HAPPY NEW YEAR! It's the The Rebel Page’s BEST OF 2015!


It’s that time of the year again. I’d love to read what others have on their lists especially from that certain ‘Captain Toy’ when he finishes counting his ‘Poppies’ nominations and votes early next year.  I’ve already seen some blogs coming out with their own ‘best of’ lists in recent days and it’s only fitting if I can get mine out before I catch the new year firework tomorrow night. It’s great to know that different things brings different excitement to different people so with this in mind, no two lists should be identical to one another really. To each his own they say, eh?!

Since I’m really into my ‘really-need-a-break-at-the-end-of-the-year’ mood, I thought of keeping it real simple this time around i.e. less wordy than usual. There are only two (2) categories this year i.e. action figures & movies. It has been a rather busy year for me and family but there had been opportunities in between to snug that action figures we’ve always wanted or to watch those movies we’ve always wanted to watch since their respective trailers first came out.

Without further ado....

BEST Action figures/pop culture collectibles

Having pulled the handbrake from collecting MOTU Classics and totally avoided 1/6 action figures, I ventured into many other stuff this year hence my list is more diverse this time around. I like it!


NECA Planet of The Apes Classic Series 1

1)        NECA Planet of The Apes Classics - Even though these came out in Nov ’14 in some parts of the world, I only got my hands on them in Jan ’15. Real top notch craftsmanship by them NECA folks and killer likeness on the action figures. Sad to know that NECA had cancelled the line prematurely due to some unforeseen reasons (I’ll never get my Caesar figure from Series 3!!!)



2)        The Simpsons LEGO Minifigure Series 2 – I loved Series 1 and have been left wondering if LEGO was indeed keeping true to its promise of continuing the line to beyond Series 1. LEGO can’t possibly stop at Series 1, there were just too many characters from the Springfield alumni to be produced before they can call it a day with The Simpsons. Great reproduction of them Springfield folks in LEGO minifigure form and they come with heaps of accessories too.


Kylo 'StyloMylo' Ren

3)        Star Wars 6” Black Series – What can I say? This line has got me on my knees for the past couple of years. The line had its hits and misses too but fortunately for us collectors, many of those were ‘hits’. Malaysian collectors such as yours truly, face the daunting task of beating scalpers to these action figures at retail due to Hasbro’s inefficient distribution strategy. The arrival of the 6” The Force Awakens action figures further spurred many collectors to join in the collecting bandwagon (even turned some non-collector buddies of mine into ‘collectors’!) thus inevitably making it even harder to get some of the characters....*cough* Captain Phasma *cough*


MP-10 Convoy 2015 Re-issue

4)        MP-10 Convoy 2015 Re-release – I didn’t get to buy this when it was first released many years ago in 2011 or 2012 simply because of the high price point. Even when it was released under Hasbro’s banner. I steered clear of it because I’ve always thought that the Hasbro version didn’t exactly scream ‘correct colour scheme’. Re-release of the MP-10 in July ’15 however comes at a much lower price thus enabling many to finally grab him (like yours truly). This is an excellent/faithful on-screen reproduction of the beloved Autobot Leader, how can you NOT HAVE/WANT this already?!


NECA Aliens Series 4

5)        NECA Aliens series 4 and 5 – NECA has been on a roll this year with many of their offering  deemed too good to be true. One of the highlight for me has got to be their Aliens series. Collectors have been getting top notch (countless) xenomorph alien figures from NECA for years now and it’s about bl**dy time that we get some humans for the series. Glad they finally got Sigourney Weaver’s approval to produce Ellen Ripley’s action figures.


Marvel Legends - Hulkbuster wave

6)        Marvel Legends Hulkbuster wave & BAF Hulkbuster – Strong character choices and a great Build-A-Figure (BAF) choice makes this wave a must for any Marvel Legends fans. Oh and they even have that superb Dr Strange in his modern garb. ‘Nuff said.

