2019
Because I began reviewing late in 2019, there will be some cheating, so I will include figures purchased in 2017 and 2018. There isn't much, however, and I won't cover any miscellaneous purchases I made in 2016 since I wasn't collecting full-time. I'm also not going to cover anything that wasn't reviewed, such as some Happy Meal Shrek toys I got on a vacation in Mexico back in 2017. Since prominent representation is a thing for most franchises I covered other than Transformers, why not discuss the best and worst purchases I made before 2020? Let's begin, shall we?
Best Beast Morphers purchase: Beast Morphers Basic Rangers & Beast-X Morpher
The basic figures have been a staple for the Power Rangers line, usually at the 5-inch scale from Bandai, before they randomly went to 4 inches in all of Samurai and Megaforce. While that was fine enough with PR standards, it did make me wonder if we'd get any Rangers that would scale with the more common 6-inch scale. Hasbro, of course, did that for their run of PR figures, with the first few waves of Beast Morphers also featuring beautifully painted details and proportions that match the show much better than the Bandai offerings (apart from Jungle Fury and RPM). While later lines went back and forth with weapon details or articulation (especially the villains), I always loved the Rangers from the line, especially when they were able to stand nicely next to the other Lightning and 6-inch figures. As for the Morpher, it matches the show model nicely despite the altered button and the different key integration from the show. It and Morphin Brace are equally good toys, and I would love to see the Japanese version for show accuracy (which Hasbro used for filming the show anyhow) while making larger-scale keys to fit the show, since the keys included with the Rangers were meant to also go with the figures. By the way, Hasbro made up a gimmick to make Beast Morphers more marketable as a toy line. I miss 2019 Hasbro since they were at their peak on all fronts, for TF, Marvel, Star Wars, and Power Rangers, even if there was the Disney Star Wars and recent MCU crap I wasn't a fan of.
Worst Beast Morphers purchase: Evox & Beast Bot Cruise
Cruise had potential to be a cool figure, especially since this was the same company that makes Transformers. Sadly, the figure we end up with has limited articulation, barely stands properly, and feels cheap. The one saving grace is that the Red Ranger can ride him, but I really wish we got a Lightning Collection Beast Bot set. Evox looked amazing with the metallic paint, but ditching it for some black stripes absolutely did not help him whatsoever. It's made even worse with his limited leg articulation and losing all paint for his weapon. That being said, I had gotten the NERF Striker Morpher, I wouldn't have put these two in the worst category.
Best Lightning Collection purchase: Shadow Ranger, Lord Zedd, & Magna Defender
These three generally have more unique tooling among the Lightning Collection, but they're on the list for good reason. Put simply, Hasbro really went out of its way to make these three the best out of the line's first year. The Shadow Ranger benefits from having slightly taller proportions to befit his stature as the commander of SPD, while Lord Zedd and Magna Defender were some of the most unique designs representing how Power Rangers had more than just spandex suits worth recreating in plastic form. Lord Zedd has been recreated plenty of times, but Hasbro's version may be their best version yet, thanks to the proper coloring, separate tubing, and a nice dose of silver paint to simulate his metallic bones. The Magna Defender also deserves plenty of love, with his dual-colored cape, his Magna Sword, and Magna Blaster all included (with the option to remove the holster whenever he's using the alternate blaster mode). All three manage to be my favorite offerings for 2019, which I bought less of because I didn't get many gift cards or refunds from college.
Worst Lightning Collection purchase: MMPR Pink and Red
It sucks that while MMPR White turned out great, and MMPR Green wasn't too bad outside of the Silver Stripe being exclusive to his Dino Thunder appearance, these two suffered from different issues that seemingly plagued other team members. For positives, it is cool that we got the Red Ranger on his own, not too long after the SDCC Jason 2-pack came out. I also like how we still retain combining weapons for both characters. And hey, the likenesses are kind of decent for Kimberly (Jason was the stronger one of the two in that department, also reused from the SDCC set. That being said, they both suffer from having arms colored differently from their torsos, and even in Pink's case, the white on her skirt was close to a lavender tint. The Red Ranger helmet is still the inaccurate one we got from the box set, and Pink's helmet, though not noticeable at first glance, is also a bit off from the screen-used prop. The others got better as we went along, but the MMPR team had a bumpy road.
Best Marvel Legends purchase: Marvel Studios - The First 10 Years Iron Man Mark VII
My opinion on the first Avengers movie did get worse, thanks to the mediocre picture quality, the start of the Whedonization of the MCU, and the OST honestly being forgettable apart from a few parts of the Avengers theme. That being said, Mark VII Iron Man is one of the things I did like about the movie; sure, it's kind of a barely tweaked Mark III but with gray on the thighs and maybe bulkier parts here and there, but it's still a figure I always enjoyed for how much it continued the trend of Hasbro making their MCU Iron Man figures closer to the proportions of the CG models rather than the more petite versions we used to get since the 2008 Iron Man toyline up until Age of Ultron. Those back fins are things I don't always remember him having, but they're easy to ignore if you hate them moving up.
Worst Marvel Legends purchase: Civil War Captain America
It's not his fault he didn't come on his own when I first got him; I didn't have an MCU Captain America that looked decent at the time, and I wasn't sure I'd have a version based on his appearance in The First Avenger, so I was stuck getting a decent deal for a Civil War 3-pack version. Being in a battle-damaged deco, he came with a similarly decoed Iron Man and a Spider-Man with a heavier paint wash than old ToyBiz figures, as well as a chest logo not accurate to the movie. The biggest issues with Cap are the poor battle damage deco that comes across like Cap dunking parts of his costume in mud from the front, the alternate head not matching Chris Evans's likeness (even if I felt the actor didn't fit Cap as well in later movies, hot take), no flesh tone paint applied to parts of his hands, and the figure is feeling wobblier even if the hips and ab crunch are kept straight up and down. Thankfully, I got the 2-pack that came with Sam Wilson's take on the title, even if I wish I had gotten the set on clearance...
