So here it is.. another year of collecting and took a look back at all the stuff that I added to my collection this year. Seems like a lot of the stuff that I got this year were released in previous years. However, I will only be listing my Top 5 from collectibles released this year.
Surprisingly, there weren't much to choose from, (A lot were from Assassin's Creed IV!) but here's my favourite 5 items.
In no particular order.. (Click the title links to see more pics and my blog post on that collectible)
1. Army of Two: Devil's Cartel Replica Masks
I have that weird fascination with masks and this was one of my attractions to the Army of Two franchise. "Two 'bros' in masks" could have been the title of this game and I would have still bought it.
I even bought custom masks of the first bro-duo after playing the very first game, so I was very excited when I saw official ones for the new game. These are very well-made and not too many were produced. Too bad, the game didn't live up to it's 'coolness' factor.
I think they look really nice on display and are awesome additions to my growing mask collection.
2. Grand Theft Auto V Standee
How could I not include the biggest thing in my collection? Had a bit of luck in getting this. I'm really proud to have this promo display of the biggest game of our generation. Also being a hardcore fan of Grand Theft Auto V, I'm really glad to have this in my collection.
Had to ignore a lot of funny looks as I carried this, with the wifey feeling so embarassed, and having to fit this into a cab. This is going to be a funny story to tell for years to come.
So apt that this triangular standee has each side adorned with each of the 3 playable characters so that you feel it's presence from whichever angle you look at it. This is going to be one of the major centre-pieces in my collection room and a nice conversation topic.
3. Assassin's Creed IV Vial Replica
The AC IV Vial Replica was the last collectible to arrive before the year end and it was a awesome ending to the year in terms of collecting.
Despite it's small size, it has that 'magical' look to it. Came with a hefty price-tag, but the quality shows in this wonderful collectible. I will be exploring options on how to make this stand out even more in my display as I think it deserves it.
Hopefully, this will be the start of a long range of Assassin's Creed replicas from Ubiworkshop.
Mortal Kombat collectibles were a huge disappointment in 2013. Syco Collectibles shot themselves in the foot, in the hand and eventually in the head. Jazwares went missing with their MK stuff and Pop Culture Shock Collectibles (PCS) just kept pushing release dates back. Out of the blue, World Box announced a 1/6 SubZero figure to be released in late Nov 2013 but still no sign of it in late Feb 2014.
Luckily, PCS did ship out their MK9 Kitana statue. Boy, what a beauty she was!
I wasn't a big fan of Kitana in the games. I was more of a Ninja and Cyborg guy. So I wasn't planning to get this at all. But the more I looked at this, the more I liked it. I was so impressed with the sculpt and overall look of this statue that I thought I would really be missing out if I don't get this.
Of course, Syco Collectibles' demise made it easier as well, since I only had 1 company to collect MK statues from. Looking at the end product, I have not much complaints to be honest..
A stunning statue and if all the upcoming Statues from PCS can arrive without any problems, my Top 5 Collectibles' lists in the coming years will feature more of PCS' Mortal Kombat statues!
This could be the biggest turnaround in terms of how much I like a collectible.
The foam material used for this was initially a turn-off for me. I was expecting a wooden replica for a more realistic-looking replica. Lack of pictures also made me think that this would be a rather small.
Even while fixing it up, it was frustrating and the foam material got flimsy easily. For quite a while, I was even regretting my decision to purchase this. Because of this, I didn't try to fix it up as quickly as I could, preferring to spend my free time on other things.
However, it was only on the last session that my mindset started changing. The replica was cleverly designed to secure all the loose bits and only when I started putting those in, did the ship look steady. As I put in the sails, I started to see how big the replica was.
With the final pieces being put in, I was really amazed with how the Jackdaw replica turned out. The whole frame was very steady and the size was bigger than I expected. I had to take a few steps back to appreciate the beauty of this.
The Jackdaw wasn't just another ship in Assassin's Creed IV. It was the ship! So, having the Jackdaw as a collectible piece was very cool. Now, displayed on a shelf, it's a spectacular collectible piece worth all the trouble I went through.
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So that was my list of my Top 5 Collectibles of the year. It was a little tricky, with so many spectacular collectibles to choose from, especially from Assassin's Creed IV, but I'm very satisfied with my final 5. What do you guys think? Did you see anything else from my collection that you think should have made my Top 5? Comment below!
Also:
My Top 5 Games of 2013
My Top 5 Wants for 2014
My Top 5 Wants for 2014
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