I love a good 1:18 scale action figure line. When they are done right they can push out a lot of great characters in rapid succession without hurting your toy budget too severely. The unfortunate thing is these modern lines tend to be almost exclusively marketed to young audiences and the parents who purchase for them. Therefore they mostly focus on blockbuster movie promotions and rarely feature any female characters, so the aspects that would appeal most to me personally are usually non-existent. The Marvel Epic Hero series is a current Hasbro 1:18 line featuring evergreen comic representations and also Film and TV properties. This Mantis was the first female released in the line (back in 2023) and I had hopes that we would see many more. I thought for sure Black Widow, Captain Marvel, and Scarlet Witch would be announced soon. But two years later and we only have four females. The recent Ghost-Spider was a surprise drop this month though, so anything is possible. Let's check out Mantis below!
UNITING ALL WOMEN OF PLASTIC
Showing posts with label Guardians of the Galaxy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Guardians of the Galaxy. Show all posts
Monday, March 17, 2025
Epic Hero Series - MANTIS!
Sunday, March 16, 2025
Marvel Legends - MANTIS!
I have a serious backlog of toys to open. Sometimes I forget what is buried in the back of my closet until a series of random events forces me to go digging. In this case, I found the new Ghost-Spider Epic Hero Series figure at Walmart last week. That made me think of how few female characters have been in that line so far - Rogue and Storm from X-Men '97 immediately spring to mind. But also that random Mantis from the third GOTG movie. I had her somewhere. But I couldn't review her until I also unearthed her Marvel Legends figure. Truth is, I didn't enjoy Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol 3, so although I always love Mantis and these figures are great (I didn't hesitate to buy them), I was just unmotivated at the time. But a few years later, with almost zero memories of the movie, I can fully appreciate these toys on their own merit. I even like the blue and red "Rawhide Kid" uniforms that disappointed me so much in the theatres. Time heals all critiques I suppose. Let's check out GOTG3 Mantis below!
Saturday, May 14, 2022
Marvel Toybox - GAMORA!
This blog has become a sort of journal for me. When I got this Gamora Toybox figure in the mail this week, I knew I had been wishing for her for a while. And sure enough, four years ago when the first Marvel lady was released, Black Widow (of course), I was already writing here about my hopes for a Gamora. So far all the female releases have had direct movie or television tie-ins, so I'm guessing the next options will be America Chavez, Kate Bishop, She-Hulk, and Ms. Marvel. But time will tell. This Gamora is the first figure in a while to go back to the original Disney Infinity video game designs (the aesthetic basis for this toy line). Recent releases like Scarlet Witch, Wasp, and Captain Carter were new designs (since the MCU costumes hadn't been created yet). I'm glad they broke out of Infinity library of characters since they would be limiting themselves and not keeping current with the MCU, but I also appreciate this more simplified Gamora over her MCU version with layered clothing and facial markings.
Tuesday, November 16, 2021
Marvel Legends - NEBULA (HEIST)!
If you haven't watched What If...? on Disney+ yet, I highly suggest you do. I was a fan of the comics when I was a kid, both the first run from 1977-84 and series two from 1988-98. I always thought it was amazing how many of the "preposterous" storylines were eventually became canon years later. (My favorite being "What if Jane Foster had found the Hammer of Thor?" from issue #10 (1978).. which we saw come to fruition in a spectacular way 34 years later). Like the comics, each episode of What If...? features a standalone story focusing on how events would unfold if a key event would have happened differently. This Nebula figure is from the second episode "What if... T'Challa became a Starlord?" I'll be honest, after seeing the episode, I'm surprised she warranted an action figure. She wasn't a focal character, and T'Challa got a figure.. so two figures from a single 30 minute episode seems odd, but I'm not complaining, because I love Nebula and this is a fun interpretation of her look. Let's check her out below!
Thursday, April 18, 2019
Avengers Endgame - BLACK WIDOW & NEBULA!
When I first saw that all the heroes in Avengers Endgame would be in matching Team Suits, I was relieved and thought how these figures would be an easy skip for me. It's not that I don't enjoy matching suits, quite the contrary actually, but I don't like them when the characters already have unique costume designs established. But like almost every proclamation of resistance I make, when I saw them in the store I caved. But before that purchase, I had already decided that I wanted to support this merchandising tactic from Hasbro. This set comes with 5 different character heads that are interchangeable on the generic-suited bodies. I love this decision. And it seems suddenly very plausible that we might someday see other teams presented in the same way: New Mutants, Original X-Men, Hellions, Academy X, etc. Of course the unplanned by-product of my altruistic purchase is that I really like these figures. They are really well made and the face-scanning technology is amazing. Let's check this set out below!
