Yep, I am cheating in my “pick ONE figure for your best of 2018” series concept, and nope, I do not care.
The reason I don’t care is simple: both the Marvel Legends Thing by Hasbro (via Walgreens) and 1990 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie Donatello by NECA are worthy of my best of 2018 selection, and equally so. Look, when picking for this slot, I don’t confine myself to an objective listing of qualities to asses a figure. Sure, that plays a part in it, but really, it comes down more to how much I simply “love” a figure, and ultimately, that is completely subjective. Picking both of these figures isn’t some cheat of easy way out for me, but more about recognizing the TWO figures that I love equally, and leaps and bounds more than anything else that was released this year. That is a hell of a thing considering how many AMAZING toys came out this year.
See, both of these figures brought me something I have wanted my entire life, and that is not hyperbole. As far back as I can remember I have wanted an amazing figure of Ben Grimm. He is my favorite Marvel character (and tied with the Blue Beetle as my favorite overall comic character), and even as a lad, I knew I always wanted more when it came to action figures of the Thing. Sure, I love and appreciate all of the many Grimm figures I own, but even past Marvel Legends releases have fallen utterly short. This new figure though, I cannot even begin to describe how much I love it (even though I tried), but I can finally say I am happy with a figure of the Thing, and if I never got another one, I would actually be okay. That is not to say I don’t want a LOT more figures of him, because I REALLY do, but this figure OWNS and it is the first truly great Thing figure. Thanks, Hasbro and Walgreens!
As for Donatello, well, this is the figure I have been waiting for ever since I fell in love with the original TMNT movie when I saw it one the big screen as a kid. Heck, the quarter-scale version of this figure was my Best of the Year a couple of years back, so how could this one not be when it is in my preferred scale. Yeah, this kind of represents all four of the figures, but since Donatello is my favorite, he wins. Like the Thing, this figure has not been “put away” since I got it, and that is the true mark of really loving an action figure. Dudes, I cannot wait to see what NECA has planned for the future of TMNT, be it movie, original cartoon, or vintage toy line-based, I am ALL in, and I am so excited. That said, damn, it is going to be hard to top this figure.
So yep, I am a cheater, but you what, both of these figures deserved to be the Best of 2018. I love them both so much, and while I know there are a LOT of cool action figures coming in 2019, these two are going to be hard to top. Oh, and because no one asked for it, here is a full listing of my favorite 20 figures from the year, and what a year it was.
