I have these great childhood memories of my brother "sending away" for exclusive mail-in toys. He would be constantly collecting UPCs, cereal box tops, Bazooka Joe wrappers, and reading the Free Stuff For Kids books. We always suspected he would grow up to be a problem gambler or an extreme couponer (he didn't luckily). But I was always kind of jealous of the toys he would get. I remember Mumm-Ra coming in the mail, and well as the G.I.Joe Major Bludd and Super Trooper. But the most intriguing one was easily the G.I.Joe Steel Brigade soldier. The big gimmick for this mail-away toy was that it was supposed to be You. The toy would come with a personalized filecard and an iron-on patch to wear. It's was a very cool idea. The toy itself was a little generic. It had a new (helmeted) head with repurposed body parts from other characters. When I saw this Steel Corps 2-Pack advertised, the memories of that old forgotten toy resurfaced. And finally there's a female trooper too. Let's check her out below!
UNITING ALL WOMEN OF PLASTIC
Showing posts with label Military. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Military. Show all posts
Thursday, July 30, 2026
G.I.Joe Classified - STEEL CORPS TROOPER!
Monday, July 27, 2026
G.I.Joe Classified - COVER GIRL!
It's amazing how the G.I.Joe Classified figures just keep getting better and better. This Vintage-Card Cover Girls figure from last year (in her M.A.S.S. Device design) is probably the best looking female figure in the line so far. It's very rare to see a sculpted smiling face that doesn't look creepy, but this figure achieved it in spades. She comes with two heads and two separate hairpieces to give you four unique display options. When she first came out I had several preorders arrive on my doorstep only to find some very unfortunate paint errors marring my figures. I kept buying her desperate to find one without crossed eyes or a crooked mouth. I eventually found a booth at NYCC with about 15 of her and and I finally found my good one. The sculpt was just too good to not go the extra mile hunting a great paintjob. This blonde version of Cover Girl only appeared in the first 5-episode G.I.Joe miniseries in 1983, but her popularity is still strong 40+ years later (3 figures in the last 4 years!) Let's check out Cover girl below!
Thursday, July 9, 2026
Super7 Reaction+ O-Ring - LADY JAYE!
Lady Jaye has always seemed like one of the simpler characters to be made into a cartoon-accurate toy. She has a classic 2-tone green military uniform, a short haircut, and her signature weapon is a classic (looking) javelin. But her first figure inexplicably had a hat, a single-color bright green uniform, and they turned her simple javelin into some sort of gun. It was still a great toy and probably the best of the vintage female figures, but you never realize how off it was until you see this new Super7 ReAction+ version. Before this, the closest thing to a vintage-style cartoon-accurate Lady Jaye was her 5th version from 2006, but that was in the era where all the figures had disproportionately small heads. This new figure is perfection. It makes me excited to see their take on an update Scarlett - who suffered the most from the limitations of the 80's toy design. If this Lady Jaye and the previous Jinx are any indication, she will be great. Let's check out this classic Lady Jaye below!
Tuesday, May 19, 2026
Super7 Reaction+ O-Ring - LADY JAYE!
I love the trend of holiday repaints in all the Hasbro toylines. The Christmas and Halloween Star Wars figures have been a fun annual gimmick to hunt down in various stores. The unfortunate thing for me is that they've rarely involved female characters. I was theorizing with some friends this winter that the 250th Anniversary of the United States this year would likely prompt some patriotic repaints. And by Toy Fair time in February, I was proven right. We learned of Hasbro G.I.Joe and Transformers Walmart Exclusives in Red, White, and Blue, and also a Walmart exclusive wave of Super7 Reaction+ G.I.Joe figures. I was thrilled with this announcement because the Super7 set featured a never-before-seen Lady Jaye sculpt. Of course, as of today's announcement we now have seen images of a traditionally-hued Lady Jaye coming in the next Reaction+ wave, which is very exciting because I desperately want an O-Ring hatless cartoon Lady Jaye. Let's check out the 250th Anniversary Lady Jaye below!
Monday, May 11, 2026
G.I.Joe Classified - COBRA C.L.A.W. PILOT!
A really fun thing about G.I.Joe in the 80's was the vehicles names, especially the Cobra vehicles with their reptile-themed acronyms. The bad guys embraced this trope early (the Joes didn't start for a few years, and they never really had a cohesive theme). But Cobra gave us gems like: F.A.N.G. (Fully Armed Negator Gyrocopter, H.I.S.S. (High Speed Sentry), S.N.A.K.E (System Neutralizer Armed Kloaking Equipment), A.S.P. (Assault System Pod, and C.L.A.W. (Covert Light Aerial Weapon). Once again, Hasbro's G.I.Joe Classified team has found a way to get us another female soldier. There was never an original C.L.A.W. pilot, so I don't believe the design of this figure has any vintage references. I really like the red Officer's Helmet. It's visually very bold but fits in the with the Cobra soldier aesthetic nicely. I find myself pondering what troop builder should be next. The obvious answer is a generic green shirt female, but an Iron Grenadier or Python Patrol would be fun too. I can't wait to see what's next.
