Favorite action figures from each major toyline I collect

And just like that, I've hit my 400th post on this blog! I keep saying this every time a one hundred mark gets hit and I'll say it again here but I find it insane that I've already written and published so much here. The tagline of my blog may include movies and books but at this point its pretty much just a toy blog, and to fully embrace that my 400th post will be looking into most of the major toylines I collect and my favorite figures from each of them! Now keep in mind, I won't be including every toyline that I've ever talked about on the blog, or even the toyline I have that I haven't discussed, but just a few of the major ones important to me and my personal collecting history so this list won't be super long. So to celebrate 400 posts, here are some of my favorite action figures ever.


Related posts:
300th post - Top 5 most wanted Superman villains in the CW Arrowverse
200th post - Top 10 most wanted Star Wars The Black Series figures vol 2
100th post - Most Wanted Toylines



Marvel Legends - Yellowjacket

I'm not the most avid Marvel Legends collector in that I really only buy movie figures based on the MCU (and possibly the upcoming Fox XMen figures). Out of that group of characters there was a lot of good choices to choose from but personally myself I think I have to go with the Yellowjacket figure released from Ant-man. He wasn't as great of a villain as he could have been, but that doesn't stop the figure from being really good and looking really nice on the shelf. I love the design of this character and the yellow colorization is one you don't see a lot in the MCU; not to mention the multiple arms coming off his back that offer just so many more posing considerations on top of the rad looking helmet. Yellowjacket just has that design as an action figure that captures me and I'm glad Hasbro came back around to making him.
(Image Source)


DC Multiverse - Nightwing

This is a line that hasn't been going very long so I don't have a whole lot to choose from. Mcfarlane's offerings so far have been flawed at points but overall really good and I'm so excited to see what they do in the future, and hopefully the line has a long life span like Marvel Legends!The Devastator may take this spot when it hits, but right now the Nightwing figure from wave 1 is pure goodness. I absolutely love the articulation on the figure and the head sculpt is undeniably the best Nightwing head sculpt we have ever gotten. The figure features a great amount of sculpt work including the symbol on his chest which is many times just painted on on past figures, and this figure I feel represents the best of what this line can be.
(Image Source)


NECA Gremlins - Flasher

Technically I haven't received this figure, but I already know it is going to be my favorite of the Neca Gremlins released so far. It uses the same body we have been getting for a while now and that body itself is just incredible; I love the articulation and the design work that just translates beautifully as Neca has conditioned us to expect. The articulated ears and mouths are something their older Gremlin figures sorely lack now that I've been exposed to it, and the lot of accessories coming with the Flasher Gremlin are top notch and I cannot wait for all of the new posing possibilities! Pieces to make the puppet Gremlin, random poker Gremlins, the cigarette Gremlin, and of course the awesome looking cloth coat to make the Flash himself! The only thing that would have solidified it as my favorite Gremlin figure of all time is if it had included the dancer's outfit from that failed lootlauncher Neca did, as this figure comes with everything else from it.
(Image Source)


Pacific Rim - Mutavore

This was one of the major toylines that really pulled me into collecting, and I'm so sad that the line ended before getting all of the major Kaiju from the first film! Neca's offerings for the movie were astounding, and while some like Tacit Ronin suffered from major QC issues, the real stars for me were the Kaiju and none stick out more than Mutavore. While Many probably prefer Otachi, who is my personal favorite Kaiju from the movie, Mutavore is an absolutely stunning figure with its mass and incredible detail work. The head sculpt on the creature is unique from anything else on any of my shelves, and I just love the presence of the figure.
(Image Source)


Pokemon Mega Construx - Venusaur

I wasn't expecting Mega Construx' line of buildable Pokemon to become my main line for collecting Pokemon figures but here we are! I really like the look of all of these buildable sets and their continuing growing roster is always exciting to see with how they handle different Pokemon designs! One that definitely stands out to me on the shelf though and I had a lot of fun building was the Venusaur set! The build came out to a very nice chunk of plastic that stands as one of the biggest sets they have done so far. The different components of the build are nice as well and the detailing with the huge plume of flowers on its back make it a stand out figure in the display as well.
(Image Source)


Lightning Collection - Goldar

I love pretty much all of the figures in the Lightning Collection, especially the rangers, but it is hard to compete with the detailed, unique, monstrous designs of the villains that they've put out so far! Namely Goldar. I was so surprised to see that this figure was an exclusive with how much original tooling went into it that didn't have obvious reuse, but I'm so glad they did this character early on into the line because he is one of my favorite legacy characters and the figure came out magnificent. The heft is well felt, and the detailing all over is just superb from the designs of the armor to the feathers on his wings and the wicked snarl of his snout. Goldar is the reason I want more monsters in the line!
(Image Source)


Studio Series - Shockwave

For a long time, Blackout reigned as my favorite Studio Series figure as well as the first one I had ever picked up, but I think it has been dethroned now by the recent Shockwave leader class figure. This figure is completely astounding and the comparison between this version and the original Dark of the Moon toyline offering is night and day in terms of quality. Shockwave looks like he stepped straight out of the movie screen and onto our shelves, possibly coming across as the most accurate figure in the line and the detailing is marvelous on this figure. There is so much mechanical detailing going on and designs points such as the thrusters on his back and the wicked looking feet (which are graciously articulated) look great. What truly sets this figure apart from the others though is the incredible paint job. The purple is applied in a dark wash with a look designed to appear like it has been chipping off after years of war; it gives a figure a really war torn and older appearance with such a premium look.
(Image Source)


Star Wars - Mace Mindu

Now this was a hard one for me. I love the Black Series line from Hasbro and so many figures from it stand out to me as plain incredible. I struggled with several different characters ranging from sculpt uniqueness, character preference, the overall posing capabilities, and in the end I've decided that my favorite figure in the line so far has got to be (tentatively) the Mace Windu figure released last year. Jedi are my favorite part of Star Wars and this figure perfectly captures this Jedi master and the agility of the Jedi as a whole. I love the design and the look of this figure, as well as being one of my favorite characters from the franchise! The purple lightsaber is completely unique, the headsculpt is spot on, and he is one of the very few Jedi to actually include a Jedi robe which is a luxury. The body mold is already being used to bring other Jedi to the line like Plo Koon, proving the superiority of the mold, and I'm glad such an important character got such an expertly crafted figure to represent him.
(Image Source)