Packaging - ***
The package serves the main purpose first - keeping the bag and it's
contents from spilling. There's a plastic outer shell, with a
cardboard backer. Cut open (carefully!) the plastic shell and you'll
find an inner plastic bag, along with some instructions.
The graphics and text on the package are useful ("Drop! Fizz!
Find!"), but the key here is the inclusion of the entire wave of
figures on the back. There are 24 Princesses or 24 Marvel Supeheroes
to collect, and since the packaging is blind, expect to end up with plenty
of duplicates.
However, figures aren't consistently packed together - thank God - so you
might get one of the two that you don't already have.
Sculpting - Princesses ***; Marvel **
Let's keep in mind that these are basically PVC figures, and not the most
expensive versions either.
Of the two sets, the Princesses are the better work so far. They
are done in a slightly anime style, but with a lot of consistency in terms
of design. You'll still be able to tell Snow White from Cinderella,
but placed together on a shelf, they make a great display.
I had started my daughter on collecting the Princesses before my son
noticed the Marvel figures. Unfortunately, these have been a little
disappointing. He only has a few so far though, so I'm hopeful that
perhaps the Spider-man or Hulk (both of which look pretty good on the back
of the package) will turn out better.
The sculpted poses for the Marvel line is more dynamic, but less
consistent. Scale is more of an issue here, and similar to the Battle
Dice characters, it seems like size in relation to each other is all over
the place.
Some of the characters are less interesting visually than others as well,
and since they are blind packed, you're going to get the chafe with the
wheat.
Paint - *1/2
The paint work here reminds me of your usual Happy Meal toy. Again,
these are very much like something you'd get out of those $1 prize machines
at the local supermarket.
There's bleed and overspray between colors, sloppy small detail work, and
these won't stand up to the quality of some of the higher end PVC work, like
what we saw from Palisades or Mcfarlane.
Articulation - Bupkis
This won't count against them for my overall score, but it's worth noting
again that they are PVC figures - don't expect any joints.
Game Feature - **
There's also a game feature with the figures. On the bottom of each is
either an elephant, mouse, snake, bird, or mongoose. Mouse beats
elephant, snake beats mouse, mongoose beats snake...you get the
picture. Think rock/ paper/scissors. Each person playing puts
one of the figures in their hand, everyone reveals, and the person with the
winning symbol on the bottom takes the other person's figure, until someone
is without.
It's an amusing game for my kids, at least for short periods, but they're
five. Anything much older than that will find it pretty dull pretty
fast.
Fun Factor -***
The gimmick actually helps here, making them fun for kids to open and get
excited over. The bubbling action works pretty good, although the
entire package doesn't necessarily melt each time.
A nice touch is that the Princesses contain powder that turns pink when
it fizzes, and the Marvel turns blue. Of course, that's assuming that
boys want the Marvel figures, and girls want the Princesses.
Value - **
At $4 or so, these aren't cheap by any means. I'd really value the
figures at around a buck each, and they really only stack up to Happy Meal
toys in terms of quality (although that's not too much of a slam - Happy
Meal toys have improved tremendously over the last 10 years). If you
get two (or possibly three), you're still paying a buck or two for the
fizzing action. It's cute, but I'm not sure it's that cute.
Things to watch out for -
When you're opening the package, be careful. You can slice into
the paper bag if you're wild enough, and the paper bag can also tear pretty
easily when your shaking up the chemicals. Trust me on that one - I
speak with the voice of experience.
Overall - Princesses **1/2; Marvel **
These aren't going to knock your socks off by any means, but if you have
younger kids looking to collect their favorite characters, these are worth a
look.
I'm disappointed in the Marvel figures, and may steer my son away from
them at this point, particularly if the next pack or two turns up nothing
particularly interesting. However, the Princesses are great for my
daughter, who loves all things Disney, and finding good collectibles for
girls in the under $5 category isn't that easy these days.
SCORE RECAP:
Packaging - ***
Sculpt - Princesses ***; Marvel **
Paint - *1/2
Articulation - Bupkis
Game Feature - **
Fun Factor - ***
Value - **
Overall - Princesses **1/2; Marvel **
Where to Buy -
The only place I've seen these at so far is Target, although other retailers
like Meijers, Wal-mart ant Toys R Us may pick them up.
It's also worth noting that the company that produces these, Zizzle, is
the same guys that will be producing the much anticipated 3 3/4" mass
market Pirates of the Caribbean line later this year.
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