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The Best Figures of 2022 So Far
589 Plays3 years ago
We're halfway through 2022 and it's time for a list - join Dave and Erik as they countdown their favorite figures and releases in the first half of 2022.
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Transcript
Challenges in Organizing Art Activities
00:00:01
Speaker
I've got kids at home, Dave. Yes, you do in fact have children. They love doing arts and crafts, but it's a pain. By the time I go into seven different drawers for supplies and get everything they need, the interest is gone. Well, that's a waste of time.
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00:01:06
Speaker
Are you ready, kids?
Introduction to Adventures in Collecting Podcast
00:01:08
Speaker
Get your parents' permission, check your mailbox, and grab your shopping cart. It's time for the Adventures in Collecting podcast. I'm Eric. And I'm Dave. Welcome to Adventures in Collecting, where we talk toy news, culture, and halls, along with our journeys as collectors. Hello, everybody, and welcome back to Adventures in Collecting.
00:01:37
Speaker
Hi. Dave, we're back. We are. And somehow, some way, it is already the end of June of 2022. What day is it? I don't know how we got here.
Top Ten Toy List Introduction
00:01:55
Speaker
But we, I mean, we did it one day at a time, just like everyone else. We don't have superpowers or anything. But um,
00:02:03
Speaker
But you know what that means, Dave? If we're halfway through 2022, what does that mean? That means you're getting a long episode. Well, let's hope not. Let's hope it's not a marathon of a thing, but, you know, everybody does like a good list. I love a good list. Yeah. You guys seem to like good lists because every time we do these best of episodes,
00:02:28
Speaker
Um, we get, we get a lot of, a lot of really great feedback on it. So with that being said, and it being June of, uh, of 2022, uh, we're, we're coming at you today with our top tens, um, for the best of the first half of, of 2022. And, uh, much like last year.
Rules for Top Ten Lists
00:02:51
Speaker
There have been a lot of action figures. Lots and lots of releases.
00:02:59
Speaker
You know, so far in the year and, uh, and, and we're going to go through, uh, our, our top lists. Uh, and we're going to, you know, we have some suggestions from you guys, our, our listeners and followers on, on Instagram. So, um, I guess we should probably set some ground rules, right? Uh, so we each have a top 10 and we have three honorable mentions in, in our, in our, uh, our lists here. Um,
00:03:29
Speaker
And, uh, much like years past, if you've listened to our previous top 10 lists, these slots don't necessarily have to be for an individual figure. Um, we will continue to allow us to stretch those rules a little
Honorable Mentions and Notable Figures
00:03:47
Speaker
bit. So if there was a two pack or a particular wave of figures, um, or in Dave's case, sometimes in a whole, a whole line of figures sometimes gets a, gets a slot on the list. But, uh,
00:03:59
Speaker
You know, we're all about consistency and we consistently stretch the rules. So the only rules are there are no rules.
00:04:10
Speaker
Uh, so what we'll do is we will start with our three honorable mentions. We'll go back and forth and then from, um, from 10 to one, uh, one being our favorite release, uh, of the year so far, uh, we will, we will just count them down. So, um, Dave, uh, would you let's go with your first honorable mention? All right. I'm going to start with this as an honorable mention. Um,
00:04:37
Speaker
You know how much I love some Super 7 Ultimates? And there was a couple of Super 7 Ultimates that were released this year that are worthy of mention. I'm going to mention one of them now. It is the Super 7 Ultimate, Brian Myers. Awesome figure. That's one that I also do have.
00:05:06
Speaker
You have on the list or you have? No, I don't have on my list, but I'm saying I'm actually looking at it right now. Him and Matt are kind of permanent staples on my desk display. Yeah. Stay tuned for Matt. But yeah, Brian's a good figure. I'm really looking forward to, because this is really like kind of the first
00:05:37
Speaker
I'll say non-New Japan. And I don't know if they were up for pre-order before New Japan. I feel like New Japan was first. I mean, either way, New Japan was out first. Was out first. But, you know, kind of their first non-WWE figures. And, you know, I'm really curious to see what the next ones bring that have been teased. Because
00:06:09
Speaker
There's ways it can get better, you know, paint apps, things like that, Deco. I look at, you know, Super Seven's wrestling lines as so far like a learning experience, because everything's been good, but everything's gotten better. So, yeah, I'm looking forward to that next one, but I love this one. It's in the orange and blue, you know. Love some New York Mets colors.
00:06:37
Speaker
And yeah, it's a cool figure. Great accessories on those figures, too. I'm with you. I think that it's probably Brian's best figure. Not probably. It is his best figure that's out now. But just like anything else new, I mean, there's always room for improvement. There's things that I wish as a figure collector. I know we had, you and I had lengthy offline discussions about
00:07:05
Speaker
you know, some of the gripes that I initially had with, with the, the ultimate, uh, Myers figure, uh, out of the box. But like after you kind of have it in hand for a while, I think some of those, um, some of those things kind of wear off because there's a lot, a lot more redeeming about the figure, but alluding to you, to what you said, let's not talk too much about it because I have a feeling we're going to get into it in a little bit more.
00:07:33
Speaker
length later on in the list. So my first honorable mention is actually two figures and sticking with wrestling. My first honorable mention is the Mattel Ultimate Series 11 Brothers of Destruction figures. So the Kane and Undertaker Ultimate 11
00:07:57
Speaker
It's just like, I mean, Kane with the cape. I remember back in the day, like, you know, was it a, you know, was it a real thing? You know, trying to, you know, figure it out in those kind of like early days. It was just a photo. Yeah. You know, early days of the internet and, you know, it's just such an iconic undertaker. I mean, that's, that's the look when he threw mankind off the hell in the cell.
00:08:21
Speaker
And both of those figures together, you know, attitude era figures really kind of give me like the warm and fuzzies from, you know, when I was a kid. And, you know, that was really kind of like the, the high point of wrestling, you know, for, for me and my childhood and, you know, even, you know, going back to the Jack's bone cruncher figures, like the, the, the cane and the undertaker in that those looks got a lot of play. So, uh,
00:08:49
Speaker
It's just nice to kind of have them like that. And also, they were my first experience with Mattel's Ultimate line for WWE figures. And there is a huge difference between the Ultimate figures and the elites. Now that the elites are starting to come with double-jointed elbows, that line is being blurred just a little bit. But the accessories, the soft goods, they're great figures. So they get my first honorable mention.
00:09:19
Speaker
All right, so my next honorable mention, I'm gonna get out of wrestling, surprisingly. And I actually do have a McFarlane one on here. So it is going to be the Endless Winter Aquaman, which is really cool because it's our first comic Aquaman, but it's long-haired Aquaman. So he's kind of like gruff and,
00:09:49
Speaker
Gruff's a word, right? Totally a word.