Saturday, June 23, 2018
Infinity War Basic - GAMORA!
One thing I keep hoping for with each new Gamora movie appearance is for her character to be more ruthless and violent. My comic references are roughly thirty years old so maybe she was always a loving and vulnerable character, but my main takeaway is that she was the "deadliest woman in the whole galaxy." Unfortunately we don't really get to see that side of her. Her fighting prowess seems equal (at best) to the other characters. I hate to think that in such a groundbreaking property that they felt the need to soften her for general audiences. This basic series Gamora is sadly the weakest of the line. I've seen her in stores about six times now and every single one had really off-kilter eyes. All my photos here were taken after I impatiently touched her up (with no before pics unfortunately). But note that I mimicked the paint job that was already there, I just made her eyes line up. The detail in the irises and pupil was much less that the other figures. Let's check her out below!
Sunday, June 18, 2017
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 - MANTIS!
One of the biggest surprises for me in Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2 was the heavy female presence. As popular as heroines have become in the print comics over the past few years, the movies have still been quite a boy's club. From all the advance merchandising, I had a clue that Ayesha and Mantis would have decent roles in the movie, but I had no idea that almost every scene would have such a strong female presence. Mantis is a character that has a bit of a convoluted history in the comics. Her origins, powers, and appearance have fluctuated quite a bit from her appearance in 1973. In the film, her origins are still a mystery, but her powers seems to be limited to empathy and telepathic suggestion. But considering how much they developed Nebula in her second film, I'm hoping we'll learn a lot more about Mantis in Avengers: Infinity War and GOTGv3 (both of which she's been cast in). This figure is extremely well made. The likeness and execution is practically perfect. Let's check out Mantis below!
Wednesday, June 14, 2017
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 - NEBULA!
There were a lot of things I loved about Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol 2, but one of the coolest things about the film was the development of Nebula's character from the first movie. She suddenly became very multi-dimensional and you started to wonder what was behind her ruthlessness and sibling rivalry. It was an unexpected but wonderful plotline within the movie. When the 2014 GOTG Marvel Legends series came out, there was specific mention of a second series featuring Nebula. That never came to fruition, but it's possible this figure was planned for an earlier release, especially since most GOTGv2 merchandise seems to have Nebula in a different rust-red costume (which I frankly don't really remember her wearing in the film). But I think this purple outfit looks much cooler and is more reminiscent of her comic look. This figure is probably my favorite from the GOTGv2 wave. It's not a perfect figure by any means (my criticisms are detailed below), but overall it has the most appeal. Let's check her out below!
Saturday, June 10, 2017
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 - GAMORA!
This has been a crazy year for Marvel Legends ladies so far. I've picked up eight amazing figures so far (nine if you count Kamala Khan - who I think was technically released in 2016, but didn't hit stores around me till mid-Jan). Then in quick succession was Polaris, Dazzler, and Angela. Now in the past five days I've added Gamora, Mantis, Nebula, Mary Jane, and Sue Storm to my collection. And I can't even wrap my head around the A-Force boxset, the Thor SDCC Exclusive, and the rumored Gwenpool and new Spider-Woman (then of course movie Enchantress, Hela, Jessica Jones, and Elektra). My Marvel Legends shelf is in total disarray and I have no motivation to organize it since it will be changing every month. These new Guardians of the Galaxy figures are gorgeous. I thought the 2014 Gamora figure was pretty nice, but she is nothing compared to this beauty. Zoe Saldana must be so happy that they finally managed to make an action figure that resembles her. Let's check her out below!
Friday, May 5, 2017
GOTG Miniature Figurines - NEBULA & GAMORA!
I just got back from seeing Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and I loved it. One of the most impressive things about the film for me was the gender diversity. In many of the biggest action scenes there were more women on the screen then men. I kept thinking of the first Avengers movie and how Black Widow kind of got lost in the crowd. The Guardians really didn't suffer from that at all. I was impressed at how complex of a character Nebula has become. In the first movie she seemed a little 2-Dimensional, but now I totally get why Hasbro waited until this movie to give us a Legends figure of her. The new characters of Mantis and Ayesha were both great, too. The only thing I didn't love about the movie was baby Groot. I know I'm alone in this, but the adorable charms of that little guy have the opposite effect on me. These Disney Store PVC figures are pretty great. I'm excited to keep stalking the stores to see future movie assortments. Let's check out these exclusive Gamora and Nebula figurines below!
Wednesday, May 3, 2017
Mini-Mate Women of GUARDIANS of the GALAXY V2!
