10. Dax from "Trials and Tribble-ations" (Star Trek)

"Trials and Tribble-ations" was one of the most original and technically innovative Star Trek episodes in recent memory, as we saw the Deep Space Nine crew journey back in time to prevent a Klingon spy from assassinating Captain Kirk and altering history. One of the biggest treats of this episode was seeing the Deep Space Nine crew in classic original series uniforms, and of the DS9 crew, none looked better than Dax, with a 60s beehive haircut and a classic red miniskirted uniform. This figure, with its dead-on likeness to Terry Farrell, is a worthy addition to any action figure collection and is our pick for number ten.

9. Grand Moff Tarkin (Star Wars: The Power of the Force)

While the Star Wars line has included some of the most obscure characters to flit across the silver screen for a second or three of screen time (Who exactly is Dengar? Or Weequay?). But as the pegs filled up with figures of nondescript characters, there was one truly glaring omission: The big baddie of the first movie, Grand Moff Tarkin, was nowhere to be found. It took twenty years for Kenner to render Tarkin in plastic, and the figure was well worth the weight. So that makes Kenner's long overdue Tarkin figure number nine on our list.

8. The Gorn Captain (Star Trek)

Thirty years after his only appearance on the original Star Trek, people still remember the Gorn Captain from the episode "Arena". And with good reason: he was a giant green lizard-man who beat the stuffing out of Captain Kirk. But Captain Kirk, swell guy that he is, refused to kill the Gorn Captain. Remember when Star Trek would show you how morally enlightened the characters were, instead of just tell you? But we digress. The Gorn Captain was a cool character on TV, and he's a cool action figure in plastic, and that makes him number eight on out list.

7. Green Arrow (Total Justice)

Kenner may have cancelled the Total Justice line, shortsighted fools that they are, but before they did so they released one final wave of figures. That wave included this terrific figure of the new Green Arrow. This is one of the best archer figures we've seen in a while, from the great posed sculpting to the bright green and tan color scheme to the mask that actually looks like cloth. Put all of these factors together and you've got the number seven figure of 1997.

6. Daredevil (Spider-Man: Web Force)

For years, Daredevil has been a mainstay of the Marvel Universe, but he hasn't had his own action figure since the beginning of the decade. Toy Biz finally rectified that situation this year with this super-poseable, super-red, super-cool figure of the Man Without Fear! Everything about this figure is perfect, from the pumped-up sculpting to the clenched boxer fists. He's a perfect complement to the super-poseable Spider-Man from a few years back, and he's also our pick for number six on our list.

5. Harley Quinn (The Adventures of Batman and Robin)

Ah, Harley...it only took Kenner five years to make a figure of the Joker's main squeeze and assistant, and, as was the case with Tarkin, it was worth the wait! Harley looks just as lovably insane and goofy as she looks on the cartoon and she makes any animated villains collection look complete (as least as complete as it can be without a Lock-Up figure...but we digress. Again.). So Harley Quinn gets our vote for the number five figure of 1997.

4. Beta Ray Bill (Silver Surfer)

Beta Ray Bill is a giant orange horse-faced alien version of Thor with gold chrome boots, hammer, and epaulets. How could you not love this figure? It's got a giant hammer, wrist articulation for the maximum possible coolness in displaying said hammer, and a giant freaking cape! Beta Ray Bill gets out vote as the coolest Toy Biz figure of the year, and ranks number four on our list.

3. Leia as Jabba's Prisoner (Star Wars: The Power of the Force)

Yet another Kenner figure that fans have been requesting for years! And with good reason; Leia in her golden bikini shaped the mind of many a young boy when Return of the Jedi premiered in 1983. And this figure captures the likeness and essence of Leia better than any of the previous Leia figures Kenner has. All right, that may be overstating things, but at least she doesn't look like a monkey. And any Leia that doesn't look like a monkey is tops in our book...and number three on our list of 1997's best figures.

