Despite receiving a bit of a lukewarm reception when pre-orders showed up, I'm still a big fan of Wave's upcoming Subaru Beach Queen. She's super cute, if a bit embarrassed-seeming, but if you ask me she's easily one of the better figures in the line, and certainly one of the more enjoyable out of the upcoming releases.

If you're still not convinced, take a look at this new gallery, particularly if, like me, you're sitting home alone for New Year's while your significant other is stuck at work all night. Perhaps a 2-D cutie will cheer you right up! Probably not, but she's still adorable, and do you have anything better to do?

[via Moeyo]

Well, so far we've seen the views of many outside bloggers and writers, but now, the moment you've perhaps been waiting for: the official Tomopop Staff 2011 Roundtable Round-up! This round-up is also doubling as the month's DO WANT, in a sense, because we are talking about what we'd like to see next year.

Well, that and everyone's on vacation, so it's hard to get them to write up two separate things. Changing things up every once in a while is good!

In any case, hit the jump and see what we liked and disliked about 2011, and what we're DO WANTing for 2012!

[Image via the talented Banana Style; what can I say, I love Danbo!]

Natalie Kipper:

What has the year 2011 in the world of toys meant to you?

I wish to dub this year in the world of toys, "the year of the golden ticket." This is my first year working at Tomopop and being part of the toy culture community. To be able to talk with the artists and to be given the opportunity to be part of this awesome family is a Christmas gift that came unbelievably early. In a less ego-centric point of view, 2011 could also be seen as a year where lesser-known characters get their turn to be made into toys. One Piece''s Kumashi, Dugong, and Seacow are all being made into plushes. Less cutesy pokemon like Yamask and Joltik are also appearing on shelves as plushes and figures. I think it's great that we are getting more variety in the game and anime characters being made in toys. I mean, I love Pikachu. But, now in then I am in the mood for a Wailord or Banette. Actually, I am still waiting on a Banette...

What are your hopes/wishes/thoughts/predictions for the year 2012 in the toy world?

As for hopes and wishes, I'd really like to see more obscure series (both game and anime) get made into toys. I would kill (or at least violently tickle) for a Missile the Pomerian plush from Capcom's game, Ghost Trick. Also, there are tons of Chi's Sweet Home plushes but no FuKuFuKu FuNyan plushes? That just seems wrong to me. They are by the same other and both star equally adorable felines. But I digress. I don't really have much in the way in predictions. The only image appearing in my crystal ball is Hatsune Miku. But, I guess that is a pretty safe bet.

[Image from Tian's review of GSC's Mayoi]

Tianxiao Ma:

What has the year 2011 in the world of toys meant to you?

In a word, expensive. All the Bakemonogatari stuff that came out this year was great for me but tough on my wallet. Collecting toys also launched me into the very expensive hobby of photography. I really don't even want to guess at how much money I put into my camera and its accessories; I suspect that mental block is the only thing keeping me sane for the time being.

Another word that comes to mind is "cramped." My collection ballooned from relatively small action figures in 2010 to dozens of PVC figures, many with big circular bases. I ran out of shelf space like six months ago and have been leaving everything boxed and in storage.

Of course, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention Tomopop! Seeing the community grow has given me immense joy and pride. I also love seeing the site and our editors continue to be awesome. Taking part in that, albeit a small part, is an incredible feeling.

What are your hopes/wishes/thoughts/predictions for the year 2012 in the toy world?

Well I know for sure 2012 will be another expensive year. I haven't actually committed that much money in terms of pre-orders, but there are certainly many temptations: all the Hot Toys and Sideshow movie toys coming out and ThreeA's Metal Gear Rex are the big ones.

As for any new year, I always hope for some figures of characters I really care about. One can only ogle Strike Witches for so long, right? My number one wish for next year (and any year) is for someone to make another Spike Spiegel figure. For such an iconic character, there aren't many figures of him. Evangelion Q is coming out next year, so I'm pretty sure I'll have plenty of Eva characters to order. I also hope they keep the Persona 4 stuff coming.

That's about it for me... to sum up, checking account dried up in 2011, stays dry in 2012. Hurts so good.

Chris Seto:

What has the year 2011 in the world of toys meant to you?

2011 has been a pretty quiet year, which is both a good thing and a bad thing for me. Over the recent years, there has been a very visible shift in the figure collecting scene to mass produced PVC figures and small poseable ones such as figmas and nendos. Now, being a guy who has always enjoyed the more fringe stuff, the most obvious thing is how many GK makers have now started designing with the idea of selling their models to one of the big companies so it can be made to PVC figures. As a result, the new kits tend to not play to the strengths of resin but more towards simplicity to ensure that it can be easily made into a PVC figure.

