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

 

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   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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...