I just bought my tickets to go see Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 this Friday and I'm getting pretty hyped up. I've managed to accumulate a decent amount of merchandise from the movie already. Lots of Funko stuff, Marvel Legends, animated spin-off figures from Hasbro, etc. But the first figures I actually picked up were these Diamond Select Mini-Mates. Mini-Mates never fail with Marvel movie products. Even movies that are mysteriously never fully merchandised (like any of the recent X-Men films or Dr. Strange) will get a full lineup of characters in Minimate form. This GOTG2 series was actually the first time I saw that Ayesha would be in the movie. I was first exposed to Ayesha when she was known as "Her" (the counterpart to Adam Warlock aka "Him"). It's funny how there will be a Marvel Legends Adam Warlock (who I'm not sure is even in the film) but Ayesha is left out. At least DST will always give us a full roster. Let's check out the Gamora, Nebula, Mantis, and Ayesha below!
Thursday, April 20, 2017
Funko Guardians of the Galaxy MANTIS Collection!
One of the things I'm most excited about with the upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 movie is to get to know the character Mantis better. I've always noticed her in the comics, but her character's origins and powers always confused me. Although her look has changed pretty drastically over the years, her signature antennae and Asian features have remained constant. But as far as her powers and origins go, I've always been kind of lost. She can communicate with plants and certain alien races, she is empathic, she's a martial arts master, and she has bizarre control over her body (like heartbeat and bleeding). And now in her most recent incarnations she's also a telepathic precog. Her background is equally muddy. With depowerings, mindwipes, time travel, and celestial prophecies, it's kind of hard to keep straight. That's why I'm looking forward to the movie version. I'm assuming they'll take the best parts of the character and make it as cohesive as possible. Plus her look is very cool update of the comic design.
Wednesday, March 29, 2017
Marvel Select - GAMORA!
I adore the ripple-effect of movie popularity. Never in a million years would so many cool comic-based characters be getting quality action figures if not for the success of the movies. I haven't always been a fan of Marvel Select figures. The larger 7" scale, the historically minimal articulation, the focus on bulky diorama pieces (a personal non-preference), and the higher pricetags were all turnoffs for me. But the sculpts, paint, and plastic quality has always been great. I think this Gamora marks a major turning point for these figures though. The costume choice is unexpected (Marvel Now) and the articulation suddenly rivals Marvel Legends. I have a lot of high hopes for future Marvel Select ladies now. I'm guessing that after Spider-Gwen and any movie-based GOTG figures on the horizon, the next heroine we are likely to see is Captain Marvel. Between the movie and her A-list comic roles lately, she's kind of a shoe-in. I can't wait to see her. Let's check out the Marvel Select Gamora below!
Monday, March 13, 2017
Marvel Legends - ANGELA!
I would have never guessed I would be so excited about an Angela action figure in 2017. Way back in 1993 I was up to my neck in all the new Image Comics titles. I loved them all, but I'll admit my least favorite was Spawn. I was very artist-focused and although McFarlane beat them all in terms of excessive details, flowing capes and flying chains, I really didn't like the way he drew faces. I still read Spawn for the first few years though and was eagerly awaiting the first appearance of Angela (who I think I saw teased in Wizard). She was created by McFarlane and Neil Gaiman. I was pretty young for Gaiman at the time and I was convinced reading Sandman would make me turn evil. But the issue finally came along and I was really disappointed. I loved the concept of her character, but her design was the epitome of everything I disliked about 90's heroines: domino mask eyepaint, "armor" with all the soft bits exposed, oversized weapons, and gravity-defying hair. I would have written her off as another tragic blip
Friday, March 3, 2017
Guardians of the Galaxy Animated NEBULA!
The flood of Guardians of the Galaxy merchandise has officially arrived. Walgreens has been stocking the Marvel Legends figures for weeks, Target has an entire endcap dedicated to the team, comic shops have the Mini-Mates, and Hot Topic has a bunch of Pops and Pint Size Heroes. One of the things I was most excited about (aside from the second wave of Marvel legends with the Build-a-Figure Mantis) was this animated style 5" Nebula figure. Her absence from the action figure lines three years ago was very conspicuous. Sure we got some Nebula Funko items and a mini-mate, but there were no true movie-themed action figures. But now we have this cool 5" animated-style figure and an upcoming Marvel Legends (and perhaps they'll sneak in a MiniVerse figure while they're at it). In fact, I'm hoping the movie popularity will create ripples and give us exclusive comic versions of Nebula and Mantis like we got with Gamora. I can dream. Let's check out the animated-style Guardian of the Galaxy Nebula below!
Thursday, February 9, 2017
Marvel Titan Hero Series - GAMORA!
