Funko Mystery Minis: Retro Video Games – Frogger

A few retro gaming characters have already made it to the shelves as POPs, but Funko have now gone all-in on the concept with a Mystery Minis line. There are 16 iconic characters from yesteryear in the series, but only 12 “arcade cabinets” in a case. Apparently each character is packed 1/12, so there’s nothing outrageously rare – but the two boxes I saw at my local hobby store seemed to suggest that each case has a random mix of characters, as opposed to the preset layouts that some of the other Mystery Minis series use. 

THE BOX

Funko has some great designers working for them, but the Mystery Minis boxes are not typically very exciting – some control art, a title and not much else. But they’ve really stepped things up for this series; each character is housed in a box shaped to look like an arcade cabinet based on the game they’re from. It’s a great touch, one indicative of the care that Funko has put into the line*. Sadly the box is just a little too big for another Mystery Mini to use as an arcade machine. Nonetheless, they look so cool that it’s very tempting to keep it and incorporate it into a wider display. It would be great to Funko do more like this on future/other Mystery Mini series. 

THE MYSTERY MINI

In the original game there are multiple Froggers (Froggi?), but this one is specifically based on the image on the logo strip atop the cabinet.  He’s depicted with a tie and a briefcase, presumably on his way home from work to see his wife and frogspawn. It’s stylised HD Frogger, rather than a literal attempt to render pixels in plastic. He’s pretty cute, though he does look a little dead-eyed – I suspect this is because they’ve given him a croaking, half-open mouth rather than the closed-but-smiling expression on the cabinet. But those of us working desk jobs can easily relate to feeling dead inside, so it’s oddly appropriate if you decide to use him as a desk ornament.  

Of course, some of the coolness is undone by the sloppiness of the paint. This is disappointing, as the Mystery Minis have typically had better paintwork than their larger Funko POP companions. But for a $9.95AUD collectible, it’s adequate.

OVERALL

I was born in 1985, so Frogger had kind of already come and gone before I even arrived on planet Earth. But I am a staunch video game history buff, and you can’t look too far into the history of the medium before you run across Frogger. It’s easy to see why it was a hit – cutesy design, combined with easy-to-play but difficult-to-master controls are a winning combo in any era, but perhaps never more so in an era when gaming was filled with thinly veiled Pong and Pac-Man clones competing for kid’s coins. And in the years since its release, Frogger’s pop culture influence has outstripped plenty of its contemporaries. It was even a central plot point on an episode of Seinfeld** which brings with it a level of fame that few games can ever hope to reach.

I don’t intend to go too deep with this line, but Frogger’s cutesy design and iconic status made him a must-purchase for me. And there’s still plenty of iconic retro characters to be made, so here’s hoping we see at least a series 2 in the near future.

*Of course, I had to go and spill water on mine, didn't I? 

**And here’s a thought for you – that episode of Seinfeld is now older than Frogger was when they first filmed it. Double retro!  

Funko Mystery Minis Horror Classics Series 3: Bruce the Shark (Jaws)

Shockingly, I’ve never seen Jaws, beyond a few snippets. Yeah, I know, I know – I write about horror-related stuff all the time and still haven’t seen one of the big genre pictures. Disgraceful. But fear not, I’ll get to it eventually. 

I read the novel the film is based on, back when I was a kid (probably a little younger than I should have given the novel’s heavy sexual content) and remember being entertained, but not blown away. It reminded me of a proto-Michael Crichton novel; entertaining and heavily plot-driven, but it lacked compelling characters. This is a stark contrast to what I’ve heard and seen of the film, where the characters loom almost as large on the screen as the shark itself.   

One of the many reasons that Jaws has become venerated in the way it is today is because it was one of the very first blockbusters as we understand them today. Sure, there were wildly successful films for decades prior – but believe it or not, there was a time when the idea of a mid-year (Summer for my northern hemisphere cousins) blockbuster was totally foreign. Can you imagine a world like that now? I can’t, myself. Jaws really was quite the groundbreaker.

So to actually move back to the subject of today’s review, this Mystery Mini is a perfectly nice miniature of a shark, if not hugely exciting. The only thing that specifically screams “Jaws” is the gas bottle in its mouth. Put enough of them together and you could make a nice Sharknado too – which won’t be too hard, considering it’s packed at a 1/6 ratio in the case.       

Funko Mystery Minis Horror Classics Series 3: Alex (A Clockwork Orange)

With its weird blend of a dystopian future, Russian slang, unusual fashion and unsettling violence, A Clockwork Orange is a film that may not exactly be horror – but is still shockingly dark at points, while being very, very funny in others. So today we take a look at Funko’s take on the lead character from the movie – Alex.

Cutesy as they are, the Horror Classics line is not really aimed at kids. Some of you are no doubt saying “duh”, but the addition of Alex to the line has really reminded me of that. Though he’s technically an anti-hero, Alex is considerably more perverse than most of the villains that have appeared in the line so far. 

