Tag Archives: Pop!

#2459: Tony Vreski

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

TONY VRESKI

POP! MOVIES (FUNKO)

Who doesn’t love a delightfully morbid toy?  …A lot of “concerned mothers” and all sorts of focus groups, actually.  I thought that was pretty obvious.  I mean, you know?  Well, I can certainly enjoy the heck out of a toy that seems to subvert the usual toy norms, and today’s entry definitely qualifies, but it actually even goes deeper than just this one toy.  What the hell am I talking about?  Look, I’ll get to it when I get to it.  Released in the summer of 1988, Die Hard was a film that reinvented the action film genre, catapulting Bruce Willis into stardom and taking action heroes away from being invincible, unstoppable, fighting machines.  Beyond just main character John McClane, though, it also had a compelling cast of supporting characters and some quite well formed antagonists.  Amongst those antagonists is a rather minor one, Tony Vreski, whose main claim to fame within the film is being the first of the terrorists to die, almost accidentally killed by McClane, early in the film.  His corpse is then used by John as a distraction…and a little bit of a warning.  It’s a somewhat distinctive shot from the film, and now it’s also a toy, for the second time, even.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Tony Vreski is #671 in Funko’s Pop! Movies line, the fourth of the four Die Hard Pops.  There’s something downright amusing about the fact that we got four Pops from the movie, and they were the three most major characters in the film…and Tony.  This is also the only version of Tony we get, all corpsified and gross.  Alas, there is not “generic blonde guy in grey sweats and grandma glasses” Tony out there.  The figure is 3 3/4 inches tall and has the same single neck joint that all of the non-Marvel and Star Wars Pops get.  For him, it’s not quite as useful, what with the being dead and all.  He’s actually pretty stable for a modern Pop, thanks to being seated on his little rolling chair (which, sadly, doesn’t actually roll.  I know, how sad), which I was certainly happy about, because I get a little tired of these things falling over all the time.  It’s one of the more unique Pop sculpts, not by virtue of the outfit or anything, of course, but that pose is definitely not a common one, and does its best to sell the “this guy’s definitely dead” thing that’s sort of essential to a good Dead Tony figure.  Although, I suppose it’s possible he’s just *really* out of it (no joke, when Super Awesome Wife first saw him, she asked if he was alright…I then had to tell her he *really* wasn’t, you know, cuz he was dead).  Tony’s paintwork isn’t anything amazingly complex or anything, mostly being the grey sweats and all, but he does get the appropriate movie accurate blood smears on the face, as well as the half-way closed eyes.  He also gets John’s “Now I Have a Machine Gun Ho-Ho-Ho” message, although it appears “Machine” was dropped from it for space.  I guess the message is still more or less the same, and it’s not like the impact of the visual is lost too much, but it’s a little odd that they dropped that one word.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

My first real knowledge of Die Hard was the Palz, and more specifically, it was the Dead Tony Palz, the insanely hard to find 1 in 64 figure that pretty much never shows up anywhere.  He’s always utterly fascinated me, due to the rather morbid (albeit amusingly morbid) nature of rendering such a design as a toy.  I want one, but the odds of me getting one are, admittedly, kinda slim.  I didn’t pay much attention to the Die Hard Pops when they hit, so I actually missed that this design had somehow gotten *another* toy.  It wound up getting traded into All Time the other day, and I was, again pretty fascinated.  So fascinated, in fact, that Jason told me I could just have it, provided I actually reviewed it here.  So, umm, here’s the review?  Yeah…this guy’s really got a very specific audience in mind, and I manage to fall right into it.  I may not be the biggest Pop fan, but he’s fun in his own morbid little way.

Thanks again to Jason at All Time Toys for setting me up with this figure to review.  If you’re looking for Pops, or other toys both old and new, please check out their website and their eBay storefront.

#1531: Mr. Meeseeks

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

MR. MEESEEKS

POP! ANIMATION (FUNKO)

“I’m Mr. Meeseeks!  Look at meeeeee!”

