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! 

POP! Marvel Daredevil

Company: Funko

Series: POP! Marvel

Year: 2015

Daredevil has easily been one of my favourite TV series for this year, and – true confession time – one of the few new series I’ve watched this year. It added a really good slant to the MCU, and while the surprisingly upbeat ending felt a bit at odds with the tone of the other episodes, it was still thoroughly enjoyable. Season 2 is eagerly anticipated. It was made even more enjoyable by my relative ignorance of the character; I know he's blind (but can virtually see anyway) and that Elektra died, but not too much more than that. The show really sold me on a character who I previously associated with the fun but heavily flawed Ben Affleck film. 

So now we have The Man Without Fear himself rendered in Funko form. There are currently two versions available, the red outfit reviewed today and his yellow “first appearance outfit”. That one's not out in Australia yet, but has been available in the US for a while.

There is very little paint, which I think is a good thing; it’s not really necessary to render the costume effectively. But if there was nothing but cast red plastic, it would be a bit dull – so a few select details have been picked out in a slightly different shade of red, namely his “eyes”, gloves, billy clubs, holster and boots. The string binding his billy clubs/walking cane together is painted black, and a black tampograph of his “DD” logo decorates his chest. He’s quite good; from the front, he’s almost perfect in fact. On the back of his head, he has some white marks – I’m not sure if this is stray paint, abrasions from being dropped, mould or glue. Not a major drama, but I was a little annoyed considering how well done everything else had been. Incidentally, he is a MUCH brighter red than you see here -- my photo set-up at home is quite primitive, which I hope to rectify soon.     

I’ll be a little surprised if we don’t see some TV-based Daredevil POPs, but it may take a while. Sometimes Marvel’s wheels seem to spin a little slowly – for example, in spite of Agent Coulson’s breakout popularity since the release of The Avengers, he only just got a POP this year. While I’m not entirely sure on the actual Daredevil costume that’s worn in the show, I am a big fan of the black ninja-esque costume he wears for most of the series -- so the sooner Funko get cracking on that, the better. In the meantime, this a great comic-based version, well worth picking up for any Marvel fan.   

POP! Games – Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel

Company: Funko

Series: POP! Games

Year: 2015

As I mentioned in my Vault Boy review, Fallout 3 got me through some pretty rough times a few years ago. One of the most iconic images from the game, of course, is on the cover itself – a Brotherhood of Steel soldier, bedecked in the game’s most powerful armour.

Joining the mysterious Brotherhood is a key point of the game’s plot, occurring towards the end of the game if I recall correctly, though you can spot them at multiple points prior. The events leading up to the finale are pretty epic, so I won’t spoil them for those who haven’t played the game previously, but suffice to say that it’s great fun – even if the original ending of the game was quite disappointing.   

This POP can serve as a latter-stages player character, or simply a generic NPC character. It does a nice job of replicating the broad strokes of the costume, but doesn’t veer into “overly detailed” territory, which is nice. It’s a good caricature, which is when Funko tends to be at their best. As an example, though I really liked my AoU Captain America POP, I think the level of sculpt detail was kind of unnecessary. For the broader aesthetic Funko is going for, simpler is generally better.    

Paint is nice and even, with some very minor issues on the yellow. This is at least in part to do with him not having a lot of paint – he’s cast in faintly metallic plastic which shows up a nice swirly effect in a couple of parts, particularly the chest.    

There’s a convention exclusive of this guy too, which was released to tie in with New York Comic-Con. It’s basically the BotS body with a (male) Lone Wanderer head chucked on top. It’s a pretty cool idea for a variant, though I’m sure it’s not too hard to create the same effect via a custom. Australian readers will be able to find him at EB Games or Popcultcha.

The Brotherhood of Steel POP is the best of the Fallout series, and naturally enough seems to be quite a bit harder to get hold of. Mine was actually the display – and final – one in Kinokuniya when I picked him up! I’ve only seen a few in person, while others seem readily available. I hope that we see the series expanded, but I have a feeling that the timing was just a little off on these being released. Though certain characters are still selling well, I some have already ended up being functionally peg warmers – particularly both versions of the Vault Boy POP. Supply has far outstripped demand. Funko isn’t quite done with the Fallout license yet though – under their Legacy brand they’ll also be releasing action figures of a male Lone Wanderer and a Brotherhood of Steel soldier. It’ll be interesting to see how they turn out. 

Funko Mystery Minis: Fallout – Vault Dweller

We’re just a few weeks away from Fallout 4 dropping, and I am exciiiiiiiiiiteeeeeed!  So naturally I’m picking up some of the attendant merchandise. Funko has already released a range of Funko POPs, which were a bit of a mixed bag. Much cooler is their new range of Mystery Minis, whose only real downside is BLIND-BOXING!!!

Today we take a look at the Vault Dweller, who is essentially serving in the role of the player character for the purposes of this set. He’s a pretty generic white dude, with brown hair. For some reason he’s got a sulky expression on his face; I’m not sure if that’s because he’s now out of the comfort of the Vault, or whether he’s just generally a sooky la-la.  

However, all the correct details are present; he’s got a Pip-Boy on his left arm, and in his right hand he clutches a gun which looks to be a 10mm pistol, which you can generally acquire quite early in the game. This guy must be straight out of the Vault (101)! He’d better get some better armour and weapons, or he’ll soon be dead.     

