Couldn't agree more on all points. Toys actually made for play and not designed to sit forever on a shelf Stinky Pete-style will always be more nostalgic.

For some reason this hits me hard in the nostalgia feels. I was a sickly kid growing up, I was confined in the hospital every other week. My parents were not rich but my mom would pick up these cheap toys that I would always see in the local bazaar on our way to school to cheer me up in the hospital. Small robot figures, some would have spring loaded missiles, some would transform into a pen and a pencil sharpener, etc. Right now, somewhere, I'm pretty sure a parent is buying Final Faction figures to cheer up their sick children.

I just watched with my 9 yaer old son and we are going to dollar tree tomorrow with Mr. Jackson. Thanks for the video.

Ashens showed these, and he loved them, too. He played with them, and they look great, and robust. Good work, Dollar Tree. Someone has been thinking with their head, and not their profit projections for once.

Holy crap, $1 troop builders sounds like a collector's/kid's wild dream.

I been to 6 Dollar Tree locations in my town and each store has them all stocked up. Learn from this Hasbro.

Affordable toys designed for children that can be bought in stores? PISHAW! Surely you JEST sir!

The price point is more than a bit mind boggling. One dollar in 2021 equates to only thirty-seven cents in 1985 when adjusted for inflation! I'm greatly looking forward to seeing more from this line.

After seeing this video, I headed to my local Dollar Tree. I experienced two things I thought I'd never be able to again in my lifetime. 1. I found pegs fully stocked with action figures. 2. I Paid for my figures with literal pocket change. Thanks for the heads up, Michael!

Wave 2 is being released in the Fall with new figures, the Main Villain, robo suited dog, and a Vehicle (ATV with weapons and armor packs )

Glad to see Dollar Tree's toys catching up to their dishes. Seriously, nearly every plate and bowl in my house is from Dollar Tree. Good stuff.

I knew it was just a matter of time before you mentioned these on your channel. I saw first hand some kids in Dollar Tree gushing over these and it was like stepping back in time at the local K&B Toys. :)

Nostalgic indeed. My parents were really poor but still managed to treat us now and again with a new He-man figure for £2.99.

The nostalgia is real with this toyline. Final Faction made me feel like a kid again and I was lucky enough to get the whole wave a few months back the first time I saw them at my local Dollar Tree. Everyone should support this line and they are actually good figures! The Kharn especially are awesome in my book.

I saw Ashens' video on these and think its pretty cool to see a dedicated toy channel cover them. Pretty insane that they not only are decent, but they made lore for them on the cardbacks and attempted a cartoon episode. Kinda makes you feel like maybe, just maybe, some toy companies might be charging way too much for the stuff they can't even figure out how to get to stores consistently enough to prohibit scalping.

Reminds me of shopping with my mom at discount stores, not a dollar store, and getting some lanard “The Corps” figures.

I am now leaving the dollar tree with all but two figures. Now that was freaking nostalgic!!! That hasn’t happened to me in decades.

Oh, man, if we had these over here, I'd be all over them. See, toys like THIS and Lanard's ALIEN range are what screams nostalgia to me. They don't feel like collectibles, but actual toys that are fun to play with. Growing up, I really loved Chap Mei stuff and this and Lanard's figures really remind me of those!

Gotta say, those aliens speak to me as the kind of thing you could repaint, mix in with other lines or mix in to play together with other toys.

I don't even collect toys anymore because of the copious expense, but I'm tempted to pick these up on sheer principle.

Wow, wide distribution of action figure toys for under $10 bucks, always available in brick and mortar stores. That cant be done, I mean Hasbro has said so... wait til all the scalpers find this range and make shelves barren, cause Mattel has such issue with them taking all their figures.

I grabbed some out of curiosity and these toys managed to impress me with how good they were for a dollar

Honestly when I saw steadfast with his helmet on, all I saw was the doom marine from the og games. The resemblance is uncanny, and it looks freaking awesome.

We're fans! My kiddos have thoroughly enjoyed mixing this line in with their other toys. Given the current price point and lack of availability of mainstream action figures, Final Faction is a win!

Sad that they don't completely fall apart when you open them from the packaging :-( LOL

I discovered these guys today at The Dollar tree with my niece. An entire set of heroes, and an army of villains for less than anywhere else. Yeah, the nostalgia hit hard when i was driving to a second and then a third Dollar Tree to grab a whole set.

I picked these up already, my grandson loves them . He looks forward to coming over so he can play with Grandpa's toys. He doesn't realize they'll all be his anyway , eventually. This is a great throwback to the dimestore days. Im sure we all remember the plastic parachute figures for a dime...well not all. The Giant army men for a nickel. Man, I wish I was young again...

