If being a hardcore collector is akin to being an addict (and believe me, it sometimes feels like it is), then the latest form of “crack” to have me in its thralls is called “Funko Hikari”. The Japanese-inspired Funko Hikari Sofubi vinyl figures are way bigger and way more limited than Funko POP! Vinyls (with a way bigger price-tag to match). While Hikari only started to be released this summer, it’s definitely starting to catch on for Funko, and it’s about to become a whole lot more relevant for Marvel collectors, as the first Marvel Hikari was just released this month: Dangerous Spider-Man! Is this Spidey worth the “dangerous” investment he requires in both price and shelf space…?

The Right:

The Funko Hikari line officially kicked off in July 2014, with various Batman and various TMNT vinyls as the first major pieces. Marvel fans were a little dismayed that they were left out in the cold with the initial Hikari Funko offerings, but we didn’t have to feel that way too long–just three months into the life of the Hikari lineup, Funko Hikari Spider-Man has arrived!

Not only is Dangerous Spider-Man the first Marvel Hikari figure–he’s also the first official non-bobble Funko Marvel figure! While Funko produced a Logan POP! Vinyl figure that wasn’t a Bobble-Head by mistake in 2013, this is the first Funko Marvel figure released that is intentionally a full-on poseable figure. It’s like a new dawn!

Also unlike the mass-retail Funko Marvel POP Vinyls line, the Hikari are all strict limited editions. So while there are tens of thousands of all the non-exclusive Marvel Funko POP! Vinyls out there, there’s a few thousand of each Hikari Funko vinyl produced at most.

The Funko exclusive Spider-Man Dangerous Edition figure is limited to 1000 pieces produced. I think this number may still be a bit high (the most popular Funko Hikari Batman figures are limited to 300-600 pieces each), but a LE 1000 will still be a very tiny number if Hikari becomes a hot commodity and this Dangerous Spider-Man becomes sought-after. This is the smallest edition size of any of the Amazing Spider-Man 2 Hikari figures announced thus far.

The Dangerous Spider-Man figure has a whopping three points of articulation: swivel neck and swivel arms. That’s not a ton, but it’s standard for designer vinyls and enough to give Spidey some character web-shooting or raising his arms in victory.

The big thing that differentiates this Funko Spiderman Hikari from all the other colorways is his “Dangerous” paint scheme: a black and white paint mixture that’s just gorgeous. The Funko Dangerous colorway is the closest that we’re getting to an authentic Black Costume Spider-Man Hikari, and since the monochromatic paint job has an almost otherworldly quality about it that makes it feel pretty alien, this can fill in for Symbiote Spider-Man in a collection for those who aren’t sticklers for accuracy.

Dangerous Spider-Man comes packaged in a sturdy box that is (obviously) quite a bit bigger than your usual Hikari box. All Hikari Spider-Man figures will share the same box, but this one contains a specific numbered card inside the box (packaged upside-down at Spidey’s feet). My Funko Hikari Spider-Man Dangerous vinyl is #397/1000, which is as good a number as any (I suppose).

I’m going to shock the world here and put the cost of this figure into the “Right”. No, you didn’t mishear me–I paid $70+ for this 10″ Spider-Man figure, and I have no problem with it. When you compare the Funko Hikaris to other limited urban designer vinyl figures, you can see that Funko really is pricing their line of Hikari Sofubi figures quite fairly.

For the size and quality of paint deco and packaging of this Amazing Spider-Man 2 vinyl figure, I think that $70-$80 is a solid price. If you’re not a designer vinyl figure collector, though, I can definitely see where this line would give you a crazy case of sticker-shock.

The Wrong:

At around 10″ tall, the Dangerous Spider-Man Funko Hikari figure absolutely towers over every other Funko Hikari Sofubi vinyl figure released to date.

While it’s cool to joke about this being irrefutable proof that Spider-Man is a bigger hero than Batman (and rightfully so), it is rather jarring to see the Spidey Hikaris looking so gargantuan next to Raphael, Batman, Astro Boy and so forth. I think that this larger size is going to work a lot better for the Funko Hikari Groot figures when they come out than it does for ol’ Spidey.

I assume that Funko’s license won’t allow them to make Marvel vinyl figures at the 6″ scale (I imagine Hasbro wouldn’t take kindly to that), but for scale and space purposes I really wish the Funko Spider-Man Hikari range wasn’t so big. At this size, I really don’t know that I’m going to have space to collect all the Hikari Spider-Mans.

“Where Can I Buy It?!”

The Dangerous Spider-Man Hikari is a Barnes and Noble exclusive, so if you want him, that’s the only place to get him. Both the physical Barnes and Noble stores and the online Barnes and Noble store carry the Funko Hikari Spider-Man Dangerous Version Figure.

Overall: In case you skipped the whole review and are jumping straight to the end, let me summarize: I love the Funko Hikari Sofubi vinyls, and I think that this Dangerous Spider-Man is an outstanding piece of art. The size, quality and limited edition nature of this figure warrants the lofty price-tag, and this is easily my favorite of the Funko Hikari Spider-Man colorways that have been announced. Dangerous Spider-Man is a Spidey figure like none other in my collection, and I’m thrilled to have him. If you’re interested in dabbling in Hikari, give Dangerous Spidey a chance. Highly recommended.

GRADE: A