Josh Coldiron's TOP TOYS of 2024
JOSH COLDIRON: As the year goes on, I keep thinking I will slow down on collecting toys. That is how I start half of these years in review articles I write. Sure, I am going to cut back on this plastic crack. I thought I had most of the things I ever wanted. Turns out, I was wrong, and they keep making more stuff, and I keep running across stuff that latches onto my long-forgotten nostalgia. This year’s collecting really got me thinking about the “Why” of collecting. So, let’s take a journey through 2024 and see what this year brought me.
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TOP TOY OF 2024 - #10: Dodowo Strawberry Daifu's Day Bunny
JOSH COLDIRON: I have a history with toy collecting in some places. San Francisco is one of them. On a trip to take my kids to experience the magnificent trees that are sequoias, we took a break afterward to go find some toys. We tried to go to Chinatown to check out toy shops, but it was a bust because of so many people and no parking. Not to mention there was a good chance our rental car could get broken into while parked on the street. We managed to make our way to Japan Town where there were some Korean Craft/Toy shops in the next shopping center over. There was so much stuff that we had to limit ourselves. My only regret was not being able to find more from this series. There are a couple others I would really like, but this one had such a great sculpt and was so full of personality it had to fly onto my shelf. The character and personality that comes through a sculpt is a reason I collect.
TOP TOY OF 2024 - #9: Tomica Kizuna Mode Combine Earth Granner
JOSH COLDIRON: Did you know Hasbro’s sister company Takara-Tomy makes other transforming robots, that are not Transformers? They have had several Tomica series of transforming toys, and many of them are cool. They tend to be targeted more towards kids in Japan rather than our inner child here in the rest of the world. For a toy aimed at kids, its name is quite the mouthful. Long story short: You have a Tomica car, that can go inside of a larger vehicle, that can transform into a giant robot. Parts can be swapped between them. Not only do these look cool, but they also do something that most of the things collect can’t do. They got my son interested in things I like. He isn’t into toys robot toys like I was at his age. This generation is all about Minecraft and stuff. That was till he saw these. He liked it so much; that I got him his own figure and it is something we can play with together. It takes a cool toy and makes it into something special. So, I collect so I can share interests and experiences with my kids.
TOP TOY OF 2024 - #8: Finding Unicorn All Star 3024
JOSH COLDIRON: This toy was an indirect result of the San Francisco trip. While shopping around I ran across a brand called Finding Unicorn. I really dug them, but there were so many to choose from I could not pick. Sometimes having too many options is having no options. After I returned home, I kind of regretted not having one. I went down a rabbit hole on their various designs and found they have made so many it might be impossible to pick one. During that hunt, I found one that was not part of their normal series. It was a single figure in a series called All-Star 3024. It was like a collection with a single figure from a range of all their lines. This is the one I had to have. I wasn’t sure where to start. I could buy a case, but I didn’t really want the others from the series. I could pick up some blind boxes, but that might have been fruitless for the same reasons. As I hunted, I found a shop in China that sells individual figures, and you can pick them. I ordered it right away and a couple weeks later it was at my door. It was better than I could have expected. The quality of the paint and the various details were perfect. It has this brilliant texture, and the design is the best one of all the figures I have seen so far. Of course, it made me want to get more of these cute little ghosts for my collection, but this one is my most favorite of them all. Not only the personality of a figure, but the craftsmanship as well is another reason I collect.
TOP TOY OF 2024 - #7: Dr.Wu DW-E25 Menace King Megatron
JOSH COLDIRON: This one is easy. I like Transformers and Micro Machines. Mash them up, and I am sold.
I preordered back in 2022, and I was starting to think it was never going to come out. Dr Wu has taken on Megatron as a micro master figure that not only is fun to mess around with, but it also has some brilliant engineering to turn it into a gun. That is something official transformers cannot do anymore. I think this engineering had to be the reason it took so long because it had to have taken plenty of engineering and maybe even a little bit of magic to make this come to fruition. It is the best villain character I have picked up all year. I collect this because this is something I would have loved to own as a kid, but it never existed.
