Every time I get an old DC Direct figure into my photo tent I am blown away by the sculpt and attention to detail. I was very excitedly buying lots of toys back then. I loved all the Silver Age and Legion of Super-Heroes figures in particular. But in general, I was really taking this early-aughts toy renaissance for granted. I should have been buying ever single toy put out there. I think Starfire is a tricky character to get right. Especially when trying to replicate the early-80s George Pérez design. Honestly I've only seen it done right twice in toy form: the 2018 Funko mini figure, and this DC Direct figure from 2000. I desperately tried to find who sculpted this, but the information seems lost to time. My best guess is Tim Bruckner. But it could easily be Sam Greenwell as well. Both were very active with DC Direct at the time, but the sculptor names being featured on the packaging was inconsistent in those early years. Whoever the artist is knocked it out of the park though. Let's check out Starfire below!
UNITING ALL WOMEN OF PLASTIC
Showing posts with label Skin-Yellow. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Skin-Yellow. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 30, 2026
New Teen Titans - STARFIRE!
Sunday, June 28, 2026
The New Teen Titans - STARFIRE!
The new Entertainment Earth DC Super Powers line from McFarlane Toys has me very excited. The main retail waves of these figures were pretty cool, but they were a total boys club (aside from 4 repaints of a Wonder Woman mold). But since the EE-exclusive waves were announced, we've already seen pre-orders for Supergirl, Power Girl, Starfire, and Raven. Anticipation for the latter two has put me on a bit of a Teen Titans kick. I've recently been photographing a lot of older figures that I never got around to posting about prior, and I'm really obsessed with the classic look of the characters. The 2018 Legion of Collectors Teen Titans subscription box from Funko contained 2 of 4 potential 3.75" classic Perez-era Titans figures. These are in the same style as the Batman '66 figures (Batgirl and Catwoman) from the year prior. For years these fetched about fifty bucks each on eBay, but now they can be found for less than retail. It's just a shame they didn't make the other characters. Let's check out Starfire below!
Sunday, February 8, 2026
He-Man and the Masters of the Universe - EVIL-LYN!
I remember when the Mike Young Productions He-Man and the Masters of the Universe animated series started in 2002. At the time, I had no television stations and relied on DVDs and VHS for my entertainment. I think I was able to get a few episodes pirated through Limewire or WinMX, but I honestly wasn't super impressed (and I still have never watched the whole series). I had first learned about it because I had some coworkers who were coming back from their lunch break with action figures from the show. I was super curious. My true adoration came later that year when Image Comics started publishing a comic based on the animated designs. I distinctly remember seeing a splash page of Evil-Lyn and being captivated. I loved the "bony" details added to her costume. She seemed more sinister and imposing. And of the three main females of the series: Teela, Sorceress, and Evil-Lyn, hers is the only redesign I liked. It's great to get another version of her in plastic. Let's check out Evil-Lyn below!
Monday, December 22, 2025
The New Teen Titans - BLACKFIRE!
Of all the character who deserve a figure in McFarlane's DC Multiverse line, or even a second re-do figure, Blackfire no even on my radar. Last year's Platinum edition Blackfire in her Titans Reborn design was a great figure (albeit in a lesser-known outfit). So I was shocked to see this redeco solicited in an odd design reminiscent of her first appearance, but missing her voluminous hair, large cape, and ornate headdress/tiara. I was fully planning on skipping this figure, but FOMO during the preorder blitz this past fall made me cave. She's a pretty cool figure, and I know a lot of collector's missed the Platinum release last year, so I kind of understand how she was awarded a coveted figure slot ahead of so many other contenders. And for someone who was on the fence, I appreciate how significantly different the color palette is, and the multihued purple/blue legs are mesmerizing. They have a color-shifting effect like an oil slick, and I've never seen that on a toy. Let's check out Blackfire below!
Thursday, December 18, 2025
Masters of the Universe - EVIL-LYN!
Something I especially like about these French/Spanish Masters of the Universe figurines from Altaya is that they have very similar poses and styles to the Pop Culture Shock statue series (distributed by Sideshow). I always coveted these statues, but they were way out of my price range. These newer figurines are like miniature versions of those masterpieces. Despite all of Evil-Lyn's transformations over the year (thankfully almost always true to her signature design), I will always be most fond of her original 1983 Filmation design with pale yellow skin, purple and blue clothing, and a long black cape. Her scenes from the first (aired) episode, The Diamond Ray of Disappearance, are dynamic and amazing. The image of her standing atop a mountain with her cape billowing while Skeletor announces her, "Evil Lyn, Sorceress of Night!" was fused into my young brain. Having a new representation of her from that era to add to my collection thrills me. Let's check her out below!
