That’s right, it’s the end of 2012 and I figured I would do a listing of MY OWN top 10 toys that I got this year—regardless of their original release date.

Lets begin with…

10: Stinkor, from Masters of the Universe Classics! That’s right, the Stink-man is just awesome and has a fan base to match (probably) Coming with enough accessories to dress him up as either the 200X version of the character or the 80’s version; Stinkor comes complete with his orange armor, Blue shield, blue stink-gun, blue gas mask and blue stink tanks. Also included is either a dot or a handle that can be swapped on his armor. Offered with 2 different heads, Stinkor can have the appearance of the 80’s figure with the Mer-Man head or the 200X figure/statue with a new head of his own. We can’t forget that he has a wonderful odor of Patchouli embedded into his plastic. Stinktastic!

09: Battle Armor He-Man, from Masters of the Universe Classics! Battle Armor He-Man was released a few years ago and I’ve been looking into picking the figure up. My problem with buying from ebay or other markets was the fact that the cost was above what I was willing to spend. In October, Mattel had once again posted him for sale and I picked Battle Armor He-Man up at retail price—talk about a win!
BA He-Man comes with his battle ax and a hard plastic armor with 3 interchangeable plates to show the damage he might have taken in battle. An awesome figure and full of memories stemming from the 80’s original; I just had to have him!

08: Baroness, from G.I. Joe! This Baroness was the first modern release from a few years ago. She was offered in a multi-pack but I was able to get her from ebay at a decent price. The Baroness comes with a rifle, dagger and even a backpack, and resembles the 80’s original. However, this Baroness does more than just resemble the 80’s original, she is sculpted so close to the original card art that when she is posed as she is in the photo (best I could do) she looks exactly the same as the artwork.
I’ve waited years to get this figure, but being one of the original modern issues, she was not an easy find. This Baroness is probably second to the first Rise of Cobra figure in my book. Great in every way!

07: Voltron, from Voltron Classics! Golion! With all of the issues and what-not, I simply just love this huge 2 foot tall Voltron. Displayed right next to the entrance door in the living room, the 5 lions and 6 pilots, along with the King Sword and shield/throwing star are just as well a highpoint of my collection. Each lion is huge with the Black Lion being almost as large as a real cat; this set is a real looker.
Each lion has their own mouth weapon—called a sword (by color) {ie: Black Sword, Blue Sword, ect…}. The five lions also combine to form a huge 23” action figure with many points of articulation including a turn at the waist.
For all the possible flaws, these pieces are just awesome and the figures are excellent!

06: Temple of Darkness Sorceress, from Masters of the Universe Classics! Probably forcing herself in as number 1 in my favorite 3 MOTUC figures, Temple of Darkness Sorceress is simply cool! The clear/translucent wings look amazing, the basic white color scheme and the pretty face make this figure one to pick up regardless of the overprice—maybe… Temple of Darkness Sorceress includes a staff and a stand for the blue globe that comes with King Grayskull, the yellow orb that is included with Procrustus will also fit on top. Adding the gray Zoar that comes in the Great Unrest weapons pack makes for an added bonus and completes the figure.
Giant rivets in the shoulders or not, Temple of Darkness Sorceress is one of the best MOTUC figures to date!

05: April O’Neil, from Nickelodeon’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles! April was a gift from fellow writer Miss M, and I have picked another one up for myself to open for display. April has always been a great character to play off of the mutant turtles, but this figure is special in its own way. Complete with a cute face and outfit featuring over-sized boots, this April allows the character to still be the “older sister” of the Turtles, but at the same time, she is young enough to be in their age group—I never felt that it mattered, but what the hey.
April comes with a mass of weapons that are practice versions of the melee the “guys” carry—this includes a Bo, Katana, Kendo Stick, Tonfa, throwing stars and “egg” smoke bombs. A well thought out figure in both sculpt and accessories, add that she was originally a gift and April is one of my all time favorites!

