Custom 3.75-inch Okoye

There was no 3.75-inch toy released for the movie Black Panther. It was expected. I have low expectations of the 3.75 Marvel toy line these days. 

I have planned on making an Okoye figure after watching movie. It was only recently that I was able to get the base doll. 

It doesn't look like Danai Gurira, the actress who played Okoye, and the paint is sloppy but I like how it turned out so far. "So far" means I can still change it in the future. For now, I'm enjoying it.

The doll has good articulation. It easy to recreate scenes from the movies or make a totally new adventure for Okoye.

Not A Star Wars Story

I wouldn't say I'm a Star Wars fan, but I do appreciate it more these days. Yes, I've seen all the films but not all in the theater and no fan-level effort was exerted to do so. Now, I have a collection of Star Wars toys but I only bought them because they were being sold for half or a third of the original price. 

I'm still on the fence about buying other Star Wars toys, specifically the vehicles, because it's going to take a lot of space, yet I recently bought a Star Wars t-shirt.

I think the trolls have a role to play in my renewed appreciation of the franchise. When the new films became more inclusive and the cast more diverse, the trolls started to attack the movie and the actors. The trolls wanted to discredit the film but they also called attention to the films. I don't easily buy into what other people (or the trolls) are saying. I usually try to consider both sides. So, I also listened to those who praised the films, and I find them more convincing, especially those who pointed how it challenges the masculine narrative.

I'm actually looking forward to the ninth episode. I want to know how they're going to continue to challenge toxic masculinity and be more inclusive. I don't know why I don't expect the next Avengers movie to do something similar. 

3.75-inch (4, really) Captain Marvel

I decided not to watch the Captain Marvel movie because there was no 1:18 scale toy released related to that movie. I didn't want to like her a lot and then not have a toy in the size I collect. I'm familiar with the character from the cartoons so her appearance in the next Avengers movie won't be confusing for me.

The trolls actually changed my mind and made me go watch it. While women empowerment, diversity and inclusion are expected in new stories, this one surprised me (in a good way) because it reflected another social justice issue, the refugee crisis. If that's too heavy for you, don't worry. You won't notice it. I didn't. I needed someone woke to point it out.

Needless to say, I like her a lot so I decided to make myself a toy to represent her in my collection. She fits right in. I like how she turned out so I'm planning to make more underrepresented but important characters in the future.

Pissed and Makeup

I'm still pissed that a lot of the dark-skinned doll are not sold in local stores. I have to resort to buying buying these African dolls from China since they are the most cost effective way of providing articulation for my other dolls.

The main reason why I bought another set of articulated African doll is to rebody my repainted Fairytopia doll. It's not a perfect match but it's acceptable. Since the online store increased the shipping fee, I decided to get an extra body to save on shipping fee. These naked dolls cost cheaper than the clothed ones so it kinda evens out. I don't want their original clothing anyways.

While I'm glad the doll on the left turned out the way it did, I can't say the same for the other. I recently finished watching Glow on Netflix and was inspired to do 80s makeup. It didn't turn out well. I might erase the face and try again later.

Movable Joint African Doll from China New Variants

There are new variants for the African dolls with movable joints from China. They come in fantasy-colored hair. They come nude, though.



While the novelty is in the hair, I can't say it is of good quality. The hair isn't soft. The curls easily become wavy and messy.



Let's see if I can turn them into something I like.