Wrapping Up 2025: Halloween Boy from Operation: Monster Force by Big Bad Workshop and Fresh Monkey Fiction

 

   As I'm wrapping up 2025 expect a few more figures from Big Bad Workshop and Fresh Monkey Fiction's Operation: Monster Force series. Today I'm checking out Halloween Boy, another figure I preordered from this series, though one I'm not familiar with. You might say "Well, sure, Operation: Monster Force" is a new series, but Halloween Boy is actually a character from another comic book series, the self titles Halloween Boy by Dave Baker. I've never read Halloween Boy but the concept intrigues me. The first five issues of the series are being collected and will be released in May and I've already got a preorder in. According to the sales blurb, "Working as an archaeologist-for-hire, magical ghost hunter, and super-scientist explorer, Halloween Boy has a simple mission: help those who cannot help themselves. From routine artifact rescues gone wrong to helping the surviving members of an ancient religion enact a cosmic funeral dirge, Halloween Boy finds himself operating as the patron saint of the impossible. And yet, just how long can he win in this never-ending battle before things spiral out of control? When will the dark secrets of the Demon Who Lives finally rear their ugly heads?"

   I dig it! I like how Operation: Monster Force pulls in characters from film, literature, and other toylines to create something unique and interesting. This guy was just so fascinating that I had to grab him. How'd he turn out? Let's check him out after the break...

Wrapping Up 2025: Tony Tony Chopper (Future Island Egghead) from S.H. Figuarts: One Piece by Bandai/ Tamashi Nations

 

    One property I got into collecting in 2025 that was new to me was One Piece. My wife has been a One Piece fan for a few years now but I really only got into the show in 2025. I am not far in it (I'm only in the Water 7 arc) but I do know quite a bit about future arcs and have seen many of them do to catching it when my wife has it on. We just started getting Crunchyroll and I was hoping to watch the newer stuff with her but she has decided to go back and watch through the Crunchyroll version of the series from the beginning. She's probably watched 3/4ths of what I have watched in about 2 to 3 weeks. It's insane! I don't know much about the Future Island/ Egghead arc but I do love the look of the Straw Hats and other characters from the show in the SSG/ Special Science Group outfits. I've picked up a number of the Bandai/ Namco statues/ prize figures from the Future Island/ Egghead arc but this version of Tony Tony Chopper is a fully articulated action figure from the Bandai/ Tamashi Nations line. Well, as fully articulated as such a small figure can be, which is really quite a bit for his size and proportions. This is without a doubt the best action figure of a blue nosed reindeer doctor wearing an advanced uniform with rocket boots in my collection! Ready to check out the Future Island Egghead version of Tony Tony Chopper? Then join me after the break...

Wrapping Up 2025: Emma Frost from Marvel Legends Series: X-Men '97 by Hasbro

 

   As I've mentioned in previous reviews, I really do like Hasbro's X-Men '97 line of Marvel Legends. The figures are quite good and I'm a big fan of the style as it does capture the look of the animated series while still allowing the figures to blend in quite nicely with their comic counterparts unlike, say, the Spider-Verse figures. Hasbro has done a nice job of selecting characters who are major players in X-Men '97, sure, but they've also managed to select characters who are just welcome additions to a Marvel Legends X-Men collection. Take Emma Frost here, for example: The last Emma Frost figure was released in 2023 and was based on her Astonishing X-Men look and the one before that was the Hellfire Club version (so this one) but was an SDCC exclusive. While Emma Frost wasn't a major character in the first season of X-Men '97, she sure warranted an updated figure as she's a classic X-Men antagonist turned protagonist. Ready to check out a new version of Emma Frost, the White Queen? Then join me after the break...

