Well in the spirit of trying to give you fine folks some new content I thought I’d indulge in the end of the year tradition of ranking. In this instance we’ll dive through my ten favorite figure releases of the year. Why start (and possibly end) with toys? Why not? It’s something I think about a lot throughout the year and especially so near the end of it (something has to entertain me at work somehow). I have a finalized list in my head so why not share it with more than just a few of my friends. Before we begin, I have to set a few rules so that this doesn’t get too crazy or out of hand.
1. It should go without saying but the item has to have been released in 2018.
2. I must own it, have owned it, or have at least handled it in some fashion for it to contend.
3. No heavy modding/customizing. It would be one thing if I had to fix a loose joint on a figure, but to majorly modify or customize it is a completely different thing.
I will also add that while I do own it, I have not yet completed building the Real Grade Sazabi, so I can’t really hold it up for a favorite end of the year viewpoint.
With that said I present (possibly to the boredom of some of you) my top 10 figures of the year.
10. S.H. Figuarts (Shin) Dan Kuroto
*It should be noted that I own the regular or black suited version.*
The easiest way to put this one is pretty simple; Dan Kuroto is a friggen amazing character and is even more amazing to play with in toy form. The previous release for the character (Dangerous Zombie LV 10) was hands down my favorite release last year, so when news broke that Bandai was going to do a civilian form of Dan in SHF form I (and the rest of the fandom) lost our collective minds. Fun fact I originally penciled this in as being my number one of the year and that any configuration of the list would be broken because of it. Why isn’t it number one?
Well a lot of it has to do with the fact that while the toy is good it does have some minor issues. The main and only one on my end being that a lot of the joints just don’t have the range they properly should, especially in the lower section of the figure. From the waist down is just stiff awkward joints, oddly designed legs, and just a lack of some joints in general. It is a shame because everything above the waist moves pretty well, not to mention the likeness to Dan’s actor (Tetsuya Iwanaga) is astounding. It also doesn’t help a whole lot that to get the complete best experience means buying a second more expensive version of the figure (though to be fair it does come with the now infamous pipe).
However even with that said SHF Dan is just plain fun to pose and mess with. I may pose him on my in a (slightly) serious manner, but when I play with him is when the full nutjob comes out and I meme. I meme hard. I may like the remaining nine better but I arguably had the most humorous fun playing with good old game god himself.
9. Robot Damashii Saber Athena
I’ll be perfectly honest; I’m kind of meh when it comes to Pacific Rim. I only made it about halfway through the first film and have not seen Uprising. Yet I’ll gladly admit that the design work put into the films is very creative and nice. So when Bandai announced they would be including the mecha from Uprising into their Robot Damashii line at a MSRP of about $20-$30, I was game. Gypsy Avenger was a great bang for your buck but had quite a few QC issues. Saber Athena though, boy Saber Athena.
Athena sports the same general articulation the other releases have but manages to have more range due to her slimmer body and less QC issues and more streamlined design. She also comes with everything she basically needs which for $30 is a pretty good steal. That said throughout the year the piece would come and go off of my list as more and more releases came out. This begs the question as to why she once again appears and in the final configuration no less? Well I can’t explain how it happened, but at one point I looked at the toy and thought “You know, it kind of looks like an old school anime hard suit.” And that was all I needed to have my imagination spark up again with the figure. From there on out I have used Athena for everything from robot, to hard suited woman warrior, good guy, bad guy, doesn’t matter what the role was I used her.
Look high end toys like this usually tend to serve a single purpose for a single character. But with toy photography there is the freedom to do whatever you want with them and it was that environment with that quote on quote revelation that rekindled my love for the piece. It may not be the best toy of the year, buy Robot Damashii Saber Athena arguably grabbed my attention and creative mind more than a lot of other releases did.
8. S.H. Figuarts Akuma
For those unaware, the S.H. Figuarts line of action figures is flatout my favorite toy line. Only gunpla and Marvel Legends rival it and even then it takes some kick butt releases to do. I got into the line due to Super Sentai and stayed for the ever growing library of Kamen Riders, various animes, Bruce Lee, Star Wars, and many other sub lines. Yet if there is one sub line that I would call my favorite then it would be the Street Fighter line that runs on the Fighting Body mold. It is within this line where my number eight comes in the form of Akuma.
