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 King Kong '21

The next May pre-order to arrive is S.H. MonsterArts King Kong from the Godzilla vs. Kong film. I was psyched to get a highly articulated Kong from Tamashii Nations, and the great ape is finally here. Kong is a little shorter than Godzilla (just like in the film). The details of the sculpt are all well done. Tamashii Nations did a good job capturing his look well, from his hair covered body to a few scars on his chest. His faces, including his eyes and teeth on the open mouth head, as well as his axe, are all well painted. The only issue is that they seemed to have gone with a glossy finish, so he seems too shiny, especially on his face and chest. A duller matte shade would've suited him better. At least it would've kept him from looking like he over-moisturized. As for his articulation, he's quite flexible. His head is on a ball joint, ball jointed neck as well, ball jointed shoulders and thighs, upper arm cut, single jointed elbows and knees that go in further than 90 deg...
4 comments
Read more

Julie Darling (1983) / Them aka Hellmaster (1992)

From the YouTube channel 42nd Street Films Grindhouse, I watched this twisted thriller about a young girl with an unnatural and creepy fixation with her father, and her attempts to get rid of anyone who threatens to take away his attention. Julie has a strained relationship with her mother, causing fights and arguments with her. She seems to be disturbingly attached to her father Harold (Anthony Franciosa), who also seems to have a strained relationship with his wife, but appears clueless about his daughter’s creepy fixation with him. One day while he’s away, the mother is attacked and killed by a delivery guy. Julie, armed with a gun, watches the entire thing from upstairs, doing nothing to come to her aid. With the mother now dead and out of the picture, Julie is happy to have her father all to herself. Her newfound joy is shattered when Harold, who’s been having an affair with a woman named Susan, decides to marry this woman, inviting her and her young son to live with he and Julie....
Post a Comment
Read more

S.H. Figuarts Ultimate Ageis/Ultraman Zero Armor option parts set

Earlier in the week I received my S.H. Figuarts Ultimate Ageis/Ultraman Zero Armor option parts set. I was busy with work and doing other reviews, but I finally got around to checking these out. They turned out to be pretty cool option parts. Ultimate Aegis is a set of armor created by Ultraman Noa . My initial thought was that they may be a bit of a hassle to attach to the Ultras. They ended up being fairly easily to swap out and put on them. The only issue I had was with the large piece (Final Ultimate Zero) that Ultraman Zero holds. I was having trouble getting his arm peg into the fist (it’s attached to the piece). Then I realized that I had on his forearm with his bracelet, so I swapped out the regular forearm without the bracelet and it went in easily. For the ultimate Zero Sword, each hand piece comes with its own fists, a red (for X) and blue (for Zero). The top of the fist has a peg that attaches to the piece, and then you ...
4 comments
Read more