Wrapping Up 2025: Cobra-La Pythona from G.I. Joe: Classified Series by Hasbro

 

   Wait... so does everyone love Cobra-La now? It sure seems that way. Back in the late 1990s and throughout the 2000s (maybe even well into the 2010s) it seemed like everyone hated Cobra-La. Now? Cobra-La seems to be very popular. What happened? Maybe the Joe fans on the younger end of the fandom have finally began showing up in great enough numbers? It's kind of like how everyone hated the Star Wars prequels until the 2010s and how the 200x Masters of the Universe was apparently hated by Mattel and fans seemed to cheer that, though now everyone is making 200x era MOTU product. We're all down with Cobra-La now. OK, got it. Maybe their inclusion in the Energon Universe comics has helped? That being said, Cobra-La does have some incredibly cool designs and it's nice to have Pythona in the Classified Series. Pythona (or "Cobra-La Pythona" as she is officially named) was sold on Hasbro Pulse and at a couple of fall conventions, probably since there was no Pulse-Con this year. To be honest, she didn't seem to be that difficult to acquire, so I think most folks that wanted her picked her up fairly easily. Pythona has played a role in the new Energon Universe comics from Skybound and had some of the best action scenes in the 1987 animated movie. A snake-woman assassin? OK, throw her into a line with an organization called Cobra who has a crocodile man and an accountant who identifies as a bird of prey. Why not? Let's check her out after the break...

Wrapping Up 2025: Morph from Marvel Legends Series: X-Men '97 by Hasbro

 

   As I'm wrapping up reviewing the huge number of action figures I picked up during the last quarter of 2025 it's time to check out some more X-Men '97 releases. I'm not going to be reviewing all of them as there were quite a few but I'm trying to cover the ones that standout a bit more and Morph definitely stands out a bit as the character was largely created for the original X-Men animated series and has been revised quite heavily for X-Men '97. Morph was based on the character Changeling and was brought into the show specifically to have a character to kill off. People liked Morph though and Morph appeared later in the series, back from the dead and with a lot of trauma from the experience. While Morph was male in the original series, in X-Men '97 Morph is non-binary and uses they/them pronouns. Morph also seems far more powerful than before, not only transforming into multiple characters (including Mr. Fantastic, Psylocke, the Incredible Hulk, Magik, Quicksilver, and Juggernaut) but also gaining some of their powers. Morph is definitely more than just a shape-shifter as they take multiple energgy bursts when disguised as Colossus. Ready to take a look at this new interpretation of Morph? Then join me after the break...

Wrapping Up 2025: Red Sonja from Red Sonja by Boss Fight Studios

 

   Happy New Year! 2026 is here and while the calendar has already made a fresh start, it's unlikely that you'll see too much new in the toy aisles for a bit. January is usually a fairly dead time for new releases as most companies try to ship out their product well in advance of the Christmas and holiday gift buying season. Because so much new stuff makes its way out during the last quarter of the year and because I scored so many new action figures for Christmas, I usually spend January playing catch up. To start, let's check out Red Sonja, the She-Devil with a Sword! Boss Fight Studios has been announcing quite a few Red Sonja figures in various styles and scales but this one is part of their Epic H.A.C.K.S. (Highly Articulated Character Kit System) range, so it's a 1/12 scale figure with lots of swappable parts. Loosely inspired by the Robert E. Howard character Red Sonya of Rogatino, this Red Sonja was created by Roy Thomas and Barry Windsor-Smith. She was part of the Marvel Universe for quite some time though for a the past twenty five years or so she's been owned by Dynamite Entertainment and is still one of their major stars. Whether you're a Marvel Legends collector, a Dynamite comics fan, a Conan the Barbarian enthusiast, or just someone with a passion for swords & sorcery warrior women, this figure is probably on your radar. Ready to see if this take on Red Sonja is worthy of your shelf? Then join me after the break...

Action Figure Review: Metaluna Mutant from Universal Monsters/ Classic Monsters by NECA

 

   2025 is almost over and while I will still be reviewing 2025 figures during January of 2026, I thought I'd wrap the year of with one last Universal Monsters release from NECA: The Metaluna Mutant from the 1955 film This Island Earth. This Island Earth, while the subject of a good riffing during Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie, is actually a pretty good film. It has quite a few twists and turns, the production values and special effects are very impressive for the time, and the movie just holds up quite well overall. It's a nice change from the standard alien invasion films of the era, though it can be a bit dull in spots. Interestingly, the Metaluna Mutant is what most people know of or remember from the film, and yet he only shows up briefly at the end. He's long been a favorite for the more robust Universal Monsters toylines since he mixes things up a bit by nicely adding some color to the crew and is just a recognizable pop culture alien.  NECA's version is a very well made figure with a completely unique sculpt who stands out in the Universal Monsters/ Classic Monsters toyline. Ready to check out the Metaluna Mutant? Then join me after the break...