Rocketeer ReAction Figure - FUNKO 2014 Con Exclusive and Standard Editions

(Left) Closeup of Con exclusive graphic (Right) Front of blister card.

Funko is showing no signs of letting up, being that toy company with a finger so on the pulse of the toy industry and pop culture's hearts, that you'd swear they'd had jobs as heart surgeons prior...

...or something akin to whatever Mola Ram has for a job.

At first, I didn't like the idea of the ReAction figure line. Even as a kid, I had always wanted my action figures to be just that much more accurate to the movies and cartoons I watched. Sure, I enjoyed the hell out of whatever figures I had in the 70's and 80's, because it allowed me to have many endless hours of imaginative fun with them. But as I got older, I thought I wanted more detail, better plastics, etc, etc... not really realizing that prices from inflation, tooling, sculpting, paint applications, and marketing would make even many standard Star Wars retail figures sit at around $10 each as they do now days.

Some of the international info on the card back.

Now, the ReAction figures aren't promising incredible detail, and they are fully zoned to recreate or emulate the look of many bygone action figures, and the line does an admirable job of this. But the detail that is there is great, and especially on the regular retail version's paint application. 

(Left) A variant/error happened with this particular packed Exclusive, I got TWO rocket packs! (Right) Top of the reverse of the blister card.

Clearly aiming for the Gen X group, the Rocketeer figures here have just enough styling to them, and great overall presentation that you really don't want to open the packages to get him out. I'm not normally a keep the figure mint on card sort of fellow, but since I love package design so much it's great to see them keep the art imagery that accompanied the movie release as a prominent look on these.

Back and front of the regular retail version of the Rocketeer.

The two figures are essentially the same sculpts and details, but the Convention Exclusive one has a greyscale aesthetic applied to it as a whole. As well as the accidental inclusion of a second rocket pack that somehow got placed in with the figure.

(Left) The rocket pack is actually pretty highly detailed, including vents, rivets, and even a bit of paint for the bubble gum that was used to seal a leak in the pack. (Right) There's not much more than a passing likeness of the actor Bill Campbell

These are two of the first figures that I have no plans on opening ever, so I'm going to be looking into some archival clamshells to store and display them in. They aren't the highest grade, that I know, but Funko did a great job on capturing a bit of memory for me from my youth in both presentation and toy design, that it'd be a shame for me to mar that by opening them.

As a side note, both of these as I mention in the matrix below were bought retail side, I didn't go to the convention to get the limited edition one. Occasionally, you'll find some specialty stores that do get these variants in for the general public to get their hands on, and though it's a great bonus to find them like that, you can't always count on that for some exclusives.

Until next time, cherish the good things in life, keep your hobbies and interests alive, and be kind to your fellow beings. - Mario, the Rogue Hobbyist.
 

Stats	Rating/Information
Item	Rocketeer ReAction Figures
Made by	FUNKO
Rarity	Con Exclusive - Possibly unique - packing error of double rocket pack. Retail Edition - Common
Classification	Modern - Released in 2014
Condition	Good - some backing card bends evident
Procured	Hastings - Warrensburg / Barnes and Noble - KC
Worth	Con version $20 / Retail version $9
Investment	Con version $7 / Retail version $9
Further Research	http://funko.com/
Trivia & Fun Facts	The Rocketeer is one of those characters that has left an indelible mark on  pop culture that even years after the movie and the passing of creator Dave Stevens, the character has endured and shows no signs of being forgotten anytime soon.

Rocketeer Thermos and Lunchbox

The Rocketeer is one of those movies that probably 90% of people are oblivious to nowadays, which is a shame, because for all it's faults, it had a lot of promise and will always be to me, one of those "could have/should have been" tentpole franchises.

The lunchbox is in a used condition. Fair amount of plastic stress point marks, a slight bit of water damage to the front sticker, and a bit of grime stuck in it's beveled areas, but nothing a bit of tlc can't take care of. This variant was one I had wanted mainly for the metal latch that locked it shut. (Most later production models in all lines had plastic lock tabs on them.)