2. Han Solo in Bespin Fatigues (Star Wars: The Power of the Force)

Han Solo is, of course, the coolest character in the Star Wars trilogy. And Empire Strikes Back is the coolest film in the Star Wars trilogy. Logically, then, Han Solo as he appeared in The Empire Strikes Back is the coolest Star Wars action figure that could possibly be created. And that's what this figure is. From the forceful yet restrained stance to the spot-on detailed sculpting of the jacket, this figure looks like the character who rescued Leia from Hoth, outran an Imperial fleet, managed to fire on Darth Vader, and kept his cool even as he was being frozen in carbonite. Han Solo is way cool, and this figure is number two on our list of 1997's top figures.

1. The Huntress (Total Justice)

Ah, the Huntress! Perhaps no other figure better or more tragically demonstrates the potential the Total Justice line never had a chance to tap. The sole female figure in the line, the Huntress has a terrific stance, one that makes her look cool and unflappable in the face of evil. And the blue-and-purple color scheme makes her look mysterious without crossing the line into grim-and-gritty. The Huntress isn't grim, she's just going to kick evil butt wherever it rears its ugly head. Han Solo may be way cool, but the Huntress could give him a run for his money. Though we're not sure if she could make the Kessell Run in twelve parsecs. Still and all, we've picked the Huntress as the number one action figure of 1997!

That's it for our picks. Of course, everyone has their own top ten list, and yours probably doesn't correlate exactly to ours. Whichever way you slice it, 1997 was a great year for toys, and we'll be waiting along with you to see what goodies 1998 will bring!

previous toy time

Toy Time, Dec. 26, 1997
Toy Time for Dec. 19, 1997
Toy Time, Dec. 12, 1997
Toy Time, Dec. 5, 1997
Toy Time, Nov. 26, 1997	A look at the newest toys from McFarlane and upcoming Witchblade figures, and praise for Daredevil.
Toy Time, Nov. 21, 1997	A look at the newest high-end and large-scale Trek products from Playmates.
Toy Time, Nov. 14, 1997	Reviews of Avengers figures and the Batman movie figures collection.
Toy Time, Nov. 7, 1997
Toy Time, Oct. 31, 1997
Toy Time, Oct. 24, 1997
Toy Time, Oct. 17, 1997
Toy Time, Oct. 10, 1997
Toy Time for Oct. 3, 1997
Toy Time, Sept. 26, 1997	Micro Machines! Micro Star Trek! All things Micro!
Toy Time, Sept. 19, 1997	All the toys that are fit to play with. And KISS action figures, too.
Toy Time for Sept. 12, 1997
Toy Time, Aug. 29, 1997	Three new Marvel assortments head up this week's Toy Time.
Toy Time, Aug. 15, 1997	The Klingon weapon with the spring-loaded tangs is just one of the new Star Trek hand-action toys.
Toy Time, Aug. 8, 1997	We take a look at some higher end collectibles this week. But hey, we can dream can't we? Legend in 3-D are putting out some of the coolest statues around. They've also got all of the hottest licenses out right now including Babylon 5, Star Trek and Star Wars. Catch a glimpse here. Plus take a gander at the Al Simmons exclusive figure from the San Diego Comic Com.
Toy Time, Aug. 1, 1997	What's Toy Biz up to?
Toy Time, July 25, 1997	New toys unveiled at the San Diego Comic Convention!
Toy Time, July 18, 1997
Toy Time, July 11, 1997	A look at the hot toys hitting shelves now!
Toy Time, July 4, 1997	Turok: Dinosaur Hunter toys
Toy Time, June 27, 1997	What toys through yonder window breaks?
Toy Time, June 13, 1997
Toy Time, June 6, 1997
Toy Time, May 30, 1997	The Men in Black are hereand MANIA's got 'em. Plus: Star Wars Exclusives and a new Limited Trek figure!
Toy Time, May 23, 1997	They're addictive, demanding and really strange looking. They're children! Get yours today... or try easing into the water with electronic pets such as Tamagotchi.
Toy Time, May 16, 1997	Irwin offers internet ReBoot action figure deal. We've also got pictures of the latest Applause Marvel release.
Toy Time, May 9, 1997	shelves.
Toy Time, May 2, 1997	Galoob makes a stab at the licence for the new Star Wars Trilogy. Full Moon launches toy line. The Men in Black line prepares to invade the toy stores.