- Super7 and Funko have announced a deal to bring Super7’s retro Alien 3.75″ figures to the mass market. The idea with these figures is that they’re done as if they were made in the 1980s, the heyday of 3.75″ figures (visit Kevin Lentz’s 3 3/4-Inch Archives to see some – most – of the crazy stuff that got made back then). The price will come down from $20 to $15 (although fans who ordered the Early Bird sets from Super7 will now get a secret, exclusive figure). But the even bigger news is that via this new deal with Funko, Super7 will be developing retro-style 3.75″ figures from licenses like Back to the Future, Aliens, Predator, Firefly, Universal Monsters, Terminator 1 & 2, The Goonies, Escape from New York, and “many, many more.” I’ve played around with JoshB’s SDCC exclusive Alien set, and they’re pretty neat. If I’m being honest, the whole 3.75″ retro style isn’t really my thing – I believe action figures should always move onward and upward (which is why I disagree with Nemo Eight regarding the nostalgic appeal of Hasbro’s new five-points-of-articulation Star Wars Saga Legends figures, although those at least have the excuse of being cheap, which these Super7 figures will not have). However, all that said, the Alien figures are indeed very neat in-hand, and more Goonies and Back to the Future action figures are always a good thing.
- Spy Monkey Creations has just released new glow-in-the-dark Weaponeers of Monkaa.
- Next week is Super Review Wars Week between CollectionDX and PGPoA. Doc Thomas, Nemo Eight and I will be posting reviews over at CollectionDX, while some of CollectionDX’s reviewers will be posting their reviews here. Should be a lot of fun!
- NECA posted an image of Jason Frailey at work, and you can see a prototype Bishop from Aliens in there. What are the odds there will be a battle-damaged Bishop variant? Side note: that was probably my favorite reference in Ted.
trenton d hancock
5 points of articulation IS "onward and upward" in my opinion. And no knees please. I want those 3.75s to be just as they would have been in 1980… kneeless. And I hope Super Funko 7 does as many absurd toy lines as possible. "Cagney and Lacey" and "Different Strokes" anyone?
Brostache Pinache
Friday The Thirteenth ( Jason & Mom ) ,Halloween ( Michael Myers, Dr Loomis, Laurie Strode ) , "V" 1980's , Buck Rogers in The 25th Century , The Warriors, Willie Wonka 1971, the Clue movie, & Three's Company , Would all be great additions to the line . Yeah, I'm old .
Mark
Being brutally honest I would love some 'Murder, she wrote', 'Columbo' and 'Monk' figures.
Also some better vintage style A-team figures.
Brostache Pinache
Yeah ! The A Team ! Also C.H.I.P.s , Starsky & Hutch , Hunter ( at least Hunter and D.D. McCall ),Manimal , Automan, Battlestar Galactica 70's,Magnum P.I.,The X-Files , WKRP IN Cincinatti,The Dukes of Hazzard . If left up to Me , You would be able to cover The Great Wall of China with vintage style figures. Like I said , I'm old and those kind of toys were IT to Me as a child.
ero
Goonies?!?! Best news I've heard all year. And there is nothing wrong with 5 POA. It's the same as Mattel's retro super heroes. If it fits the theme, then it's great. I'd take any early/mid 80s property in 5 POA. I think it's brilliant. I can not wait to see the Goonies card art!
Mark
To be honest I prefer the limited articulation on Star Wars. I am a massive G.I. Joe fan and I love the vintage style and I wish they would go back to the vintage style as I really dislike the 25th anniversary style body…..nearly every figure is out of proportion or crooked, almost every figure I owned had one leg longer than the other.
I would buy 3.75" Goonies and Predator figures.
Shawn
I also don't like the move backwards to 5 points of articulation. I understand that it probably decreases the overall costs of the figure and is a good sell at retail (two figures packed together for only $10 is a spectacular deal), but I want to keep seeing progression.
I'm a big collector of the 3.75" G.I. Joes and Hasbro has been making some of the figures included with the vehicles with only 5 points, which is more restrictive even than the 1982 figures and is beyond going backwards for Joes. I don't think I could get into buying many Joes if the regular single carded figures were put out with only 5 points like the Star Wars stuff.
That said, I do really like the Alien ReAction figures and am patiently waiting to see what the secret figure is that I'll be getting with the set. For a ton of other lines getting retro treatment, though, I'll have to wait and see what they look like. The advantage the Alien figures have compared to the other newly announced lines, in my eyes at least, is that at one point in the past these figures were actually going to be made before being cancelled, whereas the new lines announced are completely brand new, just in an old style. However, it will probably be hard for me to pass up 3.75" Predator and Terminator figures, no matter what they look like.
ridureyu
I agree – moving back to 5 points of articulation just isn't good. If you want to cut back your 4" figures, at least leave them with knees so they can SIT DOWN. That's more important than you think – it bugged me when I was a kid before I knew what knee joints were.
And I can't wait for Super Review Week! So, I guess you got a new camera? Yay!
I've just filled up Friday, Wednesday, and Friday with themed retro reviews. We're going classic McFarlane again with the movie playsets.
_RZ_
I agree with you on this, that the move to 5 POA is not that great. I much prefer their current style, and you're right to capitalize SIT DOWN as that needs to be screamed from a mountain at the highest volume possible.
But I think there's plenty of room with a new system of both – I for one collect both vintage AND modern figures. I know a lot of others collect both too. I'd like for the 5 POA figures to be more vintage-style-sculpted, as it would be great to get the prequel characters and new figures in the Kenner style, to go with my vintage Star Wars I already have. So these new Super 7 lines are like razor-sharp focused at dudes like me. Back to the Future, Aliens, Predator, Universal Monsters, Terminator, The Goonies, Escape from New York- you add Blade Runner and Commando to the list and this is like my wish list of "unmade figure lines i'll openly shank another kid for" that I made as a youth in 1989!
And I can't wait to see your reviews of the movie playsets- they are truly great!
ridureyu
THough I do agree that over-articulation cna be a problem – look at the 3" Injustice figures – certian things like knees are necessary!
And thanks! I actually don't score the playset figures TOO badly for their poor articulation, unless it gets in the way of what they are supposed to do. Spawn Alley this Friday, Graveyard on Wednesday, Final Battle on the following Friday.
And man, 5 POA or not, 4" Predator will be awesome. PREPARE TO DIE, EVERY GI JOE.
_RZ_
Oh, no doubt, knees are needed. They need to sit normally. For me the articulation has more to do with the aesthetic, no need for ball joints on a Kenner-style figure; I want it to be covered in articulation if it is a modern, hyper detailed style though.
And Predator, exactly! My 3.75" collection quakes in fear.
Barbecue17
Cool! I'm looking forward to reading those reviews. I've been working to complete my 6 inch Spawn movie line and actually just watched the movie last week for the first time since 97 or 98. I've never picked those sets up even though I'm a HUGE fan of McFarlane's Monsters (which i plan on reviewing before Halloween)!
Mario
You can forget about Blade Runner, but Commando may just happen.
_RZ_
Really? I'd assume both are no-go, and if I was to pick one I'd probably never see, it's Commando. Blade Runner has had a bunch of official licensed products over the last decade as opposed to Commando, and is far, far more popular worldwide. Commando's 80's toyline was legendary because of the outcry about it being an R-rated movie. Parents groups complained in a big way, and unlike Rambo for some reason, was pulled from shelves, which is why some of those figures are so difficult to find. Arnold is not cheap and you'd figure the license would be pretty expensive. Also, not many characters, I think I would be the only dude to buy Sully and Cindy and not just stop at Matrix and Bennett.