Josh Coldiron's TOP TEN TOYS OF 2022
Josh Coldiron (www.coldironworks.com) shared: I keep saying that I am going to slow down on collecting toys. I almost believe it myself each year. Turns out, I got a lot more this year than I had got in a long while. That is to thank largely to going back to toy conventions again. I hit Bot Con in Nashville and TFCon in Chicago. The nice thing these days is I can enjoy this with my kids now that they are older, and they are amassing their own toy collection already.
One thing finally happened that I did not expect, is this year I finally finished cataloging my toy collection on Instagram after all these years. Literally, just about every toy in my collection is up on IG now. A couple thousand, A few thousand? I quit counting. It is not who with the most toys wins? Well just in case, I have plenty to get me into the top 10 in the afterlife. Speaking of the top 10, here is my top 10 things I have collected this year. It was a tricky list to sort because there is some awesome stuff I had to eject from the list. Some toys I know would be on anyone else’s top 10 for the year like the TFCon exclusive power baser that takes up a whole shelf on its own, but this list is more than just the visual look of the toy or the size of the toy. It also must include how the figure makes me feel, how does it inspire me, does it take me to another time or place? So, with that said, let's jump right in.
TOP TEN TOYS OF 2022: #10 Z-Bots KONSTRUKTON
I had a lot of things wrestling for this 10th spot. In the end it was down to Flame Toys Windblade, and this this set of quirky little bots. Windblade lost out because the manufacturer has zero customer support for their toy's flaws for the 3rd time. Even though I enjoy the design that left a bad taste in my mouth, so here comes an oddity you may have never heard of. KONSTRUKTON is a Link-Bot that comes from a line of robots that is under the Micro Machines brand. Honestly, most of the Z Bots are weird. So is this one, however, there was something charming about this design. I remember being a kid and seeing it in the ToysRus and Service Merchandise Christmas toy catalogs. I always wanted it, but never saw the set new in the wild. I finally decided to hunt one down on eBay. It is a neat toy You have three distinct bots that combine to make some strange construction vehicle. It is neat and quirky, and I see this design as something that could be updated for future lines.
TOP TEN TOYS OF 2022: #9 Mugenbine
Well, it seems I cannot quit buying Mugenbine figures. I have a huge bin full of them. I got more this year, and it is pushing me to get back to being creative with them. Mugenbine was the toy that inspired me to use building toys as a way or working out concept designs. That is one reason they are on this list, and that is because they inspire creation. I have officially decided to bring back the build portion of my YouTube channel and see what kind of wild Mugenbine creations I can build in 2023. While I feel like all the ones I got this year belong on this list, this Dragon I scored at Bot Con tops them all.
TOP TEN TOYS OF 2022: #8 Man Hunter Shark
Knock, Knock… who’s there… Land Shark! This is something that might seem campy, but in the end, turn out to be really awesome. This was a much better evolution of the Armored Puppets line than I could have expected. It calls back to things like Captain Bucky, or Battle Beasts aka Beast Saga. It was a fun kit to build, and even with no paint added, it looked great and built straight out of the box. They have added a Frog to the line, which is also a great kit, and I hope they keep producing new cyborg animals for years to come.
TOP TEN TOYS OF 2022: #7 New Age David Youth Version
I had been eyeing the MP44 Optimus Prime for a while. It is insanely expensive compared to Masterpiece Optimus Primes of the past. It was also very fragile due to design flaws and prone to break. Some KO’s of it came out at a fair price but seem to suffer some similar flaws. From the front though, it truly captured the look as if it had jumped off the screen. But I didn’t get MP44 or any of its bootleg clones. I got the New Age David, which is a small legends scale, 3rd party take of the same design. It turns out to be more poseable, and easier to play with. Plus, it is not nearly as fragile. It looks great and really fills that G1 cartoon hole on my shelf. New Age keeps making repaints of this figure so expect that they make one that fits your fancy.
