Tag Archives: Funko

#0517: Boba Fett

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

BOBA FETT

FUNKO POP! 

BobaFettPop1

You know who has the license to everything? Funko. And when I say everything, I mean literally everything. That includes mega-toy-selling license Star Wars. What’s kind of funny is that Funko has separate deals for Star Wars, Marvel, and Disney, due to getting them before Disney bought the former two. Which means that Funko actually had the “full” Disney license before Disney did! Isn’t that kind of wacky? No? Maybe just vaguely interesting? I’ll settle for a solid “not boring.” Anyway, one of the earliest licenses to appear in Funko’s popular Pop! form was Star Wars. Today, I’ll be taking a look at the line’s version of everyone’s favorite bounty hunter who never actually does anything, Boba Fett.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

BobaFettPop2Boba Fett was figure #08 in Funko’s Pop! Star Wars line. He was one of the initial assortment of figures in the line, which isn’t all that surprising, given the character’s popularity. The figure is about 3 ½ inches tall. Like the Marvel Pop! figures, contractual issues meant that the Star Wars Pop!s couldn’t actually be “figures.” So, Boba here is actually a bobble head, with no real articulation. Like just about every other Pop! figure, Boba features a unique sculpt. The sculpt features some of the usual Pop! trademarks, such as the larger, slightly more squared-off head, and the more squat body. However, the helmet means he doesn’t have the usual Pop! face. The sculpt is fairly nicely detailed, though some of the details are a little on the soft side. It’s a bit more forgivable on Boba, since the bobble heads are made from slightly thinner plastic than regular Pop!s. All of the necessary elements of Boba’s design are present, simplified down a bit, but they’re all there. There’s no denying who this guy is meant to be. Boba’s paintwork is pretty decent work. Like most of Funko’s efforts, there are a few spots with bleed over, and one or two fuzzy lines. The colors are all pretty well chosen and well applied, so that’s cool. It’s worth noting that he’s based on Boba’s appearance in Return of the Jedi, which is indicated by his gauntlets being colored red. In a rare move for a Pop! figure, Boba included one accessory: a black display stand with the Star Wars logo. The figure doesn’t have any issues standing on his own, but it’s a cool touch nonetheless.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

So, umm, I’m pretty sure that I bought Boba from Target when these guys were first released. Amazingly, I don’t have a direct recollection of getting him. I think that I picked him up shortly after moving into my first college dorm room, so I may have been looking for stuff to populate my desk. I believe the last of the Robot Chicken: Star Wars specials had aired around that time, so I was on a little bit of a Boba Fett high. Anyway, Boba’s actually a pretty decent Pop! and ended up encouraging me to keep up with the style after I had been a little disappointed by the DC Pop!s. To date, he’s actually the only Pop! Star Wars figure I own (though I really do need to get that Biker Scout…).

#0510: Hoban Washburne

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

HOBAN WASHBURNE

FUNKO POP! TELEVISION

WashPop1

Alright, I looked at the Pop! take on Captain Malcolm Reynolds. But, a captain’s only as good as his crew. So, today, let’s look at the line’s take on my personal favorite Firefly character, Hoban Washburne, or Wash for short, faithful pilot of the Serenity. Let’s see how he turned out!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

WashPop2Wash is figure #137 in the Funko Pop! Television line. He’s roughly 3 ½ inches tall and he has the usual single point of articulation at the neck. Wash is sporting a Hawaiian shirt and a flight suit, both of which are signature to the character. Like Mal, I’m fairly certain this particular combo shows up in the series’ pilot episode. It sums up the character really well, so it’s a well-chosen look. He’s been fitted into the style of the rest of the line. He’s got the typical large, square head and big circle eyes, and a smaller, slightly rounder body. Whereas Mal’s head looked rather generic, Wash’s head manages to sum up Alan Tudyk’s likeness perfectly in just a few scant details. The hair, in particular, really helps to sell it. It’s cleanly sculpted, and well-shaped, and it manages to be pretty decently textured. The body is pretty well done too. He’s in a more generic pose than Mal, but he still avoids the crouching pose of earlier Pop! figures. The details of the clothes are nicely sculpted, and pretty well-defined. And, of course, what kind of a Wash figure would it be if he didn’t have a dinosaur? That’s probably the piece of the sculpt that best sells the figure as the character it’s meant to represent, so it’s really great that they threw it in there. Paint typically isn’t Funko’s strong suit, and while that’s still sort of present here, Wash is actually pretty decent. There’s still a few issues with some fuzzy lines here and there, but the work on the shirt is quite nicely done, and it certainly adds some uniqueness to the figure.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

This was actually the figure that my Super Awesome Girlfriend wanted to get me for Valentine’s Day, but he wasn’t readily available, meaning she got me Mal instead. However, while we were at Farpoint this year, my friends Tim and Jill found Wash in the Dealer’s Room and were nice enough to pick him up for me (Seriously, nothing makes me feel better when I’m sick more than people bringing me action figures. Just in case anyone was wondering…). Wash is a really great figure, and I’d say he’s one of the best Pop!s I’ve gotten.