Running on what I suppose you could call the main male mold (Ryu and Ken also run on it) just beefed up to match Akuma’s frame, the figure is just wonderful. Before this I only owned the female figures in the line and while I enjoy every single one of them immensely (Chun Li in particular almost made the top ten last year), Akuma is by far and large the best. The articulation on him is just so friggen fluid and moves as smooth as butter into any pose you want him in. And I mean ANY pose. You can hit all of Akuma’s moveset and then some with the joint design. I will say I am a little saddened that he broke the trend of including an effect piece like the others, but honestly I’m not completely heartbroken over it. I rarely use them when taking photos and with Akuma I have way more fun shooting him as a monstrous king of the beat down.
Really I don’t have any complaints when it comes to the toy. Figuarts Akuma is as far as I am concerned the best release in the line. The only reason Akuma isn’t higher on the list is because we’re about to hit a straight line of all time favorite characters and releases that are just plain and simply a blast. But let it be said that S.H. Figuarts Akuma is no slouch and if it wasn’t for those other releases could have very well been my number one.
7. Power Rangers Legacy Dino Thunder White Ranger
Okay okay hear me out. I know following up a Figuart with a Legacy figure sounds like sacrilege, but I have a good reason. The Power Rangers Legacy line is, well, a line to say the least. I like many could probably write a dissertation on how convoluted, controversial, and all around of a flop the line is from a PR perspective. However…the figures are actually really nice (save for Drakkon). Everything poses really smoothly and has fluidity to the joints to where while they feel loose they aren’t. Honestly the only piece of articulation the figures need is some sort of head tilt and they’d be pretty damn close to perfect (and maybe a bet better of a scale and proportions).
So while the action figures can clearly hold their own in terms of posing, why single out specifically Dino Thunder White? Well because he isn’t Dino Thunder White to men. I strongly disliked the season and is probably my least favorite behind only Mystic Force or SPD (can you tell I didn’t really care for this era to a degree?). No to me, this toy is AbareKiller from my flatout all time favorite Super Sentai Bakuryuu Sentai Abaranger. It also helps that AbareKiller/Mikoto Nakadai is my all time favorite character in the entire history of Sentai. I’ve been waiting for a good one twelfth scale figure of AbareKiller since I started collecting and I couldn’t be happier to finally have one. Yes the Legacy line pretty much flatlined after it released, yes I more than likely won’t be able to complete the team thanks to how Bandai of America released the toys, and yes Hasbro is more than likely going to do a better version in their upcoming Lightning Collection line.
All of that while very valid statements is irrelevant to me. The fact that a sixish inch version of Mikoto exists that possesses very well executed articulation is an amazing thing to me. I will more than likely buy the Lightning Collection version whenever it releases, but until that point this is great and more than enough for me.
6. figma Lively Lillie
When Max Factory announced they obtained the Pokemon license and started releasing figures last year I was pretty hyped. The first release (obviously) was Red and to be honest I wasn’t too impressed with the piece. It wasn’t bad but suffered from some odd design choices. Yet still I was excited to see where the line went. The next release was Selene (the player character for Sun and Moon) and oh my lord was she a joy to mess with. Upon getting my hands on her I instantly declared her one of my favorite toys of the year as well as being my second favorite figma release (the first gong to Kyo Kusanagi). She would’ve stuck it out too if Lillie wasn’t released.
Lillie runs on the same base body as Selene and features the usual changes to fit her appearance. As such she poses like a dream with the ability to hit all of the various Z poses and then anything else you can dream up. Her accessories are on point save for the backpack which is just a mess to put on. However what really shoots her into the top ten is her character. Lillie is easily my favorite character in any of the Pokemon games and, in even more honesty, ANYTHING Pokemon. The journey you go on with her in Sun and Moon was something fantastic to experience as I hadn’t had that kind of experience with a new game in a very long time and it wasn’t expecting it to come from a Pokemon game. Sun and Moon’s gameplay was a very welcome shakeup as well but man oh man did that story deliver, Lillie helping that fact even more so.
From the time she announced I simply knew Lillie would bump Selene off the list, take her spot, and possibly advance farther. In the end she moved back one spot but only by a hair. There hasn’t been any new figma Pokemon releases announced since her release and I hope they keep coming because if they carry this same quality then figma may start taking over these lists more and more.