Saturday, December 6, 2025
The Simpsons - SELMA & PATTY BOUVIER!
The Simpsons is one of those franchises that been a constant source of entertainment for most of my life. It's hard to think of a single episode that doesn't make me laugh out loud at some point. But when it comes to my toy hobbies, the overabundance of toys always seemed too overwhelming to even consider collecting. Plus the civilian nature of the the characters doesn't really fit in with my collection. But there are a few iconic B-characters that I always knew I would make an exception for. I'm obsessed with villainous twins, and surprisingly The Simpsons has graced us with two pairs; the troublemaking classmates of Bart's, Sherri and Terri; and Marge's grunting disapproving sisters, Selma and Patty. I stumbled across Selma at FiveBelow back in August and have been anxiously awaiting her sister Patty ever since. And only three months later I have the set. They make a fun grumpy pair (even if they don't come with their signature cigarettes). Let's check out the Bouvier twins below!
Saturday, February 1, 2025
New Eternia - EVIL-LYN!
As much as I've embraced each MasterVerse purchase I've made with enthusiasm, I can admit I've always been a little let down with some details. Namely the bland faces and the ugly articulation. But way back in 2022, a new sub-line named New Eternia was created within MasterVerse. I always took note of the reimagined aesthetics of these toys. They kind of had a Frazetta-like barbarian quality, while maintaining the color palettes and essence of the original characters. My first purchase was Mer-Man in 2024 and I was obsessed with his detail. I bought the first female in the line, Evil-Lyn, a few months later, and am incredibly impressed. Her face looks like a painting, her articulation cuts are discreet, and overall she perfectly embodies a reimagined (almost cinematic) Evil-Lyn. Now I'm excited to see how other female MOTU characters would look in this style: Teela, Sorceress, and She-Ra would all be amazing, although no upcoming females have been announced. Let's check out New Eternia Evil-Lyn below!
Monday, January 27, 2025
Super7 ReAction - JANICE!
Modern Muppets programs have a tendency to get canceled too soon. The Muppets (2025) lasted just 17 episodes, Muppets Tonight (1996) ended after 22, and most recently, The Muppets Mayhem (2023) was canceled after a mere 10. I'll be honest, I only ever saw one episode of Mayhem and it didn't immediately capture my attention the way 2015 series did, but I had friends and family who raved about it and I really like the creative team behind it, so I will start it again this week. The series features the Muppet band, Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem as they tour and create an album. It features lots of classic Muppets but most notable (for me) is the iconic spacey lead guitarist, Janice. Even if the series didn't have a massive cultural impact, it still prompted this great Reaction line from Super7. It would be awesome to get a whole Muppets line to go along with the Sesame Street figures, but in the meantime, this lone Janice is the only Muppet ReAction in my collection. Let's check her out below!
Sunday, January 26, 2025
The Muppets - JANICE!
It's sometimes a little odd to realize that for the longest time there were only two female Muppets in the main cast. Miss Piggy got all the attention, but the lead guitarist for Electric Mayhem, Janice, was there from the very beginning with her iconic lips, lanky stature, and valley girl drawl. I always knew the lore that she was based on Mick Jagger with Janis Joplin's name, but beyond the exaggerated mouth, I didn't see the connection. But then last night I saw her original concept sketch for the first time I finally saw the likeness. I've wanted a Janice figure forever, but back in the heyday of the Palisades line, I wanted the pink-shirted Chase version, but was unable to ever find her. Then all these years later I was finally able to add this amazing DST version to my Collection. This figure was originally released in 2018 in a set with Floyd, but this review is for the re-released "Best of" version last year. I'm playing catch-up with this line so I'm grateful for the reissues. Let's check out Janice below!
Friday, November 29, 2024
Masters of the Universe - EVIL-LYN!
I love Evil-Lyn and I'm always ecstatic to add new representations to my collection. This newest MOTUO Cartoon Collection release is an especially interesting Evil-Lyn figure. There have been several versions of her in the "Origins" line already; the original vintage toy deco in bright yellow, followed by the more subdued 200x variant (plus the WWE Stephanie McMahon as an Evil-Lyn homage). This new figure is supposedly styled on the Filmation look, but honestly doesn't really look it. The coloring of her costume is right. But, to me, the two most interesting details of the Filmation design are that she has pale peachy skin and is always wearing a cloak. For this figure they gave her distinctly yellow skin and no cloak (she's even wearing a cloak on the packaging graphics). It almost seems like a weird mashup of several Evil-Lyn incarnations. She still looks good though so I'm not complaining (much). I may have to fashion my own cape out of spare parts. Let's check out the Cartoon Collection Evil-Lyn below!
