toybot studios: ToyboxDX's Toy Of The Year 2005 Buyers Guide

Most of you toy collectors out there probably read the "CNN of the toy world": ToyboxDX. It's 24x7 Japanese toy news submitted by their faithful readers. I'm a big fan and recently got to meet some of the ToyboxDX guys including founder Alen Yen and Matt Alt at the Super #1 Robot Book Signing at Super7. These guys are super cool, have been around forever, and are truly Super Collectors in every sense of the phrase. I probably wouldn't be collecting toys if not for them.

Each year, they let the readers vote on what we think should be "Toy Of The Year". I'm proud to say that we have featured many of the finalists already right here on toybot studios! I guess all saavy toy collectors think alike! The results are in and for your viewing pleasure, I have included pictures of the finalists.

Introduction from ToyboxDX: "2005 will perhaps be best remembered as the Year of Business as Usual. While there were some amazingly solid efforts from Bandai, Takara, Yamato, Aoshima, Max Factory and a half dozen other second and third-tier manufacturers, there was very little in the way of truly break-out products. Sure, Bandai wound up the GD line on a high note by giving us Aquarion, perhaps one of the most ambitious toys in recent history, but that was the notable exception. As it was, we got more SOCs, Masterpieces, AG's, HCMP's, Transformers, Max Gokins and other collectibles than our wallets could possibly absorb.

It is then perhaps understandable that we have become slightly jaded over the years and have forgotten just how unlikely something like Aquarion, or an HCM Asshimar actually is. In 2005 we have felt the weight of the market shift away from the traditional consumers (ie; Japanese children) and come to rest firmly upon the otaku and their gaijin imitators. Gone are the days when the Yamato YF-19 -- tab B and all -- was the oasis at the end of the Great Toy Desert. Today, we are firmly in the crosshairs of collectible manufacturers, expertly marketed to from every direction. If one makes merely a passing attempt to stay abreast of Japanese toy news, it's not unusual to become bored with the new SOC a full three months before it's even shipped.

It is through this haze that every new release must wander and hopefully find a way to separate the robo-geek from his yen. And so it is not altogether unsurprising that the winner of this year's contest was not the biggest, nor the fanciest, nor the most heralded, but rather the one with the most character. And though his face may be hid "amid a crowd of stars", the numbers show that he clearly shone the brightest.

In 2005 the toys stayed the same. If we find less to please us here than at this time last year, it is because we have changed."

For the original article with quotes from collectors and readers alike, check out the 2005 ToyboxDX Toy Of The Year Article

8th Place (tie)- Studio Halfeye Godanner
$450 from Hobbly Link Japan