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

 

   Ready for another Chainsaw Man review? I hope so because today we're checking out the Vibration Stars figure/ statue of the Angel Devil from Bandai Namco/ Banpresto. Let's chase a rabbit for a minute, though; By now I'm sure that you're familiar with RossCon. Yes, the discount clothing retailer Ross has been getting a crazy amount of action figures and collectibles over the past year or so including stuff that's really, really new. Sure, there are multiple items that are clearly overstock and closeout items, but lately I've been finding Bandai Namco figures from One Piece and Chainsaw Man that don't even seem to have been released at most specialty stores and importers yet. What is going on? Last weekend I was at a nearby Ross and found some One Piece figures with manufacturing dates of 10/2025 and 12/2025. Crazy! I found this guy on a shelf at Ross back during the first week of January and he's definitely a new release that I don't believe truly made it to the US until this year. In Chainsaw Man, Division 4 of the Public Safety Devil Hunters utilizes some of the devils and fiends that are more friendly to humans to aid in their work. Enter the Angel Devil. He has some characteristics of a devil, sure, but he also has some angel-like characteristics. He can syphon off the lifespan of humans who come into contact with him, causing them to lose time off of their lives with minimal contact or even causing them to die painlessly with long enough contact. He first appears in chapter 36 of the manga and in episode 11 of the animated series, where he helps Division 4 assault a terrorist stronghold. Ready to check out the Angel Devil? Then join me after the break...


Wednesday, February 25, 2026

Action Figure Review: Bradley "Big Lob" Sanders from G.I. Joe: Classified Series by Hasbro

 

   Hasbro is starting off 2026 with some slam dunks in the G.I. Joe: Classified Series line. Don't believe me? Then check out the first of the newest series of figures out there: Big Lob! Big Lob didn't appear in the vintage toyline; he's another character from the 1987 G.I. Joe animated movie that never got a vintage action figure from Hasbro. A grenade throwing basketball? Add him to the roster of other sports themed Joes like Bazooka, The Fridge, Hardball, Captain Gridiron, Red Dog, and Backstop. No, not all of those guys are in the Classified Series yet (only Bazooka, so far) but don't worry; they'll get there. Big Lob never had a vintage figure but the G.I. Joe Collector's Club released an o-ring version in 2010 as the annual membership figure and a generation 3 version in 2017 as the annual exclusive. Those were made by the G.I.J.C.C. though, so technically this is the first time Hasbro is tackling Bradley "Big Lob" Sanders. Why Bradley Sanders? He was given the same file name as his voice actor, Brad Sanders. Cool detail! Big Lob has been showing up at Walmart in a hanging display box (with Lifeline, Hit & Run, the Mole Rat [Stage 2], and the Night Viper) and on Hasbro Pulse, but he should be everywhere soon. Ready to see if Big Lob shoots and scores? Then join me after the break...




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

 

   Since 2015 I've followed up my Top 10 Toylines of the Year list with Missing in Action (no relation to the Chuck Norris film), a look at what lines made the list in the prior year's best of list but fell off for this year. This list is somewhat of a reflective piece as I'm looking back at the Top 10 Toylines list from the year before and giving my reasoning for why some of the lines from that year failed to return for the current year's list.  2025's top 10 list had seven lines returning from 2024's list, which is a fairly high number, so this year's Missing in Action list is shorter. I always think it's kind of fun to look back up at the lines that failed to show up again in order to diagnose why they went missing. Sometimes I'm also just complaining and griping a bit, which might be part of the reason this list is so much fun. There's a bit of saltiness here, though not always. Over the years I've compiled a list of reasons why a toyline might make this list:

Missing in Action: This is a toyline that gets cancelled, ends, or just didn't have any releases during the year. It happens,  unfortunately, and often to some of my favorites it seems, though not as much as in the past. There do seem to be more longer running toy lines today than, say, a decade ago. About half of my Top Ten list this year had been on my list for more than 4 or 5 years. 

