Bobbles vs. Vinyl Figures

Postby **candyle73** » Mon Aug 04, 2014 4:42 pm

Hi I'm sorry if this is kind of a "noob" question but what determines if a figure comes out as a bobble-head or a standard vinyl figure? Is is based on franchise? If a character comes out as a bobble could they also get released as a figure? Also is the numbering system just based on individual franchises or is there a bobble and a figure line for each franchise? Thanks in advance for any answers!

Postby **cellularSP** » Mon Aug 04, 2014 4:45 pm

Star Wars and Marvel POPs are bobbleheads because of licensing issues. Some of the toy story ones are also bobbleheads, but I know they also come as regular vinyl figures.

Postby **PopMikey** » Mon Aug 04, 2014 5:33 pm

Yup, Marvel & Star Wars Pops are unfortunately bobble-heads. Which sucks.

Postby **Funko5ker** » Mon Aug 04, 2014 6:37 pm

Bobbles Rule!!!

Postby **Pocketmego** » Mon Aug 04, 2014 6:38 pm

So a different question is...

How do you guys feel about the Pops that are Bobbleheads. I didn't like them at first...but then I really started to warm to them. They are kind of a nod (pun slightly intended) to Funko's classic years.

So who would prefer the pops went all standard figures? Who likes the bobble? and Who doesn't care either way?

Postby **ahaubert80** » Mon Aug 04, 2014 6:51 pm

Pocketmego wrote:So a different question is...

How do you guys feel about the Pops that are Bobbleheads. I didn't like them at first...but then I really started to warm to them. They are kind of a nod (pun slightly intended) to Funko's classic years.

So who would prefer the pops went all standard figures? Who likes the bobble? and Who doesn't care either way?

I don't have a preference between the "vinyl figures" or the "bobble head figures." I buy the characters I like.

Postby **BlueberryWaffles** » Mon Aug 04, 2014 6:52 pm

The only bobble I have is Rocket and he doesn't bother me that much because a. his gun kinda keeps his head up and in position and b. HE'S SO GOSH DARN CUUUUTE!
Before I really judge I'll have to get a normal bobble, maybe Groot or Star-Lord.

Postby **cellularSP** » Mon Aug 04, 2014 7:02 pm

I used to hate the inconsistency between the normal vinyl figures and the bobbleheads.

Then I got an admiral ackbar for a pretty decent deal, and realized that I didn't really mind them, specially since if they're in-box it doesn't really matter, and once they stop bobbling out of box they pretty much look like normal pops. So I suppose I don't mind it anymore. It's also a plus that the star wars stands can come off, that really deterred me before.

I just hate it when a bobblehead's head is tilted in an awkward way just because they're a bobblehead, though. It really irks me then.

Postby **cliffd64** » Mon Aug 04, 2014 7:08 pm

It matters not... A Pop is a Pop

Postby **candyle73** » Mon Aug 04, 2014 7:19 pm

Licensing and all that is so strange. It's almost like Marvel was like, "well DC has figures so we don't want that, make ours bobble heads!"

Postby **Mr BATMAN** » Mon Aug 04, 2014 7:22 pm

I don't have any marvel pops yet but I don't think I would care. A pop is a pop!

Postby **Gray** » Mon Aug 04, 2014 8:05 pm

I've always liked the feel of the vinyl over the bobble-head pops, but at the end of the day as long as it looks like a well made Pop I'm happy.

Postby **Crazypop20** » Mon Aug 04, 2014 8:13 pm

I like them both I guess I would say vinyls though. I don't mind the fact that they are bubbleheads I just hate when you get a bad spring and it can really take away from the look of the figure in my opinion.

Postby **Archdinkles** » Tue Aug 05, 2014 2:22 am

I hope someone here might invent a way to turn bobbles into vinyl figures

Postby **yoshi** » Tue Aug 05, 2014 3:07 am

candyle73 wrote:Licensing and all that is so strange. It's almost like Marvel was like, "well DC has figures so we don't want that, make ours bobble heads!"

Close, it's more like, someone else is already using exclusive rights to marvel vinyl figures so if you guys want to produce product with us you will have to do something else (in this case bobble).

I personally prefer bobble... But vinyl is certainly easier to take pictures with.

Archdinkles wrote:I hope someone here might invent a way to turn bobbles into vinyl figures

I imagine if you removed the spring you could try putting in the neck piece from another vinyl. Would be a sacrifice though...Otherwise my bet would be to remove the spring and find some other way to keep the head afloat.

Perhaps some sculpy?

Postby **CoffeeCupRobot** » Tue Aug 05, 2014 3:27 am

At first I wasn't so into the POP Bobble heads, I'd prefer a posable neck joint but bobbling Jabba the Hutt always makes me giggle.