TOP TOY OF 2024 - #6: Vecma Studio Space 2039 VP-02/03
JOSH COLDIRON: Collecting this one lends itself to a big ugh and started a long while ago. There is regret, dismay, and ultimately triumph. I had watched these figures for a while. I loved the style, the details, and that they were in Diaclone scale. I went back and forth about wanting or needing the figure and ultimately fate decided for me. It sold out. I would look now and then, but there were only a couple of online shops I could find overseas, that had them. One of them turned out to be in Singapore. I made my order and waited a few weeks and was ready to do a full-on video review once it arrived. It looked so awesome; I was incredibly excited to have it. That is till I put it together.
That extreme toy “high” was followed by an extreme low when I found I had two of the same legs. I thought before I panicked. Maybe I can reach out to the place I got it. Often 3rd party type stuff has good customer service. I reached out and had to play tag for a while. Ultimately, I was offered the option for a partial refund or to return it. I rather have the whole figure, but I weighed out my options. I was heading back to Malaysia and knew I wanted to stop in Singapore on the way back. After lots of planning, I found the day I would be there, they would be closed. So that ruled out the in-person return.
I ended up taking the partial refund in hopes I would find the set again or someone with the opposite extra leg. Time went on, and the hope of finding the other parts was lost. It sat in a box on my shelf with the assumption I would use it for parts on other Diaclone bots I had. Nearly a year after I started this hunt for this toy, I found a used one on eBay. It was more expensive than I wanted, but I knew it was my only way to get it. I jumped on it, and I am glad I did. Even though I just needed the leg, it was a journey to get it. Once assembled, I was in love. This is such a cool set, and it is a shame the company floundered and didn’t continue the series. Expanding this series to accent a “Space Force” for Diaclone would be an awesome thing to collect, but alas I am happy to have the few I have. I collect this for my love of design and space exploration.
TOP TOY OF 2024 - #5: MG 1/100 MISSION PACK A-TYPE & L-TYPE for GUNDAM F90II
JOSH COLDIRON: I normally don’t throw model kits on this list until I have built them. I especially wouldn’t put them this high on the list if I had handled them. I do really want to build it, but there just hasn’t been time. The story that goes with the collection of this toy justifies its being here. The reason this made it here is because in 1994 I got my first taste of Gundam. It was my birthday, and I was visiting my Grandparents in Chicago. My Grandfather offered to take me to a model shop for me to pick something out for my gift. I expected to see cars, planes, and other typical model kits of the early 90s. When I entered, I was immediately surprised there was a wall of something called Gundam. I was in awe by the awesome box art of a huge range of robots. Not only was it something super cool, but there were also tons of versions. There wasn’t just a single robot and some enemies like I might have found in a western brand, there were loads and loads of mecha types and equipment variations. After looking around the one that jumped out most to me was the F90II L-type. It had a wild arsenal and to this day there are so many cool elements in the design.
This was my first real gunpla, so I was not sure how to approach it. Armed with a set of nail clippers and a box cutter, I spent the whole night doing the kit. I was so drawn in, that I finished with it once the sun came up. While mine wasn’t as nice as the one on the box, they always painted those up by pros, I loved it. This model became something that I played with, and it was a central mecha in story concepts I had come up with. The years had gone on, and I had gotten many more robots. I still had love for this old HG figure, but it grew more and more dated as time passed. Over this period I really wanted a high-quality replacement of the kit. I was so excited when the P-Bandai A to Z project launched in 2019. It was the first hint I might get an MG version of the kit I loved so much. I had to become more patient because it turned into a long drawn-out release schedule. We went through a variety of F90 mecha till the F90II was released, and it was until 2024 when the L-Type add-on pack was offered. Once it was released, I watched the countdown for preorder and got it right away. What made all this stand out when the kit arrived at my door. The model kit that introduced me to Gundam on my birthday arrived at my doorstep 30 years later, also on my birthday. I collect for my connections to the past.