Best Star Wars The Black Series purchase: Captain Rex
As much as people like to dunk on TCW for ruining Star Wars canon prior to the Disney buyout, I'll admit the show is still enjoyable in its own bubble without the movies or CWMMP involved. Granted, some arrogant cunt from a shitty subreddit or a wannabe influencer in the Twitter/BluSky/Tumblr side of the fandom could go "erm, the same could be said for the prequels and EU, also Filoni is the real apprentice of George☝️🤓" but whatever works in defending the mess of Disney canon. Anyways, Rex may be a lesser equivalent of Alpha-17 who probably should have stayed dead instead of being reworked into the bearded dude from the Endor battle, but I still like how the figure turned out when it comes to a decent range of articulation for an older clone buck, the use of cloth goods for the skirt flaps, and his signature twin blasters along with a removable helmet for his display options. I also liked how his Phase 2 armor was different from other Clones, but part of the helmet looks like a mustache. Best of all, I got this for a heavy discount.
Worst Star Wars The Black Series purchase: Captain Phasma
We already know sequels suck and by extension the rest of Disney canon, but to be honest with you, I gave this figure to one of my cousins on his birthday, yet I wanted to do a filler review for a brief moment. Captain Phasma's probably in the worst section already for being a shit character in a shit movie of a shit trilogy within a shit canon, but my god, is it mediocre. Articulation feels worse than on Rex, and the cape being made of plastic could weigh her back a bit. These Force Awakens figures feel so churned out just to meet the demand people had for a new movie, and now they're worthless!
Best DC Multiverse purchase: Tactical Batman (Josstice)
While I would rather live in a time period where Justice League didn't go through the behind-the-scenes drama it experienced that led to both the bastardized Josstice theatrical cut and a tedious push to make Warner Bros release the Snyder Cut, I will say that the Mattel version of Batman's tactical suit is one of the better figures they made for the movie. Not perfect, because he comes with no accessories and the cape is a thin sheet of cloth, but it poses slightly better than the mediocre 2016 version of the character, and the BAF piece at least contributes not to a gadget but an actual character...even if Jossenwolf had a worse design that didn't really belong in the Snyderverse.
Worst DC Multiverse purchase: Wonder Woman (Batman v Superman)
For all the issues people had with the early MCU Black Widow figures, Wonder Woman's early Mattel figure from the first BvS wave holds up horribly. Bad likeness to Gal Gadot, poor range in her joints, barely able to hold her weapons, let alone stand up; this has no excuse, being as barely functional as the old DC Direct line, especially when Hasbro Marvel Legends were getting better during the later 2010s (at least before they began the plastic-free packaging where quality was truly everywhere).
Overall best purchase of 2017-2019: S.H. Figuarts Super Mario Bros & Marvel Select Venom
The first ever Figuarts I ever got were some of the luckiest purchases for me. Mario and Venom were bought at a comic shop downtown, and Luigi was thankfully an official copy sold on Amazon without a broken neck joint. While the bros have limited range due to their designs and Venom simply from being a Select figure that was obligated not to breach any contractual agreements with Marvel and Hasbro, they're still some of my favorite figures of these characters that I own. Mario and Luigi simply look better than the average Jakks Pacific release, while Venom has a rich level of paintwork and sculpt not seen with any Legends version in my possession. That and he can do the Madness look that no Legends version ever pulled off yet.
Overall worst purchase of 2017-2019: Movie Masters General Zod
I hate that this is the best option we have for a poseable General Zod in his armored look, because his design was one of the coolest parts from Man of Steel, in addition to him being a great iteration of the character with a more organic hatred towards anyone getting in his way. The figure, however, sucks worse than most Movie Masters at the time. They already had worse articulation than Marvel Legends, but the fact that his legs could barely bend makes it even worse. I wish someone at FondJoy or McFarlane could do a better take on the character, especially at a price tag worth giving a damn about. I mean, we had Man of Steel turn 10 in 2023, and it would have been easy to put him in a 2-pack with Superman or tie him in with The Flash, even if the movie sucked ass.
2020
The year nobody likes. TL;dr, pandemic, politics, unrest, you name it. So much shit that made me hate plenty of different things, from the rise of lolcows involved in politics to the trend of people acting like they were the center of attention on social media. Made me wish I could have covered them the same way Deadwing Dork does. Instead, I stuck with reviewing action figures like most mf's did during COVID. Thankfully, I was able to get most of what I wanted without issue in stores, though some other purchases had to be made online. Let's see what one of the worst years of my life had to offer with consoomer goods!
Best mainline Power Rangers purchase: Beast-X King Morpher & Triple Dino 3-pack
Though not entirely show-accurate to the prop used, the King Morpher does at least have a cool design as well as show-accurate sounds, the latter giving it an edge compared to the regular Morpher. I dug the idea of making gear themed after the Lion zord from the series, but to not make a toy of the actual thing while we get a power up for the Red Ranger that never showed up in the series proper is baffling. As for the Triple Dino 3-pack, I love me some additional Rangers in the 6-inch scale, and while MMPR Red had plenty of figures even before the Lightning Collection, getting new versions of Dino Thunder Blue and Dino Charge Pink was a great idea. Shame we never got the other members apart from MMPR, but by that point, they wanted us to pay a little extra for them when we have tons of Lightning options.
