Part of the last - and hopefully not final - 3 3/4-inch wave of carded action figures, Tobias Beckett (Solo: A Star Wars Story line look) turned out pretty well.  Woody from Cheers makes a good space cowboy, although mine had some hand fusing issues.  Read on!

Hasbro's 6-inch line has been getting better and better, with Val (The Black Series 6-Inch) being one of the best! Not only does she have an eerily lifelike likeness, but the costume from the movie was expertly crafted in plastic. Read on!

I'm pretty jazzed to see Hasbro slid a Quay Tolsite in before the Force Link line called it a day - assuming, of course, that it's probably over now.  He's basically a statue with arms, but they did a good job with him.  He has jointed arms without a bunch of range, jointed legs with a big robe over them, and a lot of sculpted detail.  Hasbro didn't take shortcuts on this one.  Read on!

Rio Durant is a gem - this 3 3/4-inch figure is the kind of thing you wish Hasbro did more often.  This short space monkey has four arms, a blaster, and a pretty good-for-a-soundalike Force Link 2.0 chip.  Get one if you can find one. Read on!

Another of last year's highlights, the Dengar (The Black Series 6-Inch) figure is awesome!  You should have ran out to get one, or ordered online, because Dengar is great.  He has a removable backpack, a cool blaster, and amazing detail with a separate rubbery headwrap on his head.  Who knew Dengar could be so good?  Read on!

This Han Solo (Mimban) is in a gift set, or sold individually - you should be able to get one rather easily.  It has a removable bask, moving goggles, a blaster, and a cape.  It's a Mudtrooper of the finest order, so I would get one if I were you.  Heck, I got two.  Read on!

We looked at one of the worst figures of the year the other week, so now let's look at one of Hasbro's very best.  The Lando Calrissian (Skiff Guard, The Black Series 6-Inch) brings one of my favorite costumes on one of my favorite characters, and on top of that they did a phenomenal job. The face sculpting is good, but the paint! Oh!  They did a nice job giving him a feel that's a lot closer to Billy Dee Williams than ever before.  With the Donald Glover version also turning out well, and the buzz that we'll see Lando return again next year, it's a good season for Lando merch.  Read on!

The Disney takeover has resulted in more Hasbro-compatible toys at theme parks, like this year's ice sculpture-inspired Christmas robot R4-H18 (Droid Factory Line Look).   It's a typical R4 unit cast in a clear white plastic, frosty with silver highlights and decorated with festive and removable drinks.  It can't make use of the third leg and the drink tray at the same time, but that's how these things go.  Read on!

Is this the worst action figure of 2018? Yes. The Disney Sandcrawler pack-in Jawa (Droid Factory Line Look) is clearly cobbled together from Hasbro parts someone cast and didn't resculpt over the joints.  It's crude, and if you told me it was a bootleg I'd believe you.  At least the droid is OK and the Sandcrawler is nice. Read on!

A Sandcrawler pack-in at Disney theme parks, the Gonk Droid (Droid Factory Line Look) has a pop-off chassis and jointed legs. It's very similar to the Hasbro one from a few years ago, down to sculpted joints that worked on Hasbro's but are ornamental here.  Read on!

The Force Link 2.0 Kylo Ren is a lot like the one from the first Force Link band last year - but with a different symbol on his boot, and a different sound chip.   You may not need more Kylo Ren figures, but you also might need them all - and this Solo: A Star Wars Story release does meet the "just different enough to make you mad" quota.  Read on!

You might have seen this L3-37 (Solo: A Star Wars Story line look)  around, but maybe not.  It's good!  A heavily modified R3 droid has arms and legs, but you'll ese parts from an old Astromech chassis placed strategically on her body.  It works.  Oh, it works.  Read on!

You know you want the Range Trooper (The Vintage Collection).  But can you find it?  It has a white blaster - the Force Link 2.0 version has black - and tons of articulation.  You'll want to get a few of each to fill out your playsets and dioramas.  Read on!

This Han Solo (Vandor-1) comes form a boxed set meant as a tie-in release to the home video for Solo: A Star Wars Story but has been in pretty short supply at brick and mortar.  (Order online!)  It's a nicely-textured figure with goggles, a holster, some snow, and nifty boots.   You'll want this one.  Read on!

For years we've had more than Obi-Wan Kenobi, and now we've got more than one Han Solo.  Based on the 2018 Alden model, this 3 3/4-inch action figure is loaded with articulation and may be at a store near you.  We've been getting more new cases of wave 1 in my neck of the woods.  Read on!