For the record I've never listed down my yearly favourite plastic acquisitions since my wife and I started collecting from way back in '99. It was fun reading through other fellow bloggers' favourite toys during December. It was not until my fellow buddy blogger Shaun extended the invitation to do so, did I start thinking that maybe I should list down my faves for 2009, just for kicks. Besides, it'll be fun to see and compare between each other's favourite plastic craze throughout the year. In the beginning of '09, I had this feeble resolution to concentrate more on the 1/6 line and to gradually reduce my obsession with the 6" and the 3.75" (ESPECIALLY the 3.75"s!!!) lines. Being the obvious Star Wars junkie, I had to pull the handbrake towards collecting the prequel/expanded universe action figures and concentrate on those original trilogy (OT) figures first....*sigh*.....wasn't meant to be. I got sidetracked further, I got into collecting those darn GI Joe: The Rise of Cobra 3.75"s action figures too!!! D**n you HASBRO!
Anyway, enough of my rantings. Without any further delay, let's get into my favourite list right away. Kindly note that I haven't bought enough 1/6 figures to flock them inside my list ( I wish I could but I can't for certain economic reasons), so bear with me while I present you my top ten 'memorabilias' for 2009, in ascending order of 'favouriteness' starting with no 10. This may get lenghty but bear with me....heheh:
10) Toy Story (Mattel)
Who doesn't like Toy Story? I mean, what's not to love about the story and its characters? My wife got us Woody, Jessie, Buzz and Emperor Zurg the moment she laid eyes on them. They may seem a bit costly at approx USD15 each, but they're definitely cheaper than Thinkway's versions. I'm hoping for more characters to be produced because the gang wouldn't be complete without Rex, Slinky, Mr Potatohead etc!
9) AT-ST (Hasbro)
I almost kicked myself for missing out on the previous AT-ST released with the Endor pack a couple of years back. I thought I'd never see one ever again. I was proved wrong as Hasbro gave us Star Wars fanboys a new mould for the AT-ST. Yup, I was (and still am) pretty geeked out about this one! Here's to hoping that Hasbro will eventually release a new mould for the AT-AT next!!!
8) Watchmen (DC Direct)
I was already a fan of Alan Moore's masterpiece way before the movie plans were announced. So when I first read that DC Direct were to produce the movie-version characters in their 6" glories, the rest was history. Got 'em on preorder the very next day! These figures fit very well with my collection of JLA (Alex Ross) Justice series action figures. Although some might say that these might as well be considered as mere 'statues' for their serious lack of articulation, they nevertheless look very cool when displayed......and isn't that what matter most for us so-called 'adult' collectors? *shucks*.....heheh...
7) Darth Vader (Sideshow Collectibles)
Another no brainer here. I already have a busload of the earlier Star Wars 1/6 figures from Sideshow, so when the Dark Lord was offered on pre-order it was a natural choice that I had to get him too. He's such an imposing figure, both on screen and in toy form.....he stands at an astounding 14", a clear 2" taller than most 1/6 figures!!! Surprisingly, this figure was brought into the Malaysia in limited quantities and some collectors (who in fact preordered) did not get theirs.
6) Soldier Story's WW2 82nd Ranger/DiD's 101st Airborne Medic
Well, I can't really decide between these two. I'm a sucka' for them WW2 figures and had watched Saving Private Ryan and the HBO's Band of Brothers endlessly till I got myself brainwashed into buying the 1/6 action figures should they ever get made...LOL! These represent among the best of the WW2 military figures released in '09.....the die-cast accessories made it well-worth the price tags alone.
5) GI Joe: The Rise of Cobra 3.75" (Hasbro)
Argghhh....I really tried to resist the temptation...but alas succumbed into collecting the core characters from the movie. By saying that, I meant that I almost completely steered away from the 'non-screen-appearing' characters produced by Hasbro, save for a couple 'must-haves' e.g. the irresistable Crimson Neo Viper figure. What can I say, I love these 3.75" figures!!! They have an insane level of likeness to their real life counterparts.....and that's saying something for a mass market toy line. For the record, I got most of these figures on discounts (some were even 50% off from the original retail price and one was even USD3!) so yeah, am pretty happy I got them! :p
4) Movie Ghostbusters (Mattel)
I knew I couldn't resist to get these Ghostbusters figure when I first heard about them from the previous SDCC. I had the original cartoon toys back in the 80s so naturally I was ecstatic when Mattel announced that they would be producing the action figures (and later for the cartoon series as well!) based on the 2 movies. Sure, matty-collector's website has tonnes of flaws but if you can look beyond that, these are worth every cent you paid for them. There are also the 12" versions of the guys but I've decided that I'd be only collecting the 6" figures. I've already got Egon and Ray thus far, with Winston well on his way to my doorstep soon. Peter's coming next April, so it'll be another good 4 months or so till we can get a complete lineup in our display shelves!
