Once upon a time, this site was simply a
place for me to blog about my new purchases. Over time, it has become so much
more, and I couldn’t be happier. It’s been so busy doing all the great new
stuff that AFB has become, however, that I haven’t posted a review for ages!
While we now review multiple toys every
week on our podcast, there is something very enjoyable about getting out the
camera and writing down my thoughts about a new acquisition, so I am going to
try to get back into the habit and use this space to highlight some items that
won’t get full reviews on the show. Who knows, you might see the other AFB
hosts posting reviews here as well!
Tonight I’m checking out something quite
interesting – the Funko ReAction The Rocketeer 3 ¾ Figure.
Funko has burst on to the collectibles
scene and has progressed from pop vinyl to action figures, which has the
potential to be very exciting. It’s certainly great to have more players in
this game, and the idea of the ReAction Figures is something that really appeals
to me – toys that harken back to the carded 3 ¾” figures and “rack toys” of
old.
For something to be effectively retro in my
eyes, it needs to harken back to something old without being slavish to it, and
I’m not certain that’s been achieved here. What would really elevate this line
for me would be a more collector-friendly packaging design. The retro carded
feel is great – but totally destroyed if you want to open the figure. A design
that allowed you to inspect the figure and then display either loose or on card
would be something I could see myself attracted to.
That’s really reinforced once you open this
toy. It’s cute, but very basic. Simple five points of articulation and with
(mostly) acceptable detail and accessories.
Sculpt-wise, there is some very nice detail
here, particularly in the Rocketeer’s uniform and his two accessories – his
helmet and jet pack. He stands easily
and while the addition of the jetpack requires some rebalancing, it is still
easy to find his balance.
Funko’s Pop Vinyl line has been plagued by
spotty QC when it comes to paint, and there are issues here too – brown spots
on his cream trousers and a few areas of bleed. Especially disappointing is The
Rocketeer’s face, which is really lacking in definition and looks sort of
sprayed on rather than painted.
Sadly, I pretty much regretted opening this
as soon as I did, because it’s an idea that’s better appreciated in theory than
in reality. This really comes home once you put on the Rocketeer’s helmet, and
the toy instantly becomes a kid dressed up as The Rocketeer for Halloween with
a much-too-big helmet on his oversized head. There’s just not enough going for
this figure to make it something I’d want to display loose.
Funko has hit on a model that relies on the
love of particular licenses and nostalgia to sell product, but I am not sure I
see this concept reaching the popularity of the Pop Vinyls. Again, I think that
collectors would probably respond to this idea if there was an aspect of the
product that elevated it beyond a reproduction style rack toy to a retro “feel”
modern figure – a re-openable package or a higher degree of detail in face
sculpts, for example.
For a Dolly Rating (now the standard scale
of rating toys on the AFB Podcast), I can’t go higher than a 6, and most of
that is for the concept rather than the execution. I’m left underwhelmed on too
many fronts to go higher.
If you’d like to see a full set of photos
of this item, please check out the album on Flickr.
Your thoughts about this item are most
welcome – please comment here or over at the AFB Facebook Page!
Until next time!
Scotty