-Mr. Meeseeks

Oooooooo.  It’s that time of the year.  Time for the holiday gift reviews!  Caaaaan doooooo!  As with prior years, I’ll be kicking things off with my one non-Christmas gift of the season, as sort of a prologue to the main items.

My introduction to Rick and Morty was really just in the last year, and it wasn’t actually something from the show at all, but rather a gag animation done by the same crew featuring Rick and Morty reciting, verbatim, the record of an actual court case, which was somehow weirder than the actual show.  It piqued my interest enough to give the show as a whole a try, and I’ve enjoyed what I’ve seen.  In particular, I liked “Meeseeks and Destroy”, the episode that introduced the Meeseeks, a goofy disposable workforce.  Today, I’ll be following the advise of Mr. Meeseeks’ catchphrase, and taking a look at him!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Mr. Meeseeks is #174 in Funko’s Pop! Animation line, falling into their first assortment of Rick and Morty Pops.  The figure stands about 4 inches tall and has a basic swivel joint at his neck as his only articulation.  This Meeseeks appears to be based on Jerry’s first Meeseeks from the episode.  Since it’s the one we spend the most time with, that’s pretty sensible.  This guy merges the typical Pop aesthetic with the simplistic animation style of the show, though he leans a little bit more towards the show side of things.  Really, the only thing that denotes this as a Pop is the larger, squarer shaping of the head.  Everything else is pretty standard for Meeseeks.  He’s got the round, blank eyes, but that’s really not a change for Meeseeks.  He even ends up getting a mouth.  Technically, Pops are supposed to omit that detail, but it’s probably one of the most overlooked rules, and I believe all of the Rick and Morty figures got mouths, so Meeseeks is far from the only figure in this category.  His pose is appropriate for Meeseeks, and certainly breaks from some of the more generic Pop poses, so I can definitely get behind it.  Paint on Meeseeks is fairly sparse, with him mostly being molded in the appropriate shade of blue.  There’s a little bit of paint for his face and hair, and that’s all fairly decent.  Nothing amazing, but certainly passable work.  Meeseeks actually does include an accessory, which is outside the norm for a Pop.  He gets a display stand to help keep him upright.  I didn’t have too much trouble keeping him standing on his own, but I appreciate the option of the stand.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Mr. Meeseeks was given to me as an anniversary gift by Super Awesome Girlfriend.  She’s not really a fan of Rick and Morty herself, but she knows I like the Meeseeks, and she’s also a pretty huge fan of the “I’m Mr. Meeseeks” music video (which I definitely recommend giving a watch; it’s quite amusing), so she got me this guy.  Pops aren’t always my thing, but this is definitely a case where the source material really fits the style well, resulting in a pretty solid final product.

#1178: Robin

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

ROBIN

POP! HEROES

robinbtaspop1

On the twelfth day of post-Christmas reviews…I decided to review another Pop.  That’s a lyric from the slightly less popular version of the song.  Amazing how the songwriter predicted the Pop craze, though.  For today’s Pop-centric review, I’m taking a look at the first Pop line, Pop! Heroes, which began it’s life as a DC-themed line, but has expanded to include a few other heroes as it’s gone on.  I’m sticking to the DC side, though, and taking a look at the newest release of Batman’s old chum, Robin!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

robinbtaspop2Robin is figure #153 in the Pop! Heroes line.  He’s the second figure in the Batman: The Animated Series subset and the fourth version of Robin (not counting variants).  The figure stands about 4 inches tall and has an articulated neck (not being limited by the licensing restrictions that affect the Star Wars and Marvel lines).  Robin is sporting an all-new sculpt, which does its best to merge the stylings of B:TAS and the Pop! line.  It’s admittedly, not the easiest venture for Robin here, since the real differences between his comics and animated designs is one of simplicity.  Since all Pop! figures simplify the designs a bit, he has to rely more heavily on his other defining trait, his wacky hair, to make him notably different from the first Robin Pop!  Sadly, while the control art shown on the box gets the hair down perfectly, there’s something lost in translation on the final figure.  The hair ends up a lot rounder than it should be, and his spit curl is mashed into his forehead, giving it rather a different shape and eliminating his v-shaped hairline almost entirely.  It’s still a pretty solid Robin, but falls shy of being an Animated Robin.  On the plus side, the body fixes my major issue with the original Robin Pop!, which was the pose.  This one goes for a nice basic standing pose, full of heroic confidence, in contrast to the “argh, my back” pose of the original.  Paint on Robin is decent by Pop! standards, which is to say the colors are nice and bright, and the basic application is okay, but there are a lot of fuzzy lines and some slight bleed over here and there.  Nothing terrible or bad enough to ruin the figure, though. 

