Awesome Toy Collection – Year End Showhand 2023

Hello world! We have come to the end of 2023, and for the last blog post of the year I thought I’d showcase a couple of items from my awesome toy collection that I had acquired over the course of the year or even earlier.

And so for my Year End Showcase I have decided to blog about my Fortnite figures.

“Fortnite” is an online video game that was released in 2017. It has a battle royale format (ie. free-for-all fighting till the last man standing), and from what I understand, the game does not follow any particular storyline, and none of the characters has any backstory about their origins or purpose. But anyway, more to my interest are the Fortnite 4″ figures released by Jazware, which amazingly, as of time of writing this toyline is still ongoing, even when some toy companies (looking at you Hasbro !) are somewhat cutting back their investment in the 4″ scale and instead focusing on the larger 6″ to 7″ figures (think Marvel Legends, G.I. Joe Classics, and Star Wars Black Series).

I have acquired some Fortnite 4″ figures for my awesome collection, either via retail or online. Only the early waves made it to retail here, the later waves never came. But recently someone dumped their entire toy inventory at a local second-hand resell chain store, allowing me to come across some of the more recent Fortnite figures that I thought I will never see, and buy them at a bargain!

My awesome Fortnite 4″ figures collection ! (thus far, anyway)
Front row: Rex, Cuddle Team Leader, Brite Bomber, Ragnarok, Trog, Dark Bomber, Teknique, Calamity
Middle row: Rox, Bunker Jonsey, Sentinel, Dream, Skull Trooper, Skull Ranger, Black Knight, Omega
Back row: Wild Cards (Heart, Spade, Diamond, Club), Peely, Agent Peely (Shadow), Agent Peely (Ghost), Unpeely

The Fortnite 4″ figures are either sold individually or they come in team packs, or are bundled togther with playsets or vehicles or loot pinatas. Accessories include weapons (a plethora of guns, rifles, shotguns, rocket launchers, in various colors), harvesting tools, and blings (backpacks or capes that attach on the figures’ back). Certain characters may have specific blings/tools/weapons that are associated with them, but they may not come with the figure and are instead sold packaged in loot boxes or llama pinatas. So it can be quite a hassle to assemble an “all geared up” character if a collector is quite the completist.

A couple of Fortnite figures with their associated blings that did not come with the figure.

The appeal of Fortnite figures comes from their somewhat uncanny designs, which I felt were rather intriguing and therefore I have acquired some to add a little variety to my collection. At 1:18 scale, they are compatible with my Marvel Universe / Star Wars / G.I. Joe figures, and are fully articulated, allowing for great posability.

When Peely takes a holiday, he becomes… Unpeely !

And we have a special appearance by British Secret Agent 007 James Bond (Daniel Craig version), whom I’m fairly certain is the inspiration for the Agent Peely skin.

Don’t try to rationalize that.

Come to think of it, it does make sense that in the “Fortnite” game each character does not have a backstory, since in the game you are the player, so the character’s backstory is your own story, and the “characters” are just the skins that you wear and choose to appear as in the game.

And with that, I bid goodbye to 2023! And Hello 2024!