Of course, there was also the hugely scaled back Wonder Festival in the Summer after the events in March, which laid a lot of what I said bare as, without the support of Kaiyodo getting permission from license holders, we got a pretty lacklustre event. Hopefully, it will go back to its vibrant form in next years winter WF but I still worry about the future of the GK scene.

On the plus side, it allowed me to focus on my (rather large) backlog of kits which need building and it doesn't hurt my bank balance as much either.

What are your hopes/wishes/thoughts/predictions for the year 2012 in the toy world?

One of my biggest wishes would be that we'd see the end of the BRS releases, but that's like asking for the sun to rise in the west... Likewise, I'd like to see slower releases of poseable figures and a greater focus on quality PVC releases. I may be into my GK, but I do appreciate a good PVC figure too! Poseable figures have never really been my thing tho...
For now, I'd settle for the GK scene to stabilise a bit and get some releases which really wow people again and can't be replicated easily as a PVC. Something which really shows off what a GK can do which other mediums can't!

Oh, and may I survive another year without being suckered into buying a dollfie...

Chris Pranger:

What has the year 2011 in the world of toys meant to you?

2011 has been the same as any other year regarding toys: The entrance fee is still too damn high and my tastes are too damn picky. I have at least discovered that my favorite toy genre is the custom action figure genre (is that a genre? it is now), but again, unless you find a really awesome custom figure artist who's willing to send you a free figure just because he's awesome (thank you again Jin), then you're looking at exorbitant prices just to get a single piece, and sadly that won't cut it as the whole point of figures, at least to me, is the aspect of play. I'll display stuff in the off-season, but it darn well better be ready to run some laps when I see fit. This is why I'm so very excited for the S.H. Figuarts line of Dragon Ball characters suddenly getting better and better. Future Trunks? Super Saiyan Vegeta? Most likely Perfect Cell? Where were these things when I was in high school- er, I mean middle school?

What are your hopes/wishes/thoughts/predictions for the year 2012 in the toy world?

All I hope for in the coming year is more of what's making me actually consider spending money on toys again: more things I want to spend money on. I'm on the verge of saying hell with adult responsibilities and just purchasing every Dragon Ball figure that starts coming out. I'll probably hit my tipping point when Pikkon shows his face, but how likely is that, really? A boy can dream though. A boy can dream.

Chang Su:

What has the year 2011 in the world of toys meant to you?

Personally, the past year of toys for me have been an absolute blast. I've made and met many friends through the mutual love of little plastic girls and robots, and not the least of all, I became an associate editor here at Tomopop! It's been a great experience watching the hobby blossom into something greater than the sum of the plastic and paint. So I suppose more than anything, 2011 has been about having fun with geekhood and pulling my hobby out from underneath my own little safety blanket.

What are your hopes/wishes/thoughts/predictions for the year 2012 in the toy world?

When I look back to 2011, the most memorable figures been from Native. Maybe it's the perv in me talking, but you don't know how excited I was to see figures inspired by the likes of Ishkei, Oyari Ashito, Naruko Hanaharu, and Nishieda. All the nudity aside, what I really like about these figures is that they're visually distinct from what we usually see out of figures and anime. Native was hardly the only one doing it, of course -- Good Smile Company's Rin and World is Mine Miku & Alter's Aigis and Selvaria are just a few examples of figures that dared to try something different visually. Variety is the spice of life, and while I don't necessarily fall in love with all of these creations, I love the freshness and unpredictability they add to the hobby. Therefore, for my hopes & wishes for 2012, I hope figures makers will throw even more curveballs to keep us guessing!

Emily Smalara:

What has the year 2011 in the world of toys meant to you?

I have to agree with the sentiment that things are still too expensive. Especially with our economy the way it is, the exchange rate has made buying even the simplest figure more than a little challenging for those of us on a budget. I remember when I started here a few years ago you could count on an almost 1:1 exchange, but now you can see a pvc figure for around ¥8000 and expect to pay over $100 even before shipping factors in. It's a tough call, becausethanks to companies opening their own stores catering to US buyers, it's both easier and more difficult to be an import fan than it has in the past. All in all, while the increasing costs are a bit of a downer, the year as a whole has been pretty enjoyable, and it seems like producers are really going all out with a lot more of their releases than in the past, making for some really spectacular figures!