Outside of t-shirts, A Clockwork Orange has not really been heavily merchandised, so it’s interesting to see Alex show up in this format. The figure replicates all the core elements of the costume – the bowler hat, the false eyelash, the bob haircut and the weird codpiece. I’d forgotten about the eyes on the sleeve cuffs, but looking back at stills from the film, they are quite prominent.  

Alex is a good addition to the line, meshing well with his companions in the series. I wouldn't class him as essential, but that's mostly because although I enjoyed the film I wouldn't call myself a devotee. But I would be remiss to not to note that there are also POPs of Alex available. One of them depicts him in this outfit, and the other (apparently somewhat rarer one) depicts him wearing the same outfit, but with the addition of a suspiciously phallic mask. I’ll probably pass on them myself, but they’ll be must-buys for fans of the film. 

Funko Mystery Minis Horror Classics Series 3: The Grady Twins (The Shining)

Remember a few months ago when I reviewed Regan and mentioned that if ever there was a movie that suffered for being influential, it was The Exorcist? Well, I still stand by that statement. But if I had to add another horror film to that list, I would definitely add The Shining.

Now don’t get me wrong, The Shining is a very good film…if perhaps a wee bit on the long side. But I would be quite happy to never, ever see someone paying “tribute” or doing a “hilarious” parody of it ever again. We’ve seen the kid cycling around, we’ve seen “Here’s Johnny” and above all we’ve seen the creepy twins again and again. No need for any more, pls.

But nonetheless, the Grady Twins are one of the defining images of the film, and so it’s only fitting that they got their own Mystery Mini from Funko. The first thing I noticed was that – perhaps somewhat surprisingly – they aren’t just mirror images of one another. Though they’re clearly twins, one is slightly taller than the other, and their heads are also a slightly different size. This is accurate to the girls who played the Twins in the film, but if Funko hadn’t bothered then I doubt anyone would have complained. It’s an impressive bit of detail in a stylised format, though.

The Shining is quite an enigmatic film, and one of the few ghost films that I like. Perhaps this is because of its ambiguity; in the original novel, the horrors are definitely real – but in Kubrick’s take on the story, you can’t be quite sure. This is my roundabout and clumsy way of saying that these figures are good, but they work due to their larger context, not due to their base design. At face value they’re simply two kids in old-fashioned dresses – but when you’ve seen the film, they’re something else entirely. They’re fun, but as I noted in the Jack Torrance review, it would be good to get a Danny Torrance too. Maybe in series 4?   

Funko Mystery Minis Horror Classics Series 3: Imhotep the Mummy

Just over two years ago, I reviewed the Mummy Funko POP – as we’re looking at the Mystery Mini today, I’ll take my intro from that article.

Boris Karloff – a horror legend if ever there was one. Almost 50 years after his death, the image of him as Frankenstein’s Monster continues to dominate popular culture. Universal must be making more on merchandise than they ever did on the movie itself, going off the sheer amount of stuff that’s been produced in the decades that have followed.

But Frankenstein’s Monster wasn’t the only role Karloff was famous for – another was Imhotep, the titular character of the Mummy. Released in 1932 to cash in on the craze for all things Egyptian following the 1922 discovery of King Tutankhamen’s tomb, The Mummy was an immediate hit. Imhotep never achieved quite the same iconic status as Frankenstein’s Monster, but he remains an important part of the movie monster pantheon. The character also got a revival of sorts in 1999, when a remake (or re-envisioning or reboot, whatever you’d prefer to call it) of The Mummy was released, and became a tremendous hit. 

The original is not a perfect film, but it evokes a dark mood that still manages to unsettle to this day. Almost as importantly, Boris Karloff’s makeup as the titular character in his coffin still holds up quite well – just look at the comparison here with a real mummy.  

Recap done. So how does the Mystery Mini stack up to the POP?

Well, like the POP, Imhotep has the issue that his design is not as interesting as some of his Universal Monsters contemporaries. For most of the movie he’s a guy in a fez with an eerily wrinkled face, and he’s only actually in his burial wrappings for a short period at the beginning of the movie. In this format, it translates to him being in off-white wrappings, while his face is grey, the only real colour coming from his bronze-gold scarab ring. The underlying sculpt is very good though, with lots of detail in the bandages, and brings the character’s features to the Mystery Mini format quite well.

As with the POP Funko would have been better investing in a dark brown or black wash to go over the bandages. This would have brought out the sculpted details much more, and also made him pop more visually. Additionally, they could have gone for a green-grey look to the flesh as well, as here.

The end result is an imperfect but still enjoyable figure. The Mummy is quite under-merchandised in comparison to some of his Universal brethren – though that may change on the back of the 2017 remake – and sometimes as a result you just have to accept that you will be getting a good piece of merchandise as opposed to a great one.