Worst mainline Power Rangers purchase: Beast-X Mode Core 3 Rangers & Dino Megazord
The Beast-X mode for the main three Rangers was a neat team-specific power-up, no doubt best utilized for on-ground battles rather than Zord cockpits, as the Neo-Saban era almost abused in its run. Sadly, Hasbro does what they know best for these kinds of later waves: cost-cutting. It was already bad when Evox traded his metallic paint and weapon detailing in favor of two mere black stripes on his thighs, but the Beast-X modes suffered from removing paint apps already on the original versions, no metallic paint for the armor, and adding lousy weapons that are either gaudy like the blasters or impractical as we saw with the sabers themed after the King Zord. Sure, the spinning gimmick works for the role-play toy, but not a tiny figure! Also, while I tried to be generous with the 2020 Dino Megazord, it was neat in concept yet poor in execution. Only the waist swivel, outward leg movement, and elbow articulation were good; everything else about the set is so underdetailed and cheap. It wasn't all that worth it in 2020 when both better versions of the Megazord came before it (not to mention taking away the Beast-X King Zord in the already poor distribution of Zords), and 5 years later, ZAP and Playmates put it to shame. It still sucks that the days of having a complete Megazord costing around $40 more or less are gone, thanks to the shitty economy and Hasbro changing the expectations of Zord distribution.
Best Lightning Collection purchase: Silver Wedding 2-pack, Gold Zeo Ranger, Dino Thunder White
While the Silver Wedding was just one repack included with a Rita, later replaced by a better version, I appreciate that the set was fairly available without issue compared to the constant problems that I know some faced with Power Morphicon. That and how we get the only good Rita toy for the time, given the Samurai version looked hideous, while the 5-inch version got canceled when the 2017 movie flopped. Oh, and Zedd gets a neat tweak or two that should have been there from the start. As for regular Lightning Collection figures, I love the most, Gold Zeo Ranger is gorgeous as hell and thankfully has the Trey of Triforia head that I prefer for this Ranger, so Jason can stay as MMPR Red. Dino Thunder White also earned a spot for being the best out of the peak suit designs from Dino Thunder, but the figure NEARLY didn't make it if it weren't for the helmet being painted completely (and it was a miracle they rectified this for free when customer service sucks nowadays).
Worst Lightning Collection purchase: MMPR Green (single release), Dino Charge Black
While getting the Fighting Spirit version of MMPR Green wasn't what some would naturally want, it makes sense that Hasbro would save the more "vanilla" version for a later release. Sadly, I'd argue that the FS version is better in some ways. Sure, the gold for the Morpher is neat, but we lose the white diamond pattern for the chest that, sure, is mostly hidden by the Dragon Shield, but it at least helps make him less naked if you ever want to take it off! Also, the lack of white paint for the visor border results in the teeth blending in too much. As for Dino Charge Black, while he would be fine as a normal figure, making him a Target exclusive is questionable at best. It's one thing to have this role belong to a sixth Ranger or an extra hero, and it's another when you involve a core team member who functions about the same as the others. And while that wouldn't be too bad, the inverted paint for the Dino Com on his belt makes him inconsistent with the other figures. You can fix that yourself, but you shouldn't have to!
Best Marvel Legends purchase: Endgame War Machine, Hugh Jackman Wolverine
It was hard to pick a favorite out of these two, so I chose both Rhodey and classic Fox Logan for obvious reasons. Two new sculpts for each character, one is finally an entirely unique design from Iron Man, the other does the legendary High Jackman some justice after mostly having nostalgic yet dated 2000s figures (unless you went Marvel Select). Their accessory count is reasonable compared to the typical alternate hands Hasbro keeps reusing in their Spider-Men, and they also used to have the $20 price tag compared to the $7 bump we got 6 years later. Even better for me is that I got War Machine for a discounted price and was more than happy to put him next to Mark III Iron Man, as someone who likes seeing them in different designs. I still wish we got a stealth suit Wolverine from either the original trilogy or Days of Future Past, but if anyone is going to still be a superhero in casual clothes, it's him and nobody else.
Worst Marvel Legends purchase: Retro Card Spider-Man
I remember liking this a whole bunch when I first got it, thinking it was finally the Marvel Legends Spider-Man of my dreams, yet the figure started to show some issues that would later hold it back. The proportions seem whack for the most part, especially with how all over the place the musculature comes across. I also had a rough issue with my copy's quality control, where the regular mask with the slightly larger eyes had the paint apps misaligned. It's crazy how much the damn thing goes for unless you buy a knockoff. Weirder still is how it was sold on a 90s animated series-style blister card, yet uses the more 70s style design.
2021
Things started to get fairly normal at this point. Well, as normal as they could be, apart from some new BS introduced in people's lives for a good while. I had a decently consistent podcast as well as a healthy amount of online friends in Discord before everyone got busy with life, myself included. As for my interests, we got the Snyder Cut at last, No Way Home made itself tolerable purely by nostalgia bait, Dino Fury took over as the newest season of Power Rangers, and Cyberverse just about came to an end. Oh, and I started delving into anime a bit more, but we shall see what won/lost this year when it comes to figures!