Highlighted Figures and Collectibles
00:09:52
Speaker
He's rough and, you know, rough around the edges. He's got the Trident. It's it's a cool representation for the first comic Aquaman. You know, he's got the beard. And even though it's that endless winter comic story, it's still Aquaman like it still has all the the kind of deco of
00:10:18
Speaker
more classic Aquaman. I still hope that they make a like a crew cut not that I'm in the market for one because it's it doesn't fit into my my collection but like I would love to see them do like a pretty boy crew cut 19 like the short hair like he's got Superman hair yeah like like I guess it would be what would that be considered silver age
00:10:48
Speaker
I think, like a Silver Age Aquaman. But it's still superpowers. Yeah. But yeah, I would love to see them do that. I mean, I still want Return of Superman mullet Superman, so. Hey, I mean, they've. Someone's gotta want it, right? They did the black suit one already, so all they'd have to do is a new head on it. Technically, so.
00:11:17
Speaker
No, he was normal red and blue, red, yellow and blue. Oh, I always picture the mullet. I always think of the mullet like when he comes back in that like charge up suit, the like black and silver one. No, like the big photo from the issue is like or the drawing from the issue is him in the suit. Gotcha. Gotcha. All right. So my next one is one of the larger figures. No, I this might be the largest
00:11:46
Speaker
It's one of the largest figures I've gotten so far this year. It's a build a figure. It is the diamond select Lord of the Rings build a figure Sauron from from diamond select. I already said diamonds like but yeah, I love a good.
00:12:02
Speaker
Big action figure, you know, whether it's McFarland with the mega figs You know some of the other Marvel Legends build the figures the the Surtur from last year and and this is just a big Sauron figure with fantastic amounts of detail and articulation and
00:12:23
Speaker
Um, they changed some things up with this figure. It doesn't kind of have the, if you're familiar with diamond select figures, some of them have this, I don't want to say odd, but different kind of hip pelvis articulation. This has more of kind of like a Marvel legend style, uh, articulation. Again, like the detail, the paint apps, the soft goods cape.
00:12:48
Speaker
And also, frankly, the figures in the wave that you needed to get in order to build him are all great figures. It's been a while since we've had good Lord of the Rings figures out there, so hopefully this line continues and Diamond continues to produce characters from this world, especially with the new Lord of the Rings series that's coming to Prime. But awesome figure.
00:13:15
Speaker
If you have a chance to pick up the pieces and build him, it's definitely worth it. Absolutely awesome figure. All right, so I'm going to go with Jazzwares AEW Unrivaled 9, Thunder Rosa. Iconic look to Thunder Rosa. The figure is great.
00:13:45
Speaker
Yeah, it's just a good figure. It really captures her. It's a great sculpt, great scan, whichever it is. But yeah, I like it a lot. That figure and probably Ricky Starks are the two best in the wave, but I would say Rose is the best one in the wave. All right. Well, my last honorable mention here is, is it from a toylon that I don't talk
00:14:15
Speaker
A lot about only because I don't have many figures from the line. In fact, I only have two But I absolutely love this figure it was Had this year not been so busy. This definitely would have made the top ten because it really is a fantastic figure and I'm actually kind of I'm hating myself for not finding some way to make this work into the top ten but the good smile company Nendoroid stitch
00:14:46
Speaker
It's just, it's awesome. I love the accessories. I love the swappable face plates. The fact that you can, you know, kind of trigger different emotions on stitch with his ears and everything is articulated. He comes with. Scrump and the guitar and the sunglasses. It's just, he he's, he's amazing. Um, out of the two Nendoroids that I have, I have him and I've steamboat Willie. Um, they're, they're both just fantastic. I don't care necessarily for the kind of chibi.
00:15:17
Speaker
look how they do some of their characters, but some of the animated Disney characters that don't really get stylized, they just simply get translated into that format, I think work really, really well. And I stand by this saying that the Steamboat Willy that they've produced and this year the Stitch, I think it's the best Stitch action figure that's ever existed, period, hands down, you know, slam dunk. So if you're a Stitch fan,
00:15:45
Speaker
Definitely take a look. I think Surethingtoys.com. I think they still have them in stock as of the recording of this episode. With that, Dave, it's time for us to officially enter the top 10 here, right? Yeah. So let's just keep going back and forth here. Would you like to hit us with your number 10? Yes, I would.
00:16:13
Speaker
Okay. Um, so this is my, at the moment I'm putting this here. Um, just cause you know, there's stuff that hasn't come out yet. And I'm looking forward. You got half a year. You got half a year worth of toys. I mean, Oh no, I meant in this line. Oh, gotcha. And like, if I'm waiting for more and if there's more of this has the strong possibility of moving up.
00:16:42
Speaker
considerably. Gotcha, gotcha. But I am in a sheer delight, but wait and see feel for it. And it's something we've both sung the praises of in a previous episode. And it is the jazzwares Fortnite micro series. I love these. They're really cool.
00:17:08
Speaker
There's way more articulation than you would think there would be in something so small. And it's very precise. They're very posable. They are a lot of fun. They capture the spirit of Fortnite. There's a flush factory so far, which is really cool. Fortnite is very much not just character-based,
00:17:35
Speaker
but location and vehicle base as well. And I know we're kind of in the season one, season two characters, and a lot of them have been timeless characters that have lived on and continue to appear in the game. But yeah, this is just a phenomenal representation of Fortnite, and I think it's a lot of fun.
00:18:06
Speaker
And there's a considerable amount of detail and deco in such a small package, as it were. I'm really excited to see this line kind of grow out of infancy and see what more that they can do. Again, when we heard that this was coming, you and I
00:18:30
Speaker
just immediately started talking about mask and how much that the scale kind of relates to that. Um, I'd love to see vehicles and, um, you know, other accessories that are just are not possible in, in larger, you know, larger scale format. Like we just finished the most recent season finale, um, or chapter chapter finale.
00:18:55
Speaker
Yeah, no season finale right? Yeah, because the chapters are the main line and the seasons are the individual. And the season finale had you, you know, kind of in a giant mech, which is something that you'd never be able to make for, you know, 112 or even
00:19:16
Speaker
you know, a giant teddy bear mech. Yeah. Or even one 18 scale would even be realistically tough. But for figures like this, like I could totally foresee, you know, a mech that can fit the micro figures in it and stuff like that. It'd be a six inch figure. Like a little bit, it'd be like a 12 inch figure, a Husky or 12 inch figure, but still awesome. Definitely on the table. Or I'm sorry, like, yeah, like an eight or eight. Yeah. Like I'm thinking like a WWE figure.
00:19:47
Speaker
For that small it would probably I think it would be more like a like one of those shampoo bottle figures like a like a 12 inch you do that to almost like doll size but Great great line can't wait to see what comes next from that My number ten similar similar to yours how yours is a whole whole line mine is a whole wave It's the McFarland toys the dark knight returns build a horse wave
00:20:16
Speaker
That's a good one. I forgot that those were this year. For me, it's been, I think my favorite McFarland figure of the year is not from this wave. It didn't make this list, but the wave as a whole, it's the first full wave build a figure wave that I've bought from McFarland.