After having to purchase a board game I didn’t want to get a Luke Skywalker retro figure that I did, this info is mind boggling to me. Great job Michael, it really goes to show that there is a lot more manipulation and gaming on the side of the big toy companies than they like to admit.

I bet that of the 6 people that disliked this video, a couple of them bought Jabbas Sail Barge and the thought of Dollar store toys breaks them out into hives.

THIS is gonna be the kind of toy that, 20 years from now, someone is gonna remember WITH SO MUCH LOVE! Because, you’re gonna have it, and it looks attractive and simple enough for a kid to love it !

Totally agree! I love this line. It's the best, most fully-realized actual toy line I've seen in AGES. We are slowly growing our Kahrn army. So awesome you did a video on these.

Very refreshing indeed.

The fact that parents can find these and afford them is critical to nostalgia. Because if you never have them to play with they simple don't make an impact.

I am very impressed. Thank you! This is indeed a nice surprise. I'm on my way out right now to check out the store to see if they have them. I'm sick and tired of seeing videos about how "it is not cost effective to keep toys on the pegs. Empty pegs means more money for the company." Have a great night. You made my day!

My 13 yr old son discovered this toyline by buying the comic in the store, reading it, then telling me about it really excitedly. Now I am on a mission to track them all down. It's really working on every level. I can't wait to see what the future holds for this line.

I always liked the early Chap Mei stuff I could always find at the Dollar Store. The characters and lines were interesting looking, highly imaginative and well sculpted. This type of video commentary is why I like RetroBlasting.

The people designing this line are having a blast and it shows. this is so refreshing to see. thanks for covering these!

First-time commenter, long-time RB follower. My two little ones and I just got back from Dollar Tree with our (OUR!) first Final Faction grab. Just a couple--we want to preserve the fun of going back to the store every week or so for more--which is completely realistic! And of course I wanted to see what the community thought, so I came here. Nothing else positive to say about the line that hasn't already been said, and nothing negative to say either. I'm happy these toys exist--for everybody to enjoy. Cheers.

I found these in the Dollar Tree a few weeks ago and really liked how much they made me think of the classic Joes back in the day! Eccentric, cool characters with specialized defining skills and abilities, cool artwork packaging. Very happy to see these things taking off in toy youtube!

These Ideas: affordability, availability, versatility, blank-ish slate for storyline - this is why I went absolutely nuts for Snap Ships last year. It was similar to what michael was saying, it was the most nostalgic i had felt in years.

The aliens and the mecha suit are pretty cool. I was surprised at the quality of them too. It was also refreshing to see a whole wall of them on the shelf. One of the things I remembered from back in the late 80s and 90s was how stocked the toy shelves were.

This was so cool! I was just thinking what Michael would think of these guys when I first saw them in Dollar Tree. I picked a couple of them up for my son and he really liked them. Wow, yeah, what a concept, affordable, fairly original, decently crafted action figures you can find in-store, including the entire set. And a $1 discount store toy line does what these massive toy companies can’t, or likely won’t. Reminds all of us older folks of our childhoods, that’s for sure. I’m really glad you found these guys, they’re living proof that it’s not hard to make this work!

These are great. Very durable, decently detailed, and gonna be tons of fun when my grandson opens these on Christmas. Amazing to think you can take a kid to the store and he can buy a modern action figure cheaper than I could GI Joe figures back in 84! To be able to buy extra weapons is sweet too, cuz what kid doesn't lose weapons for his figures? Took me hitting several Dollar Tree stores but I believe I have the whole collection now. Only a few more days now and I hope he likes 'em. (He's always going after my GI Joe's). I even bought some for myself to play with him.

I just picked up a few of these for myself and grandson. It’s really cool to have something that gives you a starting point and your imagination can do the rest. I may get a set of these just to paint, weather and just have fun with. Great video, awesome point of view!

Thank you for doing this video about this toy line. I have picked up just a few of these, but I was immediately impressed with how good they were in terms of quality and compatibility for something sold at Dollar Tree. Incredible!

On Ashens channel he's said a second series is confirmed, get your ten dollar bill ready!

I bought the whole line. I go around to different dollar trees doing fire safety inspections and I saw them on the shelf and my 1st reaction was like wow this is the kind of toys I used to play with. Remind me of all the eighties Star Wars toys my dad used to have that I would play with when I was a kid.

