Big Bad Workshop and Fresh Monkey Fiction's Operation: Monster Force line has made my Top Ten Toylines list for the past 2 years. With an incredibly cool and lovable minigun wielding sasquatch joining the Operation: Monster Force lineup this early in 2026, it sounds like BBW & FMF are already firing shots to get a place in my top ten list for 2026. Today I'm checking out Chatsworth, the newest member of the good guys in the Operation: Monster Force team. Chatsworth is listed as a release from part 2 of Operation: Monster Force Season 3: "Red Moon Requiem" but considering the Season 3: Part 1 figures haven't shipped yet, that doesn't mean much. I mean, even if you had no story context and didn't know that Chatsworth is one of the last members of the Venerable Tribe of the Mountain Folk from the Rocky Mountains, a kind-hearted sasquatch who loves 1980s television, having a good time, and doughnuts, and whose strength is tapped by the Monster Force team so he can serve as a heavy gunner, would you really care? Wouldn't a cryptid wielding a heavy weapon and a Rambo inspired headband be enough on it's own? Let's check out this mysterious legend from the wilderness after the break...
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Saturday, February 28, 2026
Action Figure Review: Chatsworth from Operation: Monster Force by Big Bad Workshop and Fresh Monkey Fiction
Big Bad Workshop and Fresh Monkey Fiction's Operation: Monster Force line has made my Top Ten Toylines list for the past 2 years. With an incredibly cool and lovable minigun wielding sasquatch joining the Operation: Monster Force lineup this early in 2026, it sounds like BBW & FMF are already firing shots to get a place in my top ten list for 2026. Today I'm checking out Chatsworth, the newest member of the good guys in the Operation: Monster Force team. Chatsworth is listed as a release from part 2 of Operation: Monster Force Season 3: "Red Moon Requiem" but considering the Season 3: Part 1 figures haven't shipped yet, that doesn't mean much. I mean, even if you had no story context and didn't know that Chatsworth is one of the last members of the Venerable Tribe of the Mountain Folk from the Rocky Mountains, a kind-hearted sasquatch who loves 1980s television, having a good time, and doughnuts, and whose strength is tapped by the Monster Force team so he can serve as a heavy gunner, would you really care? Wouldn't a cryptid wielding a heavy weapon and a Rambo inspired headband be enough on it's own? Let's check out this mysterious legend from the wilderness after the break...
Thursday, February 26, 2026
Statue Review: Angel Devil from Vibration Stars: Chainsaw Man by Bandai Namco/ Banpresto
Wednesday, February 25, 2026
Action Figure Review: Bradley "Big Lob" Sanders from G.I. Joe: Classified Series by Hasbro
Tuesday, February 24, 2026
Wrapping Up 2025: Chainsaw Main [Chainsaw Man-The Movie: Reze Arc] from S.H. Figuarts: Chainsaw Man by Bandai Namco/ Tamashi Nations
Last year I didn't just get into One Piece; I also took an interest in Chainsaw Man, too. Like I've said a few times before: Apparently, getting into anime is my midlife crisis. I grabbed a few of the manga volumes out of curiosity and really like them. I liked them enough that I read past the Reze Arc in the manga and then picked up some of the figures here and there, too. I've watched all of the Chainsaw Man anime available currently and I'm waiting for the movie to hit physical media or streaming at some point before I watch it (I still cannot bring myself to purchase a "digital" film). Apparently the movie did quite well, so I'm optimistic we will see a physical release sometime soon. If you're not familiar with Chainsaw Man and the main character, Denji, the titular Chainsaw Man, keep reading. I'll try to throw the main points into the review. The manga and anime are both quite good and kind of remind me of something like Hellboy and the other BPRD books. Ready to check out the newest S.H. Figuarts figure of Chainsaw Man? You already know this one made my 2025 "Best of the Rest" list, so that means this one is pretty good. Join me after the break...
Monday, February 23, 2026
Missing in Action: Toylines That Didn't Make the Cut in 2025
Action Force by Valaverse- Demoted!
I like Action Force quite a bit (one of the figures made my "Best of the Rest" list) but 2026 was a bit of a dull year for the line. There were figures I liked, sure, along with excellent accessory packs and a lower price point, but I think a decrease in unique characters definitely curbed my interest a bit. Don't get me wrong, I still really liked "Day of the Dead" Sidewinder and "Night Ops" Senshi, but I wanted to see more figures like those and fewer generic troop builders. Maybe those troops are what butter Valaverse's bread, but I like the unique characters best. It's also possible the line had a slower year due to tariffs and Valaverse was waiting to see what would happen before rolling out more product.
