My 10 Favorite Figures of 2018

Here’s a list of my 10 favorite figures from 2018 that I own. I still have not gotten S.H. Figuarts Gudon or S.H. Monsterarts Godzilla 62 (they’re on the way), but out of the other new figures released this year that I purchased, these are my 10 best.

  10. S.H. Figuarts Black Widow. Good articulation, nicely detailed and painted, a good selection of accessories (3 different face plates, baton weapons, several hands). I never got any of the other new Avenger figures, though I heard great things about Thanos and Iron Spider.

9. S.H. Figuarts Ultraman Orb Dark. This one suddenly came out and was a nice surprise. A simple design, the same as Orb Origin, only black, red and grey. This one sports great articulation, a nice selection of swappable hands, an Orb Caliber, and since he only has a red color timer it seems to be glued in place and there’s no issue of it easily falling out, like on Orb Origin’s.

8. Evolution Toy Fireman. I was wary of getting a figure from this company due to their Zone Fighter having so many issues. This guy was surprisingly solid, no loose joints, no falling out arms, and he came with a nice array of weapons and hands. A nice surprise from this company.

7. S.H. Figuarts Ultraman Jack. This was a great release that had smooth articulation and a surprisingly large set of accessories, including weapons, extra bracelet wrist and his signature beam. Jack is a very good deal, definitely more bang for you buck with this Ultra. 

6. S.H. Figuarts Alien Zarab. Great articulation on this guy that allows for some expressive poses, his accessories included his radio/transmitter and the option of having his “ears” either sticking out or being inside.

5. S.H. Figuarts Jugglus Juggler. This guy is one of Tamashii Nations best. The details on this dude are fantastic, the paint is great, and articulation is superb. He comes with quite a few extra hands, as well as a sword and his dark ring weapon. This is the figure that really made me fall in love with S.H. Figuarts.

4. Dasin Genos. This is a knock-off company but they scored high with this release. Great articulation, nicely painted and detailed, and 4 different face plates for maximum expression. He also comes with a pink apron and a few hands, including one hand holding a pen and another holding a book. I own their Saitama as well and that is also another solid release. If Dasin keeps releasing great quality figures like this they will give the big name companies some serious competition.

3. S.H. Figuarts Ultraman X. The articulation on this guy is amazing. You can get him in so many expressive poses that he’s a lot of fun to play with. It's so good that it made other Ultras released in this line (Ultraman Zero Beyond for example) seem like a step down letdown. And he is able to change into his Gomora Armor, which goes on quite smoothly, which is another bonus. He only comes with 3 pairs of hands, and while it would’ve been nicer if he had another pair or 2, the superior articulation makes this guy one of their best Ultra figures.

2. S.H. Figuarts Pandon. They really knocked it out of the park with this kaiju. Not only is it wonderfully detailed and painted, but his articulation is quite good for a kaiju, and the accessories that allow you to turn him into Reconstructed Pandon, as well as recreate his famous decapitation, make him a huge winner. The joints are thick so swapping out the parts is relatively easy peasy.

1. S.H. Monsterarts Gamera 99. This is simply an awesome Gamera figure. Great sculpt, from the damage details on his shell, to the ridges of his skin. The articulation is very good, and the ability to change him into his flying form with ease is another reason to love it. You also get an extra burning hand that you can swap to recreate the classic moment when he kills Irys. The only issue with this guy were his bottom row of teeth that were sloppily painted on and made him look like he went overboard on the whitening strips, but that was a minor issue in an otherwise fantastic release. The best part about this figure is that it’s quite affordable (at least when it first came out). Much less than some of the other Monsterarts releases that are much more but come with much less.