Funko Friday: Vincent Vega (Pulp Fiction)

September 18, 2015September 18, 2015 / The No Seatbelt Blog / Leave a comment

This week in my ongoing toy series, Funko Friday, the Pop! doll created in the likeness of Vincent Vega from Pulp Fiction will be featured. Pulp Fiction is one of my absolute favorite movies, and is also one of the greatest films of all time (that’s a solid fact). I won’t explain much about Quentin Tarantino’s masterpiece here, as even watching it for the first time can be at least mildly confusing due to the fact that the storyline jumps around in time. Vincent Vega is played by John Travolta in the movie, in one of his most memorable roles. The character is a hired gun for one Mr. Marcellus Wallace, and is put through the ringer with his partner Jules (Samuel L. Jackson, in an even more memorable role) before the end of the film. Continue reading →

Funko Friday: Bane

September 4, 2015September 3, 2015 / The No Seatbelt Blog / 1 Comment

I picked up this Funko Pop! Doll that resembles the marble-mouthed villain from The Dark Knight Rises in a shop on the boardwalk in either Ocean City or Wildwood, New Jersey. I got him for about ten bucks, and not long after that, Funko discontinued it, sending its value skywards. I’ve seen him going for as much as $230 on Ebay and Amazon. I’ve been tempted to sell him, but I think I’ll hold onto him for a few more years or until someone gives me an answer I can’t refuse. For toy collectors, the Funko train is a great one to be on, since the Pop! dolls are very inexpensive, and when they are retired, their sale value often goes through the roof, assuming you can overcome whatever sentimental value is attached to the character. Continue reading →

Funko Friday: I Am Groot!

August 28, 2015September 2, 2015 / The No Seatbelt Blog / 1 Comment

Groot is perhaps the most lovable member of the Guardians of the Galaxy, a group of intergalactic troublemakers who nobody but the most seasoned Marvel comic book geeks had ever heard of before the movie came out. This big, dumb tree, voiced by none other than Vin Diesel in the film, only says “I am Groot!” throughout, with only his buddy Rocket Raccoon being able to understand him, knowing that each time he says it, it means something different. It’s quite entertaining to watch Rocket translate and then respond to the same declaration again and again, and the gag is used just enough to not be annoying. Continue reading →

Funko Friday: Walter White, a.k.a. “Heisenberg”

August 21, 2015September 2, 2015 / The No Seatbelt Blog / 1 Comment

I don’t mind telling you, it’s awesome to have a toy that immortalizes that time the dad from Malcolm In The Middle got terminal cancer and decided to start cooking and selling crystal meth with one of his former students so that he could provide for his family after he was gone. Who knew he’d become the most dangerous drug kingpin in the Southwestern U.S.? Continue reading →

Funko Friday: Egon Spengler

August 14, 2015September 1, 2015 / The No Seatbelt Blog / 1 Comment

Welcome to the first post of what will be an ongoing series involving my favorite new toy company, Funko. The toy maker is known for its line of vinyl Pop! dolls, which now exist for just about every movie and television show ever (except for Indiana Jones, much to the chagrin of my friend and toy consultant Jack), with more properties being released all the time. Each week, I will post a picture of one of the many in my collection, with a blurb, quotes, a story or some other bit of information about these fun, highly collectible (and affordable) toys. Continue reading →