Funko Mystery Minis - "1 Rare & 1 Common Variant!!!"

Just recently the local Walmart began carrying a different variety of Funko toys including different types of the usual 'POP! Vinyls' as well as some newly introduced 'Mystery Minis', and 'ReAction' adult figures. Being the Funko 'POP! Vinyls' fan that I am I couldn't pass up the opportunity for some new review material, and collectibles to add to my growing collection. This time around I decided to take a gamble with a couple of Funko's Mystery Minis figures/bobble heads, and an 'Alien' ReAction figure which I'll be reviewing a little later on. I picked up a series 2 "The Walking Dead" Mystery Mini, and a "Guardians of the Galaxy (the title reminds me of Destiny ^.^)" Mystery Mini bobble head figure. What you have to understand about these types of Funko toys, and my purchases aside from the fact that they are a "mystery" is that the toys are randomly packaged. You could score a common figure, an uncommon one, or even a rare one. Surprisingly enough I scored one of the rarer Mystery Mini figures you could get for the "Walking Dead" series, and a common one from the "Guardians of the Galaxy" series. In "The Walking Dead" box I got the glow-in-the-dark bloody zombie, and in the "Guardians of the Galaxy" box I got the common 'Ronan' figure. It was a truly pleasant surprise to get the glow-in-the-dark zombie, and is one that will go down in pure luck history ... for me anyways.

When it comes to the packaging of the Mystery Minis you'll find that the boxes which contain the figures are small in size, and contain no outside hint as to which figure you'll be getting aside from the visual list located on the back of the box. It's all about the mystery, or the luck of the draw as some would put it. The boxes come sealed in an outer plastic to ensure that you (the customer) have purchased a product that has not been tampered with. When opened you'll find your figure/s wrapped in a solid black bag to maintain the mystery until you have torn it open. As far as price goes you will find that a single Mystery Mini will set you back a little over five dollars, and is decent enough of in price to warrant a buy.

One thing you should definitely keep in mind when thinking about purchasing a Mystery Mini is that you're not always going to get that coveted rare figure. In fact you might double up on some figures before you get as lucky as I did. Having friends who also collect the Mystery Minis can make for good trading opportunities, and can help you complete your collections should you be aiming to do so.

The figures themselves are small in size, and come in theme based designs that harken back to the series they are a part of. Some Mystery Minis series have more than one run, and will contain a large variety of different figures such as the "Walking Dead" series 2 does. In the case of the "Walking Dead" figures you'll notice that some figures appear with up to three different variations with their rarity listed beside each of them. In the case of my glow-in-the-dark zombie it was a lesser rare that has the potential of showing up in one out of twenty four (1/24) boxes. The rarest of them has a (1/144) listing, and contains multiple rare details such as blood, and glow-in-the-dark vinyl. As far as size goes they are roughly about 3 inches in height, and vary in width, but are built with the same quality craftsmanship that has become associated with the other Funko products. Figures range in detail for standard paint issues to the rarer ones such as those with blood details, metallic parts, or glow-in-the-dark features.

When it comes to Mystery Mini variety you'll find that some are more akin to solid plastic figures (i.e., 'The Walking Dead'), or are bobble-heads that mirror Funko's original 'Wacky Wobblers' toy series. The boxes containing each figure will always clue you in as to whether, or not you are buying a bobble-head. Bobble headed Mystery Minis such as the one above are marked with the words "Vinyl Bobble-Head" on the top, and front facing sides of the box. I know not everyone's going to like bobble-heads, and that not everyone is going to favor the solid plastic figures. It's always best to do your research when choosing which toys to add to your collection. Hopefully this article will help you in that process as well.

As you can tell on the back image of the box there's a cartoon listing of each figure in the series that the Mystery Mini is associated with. The first two rows show the more common figures, and the last row shows the three rare figures. In this case I scored the common 'Ronan' figure which happens to be the last figure shown before the three rare figures. You will find that most of the time the artistic images do reflect what the figure is going to look like apart from the bobble-head mechanism/spring, and the rare details that go along with the rare figures.

As far as the nature of the common 'Ronan' figure goes it just so happens to be that his weapon is sporting metallic paint. The rare version, which is harder to find has a metallic cloak, and armor details. While it's not the greatest figure I've seen it does have it's charms as a Funko toy.

Well, that does it for this "Mini" review (pun intended ^.^). I hope you enjoyed the look at my Funko figures, and that it motivates you to start collecting toys as well. Unlike video games toys will last for a long while, and will retain value even longer. There are still a lot of toy collectors out there, and it's never too late to start collecting. Funko's various types of toys are but a drop in the bucket when it comes to the glorious variety that is awaiting you out there in the world of collectibles! Be sure not to miss out!