TOP TEN TOYS OF 2022: #6 Turbo Tricksters
Sometimes you forget about the toys you had as a kid. Then there is a moment you run across them by chance and suddenly you are flooded with memories that slowly assemble as long unused synapses of your brain begin to connect and take you back in time. There was a line the rest of the world knows as Choro-Q but we got in the US as Turbo Tricksters. The toys are super-deformed vehicles based on real-world cars, that have a slot in the back to put in a penny that lets them do wheelies. You may know them as Penny Racers, or even remember the Mcdonald's happy meal take on them. I quickly hunted down some of them and they filled with so much joy. I had gotten one off-road truck I always wanted and then one of my favorite cars, the Gtfour. For this spot, I choose the 4x4 since it was one, I always wanted as a kid and never actually saw in person. Finally, many years later I can hunt down some of the things I always wanted.
TOP TEN TOYS OF 2022: #5 Mastermind Creations R-48N Optus Nox
Next is a toy that I feel like a simple change that brings so much drama in the story of the character. This drama makes something that is kind of cool, into something really interesting. This Optimus Prime inspired robot was already known for being one of the most poseable primes, but something about the traditional Prime red and blues on this figure didn’t really do it for me. Taking the same design, making him black, and giving him a cape just made him look so much cooler as the Nemesis of Prime. On top of that, this one had a special face. He has a broken face plate. This part alone took the figure to another level for me. It tells a story, a struggle. It makes it more interesting.
TOP TEN TOYS OF 2022: #4 TFC Toys STC-01NB Supreme Tactical Commander Nuclear Blast Version
TFC has been around for a while and had made some iconic toys in the past. I remember seeing their once-famous take on Devastator on display when I first visited Mister Toy R Evil himself in Singapore. Those older toys became a little dated and the 3rd party scene moved on. They came back with something far cooler than they had done before by bringing the concept art of the Rolling Thunder Optimus Prime design to life. This design was intended to be a crossover for Transformers and GI Joe & TFC’s version came to life in the Diaclone scale. This figure evolved with their influence each time they recolored it and re-released it. This version gets a jungle camo paint job and a giant nuke. Going back to the stories a toy tells, I think this one tells something a bit darker. The impression I get is this is the last hope. Prime is going alone, loaded up with a nuke to end the war. He might not come back, but it is the risk he must take to save everyone else. Of course, I may be reading too much into it, but I like this stoic take on our famous hero.
TOP TEN TOYS OF 2022: #3 ARCHECORE Frost Light + Ursus Guard Berserker Armor + Starfall Rider Wolf Freki & Sturl (X2)
If heavy metal music was a toy, this is it. Magic, Mecha, and Vikings, oh my. Not to mention how massive this toy is. It is well-made, super detailed, and fun to mess with. One note about mine is that I have two of the same arms. There was a white one as well, but I felt it would be more metal to have two black arms. I just had to mod it to swap the thumb around. You get the base mech, which turns into a semi-truck. Because, why not. That semi could totally be repainted to work as Tow Nailer from the old Matchbox Roadblasters toys. Then you have its trailer which turns into the bulk of its armor and a massive axe, that I still cannot fit on my shelves. Then you two cars, that turn to wolves, and finally into the combined mode’s gauntlets. The final mech has a beard, and horns, and it is just epic. This is one of those toys that simply cannot be done justice with photos and embodies heavy metal.
TOP TEN TOYS OF 2022: #2 CangDao Model SV-001 Metal Slug Super Vehicle
I have seen this company go by two names: CangDao and Degenerator Industries. Either way, this is a licensed product and not the only SNK project they are working on. If you are not familiar with one of the best “run and gun” arcade games of all time, let me fill you in. This mech is from Metal Slug, a game in which there are several parts and some of the best sprite artists of all time. If you are a fan, I suggest you hunt down their Official History Book. I remember beating Metal Slug 2 where you fight Saddam and well… Aliens, back in the 90s. I spent $20 in quarters to beat that game, and I loved every moment of it. I had always wanted a Metal Slug toy. There have been official, and unofficial model kits over the years. All looked pretty good, but like many model kits, they would have needed paint to look their best. This one was a diecast having, painted, beauty of a tank. Not only that, but it also transformed into a robot that scaled with Masterpiece Transformers. While it did not come with any pilots it did come with a fantastic accessory that activates LEDs on it making it awesome to display in either mode.
