POLL: Top ten figures of 2022

[Halichoeres]

Nanmu doesn't bum me out because I disapprove of the existence of figures based on movies (I don't). My problem with Nanmu is that they're using their considerable skill to make unauthorized movie versions, which to my mind amounts to little more than theft of others' designs. I have nothing but contempt for them as a company, but that doesn't necessarily extend to people who buy the products. I have more ambivalent feelings toward Papo and Rebor, who both started out leaning heavily on pilfering other people's designs, but have made more originals since. I don't love Mattel, and I don't like the JW movies, but I do have some of the Mattel action figures and I don't hold it against anyone else for collecting them, especially the younger fans that they're really aimed at. But I find it a lot harder to be happy for someone with a shiny new Nanmu in their hand (not that I'm holding it against them, I just prefer to avoid seeing it if I can).

[Sim]

I agree with Halichoeres regarding disliking Nanmu for copying someone else's designs.  I would add that I also dislike the JP/JW designs as well as Mattel's other designs and seeing them so frequently makes me feel unhappy as they are basically being forced into my face when all I want to see is what interests me: prehistoric animal models that try to accurately represent those animals.  I once saw some Mattel figures at a garden store and I was fine with it because I didn't feel they were being forced on me when I was trying to enjoy myself.  I don't intend to shame anyone for liking what they like.  At the same time I can't deny that I'm really tired of this endless JP/JW barrage.

[SidB]

I can't help but notice that this is the first year in many that Safari is not leading the pack or at least right up there with the leaders. I have four of the 2022's and a near
 miss, the late 2021 Dino Dana feathered rex, so the Covid distribution problems didn't stop me from getting these fine figures. Nevertheless I didn't vote for any of
 them, though I really like Zuul, the
Patagotitan (especially) and the Albertosurus. It's just that the pack of PNSO's, two Eofaunas and Kiss were so outstanding, in my estimation, that I couldn't bypass them. So that was why I didn't vote for any of the Safari's this year, though I do rate it a good year, distribution problems aside, for Safari, and my wallet concurs. Obviously the distribution problems have impacted the voting of some in Europe who, like many of us, only vote for what they have purchased (makes sense). So Safari isnt as prominent vote-wise as they usually show.

[SRF]

S @SidB it doesn't help Safari either that their 2022 line up still isn't available in Europe. That will probably cost them a lot of votes in this poll.

[SidB]

S @SidB it doesn't help Safari either that their 2022 line up still isn't available in Europe. That will probably cost them a lot of votes in this poll.

No doubt.

[Faelrin]

Looks like the tide has shifted ever so slightly. The top two contenders are tied now, and crushing the rest of the competition, and well deserved I think.

Spoiler

-EoFauna Diplodocus (32)
-PNSO Deinocheirus (32)
-PNSO Suchomimus (22)
-EoFauna Konobelodon (21)
-PNSO Therizinosaurus (20)
-Rebor Tyrannosaurus "Kiss" (20)
-PNSO Acrocanthosaurus (18)
-PNSO Torosaurus (15)
-PNSO Tsintaosaurus (15)
-PNSO Zhuchengtyrannus (15)

[close]

Next 5 runner up's:

Spoiler

-PNSO Lingwulong (14)
-Safari Ltd Albertosaurus (14)
-CollectA Cooperoceras (13)
-Creative Beast Tyrannosaurus 1/18 (12)
-PNSO Centrosaurus (11)

[close]

Here's some things that haven't received a single vote yet:
-CollectA Triceratops
-Kaiyodo Hydrodamalis (Steller's sea cow)
-Kaiyodo Triceratops
-Kaiyodo Tyrannosaurus
-Kaiyodo Urile (spectacled cormorant)
-Mattel Lystrosaurus (Maisie/raptor set) (considering I actually requested this and changed my mind last minute, no surprises here)

Honestly I'm shocked some of those Kaiyodo figures have gone without a single vote so far. I'm also surprised there's no votes for the CollectA Triceratops. I thought more people liked that figure? I suppose I can see why it might not have been picked with the tough competition from PNSO, etc though, but most of the Schleich figures have more votes then it does. It's a bit of anomaly to see on here.

[Bokisaurus]

My Top 10:
PNSO dominated, and would have easily filled all the spot For me these are some of the best model there is and really gave me excitement once again in collecting models. The Styracosaurus is a close runner up.
Deinocheirus
Lingwulong
Suchomimus
Acrocanthosaurus
Tsintaosaurus
Torosaurus

After PNSO, CollectA easily dominated (the others are easily runner up as well)
Cooperoceras
Swimming Spinosaurus
Paraceratherium

and rounding up the list is the lone non-PNSO/CollectA
Eofauna's Diplodocus

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[Lynx]

Looks like the tide has shifted ever so slightly. The top two contenders are tied now, and crushing the rest of the competition, and well deserved I think.