Demoted: Sometimes a toyline just gets outdone by others. This isn't specifically related to the quality of the demoted line and is instead more reflective of the quality of the lines that supplanted it or of my interests shifting to other things. You can be demoted simply because of me getting fascinated by something else.

Sunk: This is when a toyline has a severe drop in quality, becomes stale, or suffers an exorbitant price hike that causes it to fall off my radar. While most toylines get better as they go, some do indeed get worse and worse due to cost cutting, mismanagement, and quality control issues. Sometimes the price just outpaces the value, making a once impressive toyline now seem like a shell of its former self. With the crazy price hikes of the past year, I'm sure many lines have "sunk" off of the radar for some collectors.

Ready to gear up and see who went Missing in Action in 2025? Then join me after the break...




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.

Figura Obscura by Four Horsemen Studios- Demoted!

   Figura Obscura is a line that really fluctuates from year to year as it draws characters from such a wide variety of different cultures, literature, folk tales, mythology, and more. That being said, 2023 and 2024 featured characters from books and stories I really love. 2025's three releases (Ganesha, the Jersey Devil, and the Mouse King from "The Nutcracker" just didn't appeal to me enough to pick up any of them. I'll admit, to, I'm still a bit salty that we didn't get another character from A Christmas Carol. Hopefully 2026 is more to my tastes. They're still nice figures, I just wasn't terribly excited by the character choices and the Jersey Devil looked a bit underwhelming. 



Turtles of Grayskull by Mattel- Demoted/ Missing in Action
   Turtles of Grayskull, Mattel's collaboration with MOTU and TMNT, ended in 2025. It was overall a fairly strong line though it did drag a bit at the end with fewer interesting releases, lots of redos, and some figures at the end that were just a pain to find. Mattel went on to a MOTU and ThunderCats mashup and a MOTU and Transformers mashup, but this year they seem focused just on the upcoming movie 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. 

Masterverse by Mattel- Mattel's official word at Toy Fair was that Masterverse is "On Pause." It's never a good thing to be On Pause in the toy industry; that's just time to lose shelf space and consumer interest. 2026 is all about the upcoming movie lines (with some figures already being found in stores or sent from Mattel customer service). I don't think any Masterverse product has been revealed yet for this year other than the straight up vintage styled Walmart exclusives, so this line very well may be Missing in Action for 2026.

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

 

   Roboto is another 2025 Masterverse release who I didn't get my hands on until the end of the year but he's so incredibly cool that I just have to check him out. Roboto is going to appear in the Masters of the Universe movie later this year, voiced by Kristen Wiig, which is definitely a different take, but maybe it will work? The images of Roboto from the trailer look a bit more like the 200x / MYP era Roboto but this Masterverse Roboto is based on both the vintage toy and some of the early concept art for the character, particularly a Ted Mayer concept for a character called Transparent Man (you can find it at the Battle Ram Blog). Mattel has previously released a Masterverse Roboto but he was based on the character's appearance in MOTU: Revelation. This one still feels very classic but has some cool features that also make him feel quite fresh. Ready to check out the New Eternia version of the Heroic Mechanical Warrior? Then join me after the break...



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...

(Note: I do these by individual releases, so a two-pack or a figure with a vehicle, animal companion, etc., would count as a single entry.)

Thursday, February 12, 2026

How Do You Feel About Assigning a Rating/ Grade to Action Figures? Necessary, Meaningless, Arbitrary? Let me know!

 
Image by freepik



   Lately I've been thinking about how I assign ratings at the end of my reviews. I've gone back and forth over the years, initially using the scale that was created for The Epic Review when I started writing my action figure reviews over there. Eventually I modified that scale for toys and action figures and began using the descriptions you see at the link above. Over the years I began implementing a behind the scenes (invisible dice rolls!) scoring system that factored in different weights for the Positives, the Negatives, and other factors. Then I began factoring price into my reviews as well. I don't dislike the review scale and method I've come up with but I do think that it might be a little long in the tooth at this point. Lately I've been thinking about changing it up a bit by just allowing my summary and thoughts to serve as the conclusion rather than worry about including a rating or grade. What do you think?  Do you care at all that there is a final grade or verdict summed up in one word? Is it really meaningful in any way? If you're reading this then you're likely a regular reader and I'd love to hear your thoughts.

