When it comes to toy shows, it’s hard for me personally to top this year’s list. I can’t remember the last time I was surprised and delighted to hear a figure announced when Jesse revealed a ROM to us, but there’s a lot of other cool stuff out there. I’m going to narrow it down to ten, which is really hard because there are probably at least ten NECA figures or Special Forces classified toys in here as well.
#10. rattlesnake
This thing is gorgeous, the weaponry, the glowing explosion effects and combat damage, and all the attention to detail that goes into this giant puppy is exciting. Wild Weasel and Pilot Baroness are both very beautiful characters and I love that we see his face. The Baroness looked really cool in her loose bun, much cooler than I expected. The only thing that keeps it lower on this list for me is that I’m not sure where to show it and that the first tier unlocks are patches. Don’t get me wrong, they are great patches, but I don’t even know what I would use them for. I originally said this would be like the skull and cardboard background layer on the Rancor HasLab, but at least I’ll be using them for presentations and photography. The patch will be put in a trash bin somewhere, never to be seen again. I like almost nothing. The price dropped a few bucks.
#9. yellow
During my comics heyday in the early eighties, many superhero books also focused story time on supporting characters such as Robbie Robertson, Ned Leeds, Flash Thompson, Jarvis, Rick Jones, Valerie Cooper, Day Thomas, Alistair Stewart and Aunt May. To me, Wong is one of those characters who perfectly frames the Doctor Strange universe in the form of a legend. I also love the kung fu and magic accessories he has. Granted, I don’t need another weirdo, but I’ll take it.
#8. raptor
I love the quirky side of Special Forces, so when the Raptors were announced as a Special Forces team, I was excited. As a kid, I always loved bird-themed characters like Vulture Man, Buck Rogers’ Hawk, and of course Hawkman, so I was drawn to this old-school character who, in my opinion, could totally use that A feather-themed blanket flies. The Classified figures take all those elements that were a bit clunky in retro and give them a little cool makeover. The headgear is sleeker, the wings look more functional, and there’s a lot of Joe Technology that’s a bit futuristic. I even like pinstripe tattoos. I do wish he had a bird in flight mode, but other than that, I’m really excited about this weirdo in a bird costume.
#7 Van Helsing
I love the Universal Monsters and Hammer Horror movies, and the NECA figures are great. My one complaint is that they have no one to fight with! I know regular humans aren’t as playful as the monsters and would probably sell poorly, but I really want Dr. Frankenstein, Renfield, Van Helsing, and Julie Adams as Kay Lawrence in Creature from the Black Lagoon figure. What we’ve seen from NECA with Christopher Lee Dracula is so amazing that I’m so excited that they’ll be making Peter Cushing Van Helsing as well. The resemblance on this thing is crazy, I especially love how the messy hair looks like he just fought Dracula.
#6 Crystals and Trismus
I’m a representative of Kirby’s canon, and the Inhumans are one of the underrepresented Kirby creations in Legends. Trismus has been a long-standing wish, so crossing him off the list is very satisfying. I do have some swivel/hinge on the front legs, but I do like that he has a good boy face.
#5 2012 Ninja Turtles
I started watching Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles back in the Mirage days and have admired the many different versions of these characters, but 2012 holds a special place in my heart because it’s the show I watched with my kids. It’s also a perfect synthesis of all the comics, movies, and shows that have come before it. My kids also had a lot of toys and loved them, but as a collector they never quite hit the mark for me. I fantasize about a collection of these characters, all in very clear and well-proportioned relationships to each other. Well, after about ten years, it looks like I’m going to get my wish and I can’t wait. All we’ve seen is this slideshow with a Mikey sculpt, but it’s very promising in terms of showing off the articulation and the amount of accessories and options. These will be fun.
#4 Road Pig
The Dreadnoks are my favorite faction in Spec Ops, so I’m always very excited about new ones. They went all out with Road Pig, paying homage to the classic character, but also adding a lot of weird and fun stuff like tattoos, masks, spikes, and skulls that fit perfectly into the Dreadnoks’ Mad Max-meets-glam-rock aesthetic. Bulldog Rawkus is a clever reuse of a junkyard, and they’ve incorporated a ton of personality into his likeness. For the Dreadnoks, his performance was perfect.
#3 Jada Street Fighter Complete Super Street Fighter II Line-up
I have a collection of SOTA Street Fighter series, but I’ve never been able to get my hands on the complete Super Street Fighter II series. That’s my game! I’m terrible at it, but I love trying. It was great to see the last few fighters join the lineup, but I also got to hang out with Deejay, Kami, and Gul for a while, and they’re all great characters. The ball-jointed waist and torso have the best POA range of motion of any figure I’ve ever played, and they’re beautifully balanced. Now we just have to wait, that’s the hard part. The Cammy, Guile, Dee Jay wave should hit before the end of the year, and then the rest will be split into three more waves. They haven’t announced Akuma’s arrival yet, but it seems to me that we could have this full roster in a few years.
#2 Scooby-Doo
I’ve been watching and loving Scooby-Doo for as long as I can remember, but I’ve never really been a fan of the numerous lines that were released due to scale or character selection preferences. Sure, I love the Scooby Gang, but for me a big part of the appeal has always been the ghosts, so I’m glad Jada decided on the two ghosts’ release mode and the protagonist’s wave design. My experience with the Jada figure has been great so far, so I’m looking forward to seeing this beloved show get its own action figure.
#1 Do I have to say it?
ROM! ROM! ROM! ROM! All we saw were digital renders, but the mere fact that this guy is releasing Legends is enough to make this the show’s reveal for me. Long mired in the weirdness of legal licensing, ROM is one of the characters we never thought we’d get in Legends. Rom was one of the characters who made cameos in many of the books I read as a kid, and I loved the Salbusima art in his books. He also has a more epic Marvel Manual entry with a diagram showing how he operates, and a Space Knights entry that also shows them and gives a nice summary of the book. There are now two comprehensive books about his adventures, which I highly recommend if you want to learn about this character. The sculpted output we saw on the panel looks fantastic, and Dwight mentioned they were doing something special for the ROM’s unique bright eyes. I wish I had the chance to ask him for more details, but I missed it.
So those are my top ten reveals at SDCC 2024, what’s yours? Let me know in the comments or forum!