Very refreshing! Thanks for discovering these and bringing them to our attention. 👏🏻👏🏻

Did we finally get an action figure line for the Lazer Force vehicles?! 🤔 Nice video Michael. So interesting to see there are small, but well thought out toy lines that still exist in places you wouldn’t think.

Ah Michael, you're making me remember of when my grandma would pick me up a Remco or other off brand knock off MotU while we were out shopping. Between that and pennies on the dollar garage sale hauls, I have her to thank for the massive armies my heroes got to fight with and against. Good video. With that I'm thinking I may drop by my neighborhood Dollar Tree and pick up a handful of the villains. Can't have too many alien armies.

Final Faction wave 2 is now in stores and includes 2 vehicles for only $1.25… amazing.

$1 a figure would have been a dream in the 70's even. The least articulated member of the Fisher Price Adventure People line back then was still 68 cents more than these at Toys R Us. So were the flat plastic toy soldier sets from the backs of comic books.

Absolutely nailed it Michael. To me this would have the same vibe as I got when I take my few dollars of pocket money and spend it on a single GI Joe figure back in the late 80s. I suspect this would’ve been the sort of line that felt a lot of stockings and was given as a birthday present to other kids because of the awesome price point. Really refreshing to see a company taking this approach in modern times we are action figures have become a collectors item versus a Childs toy. Final faction even has a very 80s type vibe in terms of its aesthetic

LOL Love it! That is total nostalgic shopping nostalgia. I remember buying the He-Man laser backpacks at a dollar store back in the 90's.

Great line to build more allies and foes to play with your other toys. Plenty of sculpted detail that can be enhanced with a custom repaint. Looking forward to future waves.

I'd buy that for a dollar! - They are great for the price. Not having to go through any hassle to get them is also a massive deal in this day and age.

>Greetings, citizen! This is Echo, the Final Faction A.I. operating system. Thank you for your awesome review - we appreciate your support! Stay tuned for all new Series 2 action figures coming this 2021 Holiday season. And if you really want some nostalgia, definitely check out our Final Faction cartoon series. Sergeant Steadfast salutes you! >Echo out (:])

Sort of cool that you can spend 20 bucks and give a kid tons of action figures. I saw a video of some of the new weapon packs and they almost have a "Centurians" thing going. They take a character and take it further in that direction.

Totally reminds me of how things were with toy lines in the late 70's and early 80's. It's like they took a page from Kenner's book.

I was never an action figure kid, i like them now as an adult, but i also am broke as hell, so having a whole original series of action figures for this cheap is an amazing thing for me

Series 2 is great, I especially love that they made accessory packs for series 1 figures, it makes older figures new again. Centurions vibes there. $2 arc vehicle is amazing for the price

Anytime i can't find figures at the Dollar tree i just go to the next one. I got like 4 around me. Thats how I got the GI Joe figures. They have no articulation but it was fun painting them to bring out the details.

I just saw these at Dollar Tree yesterday! We walked over there for some exercise and to get some Italian Ice. I thought they were quite a bit fancier than most dollar store toys. And I was really impressed with the accessories packs.

Learned about these figures from the CrafsMan, he kitbashed one of ‘em. What a great toy line- for all the reasons you stated!

The point you made at 3:08 about the separation from a known mythology is an excellent point in favor of this line, the play possibilities look to be pretty broad, kids could pick up a few of these and do whatever they wanted with them, whether they check out the mythology or just use them to do their own thing, and that's a huge draw, especially at that price. I have no idea how well this line can compete against the smartphone games that weren't around when I was growing up, but I hope it does well, I like that a toy company is trying to get toys into younger kids' hands again.

I 100% agree with this sentiment. Some of my most fulfilling purchases are figures/characters I know nothing about but look so stinking cool that it sparks what remains of my childhood imagination.

This takes me right back when I bought Short-Fuse as my first Joe. Right to the deciding at the aisle.

Dollar Store also offers a Military action figure line with seven points of articulation and an included weapon (albeit considerably oversized for the figure). The cool thing about these is that kids can get a hold of these and adults can grab a bunch and customize to their heart's content!

I just got into this line! Love it! The MARVEL legends team can learn alot from this toy line. Great details on this cool SCIFI set for $1.25! Great review!

Those boots on Ruck and A.C.R.M. come straight from the Mospeada ride armor.

