Toy Bender

Convention Exclusives are a strange beast. On the one hand if you get one you kind of feel a little special. On the other, it’s a huge rip off for anyone who can’t make it to the convention. The San Diego Comic Con exclusive toys seem to be the cream of the crop as far as exclusive toys go and after been through a few waves of them, I thought I’d try to predict which ones will be the hottest of this year.

5. April O’Neal with Mousers

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle comic inspired figures from NECA was a hit with collectors, so I can’t imagine anyone who got them wouldn’t want an April O’Neal for their very own. Plus, you get Mousers!

4. Egon with Slimer

3. Soundwave Tied with Destro

I made kind of booed of the choice of Soundwave for this year, but my gut is telling me he’s going to be hot. There are a lot of people that didn’t get the Toys R Us exclusive remake out there and the fact is that remake technically wasn’t Soundwave (he could hold two cassettes at once). Combine this with the fact that Soundwave comes with four cassettes this time instead of two, then you’re looking at a must have for a lot of people.

The G.I. Joe exclusive this year was a bit of a let down to me and it didn’t seem to make that big of a splash with fans. Why? Its tied into the movie and there isn’t a huge majority of the G.I. Joe fan populace that is really looking forward to the flick. Still, it’s a fan favorite character that comes with a Destro ancestor wrapped up in a neat package. Scalpers are also going to go wild with this one due to the fact that last year’s Cobra Commander was pretty hot and before that Pimp Daddy Destro was all the rage.

2. He-Ro

Last years Masters of the Universe selection in King Greyskull was a huge convention hit. I can’t imagine that He-Ro will be any different. Here’s what he’s got going for him: 1. He’s a character that’s never been made. 2. The San Diego ones will have a special stamp on them. 3. He’s going to have variants. 4. He looks boss.

1. Wonder Twins with Gleek

DC Classics is a hot ass line, even with all the complaints that fans throw at Mattel. The Wonder Twins are a decent kitchy pick as an exclusive, but what will put them over the edge is the monkey thing known as Gleek. You see, some Wonder Twins will be available online after the show (like some Comic Con Exclusives), but they won’t come with Gleek. Of course this is going to drive completists mental with desire and scalpers even more mental with a lust for cash and glory. I feel sorry for anyone thinking they can buy this from the Mattel booth this year.

Side Note: I went over what I thought would be the top SDCC convention exclusives this year on Great White Snark’s first test podcast. If you hear it on there, just consider this a preview of the awesome you’ll find on his podcast.