[Poll] Top Ten figures of 2023

[Faelrin]

@Over9K I honestly haven't been paying attention to that brand. Is there any other releases from them I should add? I think you are also the first to mention that brand unless I am mistaken? I can add it (if not any others) later once I'm on my laptop.

Edit: Added now.

[Sim]

@suspsy How come?

Because I still don't agree with excluding the painted BotM 1/18 T. rexes. I think maybe one or two lucky people received theirs on the very last day of December, but most consider them 2023 figures. I can't and won't participate in a poll that I fundamentally disagree with.

I gotta disagree with you here suspsy.

Some locations had the BOTM Tyrannosaurus's available in late 2022, regardless if you did not receive yours until 2023.

This is a case with PNSO too. Most consumers here did not receive their PNSO Spinosaurus until January of 2024, but it's still considered a December 2023 release since there were those few collectors who received them before the end of 2023.

Plus, I saw in the 2022 poll that there was quite a bit of votes for these rexes, both sizes and colorschemes.

I agree with you Bread.  I'd like to add that if one wanted the BotM Tyrannosaurus in the 2023 figures poll, the time to object to them being in the 2022 poll was when that poll was being made.  They were included in 2022's poll, it doesn't make sense to include them in another year's poll too.

[Faelrin]

I updated my sheet with the results once again. Glad to see this get over 70 votes so far. We also have a clear set of top ten winners now, with only 8 and 9 tied, with a few close runner ups behind them. Another reminder that I'll keep this poll open until the end of February. This hopefully will gives folks enough time to finally either vote, or re-vote if need be due to the recent additions.

Once again here's the updated poll numbers compared with previous polls (2015 is the only one I didn't participate in as I had yet to join):

2015: 166 votes
2016: 71 votes
2017: 136 votes
2018: 104 votes
2019: 47 votes
2020: 80 votes
2021: 56 votes
2022: 77 votes
2023: 73 votes

We are catching up to 2022's, if not 2020's number of votes. We have surpassed 2016's, 2019's, and 2021's number of votes now.

Edit: Now tied with 2022's number of votes. Can we make it to 2020's and more?

[Over9K]

@Over9K I honestly haven't been paying attention to that brand. Is there any other releases from them I should add? I think you are also the first to mention that brand unless I am mistaken? I can add it (if not any others) later once I'm on my laptop.

Edit: Added now.

First to mention in the context of the poll, but we do have annual "New For 20XX" threads and the brand's products are discussed here, especially their recent PVC Giraffititan and their line of fully licensed Jurassic World statues, which were largely well received in the hobby.

I believe the Stan is the only new dinosaur release for '23. They did have a repaint of their Giganotosaurus, but that certainly doesn't warrant a spot on the poll.

[Faelrin]

@Over9K Yeah good point about the 2023 threads. I definitely overlooked this brand's, and I probably should have been more thorough in that regard since it isn't one I pay much attention to. In any case it is included in the poll now if you want to vote for it (if not any other folks), and I called attention to its addition in the title.

If I've missed anything else please feel free to mention it (you, or anyone else).

[Halichoeres]

I probably should have been more thorough in that regard since it isn't one I pay much attention to.

I wouldn't sweat it. You gave people ample opportunity to make nominations before launching the poll.

@suspsy How come?

Because I still don't agree with excluding the painted BotM 1/18 T. rexes. I think maybe one or two lucky people received theirs on the very last day of December, but most consider them 2023 figures. I can't and won't participate in a poll that I fundamentally disagree with.

I gotta disagree with you here suspsy.

Some locations had the BOTM Tyrannosaurus's available in late 2022, regardless if you did not receive yours until 2023.

This is a case with PNSO too. Most consumers here did not receive their PNSO Spinosaurus until January of 2024, but it's still considered a December 2023 release since there were those few collectors who received them before the end of 2023.

Plus, I saw in the 2022 poll that there was quite a bit of votes for these rexes, both sizes and colorschemes.

I agree with you Bread.  I'd like to add that if one wanted the BotM Tyrannosaurus in the 2023 figures poll, the time to object to them being in the 2022 poll was when that poll was being made.  They were included in 2022's poll, it doesn't make sense to include them in another year's poll too.

Yeah, I was going by, "Is it available somewhere before the end of 2022?" When a particular person gets it in hand was immaterial to me.