TOP TEN TOYS OF 2022: #1 Zero gravity Judge Moonlight Edition
I have collected Gundam and model kits for a while. It is easy to understand that some get bored of designs in the Gundam Universe even though lately they have been refreshing their designs. Over the past 20+ years I have appreciated many aspects of their mecha designs but, I always noticed this custom and resin builds featured in import gunplay magazines always took the designs to another level. The problem was, you needed to be sort of an expert model builder to pull off making a Gundam look that good.
Over the past few years, I have noticed Chinese model kits have been coming out with new takes on Gundam designs of old comparable to the modified kits. As more people have tried these kits out, more companies have come along making kits on the same level as Bandai. At least as far as build quality goes. This kit was one of those cases. It has a diecast frame, and you can snap all the parts together. You don’t need to do anything extra, but a little panel lining makes it even better. When this first came out, I hesitated. The price quickly doubled, then tripled. Once I was willing to pay those prices, I could not find it at all. I even asked Show Z Store to keep an eye out for it. Then came along the Moonlight version. At first, I thought I would prefer the OG, but the only real benefit the original had was gray stickers. Outside of that, the new version was a huge improvement. Sure, some of the instructions were wrong and the hands were a pain to build, but the design itself is so next level. I love to just stare at it on the shelf. It is the best thing I had gotten this year, and it truly makes me happy when I see it.
So, it was another great year of collecting. I wish the best to your future collecting and may it be filled with toys.
JOSH COLDIRON'S TOP TEN TOY LISTS ON TOYSREVIL:
TOP TEN TOYS OF 2021
TOP TEN TOYS OF 2020
#TOPTENTOYSOF2019
#TOPTENTOYSOF2018
#TOPTENTOYSOF2017
TOP TEN TOYS OF 2016
#TOPTENTOYS2015
TOP TEN TOYS OF 2014
One thing finally happened that I did not expect, is this year I finally finished cataloging my toy collection on Instagram after all these years. Literally, just about every toy in my collection is up on IG now. A couple thousand, A few thousand? I quit counting. It is not who with the most toys wins? Well just in case, I have plenty to get me into the top 10 in the afterlife. Speaking of the top 10, here is my top 10 things I have collected this year. It was a tricky list to sort because there is some awesome stuff I had to eject from the list. Some toys I know would be on anyone else’s top 10 for the year like the TFCon exclusive power baser that takes up a whole shelf on its own, but this list is more than just the visual look of the toy or the size of the toy. It also must include how the figure makes me feel, how does it inspire me, does it take me to another time or place? So, with that said, let's jump right in.
TOP TEN TOYS OF 2022: #10 Z-Bots KONSTRUKTON
I had a lot of things wrestling for this 10th spot. In the end it was down to Flame Toys Windblade, and this this set of quirky little bots. Windblade lost out because the manufacturer has zero customer support for their toy's flaws for the 3rd time. Even though I enjoy the design that left a bad taste in my mouth, so here comes an oddity you may have never heard of. KONSTRUKTON is a Link-Bot that comes from a line of robots that is under the Micro Machines brand. Honestly, most of the Z Bots are weird. So is this one, however, there was something charming about this design. I remember being a kid and seeing it in the ToysRus and Service Merchandise Christmas toy catalogs. I always wanted it, but never saw the set new in the wild. I finally decided to hunt one down on eBay. It is a neat toy You have three distinct bots that combine to make some strange construction vehicle. It is neat and quirky, and I see this design as something that could be updated for future lines.