Friday, May 8, 2026
G.I.Joe Classified - COBRA VALKYRIES!
I normally pay no attention to troop builders or generic trooper characters in my favorite media properties. There are two strong exceptions though: Hellfire Club soldiers in the X-Men comics and Cobra Troopers from the G.I.Joe cartoon. Those blue-clad, laser-firing idiots were in every episode and I loved them. Something about their black face masks and flared helmets made them the perfect bad guy fodder. Plus I have always been obsessed with the Cobra insignia which is emblazoned so boldly on their chests. There were occasionally female troopers in the cartoon, but they didn't get the action figures treatment until 2007. I was so excited to get these, but I was a little bummer that they were in stylized black costumes (we eventually got blue ones in 2017, but I was never able to get them). When I realized the Classified line was here to stay, I couldn't wait for a female Cobra Trooper. I purchased them right away but didn't open them for three years. Let's check them out below!
Tuesday, September 30, 2025
Super7 Reaction+ O-Ring - COVER GIRL!
How crazy is it that after 40-some years, this original version of Cover Girl is getting so much attention. I frankly never understood why she got the weird redesign after her 1983 debut. I assume it had something to do with Hasbro's avoidance of long hair on their figures. But giving her short auburn hair just made her look like a variation of the Scarlett toy. Considering she would have been the only blonde main character as well made this a very confusing decision. But it seems like this "M.A.S.S. Device" design is finally getting some attention with three figures in a few short years. I bought this Reaction+ O-Ring figure just shy of a year ago. I bought so many versions of her because her eyes were always off-center, and by the time I secured a good one, the "newness" excitement was gone and I never opened her until this week. The new Pythona figure lit a fire under me and made me finally free these ladies from their packaging. They're pretty great. Let's check out Cover Girl below!
Friday, December 13, 2024
G.I.Joe Classified - COVER GIRL!
Cover Girl is a very interesting character. As the second female G.I.Joe character produced, and after having a prominent role in the first G.I.Joe mini-series (albeit with a very different design), you would think she had the momentum to be a major character in the franchise. But as a kid, and even later as a young adult collector, she is a character that I constantly forgot about. This might be because her vintage figure resembled Scarlett in a bomber jacket (to my young eyes at least). Or maybe because her figure only came with an expensive vehicle, which made her inaccessible for most. But I think the biggest factor was her scarcity in the cartoon. I have almost no memories of her in the show. I remember having taped an episode where she blurred by in an action scene for a split-second cameo. I would rewind and pause it in fascination. I was into the Marvel G.I.Joe comics at the time, and I had thought she was a comics-only character until these rare animated glimpses. But they were few and far between.
Sunday, December 8, 2024
G.I.Joe Classified - GLENDA!
I've made a turning point with Haslab campaigns. Almost every release has a single character or two that I want, and up until now I have backed almost every campaign solely for a small figure, leaving me to store and resell a giant vehicle or figure. This past Summer I finally bucked up and sold my Sentinels, Galactus, H.I.S.S. Tank, etc. And honestly the ordeal was a pain. Buyers kept backing out after the sale was made (i get it, it's a big purchase), the packages took up the entire back seat of my car, and I discovered only certain local facilities can even accept packages over 3 feet. Anyway, when this Glenda was announced as a stretch goal for the 2024 Dragonfly Haslab campaign, I knew I needed her, but I would be resorting to eBay to pick her up after the fact. Luckily it went smoothly and I think the upcharge was a good tradeoff for the hassle-free experience. If I only had limitless space and a penchant for vehicles, this hobby would be much easier. Let's check out the Haslab-exc Glenda below!
Thursday, July 25, 2024
Super7 ReAction - LADY JAYE (DIC)!
This figure has been a long time coming. In 1989, when DIC Enterprises took over production of the new G.I.Joe cartoons, all the main characters got redecos (Some more extreme than the others). The main female trifecta of Scarlett, Baroness and Lady Jaye all had simple color swap changes from the Sunbow designs. Eventually the new Baroness and Scarlett designs were reflected in the Hasbro toy lines, but Lady Jaye was not invited to the party. Perhaps it's because her muted-green DIC design was too similar to her classic army greens, or maybe it's because her action figure was already being re-released in camo and stealth versions, but either way, the new design was never represented in plastic until now. I found this figure last Sunday at Target. The news of her didn't hit the toy sites until the next day, so it was a true shock when I saw her on the shelf. Her Ultimates figure in this deco was unfortunately canceled, so I'm glad Super7 was able to get her out in some form. Let's check out Lady Jaye below!
