Top 10: Summer 2015 Funko Pop Toys

Funko Pop Toys are all the rage, embracing almost every fandom that’s ever existed, and the newest crop this summer is without exception. Summers feature some of the most prized Pops of the year, as SDCC draws near and Funko reveals its convention exclusives. This season in particular also catches Funko re-releasing some of its “From The Vault” toys in commemoration of the upcoming Star Wars movie, The Force Awakens.

Because there are so many Pops figurines coming out this summer, it’s impossible to reasonably make a list that can satisfy everyone’s taste, so I’ll just satisfy my own. If you agree, or disagree, feel free to sound off in the comments and suggest some other Pops I might have missed out on.

10) Vault Boy

Breaking into the chart is Vault Co.’s mascot and classic icon of the Fallout series. We finally get an easy-to-acquire version that can be the center piece of our treasure hordes to remind us, “war never changes.” This piece is one of several that are coming out this summer to celebrate Bethesda’s return to Fallout. Don’t forget to check out our teams’ write up Fallout 4 at E3!

9) Gentleman Claptrap

Hidden among the regular release of the Borderlands Funko Pops, Gentleman Claptrap is a Gamestop exclusive. Personally I’ve never seen a Gamestop exclusive in stock before, so this one might be tough to acquire, but a Claptrap with a top hat? I’d happily hunt for that! Somewhere out there there’s also a recoloring of Claptrap, also a Gamestop exclusive, but I can’t even find it via Gamestop’s website. Though the exclusives are hard to find, the regular Borderlands line is quite abundant at most stores that regularly carry Funko Pops. Get to work finding them, Vault Hunters!

8) Han Solo

A prized piece among the newly established “From The Vault” line of Funko toys, Han Solo disappeared soon after his initial release in an early wave of Star Wars Pops. The Boba Fett figure probably ran him off. Returning now, he’s giving new collectors a shot at getting the famous smuggler. Don’t believe the Funko blog post though! This toy has managed to get into Hot Topic by some means of wizardry. Look for him and other “From The Vault” toys like the already rereleased Slave Leia and the upcoming Jawa.

7) Golden Bender

The end of Futurama was a harsh blow to cartoons, but fear not faithful Planet Express, “employee!” Following the release of a full line of Futurama figures, we’re given the chance to swipe a Golden Bender at this year’s SDCC. This is a golden version of the regular Bender figure, but even “standard” Bender is a high quality robot. Personally, I wouldn’t use up precious SDCC time to wait in line for this one if the line were long, or as long as some of the other Funko Pops later on in the list. If the line were short, and I had already secured my other exclusives, then it’s a deal. Aside from that, I’d be willing to shell out a bit extra when it hits the after markets to nab this robot. In my heart of hearts though, I wish this was a golden Calculon.

6) The Rainbow Batmen Set

OK, this is actually a set of six figures and probably the most challenging entry to acquire on this list aside from SDCC exclusives. So what’s this set all about? Detective Comics Volume 1 #241 featured The Rainbow Batman, DC Wiki explains,

“… Batman wears several different colored costumes … to draw attention to himself and away from Robin, as people might realize Robin had an injured arm like Dick Grayson’s.”

Photo Credit: Sub-Cultured Photographer Hannah Fogler

Entertainment Earth and Funko Pop celebrate the 75th anniversary of Batman providing these colorful exclusives remembering that story. Our own team did an excellent write up and photo shoot showing off these caped crusaders. If you want to order your own set, visit Entertainment Earth online or order by phone to get all six, and with a few more figures, free shipping!

5) Agent Carter

If I could only say one thing about this toy hitting shelves, it would be “It’s about time!” Fans enthralled with the short-season wonder have been out-right demanding more merchandise to support the show and the fandom, and here’s one of the first signs of life. Featuring Carter herself striking a pose with her classic red hat and blue outfit, and holding the “mysterious item” that Howard Stark tried to keep safe, this toy is an automatic purchase. Just think of it, a diorama of Agent Carter, Agent May, Age of Ultron Black Widow, and Scarlet Witch Funko Pops dominating a shelf or desk is just within your grasp.

4) Glow in the Dark Yellowjacket

Being the latest Amazon exclusive, when it sells out it’ll be an amazing get for the pre-order price of $13.99. Not to mention the sculpt of Yellowjacket’s suit, with the helmet and the mechanical arms, makes it a standout among other Funko toys. Never mind that a yellowish glow would add another layer of detail, dare I say realism, to an already well-crafted figure. Just in time for the Ant-Man movie to hit theatres this July! Also if you’re looking for a matching glow-in-the-dark figure to accompany Yellowjacket, Hot Topic is in the midst of releasing a GITD Ant-man.

3) Captain American Unmasked

SDCC exclusive! Steve Rogers featured in his Age of Ultron uniform, unmasked. “Unmasked,” appears to be a theme among this year’s exclusives as we’ll also be getting a Baymax Unmasked also at SDCC and several others including an unmasked variant of Ant-Man from the Marvel Collector Corp. I have very little doubt that Cap will be hitting eBay for five times his original price, without delay, as soon as he’s swiped up on the convention floor.

2) T.A.R.D.I.S

This summer Funko is releasing it’s first venture into the Dr. Who franchise with a slew of figures, including the big blue box herself. Designed as a glorious 6-inch model, she poses very well with her Doctor counterparts or any other Funko Pop that wishes to travel time and space. Much of the Dr. Who series has been pre-released through Hot Topic and slowly infiltrated the secondary markets. Prices on secondary markets aren’t too disagreeable, but you may wish to wait till the series is released openly for adequate pricing. Though Hot Topic does have an assortment of exclusive variants, none of them beats that SDCC exclusive of the 12th Doctor in a space suit.

1) Rocket and Potted Groot

How about taking two of the hottest Guardians of the Galaxy characters and doing a mash-up? Amazon reports that Groot Funko Pops are among its most popular toys and if Amazon had metrics for second place it would probably be followed up closely with Rocket Funko Pops. It’s not hard to imagine the impact this Pop will have on the markets. My money is on this being *the* SDCC exclusive of 2015. It’ll sell out within minutes and will be worth so much money that I don’t think I’ll be able to get my kidney out fast enough to make change. This is the sort of exclusive people travel to SDCC for and throw themselves onto the convention floor to acquire.