#0509: Malcolm Reynolds

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

MALCOLM REYNOLDS

FUNKO POP! TELEVISION

MalPop1

For years, cult favorite show Firefly went pretty much untouched by the toy-world. There were a few figures from the movie, Serenity, but that was it. No one seemed to be able to get the license. Enter Funko, masters of possessing the licenses to literally everything ever (seriously, they must know where all of the bodies are buried), who picked up the Firefly license and quickly pumped out an assortment of merchandise in all of their various styles, including their ever-popular Pop! Vinyl line. Today, I’ll be looking at that line’s take on Captain Malcolm Reynolds.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

MalPop2Mal is the 135th figure in the Funko Pop! Television line. The figure is about 3 ½ inches in height, with the standard one point of articulation at the neck. It’s not a lot, but that one point of movement does add a fair bit to what can be done with the figure. Mal is based on his standard coated look from the show, though it’s worth noting that he’s sporting a pair of gloves, which he only wore from time to time on the show. I think this might be meant to more represent his look in the pilot episode. Regardless of exactly where it’s from, it works as a decent summation of the character. The look has, of course, been reworked into the Pop! style, so he’s got the usual big square head, circle eyes, and no mouth. While some Pop!s are pretty good at conveying an actor’s likeness in these limited features, this one’s a little more on the generic side. It could still certainly be Mal/Fillion, but it doesn’t jump out immediately. Fortunately, the rest of the figure does a pretty great job of conveying the character. All the details of the clothing are nice and sharp, which is good to see. Furthermore, the figure moves away from the usual Pop! semi-crouch pose, instead opting for a much more character-appropriate look. It really sells this as Mal, and it’s refreshing to see Funko moving away from the more generic poses they were doing for so long. The weakest point of any Funko figure is typically the paintwork, and Mal is no exception. That said, the work here isn’t terrible. There’s a few missed spots and some occasional bleed over, but most things are pretty clean.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Mal here was a Valentine’s Day gift from my Super Awesome Girlfriend. I know, it’s not the usual Doctor Who! She actually wanted to get me Wash, who’s my favorite character, but she was unable to find him. Mal’s definitely a good second choice, and this figure’s certainly a lot of fun!

#0490: Nebula

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

NEBULA

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VINYL FIGURES

Alright, so after the detour into Marvel Legends land, I’m coming back around to Funko’s Guardians of the Galaxy stuff. This review was actually supposed to be posted last Monday, but it wasn’t. I’m not sure if it had to do with being rather sick last weekend or if I had just had too many “meh” reviews in a row, but when it came time to write this, I just couldn’t. The words wouldn’t come to me. So, I did the ML stuff, which has brightened my spirits a bit, and now I’m back to Nebula. Let’s take a look at how she turned out.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Nebula’s part of the first assortment of Guardians of the Galaxy Vinyl Figures. Unlike Star-Lord, Nebula is the only version of the character available in the line (also one of only three Nebula figures available total, like in all of the GotG product). Nebula is a little under 3 inches tall and has no articulation, unless you want to count the bobble head. Nebula’s sculpt is wholly unique to her, and while it is well done from a technical stand-point, there are some questionable choices. Namely, what the heck is up with her pose? She’s standing kind of straight, with her legs wide, and she’s leaning forward just a bit, with her head tilted back ever so slightly. And then there’re the arms, which are outstretched, but almost in a halfhearted sort of way, like she’s been holding them up for a minute and now they’re starting to get tired. What was Funko going for here? Is this meant to replicate a specific pose from the movie? Because I don’t recall Nebula replicating this pose at any point, and if she did it must have only been for the briefest of moments. There seems to be some inconsistency on how the mechanics on her head should be done as well. The bit at the top of her scalp is sculpted, which the stuff around her eye is just painted, so they don’t match. Those things aside, she does have some nice detail work on her costume and such, which is cool, I guess. While the paint on Star-Lord was beyond the Funko norm, Nebula is about par. There’s some nice work on the face, but the paint on the body is fuzzy around the edges and there’s a fair bit of bleed over. Also, the colors are all very similar, which makes the figure a little dull looking. I know she had a limited palette in the movie, but other merchandise has made it work.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Nebula is from the same mall trip (with Super Awesome Girlfriend!) that got me Star-Lord and my SciFi Vinyl Figures. Nebula was the other half of the two GotG blind-boxed figures I picked up. I was initially rather excited to get her, what with Nebula being a favorite of mine from the movie, but I think some of the excitement has worn off. She’s really not as good as she could have been, and it’s sad that this was Nebula’s only figure at the time of the movie’s release. With all that in mind, the figure’s not the worst thing ever. I honestly can’t say why I put this review off for so long. It was actually rather painless.

