Toys of the Year

A round-up of Luis’ favorite toys of 2021

2021 was another atypical year of figure shopping. With the pandemic still raging and massive shipping delays, most of my toy purchasing happened over FaceTime or through exclusive retailers. Toy companies put out a plethora of amazing products. Hasbro and Mattel both went almost exclusively to real scans for actual likenesses. Hasbro debuted their pinless knee and elbow joints which allowed them to keep the same amount of articulation while providing a more attractive aesthetic. After all the problems and delays, it was still a wonderful year in the toy realm leaving me with very high hopes for 2022!

Soundwave's transformation is in the desktop version

Madeline Strum Photography

SOUNDWAVE

WAR FOR CYBERTRON: KINGDOM CORE CLASS The 3.5 inch scale of figures feels like its rendered right from the mid 80’s cartoon. A perfect blend of nostalgia in detailing, coloring and deco while having all the modernization of ease of transformation. The only thing missing were mini-cassettes which transformed into their own robots in disguise. Easily my favorite transformer of the year.

Megatron

Madeline Strum Photography

MEGATRON

WAR FOR CYBERTRON: KINGDOM CORE CLASS While this version transforms into a tank instead of a handgun (a transformation that was abandoned in the early 90’s) Megatron, just like Soundwave seems to have been ripped right out of my childhood and transported to the modern era. The Kingdom Core class focuses on playability and accuracy of sculpt in the smaller scale. A great figure, at an even better price point which provides a nice point of entry for new, young fans.

Also Megatron

Madeline Strum Photography

SANTOS ESCOBAR

WWE ELITE The figure features one of my favorite head sculpts of the entire year. His smirk and man bun capture the attitude of the former cruiser weight champion and leader of Legado de Fantasma. One of my favorite alternate heads of the year is the masked luchador head which lets you transform Santos into his luchador guise El Hijo de Fantasma.

Santos Escobar and Big Van Vader

Madeline Strum Photography

BIG VAN VADER

WWE LEGENDS Amazing Target exclusive WWE Legends figure which allows you to recreate 3 different eras of Big Van Vader. His headpiece from his AJPW/ NJPW run, his mask from the WCW run, or remove them both and have his smaller mask from his WWE run. On top of that the sculpt and scale of the figure honors one of the best big men in the history of professional wrestling.

Koska Reeves and Bo-Katan

Madeline Strum Photography

KOSKA REEVES

STAR WARS BLACK SERIES Right in line with the Bo-Katan figure, Koska’s armor and jetpack are beautifully rendered with the proper amount of weathering. My one regret with this figure is that it wasn’t posed in package with the helmet off. If they had done that (as they did with Bo-Katan) they would have sold more units as wrestling fans would have rushed to buy figures of Sasha Banks as a Mandalorian. All we need is Axe Woves to complete Bo’s team.

BO-KATAN

STAR WARS BLACK SERIES This figure perfectly captures the likeness of geek goddess Katee Sackhoff. Katee reprises the role of the badass Mandalorian in pursuit of the dark saber that she originally voiced in The Clone Wars and Rebels. The weathering on the helmet helps sell the fact Bo is a hardened warrior who has been doing this a long time. Absolutely one of the standout Star Wars figures of 2021.

Captain Carter and Sam Wilson/Captain America

CAPTAIN CARTER and SAM WILSON/CAPTAIN AMERICA

LEGO MCU DISNEY+ WAVE My favorite Lego blind bags of 2021 featured characters from the MCU Disney+ series. Pictured here are my favorites of the bunch: Sam Wilson as he ascends to the mantle of Captain America and Captain Carter (yes, again...I really like this character) from the very first What If? episode. Easily the most cost effective way to get a figure of Sam’s Falcon Captain hybrid. Captain Carter comes adorned in my preferred Union Jack inspired gear. Simply perfect mini figures.

Captain Carter

Madeline Strum Photography

CAPTAIN CARTER

MARVEL LEGENDS WHAT IF? My favorite character from the Disney+ What If? animated series. While the figure is short on accessories (only packaged with her captains shield) the head and hair sculpt is perfect. I wish the figure would have utilized more of a union jack color scheme but the more stealth style color scheme worked really nicely.

Into the SpiderVerse characters

Madeline Strum Photography

INTO THE SPIDERVERSE CHARACTERS

MARVEL LEGENDS The figure foursome of Peter B. Parker, SpiderGwen, Spider-Ham and Miles Morales will make you feel like you are still watching the brilliant Into The SpiderVerse. Each figure comes with alternate heads and hands to easily convert from action to civilian

Beach Head and Lady Jaye

Madeline Strum Photography

BEACH HEAD

G.I. JOE CLASSIFIED One of the standout figures from the top toy line of 2021. The Target exclusive Beach Head was incredibly hard to find due to the pandemic and shipping delays. Once I had it in hand, it did not disappoint. An absolutely amazing figure. Great sculpt and costume details are a hallmark of this line, but the rarity of this figure made it my favorite of the year.

LADY JAYE

G.I. JOE CLASSIFIED Highly-detailed Hasbro figure that looks like it walked right out of the Real American Hero cartoon series. Great spear accessories, and an alternate head allows for possibility without a hat.

The Mandalorian

Madeline Strum Photography

MANDALORIAN

RETRO SERIES The Hasbro Retro line perfectly captures the charm and simplicity of the late 70s line of Kenner Star Wars figures. The simple sculpt and the plastic cape will instantly transport you to 1982. Special props to the packaging which features a weathered look to really sell the retro feel.

Superman

Madeline Strum Photography

SUPERMAN

MCFARLANE TOYS Beautifully sculpted black suit Superman based on Henry Cavill’s portrayal of the Man of Steel in Zach Snyder’s Justice League film. The likeness is uncanny, the dimpling on the costume texture is unbelievable. The added clear stand allows for a variety of action poses. At a relatively modest price point, McFarlane has really done a nice job with his batch of DC figures, specifically the ones based on the likenesses of the actors portraying the characters.