It's that time again, or at least long overdue in my case. Lesson learned for me: never take too long covering 5 years of my history with reviews. Anyways, 2025 was a little different than most other years, mostly because it was less focused on Marvel Legends while McFarlane DC Multiverse started becoming prominent. As for other franchises, Black Series started getting its last bit of steam for me, Blokees became a bit more prominent for my collection, imports returned to having more than just Figuarts, and very little PR merch was bought. While some have had issues with tariffs or scalping, why don't we look into what I liked or disliked about my purchases?
Best Marvel Legends figure(s): ROM Spaceknight, MvC Wolverine, MvC Juggernaut
While one of them is part of a single carded release and two are themed after a fighting game, they each have a single thing in common: being the best offerings Hasbro's got for the Legends line. ROM Spaceknight is a wholly new sculpt that has no sign of compromise compared to the average figure in the wave, and it edges out Ultimate Iron Man by using metallic paint rather than being flat plastic. Wolverine captures the stocky proportions of the character while also maintaining the dynamic nature of the game's art style. Juggernaut may have a few issues, but damnit is he fun to mess around with, and the height of his makes Legends like himself and Insomniac Venom better than the Maximum series.
Worst Marvel Legends figure(s): DP&W Wolverine, NWH Electro, Silver Samurai
Ironically, two of these are related to Logan himself, with one being released alongside the MvC version and another being the MCU variant. The latter does no favors to Hugh Jackman's physique on top of looking cheap as hell; not even the battle-damaged version with sleeveless arms could save it from being a turd. Meanwhile, Silver Samurai is barely silver, and the figure feels dated, with as little effort put into making him even remotely good compared to the other figures we got in the 2-packs. Then with Electro, all we get are a ton of wires on a new sculpt and big electricity effect parts to go with the splayed open hands to justify the $40. No way, no how. Somehow, the retooled Lizard released around the same time is better, but only slightly.
Best McFarlane DC Multiverse figure(s): Christopher Reeve Superman, Batman Begins, Hawkgirl
Apart from the slightly oversized hands, this version of Superman was done much better than I expected, and it made me want to get the Platinum Edition based on the shitty third movie. I didn't get the Theatrical Edition because I wouldn't want to buy a figure with no wiring for the cape, on top of the smiling head not being as good as I thought it would be. Batman Begins may not have been 100% movie accurate, but the figure McFarlane gave us ended up being better than I anticipated. It made me want to try and get some of the other figures based on the Nolanverse sooner rather than later, even if. I was initially reluctant to complete the Bane BAF wave. Finally, Hawkgirl may have been a Collector Edition reusing parts of Wonder Woman, but at least she has even better wings than Hawkman while also filling the price out reasonably well. The painted skin meant for the Platinum Edition's different shirt is a bit weird.
Worst McFarlane DC Multiverse figure(s): Digital Two-Face, New 52 Superman, Max Shreck
How do you reuse a figure and barely make the most out of the budget saved from said reuse??? I don't care if it's a Digital release (which, by the way, I'm glad McFarlane stopped making those); give this figure some hands or weapons! Maybe an alternate head of him screaming! And great job making the Platinum version the more desirable one yet harder to obtain! New 52 Superman being a Gold Label was already questionable, but why have him be a straight repaint of the Page Punchers body with no tooling to raise the costume details in relief?! We also have no wiring for the cape despite having the stitching meant to house both a wire at the edges on the sides AND the bottom, but fear not; this cost-cutting would rear its ugly face on us. Once again, no accessories. Max Shreck is even worse, because we not only have to deal with the Theatrical Deluxe price, but all he has is an alternate head. No hands, no weapons; hell, he could have come with the Penguin commandos, or at least each figure came with one! And why have him be a Red Platinum when he was fairly prominent as a character in the movie?!
Best Star Wars Black Series figure(s): Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan, Commander Cody
Yes, all 3 of them are from Revenge of the Sith, but when it comes to representing the best piece of Star Wars media of all time, there should be no competition. While I hate the price hikes the figures later got, the trio has slightly better range for their joints, but I still wish we got the alternate hands and heads from that Mustafar set. At least Cody has his hologram to kickstart a truly dramatic scene. Order 66 is way more emotional than Blandor will ever be, even without the knowledge of the other Jedi from EU material (or TCW, as the Disney Shills and casuals would say, despite me still liking TCW somewhat on its own, what can I say, my relationship with that show is more complicated than with current cape shit).
Worst Star Wars Black Series figure(s): Admiral Ackbar, Kit Fisto, Bossk
I understand Mr Trap was supposed to homage the old Kenner toy, but was the blister card not enough because the thing looks raw! IT'S FUCKING RAW!!! As for Kit Fisto, I feel bad for putting him pretty low on the list because he isn't the worst of the three, yet he ends up feeling dated with the wrong body mold still used from the regular release as well as not having a proper lightsaber hilt he canonically had. As for Bossk, why do his elbows and jaw suck and move? And why do his hands also suck? I bet Hasbro only made him with low effort since they know OT fanboys will leave him in his box.