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Robin is the other of the two figures I got from my totally cool-tastic brother for Christmas.  It’s no secret that Loren Lester’s portrayal of Robin is my definitive take on the character and a large part of why I love Robin so much, and Christian’s no doubt heard me drone on about that more than once.  While this figure doesn’t quite live up to the control art on the box, I do still really like him, and I’m more than a little tempted to get the animated-style Batman to go with him!

#1177: K-2SO

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

K-2SO

POP! STAR WARS (FUNKO)

k2pop1

For Day 11 of the post-Christmas reviews, I’m going to be taking a look at the licensing juggernaut that is Funko Pop!  Even several years in, I still can’t say I fully understand this whole Pop! craze.  That being said, given that the line encompasses every conceivable license known to man, it’s not the sort of thing one can totally avoid. One of the most expansive licenses within the Pop! style is Star Wars, which is currently host to over 150 different Pops.  Nearer to the end of those 150 is today’s focus figure, K-2!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

k2pop2K-2SO is #146 in the Pop! Star Wars line.  He’s the second to last of the main Rogue One-themed Pops, fourth to last when you factor in the two Smuggler’s Bounty exclusives.  The figure is one of the taller Pops I own, standing 4 1/2 inches tall.  As a Star Wars Pop!, K-2 contractually can’t have any articulation, and is instead a bobble head.  You can get a little bit of movement out of the neck, but it’s not advisable, since you risk ruining the spring.  As far as the sculpt goes, K-2 is probably one of the best Pop! sculpts I’ve seen.  It helps that his design requires that he be a bit further removed from the usual Pop! elements. He already has big circular eyes and lacks a mouth, so he comes off a whole lot less creepy than the typical Pop!, and on top of that, his body is in a straight standing pose, rather than the odd crouch of some of the earlier figures.  I do have to admit, it’s slightly odd to see a K-2 figure that doesn’t have even the slightest hint of his hunched neck.  It’s not really something this style of figure allows for, so I guess I can understand the need for the change.  K-2’s sculpt features a great level of fine detail work, especially on the body; it’s good that they didn’t skimp on the sculpted elements there.  As far as paint, K-2 is fairly basic.  He’s mostly gunmetal grey, with some brighter silver here and there, and of course the white for his eyes.  The lack of any sort of weathering on this guy is a slight letdown, but not entirely outside of the style, so I can’t really complain.  K-2’s one accessory is a display stand (standard for the Star Wars Pops), which is definitely appreciated, since he can’t actually stand without it.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

K-2SO was one of two figures I received from my totally cool-tastic brother this Christmas.  After seeing Rogue One, I pretty much wanted all things K-2, and this guy puts me one closer to completing that goal!  He’s actually not a bad little figure; he may not have the playability of some of the other K-2s, but he captures the spirit, and is definitely one of the better Pop figures out there!

#0804: Holiday Dancing Groot

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

HOLIDAY DANCING GROOT

FUNKO POP!

HolidayGroot1

Okay, here we are on Day 3 of the Post-Christmas gift reviews. This time around, I’m actually taking a look at something that’s in keeping with the holiday spirit! That’s a bit of a change, right?