Best Power Rangers Dino Fury purchase: Dino Fury Zord Pack
While the Zord designs are far from my favorite, the Dino Fury 5-pack was not only able to have a stronger level of sculptwork than the Bandai Japan versions, but we also have better articulation than even the Beast Racer Zord from 2019! That alone made the T-Rex Champion Zord an immediate recommendation over the overseas counterpart. The other Zords have less to go for, minus the slight articulation of the Sabertooth Tiger Zord, yet packing the Zords by their owners' genders at least means a smaller Zord and a larger Zord with additional parts meant for optional attack modes, making up for their lackluster nature. That, or you can get the 5-pack that costs around $75. Not ideal for what I would pay at that price, but could be worse. So many optional display modes, so many ports, and he later added Zords to the fun. Sure, some fans complained about genuine quality control issues with the Lego pegs to reeeeeeing over the crotch piece not being the same as on the Tiger hips, but this was the best they truly got with Zords in the mainline Hasbro era.
Worst Power Rangers Dino Fury purchase: Dino Fury Morpher
This is nothing but a glorified jukebox. It would be one thing to be accurate with the Japanese toy and work with the keys. But to only play music or have sound effects correlate with the key it's using, yet not include any specific morphing sounds, makes this a downgrade from the regular keys. We don't even get voice clips like with the Beast Morphers offerings! Oh, but put in some farting sounds that come with Boomtower's key. Not helping is that the Japanese original was barely any better, especially when they came up with a lame ass design and keys that sucked to begin with.
Best Lightning Collection: Blue Space Ranger vs Psycho Silver
Why did I choose TJ above all others? Probably because he's cool in blue when the Power Rangers were back. In all seriousness, the Space Rangers are held back by their flaws in the Lightning Collection, but I can at least admit Blue works the best out of the bunch. Maybe he should have had a darker shade of blue, but he still looks nice next to the silver of the Psycho Ranger he is included with. Btw, it's funny that this was our first version of Zhane and not his actual Ranger form till a few months later?
Worst Lightning Collection - N/A
Best Marvel Legends purchase (regular waves): Mark III Iron Man, Gamerverse Miles Morales
While both sculpts have their own issues, I will at least commend Hasbro for putting some effort in what I'd argue was their last strongest year all around for Marvel Legends (before things got cheaper from 2022-now). Mark III Iron Man has a good selection of alternate parts as well as being easier to pose than the 2008 figure we got nearly 2 decades ago. The only issues with him are the coloring and the arms being a bit shorter than normal. Gamerverse Miles is still the best offering from Hasbro that we'll get from the character, and I can easily see why, given the proportions beat any other version we got (minus the ITSV ones for aesthetic reasons), he has a good selection of alternate hands and a great likeness to the Insomniac version of the character. Says a lot that he gets a new sculpt but not Peter.
Worst Marvel Legends purchase: Prowler (and Stilt-Man by extension)
What could have been a cool figure for Miles' uncle ended up being a huge disappointment compared to the other ITSV characters. Very few accessories to work with, and the arms come off easily from reusing the Mr. Fantastic body rather than being a whole new sculpt. It hurts even more that they did a few ITSV-era figures for the second wave of ATSV toys, but Aaron was unlucky yet again. Also, Stilt-Man would be funny as a BAF choice if it weren't for the more logical inclusions of characters like Rule 63 Doc Ock or Kingpin, the big boy himself.
Best Black Series purchase: Boba Fett
The character is overrated as hell, and he would be made worse under Disney canon, but I like how he turned out as a figure, given the general accuracy and proportions being done better than on prior releases. I know the helmet is slightly inaccurate in terms of proportions, but the accessories are reasonably plentiful...at least compared to the normal Black Series figure...
Worst Black Series purchase: Luke Skywalker (POTF)
Cloth goods on a 1:12 scale figure are normally fine if they're a cape or a coat that isn't too cheap or poofy. Doing that for a whole shirt is a whole other story. Not only does it make it harder to pose him decently, but it ruins his overall silhouette more than it would have on a larger-scale figure. Also, while Mark Hamill's face hasn't been the best in some figures, his was by far the worst for this line.
Best McFarlane DC purchase: ZSJL Batfleck
Each of them has their own reasons to be tied: Batfleck is a great sculpt all around that captures his physique, including a cape that feels appropriate with the sculpt it received compared to the cloth one in the 6-pack. I wish he had the alternate heads as well as a grapnel gun, but overall, a huge improvement from the Mattel version, much like the transition from Josstice to the Snyder Cut proper.
Worst McFarlane DC purchase: WW84 Wonder Woman
While most would find the movie laughably bad as a whole, this figure does nothing to improve its reputation. It sucked at the time that this was one of the first Wonder Woman figures we got from McFarlane, which I'll admit I never understood why it took us too long to get a vanilla comic design while we got these armored/one off designs that are not the original look; as for this version, the tree trunk thighs have no definition to Gal Gadot's actual musculature, she can barely hold either lasso accessory with her Lego hands, the torso joints are broken up at the wrong spot when it should at least be only one hidden within the skirt armor, and the likeness to Gal Gadot is about as comparable as a Mattel version. Can't believe it took Todd 2 other tries to get it right, and even then, the BvS version, despite being the best version of this incarnation, still falls short by not including any alternate hands, ditching the lassos, and leaving out any paint apps originally on the 1984 version. Oh, and not weathering the armor and adding the battle straps like on the Snyderverse suit took some points off the BvS version of Wonder Woman.
Best Figuart purchase: Pac-Man, Sailor Pluto
These two are tied for different reasons, with Pac-Man being a very affordable Figuart and having as much articulation as possible without compromising his design. Not to mention, the ingenious use of a giant faceplate, though I wish he had more ghost sprites. I also wish he had a Ms. Pac-Man to go with him, but the design they had is not too great. As for Sailor Pluto, with how samey most Figuarts were for the Senshi, I don't think the same applies to her because of the unique appearance she has. Between her staff and overall color scheme, not to mention her skin tone, I don't think any Senshi is comparable to an underrated character like her.
