Dracula’s Top 10 Toys of 2022!

Are we here already? Apparently, we are! As we slowly crawled out of the horrors of the beginning of this decade and slouch toward whatever new horrors await us in the 2020s, toy companies kept releasing cool shit, and I kept buying it! So let’s talk about some stuff I loved in 2022.

This image adequately summarizes my general taste in toys

Like last year’s list, this one is presented more or less unordered except for the top spot. I did include at least one item that wasn’t released in 2022, and some may also be from the tail end of 2021. Let’s roll!

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Dungeon Reviews: Pretender Skullgrin (1988)

Decepticon Siege Warrior

“Those who stand against me shall soon fall before me!”

Skullgrin was released as part of the first wave of humanoid Pretenders in 1988. He’s pretty well known among the Decepticon B-tier thanks to showing up in plenty of Marvel Comics as well as the Masterforce TV show. In 2022, along with fellow Pretenders Iguanus and Bomb Burst, he received a new toy in Transformers Legacy. Today we’ll look at the 1988 original.

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Dungeon Reviews: Skywarp & Thundercracker (1984)

Decepticon Warriors

“The deadliest weapon is terror.” / “Strike when the enemy isn’t looking.”

Thundercracker and Skywarp, along with Starscream, comprise the Decepticon air force from the first year of The Transformers toyline. Today we’ll look at the Encore No. 11 Thundercracker & Skywarp reissue set.

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Dungeon Reviews: Decepticon Microcassettes (1984)

THESE EVIL DECEPTICONS FOOL YOU AS CASSETTES.

“But they transform to either a jaguar, condor, or robots!”

Together with the Decepticon planes Starscream, Thundercracker, and Skywarp, these four cassettes formed the backbone of the Decepticon forces in 1984. Today we’re looking at the 2019 Hasbro reissues of these toys.

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Dungeon Reviews: Jazz (1984)

Special Operations Agent

“Do it with style or don’t bother doing it.”

Jazz was originally released in 1984 as part of the first assortment of Autobot cars, and has long been one of the most beloved characters from the lineup. Today we’ll look at the early 2000s Takara reissue of the figure.

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Dungeon Reviews: Grimlock (1985)

Dinobot Commander

“Among the winners, there is no room for the weak.”

The Dinobots were added to the Autobot ranks in the 1985 assortment of The Transformers toyline, and have remained some of the most enduringly popular characters in the range, particularly their leader, Grimlock. The original Grimlock toy accounts for a huge part of that popularity. After all, who can resist a robotic T-rex?

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Dungeon Reviews: Powermasters Darkwing and Dreadwind (1988)

Decepticon Aerial Attack / Decepticon Air Defense

The Depressing Duo

Darkwing and Dreadwind were the Decepticons’ two main Powermaster figures in 1988. They were the only dedicated Decepticon figures to feature the gimmick – since Doubledealer served both sides and Overlord didn’t get a domestic release. As they also share a combining gimmick, we’re covering both of them today.

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Dungeon Reviews: Pretender Iguanus (1988)

Decepticon Terror Trooper

“Sow the seeds of fear and victory is yours.”

Iguanus was released as part of the second round of humanoid Pretender figures in 1988. As an obscure member of one of the least-liked Transformers sub-groups, Iguanus is barely known in modern Transformers lore. But in 2022 he was lucky enough to have a new toy released in Transformers Legacy, so let’s take a look at the original scaly horror.

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