The Mephitsu Archives Action Figure Advent 2025
- Mephitsu
- Dec 24, 2025
- 8 min read
For our 2025 Action Figure Advent, we are going to revisit our favourite releases from across 2025. The brief is simple: pick two releases per month from January 2025 through to November, with two additional wildcards to fill in the full 24 slots. The dates will be based around the time these arrived in the UK and when I purchased them.
The figures will be taken from the key lines I personally collect, so they will be across Star Wars Black Series, Marvel Legends, Doctor Who, NECA, and a few other outliers.
Check back each day to see the newest reveal... or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, or BlueSky to see each day's pick.
Day 24 HasLab Ghostbusters Plasma Series Ectomobile
Our 24th and final pick of this year's #ActionFigureAdvent was one we held back on making a final decision for until late in December. We wanted to provide opportunities for the Nacelle Star Trek figures to arrive, but in the end, they were delayed. Our final pick did arrive in December, and it is a stunner, despite a few flaws. Topping off our selection for 2025 is the Hasbro Ghostbusters Plasma Series HasLab Ectomobile.
Day 23 Star Wars Black Series The Stranger
Our final Marvel Legends pick for this year's #ActionFigureAdvent falls on day 23 and its from Thunderbolts*. While I expected the US Agent and Sentry set to be my favourite, yet it was the Yelena Belova and Red Guardian pairing that impressed me the most with their sculpts, articulation and included accessories.
Day 22 Star Wars Black Series The Stranger
Day 22 is our final Star Wars Black Series pick of the list, and it's from the much-talked-about Disney+ series The Acolyte. The Stranger (Qimir) was a late arrival after his appearance was kept secret until the show aired. His Black Series release is incredibly impressive with multiple layers of robes, a helmeted head as well as an unmasked version, and a lightsaber that can split into two weapons.
Day 21 Marvel Legends Daredevil and Punisher
I cheated again on Day 21, unable to pick between a pair of Marvel Cinematic figures released in the Autumn of 2025. Daredevil: Born Again not only brought Matt Murdock's Daredevil back to us on the screen and in figure form, but he also brought The Punisher with him. Both are massive improvements on the older 2016 releases, and are highlights in 2025'slimited Cinematic Marvel Legends release list.
Day 20 Doctor Who Vortex Edition Master
While Character Toys had released an Anthony Ainley Master way back in 2010, it was not in his iconic costume; therefore, he was missing his raised collar and coat tails. 15 years later, this itch was scratched in 2025 with the Vortex Edition release of The Master, complete with his TARDIS as well as iconic accessories, including his own Funery Urn from the TV movie. The Master is our Day 20 pick as we head into the final few days before Christmas.
Day 19 Star Wars Black Series Dash Rendar
We are into the final stretch, and with less than a week to go, we return to the Star Wars Black Series for our Day 19 pick. It's another from The Shadows of the Empire, and arriving to battle Prince Xizor from Day 7 is the fan favourite Dash Rendar.
Day 18 Doctor Who Revenge of the Cybermen Collector Set
It was 15 years ago that Character Toys released their first Revenge of the Cybermen set, and the set would soon become highly sought after on the secondary market. In 2025, Character teamed up with B&M to release the set again, albeit with new packaging and some decor improvements to satisfy both new and old collectors.
Day 17 Star Wars Black Series Duel on Mustafar
One of the biggest releases of 2025 was the SDCC Exclusive Star Wars Black Series set featuring Obi-Wan Kenobi vs Anakin Skywalker as they battle on the lava flats of Mustafar on top of the repulsor platform. The set is an amazing centre piece while the figures are significant enhancements to the older releases. A very worthy pick for Day 17.
Day 16 Star Wars Black Series
The Jedi games from EA have been a big hit over the past few years, and have expanded Star Wars lore with new characters and storylines. Up to 2026, Black Series figures from the games have been restricted to the key protagonist Cal Kestis, and generic troopers and roids. 2025 saw the Jedi collection expand to more characters with the release of Dagan Gera, Turgle, Skoova Steve and our pick for Day 16, Nightsister Merrin.
Day 15 Marvel Legends Fantastic Four Johnny Storm
The big Marvel Cinematic Event of 2025 was The Fantastic Four, and we had a full wave of Marvel Legends from the movie to expand our movie collections. All the figures were pretty great, but our pick from the wave, and for Day 15 of our countdown, was the release of Johnny Storm in his F4 uniform.
Day 14 Star Wars Black Series Han Solo & Chewbacca
With 10 days to go until Christmas Eve, our Day 14 pick is another pairing we just couldn't split, so we've picked the pair of them. From the Star Wars Black Series Wave 22 is the brand new and much improved versions of Han Solo and Chewbacca from A New Hope.
