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Figure Of the Year: 2015


Go Figure News prides itself on bringing you news about figures with a twist, and sometimes twisted figures ;) This year we decided to ask some of our contributors to assess the past 365 days to tell us what figures rose to the top of the heap amidst a year where there were countless stand-outs in the field of fun. We are excited to share with you the GOFN Figure(s) Of The Year! What was yours?....let us know!

Sal Rodriguez

For me, this wasn’t about value; it wasn’t about sculpt; it wasn’t about accessories. It was about favorite, pure and simple. What was my favorite figure of 2015? NECA ¼ scale Superman in the likeness of Christopher Reeve. Just recently we saw a release of NECA’s 7” Superman, but having had the ¼ version the 7” was not a huge deal for me. I had NECA’s baby-their first rendition of Christopher Reeve-in ¼ scale. And no issues with weak, loose, or broken joints. My favorite figure of 2015 = NECA ¼ scale Superman in the likeness of Christopher Reeve-RIP.

Jake Kapusta

My pick for favorite figure of 2015, oddly enough, is one that I don't event own - it just makes me feel good knowing it's out there. That figure is the Marvel Legends Infinite Series "Savage Force Chameleon." This figure stands out as something from a by-gone era where even C and D list characters got their time to shine. I grew up on the 90's ToyBiz figures, and was a sucker for anything with a helmet, mask, and accessories. This figure has those things in spades, with truly unique sculpts on the interchangeable heads of Chameleon, Hammerhead, and J. Jonah Jameson. It gives me warm fuzzies thinking of a kid getting this figure, having absolutely no idea who it is, and still having a blast swapping heads. It's a gateway to kit-bashing and customs! I guess that's sort of the point of a shape-shifter, eh?

Lennon John

We all know I am a Skylanders fanatic! So naturally my favorite figure would have to be one of them. There were so many cool Skylanders that have been released this year, but the coolest one in my opinion would have to be the Patina Eruptor Variant figure.

This is the first Skylanders figure to be made this way, it is known as a chase variant. And boy I have I been chasing it. I hope to add this to my collection as it is now one of my grail figures. I am excited to see what new chase Skylanders figures will be released next year. Happy Holidays to you all and I hope you have a wonderful New Year!

Raymond Diamzon

With the renaissance of the Star Wars saga, I cannot help but remember my Darth Vader one-sixth scale figure by Hasbro. I bought this way back in early 2012. It may not be Hot Toys quality, but I loved how it’s made. He looks fierce and alive, so much so that I had a fun time shooting him. The photo herein is my favourite shot, taken inside a space ship of a washing machine.

Nathan DeWitt

Picking a favorite figure is like picking a favorite beer or burger topping. What time of year is it? Who am I with? Do I have to share? What does my wife want? Et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. But just like a Lay’s potato chip, it’s hard to have only one, so I had to at least give a runner-up nod and I suspect both my favorite figures of the year will be trading barbs for numerous top spots on every collector’s Best of ’15 lists.

Second Place is First Loser Butthead Award: Hot Toys Back to the Future Marty McFly

Every year when it’s time to write about what the best figure of the year may be, a lot little checks need to be marked off the list. Yeah sure, sculpting, tailoring, paint, and packaging all factor into my decision, but when you’re talking about Hot Toys, those things are likely already pretty fantastic if not near perfect. The next big check for me is fervor. How bad do people want this toy and then how satisfied are they with the final product? To say Marty McFly was on most 1/6 collector’s lists for a figure they MUST have is an understatement when you look at all the Marty customs out there. Collectors who spend their hard earned money on high-end 1/6 figures tend to really want high quality versions of iconic film characters and Hot Toys delivered with a great version of Marty McFly from the first Back to the Future movie. The sculpting is top notch and depending or not if you like stoic expressions (I don’t mind them, but they are not always appropriate), the expression on the sculpt is great. The layered tailoring is amazing (something not one custom could boast) and Hot Toys nailed every accessory you would need to make the quintessential Back to the Future Marty McFly. But there is one check that simply makes the winner of my Figure of 2015 a scant better than Marty: engineering.

2015 Figure of the Year: Hot Toys Star Wars: A New Hope Chewbacca

Before I get in to the fact that Hot Toys pulled off their first fully “furred” or “haired” figure, let’s go back to that fervor checkmark. There is not a figure more highly desired by 1/6 Star Wars collectors than Chewbacca the Wookie. Sideshow has been releasing 1/6 scale Star Wars figures for 10 years now and even though they’ve waxed and waned on quality over the years, they never dared to attempt a 1/6 Chewbacca. And for good reason, Hasbro had the Star Wars license before that and every attempt at Chewie looked, er, less than satisfactory. Derpy wasn’t a word in 1999, but, yeah, derpy Chewies lined the shelves. I remember at one point, they BEST sculpt of Chewbacca in 1/6 scale was a CANDY DISPENSER from The Phantom Menace! Yes, customizers were actually seeking out a sculpt that had formerly dispensed candy to use as a base for Chewie. We’ve come along way...and it’s glorious.

