Toy Galaxy's Top 10 Action Figures of 2021 (So Far) - Part 1 

Honestly I feel like with the exception of Powers of the Primes, the Generations line has been killing it since Thrilling 30 started. But WFC and studio series definitely kicked things up into a whole 'nother level. I can't believe we're in an age where ankle tilt is now standard TF articulation.

Agreed. They still got me enamored with all the WFC Sideswipe and Seeker bots. And the new Studio Series 86 Dinobots make me mad that I got the PotP Dinobots. (And I like those guys)

I know! I hadn’t even considered buying a transformer in about 15 years. And then I noticed a Studio Series figure at Target and grabbed it as a lark. Woah boy! It was amazing! These things are like what I _imagined_ my figures being when I was a kid. Simply amazing. Loving the hell out of SS86 and Kingdom. Cyclonus, Hotrod, Optimus Primal and Kup are all just stupendous in my mind.

@@NexusMind724 if the tilt doesn’t fit, you must not get.

​@@tawdryhepburn4686 I got back into Transformers in mid 2018(partially me, partially my kids) in the midst of Powers of the Prime with the Terrorcons and Dinobots teams. Everything has ballooned since then. Fast-forward to today, and I'm holding that Studio Series 86 Cyclonus and Hot Rod... Perfection.

Same. I have always loved the simplicity of that design, it's so iconic.

@@alandoane9168 Likewise with Firestar.

Spoiler alert. I haven't gotten to that part of the video yet. 😂

The Phantom may return! I liked it a lot, it was possibly the most eye-catching and impressive of the figures in the whole collection for me, and I agree that it was so simple, but I think the final judge is how happy it makes a person feel when they see it, and that one for whatever reason was very attractive to me and made me feel happy and out of all these it would be the one I'll look for first. Then there is the one that was on the left side of the tall blue one in the back that looked cool to me, and another that was next to the green highlighted one also in the back, I like these sort of "modern warfare" kind of futuristic soldier looking guys. I think Zartan is a great figure despite some of the issues, as well as Firefly which also had some issues (since I prefer classic style things a lot, but also have a preference for the cartoon versions). The Zorro one sticking around so long bothered me, I'm not sure if it is good somehow upon closer inspection, but its small size and however it looked on my screen made it seem like an old McDonalds type toy (some of which can be pretty cool but even more troubling when Phantom was removed and Zartan was being threatened with removal while Zorro apparently was not at risk at all haha). I think what I like in figures is that their size is such that they can provide a good degree of detail and artistic quality, that they have some "heft" or weight to to them and that it feels strong and is easy to move and pose and looks good just standing around, but also that their costume elements are good and the sculpt is refined and paint applications, I like things when they look like a poseable high quality statue or really true to some sort of appearance in a cartoon or look "real", and seem impressive to me in the amount of skill involved in making them. I guess when I have things set up I don't like anything to be to jarring on the eyes, even though I might like goofy type designs and colors sometimes for the humor or enjoyment they might provide, but if the colors are too crazy it might just be too much and I notice when I look over at some of my things that a lot of them are more mellow in that respect, but some that I really like, for example this one water squirting Sentinel figure, has some colors which are bold but still not jarring and it looks a lot like depictions of the Sentinel that I enjoyed in the past, like from the Capcom games. I'm enjoying these videos on the second channel quite a bit. I wouldn't have minded discussions or some information about each figure shown. I have the patience and the interest for such things at least, and I enjoy Toy Galaxy for the information and knowledge it provides on things. I don't know what other people might be watching for, but I watch to learn and also to relate and for the humor as well or to discover funny things I didn't know about or reminisce about things I did know about and remember. I especially liked in some of the videos on this second channel the improvised and candid reactions to things which were very relatable, and information about what a person feels and likes which is also relatable. Some of my all time favorite toys are strange, possibly even "Ugly" but somehow give me a lot of pleasure just seeing them, they seem to combine a lot of boldness and strangeness, simplicity, silliness even. Even if a figure is very simple, if it has the right combination of these sorts of things visually, it can make me really happy every time I see it, and it is even better if it has the more tactile aspects of a certain kind of heft and a certain kind of feel to the plastic.

He took out a few that were cooler than most of the ones he kept in. I definitely agree with Zartan. I can get behind the Superman and the motorcycle. I can see someone liking the Mandarin Spawn. So ornate! Silver Surfer, Hot Rod. Okay. They are cool legacy characters. But, why did he ditch the Cobra Viper. And four of the top ten aren't as cool as the 8 ball headed figure. Why are Dan and Robo (from The fwoosh) so in to the plunderlings?

