Funko POP: Ivan Vanko/Whiplash (Infinity Saga)

An MCU POP review?! Yeah, those are still around, eh? This time around, we have everyone's favorite bird lover, Ivan Vanko... or Whiplash as he was (never) called in the movie. This POP is a long time coming, so let's get to the review, shall we?

Iron Man 2 gets a bad rep, and I can understand why. But I loved it! Also, this POP is gifted to me by my special friend so it's special in more ways than one!

A Bobblehead!

Ivan had an armor by the end of the movie, and I wasn't entirely impressed with it. I suppose if one looks closely, one can see a semblance of his comic book look. Truthfully, after Obadiah, getting another armored-up villain wasn't exactly what we needed. Not to mention, the 'final boss' was a bit of a letdown after the amazing fight Iron Man and War Machine had against the Hammer Drones, so there's that. So, all of that said, I am glad they went with this outfit for Ivan. It's a mish-mash of torn clothing, some exo skeleton tech, and, of course, his whip. The details on it are just awesome because there are a lot of 'moving pieces'. The wiring all over his body, the extended whip with the 'crackling' electricity, the wrinkled clothing, it's all well done. It's a simple outfit, I know, and the MCU has a lineup of complex designs for costumes, but the fact that Funko was able to replicate and make a simple get-up look this good is always impressive to me. That and those whips!

Vanko isn't posed too crazy, and honestly, he doesn't need to be. He is standing neutral, the whips are out, it's more than passable. I do wonder if they could've given him that walking pose with his whips to the side... You know that moment after he slashed Tony's race car?

Vanko's color scheme tends to lean on earth tones, though the lack of bright orange for his slacks sort of leans away from accuracy. But despite that, the overall execution of the colors hits what I expected from a POP. The exo skeleton is sharply painted, no bleeding, the skin tone is a good contrast to the brown clothing, the variation between his boots and his slacks has different brown, and, as I mentioned before, I just love that translucent plastic used for the electricity. The paint scheme is subtle, but they really did wonders here despite it not being accurate.

The arc reactor contraption... yeah, there's a lot of good details with that. Look at the straps and the mechanics that allow for the whip to have an energy flair! It's well executed!

The toothpick is an awesome touch! I love it!

We all know that the Mark V isn't Tony's strongest suit, but for me, it's awesome. The fight these two had wasn't anything to write home about, but seeing these two together in POP form, well, it brings joy to my little heart.

You all gotta watch it!

I've probably allowed myself to be entertained way more than I should've by Mickey Rourke wanting a bird!

This guy is not going to win any POPs of the year I don't think but, honestly, there's just a lot of great things done with this POP. Clothing missing the accuracy part aside, the colors are great, the pose is good enough, and just a lot of great sculpting. It's also gifted to me so that makes it that much more special. Highly recommend! I love it! I do wish he came with a bird though... btu that's just me wanting extra.

Until Next Time!