Friday, November 21, 2014
Friday, November 14, 2014
Pop! Funko Madness Lot #1: Arkham Asylum
Welcome to my first ever Funko Pop! review. I figured that I would tackle these little guys in sets as there isn't too much to go into with them. So we're kicking this off with a review of the full set of the Batman Arkham Asylum Funko Pop! figures. Before we delve into the Pops themselves, we'll take a quick look at the packaging.
Now that that's out of the way, let's take a look at the packaging, let's kick things off with the first figure in the set, the Dark Knight himself.
Batman:
Scale: 3"
Price: $10.99 - $20.99
Out of all of the previous Funko Pop! Batmen that have been released, the only one I had an interest in was the metallic New 52 Batman, and finding that in person was definitely not going to be an easy chore, so when I found out this guy was coming out, I knew I was going to get this one, and he would become my definitive Funko Pop! Batman. Sure enough, he did. This little guy is crammed with amazing detail, yet still is simple enough to fit in with the other Funko Pops. I've always loved the design of the Batsuit in the Arkham games, so to get a Funko Pop! version is amazing. I think my favorite feature is the face. The cowl is well detailed with raised areas by the eyebrows, giving him an angry look, and the ears are pretty long compared to other Batman Pops, which looks so cool, but it's the glossy paint that really makes the head sculpt (pardon the pun) pop. The cape, done in a slightly less glossy black, unlike the other Batman Pops, drapes along the floor behind him, which I feel is a necessity in any Batman figure that i own. It just kind of goes with the character. His bodysuit has that Kevlar pattern all throughout the grey, and the Bat-Symbol, is sculpted on as well as painted on, which is a nice touch. His belt is done in a metallic gold with silver accents on the buckles and his gauntlets, boots, and underoos, are also done in a glossy black similar to the cape. In terms of articulation, Batman, like all Funko Pops! (excluding Marvel) has a swivel at the head and nothing more. I am an articulation junkie, but these don't need it. I love to just display them and admire them. I would advise that when picking yours out on the shelf (should you have that luxury) definitely look it over. Funko Pops! have a history of poor paint apps. I will say that of the five I chose from, they were pretty good, and the main areas that were messed up were the eyes and Bat-Symbol, so definitely check that out. Other than that, this is the best Batman Pop out there, and probably the only one I will ever purchase.
The Joker:
Scale: 3"
Price: $10.99 - $29.99
Hhhhhhooooooobbbbbboooooyyyyy. If there's one thing to know about me, it's that I love me some Joker, and much like Batman, the Arkham Joker is probably my favorite design for the character. So getting this was a no brainer. It was just the matter of getting it that was the hard part. See this guy was a Hot Topic exclusive Pre-Release, which translates to "good luck and may God have mercy on your soul if you want to find him in stores." because my Hot Topic didn't have him....at all.... So it was looking like amazon.com was going to be my best bet. I held off because I was going to NYCC with my friends so I figured I'd save my cash, and on Saturday while perusing the con floor trying to help my bud Nathaniel decide if he should buy a replica Time Turner (spoiler alert, he didn't), we passed by many booths selling Funko Pops! and one of them, had this guy. I was so happy, and there were two so I could check for paint, both were painted beautifully, and I ended up picking him up. Keeping the box intact on the con floor was a challenge but I digress. This Funko Pop!, like the Batman above, is in my opinion, the definitive Joker Pop. He just looks amazing. Nothing on his suit is just painted on. The pinstripes are all individually sculpted, as are the ruffles and buttons on the shirt, his flower, his knee patch, chain, shows, even his little coat tails, everything is sculpted on, which initially had me nervous, as that presents a lot of room for paint bleeding and such, but not on this guy, both ones that I saw were pristine. His head sculpt is really awesome. His hair looks really cool, it has some spiky areas throughout, and his face is so cool. His teeth are individually sculpted, and he has wrinkles and eyebrows sculpted on, so he has a really sinister look. Like Batman, his head swivels and that's it. He can be a bit tricky to get to stand up on his own but a little finesse and you can get it done. Easily the best Joker Pop so far, and probably my favorite Pop in my collection.