Spoiler

-EoFauna Diplodocus (32)
-PNSO Deinocheirus (32)
-PNSO Suchomimus (22)
-EoFauna Konobelodon (21)
-PNSO Therizinosaurus (20)
-Rebor Tyrannosaurus "Kiss" (20)
-PNSO Acrocanthosaurus (18)
-PNSO Torosaurus (15)
-PNSO Tsintaosaurus (15)
-PNSO Zhuchengtyrannus (15)

[close]

Next 5 runner up's:

Spoiler

-PNSO Lingwulong (14)
-Safari Ltd Albertosaurus (14)
-CollectA Cooperoceras (13)
-Creative Beast Tyrannosaurus 1/18 (12)
-PNSO Centrosaurus (11)

[close]

Here's some things that haven't received a single vote yet:
-CollectA Triceratops
-Kaiyodo Hydrodamalis (Steller's sea cow)
-Kaiyodo Triceratops
-Kaiyodo Tyrannosaurus
-Kaiyodo Urile (spectacled cormorant)
-Mattel Lystrosaurus (Maisie/raptor set) (considering I actually requested this and changed my mind last minute, no surprises here)

Honestly I'm shocked some of those Kaiyodo figures have gone without a single vote so far. I'm also surprised there's no votes for the CollectA Triceratops. I thought more people liked that figure? I suppose I can see why it might not have been picked with the tough competition from PNSO, etc though, but most of the Schleich figures have more votes then it does. It's a bit of anomaly to see on here.

The schleich figures being ahead may be partially my fault 👀

[Crackington]

I'm surprised the Creative Beasts new small figures haven't received more votes. Perhaps they were released a bit late in the year?

Overall,the votes are heavily skewed to high end figures and in terms of accuracy and artistry it's difficult to disagree.

I can't help feeling though that this is a toy forum after all and that many of things the kids can play with are overlooked.

I thus sent a stray vote to the Mattel Dreadnoughtus as in seeing it in a supermarket of all places, it reminded me of seeing the Aurora T-Rex for the first time on sale as a child. Preposterously big, expensive and ambitious - I only hope some parents could afford to get their lucky kids the toy in these hard times.

[ceratopsian]

@Crackington: I for one was painfully aware as I cast my votes that I hadn't been able to include one of the BotM small figures. Ten votes sounds an awful lot. But they don't go very far when there has been such a wealth of excellent releases over the year. Same applies to @Faelrin's comment on the CollectA Triceratops. I like the normal version very much (let alone the exclusive) but my votes didn't stretch far enough. Same reason I didn't vote for the Eofauna Diplodocus. I wouldn't be without it but no votes left.

I take your point about children's toys @Crackington. But for me it's a bit like only voting for figures I have in hand. I cast my votes according to my own particular interests in our broad spectrum hobby.

[Sim]

Thanks for sharing the results so far @Faelrin!  I'm waiting to get a few 2022 figures which currently aren't available from the UK before voting so I can't see the results yet.

I'm pleased the PNSO Deinocheirus, Therizinosaurus and Suchomimus are doing so well.  I'm surprised the PNSO Styracosaurus isn't higher up, it's a simply excellent figure and I'd argue a better figure than the PNSO Centrosaurus.

[SidB]

I too am more than a bit surprised that the PNSO Styracosaurus is lagging. I'm often biased in favor of ceratopsians, and that is easily my favorite PNSO one, so I'm expecting it to do better.

[ceratopsian]

I guess the PNSO Centrosaurus just nudged out their Styracosaurus for me because of the genus.  I love their Styracosaurus and it's one of the animals enjoying a place in my study.  But I have a lot of Styracosaurus models and not so Centrosaurus.  It comes back to the same problem - a lot of releases in 2022 that appeal to me a great deal.  And while I'm biased heavily in favour of ceratopsians, I couldn't ignore the excellence of the PNSO Deinocheirus.  It's not often my first choice for beast of the year is a theropod!

[Stegotyranno420]

I too am more than a bit surprised that the PNSO Styracosaurus is lagging. I'm often biased in favor of ceratopsians, and that is easily my favorite PNSO one, so I'm expecting it to do better.

I feel exactly the same with the Acrocanthosaurus

[Sim]

I expected the PNSO Acrocanthosaurus and Zhuchengtyrannus to do better too, although I'm happy they are still doing well.

[Halichoeres]

Ha ha, the reason I made it impossible to see votes until you've voted is that I wanted to avoid having people be influenced, consciously or otherwise, by existing votes. Sharing the standings thwarts that a bit, although with 59 votes now, the majority of the people who will vote have done so.

As for the PNSO Styracosaurus, I actually do think it's a better figure than the Centrosaurus, but unlike DustyWren I do not attempt to be objective when I vote in these polls. I vote for my favorites, which isn't the same thing. Centrosaurus is a well-known genus that has been made into only a half dozen or so figures ever, and really only two that saw broad distribution. Styracosaurus has had several really good versions. So I voted for Centrosaurus, but not Styracosaurus.