Funko Mystery Minis Horror Classics Series 3: Regan (The Exorcist)

Horror’s mainstream appeal varies pretty wildly from decade to decade, but there seems to be at least one big breakout hit every decade. The 1970s had a few, but I’d argue that the one that stands above the others for sheer cultural impact was The Exorcist. Ushering in a whole standard in special effects, it was a huge hit -- and it still really disturbs people to this day, too. Ask your parents which movie freaked them out when they were young, and you can virtually guarantee that the answer is The Exorcist, irrespective of how old they were when it was released.

Regan goes through multiple stages of possession (and makeup) during the film. She starts out looking like a normal 12-year-old girl, then begins to look worse and worse as the demon Pazuzu exerts greater control over her. This Mini depicts Regan in full-blown possessed mode – her face is green and has slashes across it, while vomit stains her nightgown. Given that they could have reused much of the sculpt, it’s almost surprising that they didn’t also do a “plain” Regan, though I guess we may see that in a future series of Horror Classics.

I’ve only watched the film once or twice myself; I did enjoy it, but found it a little long. If I’d seen it on first release, I think I would have found it terrifying – but if ever there was a movie that suffered for being influential, it’s The Exorcist. Even at age 19, I’d already seen it parodied dozens of times in other media, read books on special effects that explained how virtually every shot in the movie was executed and heard all the stories about its “cursed” production. For the most part, the ability to outright shock had been lost, though it certainly still evokes an eerie atmosphere. Your own mileage may vary, of course. But good does ultimately triumph over evil, which places it into a bit of a contrast with many of the films it influenced, where the villain arguably is the hero (Halloween, Friday the 13th, A Nightmare on Elm Street et al).

Although The Exorcist may not be my favourite horror film, it’s a definite horror classic, unquestionably well-made and well-polished. Regan is very deserving of Mystery Mini from Funko. Regan is packed at a 1/24 ratio, so you may have a trickier time tracking her down.

It's not easy being green

Funko Mystery Minis Horror Classics Series 3: Jason Voorhees

We looked at Freddy a couple of weeks ago, so now it’s time to take a squiz at his most famous foe – Jason Voorhees, of Friday the 13th fame.

This is actually the second time Jason has had a Mystery Mini, with his first coming back in Series 1. While that was more of a generic Jason – though arguably from Freddy Vs Jason – this new one is based on his look in Friday the 13th Part 7: The New Blood. It’s been quite a long time since I’ve seen the film, but I remember it being (like virtually all the films in the series) a bit of a mixed bag. There was a psychic teenage girl who he battles, and probably could have made a decent ongoing foe for Jason, similar to Tommy Jarvis from Parts 4-6. But the series has never been known for its coherent storyline, and so she disappeared as quickly as she’d arrived.

By this point, Jason was a heavily decayed and monstrous corpse, having now been resurrected numerous times. He actually looks pretty great, with the exposed bones, rotting clothes and beat-up mask… at least until his mask breaks off at the end, and he suddenly looks like a cross between the Cryptkeeper and a Muppet. Gross, but more at the silly end of the spectrum, rather than frightening.

Fortunately, this Mini replicates his masked look, turning a gory design into something surprisingly cutesy. Part of the iconic hockey mask is broken away, revealing how much his flesh has decayed around his mouth. Bones poke through many surfaces, where the clothing and skin alike have rotted away. Unusually, he’s armed with an axe rather than his signature machete. I’m sure he hacks into someone with it at some point during the film, but I honestly don’t remember.

Packed at a 1/24 ratio, this is not a definitive Jason, so it’s a little less essential – but it’s a very cool look for him nonetheless. Post Freddy vs Jason and the 2009 remake, these later films in the series are often a bit overlooked when it comes to merchandising of the character. NECA have given it a red-hot go, but it’s nice to see other companies step up and take their turn too. 

Funko Mystery Minis Horror Classics Series 3: Freddy Krueger (Syringe Fingers)

Year: 2016

Freddy Krueger – in a world of mute murderers like Michael Myers, Jason Voorhees and Leatherface, he stands out as one of the most distinctive villains from the slasher era. I mean, Pinhead has a bit to say for himself, but he's distinctly less...amusing...in the process. 

More than 30 years after his cinematic debut in A Nightmare on Elm Street, he’s still incredibly popular. He may not have had a film in the cinemas for a while, but the plethora of Freddy merch littering the shelves suggests that there’s still a substantial fanbase out there. Will we see Robert Englund play him again? Probably not, but the character lives on nonetheless. 

Unlike Jason, Freddy's basic costume really hasn't changed a whole lot over the years, but he does sometimes find himself in kill-specific get-ups from time to time. So t

his Mystery Mini is based on a very specific scene in Nightmare on Elm Street 3: The Dream Warriors. In the dream world, Freddy encounters Taryn, who’s dressed like she’s some kind of enemy in Double Dragon. Was the 80s the raddest decade of the 20^th century? Most signs point to yes. Anyway, Taryn used to be some kind of drug addict, so Freddy turns his fingers into syringes and injects her with some kind of blue substance – presumably heroin, but it’s never actually specified in the film – and she shuffles off this mortal coil.

