The buzz surrounding the summer blockbuster hit Guardians of the Galaxy movie hasn’t even had a chance to quiet down, but already it’s time for the next (and last) Marvel movie of 2014: Big Hero 6! I’m not even close to being all-in on Big Hero Six merch until I see the movie, but there was no way I could resist the Amazon exclusive Funko Glow-in-the-Dark Baymax POP! Vinyls figure, which is sure to be another fast sell-out and quick riser on the aftermarket. Is this super-sized Funko POP vinyl balloon man worth your shelf space?

The Right:

Among the many, many new products that Funko introduced in 2014 is the concept of oversized 6″ Funko POP! Vinyls figures. While the scale is still (obviously) not exact, the super-sized POP! Vinyls figures allow characters like the Funko Wampa and Funko Stay Puft Marshmallow Man to retain a sense of size that’s crucial to their characters.

The latest character to benefit from the advent of the 6″ POP Vinyls is the character Disney expects to be the breakout star of the film, Baymax.

When the heart of a movie is the relationship between a boy and his doofy, fat balloon friend, it’s totally reasonable to expect the balloon buddy to be bigger than the boy–even in vinyl figure form. Thanks to the 6″ Funko POP Vinyls line, Baymax looks great next to the usual 3 3/4″ Funko vinyls. Thumbs up, Funko.

This particular Amazon Exclusive Baymax POP Vinyls figure has a special gimmick: he glows in the dark. I was a little bit wary of the Funko Glow-in-the-Dark Baymax figure, as some past Funko Glow vinyls didn’t have the strongest glow.

I was wrong to be dubious, however–Funko has clearly upped their game over the course of this year, and GITD Baymax has a strong and beautiful glow about him!

I was very surprised to see that Funko made the extra effort to use a different paint on the pads of Baymax’s arm so that they don’t glow. In addition, Baymax’s right arm glows in blue–a totally different color than the rest of his body. I’ll be very interested to see if there’s a contextual reason for that in the Big Hero 6 film.

Baymax’s design is pretty simplistic, and Funko captures it perfectly with this Baymax Funko POP Vinyl. Rather than having a tiny head on a chunky body, in true Funko style this figure has a humongous oversized head on a chunky body! It changes up the aesthetic of Baymax to be sure, but it makes Baymax look more charming and huggable. Love him!

And while Baymax’s design doesn’t have a ton of details for Funko to incorporate, Funko did sculpt the badge on Baymax’s chest and use a different paint (with a different texture) on Baymax’s arm pads.

Finally, Marvel fans rejoice: the Big Hero 6 POP Vinyls figures really are figures and not Bobble-Heads! Baymax even has one point of articulation: a swivel head! This is the first time Marvel characters were intentionally made into non-Bobblehead POP Vinyls by Funko, something Marvel fans have long been dying for. Thanks, Funko!

The Wrong:

I suppose I could complain about the increased price of the larger Funko POP Vinyls figure, but that really wouldn’t be fair. Baymax’s extra size and heft, plus his awesome glowing action feature, more than make up for his higher cost. So I guess I have no complaints–great figure all-around.

“Where Can I Buy It?!”

The Glow in the Dark Baymax Funko POP Vinyls figure is available exclusively from Amazon while supplies last. Get one soon if you want one–it’s been consistently going out of stock since pre-orders began, and I’d expect it to end up being another expensive figure on the aftermarket (like the Unmasked Star-Lord POP Vinyls figure).

Overall: Baymax’s design is more appropriate for the Funko POP Vinyls style than almost any other Marvel character, and the result is an all-around awesome Big Hero 6 POP Vinyls figure. The glowing feature works better on Baymax than most Funko GITD pieces, and the price is right for an oversized POP Vinyl with exclusive availability and a fun gimmick. Recommended.

GRADE: A+