Hikari Vinyl Japanese Vinyl Figure
Item No.: No. 5465 Manufacturer:Funko Includes:n/a Action Feature:n/a Retail:$50.00 Availability:July 2015 Other: San Diego Comic-Con / Toy Tokyo Exclusive (sold at Funko's booth)
I need to buy more of these. The Comic-Con exclusive Antique Verdigris Metaluna Mutant is a nice 8 1/2-inches tall, making it one of the bigger "cheap" Hikari figures. (Some are $80.) The same sculpt as before is back, this time cast in black plastic with a gold and green rub. It's surprisingly ornate, and while I didn't think I needed a figure that looked like a copper statue left out in the elements it turns out that I do.
With jointed arms and a jointed neck, the figure offers no construction-related surprises. Three points of articulation mean that it can stand well, as long as the legs don't get bent out of shape. (Mine is tilting back ever so slightly.) The metallic rub really brings out the sculpted detail in a way that clear plastic doesn't. The gold eyes are a little creepier than the black ones on the other release, but it makes sense if what you're trying to make is a metal tarnished sculpture out of vinyl.
While doing shiny candy-like colors and glittery explosions of brightness are things you can scream about from the rooftops, this is a lot more subtle. Making something look old and nasty takes just as much work, if not more, but it isn't flashy. The veiny brain is really gnarly with the green finish, and the tarnished gold claws really pop nicely. The subtle greenish rub on the back and the exposed black areas on the shoulder look tough to pull off well, and the resulting deco is pretty gorgeous. Stunning, no. Flashy, no. But you can appreciate the craftsmanship here while you curse the fact that it has to be on a $50 collectible convention exclusive, and will likely never be added to a cheaper Pop! Vinyl Figure or an action figure.
The Life Force version is and forever will be my favorite, but this one is pretty amazing from the other side. For whacked-out crazy colors and bright glitter, you can't beat it. For a more nuanced figure that would probably look good on a bookshelf on your office, this one would fit in nicely. It's way more interesting than the wood or brass mallards they sold in office furniture stores in the malls in the 1980s, and won't smack someone upside the head with your nerd cred the same way a Pink Glitter Stay Puft Marshmallow Man might. It's not as fun, but it's dignified - you probably know someone who'd dig this. Too bad it's expensive on eBay, because they'd have loved to get one as a gift from you. Or at least, I would've, if I didn't already have one.
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