Spitfire is one of my favorite characters in all of the MLP universe--who doesn't love a drill sergeant pony?--but I had long since given up on seeing her released as anything more than a blind bag figurine. I was drooling over fanmade customs and considering whipping out some model paints and a "bait" pony myself, when I spotted this... A full-sized Funko vinyl figure... of SPITFIRE.
Naturally, this was my reaction:
SO AWESOME!!!
Needless to say, I keep better tabs on upcoming MLP releases now. ...At any rate, I waited eagerly for my TRU order to arrive. When it did, I was pleased to find that many of the issues present in the first wave of Funko MLPs had been addressed. Seams are neater and less obvious, there's virtually no discoloration, and the plastic-y odor that plagued a percentage of the Wave 1's is completely absent. (Note: The plastic-y smell DID FADE ENTIRELY from my older Funko ponies after they were removed from their packaging and left to sit out for a few days. Still, it's nice that newer releases don't have to deal with it to begin with.)
Aside from manufacturing improvements, I have to say that this is probably the most detailed Funko MLP to date. Spitfire is portrayed in her full Wonderbolts uniform, complete with detailing and beautifully sculpted goggles.
Spitfire's mane and tail are new sculpts, whereas her head (with the additions of new eye shapes and goggles), body, and wings are made from Funko's generic MLP molds. As always, the sculpting is spot-on and I can't honestly find any fault in it. This Spitfire is a very faithful representation of the character, from the shape and volume of her mane to the positioning of her goggles' strap.
Paint apps for the mane and tail are just about perfect! Very nice and neat, with no discoloration or bleeding. The yellow "highlights" should really be more orange, but the color's not too far off. All in all, an excellent job.
Spitfire's eyes, ears, muzzle, goggles' strap, and costume details are painted over her blue base color. These apps are fairly clean all around; there are specks out of place here and there, but nothing major.
The paint apps on the Wonderbolts uniform fall just a little short. The lightning designs on the cuffs only wrap about halfway around each hoof, rather than forming a circle, and the uniform's yellow section ends at the bottom of the chest, rather than spanning the length of the belly. The "cutie mark" lightning bolt is only applied on the display (right) side, but this is true of every G4 pony. None of these issues are very noticeable while the figure is displayed, only if examined hands-on.
Spitfire's eyes are designed to resemble her early appearance in S1:E26 "The Best Night Ever", where she is chatting with other party-goers and looks casual and at ease.
Spitfire looks 20% cooler when displayed with Funko's Rainbow Dash! ;D
Here's a comparison between Spitfire's seams and those of the earlier Rainbow Dash figure. While Wave 1's imperfections were never significant enough to be deal-breakers for me, it's nice to see the line improving. :)
Bottom line: A great step forward for Funko MLP collectibles. If you liked the other ponies in this series, you'll be pleased to see the line expanding and improving. While not perfect, I found Spitfire to be well-worth her $14.99 USD price tag. :) And come on... it's SPITFIRE! You know your FiM collection won't be complete without her. ;)
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This is a nice looking figurine I did not now they had made a spitfire one. I think her goggles look great. I just need hasbro to make a brushable spitfire now. :)
ReplyDeleteYes, Spitfire is my favorite of the Funko MLPs so far. :) I agree that they need to make a brushable; I'd especially love a Fashion Style size (though that may be a little much to hope for)!
DeleteThanks for the comment. :)