This figure replicates the effect nicely enough – each of his fingers and claws is a blue syringe, topped with a silver spike. The sculptors have also done a nice job of adding little details to a fairly simple design, such as ragged edges and dirty stains on the pants and jumper. Good job Funko! 

Given that the Mystery Minis format has been a little more experimental than the POPs, it would be nice if we eventually got some of the human characters -- at least a Nancy! Taryn's design would be particularly good for this format too, but I guess we'll just have to wait and see.     

Overall, this take on Freddy is a cool, unusual version of an iconic horror villain – but he’s packed at a 1/72 ratio, which means you may well have a pain of a time trying to track him down. On that basis, he’s fun for those who missed the regular Freddy in Series 1, but certainly not essential. 

Funko Mystery Minis Horror Classics Series 3: The Wolf Man

Year: 2016

I saw the 2010 version of The Wolfman some years ago, but it was actually only a few weeks ago that I actually saw the 1941 original The Wolf Man. Its reputation precedes it, of course – I read a ton of books on special effects as a kid, and the Wolf Man featured prominently in virtually all of them.

The original film isn’t really a horror movie in the sense you might think of in this day and age. It’s not terribly scary, but it is quite depressing. A man falls victim to a curse through no real fault of his own, has minimal control over his subsequent behaviour and ends up getting killed. Most werewolf films since have followed some variation of this theme – at least until Dog Soldiers. And though I didn’t enjoy it quite as much as The Mummy and Creature From The Black Lagoon, it’s still very well-made and it’s great to see where a lot of modern werewolf lore originated. 

So let’s take a look at the figure!

Now, I think we all know that Lon Chaney Jr didn’t look much like a wolf in the original movie. He was some kind of hybrid form; stuck somewhere between man and beast. Thematically it worked well in the movie, but this figure…well, it’s certainly not a bad one. I quite like it, actually. But the stylised nature of Mystery Minis has rendered him looking a bit more like a weremonkey than a werewolf. Take away the black on the nose and you’ll see what I mean.

Nonetheless, it’s always nice to have another Universal Monster on the shelf. I think this is an occasion where the original POP outdoes the Mystery Mini take, but it’s still well worth your time and money. You shouldn’t have too much trouble finding him, as he’s packed at a 1/6 ratio – so there are two in every case. 

Funko Mystery Minis Horror Classics Series 3: Jack Torrance (The Shining)

My parents – in hindsight – were not especially strict, particularly in comparison to some of my friends. But like all parents, they wanted to instil a certain set of values into me – and as such, most horror-related material was treated with a deep suspicion. 

And few names were more synonymous with horror than STEPHEN KING. Back in the 1990s, he was arguably at the height of his commercial (if not creative) powers. Bookstores were stuffed with his wares, and video stores seemed to overflow with filmic adaptations of his works. Being a keen reader from a young age, I was naturally very curious about him – but parental authority steered me away from him until I was a teenager. Probably wisely, in hindsight, though it was frustrating at the time.

In the long term, the parental admonition against horror didn’t work. What did I do as soon as I was old enough? Went out and read a ton of Stephen King books, and watched scores of horror films. I love both to this day -- and one of the best adaptations of King's work is The Shining, from Stanley Kubrick.

Stephen King was not thrilled with this adaptation. Having subsequently read the novel, I can kind of understand why, as it deviates from the source material on many important points. But I enjoyed it myself; the pace was probably just a little too slow for my tastes, but it was definitely bizarre and memorable. And its influence has been undeniable – every TV show on the planet of every genre seems to want to do some kind of tribute to scene with the twins at one point or another. 

This Mystery Mini does a reasonable job of replicating Jack Nicholson’s Here's Johnny look in the film -- the check shirt, red jacket, jeans, maniacal expression, and of course the axe. It doesn’t look like Jack Nicholson specifically, but that’s just the nature of the aesthetic –and at a glance, he could fit in reasonably well with the humans from the Walking Dead Mystery Minis too. My only real criticism is related to the hair. Jack Nicholson has never gone totally bald, but even by the time of The Shining it was looking pretty thin – though again, this is probably just a side-effect of the aesthetic.

Overall? Jack Torrance isn’t my favourite figure in the series, but there isn’t a ton of merch for The Shining out there. Given that we also got the Twins in this series, I assume we’ll get Danny soon too – viewed in combination, that would be a fun set.    

Funko Mystery Minis Horror Classics Series 3: Elvira

Horror hosts aren’t really a thing over here in Australia, but it seems there was a time where every local TV station in the USA had one of their own. Typically serving as campy gateway figures to introduce audiences to crappy old horror and sci-fi films, in many cases they’re more entertaining than the actual films they were hosting. A handful went on to become international celebrities, like Vampira – though to be fair, a lot of that really had to do with her work with Ed Wood. 

