Skip to main content

Top 10 Favorite Figures of 2022


As the year comes to an end, it is time for me to list my 10 personal best/favorite action figures of this last year. I purchased less stuff in 2022 than in years past, but I still got enough great ones to easily make up a list of ten. Here they are….

RUNNER UP

MEGO Face of the Screaming Werewolf


This figure was not released in 2022, but it’s one that I got this year, a gift from my buddy Jake. This werewolf is simply awesome, one of my favorite action figures of the year, so of course he gets an honorable mention.







10. Kaiju Thunder (3rd party) Barabas


This 3rd party figure took me by surprise. The sculpt and paint are fantastic, and he came with plenty of cool extras to make him the ultimate version of this funky Choju that first appeared in Ultraman Ace. I found myself reaching for this monster a lot when taking kaiju photos. The same person who made this is working on a figure of Vakishim, another cool Ace Choju that I’m looking forward to getting.



9. S.H. Figuarts Ultraman Ribut


The Malaysian Ultra warrior got a nice release from Tamashii Nations. With multiple hands, his signature beam and weapons, he was given everything you’d need to make him the definitive articulated Ribut to own. 



8. S.H. Figuarts Ultraman Z Beta Smash


My favorite form of Ultraman Z came with all his specialty weapons, including his Ultra Slash. The sculpt and paint accurately captures his buff build. He was the form I was most looking forward to, and he was worth the wait.



7. S.H. Figuarts Ultraman Astra


The brother of Leo was released this year, and just like his sibling, he got the specialty treatment, with lots of character specific accessories, including the Ultra Key and Ultra Double Flasher beam that he shoots with the help of Leo. It was nice to get another Showa era Ultra.



6. Ultrawoman Carmeara


From the Ultraman Trigger series, we got his jilted love Carmeara. Being the 1st female Ultra in the Figuarts line, she came out looking great. In addition to multiple hands and her signature whip, she also came with Trigger’s Zeperion Beam. Carmeara was a worthy release.



5. Ultrawoman Grigio


The little sister of Rosso and Blu had her prototype teased several years ago. Fans waited and waited, and 2022 finally saw her release. She was worth the wait, coming out absolutely fantastic, with a wide variety of hands that are unique to her character. Grigio is one of the more fun Ultra figures of this year.



4. S.H. MonsterArts SP Jet Jaguar.


From the Singular Point anime series, this updated version of the beloved robot ended up kicking serious ass in 2022. Included were a decent selection of accessories, including his spear and propeller, but it was his articulation that made him a badass. Jet Jaguar is the most highly pose-able robot you can imagine. Tamashii Nations went all out to ensure that his engineering would be wired for maximum potential. Unlike other stiff machines, this guy is tons of fun to pose.




3. S.H. MonsterArts Godzilla 2004


The most highly articulated Godzilla ever released from the MonsterArts line, it was only fitting that this title would belong to Final Wars Goji. G2004 is a figure that’s a lot of fun to pose for photo shoots. This guy made it onto a lot of collectors best of list, and after looking at pics of him in action, you can see why.




2. S.H. MonsterArts Hedorah


For Smoggy’s 50th anniversary, Tamashii Nations announced a special combo with 3 of his forms: tadpole, flying and adult. I never thought that the smog monster would get released in the MonsterArts line, and yet he did, in a fantastic set that captures the kaiju’s distinct look and personality. The adult form is surprisingly mobile, able to move much better than I expected. I’ve always loved Hedorah, and I’m happy  that Bandai gave him plenty of respect and love.




1. S.H. Figuarts Shinkocchou Seihou 55th anniversary Ultraman.


When Tamashii Nations announced that their 1st Ultra star was getting the Shinkocchou Seihou treatment for his 55th anniversary, fans rejoiced. Once this figure dropped, fans couldn’t cheer loud enough. This is the absolute BEST articulated Ultraman ever. He not only came with all his signature attack weapons and multiple hands, but his engineering is an articulated action figure collector’s dream. Able to easily duplicate all his classic poses, the sky is the limit for ways in which you can display him. The Tsuburaya tokukatsu hero that started it all received a kickass release. I absolutely LOVE this figure!










2022 was a great year for kaiju and tokukatsu action figure collectors. While I cut back and only focused on mostly buying stuff I really wanted, I found that I was quite happy with the ones I got. I’m looking forward to what 2023 has in store. Happy New Year, and happy collecting!


 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Titanic Creations Yongary 1967

This figure was released in late December, and I got it about 2 days before the New Year, so I'm counting it as a 2025 release. It is the Titanic Creations version of the Korean kaiju Yongary, Monster From The Deep. The film was released in 1967 as a Godzilla ripoff, with several ideas copied from the Gamera series, such as his tusks, his ability to fire a stream of flames from his mouth, and even firing a laser beam from his horn, similar to the slicing one used by Gyaos. The film is pretty goofy, but Yongary, like most of those Asian monsters, was pretty cool (to me, at least), so I was psyched that someone finally made a figure of this lesser known kaiju. When Titanic Creations put it up for pre-order, they announced a series of tiers, where they would add accessories when a certain number of orders were met. Enough fans ordered him, so that Yongary ended up with a shit ton of stuff, making him absolutely worth the price. In addition to the kaiju, you get a flame breath effect, ...
Post a Comment
Read more

RicSan Custom Toys Kyōrū Kaiju (Titanosaurus)

My latest kaiju figure purchase is the Titanosaurus made by Ricsan Custom Toys. I own and love the Varan & Gabara, so of course I had to preorder this one when it was available. He was delivered earlier this week. This kaiju hails from the last Godzilla film of the Showa era, 1975's Terror of Mechagodzilla. The Black Hole aliens are back, rebuilding their robot in another effort to take over the planet. They enlist the help of an ostracized Earth scientist named Mafune and his daughter Katsura, who are able to control an aquatic dinosaur named Titanosaurus. They plan to use both kaiju and mecha to attack Japan. Titano was a cool monster, with his tail that opened into a fish fin, and he would use it to create whirlpools in the sea, and high winds on land. I'm hoping that S.H. Monsterarts makes one for the 50th anniversary of the film, but when I saw this Ricsan Custom version, I couldn't pass it up. Titanosaurus (called the Kyōrū Kaiju), comes in a white box, with its n...
Post a Comment
Read more

Help Me… I’m Possessed (1974) / #Missingcouple (2024)

I've watched some weird, obscure horror movies throughout my life. I can now add this lurid 1974 schlockfest to that growing list. In a castle in the desert, Dr. Arthur Blackwood runs a sanitarium filled with mentally disturbed patients (as well as staff). He claims to be working on finding a way to cure people of any violent tendencies they have, and brags about his younger sister, innocent, child-like Melanie, as evidence that his treatment works. When she was a child, their parents had to keep her locked up and chained in the basement, to control her violent fits. Now that he's cured her, Arthur has his wife Diane come to the castle to meet Melanie, so that they can be one big, happy family. Diane begins to grow suspicious that something is amiss after a Sheriff shows up investigating the murder of 2 local teens, and sets about on her own investigation, hoping to uncover the sinister secrets that she feels her husband is hiding. Help Me... I'm Possessed is an outrageous,...
Post a Comment
Read more