Funko's admittedly bizarre and nifty Hikari Vinyl figure line is, in short, to vinyl figures what Gentle Giant was to Mini Busts back in 2002. It's a little strange, it seems expensive, they're limited, and it's a big shift from the kind of cheap stuff we were used to seeing. Several figures have been announced but this Original Greedo is their very first release. Each individual figure has a name for each paintjob, but it's only visible on the trading card inside each figure's box and can not be seen on the packaging's exterior. It's in the 7 1/4-inch range, rather than the much larger Hikari Marvel figures and comes to you hand-painted with 3 points of articulation.

Due to the intentionally limited nature (and high prices) of these figures, odds are getting a complete set is something you won't want to do - I've been cherry-picking (and begging) to get some here and there, and my menagerie hasn't hit a dozen figures yet. Greedo kicked off their Star Wars program and you might wonder "Why Greedo?" It turns out Funko's president, Brian Mariotti, is actually a big fan of the guy - so he'll appear in most of their Star Wars lines fairly early on. To date, most Hikari Vinyl figures get a minimum of two and as many as ten (if not more) figures. Some are limited to a few hundred, some are limited to a couple thousand, and a few are limited to 24. That is not a typo - these ones are really, really expensive.

This particular figure is a fairly straightforward replica of the alien as he appears in the movie - green shirt, pale vest, green skin, and purple eyes. At least one variant is coming and was shown on an Australian store, although I have no idea what this more Kennery deco's fate will be as far as US distribution. Some of the figures have a matte finish, a metallic finish, or a clear glittery design. This one is flat-up shiny to the point where it reminded me of Christopher Radko Christmas ornaments. You may not collect them, but I'm sure if you've ever wandered into a department store you've seen something similar. The bluegreen bodysuit brings the figure to life, as do the round - yes, actually round, not incorrectly ovoid - metallic purple eyes come and form the figure's personality nicely. Funko's team in China also hand-painted the interior of the mouth a dark shade of grey, which is just fantastic.

While Star Wars aliens generally have a pretty distinctive feel, Greedo always stood out to me as something of a throwback. The goofy row of spines and the antenna felt like something out of a previous decade, which more or less works given the inspiration of this line was old vinyl Kaiju and monster toys from decades past. These are generally simpler designs, but if you look at Greedo they really went to town sculpting the face. Bumps and warts, wrinkly skin, and unique ridges all over his brow do wonders to giving him a facial expression a bit more pronounced than other Greedo figures. Generally he doesn't have a look that says "angry," but here he actually looks a bit agitated. Looking at other figures, busts, and masks this brow is generally not exaggerated as it is here.

At Toy Fair Funko showed off concepts for Wampas, Clone Troopers, Boba Fett, Darth Vader, C-3PO, Bossk, and many others - plus they're working on other licenses like Transformers, Masters of the Universe, Universal Monsters, and more in Marvel. There is too damn much licensed stuff out there these days so suggesting that you collect their weekly standard releases plus exclusives is nothing short of ridiculous as each figure usually starts at around $50, but some end up getting cheaper over time on Amazon or eBay. I'd suggest snagging one or hitting up Barnes & Noble - one of the few places I semi-frequent to stock this line - to check it out and see if it's something you might like. I hate buying higher-dollar stuff as my preference is to buy toys made for kids in the $5-$10 range, but I won't deny that I'm really loving these dumb things. My favorite, for those who are wondering, is the "Life Force Metaluna Mutant based on This Island Earth. They're all quite beautiful and I really need to be prevented from buying more of them... and I'm quite happy Funko hasn't done some sort of subscription service for this line as I'd probably sign up for it and be out more money than I'd care to spend. I unfortunately missed the early pre-order window on the first versions of Vader, the Clone, and Boba Fett so I'm hoping subsequent releases come soon and don't go on sale while I'm on the road for business. Cuz I want these.

Original Greedo is the name of the figure on the included card, and this is sample #221 of 2,000.

--Adam Pawlus

Sample purchased from Entertainment Earth. Author also pretty chummy with Funko as they are nice people, so insert bias warning here.

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