00:20:40
Speaker
The Dark Knight Returns is my favorite Batman story, both in comic form and more recently the animated adaptation that they did. I just love that Miller gritty, kind of like thick characters, really kind of stocky, the big prominent chins and everything. I love the way that those figures look
00:21:09
Speaker
or those character designs look, and I think they translated beautifully in how McFarlane brought them to plastic. And not to mention, like, you know, you could have easily done, you know, one of the, um, one of the mutants, you know, like the mutant leader as the build a figure would have been like an obvious choice, you know, to have another villain in the wave. But like, it's so McFarlane to do something wacky like the Bat Horse and like the details of like,
00:21:39
Speaker
the Batman logo on the saddle and Batman himself having upper thigh cuts, which is something that we usually don't see in McFarlane figures, so that way he could sit on the horse properly. They're gorgeous figures. I love the Joker, as extra demented as that version of him is, Superman, Robin,
00:22:07
Speaker
It's a fantastic wave. If you're a fan of Frank Miller and The Dark Knight Returns, I think they're the best versions that we've seen of these figures in plastic. Plus, the prior wave outside of the Build a Horse featured the Batman in armor, which is also kind of necessary for that story. So just absolute banger of a wave.
00:22:38
Speaker
couldn't pick one, one figure in particular, but they, they're awesome. So that's my, my number 10. Uh, number nine, we are, um, we are heading out to Australia for this one. And, um, you know, we've, we've finally got more of the figures from the Sofubi pro wrestling series two, um, from friend of the pod junk shop dog.
00:23:07
Speaker
Um, but there is one that's just like a standout and it's just outstanding. It's a standout that's outstanding, believe it or not. And, um, it's, it's bull Nakano. Um, she is just so well captured from the hair, um, the scale of everybody, but it's hands down the best of the recent releases, um, with giant Baba and dynamite kid and the dynamite kid variant. Um,
00:23:38
Speaker
It's just a great figure. Yeah. He continues to just kind of impress the community writ large with that line. You know, people who, who so fondly hold those, that, that sofubi line, you know, uh, near and dear, he's just doing, he's doing it justice. And the other teases of what he has coming next have just been unreal. Uh, well, the whole like rest of the lineup.
00:24:07
Speaker
for this series is out. Yeah. Well, but he also teased that with the light up cigarette. Oh, Onita with the glow in the dark cigarette. Yeah. Yeah. So good. So good. Can't wait to see what how that how that ends up turning out. So so awesome. My number nine, you keep you keep
00:24:30
Speaker
setting me up with some great segues here, Dave. I'm sticking with wrestling. This is actually, is this my only wrestling figure that made the top 10? Yes, it is. All right, so the only wrestling figure for me that made the top 10 is a jazzwares figure. And it is AEW unmatched series two. Sting! So, you know, I love the sting figure, I think.
00:24:58
Speaker
Magic did a fantastic job with the likeness. I think it's one of the best likenesses that That that jazzwares has done to date Much like the the real-life version of sting You know the figure kind of is like an angelous wonder It's got everything you would need a sting figure to have And I can finally have after all of these years a
00:25:26
Speaker
I can finally take pictures of the match that I wish we had gotten years ago. And instead of staying in Triple H, I can finally put Sting in the ring with the Undertaker and recreate the match that we all deserved. So that's my stinger. All right, so number eight. We talked about this one in brief before during the honorable mentions, but we're gonna talk about it now.
00:25:55
Speaker
It is the Super 7 Ultimate. Matt Cardona, always ready. And we are ready to talk about this figure. Yeah, Friend of the Pod. Friend of the Pod. It's like by far and away probably one of the best wrestling figures they've made, if not the best thus far.
00:26:26
Speaker
You know, they put the attention to detail in like the gear they were going to wear in order to make these figures and make them accurate. Matt does have six fingers, but that's okay. Oh my God, I never realized that. Yeah. It's a weird little error that nobody realized until like right after it came out. Oh no, it's not that he has six fingers. It's that they didn't chop the plastic out. Okay.
00:26:54
Speaker
That's what that is. I never really, I really never realized that it's, yeah, the, the mold is, is bad. Like it's gotta, it, the plastic that there's plastic that shouldn't be there. It's in there. Now that you pointed that out, I'm going to have to get out a file and fix that. But anyway, but anyway, um, it's, it's still a gray figure. I mean, the, the paint is great on it. Like it's.
00:27:23
Speaker
You know, it nails Matt, especially with the like, tongue out face. The different heads or the hat. Yeah. They're so good. The broski bucks. The little version. Which I loved because I was at that live show. I was at live too. I love that he comes with an action figure version of himself. Yeah, they both do. That's really awesome. Like, that's neat. Yeah, it's a really good figure. It is a really, really good figure.
00:27:52
Speaker
And it looks like they're kind of ramping up the accessories and the accessories and the, you know, deco for the next one. Yeah. I mean, that, uh, the internet title. That next figure is going to be based on that teaser image. It's that, um, nasty boys dinosaur gear. Yeah. Slash LOD slash. Yeah. Yeah. That's, that's going to be, that figure is going to be really great.
00:28:24
Speaker
Yeah, and the internet title alone is gonna make that figure fly and then so Yeah, awesome figure as much as yeah as much as like made to pre-order can fly. Yeah. Yeah.
Unique and Nostalgic Picks
00:28:40
Speaker
Yeah All right, so my my number eight right so now I'd be going to number eight you would so my number eight
00:28:51
Speaker
is a rare example of an action figure set, like a collector's edition set that I will not be opening. I toyed with the idea of opening it and kind of messing with it to like repose the figures in it and figure out different things, but I enjoy looking at it
00:29:17
Speaker
mint so much that I've just decided to let it be a piece of my display in the box. And that is the Diamond Selectron Arcade.
00:29:29
Speaker
Absolutely incredible set, the attention and detail on the arcade cabinet, the two different lighting settings on it, the fact that the figures respond so well to black light. Not to say that the figures aren't anything special, because the figures inside are great. They look, you know, it's Sarcron and Flynn. If you'd like to see more of those figures, you can actually watch Dave's wonderful unboxing of them on our YouTube channel.
00:29:58
Speaker
Please watch the YouTube channel. But the figures, the figures are great. But they're posed out so perfectly inside the arcade cabinet and the light responds so well to them. And while the arcade cabinet is designed to be opened and closed and rearranged and what have you, I just don't have it in me to disturb something that looks as cool as this.
00:30:25
Speaker
I still may one day, I don't know, but for right now it's part of my very rare, and I say very rare, like I have like less than 10 figures that I have left in box. And for now it will continue to stay that way. And like literally it's one of those things where like when I walk up to the office, if like I don't turn lights on,
00:30:52
Speaker
It's like the light switch is in a weird spot, so if I decide to walk up the stairs in the dark and I get up here, sometimes I'll just hit the button and that'll be like my light source for a couple minutes while I like reorient and get to the light switch and then I'll turn it off. But absolutely awesome set, especially if you're a Tron and Disney fan. So that's my number eight. My number seven, we're going to go on a little bit of an AEW run here.