Harley Quinn:
Scale: 3"
Price: $10.99 - $29.99
Harley Quinn. A character that I like, but never was overly invested in. Here's the thing, I have nothing against her as a character, but nothing really made me go "WOW, this character is awesome!". I will admit she makes a great Funko Pop!, especially her Arkham design. I hate to sound like a broken record but I really think their designs for the characters are amazing. Anyway, this Harley Pop! looks awesome. She is depicted in her nurse's outfit that she wears in the Arkham Asylum game. The detail they managed to capture on her is amazing, especially for her size. She has her corset, her name tag, her cane, everything. Even her thigh high boots and her arm sleeve things (no idea what they're called) are insanely detailed. The paint on her, like Joker, is surprisingly clean with all of the areas that need to be covered. She has mainly glossy red and purple paint on the legs, and the torso and arm is a mix of red, purple and white. What's amazing is that you can actually read her name tag which says "Arkham Asylum Warden" and has a tiny picture of the Warden Quincy Sharp on it. So. Freaking. Cool. Her cane is permanently attached to her hand and she even has her nurse's hat on. Her face paint is really well applied and I love that they stopped the white face paint at the ears. I was able to pick from two, and the place to really check is the face. The body was well done on both, but you'll want to watch the purple face mask. On one it was bleeding ever so slightly into the white face paint, and on mine, it's missing a tiny speck of purple which I didn't notice before doing this review.....damn.... Anyway, one thing to note is she is VERY top heavy with her pigtails, but luckily, Funko provided us with a clear display base which pegs into her left foot. You can get her to stand without it but it requires massive amounts of patience which I don't have and then you have to worry that if you bump into the shelf she is on she'll topple over and it just, it becomes this whole crazy thing. Also worth noting is that her head swivels. I am really glad they included Harley into this line because, well to be honest, unless I got the regular comic book Joker I probably wouldn't have bought a Harley Pop, but this was a set I really wanted to complete so of course I had to get her, and she turned out really well. In the end, I really like this Pop! more than I thought I would.
Poison Ivy:
Scale: 3"
Price: $10.99 - $15.99
I was honestly surprised to see Ivy in this set. I figured they would have gone with Scarecrow, or Bane, but I suppose I understand it. There hasn't been an Ivy Pop yet, and they did technically make a Bane. Anyway, this is a really cool Pop!, even though I have no personal affinity for Poison Ivy. Out of the whole set, this is the character I had the least interest in picking up, but as a Pop! It's pretty good. There is a lot of details in her hair, it's all sculpted as though it's flowing behind her and her face is really cool. There are sculpted vines coming up the side , all painted in a green-yellow extending to dark green leaves on the cheeks, a nice contrast to the lime green skin. The vines also continue onto the arms and legs. Her red shirt is sculpted on and painted really well with a clean blue streak along the ends of it. Just like the others, her head swivels. Her pose is also really cool. She's posed as though she is summoning vines, and like Harley, she is very top heavy, and comes with a clear base, so I'm sure customizers could have a field day with creating a vine covered base. The paint is really clean for the amount of small details that had to be painted on her, but as usual, if you can check her paint job first. She's a really nice Pop!, but if she wasn't part of this set I probably wouldn't have gone for her. Nothing against the Pop!, just not too into the character.
Killer Croc:
Scale: 4"
Price: $10.99 - $16.99
Here is the big boy of the set (in terms of size). I recently became a fan of Croc after reading his exploits in Batman Eternal, so I definitely wanted something Croc related, and this couldn't have come out at a better time. Not only is he a cool character, but an amazing Pop! First off, the detail alone is amazing. He stands the tallest of the five Pops in the set. So let's start from the head. The sides of the head are covered in scales with little ear holes, and the top of his head has big scales that go down and when they reach the back they become an alligator skin texture. The front of his face has some really well sculpted sharp teeth and some amazing facial structure details. Before we reach the torso, like in the game, his collar with a little chain hanging off of it, is on the neck which is where the swivel joint is. His torso is very detailed with a crocodile texture to him with a few dark green spikes protruding off his outer arms. On his wrists are leather cuffs with chains hanging from them. He also has his orange pants, with rope belt and metal chain clamps on his ankles, all leading up to his dark green toenails. He has lime green skin and the paint work applied over it is really well done. I saw three on the shelf and all three were painted really well. One thing I really like about this Pop! is that he has a really nice weight to him, he just feels very solid. As a Pop! this is really amazing, and easily one of the coolest looking Pops out there.
Final Thoughts:
This set is amazing. Each Pop! has unbelievable detail with well applied paint. The best thing about Pops, is that the only thing that can really be screwed up with them is paint, so it's easy to make sure you get a good one (provided the one you want can be found in stores). Out of the whole set, I'd say my favorite is The Joker simply because I love The Joker, but Batman is pretty damn close. The other three are all really great Pops as well, and if you get one, I honestly think you should get them all, because once you see all five on the shelf next to each other as a complete set, especially if you're a fan of the game, or the characters, the feeling you get is amazing.