[Faelrin]

It just occurred to me that the Mattel JW Poposaurus, Eoraptor vs Stegouros set, and their wave mates (Avaceratops, Plesiosaurus) have been available in some places in late 2023 (November at least, if not earlier). Would anyone like to vote for any of these? I didn't see these mentioned, but if anyone is interested I could include them. They are technically part of the Mattel JW 2024 lineup, but so is the HC Carnotaurus many folks already voted for (on the contrary the Safari Ltd Stegouros and Therizinosaurus omitted from the poll are technically part of their 2023 lineup, but have yet to be released, excluding review samples sent out early).

I'm thinking of changing my vote to include the Poposaurus and Eoraptor vs Stegouros set (or should those figures be listed individually?) but man 10 votes is already making it hard to settle on this as it is. Now that I have them in hand I really like them (got them last month). I think these are even the first toys of Poposaurus and Eoraptor, and while they still have the standard JW toy style to them, I think they are pretty decent attempts for the most part.

My current votes are for (which are already divided up among several companies as it is):

-CollectA Koolasuchus
-BotM Proceratosaurus
-BotM Yutyrannus
-Haolonggood Apatosaurus
-Haolonggood Ouranosaurus
-PNSO Meraxes (which was hard enough to choose from with the recent Alamosaurus, Saurophaganax/Allosaurus, and Spinosaurus, but I have planned to vote for it since early 2023 when it released, so I stuck with it)
-Safari Estemmenosuchus
-Safari Utahraptor
-Mattel HC Brachiosaurus
-Mattel HC Carnotaurus

I suppose if I were to change my votes I guess I could swap them out the two Mattel figures for the Poposaurus and Eoraptor set. I do have the HC Brachiosaurus but it is still in the box on account of lack of space (living in a motel does that to you), and from reviews it looks like a great figure. I'm still behind on the HC Carnotaurus as well, but again from reviews, pretty clearly a great figure.

The other figures I don't have above (as mentioned before) include the Haolonggood Apatosaurus, PNSO Meraxes, Safari Estemmenosuchus and Utahraptor, which remain on my wishlist.

Here is everything I got that released last year:

Spoiler

-CollectA Koolasuchus
-BotM Diabloceratops babies
-BotM Guanlong
-BotM Proceratosaurus
-BotM 1/35 Tyrannosaurus (WWD version)
-BotM Yutyrannus
-Haolonggood Ouranosaurus
-Mattel JW Avaceratops
-Mattel JW Borealopelta
-Mattel Eoraptor vs Stegouros set
-Mattel JW Gigantspinosaurus
-Mattel JW Herrerasaurus
-Mattel JW Nothosaurus
-Mattel JW Ornithocheirus
-Mattel JW Plesiosaurus (repaint and slight retool)
-Mattel JW Poposaurus
-Mattel JW Pyroraptor (parrot colored repaint)
-Mattel JW HC Ankylosaurus
-Mattel JW HC Brachiosaurus
-Mattel JW HC Concavenator
-Mattel JW HC Velociraptor (JPIII male)

and a bunch of Mattel JW minis, some Epic Attack (raptor and Dilophosaurus), and some JP 30th (Gallimimus and Scutosaurus sets).

Of those I didn't vote for, that I'm tempted to consider, include the Borealopelta, Nothosaurus, and HC Ankylosaurus and HC Concavenator. I mean of course I like the others too, but maybe not enough to vote for them, considering 10 votes limits me pretty significantly as it is.

Edit: And that doesn't include what's still on my wishlist for the 2023 Mattel JW stuff (and other brands like Haolonggood, PNSO, etc):

-Mattel JW Dakosaurus
-Mattel JW Diabloceratops
-Mattel JW Edaphosaurus
-Mattel JW Kronosaurus
-Mattel JW Elasmosaurus
-Mattel JW Habitat Defender Triceratops
-Mattel HC Corythosaurus

[close]

Edit: I think the Kaprosuchus wave (with Guaibasaurus, Tuojiangosaurus, and that raptor repaint) was also available early 2023 from checking out some reviews on youtube. Distribution seems to have dried up for it though for some reason? Maybe the Wild Roars were also available in late 2023 as well (Ekrixinatosaurus, Gryposuchus, Hesperosaurus, Megalosaurus).

