The Poppies, the awards for Best Pop Culture Collectibles of 2014

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The Poppies for 2014!

Welcome to the Poppies for 2014 - the only industry awards for pop culture collectibles! Each year a panel of judges from the industry - companies, media, artists, retailers and collectors - assemble to nominate and then vote on the very best collectibles in 19 categories. This year there were 159 judges on the panel, and they debated and nominated and voted, then I tallied! The results are now final, the awards complete, but I'm sure the discussion has just begun.

The Poppies have their own physical award, started a couple years ago, A couple of the winners did me a solid and sent back a photo of the award with the toys - or the team. Check out this shot from Sideshow, and this one from Mattel, to see what the plaque looks like.

I've also done my own set of bests and worsts of the year for comparison, and don't forget that we also have the People's Picks awards, where readers vote on the same ballot as the Poppies judges. I'll have a comparison of the results of those two with the results of the Poppies as part of each award below.

Here are links back to past year's picks for comparisons:

My picks:	People's Picks:	Poppies:
2014	2014	2014
2013	2013	2013
2012	2012	2012
2011	2011	2011
2010	2010	2010
2009	2009	2009
2008	2008	2008
2007	N/A	2007
2006	2006	N/A
2005	2005	N/A
2004	2004	N/A
2003	2003	N/A
2002	2002	N/A
2001	2001	N/A
2000	2000	N/A

If you have comments you'd like to share, let me know by emailing me. Let's get this party started!

Best Overall Company

When you have a smaller voting pool, and you have a wide range of choices, you tend to get more ties, and you tend to get tighter percentages. That's very true with this category.

In fact, our third place bronze was taken by THREE companies, all with 8% of the vote - Funko, Lego, and Sideshow! There's a lot of diversity in the judging panel, and I think this sort of result speaks volumes. There's plenty of great product being produced right now, and it's being done by lots of companies in lots of markets.

Second place wasn't shared however - NECA took it for itself with 13% of the vote. I had them in the top spot in my picks, and they took second with the Peoples. With a bunch of fan favorite licenses, like Terminator, Alien, Predator, Gremlins, Horror icons, Pacific Rim, POTA, etc. etc., and by producing quality product at a reasonable price across the board, it's no real surprise that the judges felt the same way.

I'm betting you won't be surprised by the winner - Hot Toys, with 28% of the vote, takes the spot once again. Great work that speaks to all kinds of fans, and they remain one of the very few companies that when they acquire a new license, fans always have confidence in the final product.

Award	1st Place	2nd Place	3rd Place
Captain Toy	NECA	Hot Toys	Lego
People's Picks	Hot Toys	NECA	Lego
Poppies	Hot Toys	NECA	Lego/Funko/Sideshow

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Best Overall Line - High End

When it came to the People's Picks, Hot Toys swept this category again this year. That's no easy feat, and they didn't pull it off with the Poppies.

That's because DC Collectibles took the bronze with 8% of the vote going to their DC Bombshells line of statues. This line is hit and miss for me, but when it's a hit, it's a home run, and their line up for 2015 looks fantastic.

They did grab second place though, with 10% of the vote going to their Batman/DC license. The Bat Armory was a fantastic release, and I think a lot of fans (at least those with any common sense and taste) loved the nostalgic 1966 Batman and Robin as well. Now were's my Batmobile?

But there's only one choice here, the same one I picked, the same one the people picked - Hot Toys Marvel line up. They re-did a number of characters, and every one was some sort of improvement on the earlier versions. Whether it was Thor, or Loki, or Black Widow, or Captain America, or Iron Man, or Spider-Man, and the list goes on, the 2014 version was just amazing. And they threw in a few new characters that were pretty sweet as well...

Award	1st Place	2nd Place	3rd Place
Captain Toy	Marvel - Hot Toys	Gang's Kingdom	DC - Sideshow
People's Picks	Marvel - Hot Toys	DC/Batman - Hot Toys	Robocop - Hot Toys
Poppies	Marvel - Hot Toys	DC/Batman - Hot Toys	DC Bombshells

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Best Overall Line - Low End

Here's a category that was hotly contested, with some very tough competition coming from new lines, fighting with some much more traditional contenders.

One of the traditional lines that made it in with 9% of the vote, taking third place, is Masters of the Universe Classics. We won't be seeing this series much longer, but once it's complete it will go down in history was one of the coolest collectors lines ever produced.