What are your hopes/wishes/thoughts/predictions for the year 2012 in the toy world?

My hopes, as might be expected, are pretty similar to Kristina's. I'm crossing my fingers that either the economy improves enough for the exchange rate to drop back down to that of a few years ago, or for increased efficiency in production that allows pvc prices to fall for once instead of climb ever-upward. I'd also love for companies to not discontinue products so quickly, because I can't count how many extremely desirable figures I've had slip through my fingers thanks to the cost and short window of opportunity. As for personal desires, I'd love to finally get my hands on a Dollfie this year and join the BJD lovers on staff, as it seems like I may be the only one out there without one by now!

Andres Cerrato:

What has the year 2011 in the world of toys meant to you?

I feel like this was the year where we finally started to see companies respond to the U.S. Japan finally got the point that people outside its borders buy its things and they have actual purchasing power. I look a lot at what Bandai has done over this year and it's remarkable how much they have catered to the U.S. Good Smile also has done a great job this year, with them opening a shop for non-Japanese orders and making exclusive goods available. There's also a number of products that would only be successful for foreign markets. Robocop, Michael Jackson, and for some reason The Big O all got releases by Good Smile. It's like we actually matter now.

What are your hopes/wishes/thoughts/predictions for the year 2012 in the toy world?

The only thing I want for 2012 is for the trend to continue of actually listening to fans. Persona is finally seeing the attention fans have wanted for oh so long. We're actually getting figures of males! As far as actual predictions go, I have the following being announced in 2012:

- We'll finally see those Metal Gear Hot Toys
- Bootleggers will be dealt with more severely by the major companies
- Super Sonico will become the new Tamaki
- New Gunpla predictions: A MG Tallgeese, HG Turn A series, and AGE will be on clearance frequently

[Image from review of Kotobukiya's Kaworu]

Jonathan Tubbs:

What has the year 2011 in the world of toys meant to you?

What was 2011 meant to me in the world of toys? Cripes, I can barely remember the day before and you're asking me to remember a whole year? Thinking back, 2012 to me can definitely be summed up as the rise of male figures that aren't attached to some shounen series. Sure we've seen many ladies come and go for figure releases but I think the guys really stand out as this has been the first year for them to truly shine. We saw the pair of Tales of Vesperia boys Yuri and Flynn come out, Code Geass' Lelouche as Zero re-released, Evangelion's Kaworu get two releases, as well as the pretty boys of Hakuouki Shinsengumi Kitan. This list goes on and on and it's great. I mean I love looking at a pretty lady but there are many male characters that I admire for who they are (and I cannot deny for their looks, too) so it's great to see this surge finally happen and to continue on into next year.

What are your hopes/wishes/thoughts/predictions for the year 2012 in the toy world?

My hope and wish for 2012 is to become financially stable so I can start buying toys again. There's already so much to look forward to that I'm hoping I can save some money for such as ALTER's Luke fon Fabre from Tales of the Abyss as well as their Charlotte Dunois from Infinite Stratos. While we're talking money, how about that dollar being worth something again against the yen?

My prediction for 2012 is that after so much awesome, people grow tire of great looking figures causing sales to slump. This allows Taki Corporation and the likes to rise again and bring us crappy figures at exuberant prices becoming the standard for all figure collecting for years on end. ALTER closes. MegaHouse closes. Good Smile Company closes. Because all they know is how to make great figures and just cannot seem to grasp the concept of a bad figure. Because it becomes the norm, bootleg makers decrease their quality allowing them to make even worse figures at lower cost than before! It'll be like the world has gone topsy-turvy!

...also, I wish there would be a new Love Hina so I can have a nice looking Naru figure. Seriously, there are so many past licenses that have not been tapped into for the current generation so here is hoping we see more of the past in 2012.

Rio McCarthy:

What has the year 2011 in the world of toys meant to you?

This year has been interesting, that's for sure! While starting off the year with the Hot Toys Michael Jackson Beat It figure, and nearly ending it with the release of the Michael Jackson Thriller figma finally, it's been my kind of year. I ventured out and actually added several female figures into my collection this year, and have been promised with LOTS of new boys for next year! In addition to the things that have wound up in my collection, I also was asked to become the Reviews Editor for Tomopop, which was a gift upon itself! I'd say it's definitely been a great year in my little toy world~ 

What are your hopes/wishes/thoughts/predictions for the year 2012 in the toy world?