5. Marvel Legends Wolverine (Apocalypse Build A Figure wave)
I’m going to level with you folks; I had no intention of buying this thing. I saw it when it first got revealed, thought it was cool, and decided to pass on it. My series VI Toybiz Wolverine was more than enough for me and I was going to keep it as my Logan representation (at least when he is in costume) until it would break. But as the year went on something kept calling out to me with the figure. The nostalgia factor definitely played a part since, like many of you probably; I grew up with the 90s animated X-Men series. However even then I never gave in to that voice. When I started seeing the figure almost everywhere (yeah apparently we in Ohio can occasionally get overstock on a figure people want) I didn’t cave. So what in the name of Godzilla made me crack?
Well simply put it was the costume. But it wasn’t because of the animated series or any attachment I would have to the Jim Lee era (I have actually never read a single issue of Jim’s run on the book). No, it was because the tiger striped suit is Wolverine’s suit in Astonishing X-Men. Why does that matter? Because Astonishing X-Men is my favorite run of the series and favorite thing X-Men. The figure may not be the exact suit, but I couldn’t deny that if it wasn’t for the popularity of that suit in the 90s the Astonishing variant may not have happened. So I caved and bought the figure, hell I even sold my series six. And wouldn’t you know it this one kicks serious butt. Amazing articulation (although the head could’ve used more range when moving up), great detail, not terrible claws, it pretty much had it all save for maybe an extra head.
Really this is something I wouldn’t have bought if that nagging little voice wouldn’t have piped down and made me come to that realization I mentioned in the above paragraph. I don’t have much other than holy shit; this is just a plain awesome Wolverine Legends that won me over despite my stubbornness.
4. S.H. Figuarts Kamen Rider Lazer Turbo LV 0
While Street Fighter may be my favorite SHF line, it isn’t easy to take down the bread and butter of the line; Kamen Riders. Doesn’t help either when Kamen Rider is a major love of mine and one of the staples of my collecting ways. Throw in the fact that this release comes from one of my favorite entries in the franchise (Kamen Rider Ex-Aid) and it was inevitable that Kiriya here would pop up at some point.
Simple part first; Kiriya is my favorite character in Ex-Aid and one of my favorite all time characters in Kamen Rider period. Adding to this is the fact that he runs on the Ex-Aid mold which, while not the best the line has produced is still a great mold. Plus with the Lazer Turbo form being a very simple and streamlined design, the figure packs a wallop in the articulation department and hits all of Lazer’s poses magnificently. Accessories? All accounted for. Detail? I know some people throughout the line have had issues with the eyes not being super vibrant but I really don’t mind it. Yes I know, I’m providing a lot of simple answers here as to why, but really I can’t help it. The figure is that pure and simply great and especially so to me.
Really simplicity is almost the key word here. In a series from a franchise that can put out some very flashy designs, Lazer Turbo is just a great straight forward one. Yes he has a giant head on his back and an elongated snout. But that just comes with his particular series. Nice, clean, simple, effective (by Calvin Klein), S.H. Figuarts Kamen Rider Lazer Turbo is a fantastic representation of a favorite character of mine.
3. Marvel Legends Omega Red
I feel like this guy right here is just a great showcase of how toys can be fun with no context given in terms of character. Before owning this figure I had no idea who Omega Red was. I just saw a big guy dressed in kabuki like makeup that had cybernetic tendrils as weapons and thought “shit that’s dope.” Then I found out he was a Russian assassin/operative and went “I love him even more now!” And then I got the piece in hand and, well, here we are.
Omega Red hit the ground running since Hasbro gave him a buck which takes my favorite Marvel Legends mold and then beefs it up (though sadly ditches the calf swivel). What this means is that for his size Omega Red can pull off a ton of dynamic poses. Plus he comes with kick ass tendrils. Now I’ll admit that a bendable wire would have been sweet, but I feel like here (unlike with Doc Ock) it isn’t completely needed. Each of the four (yes you get four of these bad boys) tendrils are in different shapes and sizes and are pre posed enough to allow for freedom in how you use them. One could be a shank, one could be a noose, a battering ram, and the list goes on. The freedom they allow combined with the poseability means you get a lot of fun factor when you play with Red.
