Life is like a hurricane, here in Duckburg …

Some times, some crimes go slipping through the cracks …

When there’s trouble, you call DW …

Oh, ee-yay! Oh, ee-oh …

If you know these anthems, there is no way you cannot be excited right now.

After what seems like an eternity waiting for action figures based on the hallowed Disney Afternoon lineup, less than a week after Funko’s announcement that these were coming, we are lucky to bring you an early look at series one. 2017 has been a pretty jam-packed year for action figure releases, but finally getting these is a BIG deal to me, and I have not been this excited for a new line in a long time. Right out of the gate, I have to say I am really pleased with what Funko has put together, and this first assortment has great representation across most of the “afternoon” lineup.

My favorite shows from the DA were always DuckTales, Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers, and Adventures of the Gummi Bears, but I have always like Darkwing Duck and TaleSpin too, so getting characters from four out of those five shows with the first drop is pretty awesome. With this, we get Scrooge McDuck, Baloo, Darkwing Duck, Chip, Dale (with Zipper), and a limited chase Negaduck variant of DW. That is some great representation, and while it scratches a lot of itches in terms of delivering on the main characters, it also primes the palette for more characters, and I hope this means it is just getting started. Let’s take a look at each figure.

Baloo (TaleSpin)

The adventures of the Sea Duck in Cape Suzette were headed up by Captain Baloo, and his figure has been rendered wonderfully here by the team at Funko. I like the sculpt quite a lot, and they decided to present Baloo without his aviator jacket and scarf, which is perfectly reasonable, and it makes a variant down the line very possible. The paint work is very crisp and precise on this figure (and throughout the entire assortment), and I really like the expression chosen for Baloo as it fits his character well.

Baloo has eight points of articulation, including neck, shoulders, elbows, waist, and hips. That is actually a pretty nice spread, especially for and animated character in this style, and while I would have liked to have gotten wrists as well, I am not fussed over it. I like that the shoulders are partial ball joints as that adds a much greater range of movement than standard cuts, which is what I was expecting.

Baloo is also the tallest figure in the assortment, which is appropriate, but I wish he was just a shade taller. He is a bear, after all, and pretty big, so I could have always used more height, but, surprisingly, I don’t find his height to be egregious. He still fits in with Scrooge and DW pretty well, so I am going to call it good here. This is a very nice figure and captures the essence of Baloo well, and hopefully we will get guys like Kit and King Louie soon.

Darkwing Duck and Negaduck (Darkwing Duck)

Let’s get DANGEROUS! Now, I know Darkwing is likely to be the real fan favorite of this assortment, and he does not disappoint. I was never into Darkwing Duck as much as Duck Tales, but I know a good character design when I see one, and Darkwing definitely has that. That is what I am most taken with on this figure, the character design and dynamic colors really dream through in this figure, and Darkwing looks awesome. One of the details worth noting is his iconic hat; it is perfectly realized here, down to the slight flop and asymmetrical shape, so great work by Funko here.

As I said, the purple and teal of the costume really pop, and even with the more complicated getup, Darkwing matches Baloo in terms articulation and movement. Darkwing can hold his blaster, but I wish the grip was just a little tighter, and, again, wrists would have been great here. I like the cape quite a lot, too, and while it would have been impossible for it to be all crazy with a wrap around feature, it hangs nicely and is made of a soft and flexible material.

Now, Darkwing gets the chase variant in this series in the form of Negaduck, and while I don’t know how rare this chase will be, I do know Darkwing Duck fans are gonna want it. It is, of course, a greyscale repaint, but it is also very well done, and actually reasonable for chase, because Funko can still do a more classic Negaduck (with the yellow jacket) later on with a more traditional release.

Scrooge McDuck (DuckTales)

Now this is what I am talking about! DuckTales was definitely my favorite Disney Afternoon show, and I am riding high with the awesome new series, plus, I am a huge fan of the Scrooge comics, and Mickey’s Christmas Carol, so I have been waiting for a great figure of Mr. McD for pretty much my entire life. So, to say I am glad to have this figure is definitely an understatement, and this little figure just makes me so happy. As far as I am concerned, Scrooge (and Darkwing, for that matter) scales pretty much perfectly with my 1:12 scale action figures, so the fact that he fits in with my collection at large is such a nice bonus.

Scrooge dawns his blue jacket from the show (as opposed to the red from the comics), and dons his top hat, spats and glasses. I want to mention the latter because I really love the clear plastic used here because the effect comes off very nicely, and highlights the expression of this happier Scrooge. Scrooge is also a big winner with accessories as he has his requisite cane and a money bag, both of which he can hold well. I gave some thought to the idea that Scrooge’s hat should be removable, but I have the MCC Scrooge figure, and while I love that figure, the hat is a total pain, so I am glad they did not bother with it.

I want to take the time to mention this: DuckTales is the that, if we get more series from Funko, I hope they go the deepest with in terms of character selection. I am already aching for Huey, Dewey, and Louie, oh an Webby, too, not to mention Launchpad, who could also service the Darkwing Duck lineup. There are so many possibilities here that Funko could just do a DuckTales line and I would be over the moon, but this one, more than any of the other shows is where I want to see the most representation.

Chip ‘n Dale and Zipper (Chip and Dale: Rescue Rangers)

While DuckTales is my favorite DA show, Rescue Rangers is most certainly a very close second. Chip and Dale have always been two of my favorite classic Disney characters, and their take on Indiana Jones and Magnum P.I. as little guys who are looking out for, well, the little guys, was a great premise for a cartoon. Plus, the old Capcom game was a hoot to play. It is only appropriate that we get both of them in this first series, and if I am being perfectly honest, I think these two are my favorite figures of the assortment, barely edging out Scrooge.

The Chip and Dale figures are perfect little representations of the characters, and even though they are smaller than the rest of the figures in the wave, they retain the same level of detail, quality, and articulation of the rest. Also, while they are the smallest, they are also in their own scale, apart from the rest of the series. They are definitely too big to be accurate next to, say, Scrooge, but Funko really had to do it this way because, while Zipper makes a great little slug piece with these two (that is, a non-articulated figurine), Chip and Dale would have to be the same size to fit with the rest of the figures, so I am glad they made the call to have the Rescue Rangers in their own scale as it gives us the chance for more detailed and dynamic figures.

I have been talking a lot about possible future figures here, but that is definitely apparent with the Rangers because, with the inclusion of Zipper, we only need Gadget and Monterrey Jack to finish off the main characters from the show, and that would be nothing short of fantastic. I hope those two are being fast tracked if more waves are planned, because I NEED the entire crew ASAP.

Wow! What a great series to kick off a plastic celebration of the Disney Afternoon, and after thinking for so many years this would not happen, these characters are being realized in beautiful fashion. The quality, character selection, and nostalgia are all running in top form here, so I cannot imagine this series will not sell like gangbusters and we will have more to look forward to for these properties. All of the included shows have deep canons to explore, and it would be great to see Gummi Bears kicked off as well. Bring it on, Funko, I will buy anything from this line you throw at us.

Oh, and if you want to get in on these figures ASAP, head over to BBTS and get your pre-orders in for Dale, Chip, Scrooge, Darkwing, and Baloo.

*Thanks to our friends at Funko for sending these along for a feature!