Paint is serviceable – my only real complaint is the obvious brown smear on his forehead – but the Wasteland is pretty dirty, so you can kind of palm it off as being “battle damage”, if you feel the need to explain it away.

Gamestop exclusive version

Regular version

Now, to my main point of contention – the blind-boxing. Though these figures are packed at a 1:12 ratio – and thereby ensuring that buying one case should ensure a complete set – 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 a female Vault Dweller. 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) 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.  

This guy isn't the best figure in the series, but he's necessary if you're looking to stage some kind of battle scene with any of the "enemy" figures. And if these sell well, we may get a Series 2 with some more varied Vault Dwellers -- that would be fun!

  

POP! Heroes – Black Flash

Company: Funko

Series: POP! Heroes

Year: 2012

Confession time: Black Flash isn’t a character I’m terribly familiar with. Though I love The Flash as a character, I’m really only familiar with him as a result of his adventures with the Justice League, rather than his own titles. As a result, a lot of his rogue's gallery remains borderline unknown to me.    

But from what I can see online, Black Flash is still pretty mysterious, even though he’s been around since 1998. Given his rictus grin and pallid skin, you could be forgiven for thinking for he was one of the Black Lanterns, but he’s actually some kind of harbinger of death, seemingly serving a similar function to the Grim Reaper for DC's speed-powered characters. Seeing that he’s partially a Grant Morrison creation, there’s probably some kind of obscure occult/magick/mysticism reference going on, but that’s outside of my expertise. I don't even know if it would be right to call him a villain, to be honest; the Reaper comes for us all eventually.    

Given his relatively recent creation, it’s a little bit surprising that Funko produced him so early on in their run of DC characters – this guy was released back in 2012! But The Flash’s star is rightfully ascendant thanks to his appearances on Arrow and the release of his own TV show last year. Perhaps even more importantly, this was an easy way to get reuse out of the unique pieces of Flash’s mould, back when POPs were all virtually identical.   

Paint on mine is pretty solid. The edges of the lightning bolt on his chest are a little faint, but that’s the consequence of printing red on black. I saw one particularly bad example of a mouth though – so pick carefully. His red wings feel a little soft and sticky; the original Flash POP’s wings weren’t super solid, but these feel a lot flimsier. Maybe it’ll “dry up” a little after a few days out of the box.

Black Flash is a great purchase for any Flash fan. He’s not the most essential member of the Flash family to track down, but given that like Reverse-Flash, he was incredibly rare for a long time and is now readily available again, it's a good time to pick him up. You'd think after buying the same mould three times now I'd be sick of it, wouldn't you? Well, there's still at least one more Flash to be reviewed here...keep your eye out!

Funko Mystery Minis: Cthulhu (Horror Classics Series 2)

Company: Funko

Series: Mystery Minis Horror Classics Series 2

Year: 2015

I stumbled across Funko’s initial series of Horror Classics Mystery Minis sometime last year in a hobby store in Sydney, but they didn’t grab me for a few reasons. Firstly, they were blind-boxed, which is fine (if not ideal) when something costs $2-5, but these were about $15 each. Secondly –and I may court some controversy here – as much as I liked the style, I don’t really know that the world needs another Freddy, Jason or Michael Myers collectible.

But when series 2 got announced earlier this year, I was intrigued. While it was covering a lot of the classics like Gillman and Frankenstein’s Monster (yes, I know we have plenty of collectibles for these two as well) it moved into less-merched territory too; An American Werewolf in London, Hellraiser, The Fly and the one and only ALFRED HITCHCOCK – YEAAAAAAH!

So when I was in Melbourne last weekend, I spotted these in Minotaur and though I’d take a plunge. The box felt heavy; I suspected it might be the Werewolf, titular star of An American Werewolf in London. That would have been pretty awesome, but I think it actually went one better – this box contained the literary horror icon Cthulhu!

I’ve talked elsewhere about Cthulhu’s backstory before, so I won’t repeat myself here. What we’re looking for here is a point of differentiation – if you have the POPs, do you need this guy? Well, he’s not a miniaturised version of the POP, for one thing – he’s been rendered in a totally different style, with the most obvious difference being the dragon-like tail. I’m not particularly familiar with Mystery Minis, but I do know that most of the lines Funko has released share a very similar cutesy aesthetic to one another. I quite like it myself – it’s gives them a maquette-like appearance, as though they were preliminary designs for a kid’s cartoon or something. This is a nice bit of consistency across collections, but of course your own opinion of this particular style will vary.     

Paint is not perfect, but it’s of a slightly better standard than his POP counterpart. Green is obviously the predominant colour, but he’s also been speckled with brown dots. It’s a simple touch, but one that prevents him from looking like a boring block of single colour. As before though, his mouth tentacles are the weak point; they’re a slightly lighter shade of green and I think they would have been better to stick with the same colour as the main body.

Cthulhu is packed in a 1/24 ratio – there’s only 12 boxes in a case, so theoretically you’d find him once in every two cases. There’s also a glow version, which is 1/36. This is a little annoying given the character’s popularity – after-market buyers are likely to pay through the nose for him. But spare a thought for Pinhead fans – he’s packed at a staggeringly low 1/72 ratio!

Overall, as with the POP versions, Cthulhu is ideal for anyone who needs to add some cosmic terror to their display shelf – even if H.P. Lovecraft would have hated the cutesiness of it himself. As for Funko Mystery Minis, I could see myself picking up another one or two. I have my eye on that Gillman and that Werewolf!