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

 

"I'm Walken here!"

   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. 
   This figure is a Red Platinum, which means he's supposed to be a bit harder to find, but he seems to readily be available online. That's good for folks that want him. Mine was a Christmas gift. Like all of the "Deluxe Theatrical Release" DC Multiverse figures he's quite a bit overpriced. Mine also has a weird QC issue which I'll get to in a minute. So...do you have a fever and the only cure is an action figure of Max Shreck? Then join me after the break...



Monday, February 9, 2026

My Top 10 Toylines of 2025


 

I was originally going to announce these live on my YouTube channel but I've not been having great luck with a solid feed so I'm just going ahead and posting the traditional list first. I'll delay a livestream now and save it for a later event. 
   

   Every year when February rolls around I know it's time to put together my annual Best Of lists for the previous year. I know most collectors put theirs out in December but November and December are so packed with releases that I find it's tough to really give all of those new items that are still 2025 releases a fair shake, so I like to wait until February to give me some time to think. I also try to really go through my list and make sure that the releases I'm basing my picks on really did get released domestically in North America during the appropriate year. I did see more than Best Of list on YouTube tin the last two months that had releases from the end of 2024 and items that were pre-release items or early samples for 2026 but that hadn't truly been released yet, which seems kind of unfair. I have three lists that I do every year and you'll see one a week for the next three weeks or so. I'm starting off with my top honors, though: My Top 10 Toylines of 2024.
    
   I saw it every year but it's still true: Creating my "Top 10" lists is always one of my favorite things to do at Action Figure Barbecue and I always spend quite a bit of time pouring over my notes and reviews from the previous year to determine which toylines were my favorites to collect. This is the fourteenth year I've created a list (the first couple years were posted at The Epic Review) and it's always interesting too see how my lists change from year to year, often reflecting my changing interests and collecting trends. 2024's list feels very standard in that it didn't have too many shifts from 2024 but just enough to keep things interesting. 

   If anything dominated action figure collecting in 2025 it was increased costs and the influence of tariffs. Prices went up, sometimes ridiculously so, and importing stuff was was more expensive than ever. It really sucks to be a fan of import lines right now! Between tariffs and even the mainstream toy industry now publicly acknowledging that adult collectors are now the largest demographic of toy buyers, prices just kept going up and I'm not sure that trend will slow down anytime soon. 

   While mainstream companies like Hasbro, Mattel, McFarlane Toys, NECA, Jada, and Jazwares kept a wide selection of collectible toys and action figure lines at major retailers, we're still seeing that traditional retail just isn't necessary anymore, particularly for smaller companies: Great e-tailers, companies having their own webstores and distributing their wares through smaller stores, the growing industry of smaller conventions, and Kickstarter funded projects are the home of so many impressive toylines that do not depend on the whims of the retail giants. More import lines are getting easier to acquire, too. 

   One of the biggest stories for action figure collecting in 2025 was RossCon, the odd phenomenon where Ross discount stores (and later Burlington) were getting incredibly new, sometimes not even fully released, action figures, toys, and other collectibles at wildly discounted prices. It's somewhat of a mystery and definitely makes up for the fact that Ollie's still seems to be stuck with a glut of overproduced toys from 2021-2022.

       A number of years back I divided my Top 10 list into two separate categories: My Top 10 Toylines and My Top 10 Individual Releases. I always start with My Top 10 Toylines as it's my standard best of list. These are the 10 toylines (action figures, statues, minifigures, etc.) of the past year that I had the most fun collecting and enjoyed the most. They may not always be the best or the most expansive lines, but they're my favorites for one reason or another. As I reiterate every year, the two key word for this list are "my" and "favorite." My list isn't necessarily based on a toyline's true merits and I really don't go outside of what interests me. Take this as a snapshot of the ten toylines I had the most fun collecting in 2025. As always, these are listed alphabetically rather than by any order of merit. And now, for 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! 