Worst Figuart purchase: Super Sailor Moon
This figure isn't terrible, yet the blame mostly goes to the potentially fragile elbow joints, since they cracked out of the box for me. That and the outdated color grading leave her with a greenish tint to her skin as well as a slightly murky kind of look to her intentionally glittery outfit. I hoped an ACE version could fix her, but we went straight towards Eternal Moon.
Overall best purchase of 2021: Jazwares Infinite Master Chief, tied with NECA King Kong
While Jazwares did go downhill with later entries for their figures, their first Master Chief is still one of the best figures we got, and they truly captured the Spartan armor worn in Halo Infinite. Articulation is also very good for the most part, though the torso could have more range, and the knee joints could be more naturalistic. The chrome visor is easily the best part of the whole figure, especially if it's actually the vac-metal they used. Likewise, NECA King Kong is a surprisingly good figure to have, mostly from the rich paintwork to the sculpting that surprisingly manages to be close to the old movie prop. Wish we had a plane for him to fight, or a lady to hold as he climbed the Empire State Building.
Overall worst purchase: N/A
2022
At this point, reviews started to get erratic, given my then-new job. I would have loved to see if I could get into any other places to work in and find what suited me best, but family pressure made me rush things despite me trying to find a job that fit well with what I studied for didn't help things out. So I looked for a job close to me because heaven forbid I should at least have a year to prepare myself to become more independent. Anyways, this year was at least able to remain mostly consistent with what I got in 2021, minus the inclusion of any McFarlane figures since I didn't buy any that year. How does 2022 fare with its purchases in comparison? Why don't we go back to that phase of me spending money crazy before finding out about Pay in 4
Best Power Rangers Dino Fury purchase: Dino Knight Morpher
What a huge step up from the mediocre Fury Morpher! Not only is the design much better, but the light and sound features are plentiful, accurate to the show, and very fitting for a Morpher. Even some of the integration with the saber (which I do not have) is cool. The claw size is thankfully good for both kids and older fans, but the surprise addition of chrome makes it feel even better than it could normally have been. It's only a shame that the next Morpher we got for Cosmic Fury (and the last one they did) ended up being a piece of shit overall; sure, the sounds are plentiful, but the design is hideously cheaper than the show prop and compared to Dino Knight.
Worst Power Rangers Dino Fury purchase: Mosa Razor Zord
While the articulation is still good, the transformation is so plain and uninspiring. To be fair, the Japanese version isn't any better. I also hate how hard it can be to jam his weapon in his hand. Also, that loincloth armor gets in the way of his poseable hips.
Best Lightning Collection purchase: All TMNT sets, & Finster
While I have been a fan of the Ninja Turtles, the merchandise represented in my shelves has been questionably lacking until now. Thankfully, I was more than happy to get these when they hit clearance, especially for my chance to have two IPs I loved getting the collab treatment. I love the morphed designs for the Turtles and Shredder; April is a bit basic as MMPR Pink, but at least she lacks a skirt for anyone wanting to make all MMPR females shirtless. My favorite morphed Ranger has to be Donatello, but Shredder easily wins. As for Finster, he not only has plenty of accessories for a new sculpt, but he also has an articulated jaw that adds more personality than any other villain other than Mesogog. Makes me wish Goldar had an alternate face with his mouth open.
Worst Lightning Collection purchase: Andros
A blank body with very little detail, a cloak so thick it looks like a bathrobe, its biggest redeeming aspect is the possibility of making any Black Ranger we could have had if Hasbro weren't pussies and continued the Lightning Collection. This is the kind of bonus purchase you can skip otherwise.
Best Marvel Legends purchase: Doctor Doom, Deluxe War Machine
Doctor Doom is easily the best of the retro-carded figures in the wave, with his accessory count already surpassing everyone else, on top of being a strong sculpt all around (though The Thing is close to being as good as him). I wish he had an alternate mask design that we got with the earlier version, but I am happy with how this Doom turned out. As for War Machine, he was bought loose and may be missing one or two accessories, but he is an even better figure than the 80 Years Iron Man; he partially reuses tooling from, no doubt, thanks to having more value for money as a Deluxe in addition to being a great design all around. Easily a better Maximum release than any of the actual Maximum releases.
Worst Marvel Legends purchase: Supaidaman, Morlun
I was really excited to pass on the Toei Spider-Man Figuarts in favor of grabbing a hold of Marvel Legends Supaidaman, yet the colors are hued incorrectly, one of the arms pops off the bicep swivel too easily, and the lack of accessories that make sense for the figure is criminal. As for Morlun, he's so cheap when it comes to his articulation, it's no wonder the timing of this figure vaguely tying in with the shitty Morbius movie doesn't do him any favors, even if he was in the Armadillo BAF wave that came out around a month before No Way Home came out, from what I remember.
Best Black Series purchase: Darth Vader, Commander Cody
While I already had a Darth Vader Black Series figure from 2016, my copy was the Emperor's Wrath release that had a clear purple yet better-shaped helmet than the first-ever Black Series Vader. The figure holds up great even to this day, and the same can be said for Commander Cody, but to a lesser extent, because of his limited double joints. We did get a later version of the dude himself, but this one is able to stand the test of time fine enough in terms of sculptwork.