 

POP! Peanuts – Snoopy

Year: 2015
Company: Funko

Series: POP! Peanuts

I had a lot of obsessions as a kid, but Snoopy is probably the first that I really remember. I was probably about 5 or 6 when Weet-Bix had a promotion that gave away Snoopy trading cards inside their boxes. I had a bunch, and somehow as a result of a connected promotion ended up with a plush Snoopy shortly afterwards -- maybe there was some kind of mail-in promo? From then on, I was hooked, reading the comics whenever I could. The TV specials I could take or leave; they were their own universe, a little too far removed from what I wanted out of an animated Snoopy. 

I also accumulated no small pile of Snoopy merchandise, largely through the now-defunct novelty chain store Granny May’s, as well as the generosity of a family friend who visited Knott’s Berry Farm in the early 1990s. But like most of my childhood obsessions, the interest eventually drifted away as I got older. Charles Schulz’s passing in 2000 was a sad day for me. It may sound silly or even petty, but I think his death almost soured me on returning to the series later in life. Post-Schulz, there would be no new Snoopy comics – not that I was willing to recognise as authentic, anyway.   

I read Peanuts quite differently as an adult. It’s still funny and entertaining, but in a different way. Now I can recognise the sadness that lurks behind a lot of the humour – absent parents, unrequited love, bullying and depression, just to name a few. All of us have experienced at least one of those things; perhaps not as children, but certainly by the time we reach adulthood. In hindsight, Snoopy and Woodstock are pretty much the only characters who have a good time!

But I have digressed wildly, as I often do; now to the task at hand. At last count, there were more than 4090732502840 different Snoopy collectables on the market, and that’s only counting the ones still in production. So what distinguishes Funko's take from all the others that are out there?

Well, for one, this series has more than just Snoopy and Woodstock. Though it was probably out there, merchandise that featured other characters besides these too was virtually non-existent when I was a child. It’s improved a bit in recent years, but it’s still a rarity to see other members of the Peanuts gang. Charlie Brown suits the format, given that he has virtually always been known for having an enormous and round head; the others have translated to varying degrees of quality, with Lucy looking the worst. One can only imagine her violently reacting to the designer and belting him with her fist for doing such a “blockheaded” job.
  

Snoopy and Woodstock were always going to look a little different to their comic counterparts, rendered in Funko style or not. Though Snoopy has a distinct profile, he spends a lot of time drawn in something thatwould be ¾ profile if it was real life; however, it just doesn’t physically translate from 2D to 3D. This figure is a good compromise; Funko's stylised nature turns him into something akin to how he looked in the 1960s, when he hadn't quite developed into his best-known form, but is still quite recognisable.

He's smaller than a regular POP -- it's scale-appropriate, but irritating considering that he was released around the same time as POPs hit $18AUD. But presumably because of this reduced size, we get Woodstock as a miniature pack-in!

Woodstock’s hair is similarly difficult to translate into 3D; it’s rendered as a bit of a fuzzy mess in cartoon form, so most of the attempts that I’ve seen are…not great. This is something you can't really help; what looks good on paper doesn't always look good in physical form, which is why comic characters tend to get a bit of an overhaul when they move into live action.

Woodstock’s feet are a little warped; he just doesn’t quite stand up properly. After discovering this I had a look at some other examples in the same store a few days later; the ones I looked at seemed to have the same issue. A bit of blu-tack or something is probably advisable if you’re planning to keep him on display. But on the upside, his head moves! Yes, contrary to my suspicions that he would be totally unarticulated, you actually can make him look around in a few different directions. It’s not a lot, but it’s a nice little touch.  

The Peanuts world has quite a rich supporting cast, and there are almost infinite variations of Snoopy that could be created in POP form. As of writing I’ve already seen Olaf, Snoopy’s rotund brother, as a Target exclusive in America – here’s hoping there’s more on the way. Snoopy and Woodstock are not perfect, but for a former Peanuts tragic like myself, they're worth owning.

POP! Movies - Stay Domo Funko POP! (Domo X Ghostbusters)

Series: POP! Movies

Year: 2015

RRP: $16.95

Ghostbusters is one of those films that I really like, but don’t feel like I love as much as I’m “supposed” to. Lots of my friends were obsessed with it as children, but I didn’t see it until 15 or so, and didn’t enjoy it. But I watched it again in my early 20s and thought it was fantastic. So I’m a fan, but I don’t think I own a copy and I’m still yet to see the second film. Maybe I just came to it too late in life, and it just didn’t make the impression on me that, say, Star Wars did. 

Yet just the other week, I found myself in a local EB Games store and spotted Stay Domo on the shelf. I had a bit of store credit handy, so I decided to take the plunge.  

Domo-kun has picked up a lot of mainstream popularity in the last few years in the Western world, thanks to a combination of a Western fascination with all things Japanese and clever marketing. He began life as the mascot for NHK, a Japanese television station, but has now generated a large market of products that seem to be centred solely around his cuteness.

As you might assume by the name and license, Stay Domo is designed to look like Stay Puft were he Domo-kun. He is heavy. Lacking the hollow head of his fellow POP compadres, he is a satisfyingly chunky piece of plastic. But he balances nicely, and you shouldn't have any issues with him falling over -- unlike Ant-Man.

