2019 was an interesting year when it comes to my collecting hobby. To put it simply, I didn't really collect as much compared to previous years. This was probably the year that I slowed down quite a bit for a plethora of reasons. Sadly, Game Room VI was also taken out of commission due to circumstances. It's not a complete sob story though since at the given moment, I'm going through some rebuilding in a new room. While it may not be able to showcase the full scope of my collection, it can at least show some of my best ones. But, let's go over the guidelines as to how I (used to) pick who makes the list, shall we?
Accuracy: Did this figure capture the likeness of the source material? This is subjective since 'likeness' might also be in the eye of the beholder. There is a definitive look for a character, but there are also many different artist for someone like, let's say, Spider-Woman, that makes "definitive" really subjective.
Price: Regardless of the price paid, did it meet its overhead price? Enough bells and whistles to justify its price tag?
Availability: How rare is this figure? Was it hard to get? It's not a BIG factor to a LOT of the action figures on the list but it is something that plays a small part.
Preference: Of course some of my fandom does come into play. This might very well be the biggest factor as to WHY these action figures are on the list.
The prerequisite above may not apply all that much this year since I didn't collect as fervently. With the numbers in previous category either non-existent or very few, the idea of 'contending' on which action figure won isn't really as applicable. Regardless, these are the shout outs for 2019.
Marvel Legends
#Marvel_Legends came in abundance in the market this year. There were a LOT of good ones and Hasbro isn't slowing down any time soon with the #MCU still going strong. It was a hard decision to slow down and that is exactly what I did. It took a LOT of willpower to not bring them with me at the cash register every time I was in Target or Walmart; even a harder effort to not press the 'buy-it-now' button during my online treks. Though all of my efforts paid off and I only gained a total of two Marvel Legends this year and one of them was X-Force Wolverine. His black ops costume is my favorite duds that Logan wore and to have an updated version was something I always wanted so for him being the only other one I gained this year is, nonetheless, a victory.
And it goes without saying that with only acquiring two Marvel Legends this year, the #BAFs suffered. Honestly, I can't remember a BAF that was a REAL must so I don't think I'm missing too much at all.
Imports
Action figures like #Figmas, #SH_Figuarts, and #Revoltech usually takes this category. Like Marvel Legends, I didn't give love to this category as much as I did previous years--not for the lack of being enticed by them, believe me, there were plenty of good ones that I wanted, but it was simply price and space. The two main things that eventually would have put a halt on my collecting hobby. But what I did get this year is still worth giving some praise.
Articulating action figures is fun but it's not my favorite past time. I like posing my figures with certain poses, get my pictures, and then put them on the shelf until I need them again. The Amazing Yamaguchi line from Revoltech is ALL about crazy poses and articulations. It's about manipulating joints and using angles to hide said joints when taking pictures. It can be fun as it can be frustrating but I found that I had a great experience with Psylocke. I can't honestly say that I'll go back and get another figure in this line unless it's Spider-Woman or something but given that this was a very prominent and good experience, Amazing Yamaguchi Psylocke is worth giving the credit!
Funko POPs
If there was something I can safely say about 2020 is that POPs will probably continue to grow in my collection. They're reasonably priced, they don't take too much space, and the amount of coverage they have in terms of material (from Marvel, to DC, to Disney, to music, etc) is just vast. There's bound to be something I'm going to like. The funny thing about this year is that I'm going to highlight a pretty obvious one to anyone who is familiar with my fandom.
The amount of details placed on this duo is just astounding. While Carnage definitely holds more rivets, intricacy, etc, Venom is not that far from him, at least not in the face. I love these two. Probably some of my most memorable #POPs for 2019.
It's no secret that I adored #Frozen2. Ever since it's announcement earlier 2019, I have been waiting and waiting. So when the announcement came that they were going to have five different versions of Elsa in POP form, I was sold and I have all five of them--albeit I only opened and reviewed four. While these are all stand outs, I must say that "Into the Unknown-Elsa" and "Some Things Never Change-Elsa" impressed me the most. Though that's not saying much since I love all of them. I have this strange feeling that Elsa is going to get more POP love next year since she got one final form in Frozen 2 so going to keep an eye out for that!
Statues
Didn't really grow too much in this department. Most of my reviews this year was just re-reviewing older statues I had in my collection. But there are more than enough to give a shout out to so here we go.
I'm not the biggest fan of the Fate anime/games. I will say that I loved Zero and Unlimited Blade Works and I do enjoy the character designs--I am attracted to just how attracting the female characters are. It's only natural that I gravitated towards characters like Scathach and Musashi. It also helped that FuRyu statues are inexpensive and pretty easy to get a hold of. These statues aren't going to wow everybody with the details, but they are beautiful in their own terms and I enjoy having them in my collection.
This was a Christmas present from 2018 and it's wonderful. I believe the design for Elsa is an original one--unless it's part of a concept art I have yet to see. It's neat though. This version of Elsa reminds me of an Elsa post-Frozen throwing a fancy ball and she made this dress for herself. I love it. I like the pose, it's beautiful, nicely detailed, and the fragile feel of it makes her a bit more classy than most of my statues.
I'm going to say this right now: #Bishoujo is going to be the ones that will be prominent in 2020. The MLP Bishoujo line is kind of an odd one but I totally adore it. Pinkie Pie is the first in the line and she's amazing! I have Twilight Sparkle ready to be reviewed and the others on preorders. Just judging it from Pinky and the still-wrapped-up Twilight, I know the details and the charm of Bishoujo carries on to this series and that's something that I always look up to!
MISC
This category is always an odd one. Usually it's for toy series that don't show up as much in my collecting cross sights and/or it's action figures that are not very well known in the collecting realm. Regardless, I gained some good ones this year under this banner.
Neca Ninja Turtles: Donatello, Leonardo, Michelangelo, & Raphael
Neca isn't exactly an underground toy line. They have produced some pretty awesome action figures and collectibles through the years but the TMNT under their line are the first I actually got my hands on. All four are just true to their movie counterparts. There were enough accessories to make poseability fun, and although they lack articulation in certain areas, they managed to pull through enough and I got some good shots. All in all, a fun quartet and a set I highly recommend.
Mezco is also a toy line a name I have been more than aware of for some time. They've produced some pretty popular characters from Marvel and DC and more than once I have been tempted. Though they have this thing with combining cloth and plastic which, at times, seemed odd to me. But the moment I saw this Iron Man, I was all in. Great design that pays homage to the classic look while modernizing it, fantastic accessories/swap outs with hands & weaponry (a Uni-Beam!), solid build, and amazing light up feature, this is a fantastic action figure. It seemed so far away, but it still holds a special place in my heart. Definitely worth having in my Iron Man Hall of Armor collection!
This concludes my 2019 endeavor. I know it's not as prosperous as 2017 and 2018, however, it still has some noteworthy highlights. I don't see 2020 getting more extravagant compared to this year. I see the trend of slowing down continuing but I will say that if any in my Action Figure Wishlist happens (heave forbid if ALL of them happens), I think I'll be seeing more than just Bishoujos and POPs. Well, with all that said, here's to farewell to 2019 and a salutation to 2020!
Until Next Year!
