While 2021 has not perhaps gone as well as we all hoped after the difficulties of 2020, there has been a good flow of action figures for us collectors, even if the due dates and distribution have been subject to changes and delays.
Outside of the main lines, I collect - Star Wars Back Series and Marvel Legends - there are a few other action figure series that I collect and from all of these "other" lines I have picked out my Top 5 and an honourable mention.
I can't believe the start of the Lord of the Rings movie saga, The Fellowship of the Ring, was 20 years old this year. But there is no way better to celebrate an anniversary than a new action figure line. It was Diamond Select who picked up the license and they launched the wave in Summer 2021 with new 7-inch scale figures of Legolas and Gimli. While Legolas had some issues, Gimli was glorious and showcased how good this line could be if Diamond stick with it and support it beyond the first few main characters.
Hasbro had another strong year with their Marvel and Star Wars brands, but also continued the development of their fledgling G.I. Joe 6-inch series. The line has brought us some great figures so far but has suffered from the exclusivity of some of the more desirable figures. My second pick of the Top 5 is one of those exclusives - the Hasbro Pulsecon 2021 Zartan figure.
This was the Zartan we deserved in the mainline, bringing us the Master of Disguise with a raft of disguise accessories, weapons, and that colour change feature we all remember from the 1980s. It wasn't cheap and sold out relatively quickly - but for those who are lucky to have it in hand, it certainly ticks all the boxes.
I have been a collector of the Character Options Doctor Who line since its debut in 2005. The line is currently being kept alive via the support of B&M stores in the UK as well as via some sets sold directly through Character. The 2nd Doctor - in his fur coat from The Abominable Snowman - has been a figure of legend for Who collectors, having been sculpted and leaked as a prototype image but never released.
2021 saw Character remedy this issue and release the figure as a web store exclusive, complete with an electronic sounds TARDIS from the same story. The Who figures may be showing their age now with limited articulation and basic paint jobs, but they retain a charm and there are few other lines that are over 15-years old and still going relatively strong.
NECA's series of 7-inch figures from the Alien movies dates back as far as 2007, with the first figures from the original 1979 movie released in 2013. Over the following 8 years, we have seen NECA build out the Nostromo crew, and 2021 saw the final piece in that jigsaw as NECA released everyone's favourite android, Ash.
Ash does have a few flaws but certainly represents NECA's desire to bring us as many of the Alien universe characters as they can - many of which require individual licensing arrangements with the actors directly. Ash comes with a variety of surgical tools, and his own severed head caked in the milky white android blood.
McFarlane is certainly a company in the ascendency at the moment, driven predominantly with their DC Multiverse line - but supported with some other key licenses. One of the surprises within this stable of franchises was the Warhammer 40k series that launched in late 2020. 2021 saw the line expand further with new Space Marines, Necrons, and the debut of the Adeptus Sororitas Battle Sisters.
The Blood Angel Helblaster uses the existing Primaris Space Marine body with added Blood Angel iconography and a new Plasma Incinerator weapon. Considering that McFarlane is just about keeping these under £20, the Warhammer 40k line is definitely value for money and is drawing in both action figure collectors and painters & customizers via the artist-proof variants.
Now I realise I said this was a Top 5, but when compiling my list I struggled to get down to a final 5 and therefore this final extra figure is an honourable mention. Technically it was a 2020 release in the US at least but didn't hit the UK until the Summer of 2021.
As a huge fan of Forgotten Realms and Drizzt Do'Urden, I could not pass up this set, and thankfully Hasbro did to disappoint with Drizzt, or his companion Guenhwyvar. The set features his twin scimitar blades as well as his unicorn pendant and two head options, with interchangeable hair to give four different looks for Drizzt. The question now, is if Hasbro will expand this line and give us the other heroes of Icewind Dale?
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About Me : As a child of the '70s and '80s I grew up in a golden age for action figures and in my youth bought and sold myself through collections of Star Wars, G.I. Joe (Action Force), and M.A.S.K. while also dabbling in He-Man, Transformers and Ghostbusters. Roll forward and I am now reliving that Youth with the action figures of today and am a collector and fan of the larger 6-8 inch figures from my favourite movie and TV licenses - including the ones mentioned above, but also the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Doctor Who, and the Aliens. I launched The Mephitsu Archives in 2015 with a view of creating a UK-focused site or these figures where fans can pick up the latest action figure news, read reviews and get information on where to buy their figures and what is currently on store shelves. I hope I am delivering that to you guys...