Taking second place, with 12% of the vote, is one of those new comers. And this is a line that has truly taken the world by storm - Funko's Pop! vinyl series. With characters based on every license imaginable, they have become the hot collectible of the year. If you're a completist, you'll certainly have your work cut out for you, but the consistent style and reasonable price point make them a favorite with fans and the judges alike.

The Peoples really liked the Star Wars Black series here, but the shine has worn off a bit for the judges. Instead, they went with a favorite of mine, giving 13% of the vote and the slight edge to the Planet of the Apes series by NECA. This includes the classic line as well as the Dawn series, both of which have been outstanding.

Award	1st Place	2nd Place	3rd Place
Captain Toy	Planet of the Apes	Celebrity Simpsons	Star Wars Black 6"
People's Picks	Star Wars Black 6"	Pop! Vinyl	Planet of the Apes
Poppies	Planet of the Apes	Pop! Vinyl	MOTUC

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Eddie Wires Award for Outstanding Paint

Of all the categories, it seems like this one usually has the biggest differences between the people and the judges. Once again, they certainly did not agree on a winner.

The judges did like the Peoples winner, the Battle Damaged T-800 from Hot Toys, but the 10% of the vote it snagged was only good enough for a bronze.

They also liked the Iron Man MK XLII die cast figure, also from Hot Toys. Or at least 16% of them did, giving it enough votes to grab second place. Interesting that two of the three winners probably got this award because of the exceptional work on their 'battle damaged' parts.

But the figure that the judges loved the most, the figure that got 18% of their votes, wasn't even in the top three for the Peoples Picks or my picks. It's from Hot Toys too, and it's their excellent Elder Predator! The intricate work on the face is always a sure fire hit with fans. (photo courtesy Sideshow Collectibles).

Award	1st Place	2nd Place	3rd Place
Captain Toy	Harley Batman B/W	Iron Patriot - Hot Toys	Shao Kahn - PCS
People's Picks	T-800 BD	Robocop	Iron Man MK XLII
Poppies	Elder Predator	Iron Man MK XLII	T-800 BD

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Best Male Figure 18"

As I suspected, NECA dominated this category for 2014.

But Enterbay wasn't to be ignored, and for those with the cash, the third place winner was probably your best of the year. It's their Robocop, complete with remote control, sounds and even movement. We'll have to see if this becomes something other companies try to mimic. He grabbed 12% of the vote.

The silver medal winner barely beat him out with 14% of the vote. Taking the spot is the NECA Cherno Alpha Jaeger from Pacific Rim. They've got some nice 7" scale figures from this license as well, but it's really in this bigger scale that they shine.

This is another of those categories - a rarity, really - where the judges, the people and myself all agree on the winner. It's the NECA 1989 Batman, a figure that came out very, very late in 2013 but didn't really start getting into collector's hands until January and February of 2014. They've showed it a lot of love too, and I think it's well deserved. We know that they have the Batman Returns Penguin coming this year - anyone want to bet if he'll be in this list in 12 months?

Award	1st Place	2nd Place	3rd Place
Captain Toy	1989 Batman	Robocop	Mr. Bean
People's Picks	1989 Batman	Robocop	Mr. Bean
Poppies	1989 Batman	Cherno Alpha Jaeger	Robocop

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Best Male Figure 12 - 17"

Before we get into the winners, I wanted to mention a couple things about the nominees in this category. First, I know that the 'heavy armored cop' had a lot of love - with good reason - in 2014. However, these are industry awards, and I'm not going to have a figure on the ballot that is not properly licensed when it's so clearly based on a very specific film character. So you can blame me for not seeing it on the ballot, nice as it was.

Second, when it comes to the nominees you saw for Hot Toys, these were figures that they, as judges, nominated with great conviction. While there are a number of other great choices, including the 1966 Batman, Elder Predator, ED-209 and the BD T-800, just to name a few, it was the four you saw on the ballot that Hot Toys themselves wanted there.

It's worth noting that we had a lot broader range of very worthwhile figures in this category this year. With companies like Star Ace, Big Chief, ThreeZero, 3A, Asmus and ACI Toys all putting out some amazing stuff in 2015, I suspect that trend will continue.

It's also worth noticing that the top three here are the exact same top three as in the People's Picks, so clearly they were all deserving. But you might want to sit down for the order...

While the people picked him for their top spot, the Robocop with Mechanical Chair came in third with the Poppies judges, getting 13% of the vote. I should have a review of him up in the next week, but I can say that the die cast figure, combined with the chair diorama, make him an easy contender.