With fervor level at DEFCON 5, Hot Toys had a lot of expectations to meet and beat and the execution of the figure is blowing away collectors—dropping jaws and beating what most collectors have expected. The fur falls perfectly onto his frame and the proportions and height are perfect. The figure was going to be a crapshoot for Hot Toys since as a company, they’ve only haired the heads of a handful of figures and it has come with mixed results. The rubber dreadlocks on sequential Predator releases has improved dramatically and Black Widow’s locks also look better as the timeline works left to right. The last few females with rooted hair have turned out very well, but doing an entire figure covered in “fur” is another thing entirely and Chewie is not just any figure. You may not have been a huge Star Wars fan growing up or you may not have had a lot of Star Wars figures, but you had Chewie. Everyone had Chewie because every kid wanted his or her OWN Wookie friend. Chewbacca was the most relatable Star Wars character for children because he was like a big dog. You didn’t understand what he would say, but like the family dog, you understood what he meant and that was enough.

I would imagine that this Christmas many, many people will become fans of what Hot Toys produces. With Star Wars fever at it’s highest in decades, a lot of fans will be crossing into the dark side to begin 1/6 figure collections and Chewie will be the first of many to anchor shelves and desks across the galaxy.

Candace Whitehead

My Gophy of the year was actually two figures, cause in typical Candace fashion, I can't choose just one favourite of anything! One is the Funko Pop! Astro Zombies exclusive Sheldon Cooper because I am a huge Big Bang Theory fan and an even bigger Sheldon fan...and thanks to a fellow YouTuber, I scored one of my biggest grails! I also discovered the now defunct Mighty Muggs and their Star Wars lines and I loved the Yoda the most of the ones I had gotten, as he is definitely a favourite Star Wars character of mine and the figures simple detailing just made me fall totally in love with Mighty Muggs. Happy New Year everyone!

Chris Hammond

It was so hard to choose one toy for toy of the year, but I finally decided on Warpo's 12” Cthulhu retro action figure. I chose this because I love Cthulhu figures and also it is so damn cool. It's a retro figure with 7 points of articulation, gripable hands, and painted wonderfully by artist Ken Kelly. Box-art is amazing and houses one cool creature, that's why it's my toy of the year.

TJ Norris

Well, well, well. How can I possibly sum up the year 2015? As publisher of GOFN I was thrilled to bring new talents to the site, to celebrate unboxers (and unboxing), to be involved in more community endeavors, and to take a long look at my career as an artist with long breath. As we enter 2016 I am excited to re-kickstart my studio practice with the continued growth of the site, and development of new and existing talent forthcoming. In terms of 'best of's I often scoff and can easily see right through the bought/sold relationships when it comes to such things. But for me, there were a few standouts that have nothing to do with affiliations, etc.

My favorite figures have consistently come from Munky King out of Los Angeles and I must truly say that their collaborations with artist Luke Chueh are stellar, especially the growing 'Headspace' series. But their collaboration with duo DabsMyla entitled 'Trouble Trouble' really took me by surprise! Probably my second favorite figure of the year.

And it's an tie for my favorite of 2015! On of my favorites came out as the year came to a close, from New Mexico-based Martian Toys and Texas-based artist Jason Limon (from his Cryptidbits painting series) with their phenomenal collaboration, The Abominable Snow Cone. It blew away all expectations! Not only is this icy vinyl concoction a pure treat, it comes in three colors (flavors) and it proves their is still great hope for inventive minds out there.

The other was sadly the end of the line (or perhaps until the new War of the Planet of the Apes is released in '17!) and that is, of course NECA's Series 3 for their Classic Planet of the Apes action figures. We were thrilled to do a video review them here and this was the strongest of the three series, with Conquest Gorilla and Caesar as powerful standouts, amazing sculpts and colors. Joining them was General Aldo which is also a strong figure, growing the army that was previously available. GOFN gives a strong vote to see more in the future. This trio was made available in two formats: SDCC 2015 set in a white box, and Toys R' Us in a printed box - both were somewhat limited in release. Our original review appears here.Stunning and memorable!

Expect the unexpected!

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