The most Final of the Factions

Two years ago I walked into that Dollar Tree on a cold November day and discovered a new toy line called Final Faction. Like other early adopters of the line, I was blown away by this really cool set of figures reminiscent of 80's and 90's action figures available exclusively at the Dollar Tree of all places. Final Faction has since grown to be something special in the toy world. I'm glad I discovered it organically just walking into the store.

It's neat to be on something from the ground floor and I'd never had thought something like a discount store toy line would ever be cool. But here we are, and here it is. I'm mentally drawing comparisons to other discount likes like Dragon Riders of the Styx and The Other World. Even with the thematic differences, it's great to see something similar happening again. Most discount lines these days are discount versions of mainline brands so seeing an original creation like this is refreshing. In 2003 the line will have the new Venom and Elite series. I'm pretty excited to see it continue.

SPC. Shift

With Shift we're coming to an end of our weekly look at Final Faction toys until some new stuff comes out. Allegedly the vehicles are due sometime in the summer with the next batch of figures by fall. So you can be sure that I'll be talking about them when the time comes. For now, let's look at Shift, the ninja of Alpha Team 1. 

Shift comes with a set of swords that she can technically hold, but are molded together to mount on her back. I have seen folks trim them away to function as handheld swords. However if you've got the Covert Ops accessory set, there's plenty of appropriate to her character weaponry so that you can keep those swords as a backpack. Shift fills the role of ninja type warrior while adding a little variety to Alpha Team 1.

Augmented Combat Rescue Mech A.C.R.M

The coolest member of Alpha Team 1 is the A.C.R.M. Piloted by a disabled 15 year old kid named Boyd via virtual reality, the mech unit is a heavy hitter. The Air Assault weapons pack completes the figure adding wings, boosters, and gun pods. It's pretty hard not to look at this figure and be impressed. Especially as it only costs $1. A.C.R.M has been a pretty popular toy for customizers as well. I've seen everything from alternate colors to takes on other characters with the figure as the base. 

Like all of Final Faction, this is a 3 3/4 figure with 5 points of articulation. Similar to the Synthoid, it's a much more chunky toy and looks bigger in pictures. Also like the Synthoid, it's one of the more impressive figures in the line. At Toylanta, I was showing Buddy the figures and the two definitely blew him away. I don't want to oversell the toy, but it really does feel like a much more expensive than it is.

SGT. Steel

Continuing our weekly exploration of Dollar Tree's Final Faction toys brings us to SGT. Steel. Steel is a pretty cool dude as his sunglasses would imply. If the big wings on his back didn't clue you in, he's the jet pack flyer guy of Alpha Team 1. So far the members I've shown you have been heavy duty ground soldiers, so the variety is much appreciated. 

He's pretty much the Final Faction version of Red Falcon and that's pretty great. If you want to deck him out with accessories, I'd say the Air Assault and Covert Arms packs would suit him fine. Unfortunately Steel is the only Final Faction toy I've gotten that's had any QC issues. Mine wasn't screwed together well leading to a loose head. Fortunately all it takes to fix this is one of those tiny screw drivers they also sell at the Dollar Tree.

SGT. Ruck

Ruck is the ground artillery guy in Alpha Team 1. Like Steadfast, he's also a cyborg . Ruck has robotic legs and his covered in cool sci fi armor that you can plug various guns into for more firepower. He's pretty much a walking tank in these regards. Ruck comes with a backpack mounted gun that can fold over his shoulder. It matches up with the sculpted on headset that likely gives him a heads up display for use with his various attached weapons.

I see that armor and think Alien Syndrome. A major part of why these Final Faction toys are so cool is that old school flavor in the designs. Ruck is a great example of that. Like I said above, you can attach various attachments to him via accessory sets. The gun pods from the Air Assault set would be a natural fit though I think he's general enough for most things from the sets to match up pretty well. This figure with a helmeted head would make for a good army builder figure. He's a solid action figure from a line with a lot going on for it. I just can't say enough good things about these toys. It's a amazing they're exclusive to the Dollar Tree. There's more heart in these than much more expensive figures.

MSGT. Steadfast

I've talked about Final Faction here before, but not enough. This wonderful little line has become quite popular since launching around Christmas. It's a nice throwback to action figures of old and extremely inexpensive. Being exclusive to the Dollar Tree, each figure/accessory set is only $1 each. That's super hard to beat. The figures are 1:18 scale and have five points of articulation. 

This is MSGT. Steadfast, the leader of Alpha Team.1 (the good guys). Steadfast has seen some action as his cybernetic arm would imply. He's decked out out in olive green riot gear and a removable helmet. The helmet offers a full face shield with goggles and respirator so he doesn't catch covid-19.

Also included with Steadfast is a big gun. You can't deal with an alien invasion by talking. With a gun like that, Steadfast isn't mincing words. I'd recommend the Heavy Arms accessory set to fully outfit this soldier with a ton of firepower. He's the kind of toy you want to just pile a million guns on. Just a kick ass type of guy. Steadfast is the perfect figure to start with in Final Faction. Not only is he the leader of the good guys, but an awesome action figure.

It's The Final Count... Faction

The Dollar Tree is one of my favorite stores to pop into. Between low priced household goods (the excuse for a visit) and random surprises (the reason for a visit) you can find a lot of neat things for not a lot of money.

Seemingly out of nowhere, Dollar Tree dropped their new exclusive sci fi toy line called 'Final Faction' sometime in November. It's pretty great and at a dollar each, it's easy to complete them all.

Alpha Team 1 (the good guys) vs the Kharn (the bad guys with the fate of the Earth left in the balance. The figures are 1:18 scale with five points of articulation (generally) which is a sweet spot for me. 

The highlight of the line so far is the additional accessories sold separately in themed packs. Extra guns, weapon pods, and even flight packs can be attached to the figures for a level of customization I didn't expect.

 

There's more figures on the way and even a vehicle! The sculpting and paint isn't too bad either. I do anticipate some sweet custom work done on these. There's even an animated series on the Dollar Tree's YouTube channel. I've only gave it a quick glance, so I don't have much of an opinion yet. It does appear to be pretty kid friendly, which is what I'd expect. 

It's hard not to like such a fun line with so much variety. Even harder not to like it at the super low price. I really like the colorful packaging and presentation of everything. The figures look familiar while being something new. 2020 has been a crazy year. Who'd ever think a Dollar Tree exclusive toy line would end it with such a mic drop?