Greetings fellow Toy Collectors!  Every year, the AFI staff ventures south to San Diego for the annual pilgrimage to the Granddaddy of them all, Comic-Con International.  We’ve uploaded all of the galleries, published the interviews, and now it’s time for my favorite part, the post-mortem wrap-up.  This is where I get to talk about my personal favorites, the oddities that caught my eye, and the hidden (and not so hidden) gems amidst the sea of awesomeness.  Without further ado, here are my personal favorites from the show!

Moebius Models Creature From the Black Lagoon

I love that Moebius is still doing affordable, old-school polystyrene and polyurethane model kits.  This year, they showed off an excellent Creature from the Black Lagoon.  Had he been available to purchase, I can assure you this one would’ve come home with me!

Blitzwing 1/6 Scale Ecto-1

Look, I have to be honest.  I have no idea if this will ever get released or not, because it’s bonkers, but I applaud Blitzwing for showing up with this amazing prototype.  It had to bl close to four feet long, and included every possible bell and whistle.  The lights, the details, the accessories – unbelievable.  The only thing scarier than having to explain to the wife about where this behemoth would go on display in the house is the price tag such a masterpiece would command.

Origin Imaginary Creatures

This line came completely out of left field, and I was totally blown away with their imagination and artistry.  From their website

comes this description:  “Origin” represents the combination of imaginary and authentic animals from nature. This style of art from David Zhou presents a virtual animal world, following the concept of “The Origin of Species.” By continuing to add more animals from exotic lands, skies and oceans, we will explore a rich world with their lifestyle”.  Creatures such as the Magellan Octopus, Sailor Shrimp, and the Mauritius Slow Lizard were simply stunning.  These museum quality pieces were easily the most innovative new line at the show.  Check out their site for more images.

Pop Culture Shock Collectibles Green Ranger

As a closet Power Rangers fan, the Green Ranger & his Dragonzord were always my favorites from any era of the show.  PCS, as they usually do, managed to make a statue of him that is simply stunning.  PCS is known for their awesome statues, but the Ranger (with included chunk of Dragonzord) shows that a little creativity and ingenuity go a long way to creating a truly memorable showpiece.

Bandai Soul of Chogokin Gypsy Danger

I loved this Jaeger design from Pacific Rim, and now, thanks to Bandai, we are finally getting THE definitive version of him.  Made of beautiful die cast metal, premium paint and materials, and including all the articulation & accessories you could want, fans can now have a perfect representation of the film’s hero.  Actual digital files were used in the creation of this piece, and it shows; he’s perfect.

Star Wars Force Link Wampa Deluxe set

Full disclosure – the Wampa is my all-time favorite creature in the Star Wars universe.  We’ve gotten two versions for our 3 3/4″ collections from the modern line, but neither really hit the mark on the bulls-eye.  Until now, that is!  It’s nice to see old school characters like the Wampa and the excellent Probe Droid get some love in a new movie year, but boy did they!  I will be first in line to buy one next spring.

Transformers: Power of the Primes

Hasbro gave us just a little taste of the awesomeness that is to come at SDCC, and we got a more complete idea of how incredible the follow up to Titans Return really is at Hascon.  Now THIS is the Rodimus Prime I’ve always wanted.  With incredible, G1 inspired versions of Optimus Prime, the Dinobots, Predaking and others coming starting this December, Jon Warden and his merry band are keeping the ball rolling, making full use of all of the momentum from the hugely successful Titans Return line and pushing it further.

And that’s a wrap for Comic-Com 2017 folks!  As much fun as it is attending the show, seeing and buying the toys, and enjoying a vacation is, the best part of Comic-con has ALWAYS been seeing old friends I’ve known and loved forever.  There are friends that I see every year, without fail, on the convention floor.  as a matter of fact, it’s the fine people and friends of Comic-Con that keep me coming back, year after year after year.  See you in 2018, friends!

Cap