But probably the best-known to horror fans the world over is the subject of today’s review – Elvira, Mistress of the Dark. Until I sat down to write this review I’d never watched any of her stuff, but I was familiar with her by reputation. But a couple of YouTube videos confirmed pretty much what I expected – silly comments about the films being shown, bad puns and double entendres. But she does it with more style and panache than many of her host contemporaries; I do plan to check her film, Elvira: Mistress of the Dark, out at some point.

Elvira has made the transition to Mystery Mini in a much better form than Slimer. With her signature beehive, high-cut dress and risqué top, there’s no doubt about who this is. They’ve even managed to tatter her sleeves in the sculpt! Additionally, little touches like the detailed eye makeup and fingernails clearly demonstrate that Funko is quite capable of doing good paintwork – it’s just a shame that more of it doesn’t find its way to their POPs.  

Speaking of which, Elvira does have a POP on the way soon too; I’m torn as to whether it will make 

its way into my collection as yet, but it does look well-executed.

Overall, I have no real complaints about Elvira as a figure. My only issue with her lies in her rarity, or lack thereof. She’s a 1/6 figure, which means there’s two of her in each case. I think this is a little excessive, and it’s a bummer that as a result some other figures that might otherwise have been 1/12 – Imhotep, for instance – have been pushed to 1/24. But Funko’s rarity works in mysterious ways; hopefully there will be a better breakdown for series 4.  

Funko Mystery Minis Horror Classics Series 3: Slimer

Today we take a look at a new release from Funko – Series 3 of the Horror Classics Mystery Minis have hit the shelves, and this time I decided to kind of avoid the whole kerfuffle of searching in-store for individual figures by just ordering a box.

There’s been some interesting choices of characters this time, with the emphasis heavily on classic/retro horror – only Twisty the Clown (American Horror Story: Freak Show) and Patrick Bateman (American Psycho) are from media released in the last twenty years.

But Slimer is possibly the most curious inclusion; Ghostbusters is a horror film, I guess, but something about this doesn’t seem quite right. He didn’t do a whole lot in the original movie, but he was a pretty focal point in the cartoon spin-off, which was very much geared towards kids. I liked it when I was young, but I’m sure it would drive me up the wall these days. Still, I guess it’s cool to see them going for left-of-field choices.

So, basically this is Slimer, but Mystery Minified. You can tell it’s him, but it does feel oddly generic, like a knock-off rather than an official product. Maybe that’s because we’re only seeing him in isolation, rather than with, say, the Librarian Ghost or a Stay Puft Man. Maybe future series will correct this? 

In spite of this somewhat generic feel, Funko have obviously put a lot of care into him. His slimy base is a separate piece, cast in translucent plastic rather than just making him all one colour. The paint apps on his teeth and tongue are nicely executed too. Also, his but is oddly detailed – was the original puppet like that? I can’t remember, but it is oddly fitting for the character.

I was kind of...bummed out...that this figure wasn't better

Overall? Not bad, but I’d be disappointed if I’d picked him out of a blind box solo. The other figures in this series are great, and Slimer suffers by comparison as a result. For my US readers, there is a Hot Topic exclusive version of this series, and the Slimer in that set glows in the dark. It’s a shame they didn’t make this standard, but at least it wasn’t something ridiculous like a 1/72 chase or something. Glow makes everything cooler, and I imagine it’s no exception for this figure.

Funko Mystery Minis Horror Classics Series 2: Nosferatu

Company: Funko

Series: Mystery Minis Horror Classics Series 2

Year: 2015

About a year ago, I reviewed the Funko POP version of Nosferatu. I won’t recount the full backstory behind the character – you can read it here if you want – but suffice to say he started life as a bootleg Dracula, and as a consequence he’s now in the public domain. You can watch the film on YouTube for free, if you've got an hour and a half to spare. And so as far as I understand, if you're really keen, you can go and make your very own Nosferatu merchandise too!  

As with his POP counterpart, he’s based on the 1922 version of the character (rather than the wonderful 1970s Werner Herzog remake). It’s recognisably the sinister Count Orlok, but it’s been run through a heavy Mystery Minis filter -- so your mileage will vary, depending on how much you like that particular aesthetic. I think the POP was a slightly better rendition, but they have captured the thick furry eyebrows nicely and general rat-like demeanour quite well.

Paint is simple, but mostly well-executed. He’s got a dirty mark on the back of his head, which isn’t a major drama. But there is a big blob of glue across one of his eyes, which looks to have occurred before the paint app had actually been applied. Presumably this is a bit of a one-off, but it’s a little bit annoying -- Nosferatu here is packed at a 1/24 ratio, so getting another one isn’t exactly easy.

So is he worth tracking down? He’s pretty fun; a good piece of merchandise for a film that’s now more than 90 years old. I’d suggest that the POP is a better investment, but the aesthetic works nicely with the other figures in the Horror Classics Mystery Minis series.   