Friday, March 22, 2024
A.T.O.M. Alpha Teens On Machines - FIREKAT!
When season two of Action Man: A.T.O.M. (Alpha Teens On Machines) began in 2006, the villains got really interesting. It turns out that the villainous scientist, Janus Lee, Had been working on a secret plot to obtain DNA samples of each of the Alpha Teens in order to clone them into the genetically-altered Mu-Team. Each member of the Mu-Team has the hero's DNA spliced with specific animals. In the case of Firekat, she has Lioness' DNA merged with cheetah, lion, cougar, and tiger. She can run at super-high speeds and has razorsharp claws that can slice through metal. I'm a sucker for felinoid characters so this toy is what first attracted me to this cartoon and toyline. As far as I can tell, these toys were only released in Europe (but my only proof is that I have zero memory of them in stores and current eBay listings are rarely in the US). This Firekat toy is pretty rare these days, but still easier to find than Lioness. I'm glad I finally got her though, because she's awesome. Let's check out Firekat below!
Tuesday, October 31, 2023
World of Springfield - VAMPIREDNA!
Happy Halloween! I've wanted to purchase and review this figure for many years. I first saw this Edna Krabappel as Vampiredna at a vintage toy shop about a decade ago, but the shop owner wanted a ridiculous price for her. (Flash forward to 2023 and you can get her on eBay for ten bucks). The Simpsons were a major staple of my childhood and young adulthood. But the World of Springfield action figure line from Playmates, as beautiful and perfect as it was, was completely overwhelming for me. I steered clear. But one sub-genre I always thought about collecting was the Treehouse of Horror figures themed on the annual Simpsons Halloween episodes. The character designs from these episodes are always zany and fun. So when I saw this Edna figure, I knew she would be my first WOS purchase. But I actually didn't recognize her. It turns out she is from a 1993 issue of Bartman by Bongo Comics (which has seemingly been collected and reprinted several times). It's a shame she never appeared on the show.
Wednesday, November 24, 2021
He-Man Animated Series - EVIL-LYN!
If you haven't watched the new He-Man and the Masters of the Universe show on Netflix, I highly suggest it. Despite being aimed at a much younger demographic than the average toy collector, it's a really fun show and an interesting re-interpretation of the He-Man lore. It reminds me of 2011's Voltron Force in the way they took major liberties with the source material, but it was done with a level of geeky respect that it's somehow not offensive to the loyalists. I get that there will always be new shows with a primary objective of attracting younger modern audiences, and balancing that with a rabid fanbase can be an impossible task. But I really enjoy this cartoon and I'm excited that Mattel is pumping out toys to promote it. Sure, the articulation is limited, and sure, it takes a while to make a visual connection between these characters and the originals, but this Evil-Lyn is very fun and very playable. I can't wait to get my hands on Sorceress and Ram-Ma'am. Let's check out the Netflix animated Evil-Lyn below!
Friday, August 20, 2021
Funko Pop - EVIL-LYN!
Funko Pop's Retro Toys has been a surprisingly awesome theme. In the beginning I thought it would continue with characters like Stretch Armstrong, Barbie, Mr. Potato Head, Popples, and various board game mascots. I never expected properties that had representation outside of the toy aisle to be included. But suddenly there was G.I.Joe, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Transformers, and now Masters of the Universe. Most of these already had inclusion in other Pop series like Pop Animation or Pop Television, so seeing them get renewed attention was unexpected. It's a little surprising that we just got our second Evil-Lyn Funko Pop (especially when we still haven't seen Teela yet), but she is actually the perfect reason why differentiated cartoon and toy versions make sense. The two versions (Pop Television from 2017 and Pop Retro Toys from 2021) are notably different and both look fantastic. I would never be able to choose just one. Two of the best Pops in my collection. Let's check out Evil-Lyn below!
Sunday, August 15, 2021
Super7 ReAction - BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN!
As much as I love Universal Monsters, there is a pretty drastic lack of female characters. The Bride of Frankenstein has to carry the load for the most part. Dracula's Daughter, the Invisible Woman, and the She-Wolf of London (yes, I've watched it and know she should be excluded) have never been merchandised at all and are mostly unknown except to diehard monster fans. Even the damsels have had more attention than these title characters. But despite her minimal screentime, at least the Bride of Frankenstein has an iconic look. Her inclusion in the ReAction line scratches a very specific itch. In the vintage Remco 3.75" line, she seemed very deliberately excluded. And every subsequent line as well, 1980 Remco, 1986 Imperial, 1992 Placo, etc. I think the first time she was merchandized in toy form (aside from 1960s model kits) was a doll in 1994. But now she's a regular feature in the toy aisles. Enough to warrant this update ReAction figure (last one was in 2014). Let's check out the Bride of Frankenstein below!