Now that that's out of the way, let's take a look at the packaging, let's kick things off with the first figure in the set, the Dark Knight himself.
Batman:
Scale: 3"
Price: $10.99 - $20.99
Out of all of the previous Funko Pop! Batmen that have been released, the only one I had an interest in was the metallic New 52 Batman, and finding that in person was definitely not going to be an easy chore, so when I found out this guy was coming out, I knew I was going to get this one, and he would become my definitive Funko Pop! Batman. Sure enough, he did. This little guy is crammed with amazing detail, yet still is simple enough to fit in with the other Funko Pops. I've always loved the design of the Batsuit in the Arkham games, so to get a Funko Pop! version is amazing. I think my favorite feature is the face. The cowl is well detailed with raised areas by the eyebrows, giving him an angry look, and the ears are pretty long compared to other Batman Pops, which looks so cool, but it's the glossy paint that really makes the head sculpt (pardon the pun) pop. The cape, done in a slightly less glossy black, unlike the other Batman Pops, drapes along the floor behind him, which I feel is a necessity in any Batman figure that i own. It just kind of goes with the character. His bodysuit has that Kevlar pattern all throughout the grey, and the Bat-Symbol, is sculpted on as well as painted on, which is a nice touch. His belt is done in a metallic gold with silver accents on the buckles and his gauntlets, boots, and underoos, are also done in a glossy black similar to the cape. In terms of articulation, Batman, like all Funko Pops! (excluding Marvel) has a swivel at the head and nothing more. I am an articulation junkie, but these don't need it. I love to just display them and admire them. I would advise that when picking yours out on the shelf (should you have that luxury) definitely look it over. Funko Pops! have a history of poor paint apps. I will say that of the five I chose from, they were pretty good, and the main areas that were messed up were the eyes and Bat-Symbol, so definitely check that out. Other than that, this is the best Batman Pop out there, and probably the only one I will ever purchase.
The Joker:
Scale: 3"
Price: $10.99 - $29.99
Hhhhhhooooooobbbbbboooooyyyyy. If there's one thing to know about me, it's that I love me some Joker, and much like Batman, the Arkham Joker is probably my favorite design for the character. So getting this was a no brainer. It was just the matter of getting it that was the hard part. See this guy was a Hot Topic exclusive Pre-Release, which translates to "good luck and may God have mercy on your soul if you want to find him in stores." because my Hot Topic didn't have him....at all.... So it was looking like amazon.com was going to be my best bet. I held off because I was going to NYCC with my friends so I figured I'd save my cash, and on Saturday while perusing the con floor trying to help my bud Nathaniel decide if he should buy a replica Time Turner (spoiler alert, he didn't), we passed by many booths selling Funko Pops! and one of them, had this guy. I was so happy, and there were two so I could check for paint, both were painted beautifully, and I ended up picking him up. Keeping the box intact on the con floor was a challenge but I digress. This Funko Pop!, like the Batman above, is in my opinion, the definitive Joker Pop. He just looks amazing. Nothing on his suit is just painted on. The pinstripes are all individually sculpted, as are the ruffles and buttons on the shirt, his flower, his knee patch, chain, shows, even his little coat tails, everything is sculpted on, which initially had me nervous, as that presents a lot of room for paint bleeding and such, but not on this guy, both ones that I saw were pristine. His head sculpt is really awesome. His hair looks really cool, it has some spiky areas throughout, and his face is so cool. His teeth are individually sculpted, and he has wrinkles and eyebrows sculpted on, so he has a really sinister look. Like Batman, his head swivels and that's it. He can be a bit tricky to get to stand up on his own but a little finesse and you can get it done. Easily the best Joker Pop so far, and probably my favorite Pop in my collection.
