Funko The Fifth Element Diva Plavalaguna ReAction FigureFunko, 2015
Day #1,217: July 3, 2015
The Fifth Element Diva Plavalaguna Best ReAction Yet?
The Fifth Element ReAction Figure
Item No.: No. 5213 Manufacturer:Super7 x Funko Includes:Water Stone Action Feature:n/a Retail: est. $9.99 Availability:May 2015 Other: Does Not Actually Sing
I dug The Fifth Element when I saw it at a crappy theater near my house in 1997. It didn't dawn on me at the time, but it turned out that it was packed with a bunch of great action figure designs which had a lot of false starts before the likes of Diva Plavalaguna came out as a ReAction Figure in 1997. I saw custom figures at the former Empire of Toys, I saw prototypes in ToyFare, but no actual product hit until now! We got 7 figures, which is pretty amazing - and it also highlighted how many other figures like Cornelius, or any of dozens of awesome, gorgeous, or arguably sexist extras and background characters. (See: McDonald's, Fhloston Paradise plane.)
The Diva is one of the most memorable characters in the move, despite being little more than a conduit to move the plot along. The singing, dancing alien opera star stands about 4 1/3-inches high and sports four points of articulation. The "unileg" was not popularized by the Star Wars format which ReAction largely emulates, but eagle-eyed fans will recognize this joint from Charon in the Clash of the Titans line. The limbs have no problems swinging forward or rotating, mostly thanks to the clever deployment of the head tails. Some are sculpted to her back, and the ones hanging off her head don't bump into anything. They did a nice job making sure she can actually sit and even fit in some (but not all) old vehicles from the golden age of this kind of action figure.
What really struck me about this one was the execution in deco, which is an area where Funko hasn't been able to nail the shiny feel of an old Kenner figure. They got it perfect here, thanks in part to the kind of figure this is - when you have an alien that's all blue and you can't really tell where the dress stops and the skin begins, it's perfect. The shiny blue plastic has painted fingernails - a deco point we wouldn't have seen in the old days - and limited black on her belt, neck, wrists, and head. The eyes and lips are positively perfect, with the flat and simple outfit really being the perfect example of what ReAction figures can be.
Her accessory is one of the Stones, the Water Stone. It has some wavy lines and can't be held in her hands, but it looks cool and is an important part of the plot as well as a memorable element of the character's scenes.
While some figures had assembly or QC problems, this one doesn't. I don't think I could have nitpicked it into a better release in terms of engineering or the basic look, so this is a winner that fans of the movie should buy without reservation. Ten bucks is a steal for something like this, mostly if you've been waiting for one for 18 years like I have. I can't say that the rest of the line is this good, but start here and if you like what you see buy one or two more.
16bit.com is best not viewed in Apple's Safari browser, we don't know why. All material on this site copyright their respective copyright holders. All materials appear hear for informative and entertainment purposes. 16bit.com is not to be held responsible for anything, ever. Photos taken by the 16bit.com staff. Site design, graphics, writing, and whatnot credited on the credits page. Be cool-- don't steal. We know where you live and we'll break your friggin' legs.
RSS 