Tuesday, July 16, 2024
Delta-17 - DEATH SPARROW!
There's something very iconic about a short-haired blonde Eastern European villainess. This Death Sparrow figure from the new O-Ring Delta-17 line reminds me of several memorable 80's characters: Elsa Schneider from Indiana Jones, Sgt. Callahan from Police Academy, and Baroness from G.I.Joe. Death Sparrow is the Commander of the Retrograd mercenary army in employ of the Shadow Dragon and his Dark Shadows. Her name also intrigues me because of my fascination with the mythology around Psychopomps, in which animals or deities act as guides or harbingers of death. And these are often represented as flocks of sparrows. So the name Death Sparrow instantly brings that lore to mind. I hope this line expands because these figures are really well made (dare I say better than the last few official G.I.Joe O-Rings I purchased). I have a feeling SDCC next week will unveil more O-Ring product for us, and I can't wait. Fingers crossed for some ladies. Let's check out Death Sparrow below!
Monday, July 15, 2024
Delta-17 - KESTREL!
I sometimes forget how special O-Ring figures were. This construction style was revolutionary in my childhood with the G.I.Joe line. Compared to the previous 1:12 lines like Star Wars and Mego Superheros, these were lightyears ahead in style and playbility. But looking back, there were actually very few O-Ring toylines produced. But in the past few years there has been a resurgence in the nostalgia for them and several companies have new figures available or in the works. The first modern line to include female characters is this Delta-17: War in the Shadows line from 5by5 Toys. It is a military-themed property with several factions of good vs evil characters. This Kestrel character is my favorite. She reminds me of a female version of Falcon (complete with a bird of prey codename) paired with a color scheme reminiscent of the rare Canary Ann figure. This figure has me excited for the new Super7 Cover Girl O-ring as well as any new reveals at SDCC in a couple weeks. Let's check out Kestrel below!
Friday, May 10, 2024
G.I.Joe Classified - LADY JAYE!
Lady Jaye is probably my favorite G.I.Joe character. Even though I love outlandish costumes and gimmicks in my adventure properties, Lady Jaye stands out as being one of the few characters in a military unit that is actually wearing army greens. Typically I would find this boring, but like me and my lack of tattoos, the normalcy makes her a standout among her edgy peers. I also love that she's butch. I feel like they amplified her relationship with Flint and even had a full episode of her running around in a pink frilly nightgown just to soften her, but you couldn't disguise how tough she was. She also managed to convince me that exploding javelins were a standard weapon like the guns, crossbows, and swords the rest of the characters were wielding. She was iconic. This Retro Card repaint of her Classified figure is a nice variation. Her green outfit is a brighter hue like her vintage toy and her face paint is better. Her missing hairpiece is the only real downside. Let's check out Lady Jaye below!
Thursday, February 22, 2024
Halo - LINDA-058!
I'm finally playing catch-up and posting my backlog of Jazwares Halo figures (this is the last one). I first learned of Linda-058 when she got a figure in the first wave of the Mattel Halo line in 2016. My initial reaction wasn't a great one. I thought her helmet with the side-scopes and weird goggle-type apparatus looked goofy - like Johnny 5 from Short Circuit. But I've grown to really appreciate her since. The copper visor and brown armor is now a really appealing color combination to me, and the name Linda always has a certain interesting duality. I was the kid who was buds with my gradeschool lunch ladies (Nancy and Linda). But in my college years I was in the punk scene and the song Linda Linda by The Blue Hearts was a favorite. Plus I'm currently obsessed with the teen girl punk group The Linda Lindas (currently touring with Green Day and Smashing Pumpkins). So "Linda" used to be an old lady name to me, but now it's kind of kickass. And Linda-058 benefits from that street cred. Let's check her out below!
Wednesday, February 21, 2024
Halo - ALICE-130!
One of the reasons I avoided collecting toys from Halo for so long was because of characters like Alice-130. I love when there is a female character who exhibits masculine traits, or at least doesn't exaggerate their feminine qualities just for the sake of gender contrast. (Zarya from Overwatch was one of my favorite toys from 2019 and is a great example of 'female masculinity' in toys (to quote Halberstam)). But on the flip side, when someone has to tell you a character is female, and you still aren't really sure, the appeal for me gets lost. Most early Halo females had this effect on me. They mostly looked indistinguishable from the males, and Alice-130 always stood out because she had a clearly gendered name, but seemingly male armor mimicking male musculature. Embarrassingly, it took a bright pink Spartan to inspire my first purchase (the exact type of exaggerated femininity I claim to dislike). But she was the gateway Halo for me and now I'm hooked, even with Alice-130. Let's check her out!