#0482: Star-Lord

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

STAR-LORD

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VINYL FIGURES

Guardians of the Galaxy was a very good movie, which is a very good thing. Essentially, it’s given Marvel the confidence to make just about any damn thing they want to. It’s also provided various companies a lot of merchandising opportunities. Funko has jumped in on the fun, offering not just their usual Pop! figures, but also a line of blind boxed vinyl bobble-heads. Let’s have a look at one of the line’s offerings of Legendary Outlaw Star-Lord.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Star-Lord is part of the first, and so far only, assortment of Guardians of the Galaxy Vinyl Figures. He’s one of the two versions of Star-Lord released in the line. This is the basic standing one, as opposed to the more wildly posed one. He’s about 3 inches tall and he has no articulation, though he does have a bobbly head. Like just about every other Star-Lord figure out there, he’s based on the character’s long-coated appearance in the film’s opening scenes. The sculpt is simplistic, but very bold and very sharp. It’s a pretty great translation of the movie design, and it looks very nice. It doesn’t have the more ornate texture work of other figures, but it’s very eye-catching and it really has a nice stylistic touch to it. Paint is an area with which Funko sometimes has some trouble, but that’s not the case here. Everything is nice and clean, and the colors are pretty good matches. I’m still a little thrown by the silver on the helmet, but that’s actually just the inaccurate Hasbro color scheme messing with me.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Star-Lord hails from the same Hot Topic trip with Super Awesome Girlfriend that got me the various Sci Fi Vinyl Figures. Star-Lord was one of two of the blind boxes that were still left, which worked out pretty well I suppose. Star-Lord’s a solid figure to be sure, and just another great addition to all the GotG stuff.

#0478: Dancing Groot

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

DANCING GROOT

FUNKO POP!

Like just about everyone else on the planet, I loved last summer’s Guardians of the Galaxy immensely. I picked up quite a few of the figures and enjoyed all of those as well. Of all the characters in the movie, Groot was definitely my favorite. In particular, I loved the mid-credits scene, where a potted Groot dances to Jackson 5’s “I Want You Back.” But what good is a favorite scene to a toy collector if he can’t replicate it in plastic form? Obviously, the spoilers involved with Baby Groot meant that he wasn’t present in any of the first releases of toys. However, Funko was quick to offer a Dancing Groot, as part of their Funko Pop! Marvel line.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Dancing Groot is figure #65 in the Pop! Marvel line, and he was released along with Howard the Duck as a pseudo second wave of GotG Pops. The figure is roughly 3 ½ inches in height. Due to contractual issues regarding Hasbro having the master Marvel toy license, Groot is not actually a figure, but a bobble head. This means the usual one point of articulation at the neck has been replaced by a spring for bobbling. You can still sort of turn the head a little if you’re so inclined, but it probably wouldn’t be good for the figure in the long run.  Like most Pop! figures, Groot features a sculpt that is unique to him. At first glance I thought the figure might have made use of pieces from the last Groot Pop!, but that’s not the case. As is the case with all Pop! figures, Groot has been made to fit the aesthetic of the rest of the line, though the changes are less drastic on him compared to others. The figure has the standard squared-off head, though the size of it isn’t quite as exaggerated this time around. Groot also features a mouth, a feature that is often removed from Pop! figures, but is essential to this figure properly capturing Baby Groot’s happy disposition. The details of the sculpt are a little on the soft side, but not out of the ordinary for the line; the figure clearly has a proper barky texture, which is what’s important. The pot is effective in being what it is, and it’s appropriately geometric. Groot’s paintwork is probably the best I’ve seen on a Pop! He’s not plagued by any bleed over or fuzzy lines, which are common to the line. What’s more, a considerable amount of effort has been placed into giving the figure a nice wooden look. There’s a very nice bit of dark brown accent work, which helps to bring out the sculpt’s texture. Dancing Groot includes no accessories, though this is no surprise for the line.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Dancing Groot is yet another Amazon purchase. I’ve had him pre-ordered pretty much since he first went up for sale. While it’s not a straightforward Baby Groot, it’s a fun little figure, and easily one of the most sensible uses of a bobble head of a Marvel character. This guy was just made for sitting on a car dashboard.