[Halichoeres]

Honestly I'd say save them for next year. With this many votes in I doubt many people will want to revise.

[Faelrin]

@Halichoeres Definitely not opposed to that idea either. Just figured I'd run it by just in case based on the technicalities of some of the above figures. If I do save them for next year then it means I won't need to worry about changing my vote for this year (as if it wasn't already clear I've had a hard time deciding on just 10).

Edit: Updated my poll sheet, and ties again between 6th and 7th places, 8th and 9th, and 10th and 11th, with a close 12th.

[Faelrin]

Just a reminder I'm going to give this two weeks more before locking it (so probably on March 3 or 4). If anyone absolutely wants more time to decide on things let me know, but I feel like this has run its course for the most part. We've also surpassed 2020's number of votes by 1. I'm very pleased to see this get this much engagement.

Edit: Still have a tie for 10th and 11th place.

[Concavenator]

I find it a mix of comical and sad that, considering all the figures that were released last year, some of them being really good figures of overdue species (Utahraptor, Edmontonia, etc), people here find a Saurophaganax to be the most notable out of them all... But is that really the case? I don't think so. I don't think people voted for the Saurophaganax based on how important that figure is, but rather how pretty that figure is. And personally, I dislike that.

I guess this also means that when PNSO eventually releases their Tyrannotitan, it will be a serious contender for the 1st place (or maybe it will even win!), because why wouldn't it? As per usual, it will surely look great, plus it will have lips.  I guess this also means that had the PNSO Megalosaurus been lipped it could also have won. Because again, why wouldn't it? Both it and the Saurophaganax would have lips, but clearly one is more important than the other.  Though to be honest, if we are talking about fragmentary species, I'd rather it was PNSO's Megalosaurus who had the Saurophaganax's votes, or Haolonggood's Megaraptor, for that matter. Megalosaurus' historical relevance doesn't need to be explained, and Megaraptor, while fragmentary, sort of has an identity, and is a more unique creature than Allosaurus clone.

I do think the PNSO Saurophaganax is a better figure than Haolonggood's Apatosaurus (but this may be cheating, because we have no clue what Saurophaganax looked like), but out of those two, I'd much rather see the Apatosaurus winning. It may be imperfect, but it's still a good figure of this iconic and overdue sauropod, and at 1:35 to boot. Meanwhile Saurophaganax:



Last year's winner made a lot more sense to me. PNSO's Deinocheirus is a wonderful figure of a wonderful species. PNSO's Saurophaganax is a wonderful (but brown) figure of bone scraps.

And remember:

I'm saying all of this with my favorite dinosaur being Allosaurus, and my DeviantArt ID being 5aurophaganax. 

[SRF]

At this point in time, PNSO's Saurophaganax is probably the best mass produced lipped theropod figure that's ever made. That's why it gets and deserves so many votes.

[Gwangi]

I think most people are also voting for the Saurophaganax because they consider it Allosaurus. In which case, it's perhaps the best Allosaurus ever made, and that's a big deal. I voted for it, and the Megalosaurus, and Yangchuanosaurus magnus. I personally like the Yangchuanosaurus more than the Saurophaganax.

[Faelrin]

I think both @SRF and @Gwangi hit the nail on the head (or at least for me, although I did not vote for it). The reconstruction is very much based on A. fragilis (if not A. jimmadseni for some skin detail) for the most part, yet sold with another name because they used the few scraps from Saurophaganax in its reconstruction (per the making of figure video). The fact it has lips too really helps make it look like a real animal, and if this has sold as well as it is popular here that bodes well for PNSO doing more lipped theropods (aside from the recent paper).

The coloration has more brown sure, but it is also given a vibrant orange on its sides, and the brown is closer to a bronze color on the back. It certainly stands out amongst PNSO's many other brown and yellow color schemes.

I only voted for one PNSO figure this year, the Meraxes, largely from spreading my votes out, but if I had not restricted the poll to 10 votes (per every prior poll), I would have voted for it (as an Allosaurus), Alamosaurus, as well as the Spinosaurus (never mind more BotM, and more Haolonggood), if not others. Both Yangchuanosaurus species are great additions too, but I'm not all that interested in it, so not sure I'd vote for them. But I am happy for folks that like those animals more then I do.

Maybe when this is said and done I may hold a seperate poll to see if folks prefer it as Allosaurus or Saurophaganax.