TOP TEN TOYS OF 2022: #9 Mugenbine
Well, it seems I cannot quit buying Mugenbine figures. I have a huge bin full of them. I got more this year, and it is pushing me to get back to being creative with them. Mugenbine was the toy that inspired me to use building toys as a way or working out concept designs. That is one reason they are on this list, and that is because they inspire creation. I have officially decided to bring back the build portion of my YouTube channel and see what kind of wild Mugenbine creations I can build in 2023. While I feel like all the ones I got this year belong on this list, this Dragon I scored at Bot Con tops them all.
TOP TEN TOYS OF 2022: #8 Man Hunter Shark
Knock, Knock… who’s there… Land Shark! This is something that might seem campy, but in the end, turn out to be really awesome. This was a much better evolution of the Armored Puppets line than I could have expected. It calls back to things like Captain Bucky, or Battle Beasts aka Beast Saga. It was a fun kit to build, and even with no paint added, it looked great and built straight out of the box. They have added a Frog to the line, which is also a great kit, and I hope they keep producing new cyborg animals for years to come.
TOP TEN TOYS OF 2022: #7 New Age David Youth Version
I had been eyeing the MP44 Optimus Prime for a while. It is insanely expensive compared to Masterpiece Optimus Primes of the past. It was also very fragile due to design flaws and prone to break. Some KO’s of it came out at a fair price but seem to suffer some similar flaws. From the front though, it truly captured the look as if it had jumped off the screen. But I didn’t get MP44 or any of its bootleg clones. I got the New Age David, which is a small legends scale, 3rd party take of the same design. It turns out to be more poseable, and easier to play with. Plus, it is not nearly as fragile. It looks great and really fills that G1 cartoon hole on my shelf. New Age keeps making repaints of this figure so expect that they make one that fits your fancy.
TOP TEN TOYS OF 2022: #6 Turbo Tricksters
Sometimes you forget about the toys you had as a kid. Then there is a moment you run across them by chance and suddenly you are flooded with memories that slowly assemble as long unused synapses of your brain begin to connect and take you back in time. There was a line the rest of the world knows as Choro-Q but we got in the US as Turbo Tricksters. The toys are super-deformed vehicles based on real-world cars, that have a slot in the back to put in a penny that lets them do wheelies. You may know them as Penny Racers, or even remember the Mcdonald's happy meal take on them. I quickly hunted down some of them and they filled with so much joy. I had gotten one off-road truck I always wanted and then one of my favorite cars, the Gtfour. For this spot, I choose the 4x4 since it was one, I always wanted as a kid and never actually saw in person. Finally, many years later I can hunt down some of the things I always wanted.
TOP TEN TOYS OF 2022: #5 Mastermind Creations R-48N Optus Nox
Next is a toy that I feel like a simple change that brings so much drama in the story of the character. This drama makes something that is kind of cool, into something really interesting. This Optimus Prime inspired robot was already known for being one of the most poseable primes, but something about the traditional Prime red and blues on this figure didn’t really do it for me. Taking the same design, making him black, and giving him a cape just made him look so much cooler as the Nemesis of Prime. On top of that, this one had a special face. He has a broken face plate. This part alone took the figure to another level for me. It tells a story, a struggle. It makes it more interesting.
TOP TEN TOYS OF 2022: #4 TFC Toys STC-01NB Supreme Tactical Commander Nuclear Blast Version
TFC has been around for a while and had made some iconic toys in the past. I remember seeing their once-famous take on Devastator on display when I first visited Mister Toy R Evil himself in Singapore. Those older toys became a little dated and the 3rd party scene moved on. They came back with something far cooler than they had done before by bringing the concept art of the Rolling Thunder Optimus Prime design to life. This design was intended to be a crossover for Transformers and GI Joe & TFC’s version came to life in the Diaclone scale. This figure evolved with their influence each time they recolored it and re-released it. This version gets a jungle camo paint job and a giant nuke. Going back to the stories a toy tells, I think this one tells something a bit darker. The impression I get is this is the last hope. Prime is going alone, loaded up with a nuke to end the war. He might not come back, but it is the risk he must take to save everyone else. Of course, I may be reading too much into it, but I like this stoic take on our famous hero.
