Katy

Wonder how well she'd get on with Luis? Katy, Shang-Chi's oldest friend, is free-spirited and fiercly loyal. Oh good, a sassy best friend, haven't seen that before. Place your bets now: is she the Darcy Lewis, the civilian buddy who gets dragged along into an insane situation but just rolls with it and keeps things light, or is she the James/Zuri, a spy from the homeland sent to keep tabs on the prodigal prince? We're four months out from the release of the movie (provided idiots who don't want to wear masks in public don't screw things up for everyone again) and the sum total of information released so far is a two-minute trailer, so it could go either way. Also, there's something hilarious about how they have to identify this as "Marvel's Katy," like Marvel famously has a "Katy," or that any other company may also have a "Katy" she might be confused for. This figure is a Target exclusive [ah, that explains why she's wearing red, then --ed.], but being limited to only one store was not an excuse for Hasbro to slack off on the likeness. This is our third Shang-Chi and the Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind figure review, and they've all looked outstanding. Katy appears to have small smile in the box art, while the toy looks... mildly depressed? Maybe the stress is getting to her. Katy is wearing a brocade silk dress and pants, rather than her street clothes, so either she goes with Shang-Chi when he gets called back home, or her parents are making her dress up nicely because her grandmother is coming over for dinner. There's a texture all over the dress (the pants are smooth), but the shapes are simple - not a lot of excess wrinkles or anything. It's held closed by a wide sash that's printed with an intricate floral pattern that matches the collar. The figure has average articulation, but the length of the dress makes the legs pretty much useless - the joints are there, but you won't be getting much use out of them. On my figurem the ankles were assembled backwards: the sandaled feet are on swivel/hinges, and there's a swivel where the ankle emerges from the pantleg, so it's entirely possible to turn that section of leg all the way around. The ankles were bulging weirdly on one side, but flipping the feet around and spinning the shins fixed it. The waist is a balljoint, hidden by the belt, but the pieces can slip out of place if you tilt the upper body too far. Apparently Katy takes up archery when she gets to not-K'un-Lun, because the figure comes with a bow and arrows. The bow is tan with a white grip and string, and we get both a single loose arrow and a bundle of three. She also has a combination quiver/sling for carrying the bow, which can sling over her shoulder. It's a neat little piece, and makes it clear this isn't some helpless woman watching fights from the sidelines, she's okay taking care of business. The figure includes hands to hold the bow, or closed fists. Since she's a store exclusive, she doesn't come with a Build-A-Figure piece. That means there's room in the packaging for something else: a cute little monster! It's chubby and furry, and is sitting on its round little butt. It seems to be a dijiang, a species with six legs and four wings, but absolutely nothing in the way of a face - just a little tuft of "hair" right at the top of its body. According to a Lego set where this fantastic beast can also be found, its name is "Morris." Morris and Jeff can be buddies! Thanks to her mystical makeover and martial weaponry, Katy doesn't really count as a "civilian" figure, but she's close. That's quite a deep dip for the first series of an untested property! -- 05/19/21

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