Coming in second with 15% of the votes is the Hot Toys Iron Man MK XLII. That means two of the three top spots went to die cast figures this year, which is no surprise to me. As I said in the recent review of the Iron Man Silver Centurion, once you handle and pose a die cast figure, it's hard to go back to the all plastic.

If you're paying attention, then you know what that means. The winner of the gold medal, with 22% of the votes is...drum roll please...Sideshow's Darth Vader! I know, I know - I had to recount the votes 5 times just to make sure. And that's not because Vader is an undeserving figure. He's one of their best they've produced, not just in 2014 but ever, and including both the helmeted and uncovered heads, along with the light up feature, makes him a terrific overall release. But let's remember that Hot Toys hasn't lost this category in the prior 7 years. It is no doubt a surprise to everyone (except maybe Sideshow), and I'm betting will be the focus of some serious discussion.

Award	1st Place	2nd Place	3rd Place
Captain Toy	1966 Batman - Hot Toys	Harry Potter - Star Ace	Comic Batman - Sideshow
People's Picks	Robocop w/Chair	Darth Vader - Sideshow	Iron Man MK XLII
Poppies	Darth Vader - Sideshow	Iron Mank MK XLII	Robocop w/Chair

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Best Male Figure 5 - 11"

Here's another one of those categories that was hotly contested, with the top three barely squeeking by the rest of the competition.

Third place is actually a tie between two of my favorites - the DST Creature from the Black Lagoon, and the NECA 1989 Batman. Clearly, there's nostalgia at work with both of these, but that shouldn't overshadow the fact that both were the best plastic representations of their characters in this scale ever produced. Both of these figures took 9% of the vote.

Taking 10% of the vote is another NECA figure - the ED-209. They did some great large scale figures this year, designed to work with the 7" lines, and the ED-209 was a winner. Great sculpt, great paint, decent price, everything fans wanted.

Winning this category wasn't easy. If you look through the ballot, there were some amazing choices for 2014. But I think it's interesting that the judges (or at least 11% of them) went for something a bit less traditional, at least for these awards, and stepped outside the usual by picking the Revoltech TMNT Michelangelo as the winner! We've been working to get a more international representation of judges and nominees, and a win like this is a good sign that it's working. (photo courtesy Toy Ark).

Award	1st Place	2nd Place	3rd Place
Captain Toy	Creature from the Black Lagoon	1989 Batman - NECA	TMNT Michelangelo - Revoltech
People's Picks	1989 Batman - NECA	ED-209	TNBA Batman - DC Collectibles
Poppies	TMNT Michelangelo - Revoltech	ED-209	Creature from the Black Lagoon/ 89 Batman

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Best Male Figure under 5"

This category wasn't quite as close in terms of margin, but it does have one of the most diverse set of winners.

Third place is actually a tie between two very different figures and properties. With 11% of the vote, the Adam Power from the Four Horsemen and the G.I. Joe Artic B.A.T. from Hasbro shared the bronze. These results are both exciting and depressing. It's exciting to see Adam on here, a little known figure from a small company. It's depressing to see the Joe, not because he doesn't deserve to win, but because Hasbro seems so intent on letting the line die out, rather than continue with great releases like this.

In second place, with 16% of the vote, is another very different figure - the Funko ReAction Alien. The nostalgic look and feel of this figure makes it totally unlike any of the other winners in this category for 2014.

And then there's our gold medal winner, another from a company that doesn't get enough press in the U.S. Taking 21% of the vote is Mario, from the Super Mario line by S.H. Figuarts. If you haven't checked out their figures yet, please do - they have some amazing stuff. Check out my coverage of them at last year's SDCC for some great examples, including their Alien and Predator figures.

Award	1st Place	2nd Place	3rd Place
Captain Toy	Penguin Multiverse	Jack Asteroid	Lord Power
People's Picks	Super Mario - S.H. Figuarts	Darth Vader - SW Black	Alien - Funko
Poppies	Super Mario - S.H. Figuarts	Alien - Funko	Adam Power

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Best Female Figure over 11"

With the People's Picks, this one wasn't much of a contest. While a Sideshow figure cracked the top three, the top winner took the category by a big margin. Not so with the Poppies Judges, where the contest was tight.

Sideshow made it into the top three again, but with a different figure - their G.I. Joe Baroness grabbed 20% of the vote, and the bronze medal. I think it's the sexy librarian look of the exclusive head sculpt that did it.

