If McFarlane Toys hadn’t branded this line as Movie Maniacs, the company could have avoided a lot of initial complaining from longtime collectors. Indeed, they’re nothing like the original Movie Maniacs line, which made action figures of modern horror icons like Freddy and Jason for the first time in a 7-inch scale. The new Movie Maniacs aren’t all from movies, they’re not really maniacs, and they’re not action figures. As affordable, collectible figurines from the history of Warner Bros. (and its acquisitions over the years), however, they’re impressive. Forget what you think they should be based on the name and judge them as they are — if that’s possible.
So, What’s the Deal?
This line would more accurately be called a WB 100 mini-statue line, with characters in a 6-inch scale. Series 1 consists of Harry Potter from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, The Wicked Witch of the West from The Wizard of Oz, Ted Lasso from his eponymous streaming show, and Bugs Bunny as Superman from Looney Tunes. McFarlane notably already made an articulated Harry Potter that was clearly meant to kick off a larger line, but it didn’t last long.
Each figure comes in a limited run, although the runs are oddly different for each figure, as seen below:
Each ostensibly comes with a card that individually numbers the figure, but for those provided by McFarlane for review, the cards were left blank. This may imply some extras were made for reviewers, so will the un-numbered be more or less valuable? Who knows.
Figurine It Out
Note to the casual reader: the difference between “figure” and “figurine” is that the latter is unposeable. Usually. In this case, Bugs Bunny actually has two points of articulation. One at his left shoulder, and the other at his left wrist, where the carrot hand can pop off and switch out for a non-carrotted hand. What’s up with that, Doc?
Each figure comes with a shiny silver cardholder/logo stand for the trading card/certificate of authenticity, a cardboard backdrop with top and bottom plastic holders to keep it curved and standing upright (these fall off easily when moved, so find a place for the backdrop and leave it there), and a secret mystery item. SPOILERS in the next paragraph for what the mystery item is…
Okay. For Harry, Bugs, and Ted, the mystery item is a sticker. For the Witch, it’s a fold-out movie poster that incorporates vintage Oz illustrations as well as the actors from the MGM movie.
All Your Base Are Belong to Stuck
The figures seem permanently attached to their bases, which mostly sport relevant movie or show logos. Bugs is the exception, not being from a particular show, though the carrot and ground detail on his base is more detailed than he is. Customizers looking to make dioramas probably could separate figure from base, but casual collectors won’t be able to. Should you want to, keep in mind these look decent standing next to 6-inch figures, but small compared to most other McFarlane figures.
Of course, that may depend just how large or small you think Bugs Bunny really is.
At $24.99 apiece, these seem priced quite reasonably. Compared to other 6-inch figures they may not be poseable, but come with display elements better than most. The Witch seems to be selling the best, perhaps because she’s the most conventional “Movie Maniac” in the bunch.
When it comes to likenesses, Margaret Hamilton’s evil green visage is instantly, iconically recognizable. Bugs Bunny draws on older designs, slightly taller and more vintage, and maybe not quite what we think of as the generic Bugs today. But that makes him all the more appealing.
Eyewear Care
Harry Potter’s glasses are clunky, and could be executed better at this scale — Hasbro has bene doing amazing things with Baroness glasses in the G.I. Joe line. Still, it looks like Daniel Radcliffe well enough. Ted Lasso’s glasses, on the other hand, are impressive. The shades could easily have bene painted black and part of the sculpt, but when you look really closely, it’s clear they’re separate (but not removable), translucent, and have painted eyes underneath. That level of detail goes above and beyond, and almost makes us forgive Ted Lasso appearing in a movie line. Sculpts overall are among the best we expect from this company.
Assuming one has the shelf space, these look really nice on the shelf. It’s understandable that older collectors might have preferred one cohesive diorama piece rather than separate backdrop, card holder, and base. However, informed guesswork suggests such a thing would have cost more. Diorama bits by themselves are often pricey, suggesting these are more costly to make than they look.
The package lists many, many titles in Warner Bros.’ history, and it’s probably too optimistic to even imagine this is a shortlist for future collectibles (we’re long overdue for some Mad Max). Series two is already reduced to three figures: Gandalf, Sloth, and Alan from The Hangover. That doesn’t necessarily bode well for a long line. Nonetheless, these show off very nicely as classic moments. Forget thinking about them as action figures, and you might just agree.
Take a look at the larger set of images below for more detailed looks.