#0470: Rocketeer

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , ,

ROCKETEER

SCIENCE FICTION VINYL FIGURES

Movie-making is a pretty competitive business. Even if a movie does manage do get made, getting it viewed by an audience can be a different story. Many movies never really see the audience they deserve and will forever be woefully underrated. One of my favorite underrated movies is The Rocketeer. The Rocketeer was a movie ahead of its time. It’s a pulp-style super hero movie that would be readily at home with the current brand of Marvel Studios movies. Sadly, in the 1990, it wasn’t what audiences were looking for, and it’s at best a cult favorite. Toys for the movie have been scarce over the years, but Funko picked up the license a few years ago and they’ve been using it all over the place.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

The Rocketeer was released as part of the first assortment of Science Fiction Vinyl Figures from Funko. He doesn’t quite fit in with the rest of the more iconic sci-fi characters in the assortment, but I’m hardly going to complain about that. The Rocketeer is one of the rarest figures in the series, at a ratio of 1:72. Seems like this guy’s only going to be seen by the most dedicated of Rocketeer fans. The figure is about 2 ¾ inches tall and features no articulation. He has a totally unique sculpt and it’s probably the best in the series. It’s cleanly sculpted, there’s lots of great detail work, and everything is very well defined. The character’s design has been tweaked to fit the overall style of the line, but like Robby, he hasn’t had to be changed too much. The figure is posed in the most extreme of the poses we’ve seen on the figures reviewed here. It’s the character’s signature pose, seen right before the movie’s climactic battle as he stands in front of the American flag. It’s a perfect pose for the character and it’s been translated really well. Rocketeer’s paint is pretty good; nothing fantastic, but solid work. All of the colors are on the mark and everything cleanly applied with no real slop or bleed over. The lack of any real issues is actually really good for Funko, who can sometimes have some issues with quality control on their stuff.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

The Rocketeer was gotten at the same time as Tron, while I was out shopping with Super Awesome Girlfriend. Seeing as the other three figures I got were common figures, I figure I didn’t have much of a chance at getting this guy. However, Super Awesome Girlfriend insisted on picking out the two I was going to buy, and the Rocketeer was one of them (she’s just the best). To say I was thrilled is an understatement. The Rocketeer is a fantastic figure, marred only by the fact that he’s so freaking rare.

#0469: Tron

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , ,

TRON

SCIENCE FICTION VINYL FIGURES

Tron is one of those movies that’s really innovative and that everyone remembers the name of, but that lots of people haven’t seen or don’t really remember. It’s got its loyal fans (and there are a fair number of them), but it’s not really held in the same esteem of many other landmark films. I myself didn’t actually see the movie until just before the release of its sequel Tron Legacy. But, I can appreciate the importance of the movie, and I like the designs. So hey, toys!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Tron was released as part of the first assortment of the Science Fiction Vinyl Figures from Funko. Tron is another of the more common 1:12 ratio figures . He’s roughly 2 ½ inches tall and he features no articulation. Tron is probably one of the figures that is the most drastically changed, design-wise. His proportions are the most exaggerated and his texturing and such is rather simplified. While I felt this detracted from E.T., it works pretty well for Tron. He really works in this style. The armor details are nice and sharp, and everything is pretty clean. The arms are separate pieces, but the cuts are well hidden by the shoulder armor. Tron is posed as though he’s getting ready to throw his disc, a good choice for the character. It separates him from the more statically posed Robby and E.T. fairly well. The figure’s paint work is very well done, easily the best of the figures I got. For the most part, he’s just done in a flat blue, with white detail work. The detail work is nice and sharp and is a very good replica of the design from the movie. The sculpt of his face is blank, leaving the paint to fill it in. It doesn’t really have any resemblance to Bruce Boxlightner, but it seems to fit with the rest of the “human” faces from the line. At the very least, the blank white eyes are a lot less creepy here than they are on E.T.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

After getting Robby and E.T., I decided to go back and get a few more of the blind boxes. This time around, I let Super Awesome Girlfriend do the picking, and it seems to have worked out in my favor. Tron is one of the cooler designed figures from this series, and he really translates well to the style.