Remember, you can follow me on Instagram and Twitter – @lupinebookclub 

Funko Mystery Minis Sci-Fi Series 2: Godzilla

Company: Funko

Series: Mystery Minis Sci-Fi Series 2

Year: 2015

Well, I actually picked this guy up about 6 or so months ago, but then promptly got sidetracked from reviewing him for various reasons. So let's recap about the character with some stuff I stole from the review I wrote of his 6" POP counterpart back in December.

Few movie monsters are as iconic as Godzilla. Debuting in the 1954 Japanese filmゴジラ(Gojira), he has since gone on to star in dozens of movies, becoming emblematic of an entire genre of films – and in some ways, of Japan – in the process.

      

There have been countless items of Godzilla merchandise released over the decades; Funko is just the latest in a long line of licensors to take a crack at him.

Back to present day, and I've since reviewed a few mystery minis on the blog. Perhaps most notably Cthulhu -- every time I post anything about that guy, pageviews go gangbusters for several days afterwards, so hopefully the mere mention of him here will set SEO results aflutter for the LBC. 

Nuclear Cthulhu vs Godzilla? Now THAT's a team-up movie worth making.

But Godzilla is the subject of today's review. You may recall that the POP was pretty cool, but I think this Mystery Mini is actually even better. Controversial, hey? Well, I'm not afraid to make the big calls here.

Though Godzilla's Mystery Mini incarnation can't expect to possibly compete on size, it has the edge in the style stakes. Specifically, the face -- I have some mixed feelings about the semi-squished face on the POP, but there's none of that here; Godzilla has a nice, elongated reptilian snout which does the character better justice than the POP did. 

Skin texturing is similar, with both POP and Mystery Mini resembling an avocado. As a food, avocados can mostly go in the bin, but the use of the similar skin texture is a nice touch that adds some essential but not aesthetic-ruining detail.  

Paint? Pretty good, not perfect. There's a shock for you. His teeth have a few gaps in the black paint, which I could easily fix but haven't, and there's been some scraping on the claws of one of his hands. Again, easily fixable with some Citadel paint, but I haven't gotten to it. Will I ever? Stay tuned and see. Some of the spines could do with slightly better coverage too, but they're mostly fine.

There's some good news and some bad news for those seeking to track one of these bad boys down for themselves. First, the good news: Godzilla seems to be the heaviest figure in the series, and so he's pretty easy to pick out of the box. But the bad news is that he's only packed 1/24 -- i.e. 1 per every two cases. Now that's nowhere near as terrible as Pinhead's 1/72 ratio, but it still kind of sucks, considering he's easily one of the more desirable characters in the series. Still, you may get lucky, as I did. Despite an interesting character mix, this series doesn't seem to have flown off the shelves at the same rate as Sci-Fi Series 1 or the two series of Horror Classics, so you may even be able to rifle through a previously untouched box. 

Funko Mystery Minis Horror Classics Series 2: The Creature From The Black Lagoon

Company: Funko

Series: Mystery Minis Horror Classics Series 2

Year: 2015

It's no secret that I love Creature From The Black Lagoon. It's one of my favourite movies, and Gillman one of my favourite monsters, but I'll spare you my gushing on this occasion. Today, we're here to talk about his recent conversion into Mystery Mini form.

Given that Mystery Minis are by their nature meant to be quite simplified, Gillman here has quite a detailed sculpt, with lots of little ridges and (strangely enough) gills sculpted all over his face, back and limbs. Even the palms of his hands are textured! Yet it never looks excessive, or distracts the eye. He still looks right at home with his Mystery Mini companions.

Paint isn't perfect, but it's pretty solid given the scale. He's been given some brown/grey dots over his body, which complement nicely with his dull green skin. His teeth and claws have been picked out in a colour we would have called "Bleached Bone" back in my Warhammer days, and the stomach's a nice yellowy-brown. It doesn't pop quite as much as the POP (ha!) did, but given the differing style and the fact that no one really seems to be too sure what colour the original suit was anyway, I think it works just fine.

There have been a few Gillman POPs from Funko already, which were excellent, so I had high hopes for this guy. After the slight letdown of Frankenstein's Monster I was a little concerned, but upon his arrival in the post I was extremely pleased. This is a great piece to add to the collection for Gillman fans -- now I just wish they'd extend the cast slightly. A Mystery Mini Julia Adams to accompany Gillman would be awesome!

Funko Mystery Minis Horror Classics Series 2: Cthulhu (Glow version)

Company: Funko

Series: Mystery Minis Horror Classics Series 2

Year: 2015

Back in October last year, I posted an article about how I ended up with a Cthulhu Mystery Mini. That article ended up being one of my most popular articles last year, for whatever reason. You may or may not recall that I mentioned that Cthulhu was quite a rare figure in the series, being packed at a 1/24 ratio -- but there was an even rarer variant...a glow in the dark one! 

That article I've linked back to above covers the details about the sculpt; I don't really need to repeat them here. The primary difference with this guy is that he's been moulded in glow-in-the-dark plastic. The only paint apps included this time around are the white for his eyes, and the grey that surrounds them. All of the spots and splotches are gone, with the plastic left bare to glow. And glow he does, lighting up the room by night.  