Worst Black Series purchase: General Grievous
This is the version we got based on his series in the Clone Wars micro series, aka the one casuals see as peak Star Wars before gooning off to their Disney slop. While I remember the Elite Edition of Grievous sold at Disney Stores being poor from his inability to grip his lightsabers in addition to falling over/apart easily, this figure is only slightly better by not falling apart. Sadly, the scale for the figure barely does much to help him out, but the slightly flexible plastic quality also hurts the overall potential of the figure. Also, despite being based on a more pristine color scheme, he kind of has a bit of a grimey feel with how cheap the plastic looks. I hope to get either the Figuarts or Bandai model kit version of the Jedi slayer before Disney revives him for some shitty TCW-style spin-off.
Overall best purchase: Flame Toys Windblade
I don't care what the "heckin' wholesome" clowns say about this figure: this is the go-to figure to get for a non-transforming option if you aren't happy with the official HasTak Windblades. I wish the gold joints were painted in that color rather than molded in that color, not to mention the stickers are tedious in some ways, but this is still a delightful design all around, especially as it would later get me into the later purchases for Blokees and Yolopark. I'm tempted to make this my Bayverse Windblade; if only she could transform...
Overall worst purchase: RED Knock Out
I didn't add Arcee into my miscellaneous best purchase or worst for 2021 because, despite being the best of the line, she is still fairly mid compared to most other figures in the line, even next to Hasbro Black Series and Marvel Legends lines. As for Knock Out, the sculpt would have been the best part if the joints weren't gummy, the red wasn't flat as hell, the grey didn't look like plasticine, and the ankle joints had proper practicality. Oh, and I hate how my copy had the left arm break because the elbow joint sucks.
Why did I buy this: Fortnite The Foundation
Tell you the truth, I never played Fortnite in my entire life. I have seen some collabs with other brands and liked some of them (the Power Rangers one was cool, especially including Dino Thunder after doing MMPR), but I never played the game. I have seen a few clips involving a character known as The Foundation, but I don't know if it was mostly because he was a surprise to me or if the design was cool. That and he was played by The Rock. What I don't get is that this figure came out a year after the whole announcement was made, and it was also poor timing that the figure ended up being less than stellar. All he came with was an alternate pair of hands, a metal umbrella, a cape that can be swapped with part of his back, and a flight stand. Not entirely a bad value, but far from being worth $40. Plus, the biggest knock against the figure is the visor printing being misaligned. Shame because the design is kind of cool for a character whose game I know faintly about.
2023
Around this time, I started changing jobs, and because of my higher pay rate, I took this as an opportunity to buy more stuff without any real issues. It was also around this time that I started to buy more Marvel Legends and Black Series figures, while Power Rangers would sadly be less prominent as Hasbro made the foolish decision to halt production before announcing their Playmates collab a year later. So fewer Rangers, more imports, Black Series, and Legends, what made it to the list this year?
Best Power Rangers purchase: Master Morpher
Losing one of my childhood heroes, Jason David Frank, was one of the saddest things that happened to me (especially after losing Batman VA himself, Kevin Conroy), so it was fairly bittersweet to hear that he worked with Hasbro in making this morpher before he took his life months later. It's a beautiful recreation of the morpher he had in Ninja Steel's Dimensions in Danger episode, and I am so happy someone made an official replica 5 years later. I love the chrome plates, the unique coins based on the Ranger powers he had, and the sound effects that play whenever you press the side button to morph; even if they are a bit vaguely off with the season theme for some of the Ranger powers (mostly Turbo but to be fair that was mostly for TJ), that was the cherry on the sundae I recommend more than any other version of the Lightning Collection Power Morpher. I got the original core team version a year later, and the sound effect quantity doesn't compare.
Worst Power Rangers purchase: Lightning Collection Wave 13
I always got annoyed whenever the toku fandom online would reee over any minor issue with a Lightning Collection figure, but if any wave deserved any scrutiny, then Wave 13 certainly did. While my copies were mostly fine in terms of quality control, the same cannot be said for anyone else; Dino Charge Blues had broken ankles and wobbly drop down hips, Beast Morphers Yellows had their visors look like shit from not having any metallic paint like the others and was instead a separate, marbleized piece to save money, Dino Fury Greens with broken necks and even more flexible sabers than with the Red Ranger, not even the pinless joints can save them since some of them end up warped from being in that shitty windowless packaging. It's one thing to do this for the kids' toys, but for older fans, nothing good came out of that when you remember Transformers missing heads and the constant figure swaps douchebags can pull off. I'm happy Legends and Black Series recovered from this (ignoring most retro releases), but Power Rangers sadly never got that treatment. Worse still, the removal of the unique package art that made the Lightning Collection iconic was one of the nails in the coffin.
Best Marvel Legends single-release purchase(s): Spiral, Ultimate Captain America
Spiral was one of the biggest surprises a retro carded line can bring for Legends, no doubt thanks to the multiple arms she comes with, as well as the various accessories to boot. She is more of a Maximum release, but don't tell Hasbro because they will upcharge her more. Ultimate Captain America may be an asshole compared to his classic self, but the sculptwork and superhero physique are much better captured here than on most other versions of the character. I also appreciate the darker red to go well with the tone of Earth-1610 versus the brighter Earth-616. The Amazon employee who accidentally sent me Orb instead of Cap still deserved to sleep with his pillows hot on both sides.
Worst Marvel Legends single-release purchase(s): Ghost Vision, Ultron
Ghost Vision was bought at a discount, but just being a plain white figure without much in the way or any deco hurts the design. Not even a wash or transparent effect was added! As for Ultron, how did we go from a pretty cool 2021 version included in the Ursa Major BAF wave with a better head sculpt and a sweet coat of silver paint to the 2023 version?! Maybe Hasbro doubted people would care about the wave because it's associated with a lame ass movie, who knows.
