Tag Archives: Firefly

#0324: Malcolm Reynolds

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , ,

MALCOLM REYNOLDS

FIREFLY REACTION

Mal1

Back in the 80s, the toymakers at Kenner made a serious impact on the action figure market when they introduced their line of 3 ¾ inch figures based on Star Wars. The scale proved to be a huge hit, maintaining itself as one of the industry standards for over 30 years. Moreover, the style of the vintage Star Wars figures is quite popular with many collectors, those being the figures that brought many of them into the collecting world. Funko and Super 7 have recently joined forces to try and recapture that style and bring it to just about every property imaginable. One set of figures I was most excited for was the figures from Joss Whedon’s cult favorite Firefly. I recently reviewed plucky pilot Wash, and I liked him enough to pick up the rest of the first series. I’ll be kicking things off with Captain Tightpants himself, Malcom Reynolds.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

MalWilsonLike Wash, Mal was released as part of the first series of Firefly ReAction Figures. He is 3 ¾ inches tall and features the old-faithful 5 points of articulation. Mal had a fairly consistent look over the course of the series, though it should be noted that Funko have chosen to depict him without his signature Brown Coat. There is an exclusive version that features a cloth one, but the regular release is sans coat. Mal features a sculpt that is completely unique to this figure. It’s an alright sculpt. He bears a passing resemblance to Nathan Fillion, but it wouldn’t be very easy to place him if he weren’t in the typical Mal get-up. The weakest point of Mal’s sculpt is definitely his torso, which is too flat to properly capture the Kenner style. It really throws the rest of the figure off, which is a shame. It seems odd to say this, but the legs are actually the best work on the figure. I can’t help but look at those and see a set of vintage Kenner legs, so kudos to Funko for that. The paintwork on Mal is in keeping with the Kenner style that Funko’s going for, which is certainly good. It’s simplistic, but it’s nice and clean. All the paint apps seem to be right where they should be. Mal’s sole accessory is his signature revolver, molded in a brownish yellow.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

After I picked up Wash, I pretty much immediately went ahead and ordered the rest of the first series from Amazon. Being totally honest, Mal isn’t quite up to the standards set by Wash. He lacks a lot of the character that was present in that figure, which makes this figure a little more bland overall. That being said, he isn’t a bad figure. If you’re into this style, you could do a lot worse than to pick up this figure.

Mal2

#0312: Hoban Washburne

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , ,

HOBAN WASHBURNE

FIREFLY REACTION

Wash1

Back in January, I took a look at the first entry in the ReAction Figures line, produced jointly by Funko and Super 7. Those first figures were based on the unreleased prototypes from Kenner’s ALIEN line. When Funko stepped in to handle distribution of Super 7’s line, they also brought with them their vast catalogue of movie and TV licenses. Together, Funko and Super 7 have launched a wide variety of figures under the ReAction banner, spanning several decades of properties, all in the vintage style. One of the properties I was most excited for was Joss Whedon’s Firefly, a show that, up until now, has been mostly lacking in action figures. The Firefly figures from the ReAction line have just been released, and I picked up my personal favorite character, Hoban Washburne, better known as Wash!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

WashWilsonWash is part of the first series of Firefly ReAction Figures. Wash is 3 ¾ inches in height and features the standard 5 points of articulation. Wash sported many looks over the course of the series, so there’s a lot to choose from. He’s depicted here in a brown jumpsuit with a blue and green Hawaiian over it. I don’t know exactly which episode he wears this combo in, but it suits the character perfectly. This is exactly what comes to mind when I think of the character. Unlike the ALIEN figures, which were previously existing sculpts, the Firefly figures are brand-new sculpts from Super 7 and Funko. Wash’s sculpt appears to be unique to him. It’s a pretty good sculpt, given the style they were going for. I was surprised by how well they captured Alan Tudyk’s likeness, given the figure’s more simple nature. The sculpt’s weak point is the figure’s torso, which just seems far too flat and devoid of any actual body shape. It’s not horrible, but it’s a bit distracting. Overall, the sculpt actually reminds me of Fisher Price’s Adventure People line, rather than the vintage Star Wars look they were going for. The lines are from the same time period and they are fairly similar, but there are some discerning details. Wash’s paint is in keeping with the simplistic look that Funko and Super 7 are going for, without being too simple. Everything looks rather clean, and he’s got some pretty great detailing on the Hawaiian shirt. The eyes being the same color as the eyebrows caught me off guard, but it’s actually in keeping with the Kenner style. Wash includes two small dinosaurs: a T-Rex and a stegosaurs. I can’t think of a better set of accessories for the character, and they fit perfectly in his hands. His is an evil laugh!

Wash2 Wash3

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

As I mentioned above, Wash was my favorite character from the show, by far. I was always quite bummed that he wasn’t amongst the small selection of characters to receive a figure in the Serenity line. I was overjoyed to hear he would be amongst the first set of figures Funko would be releasing. When my local comicbook store, Cosmic Comix, received the first series of figures, Wash was the one I had to get. The figure is really quite cool in person, and I can’t wait to get the rest of the crew. I know that this style isn’t for everyone, but I really hope that Funko sees fit to release a second series with Simon, River, Book, and Inara!

Wash4