Funko have shipped their latest offering of Marvel Collector Corps this month with a Villains themed box set. The theme Villains shouldn’t be new to fans, as this was also used twice by Lootcate. Unlike Funko’s previous offerings including Avengers: Age of Ultron, Ant-Man, and Secret Wars, this theme allows the company to introduce many different characters and collectibles that are not limited to just movies and comics.
If you read our previous reviews of the Collector Corps box sets, we’ve expressed our concerns and even talked to Funko about offering more of a variety to the Collector Corps that may or may not include a pouch, pin, Pop! Tees, and other collectibles. Since this is the first official Marvel subscription, it needs to be the best is can possibly be and offer a wide range of collectibles that are different in each box set. We’ve noticed that Funko has fallen into a pattern in the previous sets, and while this set also follows some of that same pattern, it does offer a nice selection of collectibles.
The good news here is that we think Funko has offered a very nice set this month and have taken the opportunity to introduce fans to some different Funko collectibles. If you are familiar with what the company offers, you can see that this month offers the most diversity of collectibles and even a 50/50 split of the Morbious Pop! Vinyl Figure collectible that we discussed more in depth below.
On a side note, since we don’t normally get to do a Funko review, we have been a bit bummed out with the company since New York Comic-Con as they don’t allow press access to purchase the exclusives to showcase for our readers, other than the press releases that we posted announcing what the exclusives are. It’s really unfortunate that there is no love for press at these trade shows with Funko as the media is really the life blood of any company. We hope something changes soon, but as Funko continues to grow, the chances of them showing appreciation to press and other people in the industry dwindles down. For the most part, Funko is the only major toy company not to show appreciation to press. They do sometimes grant members of the media the privilege of product samples (they did send us the Jaws figure collection shortly after San Diego Comic-Con). It’s just that they rarely send anything and even to show appreciation for the continued support of their company is almost non-existent.
Availability: November 2015
Starting with the unboxing, Funko once again offered a patch and pin set located on top of the box, with a Red Skull patch and Green Goblin pin that we also found some listings at Amazon.com for those interested.
We’ve expressed our concerns with Funko over starting each box set with this formula as it does take the place of something else, as the demand won’t be as high as other products.
Next up is a new Pop! tee of Marvel villains including Venom, Ultron, Thanos, Green Goblin, Loki, and Red Skull. Unfortunately, the tee shirt comes in grey, which the color doesn’t work for us. The other issue here is that a Pop! tee has been offered in every box so far, and this is another example of that standard formula that we mentioned earlier.
Next up is a new variant cover comic book of Invincible Iron-Man #1 out in stores this week. The cover features Marvel Zombies and Iron Man at the center. We were thrilled with the cover as Marvel Zombies are one of our favorites and was very happy to see this was being offered.
Iron Man however doesn’t fall under the villains category, so maybe a villain comic instead would have best been used for this exclusive box set?
Funko had offered not one, but two versions of Morbious available in this set as a 50/50 split, so you get a chance to get either the standard version, or the awesome looking Zombie Morbious Pop! Vinyl Figure.
We were thrilled to see the first ever Marvel Zombie Pop! offered this month. Unfortunately, if you want a particular Morbious Pop! and didn’t get it, you have to resort to eBay or Amazon to purchase it. While we are thrilled to received the Zombie version as that would have been our preference, we are disappointed there are two versions offered as there are people out there looking for one or the other, or both. A better option would have offered both of these and replaced other items like the Pop! tee.
Loki is offered in the Dorbz line from Vinyl Sugar. Considering the characters popularity this year, it’s no surprise he would also be a focus in this months offering.
Derbz are not our personal preference as far as collectibles and we don’t generally care for the look. However, Loki right now is a primary villain for Marvel so he defiantly deserves his place in this set.
Lastly, offered for the first time is a Pop! key chain bobble-head figure of Venom. Since a Venom Pop! Vinyl Figure was offered to Walgreens, it’s no surprise he wasn’t the Pop! being offered in this set. The key chain is a good substitute, and we definitely prefer a Spider-Man villain in this box set.
Overall:
The Marvel Collector Corps Villain Box Set offers a nice selection of collectibles and we are noticing the value in this set over some previous offerings.
As we stated in previous reviews and this one, Funko keeps falling into the same formula for the most part with some of the same concepts in each box set. We personally are hoping for a Pop! Ride one of these days offered in the Marvel Collector Corps.
Recommended.
Purchase:
