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Ah, it's that time when we make resolutions we don't intend to keep and making these silly lists! Actually, these are a lot of fun to read; who's full of it, who knows what they're doing, and those moments when you go 'where the heck did that come from?' Alright folks, here's my list of awards for recognition in excellence in our fair hobby... and those moments when we scratch our heads and think 'Yeah, it'll be on the discount pile in a month.' And yes, that is a HORRIBLE name for these... but I couldn't think of anything else trendy, witty, or charming, so I went for simple but kinda lame. Hey, I'm doing his for free, so deal. :-P
The Holy Grail - Best Toy of 2003; Spawn, 10th Anniversary Image Figures, McFarlane Toys. This is a fun one to pick since there are so many possibilities, and fortunately there were many toys worthy of being the best. However, Spawn get it because this is THE quintessential representation of the character; long chains, flowing cape, the look of menace, and enough joints to make this thing bend like a pretzel. Ok, so the piece was reeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeal hard to find. Still, if you're stubborn enough to keep checking e-tailers and don't mind paying about $20 on this baby, it is unquestionably worth every penny.
Soooo close, but... doh! - Piece that was good, but should have been AWESOME; Optimus Prime, Transformers - Armada, Hasbro. So many things went right on this one; lots of details in the sculpt, great transformation, and that amazing action feature that makes the entire trailer section transform on it's own. Still so many things were so 'eh' about this thing; limited number of weapons, a mega-robot that looks like a building, and very mediocre articulation. No, this figure didn't suck, but for $40 you expect a lot more.
Save your Bucks 'Cause It's Worth It - Toy Line that makes you want to get them all; Lord of the Rings, Toy Biz. Ok, so Hasbro's GI Joe and Mattel's MOTU line are all worthy. However, LOTR does it for me because you get so many of figures for ALL of the characters.. well, almost all; nightmarish and multiple personality Gollum, noble Aragorn, wise Gandalf, it goes on and on and on and on. And not only are these characters well crafted, but these aren't the usual umpteenth repaints, ala Batman. Each figure appears, as is, in Peter Jackson's epic masterpiece. If you want lots of cheap gimmicks, get a Batman or Spider-Man figure. Want pieces that are faithful to the source AND have lots of articulation to play with, er, I mean display? Get ALL of these.
Look but don't touch! Toy that is amazing to look at, too bad it doesn't do much else; Neo, The Matrix', McFarlane Toys. Oh, the agony! The company gave us the incredible articulation of the 10th Anniversary Spawn gets a chance to do figures for 'The Matrix'. I waited in anticipation, hoping to recreate the amazing sparring scene with Morpheus, the incredible fights with Agent Smith! Instead... I got an amazingly well sculpted statue. Sure, the figure is beautiful to behold, and the diorama it's packed with makes an incredible display, but... but... it should have been sooo much better.
Best of both worlds - Toy that is a great display AND fun to play with; Aliens Vs. Predator Boxed set, McFarlane Toys. Ah, but Todd and Crew did make up for the previous award with this piece. Ok, ok, so the articulation isn't perfect. Just the same, the entire package is an incredible sight. The Predator and Alien facing each other in a battle to the death, both standing on a slime-covered piece of rock, which has a few pods and face-hugger's on it. And the figures have enough articulation to give you a number of posing possibilities... and you can recreate those great Dark Horse/DC cross-overs with DC Direct figures. Woohoo!