00:31:22
Speaker
So this is the Jazzwares AEW Unrivaled 8 Chris Statlander. Just a completely, like, you know, one of the things that I appreciate with wrestling figures is when they absolutely nail the likeness down to gear, down to everything. And this, for the previous era of Chris Statlander, the galaxy's greatest alien era, really just
00:31:52
Speaker
Captures her like it's it's a small statue of Chris Statlander There's not much more I can say kind of otherwise for it But yeah, just You know not to use the word dynamite, but just a dynamite figure You know what I thought was really really special about that figure in particular I love Chris. I love that character. I think she's a fantastic athlete fantastic performer
00:32:23
Speaker
I do miss the boop on the nose and she doesn't do the boop anymore, but I miss that. What I loved about the figure outside of the likeness and the gear and the attention and detail, there's something about the figure, the way that it's sculpted, the way that the proportions of the different body parts, when it's standing there, because there are figures that obviously, I mean,
00:32:49
Speaker
that all the figures that we mentioned, right, so so far, you know, are great action figures. This figure actually stands like her. Like when you open it and start to play with it and start to pose it, you can actually, it's more so it's more of a
00:33:09
Speaker
full human likeness, or in her case, alien likeness, than just the face. And that's no knock to other wrestling figures that may reuse male or female body parts here and there, but there's just something about the way that this figure was designed from head to toe that is literally like a plastic analog of Chris Downletter.
00:33:37
Speaker
Yeah, and she's like, you know, you could tell on TV, she's a very tall person. Yeah. So she, you know, like it, it comes across in the figure. Yep. She's tall. And she's, she's very, you know, she's very muscular. Like she has she is she is built in a very, like personal unique way. And the figure is too. And it just it absolutely crushes the silhouette from from all angles. Yeah, it's awesome.
00:34:04
Speaker
Yeah, like there are very few words just like, no, this is the figure of this person. Like, this person shrunk down. And it's one that jazzwares just absolutely just hit a home run on. And now, a word from our sponsors. Ready to go inside the rock and roll world of Machine Gun Kelly?
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00:35:22
Speaker
My number seven is a figure that I didn't know I needed until they made it. I have always loved this movie. I think it's an iconic film.
00:35:39
Speaker
I think it's the most, it's for me, when I close my eyes and think of this character, this is the way I think of this character. Uh, it is, uh, it's, it's just, it's an absolutely iconic character. And I feel like the first couple of swings at, at this, at this particular character were close. They were really, really close. There were a couple of things that were a little off, whether it was paint or type of plastic that was used or sculpt.
00:36:08
Speaker
There was just, something wasn't right. And then a friend of the pod, Kyle, from Super 7, redesigned Conan the Barbarian from the ground up for the War Paint edition that came out this year. And the Super 7 Ultimate's War Paint Conan the Barbarian is my number seven pick. I love both head sculpts that are on it.
00:36:37
Speaker
I know I've said this before on the pod, but like figures that kind of are already blood splattered don't usually do it for me. You know, I'd much rather have a figure that's kind of clean and then you can, you know, if you're shooting it, you know, or take a photography, you can, you know, you can add that in, in.
00:36:56
Speaker
in Photoshop and use your effects. But I love the deco, that war paint look of Conan from the film, like I said, is the one that I picture when I close my eyes. It is just, it's amazing. It is an absolutely amazing seven inch scale, super seven ultimate figure. So yeah, that's my number seven. And it's funny you say that because I feel like, and this isn't on my list, it was on last year's,
00:37:27
Speaker
But, you know, I feel like AEW or Jazzwares for the AEW figures, they've nailed the blood splatter figures. Whether it was Cody and Dustin, whether it was Brit, the Moxley and Kenny is just an awesome set. And I feel like it's different when it comes to those because they're, they're, they're encapsulating like
00:37:54
Speaker
moment a moment yeah that's that's absolutely it like you you wouldn't be if you're shooting those figures you would be recreating that moment like that's the reason why you're getting that um or cuz you just liked the moment you know yeah whereas I you know as much as I love this Conan figure and it's number seven on my list it would have been higher significantly higher if it weren't blood splattered because he wears that war paint
00:38:23
Speaker
before he has blood all over him. So I, you know, would have appreciated the figure. Like to me, like that's the perfect thing. Like if you're going to do like a variant or like a limited edition, you make the limited edition or the variant, the one that's blood splattered and you make, you know, a clean one, your, your regular release, but that's, that's just me. All right. My number six is an AEW unrivaled or no, actually it's an unmatched.
00:38:52
Speaker
It's the only AW unmatched 2-pack thus far. It's a ringside exclusive. It is, you know, I would say the most heartwarming selection on my list. And it is the Mr. Brodiely and negative one 2-pack. It's one of those ones, everything from the announcement and presentation of it, the packaging, just
00:39:21
Speaker
you know, that it exists in general is it's just so well done. And, you know, kudos to jazzwares for how they've handled the Mr. Brody Lee figures, because you can tell they've been done with, you know, the amount of tribute and care and, you know, love that they truly deserve. And
00:39:49
Speaker
You know, it's great to see this two pack. Yeah. I mean, they've, they've handled the, the entire situation with grace. Just, just absolute grace. Cause I, you know, it's, it's such a sad situation that could very much so be taken in a way that, you know, they're, you know, trying to make money off the situation. And it's very clear that, uh, you know, his, his legacy is, is being taken care of. So.
00:40:17
Speaker
Yeah, it's 100% being done with nothing but honor in mind. So my number six takes us to the world of imports and monsters. Single-handedly, the largest figure that I have obtained this year is the SH Monster Arts.
00:40:45
Speaker
King Ghidorah from the modern Godzilla films. So from the, I think this is from King of Monsters in particular. The gold special color edition variant in this case. This figure is massive. And it is like, when I had it in hand for the first time, the little kid in me was screaming because he's the coolest
00:41:14
Speaker
Godzilla foil, I guess, the Godzilla antagonist. In my book, just a giant three-headed dragon alien. It's such a cool figure. The detail, the articulation, all the stuff that you'd expect coming from something from Tamashi Nations and Bandai. It's just beautiful. But it is big. It is very large.
00:41:43
Speaker
It is definitely like a centerpiece if you're building a display around it. Unfortunately, I don't have the space to display it as I wanted to. So it is currently back in the box, but it is an absolutely gorgeous figure. And if you are a fan of Godzilla and Kaiju in general,
00:42:08
Speaker
Um, it's the, to me, it's the best version of the figure or better best figure, uh, of this character that's ever existed.
