'm sure Mystery Minis and Pint Size Heroes will come eventually). With all that glorious product hitting the shelves, I defaulted to my standard cost-saving methods and limited myself to only Bat-Family characters. But as you'll see in this post, that still left me with a ton of characters to collect. When the Bombshells designs first appeared five years ago I wasn't instantly sold (I have hangups over the historical objectification of pinup girls vs their cool modern reinvention). But after about three years I caved and bought my first DC Bombshells item (a Harley keychain from Elephant Gun). Well then the dam broke and I have almost 30 pieces (with more on the way). Let's check out the current roster below!

Thursday, July 16, 2015

Avatar - Movie Masters NEYTIRI!

James Cameron's Avatar - Movie Masters Series 01 - Neytiri - Mattel 2009

Avatar was one of my favorite movies of the last decade. I went to see it on a whim without any great expectations. It also happened to be the first modern 3-D movie I had seen. I was instantly swept into the story. It was a little Ferngully, a little Dances With Wolves, but mostly it was its own beast. I ended up seeing it about four times in the theatre, That's only happened two other times in my life: with Kill Bill and Lion King.  My favorite thing about Avatar was the forested moon of Pandora with all its alien flora and fauna.  At one point I had purchased every creature available in this line.  The were pretty big.  I had no room to display them except on my dining room table in my old apartment.  At one point my landlord had to come over for something and I was pretty embarrassed of the spectacle of it all.  Eventually I sold them all except my Neytiris, and I always kind of regret that.  Neytiri was an amazing character in the film, I'm hoping that she plays a major role in the sequels and gets more figures!

Wednesday, January 21, 2015

POP Universal Monsters BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN!

POP! Movies #113 - Universal Monsters - Hot Topic Exc GITD - Funko 2014

The Bride of Frankenstein is easily the most iconic female monster of all time. She isn't exactly scary like her male counterparts, but she is definitely a very original looking character. That said, there are surprisingly few action figures made of her. In fact, if you discount dolls and bendies, there wasn't a true action figure of her released until 1998 (that's 67 years after her silver screen debut). Early Universal Monsters lines left her out in favor of characters like the Phantom of the Opera and the Hunchback of Notre Dame (both of which seem lesser on the cult-favorite scale than the Monster's Bride). I always struggle with what to call her, technically she should be "Frankenstein's Monster's Bride" but that just sounds silly. From what I remember of the film, I think they just refer to her as the Bride. I tend to get tied up in semantics. Funko released two version of this POP! figure in 2014: the standard release and this Hot Topic exclusive version which has a glow-in-the-dark face. Let's check out this beauty below!

Thursday, June 12, 2014

Funko POP! DC Heroes HARLEY QUINN (VARIANTS!)

http://www.shesfantastic.com/2014/06/funko-pop-dc-heroes-harley-quinn.html
Funko POP! Heroes - Metallic, GITD, B&W, and Hammer Harley - Funko 2013

Variants are one of my biggest weaknesses.  There's nothing I love more than lining up a bunch multicolored (but otherwise identical) figures on my shelf.  I realize how OCD that makes me sound, but it's totally true.  I reviewed the standard release Harley Quinn Funko POP way back in September and it's taken me this long to review all the variants.  The main motivation to finally post these figures is that any day now I will find the new Hot Topic exclusive Arkham Asylum "Nurse" Harley and I won't want to review them out of order.  The variants shown in this review are exclusives to various online retailers, brick and mortar stores, and comic shops.  They're pretty easy to come by (unlike the Batgirl variants from a few years ago).  I hope the upcoming Arkham asylum POPs (Harley and Ivy in particular) get a wide distribution.  I've usually had good luck finding Hot Topic exclusives, but so far this newest lady is eluding me.  Let's check out all the current Harleys below!

Tuesday, December 17, 2013

The Buggy Ladies of GLO FRIENDS!

http://www.shesfantastic.com/2013/12/the-buggy-ladies-of-glo-friends.html
A Spotlight on my 3 Favorite Glo Friends - Hasbro/Playskool 1986-1988
 
I know a review like this won't be everyone's cup of tea, but the mantra of this blog is "Uniting All Women of Plastic", and that means all.  I'm aware that the vast majority of my readership is anchored in the superhero arena, but I'm hoping that there's just as much interest in the awesome nostalgic 80's properties out there as well - because I'll be sure to pepper reviews like this in every few months.  In 1982, Hasbro created a plush toy sensation in the form of Glo Worm.  The "Glo" brand immediately took off and soon spawned a series of books, cartoons, and a popular line of small glow-in-the-dark figures called Glo Friends.  I think every child of the 80's had at least one of these.  They were the default stocking stuffers for years in my family, but I eventually melted or destroyed them all.   In 1986, these figures hit the market under the new-ish Hasbro subsidiary, Playskool (although some of the packaging still lists the maker as "Hasbro Preschool").   There were 28 figures in all.  Let's check out my favorite three below!