You really really need to take another look at this amazing toy line..the items they ok put out the past 6 months are awesome

My littlest one loves them. They made a couple cartoons and it hasn't taken off enough so I doubt they'll make more and he loves them and they're so cheap which is good for us and he owns almost all of them. They reek of the super glue that assembles them sometimes a lot but they're great and they have great detail. My only two gripes about them is they stink (literally) and their hand gripes are too loose to hold their accessories most the time but that's solved with arm hole mounts, but again A DOLLAR?! You can't complain. Their idea is pretty new, fairly original and did we mention that my four year old get them each for a DOLLAR? He gets to come home from daycare with one pretty much whenever or near daily for him. We never had the pleasure growing up. But now that he's got most of them it's something he loves playing with with his mother and me... We just wish they had more appeal and public draw and the little shows they made a couple of for him to watch. They're perfect for younger kids. No stupid politics, covert messages that's morally questionable and they're simple and cute for the most part. Full of wholesome dad jokes basically 😁 and a little good old fashioned good vs. evil battle. Great assessment all the way around, sir. You're from the same era as me so you get it, he (my youngest) also loves Ghost Busters. That's our other big play time group of characters and there's tons of crossover potential with our stuff. Which is really good nostalgia for us 80s kids as well Ghost Busters that is. Wish the GB guys/gals were cheaper but I'll take the lack of "super glue stank" as a super plus! Wish more people would get into these Final Faction characters but it's okay if they don't. Other FF pluses: The aliens definitely have MUCH more detail, size, potential storyline and money put into them than the "good guys" on the physical action figure side of things. They're all hand painted and that says a lot (they smell pretty strong but there's ways around that) They're definitely worth investing in buying an entire collection and keeping them in their blister packs because someday some of the "poorer kids" who got to grow up with them as maybe their only toy options will be the better millionaire/billionaires among us hopefully and these things will probably be as rare and scarce as hens teeth and that gal/guy will remember how something that was low under the radar for many helped their childhood and days growing up be a lil more fun and exciting. Maybe the toys premise and tech helped inspire them just a tad extra into space industry and whatever else and that may make them worth a lot to somewhere just holding onto them as a person of meager means has something they consider very valuable. The potential for these as investment pieces for collectors is there but that's not the point and the point is how affordable and fun it is for your little ones in life to build some memories of playing with their parents and helping them explore their imaginations and branching out into very useful and wholesome fields of creation and fond memories.

Thank you for this video! This currently is my answer to the Hasbro debauchery that has become prevalent in today's toy industry. I went to Dollar Tree today and it did in fact remind of the good old days. I, like most, was almost sucked into the new Marvel Legends Retro collection only to find some of them at Walmart. People believe me when I say that these are $5.00 action figures at best that one should be able to find at the Dollar Store. They are simply not worth $10.00 (or more on line) a piece and these Final Faction figures at $1.00 (which are of higher quality in my opinion) prove it. I am now back in the game looking for and collecting these at a price that is literally next to nothing!

I'm doing my bit to combat nostagnantia by watching and reading new things all the time and it makes me far more excited for what is made next than when can we get more of this existing property. This highlight of a new, none legacy toyline is exactly in the same vein and I love it.

The Kharn look like something straight out of Halo and I love it

I love this episode, great job guys! You were spot on with everything you said Michael, toys need to be fun, spark imagination, easy to find and be a complete set.

Very impressed to see a toy company and a major retailer that actually cares about it's consumers!

These are unique at the same time familiar. You got a cyborg, a ninja, a soldier, a hot shot flyer and a mecha. All action movie troupes fighting aliens. It's really a great idea. Especially since given just a bare bones history you really can flesh out your own mythology and canon. I saw 5 poa marvel figures at walmart for $15! Each! I got the entire set of these for the same price.

I bought some and thought to my self. My younger self would have loved them. And for the price you cant beat it.

I found these figures at my Dollar Tree two days ago and I knew right away I was going back to get them this weekend. So probably tonight. Seeing this review got me even more stoked because I too felt that same nostalgia that you talked about! Damn. Those were really were the good old days when you could get toys like these with pocket change. Great review and thanks for sharing the memories and nostalgia!

These figures actually look really great! Now we'll never be able find these on the pegs due to this video Michael. Thanks! Haha! Bit of sarcasm. Great video as always! Cool line that's so simple yet creative and affordable.

Long live King Retro Blasting!

Always enjoy the producing ... but , seriously taking in of all the solid takes of 2021 and respecting the work of others ...this is easily the best. Thanks, fk yes, and cheers!

This video made me happy. Any of those figurea would have found a home in my childhood G.I. Joe collection.