[Dusty Wren]

I don't think people voted for the Saurophaganax based on how important that figure is, but rather how pretty that figure is. And personally, I dislike that.

Everyone views this end-of-the-year poll slightly differently. Some view it as "Which figures did I like the most this year?" and others use it as an opportunity to reward companies for taking risks on less-popular species, or for technical achievements in sculpting or painting, even if the final figure is not something they're personally interested in. It's just the nature of an internet poll. Everyone is going to bring their own preferences to the table. "I like the way this looks on my shelf" or "I think this figure looks cool" are as good a rationale as any.

I say this as someone who didn't vote for the Saurophaganax this year but who did vote for PNSO's Suchomimus last year purely for aesthetic reasons.
 

[Bread]

I vote according to my appeal of the figure, even if it's lacking material to fully interpret the figure.

Although I lean more to the accuracy side for collecting, some artist interpretations sway what goes on my shelf especially if it's to my liking. In this case of the Saurophaganax, I find it to represent my ideal larger than average Allosaurus.

[Concavenator]

At this point in time, PNSO's Saurophaganax is probably the best mass produced lipped theropod figure that's ever made. That's why it gets and deserves so many votes.

That basically proves my point. Had it been a Tyrannotitan instead it could also have been considered the best mass-produced lipped theropod figure. Would have it gotten the same votes? Well, perhaps. A very silly reason if you ask me. Plus, it's normal to see a company's quality improve over time.    Who knows, maybe PNSO will release an irresistible Schaochilong, and that could be figure of the year material:



By SpinoInWonderland

@Gwangi As you say, perhaps. As of right now, it's so fragmentary we don't know how it looks. It might be its own separate genus/species or it might just be an Allosaurus individual.

This would be like PNSO's Zhuchengtyrannus winning the poll last year because it could be used as a stand-in Tyrannosaurus, and so it would be a great-looking one. It's definitely nicer than the 2020 Wilson. But that wasn't the case. And while it could be argued that Zhuchengtyrannus is definitely its own genus, some people believe Saurophaganax is its own genus too.

If they had called it Allosaurus fragilis (which they could easily have done anyways seeing as they did those 2 Yangchuanosaurus that are probably the same species), well, that would be a different story.

@Dusty Wren Sure, if people vote for it, that's fine. Everyone is free to vote for whatever they feel like to. I was just expressing how I see voting for the PNSO Saurophaganax as a blatant representation of voting something purely by its looks, and that I (personally) don't like that approach. But of course we all have different views. If someone answers me telling me that voting for a good figure of an overdue species is silly too, I won't understand it, but I will accept it. 

[Sim]

The fact it has lips too really helps make it look like a real animal, and if this has sold as well as it is popular here that bodes well for PNSO doing more lipped theropods (aside from the recent paper).

I fear that if this has sold as well as it is popular here, PNSO will make more fragmentary species.

Had it been a Tyrannotitan instead it could also have been considered the best mass-produced lipped theropod figure. Would have it gotten the same votes? Well, perhaps. A very silly reason if you ask me.

I imagine people would have considered a Tyrannotitan as the best Giganotosaurus figure, people are already doing this for PNSO's Mapusaurus.  I don't think there's anything wrong with that since these animals plus Meraxes should probably be in the same genus due to forming a sequence of anagenetic evolution.

Who knows, maybe PNSO will release an irresistible Schaochilong, and that could be figure of the year material:



By SpinoInWonderland

This is the funniest thing I've seen in a while!

[Carnoking]

Figures like the Utahraptor are certainly exciting to see, but in my case, I just don't like it that much. The stiff T-pose and stark blue coloration make it easily my least favorite offering among Safari's other beautiful Dromaeosaurs. Even though it's still worth celebrating and I hope to see Safari do more (an Austroraptor would be neat!), I still put greater emphasis on execution and overall appeal as opposed to how novel a release is or how much more material is known for a given animal.

[crazy8wizard]

I don't think people voted for the Saurophaganax based on how important that figure is, but rather how pretty that figure is. And personally, I dislike that.

To be fair, this is dinosaur toy forum. Voting for the figure because you like the actual model is plenty fair.
Also, I feel like the importance of a genus is something that is very dependent on the individual, like if you're specifically looking into the history of paleontology for your collection. Otherwise, it's just an animal.