I'm glad that McFarlane Toys is taking the opportunities provided by their exclusive Gold Label and Platinum products to include relatively obscure and under-merchandised characters in the DC Multiverse line. The recent Blackfire and upcoming Huntress (and variant) are great examples. Fire is a character with a huge fanbase. She first appeared in the 1979 issue of Super Friends #25 as the Green Fury (who shot green flames out of her nostrils.. no joke). I don't know long it took for her backstory to be fleshed out. But now the commonly-told origin is that Beatriz da Costa was a Brazilian model (and secret government agent) who was accidentally exposed to a mysterious substance called Pyroplasm which gave her the green flame powers (pre-Crisis her powers were mystical in nature). She has been a member of many teams over the years and gone by many names: Green Flame, Green Fury, and her most common, Fire. She is a dynamic character who is long overdue in the toy aisles.
UNITING ALL WOMEN OF PLASTIC
Showing posts with label JLA. Show all posts
Showing posts with label JLA. Show all posts
Sunday, August 18, 2024
Justice League International - FIRE!
Wednesday, June 13, 2018
Justice League Action 12" - HARLEY QUINN!
Sometimes poor Harley can't catch a break. This is Mattel's second attempt at a 12" classic-looking Harley Quinn and both have been pretty far misses. The funny thing is that it all comes down to proportion. The first Harley from 2016's Batman: Unlimited line had a bizarrely tiny head on a really tall slender body. And now this new Justice League Action Harley has a bizarrely oversized head on a shorter body. The new figure's body construction is interesting. She appears to have the Torso and Arms of the original Harley, but with new shorter legs which are a shrunken version of the legs from the Justice League Action Wonder Woman figure (complete with high heels and articulated knees). If she had a more stylized Bruce-Timm-like body she would look teriffic, but the contrast between body and head is a little too extreme. I both hated and loved this figure when I first discovered it last month. But now I kind of adore its weirdness. And it makes me very excited about future JLA figures. Let's check her out below!
Sunday, August 27, 2017
Justice League Action 12" WONDER WOMAN!
I suddenly have a lot of 12" Wonder Woman figures in my collection. Considering a few years ago I didn't like this scale at all, this is quite a shift. This figure also made me finally identify with doll collectors. I've never been a fan of rooted hair and cloth outfits (and I probably never will be), but I've also never understood the fascination with the scale of Barbies, Tonner, Sideshow, etc. But for some reason while holding this figure I finally got the appeal. Now I just need to be cautious with my collection because I literally don't have space for a ton of these. At the same time though, I would love some Spider-Ladies. With Spider-Gwen and Anya Spider-Girl in the new animated series, this is actually a possibility. So now I'm actively hoping for yet fearing the announcement of a 12" Mera, Hela, etc. because I know I won't be able to resist a purchase and I'll eventually have to buy a new house to accommodate them. But us collectors will always find a way. Let's check out the Justice League Action Wonder Woman below!
Wednesday, August 9, 2017
Justice League Basic Series - WONDER WOMAN!
I honestly wasn't sure if I would be picking up any Justice League movie figures this year. Thankfully, the Wonder Woman costume appears to be identical to her look in the solo movie from earlier this year, and the main Multiverse figure seems to be a re-release of the previous TRU exclusive. Frankly, I would have been very annoyed if there would have been some minor variation to hunt down. Then I saw the talking Justice League figures and was equally uninterested. I just have no need for gimmicks like that. What I didn't realize (but should have) is that there would be a "Basic Series" of figures in a smaller scale and pricepoint. And to my surprise this figure turned out to be gorgeous. The sculpt and articulation is impressive and it has me wishing for a small Mera to go with that upcoming Multiverse figure. Who knows what extras they will sneak in between now and November 17th. My hopes are high that this is just a small example of overall increased quality at Mattel like the last few Multiverse waves have shown.
Sunday, July 2, 2017
Justice League Action 4.5" - WONDER WOMAN!
It's been a while since there has been a Justice League cartoon on television, and similarly a long time since there have been animated JLA toys in the aisles. When I started seriously collecting toys, I really took for granted that there was always JLA/JLU figures around. I never collected that line myself (because none of the females could stand properly). But now that this new Justice League Action series is hitting the stores I'm realizing the lengthy absence of toys like this. I think the modern age of superhero movies and their merchandise had distracted me. Not to mention the various animated Batman lines. These new figures are pretty great though. The articulation level is unexpected for cartoon tie-ins. And the design is stylistic, but more realistically-proportioned than past efforts. I hope the cartoon and toy line prove to be a success because I would love some obscure secondary characters. I know there have been awesome guest appearances so far. Let's check out Wonder Woman below!
