The Best Of 2020: Part 2

And just like we’re over halfway done with 2020 and it seems like 2021 still can’t come fast enough. First of all I’d like to apologize for the obvious lack of updates to this site. Adjusting to the “new normal” has definitely taken its toll on many of my usual extracurricular activities which unfortunately includes this blog. Still I have been getting “some” new stuff these past few months, so I figure it’s time once again to revisit my top ten list of the year for the second “third” of the year.

The Best Of 2020: Part 1

So…..how has your 2020 been? I guess it’s safe to say that nobody expected this year to turn out as it has. This worldwide pandemic has turned pretty much everyone’s lives upside down and amidst all of the real world problems, all of a sudden, updating a blog about toys just seemed a little less...significant.

Finn-ishing Up

Ok so just like The Last Jedi, the Resistance fighter Rose Tico is a rather polarizing character. For whatever reasons, she has her fair share of detractors. I have absolutely no problem with her, she may not be my favorite character but I do like her. And more importantly, I appreciate the unique element she brings into Episode 8 and the important role she plays in rounding out Finn’s character development.

A-Finn-ity For An Ex Stormtrooper

Like a good number of the fandom, I generally liked Star Wars Episode 7, The Force Awakens. It’s not a perfect film of course with its biggest criticism being that it was pretty much a rehash of the original Episode 4, A New Hope. To its credit though, TFA did bring us one unique idea to the table, and that was in the form of a new specific character, a Stormtrooper, who had defected from the Emp...I mean the First Order and found himself fighting on the side of the Reb….Resistance.

Keeping Tracks

In 1985, Hasbro released their second wave of Transformers toys. Due to the overwhelming success of the first wave of Transformers toys , the second wave was definitely more robust and diverse. Hasbro was basically grabbing whatever robots they could find in Japan and re-releasing them in the US with a new Autobot or Decepticon logo.

Supreme Hype Job

The image of a caped invulnerable strongman is almost always associated with the Superman. Granted the Man of Steel’s power set of super strength, invulnerability and flight is a bit generic, so it’s not a big surprise that a number of similar “supermen” have been created by other comic book publishers through the years. Oh well, they say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

The Best Of 2019 part 2

As we embark on a new year, it’s always a good exercise to look back at the previous one and take note of all the blessings we received in the past 365 days. And for toy collectors like myself, that means taking stock of all the new toys that 2019 brought in to add to our shelves. As always, there were quite a lot of new additions and it was quite the task to come up with my top ten purchases of the year. But I managed. So let’s get on with the main event shall we?

The Best Of 2019 part 1

And just like that, another year has come and gone. And it is finally time to revisit my list one more time to set in stone my definitive top ten favorite toy purchases of the year 2019.

Ending The Year With A Salacious Tale

Back in 2014, Hasbro released the two versions of the intergalactic galactic crime lord Jabba the Hutt in their 6” Black Series line. The standard retail version that was just Jabba in a box, and an exclusive SDCC version that came with extra accessories. Anyway, sometime later that year I actually came across the SDCC exclusive version in ToysRus during a trip to Hong Kong. But I didn’t bother getting it since at the time I wasn’t all in on the Black Series line. This was a decision I would end up regretting a whole lot years later.

Some Canadian Plastic Goodness Eh

Despite debuting in the pages of the X-Men, having a strong connection to Wolverine and an original comic run of over 100 issues, Alpha Flight isn’t really considered by many as a premier superhero team in the Marvel Universe. Which is a tough break for us few but very loyal Alpha Flight fans, especially toy collectors like myself. For the longest time, having a perfect plastic representation of my Canadian heroes has been nothing but a pipe dream.

Remembering The North

Way back when I was in high school, I was going through the first issue of the Marvel Universe Handbook Book of the Dead series and one character immediately caught my attention. His name was Guardian and I thought that his simple red and white costume based on the Canadian flag looked pretty cool. So I proceeded to read his entry and that is how I recall being officially introduced to Canada’s premiere superhero team Alpha Flight.