Dave Stevens, creator of the Rocketeer, was a fantastic illustrator who was sadly taken far too soon from us, and like his character, is in some circles unfortunately relegated to a niche fandom.

Steven's work on the character was probably very much influenced by the early Republic Pictures productions like "King of the Rocketmen" (released in 1949) and my favorite "Commando Cody: Sky Marshal of the Universe" (released in 1953). When I was a kid, a lot of my dad's old favorites would be aired late at night, and if the late night monster movies weren't on, then usually something like those would be playing. Years later when Joe Johnston (Star Wars SFX artist and much later the director of Jurassic Park 3 and the first MCU Captain America film) was set to direct the Rocketeer, I wondered how they would pull it off on the big screen.

The movie for some is a bit hit and miss, but for me, it's a bite out of the Indiana Jones sort of feel, with a good leaning towards the recent first two Mummy movies with Brendan Frasier in the lead role. Not as much fun as the Indy movies, but full of potential that should have been carried out longer in other movies.

Closer look on left of some of the "residue" that I have to clean off. (Right) Close up of the flat graphic artwork on the decal.

I'm not an expert by any means on these sort of lunchboxes, but as I got older I remembered so many over the years that I wish I'd been able to get when I was younger. I mean I did own a few, that I believe are still in storage somewhere at my parent's home. I think I got a new lunchbox like every two years or so. I had one based on the "Hardy Boys", then one on "How the West was Won", and the last one I believe was a G.I.Joe one that had the original Mobile Strike Force on it. 

DO NOT KID YOURSELF, people who are unaware... social acceptance was often tallied by your choice not only in clothing, but in lunchboxes and Trapper Keepers!!! That was the legacy of the 80's. 

(Left) The inside had some pressure marks and slight scuffing, but otherwise looked intact. (Right) The Thermos graphics were immaculate. Usually the pattern of planes or the Scitex like printing of the larger Rocketeer head were worn away.

I had a heck of a time tracking down these two items because I had passed up on many others prior to these two, that just didn't really measure up to what I wanted. With things like this, the graphic elements and completeness of the items is key. 

(Left) The Thermos as it fits in the lunchbox. At this point I did notice that there was a bit of damage on the lower half inch divider. Most people would not have noticed this, and I missed it completely myself. (Right) The front graphics of the Thermos are just as bright as the day this was put on the shelf.

The more I got to looking at the Thermos, the more I began to think that it had maybe been used once, maybe a few times. The lack of scuffs, or any residue to clean off, as well as the tell tale school kid aspect of "chew the hell out of the spout like a deranged beaver eating a stick" teeth marks were not present, and the internal area still had that new Thermos smell.

I know the person that sold it to me said it was used, but I'd be surprised if it had been at all.

So there's a review of my first Rocketeer item, I've got a few more that I'll try and get to in short order including one that I happened across at an Aldi grocery store of all places that has a nifty internal variant to it.

Until next time, support your local artists and businesses, leave no bargain bin unchecked, be kind to your fellow beings! - Mario, the Rogue Hobbyist

Bonus Addition! An episode of Commando Cody! On YouTube!

 

Stats	Rating/Information
Item	Aladdin Lunchbox and Thermos "the Rocketeer"
Made by	Aladdin
Rarity	Uncommon - Thermos based on the Rocketeer license is fairly scarce. Rare - Metal latched lunchbox was made in limited numbers.
Classification	Retro - Released in 1992
Condition	Excellent - Thermos colors are bright, no scratches at all. Good - Sticker graphic is clean and bright. Some scuffing.
Procured	Iowa (both items)
Worth	$20 to $35 (more so to fans of illustrator Dave Stevens, like myself)
Investment	$15
Further Research	http://www.davestevens.com/
Trivia & Fun Facts	Cliff Secord's girlfriend Betty is modeled after "Queen of Pinups" Bettie Page in the original stories by Stevens, but for the Disney movie effort, Cliff's girlfriend now named Jenny Blake, was played by Jennifer Connelly. Other changes attempted included replacing the iconic Rocketeer helmet with a NASA styled one, which thankfully Joe Johnston rallied against.