Friday, April 14, 2017
Justice League Action Mini HARLEY QUINN!
For some reason this 4th set of Justice League Action Mighty Minis is extremely difficult to find. I feel really bad for the folks trying to assemble the Collect-n-Connect Darkseid figure (because the legs included in the set are rather integral to his imposing stature). This Harley Quinn figure was a surprise for most toy hobbyists and I actually think she was unknown until people saw the cardback in the stores. In the cartoon she looks very different; with red eyes and spiky costume details; but I think that funky design in this scale would look like a mistake so I'm glad they chose the classic look. She seems to be popular in the cartoon so hopefully she gets a figure in the upcoming 4-5" line. I always love a unique Harley toy. And who knows, there are lots more interesting heroines in the series that are well-deserving of toys: Poison Ivy, Star Sapphire, Faora, Killer Frost, Cheetah, etc. I hope the series and toy lines are a success because the designs are pretty cool. Let's check out the Mighty Mini Harley Quinn below!
Sunday, January 22, 2017
DC Collectibles Icons - ATOMICA!
This figure has one of the most gorgeous sculpts of 2016 in my opinion. I make similar claims alot, but this one can be taken a little more seriously since I don't know anything about this character and picked her up purely because she was stunning. I liked her so much that I wanted to assemble a small collection of other Atomicas to simulate her size-changing abilities. That's why it took me so long to get this review posted. Atomica is a modern member of the Crime Syndicate, the other-dimensional evil JLA. As a counterpart to The Atom, I believe she is the only gender-swapped member of the team. Atomica was brought into the main DC reality by the Outsider where she aligned herself with the JLA with the subversive evil goal of bringing the rest of the Crime Syndicate (along with her lover Johnny Quick) to our world. She succeeded (by hacking into Cyborg's programming) and the evil JLA reigned terror until, of course, they were defeated (thanks dc.wikia.com!) Let's check out Atomica below!
Tuesday, August 25, 2015
DC Collectibles Jae Lee WONDER WOMAN!
I rarely buy Wonder Woman figures. I realized long ago that if I were to dive headfirst into collecting Wonder Woman, my collection would easily double or triple in size and I would have an oppressively patriotic looking house. I have reluctantly relegated myself to living vicariously through other people's amazing collections (ExperienceTheWonder is my favorite). Wonder Woman is easily the most merchandised female superhero of all time... so little gems like this Jae Lee Designer Series version can be easy to overlook. However I think that would be a great disservice because this is one of the nicest looking figures of Diana I have ever seen. It's definitely highly stylized, but it's also very classic at the same time. This is maybe the 5th or 6th Wonder Woman I've been unable to resist adding to my collection, and she is definitely worthy of that exclusive status. Hopefully she sells well because I would love to see more Jae Lee styled figures. Let's check out Wonder Woman below!
Thursday, April 16, 2015
Justice Society of America - HAWKGIRL!
There have been a ton of great Hawkgirl action figures over the years. I can think of five great ones right off the top of my head... and those are only the ones from DC Direct. Not to mention the extensive number of animated Hawkgirl figures. Yet despite the abundance of these feathered heroines, it's easy for me to confidently claim this version as my favorite. Surprisingly, this was only the second collector-oriented Hawkgirl figure (after DC Direct's Hawkman & Hawkgirl 2-Pack from 2000), yet to me it stands out from the pack. The two main focal points for me are (1) the amazing sculpt by Sam Greenwell. She looks feminine and strong - which are the main components I look for in my action figures. And (2) the removable mask. Normally I think this functionality would be a recipe for disaster on an action figure, but it is literally perfect. I don't know if that credit also goes to Sam Greenwell or the DC Direct production engineers, but either way it's a fantastic achievement. Let's check out Hawkgirl below!
Wednesday, December 24, 2014
Justice League Unlimited - AQUAGIRL!
There have been many different characters with the name of "Aquagirl" over the years. None of them have stood the test of time however. My personal theory is that this is due to their costume design. Rarely have they looked Atlantean or even aquatic in nature. Some are even wearing street clothes under water. The one design that I feel really worked though was this Aquagirl from Batman Beyond, also known as Mareena (the daughter of Aquaman). She was originally created to be a part of a future Justice League in a 2-part BB story arc, but she has since made appearances in Justice League Unlimited and many comics. Her costume, hair color, and pointed features give her that otherworldly feel that her previously incarnations lacked. Aquagirl can breathe underwater, telepathically communicate with sea life, and can control water itself. In her backstory, we learn that she was kidnapped by Darkseid and trained as one of Granny Goodness' Female Furies. Cool stuff. Let's check her out below!
Thursday, May 8, 2014
Justice League of America HAWKGIRL!
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!
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