Barely getting past her with 22% of the vote is the Hot Toys Maleficent. I have to wonder if this figure might have done even better had more people gotten her in hand before the end of the year.

And of course, the winner is the Hot Toys Black Widow - there wasn't any doubt, was there? We love us the Widow, but she didn't have the landslide, getting just 25% of the vote. It was enough to slip past the competition though, in that stealthy way only the Widow can. As I mentioned in the People's Picks, the first Hot Toys Black Widow won this category in 2010, and the second release won in 2013. The third release wins in 2014...and you know there will be a fourth release for the Age of Ultron. Does anyone have the moxi to beat her?

Award	1st Place	2nd Place	3rd Place
Captain Toy	Harley - Sideshow	Baroness - Sideshow	Black Widow
People's Picks	Black Widow	Maleficent	Harley - Sideshow
Poppies	Black Widow	Maleficent	Baroness - Sideshow

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Best Female Figure 5" - 11"

This was an exceptional year for female action figures, with a ton of really good choices from which the judges could choose. It's no suprise then that some of their choices were very different than mine or the Peoples voters.

For example, they gave the third place spot to the Hasbro Arcee, a bit of a non-traditional female, but very clearly a female nonetheless. As hard as they've tried to kill the Transformers off with one successively worse movie after the other, the toy line stays strong. She grabbed the spot with 9% of the vote.

In second is a more traditional choice, but one that I was still a little suprised with - the DC Collectibles Catwoman. She took silver with 11% of the vote. My surprise comes from the complaints i heard about the obvious pins in the hip joints, but clearly fans of the animated style outweighed haters of the articulation.

The winner of the category has sparked some interesting conversations. The NECA Alien Queen dominated with 28% of the vote, and while she's obviously 'female', some people felt that this category should be only for the more traditional concept - you know, flowing hair, sexy legs, two boobs...and I understand that. While I'm loath to add more categories (nineteen is already a ton of work), I appreciate the idea of pulling out nominees like the Alien Queen and the Creature from the Black Lagoon and making them their own. I'm going to ponder the idea over the coming months, but feel free to let me know your opinion. Oh, and the Alien Queen rules.

Award	1st Place	2nd Place	3rd Place
Captain Toy	Zira - POTA	Gamora	Arya Stark - Funko
People's Picks	Alien Queen	Black Widow	Animated Catwoman
Poppies	Alien Queen	Animated Catwoman	Transformers Arcee

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Best Female Figure under 5"

I think I might be the most surprised and most thrilled by the outcome of this category. Clearly, the judges are voting from their hearts, and considering all the nominees carefully when making their choices, not just picking the most obvious one.

With 13% of the vote, we have the Amiibo Samus Aran, who was also popular with the Peoples. It's interesting that the Nintendo theme of Amiibo has resonated with collectors moreso than either the Disney or Skylanders game characters. I suspect it's because of the current age of most collectors, and their love for the games from which these characters harken.

Coming in at second with 15% of the vote is figure not selected by either the people or myself - the Hasbro Marvel Infinite Series Wasp. She's extremely well done for the scale, and a great character that hasn't gotten a lot of plastic treatment in the past.

The winner is where the big surprise comes, but perhaps it shouldn't. The Four Horsemen have been doing some amazing work for more than a decade, both for Mattel and for themselves. Their innovative work with lines like Gothitropolis and 7th Kingdom has helped change the way small companies get funding for complex projects, and shown others how to get their unique ideas to market. One of their fan favorite lines is the Outer Space Men, and the lovely lady Terra Firma certainly deserves the 17% of the vote that got her the gold this year. If you're a fan of 70's retro space/sci-fi designs, you should check out the Outer Space Men.

Award	1st Place	2nd Place	3rd Place
Captain Toy	Terra Firma	Talky Tina	Harley
People's Picks	Catwoman	Samus Aran	Harley
Poppies	Terra Firma	Wasp	Samus Aran

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Best Build a Figure

While there weren't a billion potential nominees in this category for 2014, Hasbro did what they could to keep it alive.

They weren't the only company out there doing them though, and Mattel got 11% of the vote for their Kalibak BAF that came with the cool DCUC figures that were done on the retro Super Powers cards. While he was really just a repaint, it did add some value to the overall package.

With 10% of the vote, Hasbro's Mandroid edged him out for second. While he didn't have the sheer mass of the BAF's of old, he did have a very cool design and style that worked great with the rest of the Marvel Legends.

