Presenting the Dark Lord Dungeon Toy of the Year Awards for 2015!It's that time of year when we go through the Dungeon's statistics and determine what you - the readers and visitors to this site - really love (Which includes things we hate sadly, but yeah, thanks for visiting). We have a winner for each month, and a runner-up.
The Toy of the Year Award is given to the monthly winning figure that we feel influenced our lives the most.
Feel free to comment, argue or react in the comments section below. Happy New Year to all and thank you very much for visiting our little blog.
MORE AFTER THE JUMP
January:
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| Optimus Maximus with Reprolabels |
This particular Optimus Prime was featured several times in 2015. First when Optimus Prime was combined with parts from Superion; Again when Optimus Maximus was complete thanks to the arrival of Iron Hide, Mirage, Prowl and Sunstreaker, and; again when we featured the Combiner Wars Optimus Prime with reprolabels.
Optimus Maximus was praised for his origin story, the wonderful looking reprolabels, and excellent articulation.
He was cited for being very top heavy; Having such a whimpy weaponm and; For being "thin" when seen from the side, and; for having such a high waist.
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| Superion |
Our runner up this month is another Combiner, the mighty Superion - who in the comic book got torn in half (And in the comic book introducing Grand Scourge, got beheaded).
Superion was cited for looking really great; having wonderful stability; not being as "thin"; having a wonderful face that is a salute to his G1 look.
The Transformers Combiner Wars Superion was cited for being unable to twist at the waist.
February:
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| Takara Armored Knight Optimus Prime |
We were first hesitant about getting the Takara AOE Armored Knight because we thought that it would be just a redeco. We were pleasantly surprised that it was not.
We loved that the Takara AOE Armored Knight was a rebuild; we loved the face gimmick that allowed you to switch between a face-plated Optimus Prime head and an open faced Optimus Prime; and we loved the new wrists which heightened the articulation of the Takara AOE Armored Knight.
We hated spindly arms; and of course, the backpack.
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| Lego General Grievous Bike |
The knock-off Lego version of the Tsmeu-6 Personal wheel bike used by General Grievous in Star Wars Episode III is this month's runner up. We loved that it came with a rare Darth Revan instead of General Grievous; that it was a solid figure despite being a KO, and; for bringing to life such a horrifying concept.
We hated it for having a few badly misshapen pieces and for.... well packing Darth Revan instead of General Grievous.
March
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| Xovergen TF-02 God Ginrai |
March gave us the heavily anticipated 2nd armor upgrade from Xovergen.
Unfortunately we were quite disappointed with it. The Xovergen TF-02 God Armor was criticized for: Not having an instruction manual; for being made of shoddy plastic; Making God Ginrai top heavy; Having wings that won't lock into place; Having ridiculously large lower legs that keep popping apart; Lacking the Tachyon Missile that the original God Ginrai has; Having a truck mode that won't connect with his truck mode, AND; being unable to form God Ginrai without removing the Classics Optimus Prime that forms the chest of Xovergen TF-01.
What's did we like about the Xovergen TF-02 God Armor? Well... Godbomber alone was pretty cool. And we did appreciate the new hands that came with the set which replaced the whimpy hands of the Xovergen TF-01 that couldn't hold anything.
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| Star Wars Force Unleashed Battle Damaged Darth Vader |
March's runner up is a bad-ass figure! The Star Wars Force Unleashed Battle Damaged Darth Vader was loved for having all that bloody, burned, beaten and scarred detail molded and painted into him - even his light saber's glow was thready - as if it was damaged; for having high articulation, and; for having modular parts.
We criticized him for having a literal hole in his chest - which holds his modular chest piece in place, and; for having a hard-plastic tabbard that hampers his articulation.
April:
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| LEGO KO Batman Tumbler |
April brought us one of our favorite knock-off Lego finds: Batman's Tumbler. As we said in the review: "At the risk of pissing off a lot of Batfleck lovers, this will always be one of the most iconic Batmobiles ever!"
We loved the KO Lego Tumbler for the price! An original Lego Batman's Tumbler would set you back around US$ 1,000. We paid only roughly US$ 13 for it; We also loved the quality of the knock-off. Batman's Tumbler is a rough and tumble, sturdy vehicle that is very playable. We actually couldn't find any real fault with it. It is one of the best toy-finds in the Dungeon.
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| Marvel Legends Spider-Woman |
This runner up is the upgraded and infinitely sexy version of Marvel's Spider-Woman - who is currently knocked up in the comic books probably in an attempt by Marvel to please it's more conservative critics by de-sexualizing her.
We loved her for her new modular wings - definitely an upgrade over her original Marvel Legends' incarnation; for having a high-level of articulation, and; For having a very exquisite facial sculpt.
She was cited by us for her hair - which is made of hard plastic - that prevents us from turning her head.