Best Figuart(s): Son Gohan, Majin Buu
Some may have had issues with the legs breaking on their copies for the version of Son Gohan who surpassed Goku, but my copy seems to be fine, and more importantly, it represents the best of the character from the torment that was the Cell Games. The bendy wire cape, the raging faces, and the overall articulation not being fully compromised despite the smaller scale make this an immediate recommendation. And as for Majin Buu, I know they would later share notoriety for the Saiyan Son not beating the Powerful Pinky when he had the chance in the Buu Saga, but that doesn't stop me from enjoying the fun Kid Buu design as a Figuart. He sounds slightly hollow, but it beats having him weigh himself down, and the cape is at least articulated somewhat like on Masterpiece and SS86 versions of Starscream.
Worst Figuart: Kenshin Himura
I already have my issues with the creator of Rurouni Kenshin getting away with his crimes, especially seeing how lax Japan is compared to most countries searching for pedophiles to bust, but even if the mangaka never got in legal trouble, this figure sucks boba tea balls. The expressions are the sole saving grace for a somewhat comedic swordsman, but the articulation cuts are straight up awful, combined with how cheap he sort of feels. I'm glad I never bought this from Amazon or BBTS, where said pedogaka is still benefiting from people buying this turd of a Figuart; even if Rurouni Kenshin is a good anime, I demand that people either pirate the series to spite the man or wait till he's dead because he won't reoffend.
Best Non-Tamashii Import(s): Both MAFEX purchases (Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man & Daredevil)
Marvel Legends is almost done for me, but the MAFEX offerings I got a hold of have been spare yet worthy to own. I don't know which one I like more than the other; Spidey's another really good version of the Tobey Maguire portrayal I grew up with for years, and his accessory count is as great as the quality and care put in the sculpt despite needing a matte finish. Daredevil looks better, and the expressions as well as the bendy wire nunchucks are always fun for toy photography (especially with a display base)...Though I feel torn on taking points away for not giving us a Matt Murdock head as much as I am with preferring one over the other.
Best Retro Purchase(s): ToyBiz Marvel Legends Blade, McFarlane Shrek figures
While Hasbro may toot their horn over their DP&W version of Wesley Snipes Blade finally being a thing, there will always be something more preferable with the ToyBiz version. My copy sadly suffers from paint chipping on the hips, and the trench coat is shedding leather flakes from age despite being MOSC, but I will always appreciate the accuracy ToyBiz nailed with a live-action character back when these were sculpted by hand. Oh, and he comes with his motorbike, and I bet Hasbro's 1998 Blade (if they make one) will cost as much as the cheapest MOSC copy they can find.
Overall Best Purchase of 2025: Yolopark AMK Pro ROTF Megatron
While the eyes may be ever so slightly off in terms of not exactly capturing the details of the CG model, this is still another slam dunk for Yolopark and their dedication to making the best versions of Bayverse designs at reasonable costs. What he lacks in accessory count, he makes up for with his height, die-cast heft, and articulated claws without needing alternate hands. Makes me excited to see other Bayverse characters in this system.
Overall Worst Purchase of 2025: Cosmic Fury Megazord
What was Hasbro thinking when they went one step forward with their Dino Fury Zords and then two steps back with this oral ornament? It was already bad enough that people were whining about Hasbro's handling on the Power Rangers brand more than they did with Bandai and Saban (granted expectations were high but oh my fucking God shut the fuck up you terminally online tokufags), but to see a Megazord from them with less articulation than any of their mainline offerings from the small duration they did toys was a slap in the face! We used to have elbows, knees, and wrist rotation! All without most of these not coming from the transformation! Here? Arms and a slightly generous neck swivel. I hate it when Sentai purists gas up the Japanese versions with their snobby-ass favoritism clogging up prioritized over child care (assuming they wouldn't be virgins), but this time, it doesn't matter because all versions of the design sucks, and the same goes for the Hasbro version.
And that wraps up my retrospective on 2025. What shall we expect in 2026? Well, there's going to be a bit of focus on getting to the 1,000 review milestone, but whatever happens after that remains to be seen. Honestly, the days of being excited for new media have kept me from wanting to buy merch based on a new TV show or movie, especially with how sterile most of the entertainment industry grew. And while there are some purchases I would like to make based on the collector lines I explored in the past, a lot of decisions made by Hasbro and the license reversal to Mattel once McFarlane is done will mean I'll probably be done, too. And the argument can be made that the aftermarket has lots of potential for me to get some hidden gems and anything I never got a hold of that I yearned for years, but how long will that keep going? I don't want to end up just buying tiny capsules or little cards that have less meaning for a display than a normal figure. All I can say is that I expect to retire from collecting mainline or even entirely before 2030. Until then, let's see what pops up and wins me over for future reviews!
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