You know who Domo is, right? He's that brown, loaf-like Japanese monster with the perpetual expression of extreme shock! And now ultra prolific collectibles company, Funko, purveyors of Pop Vinyl and Wacky Wobblers has come to the epic conclusion that, "You know what, we should combine that weird Domo thing with DC's iconic line of superheroes and watch the profits roll in. I'll start clearing some space in the vault." And hence the blind-packaged Domo DC Mystery Minis 2.5" vinyl figures are born...
As is the case with all blind-boxed collectibles you just never know what you're going to get. I have THREE of them in hand, so let's open up these unfeasible hybrid monstrosities... after the jump!
But first let's take a look at the checklist and see what's on offer, and what the odds are of finding each one. "Never tell me the odds!" No, screw you, Han Solo. The people need to know...
Okay so the real prize here is the 1/144 transforming Clark Kent, followed by the 1/72 classic Batman and Superman. Why are the classic versions so hard to get? Because DC seem keen to keep pushing the New 52 versions into our heads. Will Domo be able to help steady these versions in the collective consciousness? No. Probably not.
My girlfriend must have some sort of psychic gift because as I opened the first one I said, "What are we hoping to get here?" and she replied, "Riddler." Well riddle me this...
I like this one way more than I would have expected. The advantage of mixing these with a goofy character like Domo is that even the lame comic book characters seem funny and appealing. And let's face it, as a villain The Riddler is one of the absolute lamest. His schtick can now be easily defeated by a bunch of forum shut-ins with Google. "Riddle me this, Batman..." says The Riddler, "What kind of a blahblahblahblah blah?". And Batman goes, "One minute..." And then he posts the riddle on a forum and goes and makes some bat-coffee. And then, when he's finished, thirty dorky forum members already have the answer. Shit, you could defeat the Riddler with your iPhone.
Anyway, this is a vibrant and appealing figure. Here he is from the side so you can see how thick he is...
One criticism, however, which is magnified with the photos... Some of the paint is a little sloppy. And I've noticed this on Funko's Pop Vinyl lines too (more on that soon). Each of these Domos also had some kind of mark on their head, like dried glue or water damage or something. It's not so bad in person as these are only 2 1/2 inches high, but it's not great either. Funko are churning out so much product of late that I really hope they're not cheaping out on some basic processes. I'm seeing poor quality control on a few of their lines of late, and you'll see more of it in an upcoming review.
Anyway, back to business. Next one out of the box is...
New 52 Superman! What's the difference, you half-arsedly enquire? Well, he's not wearing underpants. Yes, these are the missing underpants (sorry... "trunks") that sent hardcore fanboys into an outrage. I hear that the Man of Steel is subtitled The Quest for Trunks.
There's a less elaborate logo on his cape too...
You'll notice that there are three different poses spread across the line of figures (they aren't in any way articulated). That was two of them. The third is this one...
Now this is a particularly good one. I like The Flash well enough and I like that he's speeding along catching bugs and small birds in his ridiculous expression. This one makes me chuckle and is easily the most dynamic of the three. His paint work is better than the others too.
And here's the three of these buggers together...
Overall I think it's a pretty cool line. It's weird as hell, and incredibly niche but I love vinyl in general, and I like the kitsch factor. Was that a "review"? What else could I possibly say about these things? If you get it then why fight it?
If you're here in Perth, you can get them at Empire Toys or if you're a US friend then why not get them from our pals at Big Bad Toy Store.
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