Day 13 McFarlane Warhammer 40k Imperial Fists Sergeant
We are just over the halfway point, and today is our sole McFarlane pick for the year, and it is from their Warhammer 40k series with the debut in the line of the Imperial Fists, and their Intercessor Sergeant, complete with two head options and a Power Fist.
Day 12 Star Wars Black Series Sebulba
Our Day 12 pick not only stays with the Star Wars Black Series, but is also from the same wave as Shaak Ti from Day 11. Marking his debut in the Black Series, and just the 6th figure in the Galaxy Collection for The Phantom Menace, Sebulba was a very different release for 2025, thanks to his unique anatomy as a Dug and coming with both his Pod Racing helmet and a Gorg to snack on. In a very interesting coincidence, this pick lands on the exact same day the new Star Wars Galactic Racer trailer was released.
Day 11 Star Wars Black Series Shaak Ti
2026 has been a great year for Jedi releases in the Star Wars Black Series, the most visually striking of which was the debut in the line of Shaak Ti from Attack of the Clones. She pips both Barriss Offee and her master, Luminara Unduli, in our Action Figure Advent Countdown at Day 11.
Day 10 Marvel Legends Black Suited Spider-Man
It was a relatively quiet year for Marvel Legends cinematic releases, with most of the year's releases aligned to the new movie releases for Thunderbolts* and Fantastic Four. We did get a handful of new figures for older movie properties, including this gem, the Black Suited Spider-Man from Spider-Man 3 (2007); our pick for Day 10 of our action figure advent.
Day 9 Star Wars Black Series Clone Commander Bacara
While Clone Troopers in the Star Wars Black Series are nothing new, it is always great when a new named Clone or Commander is released. In 2025, we welcomed Clone Commander Bacara, as seen in Revenge of the Sith, and he is our pick for Day 9. Bacara brought with him some new Galactic Marine component parts that we are sure we will see again in the future.
Day 8 Doctor Who, The Fourteenth Doctor and The Meep
While the Doctor Who Vortex Collection launched in 2024, it was in 2025 that it started to find its feet with a mix of both Classic and New Who releases. Our Day 8 pick is the release of The Fourteenth Doctor and The Meep from The Star Beast.
Day 7 Star Wars Black Series Prince Xizor
It was a welcome surprise when Hasbro announced they would be releasing figures from the 1996 Shadows of the Empire multi-media project, and the first of these, Prince Xizor is our pick for Day 7. The figure translates Xizor to the Black Series 'real-world' setting while still retaining everything we love about the Black Sun Crime Boss
Day 6 NECA Ultimate Tour Guide Beetlejuice
We stay with NECA for our Day 6 pick, and the very impressive Beetlejuice 'Tour Guide' Ultimate release. This variation of Michael Keaton's Beetlejuice with multiple heads, hands, accessories, and a removable Tour Guide hat is simply lots of fun in replicating the Ghost with the Mosts first scenes from the 1988 classic movie.
Day 5 NECA Alien: Romulus Scorched Xenomorph
NECA makes their first appearance in our Action Figure Advent for 2025 as our Day 5 pick is the Scorched Xenomorph from Alien: Romulus. The first movie Alien release from NECA for some time, and packed with accessories including the Facehugger, Chestburster, and an abundance of extra hands.
Day 4 Marvel Legends Hugh Jackman Wolverine
For Day 4 we pick our first Marvel Legends figure of the countdown, Hugh Jackman's Logan in the iconic yellow of the Wolverine costume from Deadpool & Wolverine. Here in the UK, this wave was delayed to early Spring 2025 hence its addition in this countdown. The figure might have been lacking the sleeveless look from the final scenes, but it remains an impressive piece for your Marvel Movie display.
Day 3: Lord of the Rings Merry & Pippin from Diamond Select
Our Day 3 pick is a slight bend of the rules with the Diamond Select figures of Merry and Pippin, who were released in the 7th and final wave of their Lord of the Rings Series following the demise of Diamond themselves. The collapse of Diamond has left many fans deflated, considering which figures were planned for future releases. But the line did end on a high with everyone's favourite Hobbit duo, and as we were unable to pick which of the two was the better, we bundled them up as a selection.
Day 2: Star Wars Black Series Princess Leia Organa
For Day 2 we stick with the Star Wars Black Series, and the early 2025 release of Princess Leia Organa as seen in A New Hope. While the Princess had been released previously, her 2025 update was a significant improvement on the older soft goods release and gave collectors a number of different looks for display depending on which part of A New Hope they are recreating.
Day 1: Star Wars Black Series Pirate Captain Brutus
Our first pick of our Action Figure Advent is the Star Wars Black Series release of Pirate Captain Brutus from Star Wars: Skeleton Crew. Not only was the figure a fantastic replication of the Pirate Chief, but it was also the first Shistavanen to be released in the 6-inch series, expanding the Black Series stock by another key alien species - leading to some fun custom options, including our own Lak Sivrak custom.
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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...
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