Tuesday, July 27, 2021
The Batman - POISON IVY!
Of all the various Batman animated shows and movies, I think my favorite character designs are from 2004's The Batman. For the first time, the characters seemed to have individualized designs as opposed to a formulaic look. Don't get me wrong, BTAS and TNBA were groundbreaking and looked great. But the female characters all essentially shared the same body and facial characteristics. In The Batman, Jeff Matsuda's character designs were really diverse. They were all different shapes and sizes, and even looked like they incorporated different illustration styles altogether. Poison Ivy is my favorite of the bunch. She looks heavily inspired by Ted Naifeh's early Gloomcookie art, and it really suits her. Her action figure is one of the more exclusive ones released. She was readily available and I would see her in stores often, but she only came in two multipacks and never saw single release like most characters. But she's totally worth the bulk purchase. Let's check out Poison Ivy below!
Saturday, July 10, 2021
MOTU Revelation - EVIL-LYN!
In the past couple days my anticipation for the Masters of the Universe: Revelation has skyrocketed. Trailers never do much for me. I generally find them very misleading so I don't pay them much mind. But on Wednesday I bought the first issue of the Revelation comic which serves as a prequel to the cartoon. The issue was so chock full of MOTU Easter eggs that it made me giddy. It touched on the origins of Castle Grayskull, the origins of the Power Sword, and the origins of the transformative properties of the sword among other nerdy tidbits. Plus it incorporated 200x characters and teased backstory on vintage characters that I previously knew nothing about. Then out of the blue that night I learned that my local Walmart had the figures in stock. I was there as the doors opened at 7am and was ecstatic to get my hands on Evil-Lyn. She looks amazing. From looking at the trailer, I'm guessing she is actually a good guy in this series - I imagine she'll be like Emma Frost in the X-Men. Either way I'm excited.
Sunday, May 9, 2021
MOTU Minis - EVIL-LYN & ANTI-ETERNIA TEELA!
Back in 2014 I was really excited about Mattel's Masters of the Universe Minis line. There was something very fun and colorful about these small articulated figures. The only problem being that there were no female figures officially released (She-Ra found her way to eBay), and they were pretty expensive. If I remember correctly they cost 20 bucks plus shipping for a 2-pack. They were exclusive to Mattycollector and just never gained enough traction to continue beyond the first few releases. But then last year, buried in all the initial MOTU Origins news, was the announcement of these new Eternia Minis. They were priced right, they would see retail distribution, and there were multiple assortments coming right away. The first two waves were blind-boxed in in Castle Grayskull and Snake Mountain containers. This third assortment is packaged on individual hang-cards, and I'm curious to see how future releases will be handled. I fully expect a Sorceress in the next year. Let's check out the minis below!
Thursday, April 29, 2021
Mythic Legions - MALYNNA!
One of my favorite annual traditions is waiting to see which two Masters of the Universe characters will be represented as homage figures in the Four Horsemen Mythic Legions line. For the past several years these have been presented as Power-Con exclusives and they are a brilliant merging of two aesthetics. While MOTU has always been a swords-and-sorcery property, it was largely colorful and cartoony. Meanwhile the Mythic Legions has been gritty and dark. With Four Horsemen Studios' obvious love for MOTU well established, this homage line is a well-thought-out and perfectly executed treat to collectors. Malynna is the first female in the sub-line representing the dark sorceress Evil-Lyn. She is made using pieces of the Advent of Decay female figures, notable the Vampire army builder, but repainted in her signature bright yellow and blue colors. I've owned her since the day she was released, but just opened her this week and I'm really impressed. Let's check out Malynna below!
Friday, September 25, 2020
MOTU Origins - EVIL-LYN!
All throughout my childhood I would see the classic Evil-Lyn tossed by the wayside in my friend's toy bins. I was so jealous and covetous of this weird yellow-skinned villainess. It wasn't until the mid-2000s when I finally bought her for myself. And then I made the embarrassingly late realization that her toy design was so different from her Filmation look, and also that she shared Teela's body. Captain obvious here. But in my defense, the DVDs hadn't even been released at that point so I was going on 20-year-old memories. Even since then, though, I've been obsessed with the duality between the vintage toy look and Filmation look. I can never decide which I like better, but I usually steer toward the yellow just because I'm fond of bold colors. This Masters of the Universe Origins Evil-Lyn is the figure I didn't know I needed. She is colorful, fun, very poseable and owning her is like mainlining nostalgia. Now I'm just super excited for more of these Origins figures. Let's check her out below!
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