The mission of this site is pretty simple - to provide other collectors and toy buyers with pictures and opinions on lots of toys. There are other ways to do this, such as simple postings to news groups, email lists or message boards, but by doing it through a web site I manage to solve three issues:

1 - Archive. If I posted reviews simply to boards or email lists, once they were posted they'd disappear. Using a web page allows me to keep them visible for an indefinite period.

2 - Wider Audience. If I post these individually to groups or boards, the audience that would gain benefit from them is much smaller than using a single source for everyone to access.

3 - Consistency. People who find these useful over time always know where to go to find them, and can get email updates whenever a new review is posted.

But how do I select what to review? Here's the following items that influence my choices:

1 - Currency. I try to review most toys that have just started shipping. By doing that I can kill two birds with one stone - I can let folks know what's now shipping that they might otherwise overlook, and I can give them the info when it's most valuable to them.

2 - Uniqueness. There are some items I review simply because I think they deserve a wider audience than they might otherwise get. I try to showcase figures or toys that people might not otherwise ever know existed.

3 - Sales. There are times when I review figures after they've gone on sale. Again, this lets people know what great price they might now be able to get them for, and often a figure does better in a review once it's on sale and a better value.

How about the grading system? Here's the basic rundown - I give a certain number of stars out of four. Zero to four is possible, although negative scores have crossed my mind at times. I only use full and half stars - no other fractions. Here's the basic definitions:

**** - only the best get four stars in a category or overall. It isn't necessary to get four stars in every category to get four stars overall, since I don't simply average up the other scores to get the overall. That would be pretty silly, and leave out the factors of your overall impression of the figure in its complete state. Four stars are rare, but a few companies have reached that level. The problem is though that the bar always goes up...

*** to ***1/2 - if you see three or three and a half stars in a category, you know it's a good figure. Not perfect, but certainly well done and above average.

**1/2 - this is a pretty average score, and it means the figure isn't anything outstanding, but still gets a passing grade. Think of it like a 'C' back in the days you were in school.

** - often the lowest grade I give a figure overall, although lower scores on categories are more common. This is a failing grade, and the figure is below average in my opinion. Most toys manufactured today can certainly do at least this good, and many of those that don't never make it into my collection, so there are far fewer of these (and below) that make it into my reviews.

*1/2 and below - yes, occasionally figures get the really low scores. I've even hit zero on categories several times, and even once on an overall score. But fortunately, that's pretty rare.

I do occasionally get toys from companies to review. Not as often as I'd like of course, but it's always fun to get a freebie in the mail. If you represent a company and would like me to review your product, drop me an email. But be forewarned - I'm always honest in my reviews whether the toy was a freebie or not, so don't send something along you don't feel strongly about.

This site is NOT for profit. I have no intention of turning my hobby into a business. I do have some store affiliates, and I clearly point those out when I discuss where to buy figures so you know about it up front, but I never recommend any store simply because they are an affiliate. I recommend based on availability, price, and customer service.

I've also received many comments on my photographs. Yes, I try to have good looking shots with every review, and if you'd like permission to use my photos please check my image use policy. I don't appreciate people appropriating my photos for their news sites or ebay auctions without following my policy. Thanks!

If you have any questions, you can always just drop me an email!