Ever since I got the Marvel Titan Hero Series Black Widow last year, I've been anxiously awaiting for the next female to come out. I knew it would likely be Gamora and Hasbro did not disappoint. I'm really digging the animated-style Gamora from the Disney XD cartoon. The orangey-red outfit combined with her fuscia ombré and green skin violates all the fashion rules I thought I knew and actually looks cool. I really hope we get more female Titans, but not too many too soon because they're really not easy to display. I'm surprised there hasn't been a Spider-Woman or Spider-Gwen yet in the Spider-Man line yet. Maybe there will be some cool reveals at Toy Fair next week. The 12" Marvel Titans are pretty simple. They only have five points of articulation and re-use a lot of parts, but they are inexpensive and colorful and I'm a fan. The DC ones have much better articulation and have more females, but for some reason I prefer the Marvel ones. Let's check out the newest one below!
Saturday, September 3, 2016
Guardians of the Galaxy Animated GAMORA!
With all the animated-style figures filling the toy aisles in recent years, it's been a real disappointment to see the almost total exclusion of female characters. I would have expected the Spider-Man Web Warriors and Batman Unlimited lines to at least throw in a Petra Parker Spider-Girl or a Batgirl/Harley/Catwoman option. But after all these years, it's nice to see the the inaugural female is a cool one (I'm getting a little bored with Black Widow as the token Marvel heroine). Gamora is a very welcome sight. With her green skin and fuschia hair she really stands out. Plus this animated costume with burnt orange and silver is a surprisingly cool/clashing combination. I hope the cartoon continues because I would love to see more characters make it onto the shelves. I know Mantis, Angela, Nebula, and Medusa all made appearances in season one. Perhaps it won't be too long before we see them included as well. I won't be holding my breath though. Let's check out animated Gamora below!
Wednesday, May 11, 2016
Marvel Animated Universe Minimates - GAMORA!
I love that Gamora is getting so much action figure play in recent years. Movies have a knack for inspiring the merchandising Gods like nothing else. It's even better when movie popularity ripples out into other media and new video games and cartoons are created. I have yet to watch the Guardians of the Galaxy cartoon on Disney XD, but I heard it's actually pretty good. Someday I'll binge it all and report back. These Marvel Animated Universe Mini-mates are a cool exclusive for a toy-friendly chain like Walgreens to embrace. It must be hard to find a way to re-release main characters in a way that would incentivize collectors to head to these stores. But animated re-decos is a brilliant solution (as if having exclusive Funko Pops, Marvel Legends, Walking Dead, and World of Nintendo figures wasn't enough). Mini-mates are by far the best toy line for both team building and character variations. This is now the third Gamora released in a few short years, and I doubt it's the last. Let's check her out below!
Monday, May 9, 2016
3.75" Marvel Legends - GAMORA (MARVEL NOW)!
I love a good green-skinned girl. At one point in my collecting I had a shelf dedicated to these emerald beauties. It was loaded with She-Hulks, Oolas, Vinas, She-Dragons, Poison Ivys, Jades, various witches, and a couple Turtles. I'm thinking with all the Gamora product we've seen in the last few years I might want to re-establish that group. It was a pretty striking sight if I must say so myself. I really dig this modern comic-based costume of Gamora's. The first time I noticed it was in the 2013 Guardians of the Galaxy comic series. It was a given that we'd get an action figure featuring this look eventually. There's already an Eaglemoss Chess piece and a Heroclix figure sporting the utilitarian duds after all. Her previous comic looks have been anything but functional so this is a step in the right direction if they want to court the movie fans. The new 3.75" Marvel Legends figures are impressing me. The lack of wrist and torso articulation isn't great, but overall the aesthetics are on point. Let's check out Gamora below!
Tuesday, July 28, 2015
Marvel Legends Comic-Style GAMORA!
The success of 2014's Guardians of the Galaxy film has rocketed Gamora into one of the highest-profile Marvel ladies out there. As much as I enjoyed the film, I must admit I wasn't thrilled with Gamora's look. The lack of her signature golden eye-patches and her magenta-tipped hair just didn't appeal to me. The popularity of that look, however, is the only reason we would ever dream of seeing a gorgeous comic-accurate figure like I'm reviewing here today. There are a few different comic versions of Gamora. Most notable is her classic green "snakeskin" look, and her more modern white spacesuit, but this version (I always referred to it as the "cloaked Vampirella") has always been my favorite. This figure is fantastic. She looks sexy, formidable, and pissed off... just the way I always imagine her. Mine has a few paint flaws, but I can easily overlook them (and try to repair them) out of sheer awe that I'm holding a Legends style comic Gamora. It's an amazing time to be a nerd. Let's check her out below!
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