You can also swap her head out with that of Satana's.
May:
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| Star Wars Legacy Edition Millennium Falcon |
In May we pushed the limits of what we could shoot and presented the Star Wars Legacy Edition Millennium Falcon. This is easily the largest playset in the Dungeon, rivaled only by the AT-AT.
It's also the heaviest (Nearly 20 lbs). The Falcon was praised for it's near complete accuracy, and all the lights sounds and gimmicks that accompanied it. It was criticized because, well, the scale is still off and it's nearly impossible to play with because of its weight.
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| Combiner Wars Ultra Magnus with Reprolabels |
May's runner up is Optimus Prime's runner-up for Autobot leadership, Ultra Magnus. We're so in love with the reprolabels upgrade that enhanced the Combiner Wars Ultra Magnus that we prefer it over the Takara red-leg version.
The Duly Appointed Enforcer of the Tyrest Accord, and upholder of the Code of Interplanetary Conflict was loved for having an intimidating presence worthy of the title "City Commander"; We also loved the idea that deep down inside, there's a little guy with a big spark powering him.
We did not love how Minibus Ambus had to be abandoned when you transformed him into his truck mode, and how his hands' were horribly crafted (He needs wrists, and needs to stop dropping things).
June:
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| Quiet: The Phantom Pain |
Quiet: One of the hottest action figures in the Dungeon - seriously who goes into the jungle to kill people with a sniper rifle while dressed in a barely there bikini?
Quiet was cited for the false advertising that announced that she would have realistic to the touch boobies. While Quiet does have movable bazookas, they are by no means realistic to the touch.
She was also criticized for being unable to realistically support her sniper rifle thanks to her chimichangas.
Quiet is loved for .... well ... just being who she is. We have no complaints whatsoever, and; of course, her high articulation.
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| KO Lego Milano |
This month's runner up is another KO Lego Playset, the Milano - Starlord's semi-famous ship from Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy.
This KO Set was loved for it's fun-factor; realistic detailing; articulation, and; beautiful interior.
It was also loved for it's wonderful low price.
It was cited for being accompanied by a horrible looking Necrocraft.
July:
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| Avengers Age of Ultron Scarlet Witch 3.75" Action Figure |
Elizabeth Olsen was one of the best things to come out of Avengers Age of Ultron. She was beautiful, sexy and powerful.
So we were quite disappointed when Marvel released a 5POA version of her character the Scarlet Witch. Not only did it only come with 5POA, we had to decaffeinate ourselves so that we could draw on her eyebrows - yes she did not come with eyebrows (Horrible quality control).
And finally we hated that the Scarlet Witch looked nothing like Elizabeth Olsen.
Why did we buy her? Well Disney/Marvel has a penchant for making female action figures rare under the misguided notion that boys (men) don't play with dolls (Female action figures). Clearly they don't get out much and don't know their market.
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| Combat Hero Optimus Prime |
This month's runner up is a redeco. We're not fans of the 2011 Reveal the Shield Optimus Prime AKA G2 Prime or Laser Prime. But we thought that this redeco was quite cool.
The Combat Hero Optimus Prime was praised for it's new color/decal scheme and for the fact that the redecoed head actually looks good in those colors.
And of course we love the fact that the Combat Hero Optimus Prime looks wonderful in a Battle-Tanker.
August:
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| KO Evasion Mode Nemesis Prime |
This month's winner is a very, very accurate knock-off of the 2015 Tokyo Toy Fair Age of Extinction Nemesis Prime (Which sells for roughly US$ 200. Our knock-off was purchased for US$ 15).
We love the KO Evasion Mode Nemesis Prime for being well made; for it's durability, and; for incorporating die-cast metal into its torso.
We attacked it for the incorporation of teal into its color scheme.
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| Elite Force Gunboat |
This month's runner up is an Elite Force Gunboat repurposed for GI Joe use.
We loved the Elite Force Gunboat for the fact that it is based upon an actual US Military vehicle; the high detailing of both the ship and it's pilots; for the fact that it comes very well armed, and; for coming with a little boat for small party insertions.
We cited it for being a little smaller than it should be and for not coming with any ammunition for any of its guns.
September
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| Star Wars Black Series Kylo Ren |
The "Emo Sith!" Seriously he's clearly Goth, not Emo. We loved The Force Awakens! Do check out our review of Star Wars Episode VII.
We have a new found respect for Adam Driver. When we first heard that he would be playing the central villain in Episosde VII, we thought "The serial masturbator with a foot fetish? Really?" But we're glad we're wrong. He was the perfect person to pull off the patricide that Han Solo deserved, and a villain that we are definitely looking forward to in Episode VIII when Kylo Ren unleashes his vengeance.
The Black Series Kylo Ren was praised for it's detailing, high articulation and "lankiness" which is appropriate for Adam Driver. It was criticized for that cross hilted lightsaber - which frankly we still think is a dumb weapon.
