Life got a lot harder (and more expensive) this month for Rocket Raccoon figure completists, as NECA recently announced the largest and most expensive Rocket Raccoon figure ever. I own a lot of Rocket Raccoon merch, but nothing as high-end as this: coming in January 2015, the three-foot tall NECA Rocket Raccoon life-size figure is now up for order!

When the Guardians of the Galaxy movie turned out to be wildly successful, it should have opened the doors for a lot of high-end Guardians of the Galaxy toys. Instead, Sideshow canceled/indefinitely postponed their Premium Format Star-Lord and Rocket Raccoon statues, while we’re still waiting on a Hot Toys Drax pre-order months after his teammates.

NECA must have sensed that there were collectors out there waiting to spend big bucks on GOTG merch, because they swept in out of nowhere this month with pre-orders for a nearly three-foot tall Rocket Raccoon figure!

This 3′ Rocket Raccoon NECA figure has been created using the digital files that were utilized in the making of the Guardians of the Galaxy movie, so it’s a solid-looking replica of Rocket Raccoon’s movie appearance (although the Rocket in the movie was entirely made of CGI, of course).

The main thing that has me a little wary (okay a lot wary) about the NECA Rocket Raccoon statue is the materials it’s constructed of: foam rubber and latex. Those aren’t exactly the most long-term durable materials around, and just hearing that those are what this Rocket are made out of has scared off a lot of collectors.

When you’re paying a high price for a figure, the possibility of it deteriorating in a few years is definitely a legitimate concern. And speaking of that high price…

Now for the really bad news: the retail price on this life-size Rocket Raccoon figure is a hefty four hundred dollars. That’s as much as a quarter-scale Sideshow Premium Format Figure made of polystone, so the cost on this piece is absolutely no laughing matter.

The life-size Rocket Raccoon NECA figure is now available for pre-order at the discounted price of $334.99 (about 17% off), and is scheduled to be released in January 2015. That release date seems a bit early to me for a figure that was just announced, so we’ll have to wait and see if Rocket makes it out on time or if he gets delayed further into winter.

As much as I love Rocket Raccoon, I may be waiting for in-hand impressions of this high-priced Rocket Raccoon statue before I commit. What about you, Marvel collectors? Anyone taking the plunge on this high-end Rocket Raccoon collectible?