Harley Quinn:
Scale: 3"
Price: $10.99 - $29.99
Harley Quinn. A character that I like, but never was overly invested in. Here's the thing, I have nothing against her as a character, but nothing really made me go "WOW, this character is awesome!". I will admit she makes a great Funko Pop!, especially her Arkham design. I hate to sound like a broken record but I really think their designs for the characters are amazing. Anyway, this Harley Pop! looks awesome. She is depicted in her nurse's outfit that she wears in the Arkham Asylum game. The detail they managed to capture on her is amazing, especially for her size. She has her corset, her name tag, her cane, everything. Even her thigh high boots and her arm sleeve things (no idea what they're called) are insanely detailed. The paint on her, like Joker, is surprisingly clean with all of the areas that need to be covered. She has mainly glossy red and purple paint on the legs, and the torso and arm is a mix of red, purple and white. What's amazing is that you can actually read her name tag which says "Arkham Asylum Warden" and has a tiny picture of the Warden Quincy Sharp on it. So. Freaking. Cool. Her cane is permanently attached to her hand and she even has her nurse's hat on. Her face paint is really well applied and I love that they stopped the white face paint at the ears. I was able to pick from two, and the place to really check is the face. The body was well done on both, but you'll want to watch the purple face mask. On one it was bleeding ever so slightly into the white face paint, and on mine, it's missing a tiny speck of purple which I didn't notice before doing this review.....damn.... Anyway, one thing to note is she is VERY top heavy with her pigtails, but luckily, Funko provided us with a clear display base which pegs into her left foot. You can get her to stand without it but it requires massive amounts of patience which I don't have and then you have to worry that if you bump into the shelf she is on she'll topple over and it just, it becomes this whole crazy thing. Also worth noting is that her head swivels. I am really glad they included Harley into this line because, well to be honest, unless I got the regular comic book Joker I probably wouldn't have bought a Harley Pop, but this was a set I really wanted to complete so of course I had to get her, and she turned out really well. In the end, I really like this Pop! more than I thought I would.
Poison Ivy:
Scale: 3"
Price: $10.99 - $15.99
I was honestly surprised to see Ivy in this set. I figured they would have gone with Scarecrow, or Bane, but I suppose I understand it. There hasn't been an Ivy Pop yet, and they did technically make a Bane. Anyway, this is a really cool Pop!, even though I have no personal affinity for Poison Ivy. Out of the whole set, this is the character I had the least interest in picking up, but as a Pop! It's pretty good. There is a lot of details in her hair, it's all sculpted as though it's flowing behind her and her face is really cool. There are sculpted vines coming up the side , all painted in a green-yellow extending to dark green leaves on the cheeks, a nice contrast to the lime green skin. The vines also continue onto the arms and legs. Her red shirt is sculpted on and painted really well with a clean blue streak along the ends of it. Just like the others, her head swivels. Her pose is also really cool. She's posed as though she is summoning vines, and like Harley, she is very top heavy, and comes with a clear base, so I'm sure customizers could have a field day with creating a vine covered base. The paint is really clean for the amount of small details that had to be painted on her, but as usual, if you can check her paint job first. She's a really nice Pop!, but if she wasn't part of this set I probably wouldn't have gone for her. Nothing against the Pop!, just not too into the character.
Killer Croc:
Scale: 4"
Price: $10.99 - $16.99
Here is the big boy of the set (in terms of size). I recently became a fan of Croc after reading his exploits in Batman Eternal, so I definitely wanted something Croc related, and this couldn't have come out at a better time. Not only is he a cool character, but an amazing Pop! First off, the detail alone is amazing. He stands the tallest of the five Pops in the set. So let's start from the head. The sides of the head are covered in scales with little ear holes, and the top of his head has big scales that go down and when they reach the back they become an alligator skin texture. The front of his face has some really well sculpted sharp teeth and some amazing facial structure details. Before we reach the torso, like in the game, his collar with a little chain hanging off of it, is on the neck which is where the swivel joint is. His torso is very detailed with a crocodile texture to him with a few dark green spikes protruding off his outer arms. On his wrists are leather cuffs with chains hanging from them. He also has his orange pants, with rope belt and metal chain clamps on his ankles, all leading up to his dark green toenails. He has lime green skin and the paint work applied over it is really well done. I saw three on the shelf and all three were painted really well. One thing I really like about this Pop! is that he has a really nice weight to him, he just feels very solid. As a Pop! this is really amazing, and easily one of the coolest looking Pops out there.
Final Thoughts:
This set is amazing. Each Pop! has unbelievable detail with well applied paint. The best thing about Pops, is that the only thing that can really be screwed up with them is paint, so it's easy to make sure you get a good one (provided the one you want can be found in stores). Out of the whole set, I'd say my favorite is The Joker simply because I love The Joker, but Batman is pretty damn close. The other three are all really great Pops as well, and if you get one, I honestly think you should get them all, because once you see all five on the shelf next to each other as a complete set, especially if you're a fan of the game, or the characters, the feeling you get is amazing.
Sunday, November 9, 2014
Schedule Update!