TOP TEN TOYS OF 2022: #3 ARCHECORE Frost Light + Ursus Guard Berserker Armor + Starfall Rider Wolf Freki & Sturl (X2)
If heavy metal music was a toy, this is it. Magic, Mecha, and Vikings, oh my. Not to mention how massive this toy is. It is well-made, super detailed, and fun to mess with. One note about mine is that I have two of the same arms. There was a white one as well, but I felt it would be more metal to have two black arms. I just had to mod it to swap the thumb around. You get the base mech, which turns into a semi-truck. Because, why not. That semi could totally be repainted to work as Tow Nailer from the old Matchbox Roadblasters toys. Then you have its trailer which turns into the bulk of its armor and a massive axe, that I still cannot fit on my shelves. Then you two cars, that turn to wolves, and finally into the combined mode’s gauntlets. The final mech has a beard, and horns, and it is just epic. This is one of those toys that simply cannot be done justice with photos and embodies heavy metal.
TOP TEN TOYS OF 2022: #2 CangDao Model SV-001 Metal Slug Super Vehicle
I have seen this company go by two names: CangDao and Degenerator Industries. Either way, this is a licensed product and not the only SNK project they are working on. If you are not familiar with one of the best “run and gun” arcade games of all time, let me fill you in. This mech is from Metal Slug, a game in which there are several parts and some of the best sprite artists of all time. If you are a fan, I suggest you hunt down their Official History Book. I remember beating Metal Slug 2 where you fight Saddam and well… Aliens, back in the 90s. I spent $20 in quarters to beat that game, and I loved every moment of it. I had always wanted a Metal Slug toy. There have been official, and unofficial model kits over the years. All looked pretty good, but like many model kits, they would have needed paint to look their best. This one was a diecast having, painted, beauty of a tank. Not only that, but it also transformed into a robot that scaled with Masterpiece Transformers. While it did not come with any pilots it did come with a fantastic accessory that activates LEDs on it making it awesome to display in either mode.
TOP TEN TOYS OF 2022: #1 Zero gravity Judge Moonlight Edition
I have collected Gundam and model kits for a while. It is easy to understand that some get bored of designs in the Gundam Universe even though lately they have been refreshing their designs. Over the past 20+ years I have appreciated many aspects of their mecha designs but, I always noticed this custom and resin builds featured in import gunplay magazines always took the designs to another level. The problem was, you needed to be sort of an expert model builder to pull off making a Gundam look that good.
Over the past few years, I have noticed Chinese model kits have been coming out with new takes on Gundam designs of old comparable to the modified kits. As more people have tried these kits out, more companies have come along making kits on the same level as Bandai. At least as far as build quality goes. This kit was one of those cases. It has a diecast frame, and you can snap all the parts together. You don’t need to do anything extra, but a little panel lining makes it even better. When this first came out, I hesitated. The price quickly doubled, then tripled. Once I was willing to pay those prices, I could not find it at all. I even asked Show Z Store to keep an eye out for it. Then came along the Moonlight version. At first, I thought I would prefer the OG, but the only real benefit the original had was gray stickers. Outside of that, the new version was a huge improvement. Sure, some of the instructions were wrong and the hands were a pain to build, but the design itself is so next level. I love to just stare at it on the shelf. It is the best thing I had gotten this year, and it truly makes me happy when I see it.
So, it was another great year of collecting. I wish the best to your future collecting and may it be filled with toys.
TOP TEN TOYS OF 2021
TOP TEN TOYS OF 2020
#TOPTENTOYSOF2019
#TOPTENTOYSOF2018
#TOPTENTOYSOF2017
TOP TEN TOYS OF 2016
#TOPTENTOYS2015
TOP TEN TOYS OF 2014