Now to paint – in news that will not shock anyone who’s read any of my previous POP reviews – is pretty sloppy. His mouth isn’t completely filled and the blue on his napkin is quite fuzzy around the edges, particularly on his back. It would have been pretty normal a few years ago, but these days it's a little below Funko's average. 

There were three POPs released as part of this series; Stay Domo, Domo in a Ghostbusters outfit and Domo as Slimer. All of them are cute, but Stay Domo and Slimer are the best. But why a Domo/Ghostbusters crossover? Well, last year was the 30^th anniversary of Ghostbusters, so I assume that’s the connection, however tenuous it may be. Though were we to draw a Venn diagram of Domo fans and Ghostbusters fans, I’m not sure how much overlap there would be.  

Nonetheless, it's intriguing enough to catch the eye and my attention -- as evidenced by my purchase. I'm not sure how long he'll stay in the collection, but he's an amusing novelty in the meantime.

An interview with Cupco

Since the early noughties Luke Temby, aka Cupco, has been bringing his signature brand of pop art-inspired visuals to audiences around the world, carving out a distinct niche in the increasingly competitive world of designer toys.

His visuals are always cutesy, but tend to incorporate a lot of edgy or even controversial material. It’s an aesthetic that’s not for everyone (Google searches of his work are likely to be NSFW) but has earned him plenty of accolades and a dedicated fanbase over the last few years. 

I’ve come to know him over the last couple of years via my day job as a copywriter, and wanted to interview him for a while – so back in March, we caught up over a drink at Tommy’s Beer Café in Glebe, to talk about his work. In real life, Cupco is mohawked, bearded and has a decidedly offbeat sense of humour, very much in line with his work. Start a conversation about, say, a movie you just watched and you’ll quickly find yourself drifting into surreal territory like the Japanese pronunciation of dinosaur names or where the aliens are hiding in the universe. But however strange, it’s never dull.

THE DOLLS 

Illustration had been a love for Luke since childhood, but it wasn’t until a stint in Japan that things became more serious. After some freelance work for a number of Asian designer toy companies and a few non-starters (“Pretty sure I blew a potential partnership with kidrobot,” says Luke of that time), he decided to cut out the middleman and take matters into his own hands.

“Things really kicked off around 2001 while I was living in Japan as an English teacher,” he says, taking a sip of the beer in front of him. “The first recognisably “Cupco” doll was a little evil cowboy – a skull head with a cowboy body.”

Things quickly expanded from there, with an additional nine dolls being produced in rapid succession. Most of the specifics of this batch are lost to history – he’s unsure whether they got sold or are still lurking in his garage at home – “But I definitely remember they included Jesus and the devil.”

Since then there’s been several hundred more dolls, covering a huge array of pop culture icons and some decidedly more obscure subjects (including legendary black metal band Immortal). He freely admits that his knack lies with creation rather than commerce.“I’m good at making all of this stuff,” Luke says, “Selling it’s another thing entirely.”

There’s the zines, patches, t-shirts, caps, a couple of vinyl figures (including the Bozwangler) and a plethora of stickers. Looking through Cupco’s work is a dream and a nightmare for any designer toy collector – you’ll see a huge amount of stuff you’d love to own, but the chances are it’s already been snapped up. Or has it?

Luke's garage is full of his works, both finished and unfinished -- including 100+ Bozwanglers all looking for a home -- the good part about this (for new fans in particular) is that new or newly found items pop up periodically at his shows and on his online store. It's a boon in a scene where limited, time-specific launches are the norm and resale prices tend to be obscenely high. But catch him on the right day and you could find an item that hasn’t even made it into circulation yet.    

In my case, I was at an opening night of his residencies in Surry Hills last year and discovered two werewolves amid a pile of semi-finished works. I had to have them – and now they adorn my mancave wall. If you go to one of his shows you'll more than likely find something to be offended by, but also something you have to have. 

CUPCO NOW

By 2011, Cupco's staple doll fare was something of a stale prospect for Luke. With the “Cupco is Dead” exhibition, he signalled the end of his doll production. Of course, since you’re reading this article you’ll know that Cupco’s “death” has not been forever; it’s just taken a slightly different tack over the last few years.

"Severed heads" have been a big thing, with a considerable amount of time devoted to making new and bizarre busts. Pulp comic icon Phantom finds himself sitting atop a demon head, while other long-nosed and floppy-eared creatures gaze out from display shelves. You can view a collection here.

Sequins and beads have been a big interest recently, with Luke exploring a variety of different methods of textile art production, producing a few works well outside of anything that Cupco has produced before. Also on the cards is a giant light-up skull, all based around a balsa-wood frame. 

So why the change? The answer is more shocking than you might realise. 

"There's no special reason," says Luke. "I just go through phases." 

With that, it was time to finish our beers and make our way to our respective homes.  

Luke Temby, aka Cupco, will be undertaking a number of different projects throughout Sydney during the remainder of 2015. 

Funko POP! Marvel: Venom

Company: Funko

Series: POP! Marvel 

Year: 2015

If we rewind time back to the early- to mid-1990s, take a trip down to the local newsagent and pick up a comic book, the odds are pretty strong that it will be DARK and EDGY, filled with impossibly muscular men and woman who do SERIOUS THINGS while looking GRIM AND DETERMINED. Not because it really serves the plot, enhances the character or anything like that, but it’s mostly because that’s what the trend was at the time. You thought Batman was dark and brooding in the 70s or the 80s? Well, old man, SPAWN is here and he’s got more inner turmoil and EDGY ARTWORK than a thousand Frank Millers could ever bring to boring old Batman.  