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| Optimus Prime KO UFO Annular Trailer |
This month's runner up is a knock-off of an unofficial, 3rd party product: UFO's Transformers Dark of the Moon Annular Trailer for Optimus Prime. The trailer is loved for being a wonderful add on to Optimus Prime; for having the space inside to actually carry other Transformers, and; for transforming into a very sturdy armory for Optimus Prime.
It was cited for the awkward to mount fuel canisters; shabby construction; lack of clips on the mounting rails; a non functioning "refrigeration unit" mount; the lack of rubber tires, and; having a dull paint job.
October
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| Star Wars Rebels Ahsoka Tano and Darth Vader |
We really, really, REALLY hate the plethora of action figures released by Hasbro / Disney that only have 5 points-of-articulation.
Ahsoka was cited further because despite the appearance of lightsaber hooks on her thigh-plates, you cannot hang her lightsabers on them.
And finally the duo was cited for having really childish like gimmicks. Clearly Hasbro / Disney was making these for really young kids who would probably end up swallowing the lightsabers.
But we were quite fond of the facial sculpts of Ahsoka and Darth Vader. We loved Ahsoka's facial sculpt so much that we decided to replace the head of our Vintage Edition Ahsoka Tano - who had a more juvenile head sculpt - with the head of the Star Wars Rebels Ahsoka Tano.
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| Jessica Alba Invisible Woman Action Figure |
The runner-up for this month is the 2005 Action Figure of Jessica Alba as she appeared as the Invisible Woman - also known as The Fantastic 4 Power Blast Invisible Woman Action Figure.
Our attention returned to this ten-year old figure thanks to the release of Josh Trank's Fantastic Four. While we absolutely love Kate Mara (The new Sue Storm), she could not hold a candle to our memory of Jessica Alba as the Invisible Woman. Do check out our thoughts on the 2015 Fantastic Four movie here.
The Jessica Alba Invisible Woman Action Figure was praised for high articulation and detail, but cited for feeling quite fragile and having "Claw" hands.
November:
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| Grand Scourge / Nemesis Prime |
Grand Scourge and his Matrix Breaker sword. We loved him for having a kick-ass introduction into the Transformers universe. The guy cleaves Menasor apart, then claims the Stunticons as his arms and legs. As chance would have it, Omega Prime's appendages are redecos of the Stunticon's appendages, so you have a complete "Nemesis" version of Omega Prime standing there.
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| GI Joe Custom Cover Girl |
This month's runner up was born from the Dungeon. Spawned by our inability to purchase a Cover Girl action figure at a decent price and having spare parts lying around. The Dungeon's Cover girl was built from a Marvel Universe Shanna the She-Devil, Han Solo, GI Joe Renegades Scarlett and a GI Joe POC General Hawk.
We're particularly fond of this creation and we really appreciate that a lot of you readers liked it. If and when we come up with a spare GI Joe Retaliation Lady Jaye, we might switch the donor body as the skin color of Lady Jaye is more of a match for our Cover Girl than Scarlett's.
December
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| Transformers Combiner Wars Rodimus Prime |
The leader of the Autbots. Hahaha! Yeah Right! Okay we're biased and don't really like Rodimus Prime - but he did make our list, so congratulations.
We applauded the little upstart with being quite nicely detailed for a redeco; for having a rather complex transformation process for something so small, and for having excellent articulation.
We criticized him for losing his trademark forearm blasters, and for having a really hideous axe.
Do remember to check out our review of little Rodimus Prime because we had an awesome time making fun of him.
Here's a sample:
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| Halo 5 Master Chief |
December's runner up is the protagonist in the Galaxy's most twisted and tragic love story, the Master Chief, John 117.
This version of Halo 5's Master Chief was praised for it's detailing. We love the new hexagonal inner armor pattern used by the Chief; the cracked visor - which was its state after he kicked Spartan Locke's overstepping behind - and the extra detailing that went into his weapons.
The Master Chief was also praised for the expected high level of articulation.
He was criticized for the fact that you have to take a blade to his right hand in order to separate his trigger finger from the rest of his fingers just to make him hold his weapon properly.
TOY OF THE YEAR 2015
After much debate, we decided to give the www.DarkLordDungeon.com.ph Toy of the Year Award to Quiet from Metal Gear Solid V. No other figure in our collection spawned as much social controversy - for various reasons, including but not limited to: "She's half naked!", "Supposedly she's a Transexual", "You should see her dancing in the rain.", "Hideo Kojima squeezed her boobs on the internet to show how pliable they were", and because a lot of people really, really, really loved the game.
What do you think of our choice?
Do let us know and thank you very much for all your support in 2015. We're looking forward to an even brighter 2016 ahead to share with you!
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