Well, those are the three lines that went "Missing in Action" on my 2025 best of list. Did any of your favorite toy lines fall out of favor with you in 2025? Did any end, go missing, or just get no new releases? Let me know in the comments below.
2026 has just started but, looking at last year's list, there are a few lines I'm worried about not making my inevitable Best of 2026 list...
DC Multiverse by McFarlane Toys- I think this line could still pull out another year, though with 2026 being the final year of product before Mattel takes over, it's going to be interesting to see how much really interesting stuff McFarlane can get out. I have picked up a few new figures already this year (reviews coming soon), so we'll have to see what happens.
Toony Terrors: Unless NECA gets some more Universal Monsters stuff announced or really gets into some properties I care about, I could see this line dropping off. I just wasn't overly impressed by much I saw at NECA's 2026 Toy Fair booth.
Universal Monsters/ Classic Horror Collection: This has been one of my favorites and I'm afraid that NECA is going to let it fade away. The Imperial inspired Classic Movie Monsters set is coming soon but at Toy Fair the only thing NECA showed that I can recall was the black & white Masque of the Red Death Phantom. I want NECA to go deeper into both Universal and Hammer's classic horror films but I just don't think that's going to be the case. Maybe there's just not the interest from consumers?
Friday, February 20, 2026
Wrapping Up 2025: Roboto from Masterverse: Masters of the Universe: New Eternia by Mattel
Thursday, February 19, 2026
The Best of the Rest: My Top 10 Favorite Individual Toys of 2025
While the list of My Top 10 Toylines of 2025 might be considered as the most prestigious of my annual lists, making it on might be just as impressive if not even more so. What is The Best of the Rest? It's a careful selection of my top 10 favorite individual toys of the previous year that were not part of a larger toyline that ended up on My Top 10 Toylines of 2025 list. While I tend to collect toylines that offer huge rosters of characters that span multiple years, I also love to grab random figures here and there that just appeal to me. The Best of the Rest is my way of acknowledging smaller lines, single releases, or that odd figure that's cool enough for me to grab from a larger toyline I really don't even collect. Who is eligible? Most any toy or collectible released in the past year (2025). Who isn't eligible? Any toy from a line that was features on the list of My Top 10 Favorite Toylines of 2025. Remember that these are always listed alphabetically and not in order of merit. This list is always pretty interesting to me as while you could probably guess most of my favorite toylines by looking at what I tend to review the most, these tend to be a bit more offbeat and sometimes not even figures I had the chance to review. Many of the figures I picked this year were from properties with limited characters released, import figures I ordered out of curiosity, or a particularly impressive figure from a toyline line that just didn't make the cut this year. This one is a tricky one to select as I started with a massive list and whittled my way down. Ready too check out the Best of the Rest for 2025? Then join me after the break...
Thursday, February 12, 2026
How Do You Feel About Assigning a Rating/ Grade to Action Figures? Necessary, Meaningless, Arbitrary? Let me know!
I do have a few scattered thoughts about this after the break that might add some context to my question and give you a bit of insight into my process, but it's mostly just me prattling on. Read it if you'd like...
Wednesday, February 11, 2026
Wrapping Up 2025: Max Shreck (Batman Returns) from DC Multiverse by McFarlane Toys
For many Batman fans, having action figures based on the two Tim Burton films (Batman and Batman Returns) has been kind of a dream. We've seen companies do one or two figures here or there but McFarlane has been making their way backwards through the live action Batman films and finally put out a full series of releases from 1992's Batman Returns, AKA the strangest Batman film ever released but also one of the best. I think we all assumed we'd get figures of Batman, Catwoman, and the Penguin (AKA the Bat, the Cat, and the Penguin) but did anyone think we'd get an action figure of Max Shreck, a unique creation for the film, played by the often imitated but never duplicated Christopher Walken. Woah. Woah! (This review is better if you imagine it being read in Christopher Walken's voice.)
Who expected that, right? He's a ball of fire and a stand out guy in a movie full of actors portraying characters that are larger than life and seemingly divorced from reality. I love it. This isn't the first Christopher Walken action figure I've reviewed but it definitely has the best likeness of any of the figures based on the actor. Named after the actor Max Schreck who played Count Orlok in Nosferatu, Gotham's Shreck is just a poor schmoe who got lucky. And sue him if he wants to give some back. Actually, he's a wealthy, ruthless businessman who plans to steal Gotham's power and earn himself a massive profit. He also murders/ attempts to murder Selina Kyle, which is his biggest crime in my book. He was talking to my girl all wrong. It was the wrong tone. Even as a second grader, I wanted to stab him in the face with a soldering iron. Catwoman takes care of him, though.