But bobble head is better than no POP at all.

Postby **trix0525** » Tue Aug 05, 2014 10:45 am

I use to be annoyed at the bobble heads but there are characters that I really like that only came out in bobble heads, so I had no choice but to love them. Haha.

Postby **gazeebo** » Tue Aug 05, 2014 11:09 am

I like the characters that are bobble heads, I don't like the bobble heads.
The material feels cheap compared to a regular vinyl figure and often the heads are spaced too far away from the shoulders and/or they are twisted in a weird angle.

Postby **emiliano817** » Tue Aug 05, 2014 12:45 pm

I'm indifferent towards it, I love all my pops!

Postby **Jezter** » Tue Aug 05, 2014 1:36 pm

I started buying wacky wobblers first, so I don't mind so much that Marvel and Star Wars are bobbleheads, however after having a few of the Pops that don't bobble, I kind of wish they all didn't. At the end of the day though, a bobblehead Pop isn't going to stop me from buying it.

Postby **lexiyrock** » Tue Aug 05, 2014 10:25 pm

Pocketmego wrote:So a different question is...

How do you guys feel about the Pops that are Bobbleheads. I didn't like them at first...but then I really started to warm to them. They are kind of a nod (pun slightly intended) to Funko's classic years.

So who would prefer the pops went all standard figures? Who likes the bobble? and Who doesn't care either way?

My bro will make a video about this soon and i shall post here. He fixes my Pop's that are bobble head. Two methods he uses. Stay put.

Postby **wardengorri** » Tue Aug 05, 2014 11:27 pm

vinyl just cause some of my bobbles' necks disappear or are have tilted heads.haha

Postby **candyle73** » Wed Aug 06, 2014 12:31 am

@ Lexi - Very cool! Can't wait to hear how he does it. I'm not against bobbles but I agree some figures just don't look quite right as bobbles.

Postby **Queen of Marvel** » Wed Aug 06, 2014 1:02 am

I buy the characters. I don't really care if they nod or not.

Postby **JonCarter** » Fri Oct 03, 2014 5:16 pm

This is something I was curious about myself. Not so much the licensing, but more so the desirability of the bobble heads versus the standard figures. I would love to collect the Marvel bobbles, but the stigma of "It's a Bobble Head" sticks with me. Granted at this point I am an in box collector, so I probably should worry so much about it.

Postby **eastWOLF** » Fri Oct 03, 2014 7:24 pm

My friend brought me Loki and I didn't know he was a bobble-head until I took him out of the box, but he had a perfect spring. My Star-Lord, not so much...he looked okay in the box and I tried to take him out carefully but his head is tilted. It bothers me!

Postby **Sir Real** » Sat Oct 04, 2014 11:25 am

I prefer the non-bobbles to the bobbles. So to stop the bobble, I use a phillips screwdriver to insert several cotton balls inside the bobbleheads, through the huge neck opening. The screwdriver puts the cotton way up in there, and it takes about 10 cotton balls per bobble to fill the inside of the head around the spring to completely stop the motion.

If you like the bobble, but the head is turned so it's not facing completely straight, or it sits at an angle and you want it level, the spring can be slightly turned on the neck post, as well as adjusted (bent) to correct a bad angle, or stretched a bit so the head sits a little higher. But of course, putting force on the spring in any way to change its behavior is a little risky, since you could end up with a position that is worse than the one you were trying to correct.

With the R2-D2 pop, I used small, long needle-nosed pliers and ripped that spring right outta there, through one of the leg holes, since with the spring, R2 was just as tall as C-3PO, and I couldn't have that.

Postby **JonCarter** » Sat Oct 04, 2014 6:15 pm

Well I guess I just had my bobble virginity taken from me. I purchased a Marvel Logan #28 from eBay. The seller reassured me that it was the vinyl figure and not the bobble. I know that there was a factory error and thought that I had gotten lucky. When I received it in the mail today the first thing I did was look through the plastic to see a big ole hole and a spring. I was furious at first, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized that I would never purchase a bobble otherwise.

Now that I have calmed down from buyers rage, I have reaffirmed to myself that as long as they remain in the box, then I am content. I will still try to hunt down the figure version, but I guess now I am okay with purchasing bobble heads. I guess I have come to realize the following:

A Pop! is a Pop!

