Your 2008 Best Of....

[Saint553]

No rules, no qualifications. Just say what you think was the best and maybe even the worst you've seen in 2008:

Best Overall Line: DCUC
Runner-Up: NECA TMNT, Marvel Legends, Movie Masters
Comments: DCUC took it because of the sheer variety of figures they've been able to put out. I lucked out and only had one or two QC issues with broken joints. DCUC3 has been my favorite series to ever come out, they've put out some incredible BAFs, some awesome exclusives, and have released versions of my favorite characters that I actually want. TMNT would have won but I only went after the 4 turtles, but even though it was only those 4, it still was incredibly close to DCUC. ML and MM are far behind in 3rd and 4th.

Best Company: Hasbro
Argh! It pains me to choose Hasbro. It really does. But they have such an iron grip on the toy aisle is ridiculous. But, they are consistent (even if at times they are consistently bad), can pump their stuff out, and have shown great improvements in some areas.

Best Overall Series: TMNT & DCUC3
Runner Up: Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, ML Ares Wave
Comments: I had to put this one to a tie. TMNT was a line that was my obsession over the summer. I had some breakage issues and had some trouble getting a figure or two, which only made me want it more. DCUC3 just put out some of my most wanted characters in really awesome versions. IJ ToD would have been better for me if it was easier to find. Ares wave would have taken the title if it had a BAF that wasn't so disappointing split into so many pieces.

Best Overall Figure: NECA TMNT Raph
Runners Up: Grundy, Ronin, Deathstroke, Robin, Nightwing, Sinestro (Sinestro Corp variant), GI Joe Matt Trakker, Indiana Jones Mola Ram, Indiana Jones ToD Indy, SDCC Exclusive Hellboy, Stealth Attack Iron Man
Comments: This can go to any of the four turtles, but I picked Raph because I feel like his attitude was just captured really well. NECA went out of their way creating some fantastic articulation on the four turtles. They are absolutely incredibe. The sculpting is fantastic, they can hit amazing poses despite their shells, they can actually hold their weapons, and had fantastic accessories. Despite some of the issues they had (paint, breakage, availability), they win as one figure.


Best BAF:
Tie: Red Hulk and Solomon Grundy
Comment: I didn't get many BAFs this past year. Red Hulk is a template that needs to be used for any Hulk in the future. Grundy is just a hulking, well painted, well sculpted, well articulated figure that was part of an awesome series.


Best 6" Figure:
I'm splitting this category up:
Best overall: King Hulk
Comment: I wish that an amazing standard hulk could be made to this size and quality. He's big, he's mean looking, and I'm proud to have this figure.

Best Marvel Figure: Ronin
Runners Up: Crossbones, Black Spider-Man, Black Costume Wolverine, Nick Fury, King Hulk
Comment: Ninjas are awesome. Ninjas based on a character that I like, with nunchuks (which I'm currently learning how to use in my tae kwon do class), with a swappable head in a 2-pack with an excellent female figure, and is very poseable and can hold it's weapons are even more awesome.

Best DC Figure: Wonder Woman
Runners up: Nightwing, Deathstroke, Robin, Lobo
Comment: WW is the best female figure ever made, period, end of story. I don't care if you have a sword, gun, staff, hook-chain, and a modern awesome costume. You win when you look like this.

Best Figure From any other Company: NECA TMNT Raph
Comment: See best overall figure.

Best of The Good and The Bad:
Best Villain: Sinestro Corp Sinestro
Best Hero: Nightwing

Best 4"(ish):
Best Line: WWE Build 'n Brawlers
Comment: I initially said GI Joe, but after further thinking, I decided the WWE Build 'n Brawlers is actually far better. I still am impressed with a lot of the great sculpts and character variety in this line. While the actual rings you build are tiny, you can build entire sets with these figures. It's like having a piece to build the GI Joe base with every GI Joe figure. These WWE figures have a piece to create the environment they are actually in regularly, which is something many figures just cannot say. And, they take up little space. So, this is the BEST 4" line out there.

Best non-movie based Figure: GI Joe Matt Trakker
Comment: Such a treat to see this figure. MASK was awesome. This figure is just nostalgia trip. Too bad we won't get anything more from Mask. But so far this is the best figure I've seen and have gotten out of the GI Joe line.

Best Series: Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
Barely released to stores, this was (and even the Hasbro guys said so) the best work they'd done in the entire line. It truly is their best work. the series had key characters from the movie, an iconic version of Indy, I knew I had to get Shortround, and Mola Ram comes with a flaming heart. Awesome. Better than any Star Wars or GI Joe series to come out.

Best Movie Figure: SDCC Exclusive Hellboy
Although I haven't gotten it yet, it is hands down the best 4" figure I've seen. Best sculpting, paint, and articulation. Beats the pants off of any other figure out there.

THE WORST:

Worst Overall Figure: Marion Ravenwood
ARGH! The IJ line had so much potential. It really did. But it was canceled and we were left with this version of this character. I saw the proto for the other version, the Well of Souls version, which is the costume she wears during the key scenes in the movie. This figure is just ugly, so much that I've heard it being referred to as the new Monkey Leia. At least she has a frying pan.

Worst DC figure: DCUC Penguin
Comment: Why in the world do we need a "super-poseable" penguin? Such a waste. His body can't even be used for anything else useful.

Worst ML figure: Adam Warlock
Comment: It pained me to buy this figure out of any figure. At least Marion from the IJ line had a relic that I wanted. And a frying pan. I just think he looks like crap. I think I remember there being a 5" toybiz version that was better than this ML version. And I had to pay $15 for it, only to find it a few weeks later after Target lowered their prices. GRRR.


Worst 4" figure: Marion Ravenwood.
Comment: Ew.

Worst Overall Line: Indiana Jones
Comment: I really hated to say this because I really liked it. However, the lack of quality sculpts, paint, and likenesses (Marion, Irina, Indy. I mean, really, INDY had some of the worst likeness issues) really hurt this line. Also, KotCS really hurt the line as it didn't get the huge buzz that was expected causing stores to over-order the first two series that never were purchased (due to the above quality issues). I mean, who needs TWO versions of Mutt Williams, and two figures that were of characters that had 5 minutes of screen time (cemetary warrior, ugha warrior)? The IJLC and IJTOD lines came too little too late. KotCS and IJLA killed the line before it had a chance.

Worst Company: Jakks
Why Jakks? Here's a company that has one of the biggest and best licenses out there (WWE) and only show innovation in their scale-rings that are too large for any sane parent to buy their kid. They are worse than Hasbro in re-using parts. Figures based on really large wrestlers are the same size as their smaller counterparts. Now, they've lost the WWE and have picked up UFC which I really don't think has the same following. Now Mattel is picking up WWE, which...I don't know what to think.

 

[Darthkush]

Indiana Jones line is cancelled? sigh. I live in Kansas City, Mo and I've yet to see ANY of the TOD or LC figures. Does that mean we won't get them? Did they only go out to certain parts of the country? I've got an wall full of the first two assortments. I can't finish the series now without ebay?

 

[Spider-Jay420]

Very nicely thought out Saint.

You really think Warlock was the worst ML figure of '08? I mean, he's not my favorite, but worst? I think he was better than the Hulk wave, at least. That does suck about the 15 bucks they charged you, though. I'd be pissed too. Bastards!!

 

[Saint553]

Indiana Jones line is cancelled? sigh. I live in Kansas City, Mo and I've yet to see ANY of the TOD or LC figures. Does that mean we won't get them? Did they only go out to certain parts of the country? I've got an wall full of the first two assortments. I can't finish the series now without ebay?

LC was sparsely released. I saw very little of it. I unfortunately passed on a few of the harder to find figures from that wave because they were poorly painted. TOD was released in even lower amounts. Both can be ebayed for moderate amounts. I paid $65 shipped for the TOD series set of 6, which is just over $10 per figure. When you work shipping into it, it was pretty decent especially because of the high quality and sentimentality of the figures.

The line was canceled because of poor sales after the release of the KotCS and Lost Ark series. Both of those series were ordered in large quantities by stores that expected KotCS to be a huge hit. While it did well at the box office, it failed to generate a big enough buzz to sell toys. Many collectors theorize the line would have made it if they released the original trilogy figures prior to KotCS's release because the original three movies had a much larger following.

Very nicely thought out Saint.

You really think Warlock was the worst ML figure of '08? I mean, he's not my favorite, but worst? I think he was better than the Hulk wave, at least. That does suck about the 15 bucks they charged you, though. I'd be pissed too. Bastards!!

There was some crap in the Hulk wave, don't get me wrong. The Grey/Green savage hulk in that line was a travesty, but I didn't buy it, so I couldn't really rate it that well. I only rated stuff that I saw up close, owned, knew someone who had it, or read many reviews on. The Grey/Green hulk was terrible, but it was a passable Hulk figure in a wave with a decent BAF. It also was just sort of glossed over by the collector community because it was a small part in a huge BAF series. Adam Warlock was a poorly articulated, ugly, unpainted character I had absolutely no interest in. He was the worst thing I paid for last year (other than an engagement ring, ha!).

 

[Spider-Jay420]

He was the worst thing I paid for last year (other than an engagement ring, ha!).

I'm sure your fiance will be happy to hear that.

To each his own, I guess. I really like my Adam Warlock. I think he makes a great addition to my collection, with Capt Marvel and soon to be Nova, rounding out my Space Marvel niche. I was really not a fan of the Target Wave. Don't read/care about RULK, so passing on that BAF was easy. Union Jack was wonderfully sculpted, but I have no interest or knowledge of the character, same with the rest. Black Wolvie would've been cool but I never saw him. I picked up Black Spidey because, well because he's Spidey I guess, and Warlock. They were the only two I got from that wave.

My Worst ML of 08' - Ben Reilly Spider-Man. From the tiny, unarticulated hands to the head-sculpted webs and torso-painted webs, just a sloppy figure. Articulation was OK, but a Spider-Man figure needs to be able to move. And in 2008, articulated hands and even fingers should come standard on a Spidey fig. And either sculpt all the webs or paint them all, but don't do both. Even the packaging was bad. 'Scarlet Spider' on the box, but that's clearly NOT the scarlet spider; Ben was going by Spider-Man at that time. The pictures going down the front were all wrong too...whatever, I'm ranting. Obviously, not my favorite figure of 2008.

 

[Saint553]

I'm sure your fiance will be happy to hear that.

...I don't have a fiance. So that's why it was the worst thing I bought.

Long story, but she was a cheating ****e.

 

[Spider-Jay420]

Open mouth, insert foot.

That sucks bro. But hey, better to find out when you did than before it was too late.

****in' ****e.

 

[Saint553]

Eh, she wasn't supportive of the action figure hobby. Pretended to be, but she was jealous of it. My current girl actually thinks it's cute and took pictures of my christmas action figure display to show her mom.

Awesome.

Anyways, where's everyone else's bests and worsts?

 

[Roughneck]

I'm mulling it all over in my head.....i don't even think I got much in the year 2008.......and what I did buy I know I didn't open a lot of it.

 

[venom892]

I won't be elaborate but Without a doubt 2008 was a good year for us collectors.I have yet to get all of DCU wave 3 but it looks fantastic and all the characters are favorites of mine.Movie masters was excellent.I love my dark knight Batman and Joker.But my Favorite figures this year without a doubt were Neca's TMNT.I'm really looking forward to wave 2.