Tuesday, February 20, 2024
Halo - COMMANDER AGRYNA!
I don't know what it is about Halo that keeps drawing me in. I normally avoid video game properties, especially over-masculine militant games. But I think the fact that there are actually so many female characters thriving in this chaotic and unforgiving environment highlights the feminine/masculine contrast and makes them all the more appealing. Plus there is the toyetic quality when assembling all the small variations of armor that scratches some OCD collector's itch I've always had. Despite knowing next to nothing about the Halo property, collecting these toys gives me a similar joy to Power Rangers or team building in Marvel Legends. This figure of Commander Agryna is especially appealing to me because she is so new. She first appeared in late 2021 in Halo Infinite: Season One, and therefore has never been merchandized before. She also has unique colored armor (with a cool bumblebee insignia on her chest) and she is the first black female in any of the toylines (that I'm aware of). Let's check her out below!
Tuesday, November 14, 2023
Marvel Legends - FEMALE TROOP BUILDERS!
Trooper Builders are a pretty great modern trend geared towards collectors. Typically only the A-list characters get the action figure treatment and presence in the toy aisles. And lately we've been luckily enough to get a steady flow of B and C list characters too. But unnamed soldier characters never seem to make the cut. Until, of course, companies like Hasbro started releasing them as online exclusives. Collectors could suddenly build armies of their favorite factions. I enjoyed seeing this trend, but I was never too interested since female characters weren't invited to the party. Until this year. G.I.Joe Classified had females introduced in three different two packs (Blue Ninjas, Steel Corps, and Cobra Valkyries). And now this amazing Marvel Legends set with a female S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent and Hydra Trooper (plus multiple alternate heads) to build out the two most popular Marvel factions. I'm excited to see what the next Hasbro set might be. (Fingers crossed for Star Wars female Storm Troopers!) Let's check them out below!
Wednesday, March 15, 2023
Super7 ReAction - COVER GIRL!
The first five episodes of G.I.Joe in 1983 were a mini-series (now) known as The M.A.S.S. Device. Beyond being our introduction to the world of G.I.Joe and Cobra, and beyond being one of the fan-favorite storylines of the entire series, the first five episodes were notable for having a few unique character designs. The images of Baroness in a blue outfit with a yellow and green glasses are isolated to this mini-series. The same goes for the blue Snake-Eyes with the purple visor. But to me the most dramatic change is Cover Girl in long blonde hair and green fatigues. This design has almost no connection to the later look of short reddish-brown hair and a brown bomber jacket. If both versions didn't happen to be the drivers of the Wolverine tank I might not have realized they were the same. But I really like both variations. And surprisingly this ReAction figure is the first time we are seeing the original design in plastic. And she's perfect. Of course I also need the other version now too. Let's check out Cover Girl below!
Monday, March 13, 2023
Halo - KELLY-087!
Kelly-087 was one of the first female Halo characters I was ever made aware of. I had seen imagery of Cortana and I had seen some Spartan toys in stereotypically feminine colors. But Kelly-087 was the first female character with a real name and backstory. Back then, she always wore darker gray armor and really blended in with the grimy aesthetic of Halo. But at some point her armor changed to this brighter white look. White armor seems pretty illogical in a battleground scenario, but I love the simplicity of her design and how she stands out from the other Spartans (and the others on my toy shelf specifically). Plus the chromed helmet was a nice surprise that really pops (even the graphic on the packaging looks like simple metallic paint). Granted, that improvement make the previous KAT-B20 and Spartan Palmer look a little lackluster (literally). But an interesting tradeoff is that she doesn't included the unhelmeted head that previous figures always had, but I don't mind. Let's check out Kelly-087 below!
Sunday, March 12, 2023
Halo 12" - KELLY-087!
I find the Jazwares Halo line oddly exciting. I say "oddly" because I've never played the games or read any of the comics. In fact, until the recent show on Paramount Plus, I had no reference other than the toys. And the toys are very unlike the rest of my collection; they are militaristic characters with (nearly) genderless armor and not many distinguishing details. These figures look very out of place next to the spandex-clad heroes that populate my toy room, but I'm still obsessed with them. In fact, I got distracted in the middle of typing this to obsessively Google to see if there are any upcoming waves to get a excited about. FYI, there's an Alice-130 in Wave 7 of the 6" Halo line, but unfortunately no news on a Wave 5 in the 12" line. But the last three waves just showed up in stores with zero advance knowledge, so I'm always keeping my eyes peeled. Ross, Five Below, and Go Calendars were surprise first locations of the previous waves, so they could show up anywhere. Let's check out Kelly-087 below!
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