Ok, so I'm still going through with the reviews, just shifting things around a bit. Why? Well it started as an average Friday morning, cooking breakfast, going out to the supermarket, and then I figured I'd stop by local comic shop, as they've recently gotten in a HUGE shipment of Pop! Funkos. So I stop by and what do I find, but the rest of the funkos I needed to complete my Arkham Asylum set. Batman, Poison Ivy, Harley Quinn, and Killer Croc. So to make a long story short, I got them all, and they are the best Pop! Funkos I've purchased, that said, here is the review schedule change:
Pop! Funko Madness Lot #1: Arkham Asylum 11/14-11/15
Includes Batman, Joker, Harley Quinn, Poison Ivy, and Killer Croc
Transformers Age of Extinction Voyager Drift: 11/21-11/22
Pop! Funko Madness Lot #2: Comic Book Movies 11/28-11/29
Includes Man of Steel Superman, The Dark Knight Joker, and Winter Soldier
Pop! Funko Madness Lot #3: The Walking Dead 12/5-12/6
Includes Season 1 Rick and Daryl, Season 3 Rick and Merle, and Px Exclusive Boody Biker Daryl
Pop! Funko Madness Lot #4: Transformers 12/12-12/13
Includes Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, and Drift
Undecided: 12/19-12/20
I cannot wait to review these guys for you, easily the best funkos to date (in my opinion).
Saturday, November 8, 2014
Review of the NECA 1/4 Dark Knight Joker figure!
So, my computer crashed, and I'm doing this review via the blogger app on my ipad, so I'd like to apologize if the formatting ends up being a bit off.
The Basics:
Scale: 18"
Price: $99.99 -$150.99 online
Character Bio:
With the help of Lieutenant Jim Gordon and the committed new District Attorney, Harvey Dent, Batman sets out to destroy organized crime in Gotham City for good. The triumvirate initially proves to be effective, but they soon find themselves prey to a rising criminal mastermind known as The Joker, who thrusts Gotham City into anarchy and forces The Dark Knight ever closer to crossing the fine line between hero and vigilante.
Packaging:
Here are some pictures of the really awesome packing of this figure. I have to give it to NECA, they really know how to make amazing packaging.
Sculpt and Paint:
This is my 4th purchase from NECA's line of 18" figures and although I say this every time, THIS is my favorite figure to come from the line. The face sculpt is miles ahead of some of NECA's previous 18" figures such as the Henry Cavill Superman and the Thor figure. It is incredibly lifelike and the eyes just bring it alive. It's incredibly eerie to look at in all the right ways. Out of the entire figure, the hair and jacket are sculpted out of a softer, more pliable plastic, and the vest/ undershirt/ tie piece is also a softer plastic, due to the type of torso articulation (more on that later). The jacket has a wonderful texture to it making it feel real, and the pants pinstripes are actually sculpted on instead of just being painted on. The shoes are also insanely detailed, with all the laces and details there.
As far as the paintwork goes, it's perfect. The face makeup is applied in a sloppy manner, as it should be. In The Dark knight, the Joker applied his makeup, or war paint, in a sloppy manner. The paint on the jacket has some really nice dry brushing to add depth to it and even has dirt around the wrists, and torso to show that it's been lived in. The shoes have insane paint apps to make them look worn out and old. The gloves have really nice paint apps with a dark wash around the stitching to make it pop. One thing to note, that's really a nice touch, is under the gloves they painted the wrists skin tone. That's awesome. Even his ears are painted to show skin tone seeping out from the make up.
Articulation and Accessories:
The joker has some really good articulation for this scale, his head has a really nice ball joint that allows for some really great poses and incorporates emotion into the head's angle. He has a swivel-hinge at both shoulders, elbows, hips, and knees. He has ball joints at the wrists and ankles, and swivels at the hips. Now, for the waist, under the soft plastic shirt piece is a type of ball joint system, that allows for some great movement, but retains the sculpt and looks very natural. All of the joints are nice and tight, and unlike previous NECA 1/4 scale figures, he doesn't fall over easily, but all the same, he is a big heavy figure, and I think it's best to use a stand. Better safe than sorry.
For accessories, he comes with some awesome stuff. First off, he has his signature pocket knife, which I honestly thought could be retracted, but it can't. That's a testament to the sculpting in my opinion, and the paint, while simple, is perfect. The knife fits snugly into his left hand only.
Next, he comes with a pistol with a llllooonnnggg clip, seriously, it's massive, and like the knife, the paint work and sculpt are perfect. It only fits into the right hand.
Last up is my favorite accessory, his sub-machine gun. My God this thing is awesome. It's really detailed, with a nice dry brush to make it look aged and battle-worn. It is very fragile so use some serious care when putting it into his right hand, the only one it goes in.
Overall:
This figure was easily my most anticipated release of the year, and it did not disappoint. I was so happy once I was able to order him and even happier once it arrived (the weekend of comic-com ironically enough. I cannot recommend this figure enough to fans of Batman, Joker, or just a really well done figure.
10 OUT OF 10!!
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