Once again for those who didn’t hear it previously, fun is a major part of playing with toys. If it isn’t fun then it isn’t doing a good job. Omega Red however is fan f’n tastic in this regard. Not a day goes by where I don’t look at him and start thinking of what all I could do with him or how to use the tendrils or anything else associated with messing with him. When an action figure can spark your imagination like that, especially when you don’t really know the character it is based on then you have the mark of a great toy and experience.
2. HG Build Divers Leo NPD
Finally the gunpla appears. Not a year goes by where at least one kit makes it on to the list. That being said I didn’t really buy a lot of new release kits this year because I didn’t have as much free time to build them (work, planning and having a wedding and then married life, the works). As such I was left with a narrowed field of kits that I bought because I knew I would either love them or because I knew they were of top quality. It wasn’t too hard thought to pick out my choice though, that being the HG Build Divers Leo NPD.
I was intrigued with this thing from the get go. I’m not really a fan of the design of the Leo, but with the kit featuring three alternate heads that are quite a deviation from the usual Leo design I didn’t have to think of it as a normal Leo too much. That part too is important. Build Fighters/Divers for including numerous goodies as extras and this one is no slouch. Three unique heads with the ability to switch out the mono eye colors can lead to a strong desire to army build, which I have. Adding to this is some top notch articulation. Now I will say that to get the best out of the joints you do need to tighten them up with some clear nail polish. Once you do that though you’re set.
That small tiny setback aside though, the Leo NPD is a fantastic model kit that lends itself perfectly to the endless customizing theme of both Build Fighters and Build Divers, something which the more simple kits in those lines thrive on in my opinion and boy does this one do that. I still only have one but I for sure plan on buying quite a few more for a nice little army (it helps a lot that the kit is dirt cheap). Say what you want about throwing away money but when a toy is so good you want to army build it then they have to do something right, and the Leo NPD does everything right to me.
Before we get to number one I just wanted to run down a few quick honorable mentions. These three were on the list multiple times in various fashions throughout the year, they only did it make it for the reasons I stated with each of the previous nine. Those three releases being;
S.H. Figuarts Master Roshi
RKF (Rider Kicks Figures) Kamen Rider Build line (yes, all of them)
Marvel Legends Carnage
Now then here we are, at the finale. So without further ado…
1. Bandai Figure-Rise Standard Ultraman (Type B)
I cannot really say how we got here. This was such a random “why the hell not” purchase months back that I was not expecting to deliver what it did. In a million years I would not have expected it to not only make a top ten, but make it to the number one spot. This thing is going/went against all time favorite characters and things that just scream great to perfect toy experience. Sure I like the comic this design of Ultraman comes from, and yes I am anticipating the upcoming anime adaptation, but I still would not have penned this down for the list. Why the bloody hell is this thing my favorite toy of the year?
Well to be frank it has to do with how toyetic Ultraman is. Like with gunpla there is the added joy of being able to build up your own action figure. However this being very different construction wise from most of the models I build (the only other Figure-Rise I have built is Kid Buu) meant it was new ground in terms of the construction process. But the real just plain bliss of this release comes from posing him around. The kit does have a few limitations (a better thigh swivel is certainly something I wish I had and there is some hindrance in the neck, but I can accept that due to the LED unit) but generally moves how you’ll want it too. Even with it those hindered parts it does kind of lend itself to a degree to how the suit more than likely would constrain the user. And when you pose Ultraman around you just start to notice all these nicely packed details the kit has and once you throw in the bevy of accessories this thing is packed with, just, man.
Really I find myself speechless when it comes to this release. Yes it has some issues (the most major being some rather bad undergating), but I can’t help but overlook them due to how much right the rest of the figure does. I know I provided pretty clear cut reasons for the other nine items on this list, however when it comes to the Figure-Rise Standard Ultraman you just have to take my word for it. This thing is so good I urge everybody to grab a copy if they can and who knows, you might just have the same earthreal experience I did with it.
Another year and another crapton of money spent and here we are at the New Year. 2019 looks like a beast for my wallet and fun already just based on how many pre-orders I already have. I hope 2018 was a great year for all of you period, toys or no toys, and I hope 2019 is a kind and amazing year as well. If you want to feel free to share your top whatever toys down below in the comments and I’ll catch you all next time.
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