Philip Lee's Top Toys of 2024
It is with great pleasure again to share my top toys of 2024. The year 2024 really flew past me. On Classicbot’s front, I had two major toy pre-orders, the Classicbot Gunbot and Classicbot IIe. But other than that, I was not particularly active. I tried very hard to post consistently on social media in the beginning of the year. But the result was disheartening. And I had been really busy with some freelance jobs in advertising. So I more or less disconnected with fans. Writing this is certainly a good way to connect with them.". (@classicbot_toy)
"As one gets older, what matters most becomes more apparent. To me it is crystal clear that my lifelong passion of model building is most important to me. So, despite the low number of toys I bought a majority of them were model kits that I am sure I will enjoy tremendously.". (Thanks for sharing, Philip Lee!)
TOP TOY OF 2024: Real Grade RX-78 Gundam ver. 2.0 by Bandai
There are reasons Bandai has become this toy juggernaut. Despite pretty much owning the market, their R & D never slows down. This ver 2.0 of the granddaddy Gundam is a showcase for their latest technology. Scaled in 1/144 this is a small kit. They managed to add staggering number of details into the kit while keep the build fairly straight forward. The way the kit is built is quite revolutionary. A lot of the parts are interlocked, usually requiring a bit of twisting and turning when assembling them, making the completed model very sturdy. The articulations are amazing. The waist can bend and twist despite there is a core fighter (little escape pod that transforms into a jet) tugged inside. I bought the kit when I went back to Hong Kong. I was so eager to build it. I managed to finish it within a month after I am back to the UK. It is a painted and weathered build. I chose to leave half of the amours off. The internal structures were simply too beautiful to remain covered.
TOP TOY OF 2024: 1/72 Savoia 2.21F from Porco Rosso by FineMolds
One of the events I am most anticipated to visit every year is the Scale Model World in Telford, Shropshire, England. It is a huge two days event. Model clubs and merchants from all of the UK and Europe are present. There are 3 giant exhibition halls full of models, completed or in kit form, and tons of tool, paint and accessories. I bought the Savoia in one of the booth. Savoia is the beautiful red seaplane used by Porco Rosso in the titular animation by studio Chibli. Hayao Miyazak always has amazing vehicle designs in his films. The Savoia is no exception. The model is beautifully molded. (FineMolds’ name is quite accurate, LOL). I love that it comes with two figures of Porco, one small one for you to put in the cockpit, and a bigger standing one for display. It just make the finished model much nicer. Hopefully I can finish it this year.
TOP TOY OF 2024: 1/72 Mechanical Design Gundam by Bandai
As it got older, I started to compile a list of scale model that I must own and built before I kick the bucket. The 1/72 Mechanical Series are on top of my list. They are really old kits sold during the original boom of the first Gundam show. Like most kids my age, I was fascinated by all the cut away diagrams of giant robots. And this series which showcase a cutaway Gundam really felt like the most amazing thing in the world for me. It also came with a price that was out of my reach. Time passed and I didn’t really think about it that much, but the desire of owning one never ceased. Somehow I never knew that they were re-released a few years ago. I came across a pre-owned pair of kits, Gundam and the Red Zaku, on Carousell Hong Kong. I immediately made an offer and begged my sister to meet with the seller. The kits are now in Hong Kong and I am very excited to see them in person when I get back to Hong Kong this July. Sorry for the low quality photos as I am not able to shoot them myself.
TOP TOY OF 2024: 1/72 Mechanical Design Zaku by Bandai
So this is the other kit from the 1/72 Mechanical Design series. This one features the mobile suit piloted by Char, the uber popular protagonist of the franchise. The design certainly look dated and not as detailed as newer kits. But I think it has its own charms. I will not do any major modifications. I love it the way it is. Hopefully I can finish it sooner.
TOP TOY OF 2024: Neon Genesis Evangelion 1/7 Scale Rei Ayanami Ver. Radio Eva Part 2 by Hobby Max
I bought Asuka from the same series last year. I always wanted to collect all three female pilots. I would love to collect all five characters, but I am not sure my budget allows it at this moment. Anyway I enjoy browsing the sale section of AmiAmi ( one of the most prominent stores for anime related products) And I came across both Rei and Mari at a great discount price.) So I bought them together and shipped them together. This was a stupid mistake, since two figures together exceeded the threshold of £135, I was charged by the UK customs. So the deal went from super amazing to equivalent of having free shipping. But let’s not cry over spilt milk. Hobby Max quality is quite good, certainly value for money, even without the sale. The things I love about this series is the cool, fashionable look on each characters. All the fashion item are based on real life clothing items in a crossover project with Eva and Fila. As UK teens say: Rei’s got drip!
TOP TOY OF 2024: Neon Genesis Evangelion 1/7 Scale Mari Makinami Illustrious Ver. Radio Eva Part 2 by Hobby Max
Many Eva fans think Mari was shoehorned into the rebuild movies to sell figures. I cannot argue that her storyline is weak. But nonetheless, I do like her as a character and I think she brings much needed optimism to movies. This figure is part 2 of the Radio Eva series. I was holding on buying it because part 3 is coming out and I wanted to see how Mari looked in part 3. I was not impressed by the part 3 prototype. So I decided to collect all 3 female pilot from part 2. And the Amiami sale was in the perfect time. It is a really nice figure. I think it may be the best of the 3 in terms of production quality.
TOP TOY OF 2024: 1/24 Ferrari Mythos by Tamiya
I want to end my list with another model kit. I used to build a lot of model cars in secondary school when I thought robots model were for kids. And I have been into cars since then. I am always fascinated by concept cars. This kit is based on a concept car designed by then Ferrari styling partner Pininfarina. I always love Mythos. It is a unique design. And Tamiya is my favorite brand beside Bandai. And I think it is still the only one concept car model in the massive Tamiya ‘s product list. So, when this model first came out around 1990, I bought it immediately. I did a decent job building it. But throughout the year, my skill improved, and I did not cherish the finished model that much and eventually it fell apart and went to the bin. I was very happy to find it in one of a local model show in the UK. I do plan to put my heart and skill into it in near future. The design deserves the best from me. So these are my top toys from 2024.
