Top 5 toys of 2016

Well, that time of year again, and I might as well go through a top 5.  Looking at last year’s post, I also listed what toys I picked up.  Well here we go again!

Nendoroid Kirby	Freddy Mercury
Figma Racing Miku 2016 Race GT	Figuarts Captain America Cv War Ver
Legends (Mind) Wipe	Figuarts Zenigata Keibu
Legends Highbrow	Figuarts Daisuke Jigen
Chogokin Voltron	Figuarts Mina Fujiko
Legends Fortress Maximus	Figuarts Lupin III
Combiners Wars Dragstrip	Masterpiece Beast Convoy (Optimus Primal)
Legends Skull(cruncher)	Masterpiece Hot Rod
TAV Bisk	Unite Warriors Bruticus
TAV Windblade	Legends Shockwave & Cancer
TAV Scorponok	Legends Wheelie & Go Shuta
TAV Runabout	Legends Blurr
Unite Warriors Menasor	Legends Hardhead
Legends Galvatron	Legends Weirdwolf
Combiner Wars Deadend	Legends Scourge
Legends Chromedome	Legends Ginrai
Condor and Apeface	Figuarts Freddy Mercury

Quite heavily Transformers weighted this year and about the same amount as last year. 
It’s been a good year, but since the Transformers line is moving along with the Titans Returns headmasters line and seems to be doing so nothing all that super exciting that has me champing at the bit.  Although, I am feeling a bit of burnout and will look forward to the Transformers movie and obvious run of ugly toys with which I can easily skip.





This year was pretty hard for me to pick a winner.  While I still have my Miku and Figuarts Zero on my desk, I haven’t played with either that much this year.  So on to the list, starting with honourable mentions.



Honourable mentions go to Figuarts Zenigata.  Figuarts is a great, but pricey line of toys and their run with Lupin III characters was the first time I’ve seen a decent Inspector Zenigata action figure.  Crazy to think I really got into this line with the likes of Captain America and Buffalo man.  Shame Zenigata and Jigen were Tamashii Web exclusives, making them a pain for others to get, but hey, I got one and that’s what matters!

Number 5

This one has to go to the Legends (Titans Returns) Headmaster figures.  I feel bad picking just one, as I overall like all of them, and comparing the likes of Shockwave (from another line) to the likes of Weirdwolf seems a bit unfair and even despite his kind of crappy city mode, Fortress Maximus’ head robot, Fortress is really nice and overall the figure is fun, if flawed.  However the real fun has been found in the little head guys.  Man, I just can’t get enough of these little buggers, even buying the craptacular Condor (lasebeak) so I can get my hands on Apeface.

Plus translating the comics has been fun.

Number 4

Nendoroid Kirby.

From the time I popped him from his box and felt him up, I liked this toy.  The magnets work great and he’s just a fun dude!  I still play with this guy on and off in my spare time.  And I see that he was in my "looking forward to" list of toys from last year too. EXCELLENT!

Number 3.

Masterpiece #28 Hot Rodimus.

A very nice toy, made all that nicer in that  while I thought I would buy him, he struck me as a little expensive and so didn't get him at release.  After a bit of harassment from a friend, I eventually found one at a price I liked and grabbed it and I’m glad I did.  He is really nice. A Good size with all the other Masterpiece toys, awesome looking car mode, movie reminiscent transformation that is fun and easy (unlike a certain other MP Hot Rod I can think of) and he’s really damn poseable.  Plus he comes with a fishing rod accessory!  A FISHING ROD!

Number 2

Masterpiece Convoy from Beast Wars.

This guy looked good in the pictures, but I was skeptical. I was super close to cancelling this guy but hung it out and dayum, I’m glad I did because it’s like he just jumped out of my TV!  I can hear Garry Chalk’s voice coming from this guy when I look at him, it’s amazing.  Add to that the fact that before I got him, I was resigned to him spending ALL his time in robot mode.  I don’t care for organic looking beast modes.  I didn’t really like BW designs until the Transmetals came along, but this guy, the gorilla just looks so damn show accurate, it’s hard to not love it and I’m constantly flipping him between modes.

He also has a delightfully compact battery storage option for the robot eyes and the way they light up is fantastic, multiple faces for both robot AND gorilla mode.  Man, this guy is WONDERFUL.

Dare I say it, a true MASTERPIECE!

Finally, the big one. 

Is a big one.

Number One 

Scraping in with a 29th of December arrival, I kind of feel bad for including him as he’s fresh in my mind.

However he is also gloriously AWESOME.  The figure I thought I would never see arrive and despite funky angled promotion photos making me a bit dubious, the actual toys itself is wonderful.  While I thought King of Beast would be the best we'd ever get, it is surpassed by this bad boy.  It’s just wonderful from the weight, to shiny look, great articulation on both individual lions and Voltron, as well as the fantastic amount of weapons he has to use.  Sure, it’s pricey, but worth every yenny!

Is it slightly unfair comparing a 30,000 yen toy to a bunch of at the most 8,000 yen toys? Maybe, but 5 x lions at 6000 yen each equals the same (ahem…  approximately).  Ha ha ha, perhaps not,  but still  I love this guy and he’s beautiful!

For the future, what am I looking forward to?

Hrm, that is indeed a tricky one, especially considering my aforementioned possibility of burn out. I seem to be on a serious Headmaster vibe at the moment, so I’d really like to see Takara's take on Broadside and some of the other TR figures that have shown up.

Masterpiece Megatron looks very nice and to go with Kirby, I am looking forward to the Nendoroid Black Knight Character.  Aside from that, I’m not sure…  I just enjoy having a look at the new Headmaster figures and picking and choosing from them.  Some of them I’m not all that interested in, but would like the comics so I can continue with the translating, a little side project I’ve been quite enjoying since I started.

Anyway, here’s to another year of fun toy action!