Firefly to Receive First Official Action Figures

[StewShearerOld]

Firefly to Receive First Official Action Figures

Firefly fans can now pre-order Funko's official, retro-themed action figures.

It's been more than 10 years since Fox pulled the plug on Firefly and, as many a Browncoat can attest, the hurt never quite goes away. That said, the past years have, in the least, provided a few bandages here and there. Serenity, obviously, was a big one. The graphic novels <a href=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/128150-Serenity-Soars-Like-A-Leaf-Into-Comic-Book-Sequel>penned by Joss Whedon didn't hurt either. Now, toymaker Funko has unveiled another salve that fans can apply to their wounds in the form of retro-styled action figures.

The new toys, which will be the first official Firefly figures ever released, will be a part of Funko's ongoing Re:Action line which aims to emulate the style of the 1980s Kenner Star Wars toys. What this means for those unversed in 1980s toys is that they'll be 3 ¾-inch tall and less than realistic. Fans hoping for something a bit truer to life will be happy to know that Funko already has plans to put out more detailed action figures in the near future. The current release will include toys for Mal, Zoe, Wash, Jane and Kaylee.

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That said, if you're interested in the Re:Action Firefly figures they're currently <a href=http://www.entertainmentearth.com/hitlist.asp?company=Funko&theme=Firefly%2FSerenity&searchorder=com>available for pre-order with an official release planned in April. They'll cost $9.99 each. In the mean time, let us know what you think about them. Do they tickle your nostalgia nerves or is this a case of retro gone wrong?

Source: <a href=http://io9.com/these-first-official-firefly-action-figures-are-not-par-1523177283?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+io9%2Ffull+%28io9%29&utm_content=FaceBook>io9


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[Starke]

Am I the only one that's actually getting sick of Firefly stuff? I mean, I liked the series, but it's been over a decade.

 

[ellers07]

I'm definitely not sick of Firefly stuff... but the look of these figures isn't quite what I was hoping for when I read the title. I guess I'll pass and wait for those more realistic ones.

 

[TechTim]

I'm definitely not sick of Firefly stuff... but the look of these figures isn't quite what I was hoping for when I read the title. I guess I'll pass and wait for those more realistic ones.

same here quality is lower than i'd like too

 

[Starke]

I'm definitely not sick of Firefly stuff... but the look of these figures isn't quite what I was hoping for when I read the title. I guess I'll pass and wait for those more realistic ones.

It's certainly not helped by the fact that the Firefly merchandise has been... shall we call it "deliberately cheap"? I get that there's a kitsch aesthetic they're aiming for, but there's a fine line between cheap ass shit and ironically cheap ass looking shit that I'm getting really tired of.

 

[CrazyGirl17]

It sounds like a good idea... but the quality here is... lacking to say the least, It's like they just want to cash out something cheap to Fireflyh fans...

 

[rofltehcat]

They look horrible. If they'd aim for children as their primary market the quality would probably be ok but when aiming for the nerd/young adults market, going low price and horrible quality isn't really the best choice. Expecting Ashens to do a video on those x)

 

[Alpha Maeko]

I know that it's probably hard to mass produce things that have too much detail, but those things look like meshed-together cotton blobs with blurry pixel art lines thrown on top.

If you were to show me those figures out of context, I wouldn't have a single clue who they were supposed to be.

 

[Avaholic03]

Wow, those look just terrible. "Retro" is one thing...those are just bad. They could have at least made them bobbleheads as a nod to the "wobbly-headed doll caper". But styling them after some 1980 Star Wars stuff doesn't even make sense...this series has nothing in common with Star Wars aside from the space setting. Sounds like a thinly-veiled excuse to sell crappy products.

 

[EHKOS]

Did they 3D print those? They look like what I just flushed down my toilet, except my tuna sandwich was only $3.

I'd love to own one of the more realistic ones of Mal. But gosh, something went horribly wrong with this line.

Can we get a Serenity model too?

 

[Pebkio]

Okay, I'm a big firefly fan, I even watch the show sometimes... still! But even I know when it's time to move on.

These are cynical cash grabs. It's like some room of old executives had their one techie to a hash for the most used words on the internet. After sifting through all the pony and football crap, they see that many people have been demanding Firefly stuff. Unfortunately, someone forgot to tell them how to look at the date-stamp on anything...

 

[TiberiusEsuriens]

These are an atrocity to mankind. Ugh, they're hideous. I can see how they might have that 'retro' design, but even then they're hideous.

 

[an annoyed writer]

I can kinda understand the appeal of doing something in that retro-shoddy style...as long as the subject in question actually existed in the period of and produced a ton of figures of that style during said period, like Star Wars. Firefly is both about 30 years off and these, I'm sorry to say, just look kinda bad. I know maybe one guy who might find this appealing, but even with him I'm doubting that he'd be into this. And last I checked, Firefly/Serenity has long had figures beforehand, sold by the same Entertainment Earth website that you see there, and their sculpts were a good ton better than those:

Spoiler

Of course, they contracted Funko for this job, so anything beyond Kenner imitations and cheap bobbleheads is generally out of the question. it's sorta their thing:

Spoiler

Funko Toys! Missing the point of Nostalgia since 1998!

Wow, those look just terrible. "Retro" is one thing...those are just bad. They could have at least made them bobbleheads as a nod to the "wobbly-headed doll caper". But styling them after some 1980 Star Wars stuff doesn't even make sense...this series has nothing in common with Star Wars aside from the space setting. Sounds like a thinly-veiled excuse to sell crappy products.

Funny thing is, Funko toys COULD have gone the route of making bobbleheads here, since Funko did originally cut their teeth on making bobbleheads, but it doesn't even look like they tried. Of course, it's Funko, so even if they did make the bobbleheads, expect them to be ridiculously cheap. I have a Boba Fett one from them and it was of fairly poor construction, and when my brother knocked the little bounty hunter off of the table his rangefinder snapped just like that.

 

[MrPhyntch]

Hooray, I get to be that guy!

You misspelled "Jayne" when naming the characters.

OT: I'm not sure. On one had, I really want to get them. On the other hand, like has been said, these are rather ugly, and I have no nostalgia for the 80's toys, so I think I'll wait for the more realistic ones.

Still want my Firefly LEGO set, dammit.

 

[Olas]

I'm not sure if all the people complaining about how these look read the part explaining how these are part of a special line of toys specifically designed to look like something from the 80s. Or the part where it said there will be more realistic ones in the future.

I can kinda understand the appeal of doing something in that retro-shoddy style...as long as the subject in question actually existed in the period of and produced a ton of figures of that style during said period, like Star Wars. Firefly is both about 30 years off and these, I'm sorry to say, just look kinda bad.

I think that may be the point, or at least the excuse. It's become kinda a thing on the internet to make vintage stylized versions of modern things.

Whereas stylizing a toy to look like the actual decade it came from would be less ironic and weird. Though I'm guessing the real reason is to save money.

 

[Strazdas]

Granted Firefly is my second best TV show made but after seeing what they done here my reaction was "This has gone too far, enough with firefly already".

 

[putowtin]

Bill Murray can say it better than I ever could:


I'll save me pennies for another day!