Truth be told, the actual subject of the review is not so much a change as it is something of a repeat. See, last year, Funko released a Pop! figure of Groot from the mid-credits scene from Guardians of the Galaxy. I, as someone who loved Groot, the movie, and that particular scene, bought said Pop! figure. And it was pretty awesome! Why am I reviewing it again? Well, I’m not! This year, in honor of the holiday season, Funko released a variant of that figure, only this time in holiday colors, which is what I’ll be reviewing today!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

HolidayGroot2Holiday Dancing Groot is figure #101 in the Pop! Marvel line, and he was released as an exclusive to Hot Topic. What’s interesting is that, unlike most variant Pop!s, he doesn’t share his number with his regular release; he gets his own. The figure is about 3 ½ inches tall and, due to contractual issues, has no actual articulation. He does have a bobble head, so you can get some movement out of the neck if you want, but he is legally NOT an action figure. This figure is like 90% re-use from the previous Dancing Groot. That’s fine, since that’s the idea, and that sculpt was pretty good to begin with. The one difference in the sculpt is the pot, which now sports a fancy holiday bow. It’s a nicely sculpted piece, and it actually adds a nice bit of flair to the otherwise completely detail-less pot. The paint on this figure is also a bit different from the previous figure. The basic work on the main Groot is pretty much the same, but he’s now been given a slight misting of snow on his head, hands, and the base of his body. It looks pretty good, though I would assume there’s some variance from figure to figure. The pot has also changed from white to green, and the bow is a nice bright red. There’s just a bit of bleed over on the edge of the bow’s ribbon, but it’s nothing super noticeable.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

This version of Groot was given to me by my friend Jill. She has wanted to get into the whole “buying Ethan action figures” bit before, but was a bit nervous about what to get me. I actually didn’t know about this figure’s existence until she gave it to me, so kudos to her! He’s not wildly different from the prior Groot, but I actually really like this figure a lot, and the extra bits give him a nice bit of pop (heh!), which make him just as exciting as the original!

#0669: Vision

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

VISION

MARVEL POP! ICONS

VisionPop1

Well, the summer is almost done, and we’ve more or less moved away from the movies that kicked off the summer movie season. It hit early, but Avengers: Age of Ultron remained one of my favorites throughout the summer. It may not have been perfect, but it was enough fun that I really didn’t care. One of my favorite parts of the movie was the live action debut of the Vision, who was a excessively cool. Unfortunately, he was absent from a lot of the early merchandise for a the movie, so there was a bit of a wait for toys. Funko was at the head of the charge, though, offering Vision in the first selection of their Pop! Figures from the movie.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

VisionPop2Vision is figure #71 in Funko’s Marvel Pop! Heroes line, which puts him in the same number sequence as the other Age of Ultron figures. Obviously, he’s based on Vision’s film appearance. This is the first time that Vision’s been done in the Pop! style, but here’s hoping a comic version’s not too far behind. The figure stands about 3 ½ inches tall. As a Marvel Pop!, he is legally a bobble head, not an action figure, so he has no actual articulation. You can reposition his head a bit if you really want to, but that’s really it. As far as the sculpt goes, Vision is pretty standard Pop! faire. Squared head, creepy round eyes, pointy nose, and no mouth. It’s a well-established formula, so it’s not surprising to see the figure stick to it. He also keeps the rather standard squatting pose, which is a tad disappointing after getting several Pop! figures that changed the pose up a bit. Of course, it’s far from the worst pose they could have chosen, so it doesn’t hold him back or anything. Moving past the basic Pop! stuff, it’s worth noting that the figure has some very nice texturing and fine detail work, especially on the body suit. He’s definitely one of the more detailed Pop! figures. The paint on Vision is a little off. The colors were clearly based on early designs of the character, as they’re far more washed out than those of the final design. The Hasbro 2 ½ inch figure had a similar issue, so it would seem that Marvel changed Vision’s colors after distributing materials to the licensees. Oh well. It’s not horribly off, just a little. On the plus side, the paint is all pretty cleanly applied, without a lot of the usual bleed over issues of the typical Funko product.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Vision was another figure added to my collection by the insanely awesome Super Awesome Girlfriend. After seeing the movie, I had made mention of really wanting a Vision figure of some sort and lamented the fact that there really weren’t any available to buy. So, the next time she came to visit, she gave me this guy. The Marvel Pop! figures can sometimes be a slight letdown, due to the whole bobble-head thing, but Vision is actually pretty nifty. I’m happy to have him!

#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!

#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.