Thursday, December 31, 2009

It Came From 2009

Let me say this first: I'm totally ganking this idea from Phil Reed. On his excellent website Battlegrip.com he shared his Battlegrip.com Awards in a recent post. He ran through the stuff he had reviewed over the last year and picked a few favorites. Great stuff, Phil!

I'm not so much making this an awards presentation as I'm much as I'm just going to recap a few of my favorite things from 2009 that may or may not have appeared on this blog (These aren't necessarily all things made in 2009-- some are things I first encountered in 2009):

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My Favorite Toy Company in 2009



Onell Design


Without a doubt, the best company out there yesterday, today, and tomorrow is Onell Design. Company owner Matt Doughty has worked extremely hard to make one of the best toy lines of all time and has worked even harder to make sure the toys are affordable as possible to collect. Great toys made by a great guy-- what's not to like?

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My Favorite Designer Toy in 2009


RealxHead's Chaos Man II


With a face like that, how was there any other choice? Chaos Man II, a kaiju toy from RealxHead toys in Japan, is a really swell guy. He's huge, insanely detailed, and his paint job is top notch! These RealxHead toys keep getting better and better!!!

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My Favorite Mainstream Toy in 2009


Bandai Creation's 12" Mechagodzilla


Standing 12 inches tall, this Mechagodzilla toy is still one of my favorite in-store purchases of the year. The big guy is priced at around 15-20 bucks at Toys R Us, and he's worth every penny. Seeing Godzilla toys on shelves again was such a treat. I fear this will be the last year we'll be seeing this unless something extraordinary happens.

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My Favorite TV Series in 2009


Doctor Who


As much as I've loved Lost since day one and as much as I enjoyed the first 4 episodes of V, nothing has made me more excited than the last few episodes and specials of the latest Doctor Who series. David Tennant has brought an unusual energy to the Who franchise, and I am nervously awaiting the upcoming final episode on Saturday night. Sometimes change is good... that's a lesson Doctor Who has taught every generation that has followed it since day one.

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My Least Favorite Movie in 2009


Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen


I can't really name my favorite movie of 2009, as I saw so few movies this year ( I liked Star Trek and Terminator Salvation quite a bit, but they really aren't all that good). However, I can tell you the movie that let me down the most. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen disappointed me in a way few movies ever have. I loved the first movie despite its flaws, but this movie just took those flaws and ran with it. It's like Beavis and Butthead teamed up with the Jackass crew and made a movie about transforming robots. It has seriously made me consider never paying to see a movie in the theater ever again.

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My Favorite Comic Book Series in 2009


The Walking Dead


The Walking Dead is just a fantastic comic book series. It has been called "The best zombie movie never made." The scariest things in the book are not the zombies-- the humans prove to be much more horrible than the living dead. This book never lets you get comfortable long, and it makes me wonder how much farther writer Robert Kirkman can strain his characters' mental stability.

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Favorite Website in 2009


The October Toys Forum


The October Toys Forum has become my most favorite place to hang out online ever. In the past year I have learned so much about toys and the people who collect them. The forum is run by those crazy kids from October Toys and Toy Break, George and Ayleen Gaspar. They are honestly some of the best folks around, and their love for toys and toy people is infectious!

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