Favourite Toys of 2024

Finally we reach the end of 2024, and as such its time to look back on the year with a post that's not only become something of a tradition for me but also one of my favourite pieces to write for this site - my top ten favourite toys of the year. As usual the rules are simple - anything I've reviewed for the site which was released in 2024 is eligible, which sadly does discount a lot of reviews from earlier in the year when I was still sifting through my rather extensive (but now depleted) backlog. Honourable mention needs to go to the following toys below, all of which I bought this year but either haven't received or reviewed yet. Whether they would have made the list or not is another question entirely, but it's one we don't know the answer to.

- NECA Ultimate Chucky (TV Series) (Holiday Edition)

- S.H. Figuarts Monkey D. Luffy -Gear 5-

- S.H. Figuarts Bun Red

- S.H. Figuarts Darth Vader (A New Hope) Classic Ver.

- S.H. Figuarts C-3PO (A New Hope) Classic Ver.

- S.H. Figuarts -Shinkocchou Seihou- Kamen Rider 1 (The NEXT)

- Shokugan Modeling Project Victory Mars

- Shokugan Modeling Project Bull Taurus

- Transformers Studio Series 86 Springer

So without further ado, onto my top ten favourite toys of 2024!

Top 5: Toys I'm Looking Forward to in 2025

Before I look back on another great year of toy releases by rounding off 2024 with my top ten favourite toy releases, as now feels like tradition here is a quick rundown of some of the things I'm looking forward to adding to my collection in 2025. With the Power Rangers Lightning Collection effectively ending and me stepping back a bit from lines like the Star Wars Black Series my preorder list isn't quite as long as it once was, but at the same there's always favourites from the likes of Transformers and S.H. Figuarts to get me excited. Given that only one of the figures from last year's list has ended up in this year's favourites who knows if they'll live up to the hype, but for now here's what's getting me excited for 2025!

Toybox REVIEW: Figma Gridman (Universe Fighter)

Release Date: November 2024

RRP: 8900 yen

In 2023 Studio Trigger's continuation of the Gridman the Hyper Agent franchise came to a climax (at least for the time being anyway) with the aptly-titled Gridman Universe, crossing over the casts of SSSS.Gridman and SSSS.Dynazenon for an action-packed finale that naturally introduced a number of new forms and combos. Something that both Bandai and Good Smile Company have taken advantage of with their respective toylines, particularly the latter as they follow up their premium THE GATTAI releases with Max Factory's Figma Gridman (Universe Fighter). This figure is based on the form Gridman takes during the finale of the film as he merges with Yuta once more and breaks free of the confines of the universe itself.

Toybox REVIEW: S.H. Figuarts -Shinkocchou Seihou- Kamen Rider X

Release Date: October 2024

RRP: 9900 yen

Although generally Bandai Tamashii Nations have gotten a lot better at releasing the figures they debut at Tamashii Nations events, they've been slowly teasing out the releases of the original seven Showa era Kamen Riders for some time. The original releases of Rider 1, Rider 2 and Amazon feel like a lifetime ago now, with things only moving forward in the last few years with the release of both V3 and Riderman. That said – Bandai's timing couldn't be better, because in the same year Kamen Rider X celebrates its 50th anniversary they have marked the occasion with the long-awaited release of S.H. Figuarts -Shinkocchou Seihou- Kamen Rider X. Though like V3 and Riderman he's rather undeservedly a Tamashii Web exclusive, X's release brings us one step closer to that Legendary Seven. Six down, one to go…

Toybox REVIEW: S.H. MonsterArts Godzilla [2024] Evolved Ver.

Release Date: October 2024

RRP: 14,300 yen

2024 was big year for the King of Monsters on both sides of the globe, with Godzilla Minus One riding an Academy Award-winning high whilst Legendary Entertainment's MonsterVerse continued on with its next big screen instalment – Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire. Two very different films, but together showing off just how tonally varied a Godzilla film can be. During The New Empire, Godzilla absorbs the energy of the kaiju Tiamat to take on a new evolved form ready for the oncoming threat of Skar King. After releasing low-price point re-release versions of Godzilla and Kong to kick off their range of figures from the film, S.H. MonsterArts [2024] Evolved Ver. is the first newly sculpted release from Bandai Tamashii Nations – a Tamashii web exclusive release that in typical MonsterArts fashion boasts a noticeably high price tag.

Toybox REVIEW: S.H. Figuarts -Shinkocchou Seihou- Evil Tiga

Release Date: September 2024

RRP: 9900 yen

As the first series in the Heisei era and still undoubtedly one of the most popular in the entire franchise, it isn't surprising that the S.H. Figuarts Shinkocchou Seihou Ultraman range kicked off with Ultraman Tiga. But with some copies of the figure suffering from both parts degradation and paint issues almost straight out the box, not everyone was convinced these were quite to the same level as their Kamen Rider counterparts. But three years on and the range has continued to make improvements as it has branched out into other series. It isn't quite done with Ultraman Tiga yet though, and as such S.H. Figuarts -Shinkocchou Seihou- Evil Tiga has felt long overdue. An Ultra twisted through a forced merger with Cytech Corporation CEO Keigo Masaki, this new Evil Tiga figure is a Tamashii web exclusive and the fourth Shinkocchou Seihou (and seventh S.H. Figuarts) release from Tiga.

Movie REVIEW: Kamen Rider Gotchard the Movie: The Future Daybreak

Summer movies have been a staple of the Kamen Rider franchise for decades, but rarely do their stories feel quite as signposted as it did in Kamen Rider Gotchard. The appearance of a mysterious orange Gotchard from the future way back in episode 16 raised all manner of questions - many of which would not be answered until months later with the release of Kamen Rider Gotchard the Movie: The Future Daybreak. Largely taking place in an alternate timeline, the film explores future events branching off from the Alchemist Academy's first encounter with Glion. The film was written by Gotchard co-writer Keichii Hasagawa, directed by Ryuta Tasaki and released cinematically as part of a double-bill alongside Bakuage Sentai Boonboomger GekijoBoon! Promise the Circuit.

Toybox REVIEW: S.H. Figuarts Kamen Rider Majade SunUnicorn

Release Date: September 2024

RRP: 8250 yen

The Reiwa era of Kamen Rider has been doing great things to improve the prominence of women Riders in the shows, but it was only last year with Kamen Rider Gotchard that one officially attained the (often much debated) position of "secondary Rider". Said Rider is of course Rinne Kudo aka Kamen Rider Majade, who first debuted as a Rider in the Gotchard/Geats crossover movie before becoming a regular in the show shortly afterwards. But despite being the secondary Rider, S.H. Figuarts Kamen Rider Majade SunUnicorn on the other hand is the fourth release in the line's Gotchard range, as well as its third Tamashii web exclusive.