3) Masters of The Universe (MOTU) Classics (Mattel)
Another line from matty-collector that got me all hyped up (apart from the Ghostbusters line). I remembered having a number of figures from the original 80's line but those did not survive the gruelling battles I re-enacted during my childhood. I loved the 1983-85 Filmation cartoon series and my wife is a huge fan of the ensuing 1986 She-ra: Princess of Power series, so naturally we got hooked into collecting this line albeit selectively. We've got only Teela in our hands thus far, with He-Man, Scareglow and Skeletor on their way soon to kickstart our collection. I can't wait for the rest of the characters to be released throughout 2010!
2) MMS DX01 Joker
One of the most anticipated, if not the most, 1/6 action figure for 2009, this one was special to me as I never had the 1st version Joker released way back in 2008. With the new eyeball PERS thingy, even those who already have BOTH the 1st and 2nd (Bank Robber) Joker preordered this! I've only wanted the purple-suit 'iconic-look' Joker and didn't give much hoot about the 'Police Joker'.......thus having sold it through eBay for half of the cost paid for the MMSDX01 boxset....a sweet deal if you ask me (considering that the Police Joker didn't come with a Truetype body!
1) PS3: Slim (SONY)
Ok, ok....I know, some of you might disagree with me. PS3 is not an action-figure per se......but it is a 'toy' by most definition IMHO! This definitely represents the 'ULTIMATE' favourite toy to cap off a wonderful year of acquisitions for both my wife and I. This wonderful machine is truly a must have as it does not only act as a game console, you'd be able to play blue-ray movies on it! Talk about multi-purpose and value for money!
Other notable mention:
Star Wars: Wedge Antilles' X-Wing
This one didn't make it into my Top 10 but it came close at no 11 (or 12). I lost my earlier Dagobah X-Wing which I bought through eBay some months ago (never reached me in Malaysia) and I was adamant in getting one the moment Hasbro releases it. I can't really think of any Star Wars fan who does not want an X-Wing in their collection!!! Along with the Millenium Falcon and the Republic Gunship, this is undoubtedly my favourite Star Wars aircraft ever.
Hot Toys' Wolverine
The ONLY reason this did not make it into my Top 10 was because I agonisingly missed to pick my preordered unit from my toy-pusher in time yesterday. He had some limited 1st batch available in limited quantities (yes, he even got it first before the 'official' Malaysian Hot Toys distributor received theirs) but those were quickly snapped up a mere couple of hours before I arrived to pick mine up. I'm scheduled to get mine during the 1st week of January '10 but I think I'd squeeze it here in the 'notable mention' section as a homage to 'what-could-have-been-mine-in-2009'. LOL!
10) Toy Story (Mattel)
Who doesn't like Toy Story? I mean, what's not to love about the story and its characters? My wife got us Woody, Jessie, Buzz and Emperor Zurg the moment she laid eyes on them. They may seem a bit costly at approx USD15 each, but they're definitely cheaper than Thinkway's versions. I'm hoping for more characters to be produced because the gang wouldn't be complete without Rex, Slinky, Mr Potatohead etc!
9) AT-ST (Hasbro)
I almost kicked myself for missing out on the previous AT-ST released with the Endor pack a couple of years back. I thought I'd never see one ever again. I was proved wrong as Hasbro gave us Star Wars fanboys a new mould for the AT-ST. Yup, I was (and still am) pretty geeked out about this one! Here's to hoping that Hasbro will eventually release a new mould for the AT-AT next!!!
8) Watchmen (DC Direct)
I was already a fan of Alan Moore's masterpiece way before the movie plans were announced. So when I first read that DC Direct were to produce the movie-version characters in their 6" glories, the rest was history. Got 'em on preorder the very next day! These figures fit very well with my collection of JLA (Alex Ross) Justice series action figures. Although some might say that these might as well be considered as mere 'statues' for their serious lack of articulation, they nevertheless look very cool when displayed......and isn't that what matter most for us so-called 'adult' collectors? *shucks*.....heheh...
7) Darth Vader (Sideshow Collectibles)
Another no brainer here. I already have a busload of the earlier Star Wars 1/6 figures from Sideshow, so when the Dark Lord was offered on pre-order it was a natural choice that I had to get him too. He's such an imposing figure, both on screen and in toy form.....he stands at an astounding 14", a clear 2" taller than most 1/6 figures!!! Surprisingly, this figure was brought into the Malaysia in limited quantities and some collectors (who in fact preordered) did not get theirs.
