A Long Overdue 2021 YEAR-END REVIEW!

A Collection of 2021's Most Amazing Female Action Figures All In One Post

My annual exercise in procrastination is upon us. At this point I'm only four years behind in my Year-End-Reviews, but I can't deny that I love taking this look back even moreso because of the buffer of a few years. I have this habit where I always deem my most recent purchase as "my favorite." So if I were posting a 2024 review right now, I don't think I could be objective in my appreciation. But looking back at 2021, the true gems pop out easily. It was a really interesting year. People were getting used to pandemic commerce. Supply lines were improving. And several media properties were being merchandised after months of uncertainty and hesitation. Plus several of my most-wanted figures were produced this year (specifically from Marvel Legends). Also, the 3.75" video game lines were still in full swing, but winding down. (They were basically nonexistent a year later). I also moved house in 2021 and was a little distracted from how great the toy hauls were. Let's take a reminiscent trip back to 2021 below!

A Long Overdue 2020 YEAR-END REVIEW!

A Collection of 2020's Most Amazing Female Action Figures All In One Post

I think 2020 was an interesting year for everyone on the planet. Purely from a collecting perspective, everything was different from the previous year. People were stuck at home, stores were closed, factory production was halted, shipment routes were congested, and mail order became commonplace. Before this, I almost never ordered new toys online if it could be avoided. I much preferred to find things in store and select the best paint jobs. But suddenly the shelves were sparse and production quotas were determined by preorders. That didn't mean it wasn't a landmark year for action figure collectors though. Three of the most popular toylines in the stores today were launched in 2020 (DC Multivese by McFarlane, Masters of the Universe Origins by Mattel, and G.I.Joe Classified by Hasbro). I really like posting these summaries of all the figures I reviewed from a certain production year. And I like the fact that I'm way behind because it provides a great look back. Let's look back to the amazing ladies of 2020!

A Long Overdue 2019 YEAR-END REVIEW!

A Collection of 2019's Most Amazing Female Action Figures All In One Post

Who remembers 2019? It's easy to forget how different things were pre-pandemic. From my hobby perspective there's been quite a shift. I used to love toy hunting. I still do of course, but it's lessened now. I had 4 different commuting routes to my office and on any one of them I would pass multiple Walmarts, Targets, Walgreens, etc. But now I have to make an effort to put on pants and sacrifice my primo parking spot to feel that thrill. I also rarely ever preordered toys. But now I have a spreadsheet to keep track of everything. Comic Cons are still fun, but there aren't toy vendors showing off their products anymore. Instead we have product-reveal-live-streams. This new world isn't bad, just different. Looking back at all my toy purchases from 2019 floods me with memories of hunting and socializing with abandon. It was coincidentally a great year for toys. Movie years always inspire products and in 2019 we had Captain Marvel, Endgame, and Shazam. Let's check out the bounty of yesteryear below!

A Long Overdue 2018 YEAR-END REVIEW!

A Collection of 2018's Most Amazing Female Action Figures All In One Post

Yes you are reading that right. 2018. I had a desire to do a year-end review for 2020, but I'm pretty obsessive-compulsive and my last annual post like that was for 2017 (so unfortunately I have some catching-up to do). But looking back on a recent yesteryear is pretty fun. It's so easy in this collecting life to get caught up in what's coming next on the horizon, but we are living through some amazing times and it's nice to slow down and celebrate the hobby. Action figures are getting better and better every year and the nostalgia game in the toy aisles is stronger than ever.  I find myself holding a new toy every few months that surprises me with it's very existence. So looking back on 2018 is very humbling. I remember opening all these toys like it was yesterday. But even I can admit that they are already overshadowed by newer shinier purchases. I'm looking forward to posting a similar 2019 review in the coming months. It will be nice to be all current by this time next year. Let's check out 2018 below!

A Long Overdue 2017 YEAR-END REVIEW!

A Collection of 2017's Most Amazing Female Action Figures All In One Post

I kind of love my new tradition of doing an annual review a full year later. While all the other blogs are posting their top picks for 2018, I'm flashing back to the yesteryear of 2017. It started because of pure laziness. For example, right now I have a stockpile of 2018 toys that I haven't even photographed yet (and won't get around to for a while). But a major unexpected perk is the chance to really look back with a bit more perspective than you get with the immediate year. I had to doublecheck so many dates while preparing this post, because it honestly feels like I was buying the A-Force set and the Wonder Woman movie figures this past year. But no, they were all in 2017. It's also nice to prepare a giant post where all the photos are already finished. The unspoken timesuck of having an active blog is photo editing - rotating, cropping, resizing, and retouching - it takes a lot of time. (Luckily I find it relaxing and I'm a pro multi-tasker). Alrighty, without further ado here are 172 images of my favorite 2017 action figures.

A Long Overdue 2016 YEAR-END REVIEW!

A Collection of 2016's Most Amazing Female Action Figures All In One Post

You read that right: 2016. I've reached a new level of procrastination and am posting this Year-End review approximated 365 days behind schedule. I intended to do this so many times in the past twelve months, but unlike most of my posts, these actually require some forethought and planning. And although exhausting and incredibly time-consuming, these posts are still my second favorite kind to do (right after Character Spotlights). It's easy to focus on the next shiny new toy on the horizon, complaining about details that weren't perfect or an important character who was skipped. But when you take a step back and look at all the wonderful items we get in a single year it's pretty humbling. Every year this hobby gets more complex and interesting. The sculpts, articulation, and character selection are constantly improving, and it's really easy to overlook that. And that is just talking about the year-to-year changes. If you skip 5 or ten years and see the industry changes it's simply mind-blowing.

A Long Overdue 2015 YEAR-END REVIEW!

A Collection of 2015's Most Amazing Female Action Figures All In One Post

Sorry for the insane delay with this post. I did my first year-end review last year (for 2014) right after New Year's Day, and in that post I wrote that it had been a surprisingly gratifying process that I wanted to do annually. I still fully intend to do that, but this year so far has been a whirlwind and this post took a long time (there are 115 images and links). I'll try to be more on top of things for next year I swear. I like doing these posts because it can be so easy to "horde and forget" - there's always something new around the corner and it's easy to grumble about missed exclusives, cancelled items, and things as trivial as a not-quite-right paint color. But I like to put on the brakes every now and then and look back at what twelve brief months have added to my burgeoning collection. We truly are in the middle of the Golden Age for collectibles, but it's easy to lose sight of that in the rush to get the next new thing. Take a gander at this selection (by no means complete) and realize how lucky we are. Sermon over :)

Happy New Year!! - YEAR-END REVIEW!

This Year's Most Amazing Ladies - Hasbro, Mattel, Bandai, etc 2014

Happy New Year everyone!  I hope you had a great (and safe) time celebrating.  I had these grand plans to take a gigantic photo of all the great action figures we've received this year.  I would have probably had to do this in my living room or maybe on the stairs just because of sheer space requirements; there were a lot of ladies this year! Unfortunately I got a cold and therefore was very sluggish wrapping up my end-of-the-year work duties and just ran out of time.  Instead I'm compiling a post full of photos and links highlighting one of the most prolific years for female action figure collectors yet.  Seriously, I'm highlighting 94 figures here - and that's by no means a complete list.  I hope to make this an annual tradition.  If nothing else than to remind me of the ridiculous amount of money I spend on toys in any given year.  I really need to start soliciting for free samples!  Anyway, onward to the first annual She's Fantastic year-end review!