The winner had a landslide victory, netting 66% of the vote - I am Groot! He certainly was a smaller BAF, but was in scale with the rest of the Guardians, and was a BAF that you really, really wanted, even if it meant buying some of that wave that you weren't interested in. And isn't that the number one priority of a great BAF - sell more of the overall wave?

Award	1st Place	2nd Place	3rd Place
Captain Toy	Green Goblin	Mandroid	Groot
People's Picks	Groot	Green Goblin	Mandroid
Poppies	Groot	Mandroid	Kalibak

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Best Vehicle or Playset

I thought for sure this category was going to be an exact match for the People's Picks. And once again, I was proven wrong.

That's because the Qmx Serenity, the 1:250 cutaway version of the uber cool ship from the fan favorite show Firefly, managed to sneak into the top three with 9% of the vote. Qmx has done some truly amazing scale ships for shows like Star Trek and Firefly, and this is another well deserving example.

My favorite of the year took second, garnering 14% of the vote. Hasbro's Star Wars Black Speederbike was the best release in the series all year, and a perfect example of how cool that line can be when real thought and effort are put into it.

The winner is probably no surprise. The Hot Toys Batman Armory snagged 30% of the vote, and the gold medal. This thing is insanely cool, and while it was definitely expensive, you got a metric ton of goodies and (technically) three figures!

Award	1st Place	2nd Place	3rd Place
Captain Toy	Speederbike	Batman Armory	RC Batbot
People's Picks	Batman Armory	Speederbike	Battleram
Poppies	Batman Armory	Speederbike	Serenity

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Best Statue

A number of the judges mentioned how hard it was to pick just one winner in this category for 2014. There were several really, really good releases, statues that stood out with great designs, sculpts and paint. That resulted in a very close race, and very low percentages for the winners.

Third place was a tie, going to the terrific Sideshow Premium Format Harley and the Premium Format Chewie. Both of these statues got 8% of the vote. Premium format statues tend do to well in ths category, but that was as high as they made it for 2014.

The second place winner is from Gentle Giant, and barely beat the previous two, grabbing 9% of the vote. It's Black Widow again, this time in statue style. She is a beautiful sculpt, with paint work to match.

Finally, the top winner snagged the gold with just 10% of the vote - it's the DC Collectibles Bombshells Harley! This is a series that's been doing better and better with fans as it goes along, and Harley was clearly a favorite, so much so that they've already done a second holiday themed version.

Award	1st Place	2nd Place	3rd Place
Captain Toy	Herman Munster	Superman PF	Harley Batman B/W
People's Picks	Superman PF	Chewbacca PF	Judge Death - PCS
Poppies	Harley - DC Bombshells	Black Widow - Gentle Giant	Chewbacca PF

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Best Bust

This is a category that's taken some hits over the last couple years, with the market shrinking a bit. I think we're seeing it transform as well, with the mini-bust seeing less demand, but the larger scale busts growing in popularity.

That's true with the 11% of voters that picked the 1:1 life size version of Scorpion, from Pop Culture Shock. PCS is going some terrific work with these large busts, and fans of the game should be very, very pleased with Scopion.

Stuck in the middle is a more traditional mini-bust - Rocket Raccoon from Gentle Giant. He had a very solid 20% of the vote, and is riding on the popularity of the brand as well as the design.

The winner jumps back into the big scale - it's the Big Chap Alien from Sideshow, in their 'legendary' scale line. A full 1:1 would be insanely huge, but this larger (but not quite that large) size allows for some amazing work in both the sculpt and paint, detailing that would be lost in anything smaller. A big 36% agree that he's the best of the year. (photo courtesy of Sideshow Collectibles).

Award	1st Place	2nd Place	3rd Place
Captain Toy	Scorpion	Big Chap Alien	Azog
People's Picks	Big Chap Alien	Rocket Raccoon	Iron Man MK XLII BD
Poppies	Big Chap Alien	Rocket Raccoon	Scorpion

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Best Designer/Vinyl

Funko might have the most product on the market, but they didn't get all the spots.

They did take third place though, with 9% of the vote. Let's be honest - how can't you love their Sharknado? It's goofy, but it's a perfect fit for the style.

Second place goes to a very deserving penguin from Blind Mouse. The Judge Dredd Cosplay Penguin took 14% of the vote, and was also my personal favorite from this last year. The concept should have legs too, with all the potential cosplay ideas out there.

The big winner snagged 39% of the vote - I am Baby Groot! It was a big year for the tree, and he's taking another category with the Funko version. (photo courtesy Funko).