Of course I could go with my usual, 'Oh please Toy Gods! Bring me more Michael Jackson and a Kefka figure!' but I'll just keep it simple. Just give me my boys! As long as the incredibly sexy male figures that have been shown for release next year come out I'll be just peachy. I'll also throw out there that if Hasbro wants to keep making me toys for My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic that would be FABULOUS~! Also, I need more Sailor Moon, and more Sengoku Basara, and some new classy Valis figures... and... *gets dragged away*

Pedro Cortes:

What has the year 2011 in the world of toys meant to you?

For me, 2011 has been rather uneventful when it comes to the toy world. I haven't seen a lot this year that has truly wowed me, and in fact I've retracted my collecting budget even further. There's been a lot that I've seen that has caught my eye for a second or two, but very few things that have made me pull the money trigger. At this point, I'm down to Portrait of Pirates and the occasional Nendoroid. I'm hoping that 2012 will have better things for collectors.

What are your hopes/wishes/thoughts/predictions for the year 2012 in the toy world?

My hope is that figure companies will diversify their choices in characters and series. I don't expect any of the big companies to drop their cash cows and not support the next big thing that premiers, but I really want them to bring us classic guys and gals. There have been some examples this year of old characters like Lina Inverse and Katajina Loos getting statues and I'd love for that trend to continue. Hell, with all the boys coming out of Alter and Kotobukiya, I can hope for a Captain Harlock. Please? Pretty please?

Kristina Pino:

What has the year 2011 in the world of toys meant to you?

I feel like 2011 has been a telling year in terms of figures. We're starting to see a lot more "variety" (however you want to define this) that I thought was lacking in 2010, more figures based on what fans want, and some companies starting to focus at least a little bit on the folks overseas that like to buy their products. Distributing overseas is important, and while I was at New York Comic Con, I met some of the representatives for different companies that work in Japan, all who were asking passersby what they thought of their products, what anime they're watching now and what they'd like to see in figures. It's fantastic to know that they care to get our opinion on things and hopefully give new things a chance!

On the more personal side of things, 2011 has been a good year for me to become more acquainted with the hobby of toy collecting from different angles. I'm fortunate to have met a lot of the artists behind the vinyl stuff we post on Tomopop, too! It's been a fun year, though getting tougher and tougher on my wallet as I get more involved.

What are your hopes/wishes/thoughts/predictions for the year 2012 in the toy world?

My eternal wishes for the toy industry are that technology improves enough for things to get a bit cheaper and for the exchange rate to improve enough that we're not spending as much for the imported stuff. My personal toy wishes are that PVC companies go back to older stuff, pick up a few designs from the fantastic custom jobs and garage kits already out there and bring us some scaled figures made to order of characters from shows that aren't either Evangelion or currently running popular stuff. Of course, on the flip side, I also really want to see some figures of the characters from Fairy Tail besides some chibi key chains!

On the designer side, I'm definitely looking forward to what our favorite artists (or artists we haven't heard of yet) are cooking up for 2012. There are a lot of exciting prospects since vinyl is always fresh, and with the rise of resin I'm also interested in seeing what folks will come up with there. It's been a fun year, so I know next year will be even better!

Brian Szabelski:

What has the year 2011 in the world of toys meant to you?

It's been an up and down year. The yen's inflated exchange rate has bolstered the Japanese market a bit while severely hurting outside markets, namely here in the U.S. The quality of figures also seems to be a little bit back and forth, more so than in the past; not necessarily that they're making crap figures, but they don't always seem as detailed as they could be. But there's been an explosion in the variety of figures out there, both in vinyl and in PVC realms. Small start-ups have launched with some incredibly impressive figures, and it will be interesting to see where they go in the next year!

What are your hopes/wishes/thoughts/predictions for the year 2012 in the toy world?

Prediction time: we will see a return of the old. On the vinyl front, this means more self-produced, highly-limited run pieces by both new and old artists alike. There will be a little something for everyone this time around, and the scene will continue to grow at a gradual pace.

For PVC companies, it means a return to classic franchises that are known moneymakers. Now is the time to go with something that can still make money, and perhaps Ranma finally gets a large scale figure with the series' 25th anniversary forthcoming. I think if they continue to pump figures from the hot series of the moment at their current rates, they do risk burning out the regular Joes and Jills of the collector world who might have just one favorite series. Sadly, this also poses itself poorly for less popular series, who might get the short end of the stick.