If you have been to TRU in the last couple months, you have probably seen these. Anyway, I went after a set and here is everything I can tell you about the Bungees.
Number of figures: 42 (US set)
Year released: 2014
Produced by: Magic Box International
Distributed by: Jazwares
Found at: Walgreens (blind-bags), TRU (all other package types)
Package type: single packs, double pack, single blind bags, 4-figure playsets
Price: $5 each at retail
Size: 1.5 inches (approximate)
Material: bouncy rubber that is not squishy or stretchy
Paint: bold and simple
Tagline: "Flick to Stick!"
Bungees are a collectible toy made by Magic Box International and distributed in the US byJazwares. Prior to their US release, they were distributed in the UK (and perhaps elsewhere) as blind-bagged impulse toys. Inexplicably, Jazwares turned what would have been a rather simple and straightforward collectible toyline into a convoluted (and quite expensive) competitive game.
The Bungees themselves are 1.25-inch figures made of a bouncy (but not squishy) rubber. They have bold and relatively simple paint applications, and magnets embedded into their undersides. These magnets allow them to stick to either character cards that have embedded metal (exactly like Bakugan cards by Spin Master) or metal discs (exactly like Marvel Slingers by Upper Deck). The Bungees in the UK come with only the cards, whereas the US versions come with both the cards and the discs.
The UK Bungees collection (which I do not have) consists of 48 uniquely sculpted figures with two versions each. That's 96 figures. All available in single blind-bags.
The US Bungees collection is a bit more confusing. It seems to consist of 42 figures. Some figures are available only in single blind-bags, some only in visible single packs, some only in visible double packs, some in both the blind-bags and the visible single packs, and some in one of two playsets.
To get the 42 figures, you have to buy all these things.
The inconsistencies and unexplained elements do not stop there. All of the cardbacks for the visible packs show the ten "crews" of four figures each. Plus there is a image indicating the existence of two additional "mystery figures" which are not shown. However, when you look at the checklist included inside of every pack, you learn the names of the two "mystery figures" (Samos and Peltast), plus you see both images and names for another two characters that were not on the cardbacks (Naxos and Pheaton). Nothing is explained indicating the significance of these two characters or how to find their figures. Until I learn otherwise, I am going to consider the inclusion of these two characters on the checklist an error -- a huge, sloppy oversight -- and not include them as part of the set.
We know that the US set is 42 figures (with the very slight possibility that it is actually 44). Now, look on each of the character cards and you see them numbered 1/96, 2/96, etc. So here is some confusing information seeming to suggest that there is (or was) some intention to make a total of 96 characters (like the UK set). We can only guess. It also doesn't help that these cards aren't numbered in any logical way as pertaining to the crews. For example the four Bungees that make up the Omega crew have cards numbered 3, 11, 19, and 27.
As I have mentioned, in order to collect the figures, you are also -- by default -- collecting the character cards and the metal character discs. Each figure comes with one card. The blind-bagged figures come with one disc. The visible 1-packs and the 2-packs come with two discs per figure. It makes no sense. It's never explained why you sometimes get two discs instead of one.
Now get this. I assume that part of their high price (around $5 per figure) has to do with their over-sized packaging and, of course, the inclusion of the cards and the discs. Fine. At least this means that once you've collected all the figures, you would also have a complete collection of cards and a complete collection of discs. Not the case at all. One of the two playsets (themselves just more "flick to stick" games) that you have to buy in order to get all the figures does not even come with cards or disks! A truly frustrating degree of inconsistency. Collecting all the figures -- buying all their ridiculous package types and playsets -- does not even get you a full set of card and a full set of discs. You're left with 42 figures, 38 cards, and 38 discs -- some with duplicate discs!
The gameplay itself is too absurd to even get into. Basically, you flick the figures at cards. You flick the figures at discs. You flick the figures at a game board. You flick the figure at a "Flick Master Arena." You add up some numbers on the back of the card, the back of the disc, the side of the disc, and the bottom of the figure. And you go crazy.
At the end of the day, you just have to consider the 42 figures on their own. Which, I bet, is exactly what Magic Box International intended before Jazwares got a hold of their toyline and completely screwed with it. Forget all these silly games, cards, and discs. All that's left are the figures. Do they look cool and do they fit together nicely as a collection?
So -- without further ado -- here are the 42 Bungees photographed in their respective crews...
Edited by steverotters, 07 January 2015 - 10:50 PM.