Wednesday, February 10, 2021

The Best of the Rest: My 10 Favorite Indivudal Toys of 2020

 

 While the list of my 10 favorite toylines from the past year is always the main event, I do like to recognize that not every great toy is part of a larger toyline or a toyline that I fully collected. It seems kind of unfair to never acknowledge figures from smaller or one off lines. Heck, sometimes I purchased a spectacular action figure from a line that I had no intention of buying anything else from. What to do? That's where the list of my Top 10 Favorite Individual Toys for the year comes in. Who is eligible? Most any toy released in 2020. Who isn't eligible? Any toy from a line I picked in my 10 Favorite Toylines of 2020 list. Remember that these are listed alphabetically, not in order of merit. 2020 was interesting in that there were some good releases but as I've narrowed my collecting habits (narrowed being used fairly loosely, you might feel) I tend to buy less random, one off stuff. Let's see what made the best of the rest after the break...

 


   There weren't any other Toony Terrors released in 2020 that appealed to me but I'm always down for Ash. I love the Evil Dead series and this was a really fun, stylized version of one of the greatest heroes the world has ever know. The cartoonish expression on Ash's face does an excellent job of capturing Bruce Campbell's likeness as if imagined in a Saturday morning cartoon. "Armed" with his chainsaw and his boomstick, this Ash is ready to make some deadites pay. Hail to the king, baby!
 
 

Casey Jones & Raphael (In Disguise) from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles by NECA

   NECA's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles line very nearly made the list of my top 10 favorite lines of 2020 but it was pretty tough to find and I kind of picked and chose with the line. This has been a dream toy for me and I'm thrilled to have both Raph in the trench coat and Casey Jones. This set is pretty good, though it's a bit disappointing to not be able to have an unmasked Casey. Still, this set is loaded with awesomeness and lots of cool accessories for these two to fight the Foot and each other!

Conan the Barbarian by Super7

   Super7's comic inspired Conan the Barbarian figure was mighty impressive. Built on a Masters of the Universe Classics styled body and loaded with some deadly weapons (including a second set of bloody weapons) this guy was a ton of fun. He's one of the nicest figures Super7 has put out with a very solid feel, excellent paint work, and two expressive headsculpts. I know Super7 is currently releasing figures from the Conan films but I hope they get back to doing more comic inspired figures as I really like the look of these.


Kronnaw from Mythic Legions by Four Horsemen Studios

   The only Mythic Legions figures I pick up are the Masters of the Universe homage figures and Kronnaw was my favorite of last year. A clear tribute to Trap Jaw, this guy really stood out and was a darn fine figure. He's got some great accessories, solid articulation, and a pretty cool color scheme that just won me over.
 




   This pack of five minifigures based on the legends and lore of the state of Oklahoma turned out to be one of the biggest surprises of the year. These are incredible minifigures! My wife got these for me for Christmas and I was absolutely delighted by them. Featuring Bass Reeves, Will Rogers, Wiley Post, Buck Atom, and the Golden Driller, this set is a really cool item for fans of minifigures, the West, and Americana in general. The quality of these minis is amazing, too.


Panthor at Point Dread from Masters of the Universe by Mega Construx

The MOTU Mega Construx line didn't make my 10 best lines for 2020 but Panthor at Point Dread was a killer set. It came with Point Dread and the Talon Fighter, Panthor, and three minifigures, including an amazing Zodac. The Mega Construx line is doing the MOTU brand justice and I'm always curious to see what they have planned next. From what I've seen so far in 2021 they very well may make the 10 Best Toylines of the year if they keep things up.

Prince Adam & Sky Sled from Masters of the Universe Origins by Mattel

   You might be surprised that MOTU Origins didn't make my Top 10 Toylines of 2020 list but, thus far, the line hasn't really released anything that made it seem like more than a novelty to me. Well, other than this set. I like Prince Adam but this is an amazing Sky Sled with some incredible features. Seriously, this could have been an amazing MOTUC release even. With the newer MOTU Origins releases I suspect this line might make my 2021 list as there's quite a bit more variety.

 

Raphael from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Ultimates by Super7

   Super7's TMNT Ultimates could have become the next massively expansive line I started collecting but being that I'm really, really trying to focus the bulk of my collecting on Masters of the Universe and Star Wars: The Black Series, I ended up selling off the figures I bought from series 1. Well, all except for Raphael, who has always been my favorite turtle. He's an awesome figure and he's loaded to the gills (not that turtles have gills) with cool weapons. This line is going to be exciting to watch but I'm planning to admire from afar.

Silver Shamrock Trick-or-Treaters from Halloween 3: Season of the Witch by NECA

   I love Halloween 3 and this set of the trick-or-treaters is something I never thought I'd own. It's an incredible 3-pack with lots of accessories and lots of potential for creepy displays. Most companies don't stray behind Michael Myers for Halloween stuff so it was cool to see NECA go completely outside the box. These are those weird, Mego inspired figures NECA does but they work really well in this set. 



Toxie from Toxic Crusaders Ultimates by Super7

   

   Super7 makes this list for the third time with another one of their Ultimates! This time it's Toxie from the Toxic Crusaders. I loved these guys as a kid and I'm hoping Super7 releases a few more because Toxie is amazing. Seriously, he's one of the best figures of the year. He's loaded with accessories, two portraits, his lil' buddy Blobbie, and he has some excellent sculpting! This guy really impressed me for sure. There's a glow in the dark variant as well, so some of you glow in the dark fiends may want to track that one down. 







What do you think? What were some of your favorite toys that weren't necessarily part of a larger toyline or from a toyline you didn't collect anything else from in 2020? Did I miss anything you thought deserved to be on the list? Talk about it in the comments below!



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