This Cthulhu is a good example of a variant -- he's fun, but not essential, and acts a complementary piece to the original, rather than detracting from the fun. In the past the Mystery Minis have made some really unusual (and irritating) choices in their series ratios, but with the exception of Hellraiser's Pinhead being a 1/72 figure, I think Funko did a pretty good job with this one. An enjoyable, but not essential addition to the collection.

Funko Mystery Minis: Frankenstein’s Monster (Horror Classics Series 2)

Company: Funko

Series: Mystery Minis Horror Classics Series 2

Year: 2015

It’s been a while between Mystery Mini reviews, and I still have a couple more I need to get up onto the site. But today we take a look at one of the most iconic creatures in horror history – Frankenstein’s Monster! 

As with just about every piece of merchandise based on Frankenstein’s Monster released since the 1930s, this figurine is clearly based on Boris Karloff’s iteration of The Monster. Karloff played many famous monsters in his long career, but The Monster is the one that made him a star, and the one he’s still most closely associated with. The character’s prominent place in pop culture also means that it’s going to be subject to an extra level of scrutiny – and he does come up a little shorter than some of his fellow Mystery Mini companions. I don’t love the shade of green they’ve used for his skin – it’s bordering on aqua, rather than the usual sort of sickly lime green. And while the sculpt is a good conversion of the character into the Mystery Minis style, I think his arms should be more stretched out in front of him, rather than being held daintily at an awkward angle by his sides.   

So the overall verdict? Well, Frankenstein’s Monster is a good Mystery Mini, but not a great one. If you’re tossing up between this one and the Funko POP, I’d say stick with the POP. Solid but unspectacular.   

Funko Mystery Minis: An American Werewolf in London (Horror Classics Series 2)

I only watched An American Werewolf in London a couple of months ago, around Halloween. But given my penchant for all things Lupine (pls refer to the name of the blog), it should come as no shock that I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was quite different to my expectations. Though quite gory, violent and disturbing in parts, it’s actually quite a funny film. Yet it doesn’t really move into Evil Dead territory; it manages to retain a lot of poignancy, particularly with the tragic ending.

John Landis really got it right with this one, and I can’t help but think that it would have a difficult time getting made today. Hollywood and filmmaking have always been heavily influenced by the prospect of making money; I’m not going to try and pretend that there was some golden era in the 1970s/80s where everyone was just making art for art’s sake. But it does seem like studios were a little more confident to let a movie find an audience over time, rather than freaking out and yanking them from circulation just because it didn’t make thirteen trillion dollars in the first weekend.*

Of course the titular Werewolf (sometimes called the “Kessler Wolf”) is the biggest star of the film. You don’t really get a good look at the fully transformed beast until right at the end of the film, but the David Naughton’s transformation has rightly gone down in cinema legend.  

This is not a bad thing. Seeing any villain too much tends to reduce its effectiveness, and impressive as the creature design itself is, seeing too much of a (presumably) limited puppet could have done more harm than good to the film. As it is, it retains its B-movie sensibilities without ever getting too camp – that subway scene is genuinely frightening. And when he escapes the cinema, it’s brutal (confident in calling that one NSFW).  

So, naturally Funko has decided to turn this violent supernatural beast into a cutesy collectible. It’s actually kind of difficult to find reference photos of the Kessler Wolf from the film – there are a few collectibles and replicas out there, but a lot of them look a little off to me. This can probably be attributed to a couple of factors; there are usually at least two or three different puppets of a monster on a film like this. This provides the filmmaker with different options for long shots, close-ups, stunts, and simply to allow for wear and tear. All of these can have subtle – or sometimes drastic – differences between them, which in turn means that there isn’t always a definitive version to refer to when it comes time to make merchandise. The Creature from the Black Lagoon is a classic case in point – the main suit is different from film to film…then you have the underwater suit…plus the mask that was used to generate the breathing effect in the first film. But there are lots of films like that. It’s compounded by the fact that people didn’t anticipate that someone would still care about the film decades later, so reference photos may be in short supply or simply non-existent. Not to mention that the suits and puppets themselves tend to succumb to age pretty quickly.

But on the whole, this figure isn’t a bad likeness considering its stylised nature. I think the face should probably be a bit lighter, but its somewhat generic nature means it also serves as a good werewolf sculpt for anyone who wants to mix and match with a compatible series of Mystery Minis –  like Funko’s Walking Dead Mystery Minis. Let’s see you crossbow your way out of that one, Daryl!!!

This figure, like Cthulhu, is packed at a 1/24 ratio. He’s an absolute pain in the bum to find – in trying, I drew three Eds (I must be the only person in the world who didn’t like Shaun of the Dead) and three Cthulhus, two of which were the glowing variant (more on that another time). So I can’t offer any grand insights into how to find him. I ended up caving and ordering him on eBay for slightly more than I would have liked to paid, but not a totally outrageous amount either.