6) Soldier Story's WW2 82nd Ranger/DiD's 101st Airborne Medic
Well, I can't really decide between these two. I'm a sucka' for them WW2 figures and had watched Saving Private Ryan and the HBO's Band of Brothers endlessly till I got myself brainwashed into buying the 1/6 action figures should they ever get made...LOL! These represent among the best of the WW2 military figures released in '09.....the die-cast accessories made it well-worth the price tags alone.
5) GI Joe: The Rise of Cobra 3.75" (Hasbro)
Argghhh....I really tried to resist the temptation...but alas succumbed into collecting the core characters from the movie. By saying that, I meant that I almost completely steered away from the 'non-screen-appearing' characters produced by Hasbro, save for a couple 'must-haves' e.g. the irresistable Crimson Neo Viper figure. What can I say, I love these 3.75" figures!!! They have an insane level of likeness to their real life counterparts.....and that's saying something for a mass market toy line. For the record, I got most of these figures on discounts (some were even 50% off from the original retail price and one was even USD3!) so yeah, am pretty happy I got them! :p
I knew I couldn't resist to get these Ghostbusters figure when I first heard about them from the previous SDCC. I had the original cartoon toys back in the 80s so naturally I was ecstatic when Mattel announced that they would be producing the action figures (and later for the cartoon series as well!) based on the 2 movies. Sure, matty-collector's website has tonnes of flaws but if you can look beyond that, these are worth every cent you paid for them. There are also the 12" versions of the guys but I've decided that I'd be only collecting the 6" figures. I've already got Egon and Ray thus far, with Winston well on his way to my doorstep soon. Peter's coming next April, so it'll be another good 4 months or so till we can get a complete lineup in our display shelves!
3) Masters of The Universe (MOTU) Classics (Mattel)
Another line from matty-collector that got me all hyped up (apart from the Ghostbusters line). I remembered having a number of figures from the original 80's line but those did not survive the gruelling battles I re-enacted during my childhood. I loved the 1983-85 Filmation cartoon series and my wife is a huge fan of the ensuing 1986 She-ra: Princess of Power series, so naturally we got hooked into collecting this line albeit selectively. We've got only Teela in our hands thus far, with He-Man, Scareglow and Skeletor on their way soon to kickstart our collection. I can't wait for the rest of the characters to be released throughout 2010!
One of the most anticipated, if not the most, 1/6 action figure for 2009, this one was special to me as I never had the 1st version Joker released way back in 2008. With the new eyeball PERS thingy, even those who already have BOTH the 1st and 2nd (Bank Robber) Joker preordered this! I've only wanted the purple-suit 'iconic-look' Joker and didn't give much hoot about the 'Police Joker'.......thus having sold it through eBay for half of the cost paid for the MMSDX01 boxset....a sweet deal if you ask me (considering that the Police Joker didn't come with a Truetype body!
1) PS3: Slim (SONY)
Ok, ok....I know, some of you might disagree with me. PS3 is not an action-figure per se......but it is a 'toy' by most definition IMHO! This definitely represents the 'ULTIMATE' favourite toy to cap off a wonderful year of acquisitions for both my wife and I. This wonderful machine is truly a must have as it does not only act as a game console, you'd be able to play blue-ray movies on it! Talk about multi-purpose and value for money!
Other notable mention:
Star Wars: Wedge Antilles' X-Wing
This one didn't make it into my Top 10 but it came close at no 11 (or 12). I lost my earlier Dagobah X-Wing which I bought through eBay some months ago (never reached me in Malaysia) and I was adamant in getting one the moment Hasbro releases it. I can't really think of any Star Wars fan who does not want an X-Wing in their collection!!! Along with the Millenium Falcon and the Republic Gunship, this is undoubtedly my favourite Star Wars aircraft ever.
Hot Toys' Wolverine
The ONLY reason this did not make it into my Top 10 was because I agonisingly missed to pick my preordered unit from my toy-pusher in time yesterday. He had some limited 1st batch available in limited quantities (yes, he even got it first before the 'official' Malaysian Hot Toys distributor received theirs) but those were quickly snapped up a mere couple of hours before I arrived to pick mine up. I'm scheduled to get mine during the 1st week of January '10 but I think I'd squeeze it here in the 'notable mention' section as a homage to 'what-could-have-been-mine-in-2009'. LOL!
Comments
>>>Mental....yup, once u go matty, u're hooked...so stay away bro! Heheh....start ur own list bro....wld be fun!
Aku tak nak komen byk pasal Joker tu sbb takut teracun especially tang mata dia.. Arghhh..
P/s - Later nanti aku listdown kan jugak laa favourite toys for 2009aku.. XD
The Vader! The AT-ST! The Ghostbusters... Wow!!!