It’s easy to make fun of the “90s edge”, of course, but it did give us some fun comics and some very cool characters – one of them being Venom (even though he debuted in 1988). He has a cast a long shadow over the Spider-Man Universe that very few characters will ever manage to equal. Time has diluted his impact and character design, and he’s been spun-off into a zillion different other symbiotes – but though I’ve never been particularly huge Spider-Man fan, I have a lot of respect for Venom. Which is why I picked up this Funko POP!

I mentioned in my Spider-Man 2099 review that Funko had presumably released that figure to get a new character into circulation with minimum cost. Well, at least some of these cost-savings have been funnelled into Venom – he’s got an elaborate head with sculpted eyes, spiky teeth and protruding tongue. His legs and torso seem to be from the basic Funko body, but the arms and hands are all new – his fingers are long and claw-like, which befits the character’s vicious streak. The regular body just would have done it here.  

The sculpting work is great, but on the downside, paint is likely to be an issue. Venom’s “spider logo” is pretty clean I’ve seen on the three examples I’ve run into in person – but the face is a different story. The mouth, tongue and teeth are likely to have small points of slop that you’ll have to be okay with, but the eyes are a little tricker. Depending on the example you find, they can be pretty good – like the pictured example – but the chances of issues like missing spots or overspray are quite high. Such is the nature of buying POPs. Funko’s improved a lot, but there’s still plenty of room for more improvement. 

Though I don’t think he’s perfect – I always imagine Venom being particularly large in comparison with regular characters, and he’s kind of regular height here – I think he’s turned out pretty darn well. As with Spider-Man 2099, this guy is highly recommended for any Spider-fan and for anyone who likes the 1990s in general.

Marvel Funko POP! Spider-Man 2099

Series: POP! Marvel
Year: 2015
RRP: $16.95AUD

As an adult, I’m much less enamoured of Peter Parker than I was as a kid, but I do enjoy some of his variants and spin-offs. And I’ve been on a real kick of buying Marvel merch for characters I know virtually nothing about, so this Spider-Man 2099 was a total must-have, wasn’t it? To be fair I think I did actually read a Spider-Man 2099 comic somewhere back in the 1990s as a little kid, which is more than I can say about some of the other characters I've bought stuff for *cough* Machine Man *cough*.

The 2099 series was a fun little take on the Marvel Universe that debuted in 1992 – what would the superheroes of the present day look a little more than 100 years hence? What started life as an experiment grew into a mini-universe of its own, though it takes more of a guest role in the comics these days. I’m not really sure of its canon status in the main Marvel Universe, but I get the impression it comes and goes as required for spin-offs/summer crossovers/if the writer feels like it.

Peter Parker was long dead by 2099, so after an accident involving spider genes, a Hispanic guy by the name of Miguel O’Hara took up the mantle, fighting to take down the megacorporations that made life hell for the common man. His new costume incorporated elements of a Day of the Dead costume, which explains the giant skull-spider on his chest.    

Spider-Man 2099 is impressively bare bones – he seems to use the basic Funko body, and doesn’t feature any sculpted detail on his head. I can’t remember the last time I saw one of Funko’s figures look this basic, but I really like it. He’s a fun throwback to the early days of the POP! style, but with greatly improved paint. Though as you might expect, there’s really not a lot of paint on him – he’s cast in blue and details are picked out in dark red, with a couple of “scowl lines” and a nose in black.

His back is totally blank -- it's a little bit of a shame that he doesn't have his traditional "wings" but I suppose this guy was supposed to be a relatively cheap repaint, with new tooling going to (wavemates) Punisher and Venom. 

This guy has been out in the US for a while, so far as I understand, but only seems to have made his way to Australia just now. The retailer I bought from had just received the wave in, with two each of the attendant figures in the wave (though it seems I got the last 2099). The whole wave is Spider-Man themed, featuring the Punisher (who debuted in Spider-Man comic, before you get on your high horse), Venom and Black Suit Spider-Man. It’s a welcome change from the last couple of years; save for the X-Men wave released earlier in 2015, Marvel POPs! have been very heavily dominated by the movie universe for a couple of years. Most of these are great, of course, but it’s good to have some comic-based stuff too. Highly recommended for Spider-fans.  

Vision Funko POP! – Phasing Variant (Avengers: Age of Ultron)

Series: POP! Marvel

Year: 2015

RRP: $16.99 AUD

Avengers: Age of Ultron – how much fun was that movie? It certainly wasn’t perfect (I couldn’t help but think of Superman Returns when the island started levitating) but it was more than a passable middle movie, setting up for the likely-to-be-epic Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity 

War.

I was dubious about Vision when he was first announced for the movie. He’s a pretty vital member of the Avengers in the comics, but his costume has always been a little on the nose and I wasn’t sure it would translate well. It didn’t help when the first poster featuring him made him look like a terrifying creature that had emerged straight from the Uncanny Valley to bring death to mankind.

Of course, I needn’t have worried; Vision ended up being one of the best parts of the new film. I’m not totally sold on his costume, but I found him so likeable and noble that I didn’t really mind. His design looks even better in POP style, so after seeing this particular version on Free Comic Book Day a few weeks ago, I decided it was time to invest in one.