Postby **kevin87** » Sat Oct 04, 2014 7:09 pm

I'm confused as to how some Marvel aren't bobbles but they're supposed to be. I've never liked bobbleheads, even as a kid, they just don't make sense to me so as much of a Marvel fan as I am, I just can't bring myself to buying one... but I'll get the 'dancing' Groot because it sort of fits :p

Postby **JonCarter** » Sat Oct 04, 2014 8:02 pm

kevin87 wrote:I'm confused as to how some Marvel aren't bobbles but they're supposed to be. I've never liked bobbleheads, even as a kid, they just don't make sense to me so as much of a Marvel fan as I am, I just can't bring myself to buying one... but I'll get the 'dancing' Groot because it sort of fits :p

From what I am to understand, the Logan #28 was meant to be a bobble head, but there was a factory error and a small run made it to store shelves as a figure. This might be true with other Marvel figures.

Postby **Adudewithdreams** » Sat Oct 04, 2014 11:05 pm

If marvel pops were not bobbles I would probably buy them, but since they are not, they will save me a LOT of money.

Postby **bo150000** » Sun Oct 05, 2014 10:39 am

Adudewithdreams wrote:If marvel pops were not bobbles I would probably buy them, but since they are not, they will save me a LOT of money.

Ditto...my little ones would destroy them.

Postby **sh3l8y** » Sun Oct 05, 2014 12:49 pm

I'm not Into the bobbles at all.
It's a shame because I'm a big Star Wars fan but I don't want any of the figures.

Postby **CanDMan47** » Thu Oct 09, 2014 12:51 am

JonCarter wrote:This is something I was curious about myself. Not so much the licensing, but more so the desirability of the bobble heads versus the standard figures...

I think this might be my question, too.

First the disclaimer: I buy what I like, I don't care about resale or investment of my Pop!, if I want it and it's in my own value range, I'll buy, if not, I don't. And all those standard pat answers when someone brings up value/price. ](*,)

I recently decided to be an OOTB collector. As I was setting up my display I discovered my Pop! preference is standard vinyl, not the bobbleheads. I see from Cristina's Pop! checklist that at least 5 of the Heroes have both a standard and a bobbler. It seems there are 5 in the Disney line that have both as well. There may be more, but that's unimportant to my question.

Remember my disclaimer! But in general, are the standard ones viewed as equal in value to the spring-necked counterpart by the general collector? I got lucky, not knowing my preference, that I didn't end up with a bobblehead instead. But as I was setting up, I wondered if I did, would I be able to straight up trade, or would one or the other party need extra cash?

Reading this thread, it sounds like the majority is in the standard camp, but it's a small sample size, and maybe a vet can shed light on this for me. Luckily, just for educational purposes for now.

Thanks

Postby **kevin87** » Thu Oct 09, 2014 4:22 am

CanDMan47 wrote:Remember my disclaimer! But in general, are the standard ones viewed as equal in value to the spring-necked counterpart by the general collector? I got lucky, not knowing my preference, that I didn't end up with a bobblehead instead. But as I was setting up, I wondered if I did, would I be able to straight up trade, or would one or the other party need extra cash?

For me personally, I'd never trade my normal for a bobble, but I'm sure there are bobble enthusiasts that would trade their normal for a bobble version... so I'd assume it's pretty much a case by case scenario.

The other day I found a Woody and Buzz in Books-a-Million, noticed they were NOT bobbleheads like I'd seen and since then had written them off as a possibility, so I snatched them up as fast as humanly possible.

Postby **DARTH STARK** » Thu Oct 09, 2014 4:59 am

i like them both but it's a bummer when a bobble spring is a little tweaked. Also, i sometimes like to switch heads for customs and it makes it a challenge when the bobble head I want to use doesn't fit on a figure body.

Postby **professorratigan** » Thu Oct 09, 2014 8:39 am

I, personally, do not like Bobbleheads. Every one I've ever owned has fallen apart and broken over time. I'm not a HUGE Marvel fan (am in the DC camp, myself), and, so, there aren't THAT many characters in the Marvel stable that I'm at all interested in owning, so, the Bobblehead issue isn't THAT big for me, but I would like the figures I DO want (Dr. Doom & Magneto) a WHOLE lot more if they WEREN'T bobbles. That's just me.

Postby **kevkipo** » Thu Oct 09, 2014 9:04 am

Well i personally hate the Bobbles, That is why i passed Rocket. now my favourite hero is coming soon as pop (Quicksilver) and im afraid i have to pass on him also D:

Postby **Farinasaur** » Thu Oct 09, 2014 9:08 am

I love all the POP! series, bobbles or vinyl, but the bobbles make me crazy when the head is skewed to one side. Assuming that I prefer the vinyl.

Postby **sniktyouX_23** » Thu Oct 09, 2014 11:23 am

The bobbles can be a bit irksome when the head doesn't sit right. When I was an out of box collector I just stuffed the heads a little to keep them in place. But now that I've moved to being an in box collector, my problems have been solved. Which is great since my collection primarily consists of Marvel. Bobble or not, though, there's nothing that would keep me from having my favorite characters in Pop form.

Who is online