Best Marvel Legends multipack: N/A, unless you count the much older multipacks of the X-Men Love Triangle, as well as Colossus vs Juggernaut
Worst Marvel Legends multipack: No Way Home 3-pack
Blob may have been overpriced, and Hawkeye may have been subpar, but nothing offended me more than the No Way Home 3-pack. A Tom Holland Spider-Man that has a different form of engineering and sculptwork for his aesthetics incompatible with the other two already sounds bad enough...till you check out the other two figures. Tobey Spidey has the wrong shades of red and blue, his webs are silver instead of gunmetal, the proportions are awful, and the mask is straight up terrible. Andrew Spidey may fare better in the proportions, but it's still not quite there to his actual build irl. Both of their articulations are average; they come with a ton of heads and three web lines we've been getting since 2012, but no alternate heads?! I mean, we did get their unmasked heads for the single-carded releases, but a pair of hands is excluded. Then Andrew got yet another repaint with brighter colors after ditching his unmasked head. I wish I had never gotten this, but early 2020s me was influenced somewhat by FOMO...
Best Black Series purchase: Black Series Gaming Greats Jango Fett
Though not a recent release, I think this figure does things better than the 2026 version in some ways, mostly with the higher use of paint, as well as not leaving his helmet in slightly see-through plastic. Articulation is almost comparable between the two, but on the flip side, the mod that the seller made with gluing in actual leather straps works better than PVC, which can tear apart.
Worst Black Series purchase: Magnaguards, R2-D2
One is a very flexible and super cheap figure with a poor grip on its weapons, the other has no wheels for the droid legs, and can barely clip its accessories in place. These two deserve better.
Overall Best Purchase: Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man
This SH Figuarts purchase may be the best one out of my entire collection. While Dragon Ball Z and Sailor Moon are great franchises, Spider-Man was the first for me, thanks to the first Raimi movie. You know the rest of my gushing by this point, so I can skip to the point and just say how great this figure turned out. While I wish he were taller, and I know the broken-up pelvis looks awkward, I can at least say that the overall proportions, sculptwork, and value for money make up for the minor issues I have with the set. All he really needs is a flight stand to take those web-slinging poses to the fullest potential.
2024
The fifth anniversary of my reviewing site, and arguably one more focused on Transformers than anything else, because of the 40th anniversary. That doesn't stop other franchises from getting any attention, however! We still had a growing presence of Marvel Legends and Black Series reviews, while McFarlane DC Multiverse came back after only getting John Stewart and Knightfall Batman in 2023, as well as focusing primarily on the Snyder Cut cast for 2021. Let's see who popped up for the best and worst of this year!
Best Marvel Legends purchases: Comic Black Widow (Target), 85 Years Wolverine, Death's Head
I'll go over why these three made it for my top 3 picks: Black Widow manages to have a reasonable amount of accessories and still costs less than the average Maximum release. 85 Years Wolverine has a great sculpt that now has a comparable rival with the likes of the recent Gamerverse version, from the proportions to the handful of accessories he comes with for his price. Also, bonus points for being an Astonishing X-Men suit design, even if that comic involved the POS Joss Whedon. Finally, Death's Head is both a good figure that could only be elevated with a wired cape and silver paint, and he is a character that deserves more attention, given his history with the Transformers comics published by Marvel.
Worst Marvel Legends purchase: Whiplash, Giant Man & Wasp
One was too gummy and not very satisfying to pose around, while the 2-pack gave us a really nice Wasp figure with a mediocre Giant Man that has no real synergy with the HasLab.
Best McFarlane DC Multiverse: Collector Edition Wonder Woman, Adam West Batman, Darkseid
I hate that McFarlane made one of the most important DC superheroes, a member of the Trinity, a Justice League founder, one of the most difficult figures to find, on top of being made much later than any of her prior figures. Aside from that bullshit, the sculpt, proportions, metallic red and gold paint, crisp stars for her bikini bottom, and plethora of weapons/hands make her a must-own. If only her Lasso of Truth were wired. As for Adam West Batman, he's a great recreation of the campy crusader with a whole new sculpt that does his simpler comic design justice better than repainting a generic Batman buck, and his series-specific gadgets are a fun addition to the decade he comes from. He could use a darker blue for the plastic parts and an unmasked head, plus a shorter cape courtesy of a Hugo Strange Batman. Finally, Darkseid has a great deco that excels what we had with the Gold Label version with the armor, but the addition of a throne with a lenticular fire background makes him a better deal than I expected. Easily beats the poor handling of the Night People Batman.
Worst McFarlane DC Multiverse purchase: Action Comics 1000 Superman (Gold Label), Atom
I know many will like Action Comics 1000 Superman for being a decent version of the character, and the original version was fine if you ignore the widened logo, heavy ass cape, skinnier legs, and the McFarlanizations that belong on a modern costume with the added piping not present on the suit. Gold Label Superman should be even better than what we previously had, and while a wired cape is nice, I don't like that the wrist and ankle joints have not been updated, and we are still stuck with single-jointed elbows as well as no right fist despite having a trigger finger hand with nothing ot hold. As for The Atom, while the alternate hands are nice, why does he have to be all deco? Was it hard to sculpt a new belt for him at the very least? I also don't like the fact that we only get one tiny version of him that is barely "atomic" in scale with no articulation whatsoever. Not even like what the Page Punchers have!