04: Air Raiders Command Outpost, from the vintage Air Raiders toy line! Man, what can I say, the Air Raiders Command Outpost is simply awesome in every way; with all pieces included including the paperwork and the box, this vintage piece is worth its weight in gold to me. I had a decent collection of Air Raiders when I was a kid, but like all things played with—well played with–they went the way of becoming lost or damaged, so being able to get the beautiful things I had in my younger days now that I’m old enough to know better, makes it worth while—paying something high or just trying to find the item.
For the best description and info, see my article on the Air Raiders Command Outpost—http://www.nerdsociety.com/air-raiders-command-outpost/ –a paragraph just isn’t enough to show what an awesome piece of toy history this thing is.

03: She-Ra, Princess of Power; from the vintage toy line of the same name! Years of searching for a carded She-Ra has given me a very nice or maybe even exceptional action doll that I just love to look at. She-Ra is complete and sealed on the card that is not in too bad of condition. The bubble is clear and that is tough to come by for something this old.
The figure isn’t the only thing that stands out though, all of the Princess of Power cards and boxes had overly-exceptional artwork; and as girly as they may have been, they are a feast for the eyes!
She-Ra is a great piece of vintage toy history and I really treasure the figure, to the point where I picked up an encasement for it, that way I can look at her and not worry about any damage from the air. Truly a masterpiece!

02: Glitter ‘n Gold Jem and Clash, from the vintage Jem and the Holograms doll line! Having these pretty rare dolls still in the boxes is a miracle in itself; these dolls cost me more than I could handle causing me to have to sell the 2012 MOTUC club exclusive figure Shadow Weaver in order to make up the cost so I could pay some bills—and yeah, it was worth selling because both Glitter ‘n Gold Jem and Clash are just great to possess if anything. The dolls are larger than most and have some great accessories, including stands and even cassette tapes featuring songs from the cartoon. GnG Jem has a pair of earrings that flash with real light powered by the button cell batteries in her upper back. Although the dolls themselves are just awesome, it’s the box art of the characters that stands out—they actually appear to be real people!
Although Jem is making a comeback courtesy of outrageously priced collectible dolls, I think the originals are truly the best and are one of the most prominent pieces of toy history.

…and here we go, number…

01: Suruga Kanbaru and Hitagi Senjyogahara, from Bakemonogatari! What? Why? With the Masters of the Universe Classics subscription finally over and with me not getting the 2013 subscription, I can finally return to my beloved Anime collecting which has been few and far between over the past 2 years because of being stuck in the subscription.
Suruga and Hitagi are from the Anime called Bakemongatari which is more of a conversational show then anything else. There are periods of extreme violence and many adult situations—nothing too deep, but maturity is probably something the viewer should possess, however its meant to be comical, so laugh!
The 2 figures are FIGMA’s, which are fully articulated and detailed—they are also imported from Japan. Each comes with a wealth of accessories and interchangeable parts.
Suruga has been possessed by the Rainy Devil and this is shown by her left arm being in the form of a Monkey’s Paw—she keeps her arm wrapped in a bandage to hide the hairy appendage. When the Rainy Devil controls her, she dons a raincoat (to keep the blood splatters off of her school uniform) and goes on a brutal killing spree of the guy who is seeing the girl she likes—that’s right, Kanbaru is a lesbian, and she wants Koyomi’s girlfriend for herself!
Hitagi is that girl in which Suruga would like nothing more than to love, however, Hitagi is possessed by a Crab, a god—this crab holds the weight of her problems and even her physical weight making her weigh just 5kg—about 11 pounds. Hitagi comes with a lot of “claws” in the form of stationary, objects like scissors, retractable box cutters, staplers, compass…ect…and she uses these things in ways that are quite violent.
Hitagi has a sharp tongue, but is very caring; and although she doesn’t have the same feelings for Suruga that she has for Hitagi, she is still kind enough to be her Senpai (senior) when all becomes well in the world of the Ghost Story—Bakemonogatari.
Suruga Kanbaru was a gift from my Mom, (still buying me toys)! And, as always, a gift means the world to me. Hitagi was a gift to myself… The FIGMA action figures are truly number 1 in MY top 10 toys in 2012.

Only time will tell what my top 10 toys for 2013 will be, however, the current number 1 is looking like Castle Grayskull which will be coming at the end of next year. Until then…

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