Monday, February 9, 2026
My Top 10 Toylines of 2025
Saturday, February 7, 2026
Wrapping Up 2025: Feral from Marvel Legends Series by Hasbro
It's February 2026 and I'm winding down my "Wrapping Up 2025" reviews. I haven't been on YouTube in a bit but on Monday evening, 8pm EST I plan to do a live even of my first set of awards for the best of 2025: My Top Ten Toylines. Join me on Action Figure Barbecue on YouTube then!
Friday, February 6, 2026
Wrapping Up 2025: Ninjor from Masterverse/ Masters of the Universe: New Eternia by Mattel
My local Walmarts and Target seemed to be filled with the vintage collection Masterverse figures and the various He-Man and Skeletor variants, so I didn't acquire most of the Masterverse figures I wanted last year until near the end of 2025. Ninjor was one of my must haves and I'm glad that I finally tracked him down. Who doesn't love Ninjor, the most uniquely and creatively named ninja in the universe? While overall I do still prefer the style and design of Masters of the Universe Classics, this MOTU: New Eternia Ninjor definitely feels like a figure that rivals the MOTUC version. Ninjor has had some real time to shine lately due to appearing in the Turtles of Grayskull comic series and he ended up with both a Masterverse and a Turtles of Grayskull action figure last year. In New Eternia, he's referred to as a demon king from the dimension of Noir who is searching for the Power of Grayskull for his own evil purposes. Let's take a look at the Masterverse Ninjor after the break...
Thursday, February 5, 2026
Wrapping Up 2025: Wolverine (WWII Logan) from Marvel Legends Series by Hasbro
Wednesday, February 4, 2026
Action Figure Review: Keldor from Masterverse/ Masters of the Universe: New Eternia by Mattel
Now that I've checked out Despara and Dragstor it's time to look at the third new Masterverse figure for the beginning of 2026: Keldor. The Masters of the Universe: New Eternia Keldor, to be exact. I'm going to take a guess that I probably own more Skeletor toys and action figures than any other character (probably even more than He-Man, Batgirl, and Batman) and I've largely been passing up many of the newer releases that don't really offer up anything terribly new. This new version of Keldor, though? Well, I'm a sucker for Keldor, especially when he has a burned face. Finally tying Keldor to Skeletor was one of the most significant story additions by the MYP animated series for the 200x era and it's one that has largely been retained (or at least referenced) by every new MOTU project since. This Masterverse figure definitely retains the general look of Keldor (a blue skinned Gar with fabulous hair) but dresses him up in an outfit that's quite different from the traditional Skeletor outfit. He really reminds me of some of the early MOTU concept art sketches for various wizard inspired villains, which is definitely part of the New Eternia/ New Etheria blending of old and new that makes it so appealing. Ready to check out Keldor? Then get your vial of acid ready (or maybe just a big, round shield) and join me after the break...
Tuesday, February 3, 2026
Wrapping Up 2025: Seymour "Sci-Fi" Fine from G.I. Joe: Classified Series by Hasbro
Sunday, February 1, 2026
Action Figure Review: Dragstor from Masterverse: Masters of the Universe: New Etheria from Mattel
While I'm still finishing off some 2025 reviews here and there (and I'm getting ready for my annual "Best of" lists for the previous year), it's the beginning of February and I'm ready to check out some new stuff. Sometime in January I made a trip to a collectible shop that I absolutely love, Needless Toys and Collectibles in Lincolnton, NC, and grabbed the three newest Masterverse figures and a handful of older Masterverse figures that I missed in 2025. Despara was one of those three new figures and today I'm looking at another one: Dragstor! I haven't reviewed many Dragstor figures on here, partially because Dragstor isn't all that popular and there haven't been many toys of the character made. I did review the Masters of the Universe Classics Dragstor back when he was released and he was, I believe, the last non-variant character released to complete the vintage MOTU and Princess of Power rosters. This Masterverse Dragstor isn't a significant hallmark in any way though he is a darn cool figure. Probably my favorite of the latest series of releases. Sadly, it sounds like Masterverse is coming to an end by the end of this year as Mattel shifts their focus to Masters of the Universe Chronicles. Will that make the 2026 Masterverse releases more difficult to find? Will there be a Phantom Series/ Wave? Who knows? For now, let's enjoy Dragstor. Ready, set, go...

















