It’s Hikari Friday! Funko Wants To Make You Bats This Week With Another Awesome Giveaway!

Posted on May 9, 2014 by geelw

Well, Oooooh. This week’s Hikari Vinyl giveaway from Funko will make you Bat-fans get nuts and really fast. Well, you’d best act fast if you want to score this one, folks. Just Batusi on over to Funko’s facebook, twitter, or Instagram pages and enter NOW or else someone other than YOU will win this super cool Batman figure (the FIRST one off the line of 600, at that).

Of course, even if you don’t win, you still have 599 other chances to BUY this super-limited edition figure when it ships out in August. I like the “sharkskin” effect that paint job gives off and that red cape? Not standard Bat-issue, but it fits the stylized figure just fine, I say.

Funko Goes Back To The Future To Change The Present!

Posted on May 8, 2014 by geelw

Funko is doing it again, folks. Now, you’ll be getting not only a cool Pop! Marty McFly with that DeLorean (called Time Machine here most likely so as not to tick off the DeLorean people, whomever they are these days), but the company is also going to be releasing ReAction figures of Marty, Doc Brown, George McFly and of course, Biff (that bastard!).

Still, we need the ladies to get represented here, as this sausage fest will look pretty strange without them (especially given the plot of that classic flick). Anyway, Pop goes the Pop! Marty in June, while the ReAction set of four drops in July. Unless you happen to have a Time Machine, enough road to get up to 88MPH and room in the seat next to you for all of this cool stuff. In which case, you already own these, you time-cheat!

Happy Star Wars Day! Funko Wants To “Force” Some Awesome Swag On You!

Posted on May 4, 2014 by geelw

Well, I’m sure if you happen to win this particular contest you won’t be whining at ALL about the fine folks at Funko sending you a box with SUPER rare items in it, right? in fact, I’d bet you’d be dancing around the room to some Meco if you DID win this really spectacular set of swag. Anyway, here’s the details on this very cool little LIMITED time giveaway – Er, get your cameras out, folks (you’ll need them to enter):

Happy Star Wars Day!
May the 4th Be With You!

Funko loves Star Wars, so we decided to celebrate today by launching a giveaway!
We are giving away FOUR Star Wars Pop! Prototypes from the new Pop!: Star Wars series.
The winner will receive Pop! Prototypes of the following characters: The Emperor, Biker Scout, Bossk, and Luke Skywalker Hoth.

Prototypes are early models of Pop!’s to test their concepts. Each prototype is extremely rare! Only five are made of each character!

How do you enter?
We want to see your Star Wars pride!
Take a photo of ANYTHING Star Wars related, post the photo on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram with the following caption:

“May the 4th be with me to win a set of Star Wars Pop! Prototypes from @OriginalFunko #FunkoProto #Funko #StarWars”

Don’t forget to tag @OriginalFunko in the photo!

The giveaway will run until the Sith Lord shuts it down on May the Sith!
(May 6th)

Good luck and May the Force Be With you!

Funko Introduces Hikari Vinyl Line (& A Chance To Win BIG!)

Posted on May 2, 2014 by geelw

Funko is at it again, trying for (and succeeding) your collectible dollar with yet another awesome new lineup. This time it’s Hikari (meaning ‘light’), a very limited edition set of Sofubi Vinyl Figures made in Japan, with runs of between 500 and 5000 per figure. To kick things off right, the company is also introducing Hikari Fridays where a new Hikari Japanese Vinyl Figure will be announced and ONE lucky winner will walk off with the FIRST one from the line. This week, it’s revenge on Michael Bay for his UGLY-ass take on the classic Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles as Funko wants you to say hello to the Metal Mix Leonardo Hikari Vinyl Figure, which is limited to 500 pieces:

Cute and shiny, isn’t he? Anyway, Leo officialy goes on sale in July, but if you’re wanting a chance to win this sooner, boogie on over NOW to the Funko Facebook page for details on how to win and GOOD LUCK, because I can see a LOT of people wanting this one.

Funko Wants To Pop! Your Wallet With Too Much Cool…

Posted on May 1, 2014 by geelw

Funko continues to expand its Pop! line with more new figures from your favorite films, TV shows and other pop culture trends, meaning you’ll be expanding that shelf or cabinet space to make room for MORE cool vinyls. May (this month!) brings Custom D.I.Y. Male and Female figures that allow you to create your own “limited edition” figures using whatever means necessary. These blanks can be painted, sculpted, chopped in pieces and put back together (eek!) or whatever you can think of. Well, as long as you’re pleased with the results.

June brings in a couple of doses of Disney, old-ish and new. Old-ish would be the four Pop figures from Beauty and the Beast, Belle, Cosgsworth, Lumiere, and Mrs. Potts (with Chip!):

June also brings in A fresh set of Star Wars Pop figures (I still can’t quite grasp Disney owning that license!) that include characters from Episode IV: A New Hope, Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back, and Episode VI: Return of the Jedi including a super-sized 6″ Wampa, Luke Skywalker in his Hoth outfit, Bossk, The Emperor, Hammerhead, and a Stormtrooper Biker Scout. can you say TOO cute? Sure, you can!