There are two versions of Vision currently available, both of them using the same sculpt. One is fully cast/painted in the appropriate colours, whereas this particular guy resembles Vision in mid-phase – something he does only briefly in the film but is an important part of his powers in the comics. 

To replicate this effect, numerous parts are cast in translucent plastic, some of which are then partially painted. His legs, torso and hands are all cast in this translucent plastic, while his head and arms are cast in colour.

Considering that Funko isn’t known for its amazing paintwork, they’ve done surprisingly well to replicate the effect so smoothly. The paint problems with the figure are mostly confined to the sculpted details on the back of the head; given that you’ll probably display him facing forward it’s not such a big deal.            

I’m not sure how common or uncommon this guy is. He seems to be available as part of the standard part of the range, more of running change than a true “chase” figure. Both figures look great, and it was a close call between them for me – ultimately I got this one because I figured it would be harder to find him later if I changed my mind.

Vision is another solid entry into the POP collection, if not a spectacular one. Still, the combination of cutesy-friendly design and the phasing effect gives him a bit of extra…well, pop…to stand out from the crowd. 

Ghost Rider – Funko POP! Marvel

Today's review is best enjoyed while listening to Hell Bent for Leather, from Judas Priest. 

Series: POP! Marvel

Company: Funko

Year: 2013

I’ve been on a bit of a Marvel kick over the last week or so, a lot of it driven by the release of Avengers: Age of Ultron. So we continue that today with the Ghost Rider Funko POP!

Now I must confess that I don’t think I’ve ever read a complete Ghost Rider comic – I know a little bit about his backstory, but I think that like Silver Surfer, Ghost Rider is a character who you can appreciate on a purely visual level, without knowing too much about the character. He looks like a total cliché tattoo design – a biker with a flaming skull for a head –but that’s what makes him so cool!  

However, I did watch the first Ghost Rider film, back in 2007 – as many of you will know, it was dreadful. I didn’t get around to seeing the second, though trusted friends assure me it’s far worse. It’s a shame, as it could have been really great, but was hindered at many points. I’m sure this was at least in part (though not entirely) due to his “hellish”* origins and the way some of that had to be tiptoed around for a mainstream movie – what probably should have been quite a dark and disturbing movie was turned into a near-unwatchable embarrassment.

   

Nonetheless, in early 2013 Ghost Rider got a POP! release from Funko, probably at least in part as a result of the second film coming out in 2012. There have been a few different people who’ve taken up the Ghost Rider mantle over the year, and this one most resembles the second iteration, Danny Ketch.

The original Ghost Rider (Johnny Blaze) was a stunt rider, and his outfit was kind of like a jumpsuit, with a big 1970s collar. Danny Ketch, by contrast, wore a biker outfit – grey pants (probably jeans), leather jacket with spikes and massive chains. He got a Judas Priest makeover, basically. It’s the look I prefer for the character, but that might also be because it’s the one that was current when I was a kid. In his hand he holds one of his signature chains, which is a great touch. Would be nice if it was flaming but you can’t have everything. Aside from that, it looks like a major retool of the basic Funko body -- distinct from other figures in the line, but without deviating massively from their signature style.     

Paint is mixed. Funko are generally fine with paint these days, but two years ago they tended towards “adequate” and not much better. Ghost Rider fits that mould – his face has been notably touched up around the nose and mouth. The spikes that dot his belt, gloves and wrists are all sloppy, too. But that said I like the solution they came up with for his flaming head – the whole thing is cast in a semi-translucent orange plastic, with the “skull” parts being painted on later. Though the execution is a little off, it’s a good concept.  

There are three versions of this POP that I’m aware of – the regular one (reviewed here today), glow in the dark and metallic. The metallic one doesn’t look so great...as might be expected, the glow in the dark version would be my preference, but it’s now quite expensive, and I’m not really willing to fork out exorbitant sums for him. Indeed, just the regular one will probably cost you a little more than you might expect, as he doesn’t seem to be in production any longer.       

I skipped Ghost Rider on first release and picked up on a bit of a whim when it turned out I had the chance to get him again – but he is a good POP that will look quite distinct from the masses of other superhero POPs on your shelves. I spent about the same this figure as I did for a ticket to the movie back in 2007, and I can tell you with great certainty that this was better value. 

It would be nice if they eventually redid him and included a flaming Hell Cycle, similar to the other vehicles Funko has released over the last few years, but unless he gets a new movie or TV series anytime soon, that seems quite unlikely.

*Neither DC or Marvel really draw firm answers about cosmic matters, but DC have hinted on numerous occasions that the Judeo-Christian view of things is more or less correct (though it’s obviously more complex, what with the existence of the Greek gods in Wonder Woman, and the various different spiritual powers from Hellblazer/Constantine, Dr Fate and Swamp Thing, just to name a few). Marvel has deliberately played it vague over the decades, at least in part to avoid alienating readers. This has included Johnny Blaze's Ghost Rider powers being retconned as coming from Mephisto as opposed to being a side effect for selling his soul to the devil.The forced distinction may seem quite silly to some (including me), but that's the way comics often are.       

Iron Man Mk. 43 (POP! Marvel)

Iron Man Mark 43

Series: POP! Marvel

Company: Funko 

Year: 2015

Marvel owes a lot to Iron Man these days. Before 2008, he was something of a B-list hero; the average man in the street had probably heard of him, but couldn’t tell you much beyond the fact that he wears a red and yellow suit of armour. But when Marvel decided to take a risk with the release of the Iron Man movie in 2008, that all changed. The Marvel Cinematic Universe was built around that core, with Iron Man himself emerging as its breakout star, above and beyond more famous Marvel heroes like Captain America. 

