Not too long ago, ibentmyman-thing started a very worthwhile conversation about what kinds of fun lines and properties that damn Funko (he’s so hot right now) could tackle for Legacy-style treatment.
Benty mentioned Warhammer, which makes good sense as an outgrowth of the Magic: The Gathering stuff they’ve already planned, but I’m gonna switch tracks on the hypothetical train and suggest another space opera: Starcraft.
First, let’s get details out of the way. As of my last Google-fu on the subject, it appears that DC Collectibles may still be the current license holder for Blizzard, though there hasn’t been much action on that front for a while. As such, I’m suggesting this mostly because Funko already has a working relationship with Blizzard, and I don’t think external properties are much of a focus for DCC in recent years. And while it’s hard to talk about any Blizzard franchise without mentioning the 800 lb orc in the room, I think Warcraft is another story for another time.
Other than the DC Collectibles… uh, collectibles, the last time the 11 million copies-strong franchise had any kind of comprehensive toy line would’ve been Toycom’s two series back in the early 2000s. These were pretty cool for their day, and while it might’ve only offered up six figures over somewhere around four years, it was something. Toycom was just part of the many now-defunct figure companies that came along in the late ’90s-early ’00s. For a while there, it seemed like there were no limits on what could be made into an action figure property, and I’m sure it’s remembering that heyday that spurs a lot of us to cast hopes on these new generation companies. Anyway…
Starcraft, as a video game, was strangely not groundbreaking on the surface, on the heels of WarCraft 2, but, in its application, it became a gaming phenomenon unlike any other in computer gaming. Likewise, in pop culture, Starcraft borrowed from pretty established sci-fi concepts, like the Alien, Predator, Warhammer, and Starship Troopers franchises, but in melding them into a balanced three-faction space war, it no doubt paved the way for the Halo, Mass Effect, and even maybe reinspired some of its predecessors in the process.
With these three factions to choose from, a crew like Funko could really go all-out and let guys like Gentle Giant flex their muscles. And while it’s true that with a somewhat finite selection of actual “hero” NPC-type characters to carry waves, there’s a decent amount of ground units and even medium-sized unit/mechs to make “just” an action figure line worthwhile. Don’t get me wrong, you guys know I love my vehicles, but we’re talking baby steps here. Let’s get some Hydralisks, a Tassadar, some Marines, and Firebats and figure out how to cram a Goliath into a box, and then we can worry about how to get Barnes & Noble to sell Siege Tanks.
You know what drives me nuts? Couples that celebrate non-anniversaries, or obscure anniversaries. Nobody wants to come to your 7th-versary, you weirdos. But Starcraft here is basically entering its 15th anniversary this year, and 15 years is pretty legit. Let’s celebrate it with some action figures.