Yeah, yeah – the Star Wars stuff isn’t out ’til NEXT month, so it’s missing those “May the Fourth Be With You” celebrations this time. Funko is just showing them off now to get you all hyped up for when they’re officially released. Now that your wallet is drained, I guess I should inform you that there’s MORE on the way. So keep building those shelves and display cases and Funko will make sure you’ll always have something to put on them…

Disney Infinity: Marvel Super Heroes: “This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things”, Indeed…

Posted on April 30, 2014 by geelw

Well, it HAD to happen, but I’m not exactly happy it has. Anyway, I bet Activision is royally ticked off because this would have been excellent as a T-rated Marvel Ultimate Alliance sequel or reboot with a more serious story and more “realistic” action figures that they could have also done as a more family-friendly jaunt in the Skylanders vein. Granted, dividing the universe up like that may have been a bad idea because one BIG game that will sell well is better at the end of the day that two that use wallet-draining collectibles as a core element, but who knows? I could see the older collectors sticking to the heroes they like and spending money and those with kids (and more money) springing for both sets, but that’s my brain over-thinking things (again).

Anyway, the license is now Disney’s to play with for ages (forever, it seems), so this is what’s coming, and soon, at that. Hmmm… Iron Man, Thor and The Black Widow in that starter pack? Okay, but I bet Cap will sell out in America and yes, like you, I thought Spider-Man (who’ll fly off store shelves as well) wasn’t going to be here thanks to Sony Pictures currently owning the rights to the character. Yes, Disney Infinity 2.0 and these figures will indeed sell out everywhere this holiday season, but I’d love to see something mature pop up out of the Marvel Universe again before it goes all cookies and milk and yearly “spend your holiday money on THIS!” on us grumpy old timers. That, and how do you make Deadpool cute? Or the Man-Thing? Or some of the other oddball characters you probably won’t see here thanks to some hefty editing out of anything deemed too much by Disney? Eh, we’ll see… I’ve been proven wrong many times in the past.

BUY IT! Funko Gets New & Nostalgic With Even More TV & Movie Favorites

Posted on April 19, 2014 by geelw

I’ve always liked Funko’s cute collectible figures, but my over-dedication to the games library here means I’ve no room to stock those cool-looking figures (boo!). Still, that won’t stop me from letting you know what’s new and upcoming from the company…

May brings in The Rocketeer, the late Dave Stevens’ great comic character that also ended up in a decent and fun to watch film directed by Joe Johnston and produced by Disney back in 1991. Arriving as part of Funko’s ReAction lineup, The Rocketeer comes equipped with a removable helmet and jetpack, which doesn’t actually work by the way (so you won’t have Nazi spies trying to break into your place and steal it)…

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Things I Learned @Toy Fair 2014: I Think A Crowded Coop Needs A Name Change…

Posted on April 7, 2014 by geelw

“How about a REALLY Crowded Coop?”Was what I suggest to Mary Olson after seeing the size of this year’s amazing lineup at Toy Fair, but I think she would have hit me on the head with that prototype Halo bag I’d been ogling. It’s a good thing she didn’t, as I’d then be responsible for the entire first run having a dent the size of my forehead in and I’d like to be a bit less of a negative influence on product design in the future. Where last year, the company had a handful of licenses that yielded a sizable amount of product, this year the booth was about three times the size and there were so many products on display that I had to swing by twice to see them all…
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AryaBall: Almost There – Just One More Push (Throw, Toss, Fling, Swing, Kick) Away!

Posted on March 26, 2014 by geelw

If you think about it, Babak Forutanpour’s AryaBall is more or less the smartphone of outdoor toys. Like your modern phone is an all-in-one device that does many things, AryaBall takes care of a few popular sports using a clever, innovative design that makes you want to grab one just to try it out. Go take a look at the almost funded Kickstarter and if you like what you see, well – you know what to do. I’m actually surprised that Babak hasn’t thought up ONE sport using everything in that cool new toy, as I could see some network exec slapping himself in the forehead at the very idea of some new (and popular) competitive show that makes for more must-see “reality” TV. Anyway, 45 more hours to go (and counting down) and AryaBall is only a few thousand from its goal… suspense!

Godzilla Toy Reveal: MTV Makes Itself Relevant Again!

Posted on March 17, 2014 by geelw

Image: MTV

“Raaaar! Hi Kids!” is what this new Godzilla seems to be saying with a grin on his mug. Thanks to the fine folks at MTV News, here’s a long and loving first look at the 2014 version of this classic beastie from the upcoming film by director Gareth Edwards.

The figure (coming to you from Jakks Pacific) stands a whooping 23 inches tall and with the added tail length, measures a very respectable 43 inches long. Yikes, there goes the neighborhood indeed in terms of finding a shelf at home to put this hefty plastic monster on. Other than his weird feet and manly-muscly arms, I like the new look of the big guy a lot.

Image: MTV

It’s also got twelve points of articulation including a mouth that opens and closes (important when pretending to chow down on citizens and scenery) and a tail that swings back and forth (also important for keeping away helicopter-sized bugs and other flying things). This massive monster might seem too scary for the wee ones (it’s made for ages 3+, parents), but we all know that boys (and girls) just ADORE dinosaurs of any size, correct?

Besides, it still can’t top the KING of inappropriate movie licensed toys geared for the wrong age group, Kenner’s 18″ ALIEN figure from 1979. I had one of those babies, boxed and all, but it got swiped by my younger brother and wrecked/tossed out eventually while I was away and I’ve been kicking myself since for not buying a few when Gimbels was closing them out at a song. Ah well… you can’t change the past, people… but you CAN get started on the room-sized diorama you’re going to fit this new HUGE Godzilla in. Good luck on that project!