Originally published December 29, 2017. This page preserves a historical announcement or event; availability, dates, and pricing are no longer current.
Our second annual Figure of the Year awards brought together seven reader-nominated releases from 2017. Hot Toys supplied five nominees, with Blitzway’s Ghostbusters team and NECA’s Ninja Turtles completing the list.
The nominees picked by you this year are not really surprising, as Hot Toys really brought the heat this year. Other than two nominations, the rest are all Hot Toys! With that said, let’s dive right into the first nomination and voting!
RULES: Voting is closed. The original rules allowed one vote per participant. Voting closed January 1, 2018. The announced date for revealing the winner was on January 2, 2018. All Nominees have been selected via Facebook groups and online figure forum surveys.
Hot Toys Wonder Woman
Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman is quickly becoming a fan favorite among DC fans, so it should be no surprise that her first Hot Toys figure is popular! From the Batman V. Superman film, the Wonder Woman figure was faced with massive delays, but most agree that she ended up being worth the wait. While she does not have a huge amount of accessories, you get a very nice costume and an absolutely stunning headsculpt.
Hot Toys Hulkbuster
Speaking of delays, nothing will ever top the Hot Toys Hulkbuster. After years of waiting, it finally made its way to collectors’ hands. Coming in stunningly massive, those who bought him got an instant centerpiece, and it instantly became a contender for figure of the year.
Blitzway Ghostbusters
Even though this is not a singular figure, they’re being counted as a team! The Blitzway Ghostbusters came out of left field, and fans of the series were ecstatic with the release. Bringing Blitzway’s detailed sculpts as well as some stunning accessories, the 4 Ghostbusters are some of 2017’s best.
Hot Toys Dr. Strange
The Sorcerer Supreme’s film debut inspired an impressive Hot Toys figure. To the surprise of many, the Dr. Strange figure by Hot Toys came with one of their best head sculpts ever. Alongside his intricate outfit and some unique hand poses, you have a real contender for Figure of the Year 2017.
Hot Toys Harley Quinn
Even though Suicide Squad was not my favorite movie, it led to Hot Toys making some fantastic figures. I wrote a review on this one, and it is my personal pick for figure of the year. Harley Quinn came out absolutely gorgeous. A perfect dynamic sculpt and a slew of nice accessories led to an absolutely fantastic figure.
NECA Ninja Turtles
NECA has rocketed to the top of the quarter scale game, and the 90’s TMNT figures are perfectly indicative of that. Each characteristically unique with highly detailed sculpts and excellent paintjobs, these figures are absolutely stunning. They of course are not sixth scale, but so many collectors loved them that we could not keep them from the list.
Hot Toys Star Lord V2
The first Hot Toys Star Lord figure was quite special, one of their best. However, Hot Toys took something that was great and made it absolutely fantastic. One of their best face sculpts is on this figure, as well as an absolute abundance of display options with the deluxe version. I suppose it is fitting that one of my favorite movies of the year brought one of the best figures of the year!
And there you have it: the nominations for our 2nd annual Action Figure of the Year Awards 2017. Like I said above, no real underdogs this year, just a bunch of very great releases! Voting for this award has ended.
For newer releases, our Hot Toys preorder guides cover model numbers and edition contents.
Single Figures and Complete Teams
This ballot included teams as well as individual figures. A Ghostbusters set or four Turtles gives a collector relationships and shared scenes that a single portrait cannot supply, but also asks for more money and space. The Hulkbuster represents another kind of appeal: one enormous machine. Remember those differences when comparing the nominations. They explain why an audience vote can bring together releases that would not belong in a like-for-like price or scale comparison.