Detailed and Articulated Selections
00:42:16
Speaker
And, and, um, you know, whether you're a fan of the new films or not, I think this version kind of encapsulates just the character in general. So even if you're collecting, you know, the, the, um, the Toho Godzilla, uh, figures, this absolutely fits into that collection as well. So absolutely awesome. Awesome figure. Okay.
00:42:37
Speaker
I'm going to do a bit now. I'm just letting you all know it might be bad. I'm okay with it. Eric, do you smell that? I know you can smell it cause you have it. I smell it. Hasbro smells it. Fortnite smells it because can you smell what the foundation is laying?
00:43:06
Speaker
Perfect. Bravo, Dave. Bravo. It's the Hasbro Fortnite, the foundation figure. It was a must-get for me as soon as I knew it existed. As a huge fan of The Rock, as a kind of newly found fan of Fortnite,
00:43:34
Speaker
It was cool to be able to play in the game as the Rock and to get this figure, you know, the foundation. No, it doesn't come with a Rockhead. That's okay. It's still a really great figure. And again, it encapsulates the look of the game. You know, the packaging even on it is really cool because it's different because it's the seven. So it's just really cool.
00:44:02
Speaker
Now, if you're not following us on Instagram, which, reminder, you should be. Follow us at AIC underscore podcast on Instagram. If you do have the more recent, you're going to have to remind me what series it is, Dave, but the Ultimate Edition rock, the bald. Off the top of my head, I don't know the number. But it's the most recent one, the more modern. The WrestleMania 29 rock. Yeah.
00:44:31
Speaker
That rock does come with several heads, and I will tell you while they don't peg on perfectly, because the foundation is a little bit of a larger figure in that 112 scale, the Ultimate Edition Mattel rock head works absolutely wonders on it. If you wanted that unmasked look, I posted a picture of that kit bash.
00:44:54
Speaker
Or fix up as they say these days It's and it looks awesome. So if you if you really want that look You can make it work if you if you have that ultimate edition and if you don't have that ultimate edition He's not he's still pretty readily available. I think I'm Recently picked it up on target for under retail. I think ringside may even still have it. So You know if you wanted to complete that look You have your options
00:45:23
Speaker
Also, if you could find on clearance anywhere, the Hollywood elite from Hobbs and Shaw, you could use that head as well. If you're feeling feisty and want to do a little boil and pop action. Yeah, that would work. At this point, we get our first shout out here to our followers. So at Bat 2472 also. By the way, that's ultimate 10.
00:45:53
Speaker
rock there we go um at bat 2472 suggested the foundation is one of his favorite figures of of the first half of 2022 so kudos all right uh moving to number five my next one is a two-pack um it is frankly uh
00:46:16
Speaker
one half of this two-pack i think is one of the best likenesses neka has ever done period end of end of conversation um it is the halloween to uh dr lumis and michael meyers two-pack um listen the michael figure is great they did they did a great job of kind of
00:46:38
Speaker
doing that original mask, which was on a different actor, so it was a little bit wider than the original Michael Myers in the 1978 film. Great figure, you get the alternate heads with the bleeding eyes, you get a ton of accessories, you get a ton of hands, but Dr. Loomis, man, is that figure a work of art. The swappable arms, that way you can take the trench coat off,
00:47:07
Speaker
Again, the accessories comes with lighter, um, the, the likeness, the detail, the deco, it's just all, it's, it's all fantastic. It is, it is a, um, it is of an inch scale Donald Pleasance. And, uh, and it's perfect. It's an absolutely perfect action figure. I would do nothing different on it. Um, had this year not been filled with absolute bangers of action figures so far, it would have been.
00:47:34
Speaker
I'll say this, it was sitting at the top of my list for quite some time. Kudos to NECA on that. My next one is another horror movie. It was actually a movie that I enjoyed very much. These figures can very much not frig off. It's the plastic meatball, psycho gorman, and Pandora two-pack.
00:48:03
Speaker
Um, the, uh, the, um, it's got that like reminiscent of Star Wars kind of early, early packaging where it was like, Hey, you get the stand and just the cardboard cutout of the figures. Um, so it has that, I think it's like the early adopter pack or early bird, the early bird special. Yeah. Um, it rules.
00:48:28
Speaker
I'm sorry, I can't remember words today. It's late. Sorry, everybody. It friggin' rules. Yeah. But, you know, the accessories, you know, plastic meatball does a great job with three and three quarter figures. They've done, you know, the Halloween figures, which are great. So many different things. Didn't they do the Jim Bob?
00:48:56
Speaker
The Joe Bob and Darcy, yeah, the last drive-in ones. You know, even the Kellogg's ones are really great. And, you know, I think just the whole premise and packaging of this, because, you know, Psycho Gorman is such a kind of fun, a little bit weird, but like,
00:49:24
Speaker
has kind of that throwback vibe to it too in a way it's it's a lot of fun and this just kind of captures the fun vibe of the movie so my number four um takes us to marvel legends and
00:49:43
Speaker
Much like in years past, my entire list could have been Marvel Legends. There have been some absolute amazing figures this year, whether it's the Spider-Man, No Way Home figures, the Thor Love and Thunder figures, the Multiverse of Madness ones. There have been a lot of really good MCU, and frankly, non-MCU Marvel Legends.
00:50:12
Speaker
It would not be a top 10 list as a Marvel Legends collector without mentioning the Marvel Legends symbiote Spider-Man. Comes in on that retro 90s toy biz card, just the amazing buck that that's on, that retro Spidey body.
00:50:34
Speaker
It's just, it's amazing. If you really want to take a deep dive into precisely why this figure's amazing, just watch Jay Hernandez, his friend of the pod, Jay Hernandez, his video on him on YouTube. It doesn't get much better than this. If you're a Black Suit Spider-Man fan, this figure's a must-have. And if you're listening to this podcast when it premieres,
00:51:03
Speaker
On June 27th, you still have a few days left to enter a contest to win one of your very own from us. Uh, once again, where it's on, uh, Instagram at AIC underscore podcast. Uh, but we're, we're hosting a little giveaway. Uh, and, and you could win your very own, uh, minty copy of this figure. So check that out if you're, if you're so inclined.
00:51:31
Speaker
My next one, my number three is hands down the weirdest figure of the year. And I would say it's the best WWE elite figure of the year. If you ever thought that it's one of those figures that was like, you wouldn't even thought they were going to make this until they showed that they were making this.
00:52:00
Speaker
And, you know, he's got like, it's fewer than 10 matches that this character had on TV. The only downside is as a New York Rangers fan, it's like a blank New Jersey Devils jersey. But it's still like, it's so hilarious that this exists that it rules, like, and
00:52:30
Speaker
It has unique, you know, so many unique parts to it. Gloves, a hockey stick, boots that are ice skates. Like, it's just off the charts. Like, just so off the charts good. And of course I'm talking about the WWE Elite, I believe it was a Walmart exclusive, The Goon.