Star Wars - The Force Awakens' 3.75" Rey with Speeder set

7)        Star Wars 3.75” scale Rey’s speeder – This was the vehicle that got me hooked from watching the first ever TFA trailer many months ago. I love the design of the speeder and I get truly excited when I see new vehicles from new Star Wars movies. Love the simplicity of the speeder.

LG-14 Ultra Magnus leader class

8)        Transformers Generations Leader Class LG-14 Ultra Magnus – I wasn’t keen to get the Masterpiece version of Ultra Magnus and I had known months beforehand that a Leader Class version was coming in the Generations line. Great design and colour scheme makes this a must in any G1 Transformers fan collection.

Mystery Machine LEGO

9)        LEGO Scooby Doo Mystery Machine set – My wife and son had been eyeing sets from the Scooby Doo LEGO sets the moment they laid eyes on them. There were thoughts of getting the expensive ‘mansion’ set just to get Velma and Daphne but we quickly scrapped the idea. Getting the iconic Mystery Machine is just as sweet for now. The fact that this set sold out in a matter of days at most retailers is a testament to its undeniable popularity.



10)        NECA 7” Christopher Reeve Superman – Technically I still have mine still held by a buddy of mine in the States. I’d probably get it sent to me in Malaysia after the long holidays. But from what I’ve seen from those who already have this figure in hand, this is a serious contender for the 7” action figure of the year apart from the accompanying 7” Heath Ledger Joker that NECA produced. I can’t wait to have mine standing on my display shelf.

Honorable mention

McFarlane’s 5” The Walking Dead line – a consistent favourite of mine since McFarlane started the series a couple of years ago.

Marvel Legends Hobgoblin wave & BAF Hobgoblin – Pizza Spidey and Spidey 2099 is in this wave! Oh and not to forget that mean looking Hobgoblin BAF.

Transformers Generations Combiners – Aerialbots/Superion & Stunticons/Menasor – Two giant combiner bots pitting against each other in some of the most memorable Transformers G1 cartoon episodes ever.....and they’re finally here in my collection!

Toyworld Hegemon TW-01B – Just like the MP-10 (Masterpiece Convoy/Optimus Prime), this was another highly anticipated re-release in my books. I had always wanted a ‘Megatron’ to look in-scale with my Faith Leader (3rd party Optimus Prime) figure.

Star Wars The Force Awakens: 3.75” scale First Order TIE Fighter – I am not surprised at all to find myself liking the TIE Fighter more than the X-Wing this time around. Despite its glaring scale issue, Hasbro made up for it by giving us quite a commendable piece of toy. That black-red-grey colour scheme....wow!


BEST Movies


1)        Star Wars The Force Awakens – Need I even say more? THE most anticipated movie of the decade (maybe ‘decades’ for die-hard fans of the Original Trilogy!). I’ve went on to watched this several times with my family. Experiencing a new Star Wars movie at the cinemas many a times is simply breathtaking!

2)        Jurassic World – This is another favourite of mine and my better half. Our son came to love this movie too, so much so that this blu-ray is a constant play at our home every other day. I’m guessing the same will happen once The Force Awakens blu-ray arrives next year.

3)        Ant-Man – I really really liked this movie far better than Avengers 2: Age of Ultron. I think it just proved that sometimes less is better. Ant-Man didn’t have all the fancy CGIs and extravagant effects like AoU had. It just relied on a couple of very good acting by very good actors, considerably minimal effects and lots of humour throughout the movie. And that’s all it needed!

Honorable mention

The Good Dinosaur – I loved this. My wife loved this. My son ABSOLUTELY loved this. ‘Nuff said.

Disappointed in Avengers: Age of Ultron, Spectre....haven’t watched Peanuts, Hateful Eight, Mad Max, The Martian, MI: Rogue Nation (I know, right?!!!).

How about that? I’d love to read your lists next dear friends/fellow geek bloggers....Excelsior!

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