Skip to main content

Top 10 Favorite Figures of 2023



Another year has finally come to a close, where many reflect on the past 12 months, listing their favorite films, albums, shows, memories, etc, of 2023. Here is my list of top ten favorite figures of this past year.

10. Tie: S.H. MonsterArts Godzilla 1991/Godzilla Minus One
Both of these Godzilla releases from Bandai Tamashii Nations turned out great. Between detailed sculpts and great articulation, these figures were two of the best Godzilla releases of 2023. Had they come with any accessories they probably would have scored higher.









9. Mafex Shin Ultraman (Dx version)
I was originally going to add the S.H. Figuarts Shin Ultraman landing version to this list, but once Mafex released their Shin, the Bandai version got knocked out. This is the Shin Ultraman figure to own. Great articulation and lots of accessories make him irresistible.





8. S.H. Figuarts Shin Mefilas
One of the big baddies from Shin Ultraman was released in a worthy package, including plenty of extras and wonderfully smooth joints that made him highly posable. A memorable character got a memorable action figure in 2023.





7. S.H. Figuarts Windom
Bandai Tamashii Nations gave this lovable robot the deluxe treatment, with everything needed to duplicate some of his coolest attacks. I had always wanted an articulated Windom, and this figure satisfied that craving.





6. S.H. MonsterArts Mecha King Ghidorah Shinjuku Decisive Battle Version
Bandai Tamashii Nations have been giving us decisive battle versions of some of their older Heisei releases, with additional extras. This new Mecha came with battle damaged wings and grabbing wires to duplicate his attack on Godzilla. They took an already cool figure and made it even better.





5. NECA Ultimate Creature
I was just waiting for NECA to give us a Creature From The Black Lagoon figure in their ultimates line, and this one did not disappoint. With 3 different heads, 4 pairs of hands, a highly detailed and gorgeously painted body, and great articulation that's mostly hidden by the sculpt, this is THE super articulated version of the Gillman to own.





4. Mafex X-Force Deadpool
Another winner from the great Mafex company, who have been putting out high quality releases for the past several years. Any fan of comic book character action figures would do well to look into their catalogue if they want an exceptional release. This Deadpool delivered the good.





3. Titanic Creations Gorgo
This company's first highly articulated kaiju figure turned out surprisingly good. With enough extras, great joints and an awesome sculpt and paint job, fans of this British kaiju got the Gorgo they've always dreamt of.





2. S.H. Figuarts Eleking
Bandai Tamashii Nations knocked this one out of the park. A fantastic, accurate sculpt and impressive articulation made this goofy space eel a winner in 2023. This was the one Ultra kaiju that I had hoped they would give us, and the end result was nothing short of stunning.





1. S.H. MonsterArts Gigan 1972
One of my favorite Godzilla foes finally got a super articulated figure from Bandai, and the final product was outstanding. The sculpt and paint job are so well done that Gigan looks like he walked off the screen. Starting with Hedorah, Bandai have been giving us 50th anniversary releases of some of the classic Toho kaiju (though we still haven't seen Megalon announced). Gigan continued that tradition of being a quality figure.













And those are my top ten crèmè de la crèmè figures of this past year. With 2024 set to give us some promising releases (Godzilla 1972, Red King and Jet Jaguar among them), I can't wait to see what the upcoming year has in store.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

S.H. MonsterArts Godzilla Minus One

Right before the opening of the new Toho film Godzilla Minus One in the US, I received the figure from Bandai Tamashii Nations from that film. It was officially released last weekend, and about a day before that, some photos were popping up online of the final product, appearing with a very dark and bad paint job. Drama rose up in one of the kaiju figure groups I'm a part of, with one idiot in particular proclaiming that the S.H. MonsterArts line was done, despite having not gotten the actual figure in hand before he could judge for himself. After multiple posts trashing the figure and stating that Bandai was dead, he received the figure and then gave it a good rating (8 out of 10), making himself look like a damn fool in the process. I admit that those initial photos had me worried, but I decided to wait until I saw some YouTube reviews to see how it actually turned out to make my judgement (I pre-ordered it from a site where you don't pay for it until it's actually in sto
Post a Comment
Read more

S.H. MonsterArts Godzilla 1991 Shinjuku Decisive Battle version

The latest Godzilla figure I pre-ordered from the S.H. MonsterArts line has arrived. It is the 1991 Shinjuku Decisive Battle version, to go along with the Mecha King Ghidorah release from earlier this year. While the suit is almost the same as the one used in 1989's Godzilla vs. Biollante, they made some slight adjustments. Compared to the BioGoji figure, this one is much thicker, therefore, he does look different from that other release. His sculpt is the classic 90's era Heisei look, with small head, thick thighs, large dorsal spines and a long tail. Like all the other Godzilla suits of that decade, he has a cat-like face, both cute and menacing. While the King of the Monsters has had multiple looks throughout his 50+ years, it's the Heisei era that seems the most iconic. Artwork, toys, comics, etc, have all utilized this particular design. Similar to the 89 suit, this 91 figure has a small set of dorsal spines, followed by a much larger one, and then gradually getting sm
Post a Comment
Read more

S.H. Monsterarts Rodan &Mothra 2019 set

My Rodan and Mothra set finally arrived after being delayed for a few weeks. After spending a few days going over them, I've had time to really assess them. They're both decent, but there are some issues. Let's dig in! As far as sculpt, Rodan fairs better than Mothra. Everything from the wings, face, torso and legs on Rodan are well done and nicely capture his condor-like look from the film. The face, legs and body of Mothra is sculpted in a very simple, dull manner, lacking any real detail or pattern. Part of it I think is that her body is so small it doesn't leave much room for details. Another thing that was pointed out to me by someone on social media is that Monsterarts may have based their Mothra on early concept artwork as opposed to her actual look in the film. The result is a smooth, crude design that, upon close inspection, resembles a Play-Do sculpture. If this was the case, Tamashii Nations really should've waited until they saw w
Post a Comment
Read more