00:52:59
Speaker
Unreal. I'm still at a loss at how this exists. But I love the fact that it exists. And just what a stunning figure. I think it's just so good. I can't believe that in the same year we got a goon and a zodiac figure. Yeah.
00:53:23
Speaker
Bonkers. Two of the weirdest figures. Absolutely bonkers. Of all time. And a mean Mark Callas, actually. Yeah. It's been a year for like... Well, I didn't know we'd get that type of figure. Yeah, like, are we gonna get a, like, you know, T.L. Hopper, the plumber? Or... Duke the dumpster, Drosey? Like, and also, can we? I mean, yeah. I don't think he's ever had a figure.
00:53:54
Speaker
Duke. Neither of them have. Wild. All right. So my number three is the newest addition to this list jumped right on at number three. And when you hear number one and number two, you'll understand why this didn't make number one. But I got this year, I got my second favorite G.I. Joe character of all time in the classified line.
00:54:23
Speaker
Um, and frankly, they announced shipwreck for 2023. So, well, I'll have my two favorite Joe's, uh, Joe and Cobra in this case, but, um, Hasbro, GI Joe classified continues to just be like an absolute, you know, steamroller of a, uh, of a line, because even though things are delayed and they're taking much longer than, than they should. Um, and then that they're expected.
00:54:47
Speaker
When the figure gets here, it's ultimately worth the wait. And Hasbro was kind enough to send out that Yo-Yo June box filled with some awesome figures for us to take a look at. And this figure was included in that box, Croc Master and Fiona.
00:55:06
Speaker
Croc Master was always my favorite GI Joe. I just love the design. I think as a kid, I didn't even realize that there was like a person under there. I just assumed he was some kind of like, like partially reptilian monster man. But you know, Emily and really just Emily from the Joe team made the joke that in actuality, it was a
00:55:32
Speaker
It's a super articulated 112 scale alligator named Fiona that just so happens to come with a croc master figure. And as somebody who loves croc master as much as I do, I can't believe I'm saying this, but it's absolutely right. Um, the crocodile is ridiculous. Like they made a super articulated 112 scale crocodile. That's somehow cooler than one of the co somehow cooler than one of the coolest Cobra characters that that has ever existed. Um, but as a two pack.
00:56:02
Speaker
It's fantastic, again, like the accessories. I really hope they keep cranking out these figure and animal two-packs. Law and Order is high on my list, too. I would love to see the two of them. It would be awesome to have a German Shepherd action figure, too. So yeah, so Croc Master and Fiona is my number three.
00:56:32
Speaker
All right, my number two, we're sticking with WWE. We're sticking with Mattel. I think this is probably my favorite ultimate so far. It's just an absolute stunner of a figure. And I think it's going to be like it's going to be one of those figures that people think is great, but I think it's going to like remain underrated in a way.
00:57:02
Speaker
just because there have been so many other great ultimate figures. And because, at first, not a lot of people were able to get it. But now it's become more widely available, so I'm hoping it doesn't remain underrated. Wait, Dave, before you continue, are you going to give me what I want? Yeah. Yeah, I am. Give me what I want, Dave. I'm going to walk for miles inside this pit of danger.
00:57:35
Speaker
It's the Target exclusive, except for the Seacock is New Jersey Walmart. That one time. That one time. It is the Target exclusive Mattel WWE Ultimate Batista. Now it comes with the
00:58:01
Speaker
Yeah, he was in a suit when he did the two contracts and the thumbs up thumbs down thing. So that's not like. Accurate to that gear. But the fact that it exists is like it comes with those clipboards with the contracts. Listen is awesome. And the contracts actually do have like who he could have wrestled at WrestleMania that year on it. So it's.
00:58:29
Speaker
It's really cool. Like I think it's just, you know, it looks like Dave Batista from that time. Like it's another one of those figures where this is a small statue. Like they shrunk Dave Batista down and made this figure of him. You know, it's one of those things where I love a lot of people, I won't say a lot of people, but people will complain that like, yeah, it's, it's, you know, you're getting pieces of that era and it's not accurate.
00:58:59
Speaker
But the way that I look at it is you now have the pieces to recreate that. You know, you can, you can use, you know, a male, one of the male suited bodies from, you know, from Mattel pop a Batista head on it, you know, pop the thumbs down hand on it. And, you know, you can recreate that moment. You know, even if it's just to put it on your shelf for like a short term display or take a picture.
00:59:25
Speaker
you now have the pieces necessary to recreate it. So I love stuff like that. But yeah, like, and that's the thing too. Like Batista is very deco heavy. Like there's just all the tattoos and everything along those lines. Um, like I thought the WrestleMania 30 Batista or I'm sorry, the WrestleMania 35 Batista was the best Batista, the retirement match one, but this is the best Batista. Like it is, you know, Mattel keeps just,
00:59:54
Speaker
Far and away, you may not like the era of the figure that they make, and that's fine, but the ultimate figures truly are the ultimate figure of that person or of that character. And they're doing it time and time again. All right, so my number two, it takes us, we'll be living in a galaxy far, far away for me for the remainder of this list.
01:00:22
Speaker
My number two is What I will say not only my number two of the year, but what I would go as far as to say the single best Star Wars the vintage collection figure That has ever been released period Is the deluxe Ahsoka and Grogu two-pack from Walmart There is also a single carded version of Ahsoka the face sculpt
01:00:52
Speaker
the expression on the face because I did have both in case with the new plastic free packaging on the deluxe releases. You never know with the face print technology, every now and then there is an error. So I ordered the single carded release to just as backup. But when I opened the deluxe, I mean this figure,
01:01:19
Speaker
Oh, it is just, it is absolutely stunning. It looks like Rosaria Dawson. The articulation on it is fantastic. It comes with a soft goods cloak that drapes on her really, really nicely. It fits over her head really well. The accessories it comes with, she obviously comes with her lightsabers. She comes with the lantern that she's holding in that scene with Grogu.
01:01:49
Speaker
Grogu his his little hands are extended and he comes with two floating You know, I think it's the it's the shifter knob and a rock and they're they're kind of levitating on these little clear plastic Spikes and then she comes with the owl And the owl can perch on her arm it's just it's such a good set I think it was only priced at like 20 bucks and
01:02:19
Speaker
It's just, it's unbelievable what they're doing in the three and three quarter inch scale, you know, for the vintage collection, especially in terms of likenesses and detail and articulation. I mean, rocker ankles, she doesn't have the, um, typically the vintage collection figures. If you know, if you are a vintage collection figure, you know that you kind of have to twist the hips.
01:02:40
Speaker
in order to kind of kick the legs front and back and then kind of retwist them to get them to stand and articulate. This has hips just like a Black Series figure, so you don't have to do any kind of extra work to move her. It's absolutely unreal what they've accomplished in this little tiny figure.
01:03:00
Speaker
You know, the other releases from this year, the Fennec Shand, the Boba Fett that's coming, they're just, they're beautiful.