So after watching this video a month ago, I was inspired to go to my local Dollar Tree and check out this toyline. I was immediately taken by them and bought every accessory pack and all of the figures except for one, and that one figure was the A.C.R.M. Mech. Since my initial purchase I’ve gone to three different dollar Trees and I’m still cant find him. I even asked my cousin who lives out of state to check his local Dollar Tree for me and he can’t find one either. So now this figure has became a Holy Grail item for me. I was just curious if this has happened to anyone else who’s been collecting Final Faction. At this point I have to get him simply because this figure has been so difficult to find. Anyways, thank you Micheal for introducing Final Faction to me. Ive passed this little toy line on to other people and they enjoy these figures as much as we do. Also, there’s a second wave of new characters coming this Fall so be on the lookout for those. Cheers!

What a refreshing perspective. RB's videos continue to surprise me. Thank you!

Toulmin Model: Present in all six components. Aristotelian Model: All three boxes ticked. Basevorn's forma praedicani: Amplification used effectively. Michael, your previous presentations have been rhetorically flawless, but for some reason, this one seems BEYOND the gold standard.

I agree completely! It was so much fun to walk into Dollar Tree and see nearly the entire line at one go. The only one I haven't been able to find is ACRM. I hope this line works and that Mattel and Hasbro are paying attention. I also hope this toy line doesn't turn out to have toxic chemicals in the plastic or paint. Wouldn't be the first time for a Dollar Tree toy line .__.

I saw these, and they evoked similar feelings in me. Obviously they draw from multiple influences (I also saw a lot of "Independence Day" in the aliens and "Captain Power" in the majority of the human figures), but they were a cool assortment regardless. They also reminded me of another line of Chap Mei toys that also could be found at Dollar Tree about 15 years ago: The "Ninja Fighter: Hero of the Dark" toys. In addition to the figures, you could also find vehicle and/or playset combinations of various sizes at Big Lots. Around the same time several other lines were released, all 3 3/4" scale: Military figures, a He-Man knock-off ("Beast Raider"), pirates, medieval Knights/dragons/Wizards, several lines of cops and EMT figures ("Police Force", "SWAT", "Rescue Team") and criminals/biker gangs ("Bad Guyz"), construction crews ("Big Builers"), safari ("Wild Adventure"), various dinosaur/paleontology lines, and an Indy Jones/archaeology type who went up again Egyptian mummies and such.

You are so right on all points. I'm not a major toy collector(I'm picky), but yes it seems now that every toy line is for collectors only...not kids wanting to have fun with their imagination. Which isn't that the point of toys to begin with?! I had star wars, GIjoe, krystar, and several knock off 3 3/4 figures all in one "universe". And they were affordable. A kid today has to take out a small mortgage to have a complete set...IF they can find it all to begin with. What happened to being a kid ???

Great review of these cool little figures. I'll have to go find some at my local dollar store. I did watch the cartoon which is cheesy but still cool. You can tell someone loved what made the 80's toy lines so great and they have recreated it in a fun manner.

Love these things. The accessory packs are great for my gi joes and the others are able to be painted as miniatures for 28mm war games.

Very cool 😎 My son will love these.

Heroes that clearly draw some inspiration from Falcon, Scarlett, and Doom, vs classic sci fi alien hordes, and some shades of the Centurions gimmick. Whoever designed this line is clearly my kind of nerd. I'm really hoping we might get a second wave out of this one, if just to see what else they come up with.

Nostalgic experience over nostalgic toy line. Fair enough.

FINAL FACTION is a game changer. A dream for cash strapped parents, adult action figure collectors and customisers. Roll on Wave 2.

Wow, I just yesterday made a video about how MOTU Origins prices seemed reasonable to me, and now I watch this! Doh! These are perfect for independent film makers - they're cheap, available, and aren't yet strongly associated with any stories or characters. I will be tempted to grab some if I ever see them. Great video, as always!

Those definitely would have been drafted into my Joes and Cobra had they been around in the 80s.

I bought all of these figures a few months ago, and a few weeks back I saw a couple of different weapons packs than they had a few months back. Also, the dollar tree had 6 non poseable GI Joe's that looked to be the size of M.A.S.K. figures, for, you guessed it, $1 each. Now THAT was the nostalgic kicker for me.

Remember when toy shops/departments had rails full of figures? When you could only choose one i used stand for ages trying to decide where my £1.99 was going. In those days the big department store near us had the toy department on the 3rd floor (it still does), the whole floor was wall to wall toys and games, more girls toys than were necessary imo, it was magical to visit on a Saturday. I still go in now and again for a nostalgia hit, mainly at Christmas time, but it's a toy wasteland now. At least 2/3 of the department has been swallowed up by kids clothes and baby buggies.