Best Black Series purchase: Force Unleashed 3-pack, Darth Sidious
While the Stormtroopers are been-there-done-that, getting a Starkiller figure was one of the best things to happen for the Black Series, especially when it comes to the value for money that we get with the alternate heads, hands, Force effect parts, and lightsabers. Darth Sidious is also a treat, purely from seeing the crimson robes that made his appearance in Revenge of the Sith far more impactful than his Original Trilogy appearances. I'd argue that including the lightsaber and the lightning hands, as well as the non-cloth hood, elevates him higher than his OT-era figures.
Worst Black Series purchase: Wolffe, Dengar
Both figures are pretty limited in terms of poseability, but unlike Cody, Wolffe suffers from looking worse with an intentionally dirty deco that makes him look like he's covered in dog shit. Just because Filoni has a thing for wolves doesn't mean we should see that on dirty clone armor! As for Dengar, his backpack comes off and serves no other purpose outside of that, and while the two gun options are cool, you'd better hope you got him for $6 like I did because he is otherwise a cheap figure in terms of value at full price.
Best Figuart: Piccolo the Proud Namekian
While I wish plenty of Dragon Ball Figuarts came with more than just alternate hands, this version of Piccolo has the option to be displayed with or without the turban, and either appearance works well for the GOAT of the series. It's even better to have him with the DB Super version, so both can share the cape and other stuff associated with him. So while people can debate over whether or not he was the better father than Goku all they want, I'd easily say Piccolo got a bit more value for money than most versions of Goku.
Worst Figuart: Wicked Lady
Why is this character never getting the Animation Color Edition treatment?! It's already bad enough that this figure suffers from being incredibly hard to find at a reasonable price as well as having limited distribution, but when you're making a figure that breaks easily, IT'S GOING TO MAKE ME LOOK FOR THE BASTARD WHO BARELY DID SHIT IN THE QUALITY CONTROL DEPARTMENT! You got wrist pegs breaking off, elbows cracking, the hair pieces snapping off from being cast out of clear plastic, and that's not even getting into the stupid ribbon piece that is too damn clunky to put around her with the display base! Furthermore, why are we getting her as the villain for the series and not anyone else who's been around much longer?! I know the average "casual" Sailor Moon merch collector would rather get plushies or statues, and I get that Zoisiteoom.os.am.easg repaint to do, but why couldn't we have gotten Queen Beryl or any of the Shittenou proper before we got this gothic girlboss Groksucker?! I wish I had never bought this pink rabbit turd.
Overall best purchase: Yolopark AMK Pro TLK Optimus Prime (tied with Blokees 2007 Optimus and Megatron)
I never thought I would get more into the world of model kits or higher-end non-transforming Transformers, but Yolopark and Blokees are thankfully making me change my mind! In an era where the Studio Series 86 slop is starting to take over any potential spots for any needed Bayverse gaps yet to be filled, leave it to these two Asian licensees to make my appetite wetter than ever. I held off on the ROTB AMKs due to my wanting to get other figures from beyond Transformers in addition to the usual Studio Series and Legacy Evolution figures, but starting with a version of a character that I loved for years was the perfect choice. We already know of the benefit in making a screen-accurate AOE Prime by not having a toy based on it transform, but to give it a ton of accessories, make it a model kit, and have it filled with premium paint and die-cast makes it an easier thing to recommend if you want to get a smaller Threezero figure. As for the Blokees, they're not only easy to follow, but the character selection (at least for G1) is impressively wide; the Classic Class figures, however, do it for me simply for having their chests and eyes light up, almost universal articulation, consistent display stands and effect parts, and being so close to the CG models with a bit of stylization. Optimus and Megatron are the best examples of this, and I hope we get more Bayverse characters.
Overall worst purchase: Bring Arts Cloud Strife (Another Form)
I'll admit that I'm not super into Final Fantasy, Kingdom Hearts, or anything Square Enix, despite their IPs looking cool, but I know they deserve better merch than what Play Arts Kai can do. This Cloud Strife feels weird for an import figure, feeling closer to a mass retail 1/12 scale figure than a proper import, and the way the sculptwork causes the articulation to be a bit clunky and awkward leaves me wondering if it was meant to be a statue or not. Worse still, the joints on the figure are almost floppy! Granted, I got this secondhand from the same seller who sent me Namek Bulma, but who knows if all copies of this thing are as loose?
Most nostalgic purchases: The Three Megazords I got from the Disney Era and 18 inch Spider-Man
While these don't have the same level of articulation as some Hasbro Megazords, I still prefer these designs and play features more than what we get nowadays in Toku. Thundersaurus is my all time favorite, and the drill tail makes him an immediate win. Delta Squad was one I had before and am happy to have the Dekaranger version, and SWAT is so badass, the gun mode makes it the best way to tinker with the toy to do more than just split in 5 Zords.
What's next?
The future of my reviews is dependent on how interested I remain in collecting action figures before the day comes when I retire. When it comes to the mainline releases coming out today, price hiking (be it from toy companies or external factors), figures getting worse, license transfers, and some lines I loved collecting doing fewer characters I wanted to own to play as a few factors leading to me stepping down soon. Plus, adult responsibilities are becoming a bigger priority for me more than they were when I first started this blog; in late 2019, I was about to start my third year of college, while I now have a full-time, night shift job (aka far from what I studied for). This isn't me begging for sympathy or financial support; this is me telling it as it is.
We'll see how the next 5 years will go, but who knows how things will go when the economy is worse than it's been for modern toy collecting, and if I even want to get some older figures despite looking into having my own house and raising a family. Whatever happens, I want to thank those who helped make my hobby worth continuing, even if it gets a bit repetitive writing stuff. For now, let's get to 1K reviews as we celebrate the figures that got the spotlight these past few years!
2019 & bonus bits
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
