It's that time once again for some deep analysis of pony products for all you people with spare money to throw around. The Funko Mystery Mini's released pretty recently, emulating each of their larger figures with ponies that are about half the size.
Since we have already reviewed most of these in their larger size, I figured I'd mix it up with a bit of an unboxing. These aren't totally random if you get a box though, as each one does include all 12 listed. However, there are 24 figures floating around in the wild at the moment (recolors), so this only covers half.
Anyway, get some mystery minis below the break!
First off, this is the back of one of the 12 mini boxes included, which we've already posted previously. The black coloration has always confused me a bit. Did they accidently drop a batch of pony molds into a vat of paint and decide to run with it? While some do looks pretty good like this (Spitfire for example), I'd actually prefer the normal coloration with the smaller figures. The size on these is great.
Once the mini-box is opened, a solid black bag is the next layer of protection from prying eyes. They really don't want you to know what you are going to get!
My first one was the Vinyl Scratch glow in the dark version. I honestly like this coloration better than the large size one. The glow in the dark white looks really good on her.
It looks like Derpy derped her tail in my second box. With how much packaging these guys have protecting them, it must have happened at some point during the production. Poor girl.
Time for a trip to the glue factory!
Lyra and Bonbon were back to back next to each other. It's fate, there isn't any other explanation. These two were made for eachother (in a totally friendship way). If you have the usual toys, you know what to expect.
THE ULTIMATE NINJA PONY. I've always been in the group of people that sees Ms. Tavia as an international super spy, and now she is colored for the part.
It just dawned on me that there still isn't a Funko Twilight Sparkle. Isn't she usually the go-to pony for the merchandise lines? At the same time though, I'm alright with these guys shifting focus over to the background/fan favorite ponies. I could beat a pre-teen/teenage girl in number of things labeled "Twilight" in my room at this point.
More Derpy. And you guys thought they killed her.
I'm still kind of curious about how they dodge the trademark/copyright claims on this guy. Isn't the BBC known for cracking down on anyone and everything making money off Doctor Who? I should get a law degree once EQD dies down and study this stuff. It's fascinating.
Spitfire is definitely my favorite of the bunch. The orange works surprisingly well with the black, and her markings add an extra layer of detail that the other ponies are missing.
And that about covers it. Have a final shot with each toy next to their respective large size variants. While I'd still prefer if they were normal colored, these mini figures are still really cool overall. As with the last review, have some positives and negatives:
Positive:
- Great size. With blindbags taking up the tiny molded pony market, and Funko's normal figures hitting the large side, these fit right in.
- The entire lineup of funko's figures has already been done
- The black paint looks pretty good on the brighter mane'd ponies, and does mix things up a bit.
Negative:
- It would have been nice to see a pony or two that hasn't already been released as a large size. With Celestia in one of the upcoming waves, a mini figure of her would have been awesome early on.
- The black paint design still confuses me. While it does change things, I'd still rather have molded figures in this size without the new coloration.
- Derpy's tail was derped.
And if you were worried about muffinponi, she has returned safely from the glue factory, good as new!
That about covers it! If you want one of these, it sounds like Hot Topic is your best bet for actual brick and mortar shopping. Everyone else can find them on Toywiz in full box form, single mystery box form, or just straight up opened with no blindbaggyness at all.