#0468: E.T. – Extraterrestrial

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , ,

E.T. – EXTRATERRESTRIAL

SCIENCE FICTION VINYL FIGURES

So, um, I have a thing to confess. I don’t really “get” E.T. I mean, I know it was immensely popular and I generally love Steven Spielberg’s stuff, but I could never get into E.T. I tried over the years. I’ve watched it several times. I’ve made many a joke about the changing of the guns to walkie talkies for the special edition. I’ve seen tons of the interviews about it. Lots of people I know really like it. Admittedly, I don’t dislike it. There are parts of it I quite enjoy. But it just doesn’t do anything for me outside of occupy the TV screen for two hours.

With that out of the way, please read as I review a toy from a movie that I have no emotional connection to. This’ll be fun…

THE FIGURE ITSELF

E.T. is part of the first assortment of Funko’s Science Fiction Vinyl Figures. Like Robby, E.T. is one of the more common figures in the line, at a ratio of 1:12. E.T. is roughly 2 ¼ inches tall and he has no articulation. E.T. has been sculpted so as to better fit the style of the other figures in the line. In Robby’s case the changes were minor, but here they are a bit more severe. The biggest thing is that the hands have been made much larger and blockier (especially the fingers) and the body has been made a little smaller. The character’s rough skin texture has also been removed, with a much smoother look in its place. Unfortunately, it seems some skin texture would have been a good way to hide the joining of the arms and head with the torso. As it is, the separate pieces are beyond obvious. That said, the sculpt isn’t bad; E.T.’s in his “phone home” pose, with his index finger extended, which is a good choice for the character. It’s also very evident who this is supposed to be, which is always a good thing. The figure’s paint is pretty straight forward. For the most part, he’s a light brown (though perhaps too light), with some white for the eyes and a bit of orange and yellow for the index finger and his heart. The eyes being straight white is in the style of the rest of the figures in the line, but it ends up being particularly unnerving on E.T. E.T. includes no accessories.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

E.T. was picked up at the same time as Robby, while I was shopping with Super Awesome Girlfriend. He was the other half of the two blind boxes I grabbed at random. After opening Robby, E.T. was a bit of a letdown, for more than one reason. As I stated in the intro, I’m not a big fan of E.T., so I’m not exactly raring to get figures from it. Add in the fact that E.T.’s one of the weaker figures in the lineup, and you have an all-around disappointing figure.

#0467: Robby the Robot

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , ,

ROBBY THE ROBOT

SCIENCE FICTION VINYL FIGURES

So, we jump from one robot to the next. I’ve looked at a modern day robot with Pacific Rim’s Tacit Ronin, an 80s robot with Transformers Hero Mashers’ Soundwave, and now I’ll be looking at one of the classiest robots there is, Robby the Robot.  Robby is, in my opinion, one of the coolest robot designs of all time, and he’s far out placed the movie he originally appeared in, Forbidden Planet. Robby’s had his fair share of merchandise over the years, so it’s no surprise that Funko, masters of securing the toy rights to everything (I half expect them to have the toy rights this blog…) are currently producing their own assortment of various Robby stuff. Funko’s big on offering lots of diverse characters as part of one big assortment, which is the idea behind their Science Fiction Vinyl Figures line.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Robby here is part of the first assortment of Science Fiction Vinyl Figures. The figures are blind boxed and offered in differing ratios. Robby is one of the more common figures, at a ratio of 1:12. The figure is about 2 ½ inches tall. He has no articulation, but that’s pretty common for a line of small vinyl figures.  The figure depicts Robby in the style of the line. His design means that he’s less stylistically changed than some of the other figures in the line. Generally, his proportions are tweaked a little bit. The hands and feet are larger and a little blockier, and the details within his head dome are simplified a little bit. The sculpt is very well done; it’s simple, but the details that are there are really made to count. The design’s been tweaked, but it’s still very clearly Robby. He’s sculpted in a fairly straight forward standing up, arms outstretched pose which is picture perfect for Robby. Robby’s paint is simple, but well done.; it’s nice and clean. I do wish the body color were a little darker, but what’s there isn’t bad. It just results in the figure’s colors melding a little bit. Robby includes no accessories.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I picked up Robby from Hot Topic while I was out shopping with Super Awesome Girlfriend. As is the case with most blind boxed figures, he was gotten at random. I picked up two figures from the line and Robby just so happened to be one of the first two I grabbed. Robby’s one of my favorite robot designs and one of my favorite movie characters in general, so I was thrilled to have gotten him. I don’t know that I’d be up for every character in the Funko’s vinyl style, but it works really well for Robby.