Overall, he’s a fun figure, and probably the figure I wanted most from this series after Cthulhu. Just don’t let his apparent rarity trick you into paying a fortune – with the film’s 35^th anniversary next year, I’m hoping NECA or someone will pick up the license and do an exceptional take on him.

*Things are not quite that simple, of course – back then the idea of a blockbuster was still pretty new, having been pioneered by films like Jaws and Star Wars only a few years before. You only had one or two of those films a year, whereas now there are a HUGE amount competing for attention and dollars. In 2015 alone, we’ve had Avengers: Age of Ultron, Mad Max: Fury Road, Furious 7, Jurassic World, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2, and Star Wars: The Force Unleashed! This doesn’t even include outrageously high grossing films that we might not consider traditional blockbuster films, like Fifty Shades of Grey or Magic Mike: XXL. See how a more…ah…offbeat film like An American Werewolf in London might have some issues standing out in a crowd like that? Back in 1981, it only had Raiders of the Lost Ark and Superman II to compete with – on that front, anyway.  

Likewise, thanks to increased instances of downloading and piracy, it’s harder for films to recoup costs – or continue to generate revenue – on home media. Plenty of now-famous day cult films were seen by about three people in cinemas, but eventually found their audience on VHS or DVD. Not to say that can’t happen now, just that it’s more difficult.        

Fallout Mystery Minis: Fallout - Grim Reaper's Sprint

Well, once again I've found myself not updating the site in weeks. Lots of easy excuses to throw around -- busy with work, busy with life, Christmas approaching etc etc -- and these have definitely played a part. But I've also just been plain lazy. I love running the LBC, don't get me wrong. I have no intentions of giving it up in the foreseeable future, I've got plenty of stuff I want to write about on here -- but a short break has been a good thing.

But today, I'm back. And we're looking at another of Funko's Fallout Mystery Minis -- Grim Reaper's Sprint.

To give the simple explanation, Grim Reaper's Sprint is one of the perks your character can pick to boost AP if you manage to kill someone/something in VATS mode. The perk has varied in its exact rules and usefulness since its introduction back in Fallout 3, but irrespective of your feelings about its gameplay application, it's definitely one of the coolest Vault Boy illustrations.

He's depicted as a Bergman-esque Death i.e. black cloak, pale white face that's not quite a skull.  But it still manages to be very Fallout; his blue Vault Jumpsuit is visible beneath the robes and his face is full of that signature chipper Vault Boy attitude. In his right hand he holds a scythe, which has been pretty standard issue for Death since at least the Middle Ages. In his left hand he holds a briefcase. The symbolism of the briefcase is probably something incredibly obvious, but it escapes me nonetheless.

Of the four figures I've picked up from the range (one review still to come), this is far and away my favourite. Paint is a little fuzzy in parts, but the distinctive cartoony style of Fallout's in-universe training materials is lends itself particularly well to Funko's Mystery Minis. If this series sells well, hopefully we'll see a second series that tackles even more perks and unique creatures from the Wasteland.

Funko Mystery Minis: Fallout – Deathclaw

Good heavens, I got a chill when I opened the packet and found this guy inside the box. No matter no high a level you get in Fallout, Deathclaws are always a terrifying sight. Towering over the player character like some kind of bastard hybrid of lizard, werewolf and devil, they can kill you within a swipe or two, wiping out hours of gameplay if you’ve forgotten to save…so finding one in such close proximity to yourself is a daunting prospect!

While I liked a couple of the Fallout POPs, I found the Deathclaw to be a bit underwhelming; the paint scheme was good, but I didn’t love the head sculpt. Mystery Minis are sculpted in a very different style to POPs, and in this case, it’s substantially better. He looks appropriately menacing, retaining key features like his back spikes, titular claws and long tail – yet he’s cutesy enough that he wouldn’t look too out of place in a kid’s toy collection, which is the balance I tend to think these figures should strike.    

Fallout Mystery Minis are packed at a 1:12 ratio. In theory, this means that buying one case should ensure a complete set – but there’s actually a little bit more to it than that. Y’see, there’s a Gamestop exclusive set too. It’s got most of the same figures, but it’s replaced a few with some Gamestop exclusive ones – including this Deathclaw. Certain EB Games stores seem to be stocking the Gamestop exclusive figures, but not all – check the box carefully before you buy, to make sure you’re getting one from the set you want. As with most blind-boxed things, I’m kind of irritated that there’s no way (that I’m aware of) to distinguish which character you’re getting. EB Games is selling them cheaper than most other places ($12 each) but that’s still too expensive for something blind boxed in my book. Cool as they are, release these as normal figures (maybe in a blister pack or something) and we’d be on to a much better thing. 

Nonetheless, this figure is a really good rendition of the Deathclaw – I actually think he should have been included in the regular series, rather than being a Gamestop exclusive. Just make sure you get a Vault Dweller to partner with him!