7 years, 10 movies and 3 TV series later (and more on the way!) we stand on the edge of the release of Avengers: Age of Ultron. Which naturally means there is a whole buttload of merchandise coming to accompany it, including the subject of today’s review – Iron Man, bedecked in his Mark 43 armour, from Funko.

The Mark 43 looks to be the main suit that Iron Man will be wearing for Iron Man 3, though the Hulkbuster suit (Mark 44?) looks set to get some screentime too. It’s a nice return to the classic red and gold look, but still subtly distinct from the other suits we’ve seen across the other movies. Perhaps most importantly, it looks a lot better than the mostly-gold (and ugly) Mark 42 seen in Iron Man 3.

But to the layman, the main feature that distinguishes this particular Iron Man from the roughly 39472358923749 other Iron Man Funko POPs currently available is the blast-off effect. Shooting blue blasts from the respulsors on his hands and feet (which also act as a stand), he’s one of the most distinctive POPs that Funko has put out in a long time. He’s got lots of intricate little details all over him in his armour plating;  it’s maybe a little more detailed than I would like in this format, but the overall effect is so impressive I really don’t mind.

Paint is mostly good, though it does look a little thick in a few areas. It’s quite glossy, which I think is the paint itself, rather than a separate layer. You may see a couple of spots on the gold where the red shows through a little, but nothing major. I don’t know if they’re planning a metallic variant of this guy, but it would be virtually redundant.   

This POP is yet another great addition to the collection from Funko – they’ve gone gangbusters the last couple of years, getting their hands on an absolutely huge range of licenses. The whole Avengers: Age of Ultron range looks great. Now I just need to figure out how to get my hands on one of the Hulkbuster POPs…   

  

Autobot Prowl (Transformers X Loyal Subjects Series 2)

In the last couple of years, The Loyal Subjects have created vinyl toys based on a few 1980s properties, including G.I. Joe, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and the subject of today’s review, TRANSFORMERS!

The Loyal Subjects have now released two series of blind-boxed Transformers, all of them styled with a super-deformed, chibi-esque experience. As is pretty much always the case with these things, it’s yielded mixed results – some of the characters look awesome rendered in this style, while others just look a bit rubbish.

Prowl is somewhere in-between. I don’t have any great love for the character (being more of a Decepticons guy) and generally tend to prefer TFs with faceplates or inhuman heads. So Shockwave or one of the planes would have been great; Prowl is certainly not the worst in the series, but he wouldn’t have been in my top 3 choices. 

When it comes to vinyl toys, my paint expectations tend to be quite low – I mostly buy Funko stuff – but after buying the Kidrobot Raphael, I’ve come to have substantially higher expectations. Unfortunately, they weren't quite met in this case. The tampographs are pretty cleanly executed, but there’s some sloppy paint work that detracts from the overall look – it’s not clean and clearly defined, the way (I think) it should be. One of the red prongs on his head was also slightly bent out of the box, but it seems to have straightened out since. 

Prowl is surprisingly articulated. I knew he moved at the arms and the neck, but there’s actually a bit more – his wrists and shoulders are balljointed, as are his legs. His neck technically moves too, but his chin restricts it from moving much.

NB: When you open one of these guys, they’re split in half at the waist. You need to screw the lower half of the body into the torso – though it looks like a balljoint, it won’t actually pop in.

The articulation is nice in theory, but to be quite honest, articulation is not my main concern when it comes to these designer toys. For me, they need to look cool first and foremost, and be functional as a secondary concern. If they can do both, that’s great! But on this occasion I think they would have been better off cutting out a few joints and doing it Funko Pop or Kidrobot style – one, or just a couple of points of articulation, but not so much that it would make the end result kind of on the fragile side.   

Prowl comes with one accessory – his gun. It’s kind of nice, and in theory I would pass it to one of my “regular” Transformers, if the peg fit their hands (it's too thin).  

Overall, I’m disappointed with the figure. He’s far from horrible, but I think the articulation could be better incorporated. Couple this with the fact that I think $15-20AUD for one of these is far too much to be paying for a blind packaged figure, and I don’t think I’ll be buying from this particular line in the foreseeable future. 

Kidrobot TMNT Ooze Action (Glow in the Dark) Raphael

Company: Kidrobot

Year: 2014

Price: $15AUD

THE BACKGROUND

Kidrobot have been producing vinyl toys since 2002, and are well-known within the art/designer toy community, a scene which I know very little about myself. I’ve never bought any of their stuff previously, as it’s an aesthetic I have mixed feelings about, and I could never quite justify the price even when I did see something I liked.

 

However, I have noticed that in the last few years – and it’s quite possible it’s been going on even longer overseas – they seem to have developed a number of products at a lower price point and with greater availability, presumably to appeal to the more casual collector. I suspect this has something to do with the growing popularity of Funko, a brand that has traded on the designer vinyl aesthetic very effectively, managing to snag a huge number of licenses and bring the whole scene a little more mainstream in the process, all while doing it at a very affordable pricepoint. 