Award	1st Place	2nd Place	3rd Place
Captain Toy	Judge Dredd Penguin	Splinter	Gus Fring
People's Picks	Baby Groot	Judge Dredd Penguin	Cahrive
Poppies	Baby Groot	Judge Dredd Penguin	Sharknado

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Best Prop Replica

This was another of those categories where there were some big differences between the groups.

In third place, with 12% of the vote, is the nifty Sonic Screwdriver from Rubber Toe. Dr. Who fans are loving it, as are the judges. I'm not even a big fan and I was tempted to pick one up.

In second place is the Peoples choice - the Bat Cowl from Hollywood Collectibles. It was a big year in general for the Burton Batman, with a nice selection of product, but this was one that stands out. 13% of the judges agreed.

The winner topped them with 20% of the vote, and I have to say I'm pretty surprised. It's not really a traditional prop replica, although it does fit the general concept quite well. Hasbro produced a terrific Infinity Gauntlet as part of their SDCC exclusives last year, and fans stood in long lines to get one. The wait was clearly worth it. (photo courtesy of Hasbro).

Award	1st Place	2nd Place	3rd Place
Captain Toy	Longclaw - Valyrian Steel	Bat Cowl	Bad Teddy - Mezco
People's Picks	Bat Cowl	Infinity Gauntlet	Predator Bio Mask
Poppies	Infinity Gauntlet	Bat Cowl	Sonic Screwdriver

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Best Block Figure

There are a ton of block figures and building sets out there these days. Wander down the aisles at Toys R Us, and you'll see a dozen different companies, all doing licensed product. But Lego still remains king.

They took the third place spot and 15% of the vote with their Simpsons line. I bought the first wave of figures and the house, and desparately want a Moe's and a Qwik-E-Mart before I die. I hear there's good news on the horizon...

They also grabbed second place, this time with 17% of the vote. Their Lego Movie line was a great marketing tie in with the movie, which was not just a commercial. In fact, it was the best animated movie of the year, without any doubt, and was robbed by the Academy.

They also won the category easily, taking 21% with their Star Wars series. It's one of the oldest licensed lines, and still one of the very strongest. With the new movies on the horizon, it's going to get a major shot in the arm as well.

Award	1st Place	2nd Place	3rd Place
Captain Toy	Simpsons	Lego Movie	Spongebob - MegaBloks
People's Picks	Star Wars - Lego	Superheroes - Lego	Lego Movie
Poppies	Star Wars - Lego	Lego Movie	Simpsons

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Best Misc

We're down to the final category, the catch all bucket. And this year saw some decidedly unique nominees.

In third place is my favorite, the Caesar blu-ray case/bust. Weta did a terrific job with this, and I think it will be one that folks really hunt down in the future. I suspect a high initial cost for a case with a blu-ray most people already had, plus the new release, kept a lot of people from picking it up initially. It took 13% of the vote here.

Just ahead of it with 17% of the vote is the Titanfall Collector's Edition. There's a lot of similarity between these two, and I think we'll see more and more of these high end collectibles tied to movie and video game releases.

The big winner is the overall concept of the Funko ReAction figure series. I don't get it, but clearly I'm very much in the minority, and 40% of the judges picked it as their favorite misc concept for 2014.

Award	1st Place	2nd Place	3rd Place
Captain Toy	Caesar	Titanfall Collector's Edition	TMNT Giant Sized
People's Picks	ReAction FIgures - Funko	Titanfall Collector's Edition	Caesar
Poppies	ReAction Figures - Funko	Titanfall Collector's Edition	Caesar

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General Comments

It's another great year in the bag, and we are just a couple weeks away from seeing some exciting new announcements at Toy Fair. 2014 broguth a much broader range of companies in the sixth scale market, and with them came a broader range of cool licenses. We've seen Funko go boom with their Pop! vinyl series, and we've seen Hasbro go boom (but not in the good way) with their G.I. Joe property.

This next year should see a massive surge of terrific product, with several key licenses set to explode. With both Star Wars and the Avengers hitting, and solid support on the DC side with both movies and tv shows, I expect the high end market to have one of it's best years ever. Lots of companies will be producing lots of high quality merchandise, and you're wallet is going to be begging for mercy.

Whether that boom will translate to the lower end side of things is still a question. You know they'll have plenty of figures for these same licenses, but whether that translates into great product or not will remain to be seen. I have my fingers crossed.

This will be 15 years of the website, quite a long time in anyone's life to be doing something so regularly. Here's to 15 more!