Funko Smuggler’s Bounty (May 2017):  40th Anniversary

mazlow01 is a contributing editor at Banthaskull.com. He operates, and writes regularly for, SpoiledBlueMilk, a site dedicated to Star Wars theories, editorials, and spoiler discussion. He can be found on Twitter, and is also a long time member of our own forums.

Since this is our first Smuggler's Bounty review, I should explain a bit about what it's all about. Smuggler's Bounty is a subscription box for Funko Star Wars fans that is delivered every two months. The cost is $25 plus shipping which comes to a total around $30. They typically include an exclusive Pop! bobble-head figure (sometimes more than one), a clothing item, a non-POP! product, a patch, and a pin. I have not been disappointed yet in a box, although there have been a few missed opportunities as well as inclusion of products I didn't care for. However, I have always gotten my money's worth. In fact, I only have one complaint. This is how they are dropped off at your house:



Its a big box with Star Wars all over it left on your doorstep. I'm surprised mine have not been stolen yet and I wouldn't be surprised if that happened regularly.

You can see that they have Leia depicted on the outside of the box in her ANH outfit. Generally, when the character is on the box they won't be featured inside. Unfortunately this is true in this case, which I will get into later.

After opening, the first thing we come across is the patch and pin:



The patch is always high quality and this time it is of Luke in his X-wing gear. I don't have much use for the patches so I tend to give them away to people that like them. The pin is Chewbacca, and again is a high quality pin. For me this is another give away item. Kids and other collectors tend to really like them. If you want either, just send me a message I'll gladly send them to you.

Ok, so this is the big item in the box:



It's a Pop Deluxe, which usually run for around $30 so there is your money worth right there. It's also an exclusive, so there's an added bonus. The box is what we expect, standard packaging, etc. The background provided is the desert of Tatooine and would look great for anyone setting up a Pop diorama. Maybe add in a Tusken Raider or R2?

With the figure out of the box we can really see the detail in the speeder:



It looks as good as any speeder toy produced, if not better. Funko pays attention to the details from the film with their ships and other items included with Pop! Deluxe figures. I think Funko pays more attention to the details than Hasbro does, as their ships are always movie accurate. The stand is a part of the figure for this Pop! so you can't remove it, or at least not without some tools and effort. The Luke head is the same mold as the ANH Luke you can buy as an individual figure, and it appears the upper body is, as well. You can't really see the legs, and that is no surprise, as the figure is not designed to come out of the speeder. This is one of my favorite Deluxe figures, already right up there with Han on Tauntaun for overall appeal.

Now we are on to the true "extras" in the box:



I actually really like the salt and pepper shaker idea. The molds are similar to the Funko Pop molds for both characters. Han is the salt shaker and Greedo is pepper, which if you can't figure out from the number of holes, is written on the front, back, and sides of the packaging. Speaking of the packaging, I do really like the "weathered" look of it, a very nice design choice in my opinion. I do have a few issues with this one, though. I think Han and Leia or C3PO and R2 would have been better character choices. Greedo gets a lot of love from Funko for some reason, especially for a guy that has 3 lines in an alien language and gets shot. My next issue is the size of the holes for the pepper and salt, they are HUGE. I'm talking big enough that the rice grains that some people mix in their salt could come out of the holes. I have no idea how you could use the salt shaker without over-salting your food. My final issue is actually one I have with most ceramic salt and pepper shakers: the cheap rubber plug. A rubber cork is a much better option so I will have to go to Lowes to pick up a set for these. These will probably end up as display items for me as its unlikely they will be used in my house.

Star Wars sweatbands...



...really, Funko? It's the 40th anniversary box and you give us bland, nothing-special, wrist bands? I get that the box was probably expensive with the Pop! Deluxe and salt and pepper ceramics, but this was a disappointment. Also they are child-sized (or at least don't fit comfortably on my own wrists). This disappointment leads directly into a missed opportunity.

There was no Leia. With Carrie Fisher's death in December and Leia's pivotal role in A New Hope, the lack of the character being represented feels like a slap in the face. I understand that there are production ramp-ups for figures, patches, etc., but there should have been a shirt. There isn't much needed to get a shirt designed and mass-produced, and Funko had five months to get it done. My wife suggested a simple ANH Leia with the phrase, "May the Force be with you," and quite honestly I would have loved that. Or they could have re-used their ANH mold of Leia in hologram form (clear blue) and given us that as a Pop! I'm sure Funko is planning a Leia box (You ARE planning a Leia box for this year, aren't you? You'd better be, Funko!) to commemorate her, but she should have had more of a presence in this box as well. Having her image merely on the outside is a disservice. Even if Carrie was still alive, I would have wanted to see more Leia than we got. I think this has been the biggest misstep for Funko with the Smuggler's Bounty boxes so far, and based on some social media reaction I suspect they had a few cancellations for future boxes because of it. That being said, I am happy with what I got and I am hopeful that Funko will make up for the lack of Leia in a future box.

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