Your own thoughts on this will vary of course – as with any underground scene there are always those loath to see things become “mainstream” or to have things “ruined” by “casual fans”. I’ve had many a moan about things over the years myself! But as someone who enjoys Funko’s work, I’m pretty happy to see the style gaining wider acceptance.   

Anyway, Kidrobot recently picked up the TMNT license, and have produced a number of products based on the 1980s TV series. The shop I picked this up from also had keyrings (approx. 1”), these “Ooze Action” figures (3”) and blind-boxed figures (also 3”), which cover all of the same characters in the Ooze Action set, plus a few more. Online I've also discovered that there are 7" Bebop and Rocksteady figures, and I suspect there may be more in future. Time will tell.  

Today’s figure, Raphael, comes from the Ooze Action subset. These guys are in the same scale as the blind-boxed figures, but have slightly different paint apps – including ooze splattered on their weapons or bodies, which is depicted via glow in the dark paint. Additionally, they’re not blind-boxed, which makes it much easier to get the character/s you want. Being a huge sucker for anything glow in the dark or TMNT related, I decided that I was going to make the investment. How did that pay off for me? Well, read on to find out!

PACKAGING

I don’t often talk about the packaging much these days, but I thought this one was worth a mention. It fits with the 1980s TMNT blister packs, modernising the “green on brick” aesthetic, all printed on nice thick card with a j-hook. It’s printed with an open sewer pipe, over which the figure in its blister is positioned, as though he’s bursting out of a pipe to say hello, or attack. For a brief period I did consider keeping him MOC, but that brief period lasted only a few minutes. A second one to keep MOC would be good though…

The back of the card depicts the other characters available in this line – Leonardo, Donatello, Michelangelo, Splinter and Shredder – while also including a few lines of flavour text about the ooze, which mutated the turtles and Splinter into their current form.

However, in spite of all the character designs being clearly based on the 1980s cartoon, it uses the logo from the 2012 TV series. Not wanting to create confusion among the (presumably) younger audience that this release is targeting, perhaps?

More strangely, the text on the back of the pack specifically states “this is not a toy”. This seems a little strange – if it’s not a toy, what is it?  But perhaps this is as a legal protection against some of the safety requirements that toys need to adhere to – types of paint, sharp edges, etc.

But these curiosities aside, the packaging really enhances the overall product. It’s not essential to enjoying it, but it’s a great bonus for those who want to keep it mint.

SCULPT AND ARTICULATION

Kidrobot seem to use a base body for most of their creations, which can be seen on their rabbit-like “Dunny” and monkey-like “Munny”. Their products do cover a broader range, of course, but for the purposes of this review that’s all you need to know about.  

(Incidentally, “dunny” is Australian slang for “toilet”, so it gives me a childish little giggle every time I see Kidrobot stuff being sold around the place.)

For this range, that means all four turtles use the same body and head, with the differences coming in paint app form. Likewise, Shredder and Splinter use the same body, but have different heads. Splinter…did not turn out so well. The sculpt is not poorly done, but it just doesn’t look like Splinter – he looks more like a dog than a rat.  

Raph (and all of them) is articulated at 3 points – his neck and at both shoulders. All are cut joints, and the articulation on the arms is a little restricted due to the shell on his back. But this isn’t necessarily a minus; these figures are bought for their overall aesthetic as opposed to their Marvel Legends-esque contorting ability.

It’s a very basic, kiddie-looking thing, somewhat like a bath toy. Once upon a time, I really disliked the vinyl toy look, particularly during my prime comic buying days of 2006-2007. It seemed so pretentious – who would pay insane amounts of money for a toyish, under-articulated piece of crap?  Why not get a real action figure?

With the benefit of a little bit of exposure to stuff that was more to my taste – and a bit of general growing up on my part – I’ve come to appreciate it more. And of course, in this case the license definitely does a lot of the heavy lifting. Being inherently cartoony, the 1980s TMNT lend themselves to the aesthetic much better than say, Cthulhu does. But of course there’s a market for that too.

ACCESSORIES

Raph comes with his two sais, which are spattered with “ooze”, which is actually glow in the dark paint.  Both of these fit neatly in his hands and will stay in place, though you’ll want to consider arm and head position before clicking them in – otherwise they’ll just poke straight into his face.

PAINT

There isn’t a great deal of straight paintwork on Raphael – as far as I can see it’s restricted to his bandanna, the belt across his shell and possibly his sais. Everything else is tampographed, and they’ve done an exceptional job. Just about everything looks neat and clean, and doesn’t look likely to rub off anytime soon. However, the glow in the dark paint scratches quite easily, so be careful with it. I scraped a little bit off just by my thumbnail banging against it accidentally.

My only real disappointment is that Raph himself doesn’t glow. Given that the turtles are all primarily green, it seems like they could have done it reasonably easy – but perhaps a future series or variant/ComicCon/online only exclusive release will do this. And it’s certainly a viable project for any keen customisers out there.

OVERALL

I’m really happy to have picked Raphael up from this range. I have no real quibbles about the execution or the price, and as my perennial favourite turtle, Raph will make a fine addition to the existing TMNT collection. Nonetheless, I don’t plan on picking up any more Kidrobot TMNT anytime soon. Not because the figures are bad quality, but I collect enough stuff already and don’t want to funnel hundreds of dollars into completing a set of the blind-boxed figures – which I can definitely see myself doing, if I don’t nip it in the bud now!

But for TMNT and designer toy fans alike, these toys come highly recommended.