TOP TOY OF 2024 - #4: M.A.S.K. Rhino
JOSH COLDIRON: One toy I had wanted for a very long time was a Rhino from the 80s cartoon M.A.S.K. There is usually one main problem, when you find them secondhand, they tend to be expensive and missing parts. On top of that, usually, the chrome is all worn off and other odds and ends are broken. The weekend before Labor Day we were on the other side of St Louis and happened by a retro toy shop. There was a lot to go through, but then I stumbled across a glass case that had some G1 Transformers and the Rhino sitting up at the top. It was in pretty good shape. The stickers were 90% proper, and there were only a couple of small broken bits on it.
The thing it had going for it was that it was complete, and the price was pretty good. I told him I would think about it and asked him about the upcoming Labor Day sale. He said the sale doesn’t start till tomorrow, but he will give me the discount now if I want it. I knew I could find the replacement part online and still be getting everything for a pretty good price, so I jumped on it. I was excited to take it home and show the kids all the surprises lie behind this toy’s masquerades. Even they were impressed by the rockets, ejector seat and other gimmicks. I collect because this might be my last shot at getting something I really wish I had.
TOP TOY OF 2024 - #3: Yolopark AMK Pro Series G1 Optimus Prime
JOSH COLDIRON: Yolopark has an awful name. We need to just get this out of the way. But it can be forgiven because Hasbro gave them the Transformers license and they have made some awesome toys. They call this thing a model kit, but it is more of an unassembled action figure. And an awesome one at that. This looks almost as if it could walk off the screen. Takara made their MP44, which did really capture the look of the G1 Prime while being able to transform, but with the chances of it breaking easily, and still making a lot of sacrifices in the design, I just wanted a high-quality action figure that would allow me to focus on the great character that was Optimus. This toy nails it and really needs to be in anyone’s Transformers collection. I collect my heroes.
TOP TOY OF 2024 - #2: Macross Hi Metal R VF1D
JOSH COLDIRON: Some of these things that impact us when are young, that blow our minds, that are the first version of a genera we experience get engrained into our brains and locked in as our favorite of something. I remember loving giant robots, but outside of Transformers, I didn’t have a lot of exposure to them. I remember being at a thrift store as a kid and under the glass case, they had some VHS videos. I was just getting into Anime, but I did not have a lot of options during the early '90s in East Tennessee to get my hands on them. The video I saw was the first few episodes of Robotech. Could there have been a better entry point for someone into Mecha Animes?
I will never forget Rick Hunter piloting the VF-1d Trainer for the first time in the midst of an alien invasion while saving Minmay. While there have been other figures that depicted this robot, this was one that really captured the look of the animation model and also came with a pilot figure and a little Minmay for him to hold. But outside of that, the thing that I always thought was the coolest thing about this mech was how the pilot seat rise up out of the back of the robot. This thing is just too cool and deserves a reissue from Bandai. I collect my influences.
TOP TOY OF 2024 - #1: Takara Tomy Missing Link C-01 Optimus Prime
JOSH COLDIRON: I sure did get a lot of Optimus Primes this year, even if they didn’t make it on this list. This might be getting out of hand. I already have 50, 60, 70… who knows. I quit counting. He is one of my favorite characters of all time, and I will keep buying them if they keep making them. Well, the cool ones at least. While I could have populated this list with more of this year’s Prime items, the ones that made it to the list were the Primiest of the Primes. Where Yolopark covered cartoon perfection, this Missing Link Optimus covered the ultimate in toy wishes. I had long considered trying to cut up a G1 Optimus to make it into something more poseable. To make it retro but modern. I no longer need to do that because Takara took the beloved G1 toy design and made it into a perfect transforming, ultimately poseable Optimus Prime. It is everything I would have wanted out of this toy as a kid. And fulfilling that dream so beautifully is what placed this figure in my top spot. I collect it for how I imagined my toys should have been.
JOSH COLDIRON: Understanding the why of collecting sometimes helps direct that collecting. It isn’t just a dopamine fix to open new stuff and place it on a shelf. It is the be inspired, recapture memories, or share something special with loved ones. I hope you can take time to think about why you collect and find those new items in 2025 that fulfill those goals. Until next time.
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