Conclusion and Listener Engagement
01:03:09
Speaker
But that's my number two. Now this brings you to number one, right? This is your number one next?
01:03:16
Speaker
Yes, that's all right. That's where we're at. So before we hit our number ones, Dave, let's hear a word from from our sponsors at Chubsy Websy Toys. And then we'll talk a little bit about some some honorable mentions from our followers.
01:03:35
Speaker
This segment is brought to you by our friends at Chubsy Wubsy Toys. A traditional mom and pop toy store in Little Falls, New Jersey, Chubsy Wubsy Toys brings you the best new toys from the brands you love without the hassle of pounding the pavement, searching for them at larger retail stores.
01:03:51
Speaker
Visit them in person at 106 Main Street in Little Falls, New Jersey, or online at ChubsyWubsy.com. That's C-H-U-B-Z-Z-Y-W-U-B-Z-Z-Y.com. And tell them Adventures in Collecting sent you. So, some honorable mentions. We already mentioned one of them because it made Dave's list.
01:04:16
Speaker
Let's just, I'm going to run through these real quick. Just a couple of top line here. We got one, two, three, four, five, six, seven. We've got seven. I'm just going to run through them super quick here. Um, so, uh, at Ronin's riches says 20th anniversary, Marvel legends cap. Um, I do have that figure. It's, it's amazing. The one thing about that figure that, that kills me and the reason why I didn't make this list is I love that figure.
01:04:44
Speaker
It's a perfect Captain America, but I hate that the shield has holes in it unless you have the effects plugged in. So like it's either permanently jazzed with electric or has like bullets bouncing off of it. There's no just like static shield. If you just have the static shield, it has permanent holes in it. At datfigures says new Eternia He-Man from the Masters of the Universe Masterverse line.
01:05:14
Speaker
Great figure. I have not watched the new show on Netflix yet. Yeah, I am meaning to. I just haven't. I think part of me hasn't because I don't want to start a He-Man collection, even though it was one of my favorite figure lines when I was a kid. I just can't do it. Those figures are so good, though. They really are. The origins figures are unbelievable. I have just a He-Man and a Skeletor. I'm good.
01:05:42
Speaker
Well, I even think the ones from Revelation are great. Oh, yeah, they are. And they articulate wrestling figures too. So it's probably a good thing that you stay away from those. Fellow vintage collection enthusiast at Mile High Ground said Corvus Ahsoka, that's the one that we mentioned, followed closely by Fennec Shand and the Death Watch Mandalorian, all fantastic figures.
01:06:10
Speaker
at toy farce friend of the pod sh figure arts boji I don't know that one I don't know that one at K John Day K J A N D E 3 K John Day 3 man cake
01:06:35
Speaker
There's been a couple of man-cake figures. I don't know whether I... I'm guessing it's the Jazzwares... The Jazzwares four-inch one or the Vic... people have already gotten their... their Victory Royale... Mine is pre-ordered. Can't wait. Should be here in a couple weeks. Yeah, I've been... I've been... in and out on that one. Um... But yeah, that's... I mean... But if I... if I were to get another one, man-cake would... would be... would be it.
01:07:03
Speaker
Fantastic character and I love that the the Hasbro one has a changeable face It's the first one that they've done with a changeable faceplate much like the old jazz wear legendary series figures so you can make him the cake with no name With the mustache. Yeah Another friend of the pod here collect horror at collect horror NECA Elvira Great figure great figure
01:07:30
Speaker
Yeah, I say this every year, like, NECA is so in my wheelhouse of stuff I like that it would just be never ending for me. Yeah, you would not be able to say no to things. Because I'd want every Jason. Yeah. And every Freddie. Yeah. If they do, I'd consider a Jason X if they do an ultimate Jason X.
01:07:57
Speaker
It's high on my want list every year. Maybe now that the license is sorted out, that court battle is finally over. So maybe they can re-license the character. Because I think that's the issue. I think it's a license hold up at this point. And our last one is from Rob2022.rs67, the TMNT NECA line.
01:08:25
Speaker
So again, NECA, just all of the Ninja Turtles figures. I wonder if he's more like just everybody or the movies or the cartoons. They've been really heavy on the cartoons this year. They had the turtles in disguise. They reissued the cartoon turtles for the NECA collectathon.
01:08:50
Speaker
all of like the ancillary characters, bad guys, the Mouser pack just came out. So my guess would be the tune line is what this fan is referring to. But either way, I mean. I mean, they've put out the news staff. Like they've put out. It's been a wild year for. Great deep cuts as part of that one. All right. So that brings us to our number ones each, Dave. All right.
01:09:21
Speaker
Go ahead. I'm gonna start my number one for the year with a bit of a preamble. Andre the Giant, Papa Emeritus One, Sorcerer Mickey, Super Seven so far in the lead,
01:09:49
Speaker
for the third year running, possibly. It's the only one I purchased in the Disney line, because for me, this was like the off the charts one. You know, height wise, you looked at the like the original art of the figure in the photos, you're like, oh, Mickey is just going to be like huge Mickey, but he's actually small. And I think that's what makes it better.
01:10:19
Speaker
You know, just so many accessories too. The little brooms with the buckets. And it's another thing too. And this is part of what Super 7 does really well. The Ultimates packaging. Because every Ultimates package is consistent, but unique. And I don't know how, like,
01:10:45
Speaker
You know, this is one of those people smarter than me do a thing really well. And I, you know, am just a fan of how they do it. Um, because if you look at like Matt and Brian, it's major pod packaging with the belt, but it's ultimate's packaging, you know, new Japan, it's ultimate's packaging. Yeah. The go, um, Papa emeritus. It's every single one, you know, Conan for you. Um,
01:11:14
Speaker
you know, the turtles, whatever it is, it's specific to those characters. But it's the same packaging. Yep, same shape that that's the same shape over the top. Mm hmm. And it's just, you know, a completely well done presentation. So it's one of those things where you could take Mickey out of the packaging.
01:11:40
Speaker
And it's going to be a great figure and you're going to enjoy, you know, looking at it, the, the soft goods robe, all that stuff, you know, the sorcerer's apprentice hat and, you know, the different hands, the different heads, the, the brooms. And then, um, you know, the packaging has almost like a refractor kind of packaging to it. Um, it's just so good.
01:12:11
Speaker
Yeah, I finally got to see that figure in person and the thing that impressed me the most about it. So full disclosure, much like we've talked about before, I love Disney. I'm actually not a big fan of Sorcerer Mickey. It's not my favorite version of him, if you will. But what impressed me the most was the fabric that they used for the cloak.