They are amazing figures. Full of personality and life. I honestly think they could be a legit Saturday Morning Cartoon. Or a series on Nickelodeon.

You won’t regret it. Both mainline series are fantastic right now. Studio Series 86 and Kingdom (aka War for Cybertron Kingdom) are just wonderful: HotRod, Cyclonus, Scourge, Optimus Primal, Kup, Black Arachnia, Warpath, RatTrap, and Paleotrex are all must-haves in my book. (Haven’t found Megatron yet, but I’m sure he’ll rank, too). Blurr and Grimlock are both pretty darn good too with Grimlock falling _juuuust_ short of an A-ranking imo. Really, Cheetor and Jazz are tge only 2 that come up short. And even then, most people seem to LOVE Jazz and Cheetor has a great beast mode. Pick some up, you won’t regret it! Especially HotRod, Cyclonus and - if you like unique transformations - Kup.

It could work it's way back in through the year.

Be prepared for MAJOR joint paint rub and barely functional articulation. After a full on hot water bath and liberal application of a hair dryer 50% of the joints on mine are still siezed. And by seized i don't mean stiff or squeaky, i mean completely imobile and unusable. Been contemplating just doing a full dissasemble. Was a big fan of the show and og galoob toy line, loved the live action movie, and was raised on the comics... he deserves way better than neca did him. The qc on flash and ming has been horrendous as well. Every one i've seen in the wild have had major paint or sculpting issues visible in the packaging.

@@ToyGalaxy It better!!! :-)

@@djaxisravenguard Thank you for the warning, has anyone else who has dealt with these new NECA figures of Defenders dealt with any similar issues? I was seriously looking forward to these figures and was hoping that they were functional as well (though it isn't the biggest deal for me if they just stand sort of in their neutral pose like a statue, but for the price I'd probably want them to be functional and like a proper toy with poseability). I haven't purchased these yet, so this sort of issue might be a factor in my deciding against getting them, even though I really like how Phantom looks mainly and would be interested in the other two (Flash and Ming) due to their historic value to me as a reminder and a reference to some retro or classic pulp or serial style science fiction which I really enjoy.

@@aFoxyFox. i don't have a link, but toybro did a review of the initial three in the defenders line and had a fairly in depth break down of what he had to do to get them to fully functional. He basically had to take them apart, shave some plastic, and get them together again. On all three of his figures the legs were barely functional before he got in there and shanked them.

4 times a year!

There's an ongoing preorder for 6 of the designs from the Kickstarter if you still want them. I think they ship this fall: www.bigbadtoystore.com/Search?SearchText=Plunderlings

@@ToyGalaxy yep I definitely ordered a few of those. But still others I wish I had gotten previously. No big deal. Can’t have everything.

Boss Fight Studios

Depending on how you feel about soft goods & 3P accessories, I grabbed a pretty inexpensive wired cape off ebay for Ranger Slayer, really brings that figure pretty close to perfect I think. Still trying to find something similar for Final Evo Drakkon

Pulse exclusive.

Not a fan. Probably grab Clawful, Webstor, Buzz Off when they get to them. But I'm good with Classics.

@@ToyGalaxy yeah... I just don’t get it. Conversely, just nabbed my first ever MOTUC figure last week: Icarius. Yes, I started my MotU journey with a sidekick from New Adventures. But he was MoC!

FOR SURE

Collab between Beasts of the Mesozoic and Toy Pizza. Preorder here: www.knightsoftheslice.com/products/creative-beast-studios-x-toy-pizza-pangea-island-ceratopsian

I will not say no.

Awesome! May I have your PO Box please?

​@@billpagan3070 Toy Galaxy PO Box 3976 Manchester, NH 03105-3976

Thanks Dan! Will get it out soon!😁👍

There's an individual figure and a version with Tornado: boss-fight-studio-the-store.myshopify.com/collections/hero-hacks

@@ToyGalaxy thank u young man. From the sledgemaster

MOTU Minis. Those 4 in particular came together in a 4 figure Slime Pit themed set: www.bigbadtoystore.com/Product/VariationDetails/146515

Eagle Force kickstarter figures. Should be available for Preorder on BBTS.

@@ToyGalaxy Thank you, they look pretty cool, have to check them out.