Packaging - ***
These packages aren't exactly sturdy, but they are fairly collector
friendly by my definition. You can easily remove these from the
package and return them without any sort of damage. However, if you do
that too many times, you may find that the package starts showing
wear. Like I said, it's not the sturdiest.
There's some good text on the back, although it's not character
specific. There are also photos of the three figures in this first
wave.
Sculpting - Stewie, Quag-3PO ***1/2; Chewbrian ***
Bobbleheads have a very specific look to them. The heads are generally
oversized, with very straight bodies. The long neck allows for
the spring inside to bounce the head around quite a bit.
Stewie already has a huge head in comparison to his body, so the
character looks like a bobblehead to start. That means that this
version doesn't look all that different from just a regular Stewie sculpt,
and they've done a terrific job capturing his look from the show.
There's not a ton of detail here, but I was pleasantly surprised by the work
on the chest panel and clothing. Stewie stands just under 4 inches
tall, separate from the base and Death Star that he's standing on.
Quagmire also has a pretty serious bobblehead as a character, so his
appearance as C-3PO is pretty close to reality, or the reality defined by
the cartoon anyway. The detail work on his body is surprisingly good
considering the medium, and I love the sculpted expression. Quagmire
stands 6 1/4" tall without the base.
Brian doesn't really have the bobble head thing going on as a character,
so his slightly bigger head does look a little odd. Of course, if
you're a bobblehead collector, that's the point. But if you were
looking for a perfect representation of Brian as Chewbacca, this one is not
quite it due what I'll call the 'bobblehead effect'.
Still, there's some reasonable detailing in his fur, and the expression
is good. He's my least favorite sculpt of the three, but he still
looks decent with the other two. He stands about 4 1/4" tall without
the base.
And while I said 'without the base' when giving their heights, don't let
that confuse you. The figures are NOT removable from the bases.
I've included a photo at the end of the review showing Stewie and Brian
with a Mezco Peter and Stewie. As you can see, the scale isn't that
far off, certainly not as much as I had expected. They are a smidge
big, but I think they'll incorporate with the Mezco line pretty well when
they're all on the shelf together. They certainly look better together
than I expected!
Paint - Stewie, Brian ***; Quagmire **1/2
None of the three have serious paint issues, but they don't have the
kind of exceptional work that some specialty market action figures do.
Stewie does the best of the three in this category, with a very clean job
on his face, and a nice even black over the outfit and helmet. He also
has the best detail work on the front of his costume, although there's still
a bit more slop than I'd like.
Quagmire could actually use a little more detailing in the wiring colors
around his waist, and there's also more slop there than on the other
figures. The gold metallic paint has a nice bright shine, but it's a
bit inconsistent in the coverage on some places on the body. The work
on the head is much better though, and much more consistent.
Brian suffers from the least amount of detail, and the consistent brown
is rather dull. He needed something to punch him up a bit more, but
what's here is relatively clean.
Articulation - *
This really isn't a category for bobbleheads, and it won't effect my overall
in a negative way. But I wanted to mention that the neck joint CAN be
used to pose the head a bit. If you notice in my Stewie photos, I have
him looking in a couple different directions. The spring can be
twisted and bent a bit to get the look you want, although I wouldn't
recommend over doing it or doing it too often.
Fun Factor - **1/2
These are collectibles, not toys. They were never intended as toys,
even fifty years ago. Still, kids have always had fun with them, and
adults that remember them from their youth will have the nostalgic factor as
well.
Value - **1/2
These aren't as complicated as action figures. They don't sport the
articulation or accessories that action figures of the same size and price
point do. But they are an expensive license, of that I have no dobut, AND
they tend to be produced in very low quantities. Those two factors end
up getting these an average value score.
Things to Watch Out For -
Not a thing.
Overall - Darth Stewie ***1/2; Quag-3PO, Chewbrian ***
These are great fun for the desk or cubicle, and fans of Family Guy and
Star Wars are likely to snag them up. Even casual fans are going to
love Stewie, and I certainly hope that Funko produces more in this
series. I'd love Lois as Leia, Peter as Han and Chris and Luke for the
next wave.
Score Recap:
Packaging - ***
Sculpt - Stewie, Quagmire ***1/2; Brian ***
Paint - ***
Articulation - *
Fun Factor - **1/2
Value - **1/2
Overall - Darth Stewie ***1/2; Quag-3PO, Chewbrian ***
Where to Buy -
Check your favorite e-tailer, since that's your best bet for
finding these:
- Alter Ego Comics has them
for $12 each.
- Related Links - I've covered plenty of Family Guy
items:
- Here's my reviews of wave 1, wave
2, wave 3, wave
4, wave 5, wave
6, wave 7, and wave
8.
- there's the boxed sets, including the Peter
and Lois two pack, series 1.5 family boxed
set, and the Peter
and Chicken two pack.
- Finally, there's the review of the large
talking Stewie, and the deluxe
Evil Monkey.
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