01:12:41
Speaker
It's heavy. It drapes well. If Mickey were a flesh and blood creature, that's what I imagine his cloak would have been made out of. It has that
01:13:04
Speaker
just that great drape to it. And I mean, they needed to nail that. They needed to nail that aspect of this figure in order for it to work, and I feel like they did. You know, the spell book, like, I keep saying the broom with the buckets, like, it's just, it's straight out of the movie. It's straight out of Fantasia. It's the most, really the most iconic part of Fantasia. It was the first
01:13:33
Speaker
feature length movie Mickey was in if I remember correctly. So it was. Yeah. So I mean, like it's it's a very iconic Mickey like other than Mickey and the tuxedo or the red shorts. This is the Mickey you think of. All right. So that brings me to my number one.
01:13:57
Speaker
I don't think that I think that if you if you know me well enough, you probably knew that this was going to be number one before I even had it in hand. It's to me, it's the whereas my my number two is the most impressive single figure in the vintage collection. I think this number one is the single most impressive release in the vintage collection.
01:14:25
Speaker
think you can make the argument that Java's sale barge might have been better than this, just because it's bigger in scale and everything. But I think the attention to detail and just kind of the overall feel and presentation of the Razor Crest is the best release in the vintage collection.
01:14:52
Speaker
So that's my number one, is the Hasbro Vintage Collection Haslab Razor Crest. Of course, it comes with some great figures. It's the only way to get an official Dindajaran with a soft goods cape, because obviously he needs to be able to sit in the cockpit. You get an awesome vac metal, what do you call it, pram for Grogu.
01:15:21
Speaker
The detail inside the ship the way the ship comes apart so that way you can you can kind of play with it for the you know For real like you the bathroom is in there the only bathroom we have ever seen in all of Star Wars in 40 plus years of You know Star Wars we have only seen one bathroom and we have it in action figure form The way that they dealt with the the weapons cache and you know the way that all the blasters fit in there and
01:15:51
Speaker
the carbonite blocks, the netting, the soft goods netting on the wall, the different bags, the different configurations of things, the way that the landing gear works, the way that you can strip the ship the way that the Jawas do. It's just, from start to finish, it was worth every penny. It was worth every second of waiting for that to come.
01:16:18
Speaker
It was a supremely successful HasLab campaign. And I'm super glad, whereas I have major regrets from not getting the sale barge. In fact, I would go as far as to say it is really my only action figure regret is that I had the opportunity to back that and I didn't because I was afraid of how big it was. And I know that I'm still looking at my display space.
01:16:47
Speaker
I would have nowhere to put the sail barge, whereas I do have the Razorcrest on display. It's just, it's amazing. And also, rest in peace, the Razorcrest, because it's gone now. But in canon, it's gone. Forever in our hearts, forever in a pile of dust somewhere on what planet did it get blown up on? I forget.
01:17:13
Speaker
I don't remember. It wasn't Tatooine. Corvus, maybe. I don't remember. But it's such a great ship. And I think it made for a perfect HasLab campaign because it's big enough to have not been at retail. The Millennium Falcon, the
01:17:39
Speaker
The big Millennium Falcon, the true... The Galaxy's Edge one? Yeah, 1.18 scale Millennium Falcon. You know, if you saw that at retail and you saw how big that box is and you're like, wow, this is a big ship, this is significantly larger than that. So, you know, it was definitely a great candidate for a Hazlab. And it's going to be tough for just about anything to beat this this year. So if this gets bumped out of number one, it's going to take quite a bit. So that's my number one.
01:18:09
Speaker
I'm looking forward to when they make his Starfighter. I really hope they do. With the little Grogu Pod. You know, it's one of those things where I feel like as, even though it's a significantly smaller ship, right? Because it's just a Naboo, it's a decked out Naboo Starfighter, right? In order to do that right, that ship right, it needs to be VAC metal because it's made, it's made out of, you know, the, um,
01:18:38
Speaker
It has that polished look to it. And that's a very expensive plastic treatment. It's also terribly, from my understanding, it's terribly unsafe to do. So it needs to be done under special, very controlled circumstances. I don't know if that's a fallacy or not, but I've been told that fact metal is dangerous.
01:19:08
Speaker
But yeah, if they make that ship, I would want that thing like chrome shiny, which I think would make it a great candidate for another Paz Lab. So. I mean, you could do it with paint, though, in theory. You could. But also, too, it gives you the opportunity for one of the unlockables to be, what's your face? Oh, Amy Sedaris. Amy Sedaris' character. Because that's a tough figure at retail.
01:19:39
Speaker
I know Star Wars is kind of a little bit immune to that like where they can they can sell like, you know, I want to say like random characters. She's very important. But like, you know, non she's not in every episode character. Yeah. She's an ancillary character. Yeah. And Star Wars is is
01:19:59
Speaker
Yeah, the figure line is filled with those. I mean, they have the figure in Dan, who is the, you know, the, from the modal nodes. And I mean, that figure sold out in some places. So, you know, again, like, I would say the level of iconography. I love figure in Dan. That's the best, the best man.
01:20:22
Speaker
So I think that would be a cool HasLab, right? Because you could include Amy Sedaris' character and maybe a couple of pit droids and really kind of do it right. But we'll see. We'll see what's next right now that the HasLab is a light saber. And it's not doing so hot. But we'll see what's.
01:20:46
Speaker
We'll see what's coming down the pipeline from them. But this has been our first half of 2022 lists. Dave, I have to say, nothing on your list surprised me. I don't know if that's good or not. No, I just know you really well. That's true. I just know you really well. I would say, I guess your honorable mention for Aquaman, that was the one that surprised me. Because I know you got that Aquaman almost
01:21:16
Speaker
just kind of because, like, I know it fits into your, your superpowers sort of thing. I've even kind of been, I've even kind of bent that rule significantly. Um, I just wanted a comic accurate Aquaman. Yeah. And I was for, for the expectations that I had for it, which were, you know, kind of just because I, I do like it. All right. Well,
01:21:46
Speaker
Uh, with that, I think, uh, I think it's time for us to, uh, to, to leave for the evening. Um, if you're listening to this, uh, on YouTube, or if you're listening to this on, uh, via, uh, your, your podcast, uh, platform of choice, take a visit over to, uh, you know, uh, our, our Instagram after you listen, there'll be a post about this episode.
01:22:14
Speaker
and let us know in the comments, what was your favorite figure of the first half of 2022? And with that, Dave, you wanna send us home? It's time to go home, everyone.
01:22:28
Speaker
Thank you, dear listener, for hanging out with us today. Subscribe, rate, and review us wherever you listen, and then tell your friends to do it. Thanks also to Joe Azari, the golden voice behind our intro. Our music is Game Boy Horror by the Zombie Dandies. Find more about them both on our show notes.
01:22:45
Speaker
Follow us on social media at AIC underscore podcast on Instagram and Twitter. Stop by and say hi. Show us your toy hauls and share your toy stories. Maybe we'll talk about it in a future episode.
01:23:08
Speaker
This has been a non-productive media presentation. Executive producer Frank Kablaui. This program and many others like it on the non-productive network is distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial No Derivatives license. Please share it, but ask before trying to change it or sell it. For more information, visit non-productive.com.
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Speaker
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