   I've been collecting X-Men (and all of their subsidiaries like X-Force, X-Factor, etc.) toys on and off since I was in grade school. It's always been fun and the major companies like Toy Biz, Diamond Select Toys, and Hasbro have typically done a pretty swell job of making sure there was a diverse roster of mutants available for purchase. In the past 10 years, however, Hasbro has been on an insane streak of knocking huge chunks out of most Marvel Legends X-Men wish lists. Over the past 3 or 4 years they've been really focusing on finishing some important teams and groups. While I'm still excited to keep collecting (as I have my ever changing wish list like everyone else), the last series of the "minicomic" figures delivered Feral and Rachel Summers, two major missing characters and part of one of my own personal collecting benchmarks: Getting every character depicted on Jim Lee and Scott Williams' 1992 X-Men door poster in action figure form. I've had a smaller version of this on the door of my study for quite a few years and when I finally got a smartphone in 2024 I made it my wallpaper. It's certainly not all encompassing of the X-Men universe or anything, nor does it even have the villains, but it's just such a darn good image. I'm excited to have Feral in my collection to complete the original X-Force lineup. ready to check out Maria Callasantos, the ferocious Feral? Then join me after the break...



Friday, February 6, 2026

Wrapping Up 2025: Ninjor from Masterverse/ Masters of the Universe: New Eternia by Mattel

 

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! 

   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

 

   I'm always a sucker for a good Wolverine figure and I was really excited when Hasbro announced this World War 2 era version of Logan in the Executioner Build-a-Figure series that shipped near the end of 2025. Besides the cool scene in the montage at the beginning of X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Wolverine has also been depicted fighting in World War 2 in an episode of the animated series where he teamed up with Captain America and in a number of comic stories over the years.  I'm not sure the figure is based on any specific depiction and is really an amalgam of different depictions. Really, it's just Logan decked out in a standard World War 2 army infantry outfit and that's enough for me. My grandfather was a veteran of World War 2 and I've always been interested in the history of that era, so mixing those factors with Wolverine was enough for me to scoop this guy up as soon as I found him. He's actually the only figure I grabbed from this series (and he's the one without a Build-a-Figure part).  I was somewhat interested in Phantom Rider, Enchantress, and Werewolf By Night but not at the new $28 dollar price point. Ready to check out Logan ready to stomp some Nazis? Then join me after the break...


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

 

   I only have a few 2025 G.I. Joe: Classified Series releases that I'm still planning to review and there is no way I'm leaving out Sci-Fi. While General Hawk v2 was my first G.I. Joe from the A Real American Hero line, Sci-Fi was my second. I don't think he has too many fans who would count him as their favorite Joe (he's not even on of my favorites) but I'm nostalgic for the guy since he was my second Joe and likely one of my earliest action figures. Sci-Fi was the second laser trooper in the line after Flash (who still isn't in the Classified Series yet, though he's been rumored to come out about every year) but it seems that he was originally intended to be a second version of Flash. There were a few figures in the line that seemed like they could have been designed as updated versions of the Original 13 (Short-Fuze/ Downtown, Grunt/Footloose) but by making most figures new characters in ARAH it seems Hasbro kept the line fresher. Sci-Fi is known for his distinctive bright green jumpsuit which does stand out, something that became important as the line continued on. Back in the 1980s, moms were considered to be the "toy buyers" for their kids and starting to offer more unique looks and visibly different figures was a way to clearly indicate that the kids didn't already have this one. It also does lend to his science fiction aesthetic. While Hasbro has still held fairly close to the vintage design for Sci-Fi in the Classified Series, they've also borrowed liberally from the 30th Anniversary version of the figure who really upgraded the vintage design a good bit and toned down the neon green. Ready to check out Seymour "Sci-Fi" Fine? Then join me after the break...


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...