@Crackington that's an interesting observation. There were very few nominations for things that are classically toys. I did end up including the entire Schleich lineup, and I'd have done the same for Mattel if they were asked for, but they weren't. I imagine that the toy market will only get fancier in the future, since wealthier countries are having fewer and fewer children. There may come a day when more toys are sold to/for adults than for children, which from my perspective would be an improvement, but I can see how for some people that would rob the hobby of a bit of its soul. (I've never had much use for a soul, of course.)

@Faelrin interesting about the Kaiyodos. I imagine some of them are too modern for a lot of people, generally Cenozoic stuff struggles a bit, with EoFauna being a notable exception. I'm unsurprised the rex and Triceratops aren't drawing a lot of votes; Kaiyodo has made such a glut of those over the years it's hard to even notice when they make a new one, let alone get excited about it.

Anyway, might as well share my selections:

1. CollectA Cooperoceras: I love invertebrates. I love aquatic ecosystems. I love the Paleozoic. This was probably the year's most exciting release for me.
2. F-Toys Hallucigenia: Only the second updated Hallucigenia, and it came in several fun sets of pajamas. I almost voted for the Anomalocaris too, but there's a lot of Anomalocaris in the world so it doesn't get me as jazzed.
3. PNSO Deinocheirus: Probably the highest rank I've ever given a theropod? Deinocheirus is one of the few to really play with the theropod body plan in an interesting way, though. This is an absolutely exquisite figure.
4. PNSO Therizinosaurus: Another interesting variation on the theropod theme. This is the only one I don't have in hand yet, but I'm convinced I'll love it. And it was a nice surprise after the twin disappointments of Favorite and Haolonggood's versions.
5. CollectA Pteranodon sternbergi: The right size for a CollectA pterosaur. The 'supreme' versions are nice, but I always wish they were smaller.
6. EoFauna Diplodocus: It's a gorgeous figure, only ranked this low because Diplodocus is a stock dinosaur, which I just don't get as excited about.
7. PNSO Centrosaurus: Finally justice done to this abundant and well understood dinosaur.
8. Kaiyodo Ornithomimus: I like Kaiyodo best when they're making smaller animals that scale well with figures from other companies. This figure is the first time they've done that in a long time (well, that and Thylacosmilus, which is a bit out of my collecting purview).
9. Safari Patagotitan: It's not perfect but it has a nice heft and character that endears it to me despite that.
10. Safari Zuul: This is not objectively among the ten best figures of the year, but competently executed ankylosaurs are quite rare and I rewarded the attempt accordingly.

I didn't think of it during nomination time, but I might have thrown a vote to ToyMonster's Captivz Lystrosaurus. Mattel's version doesn't rise to that level, though.

[BlueKrono]

Ah, I missed the deadline for submissions (by a lot), but if I had one nomination for toy of the year it would have been the JW Ichthyovenator. It's not every year my favorite dinosaur is made in toy form, and I was beyond stoked to find it in a store.

[DinoToyForum]

I'm surprised the Creative Beasts new small figures haven't received more votes. Perhaps they were released a bit late in the year?

Overall,the votes are heavily skewed to high end figures and in terms of accuracy and artistry it's difficult to disagree.

I can't help feeling though that this is a toy forum after all and that many of things the kids can play with are overlooked.

I thus sent a stray vote to the Mattel Dreadnoughtus as in seeing it in a supermarket of all places, it reminded me of seeing the Aurora T-Rex for the first time on sale as a child. Preposterously big, expensive and ambitious - I only hope some parents could afford to get their lucky kids the toy in these hard times.

What supermarket!?

[Crackington]

It was Tesco's Dr Admin - the larger stores usually sell toys too and I saw Dreadnoughtus there looking very imposing.

Thanks for your interesting comments in return @ceratopsian and @Halichoeres - there's clearly a wide range of views and indeed collecting styles in the hobby, which makes for a more interesting forum I feel.

I accept that my own idiosyncratic interest in the historical side of the hobby and mining eBay etc for old figures and paraphernalia may translate into a different perspective on voting. Indeed if I followed the "vote for what you own" rule I would currently only have been able to vote for one figure in the entire list  . This probably did free me to make some leftfield choices though!

My votes included the Cooperoceras - Halichoeres I agree what an amazing figure and choice by Collecta. I'm plotting how to get this figure this year...

[Gwangi]

I didn't vote for the PNSO Styracosaurus or Centrosaurus (which I kind of regret). Although the Styracosaurus is probably a better figure we have a ton of great Styracosaurus options to choose from so Centrosaurus would have still got my vote (it was an honerable mention).

I cannot restrict myself to only vote for figures I own because there are some on there that are so good that I don't have to have them in hand in order to judge them. There are so many video and written reviews, and pictures galore on social media and around here, that I think I can make a fair assessment. I don't need to own the BoTM T. rex or PNSO Deinocheirus to know they're among the year's best.

Out of what I voted for, I own 7. Two of those I voted for I plan to own eventually. And one I voted for with no intent on ever owning it.