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Packaging - **1/2
The boxes are the same as always, although I particularly like the
graphics on this one. But still, the basic line needs a packaging
face lift.
Sculpting - ****
Marge isn't too surprising, although she's a far more complex variation
than we usually see. With shorter hair as at the end of the episode,
her tiara, and an all new dress and arm sculpt, she's a new figure for all
practical purposes.
And if you think she's new,
wait til you see Homer! This is my favorite Homer variant so far,
and he looks terrific. The sculpt is great, from his suit to his
hair, and this figure really stands out among all the Homers.
The playset itself is well
sculpted too, so you really don't lose here. The speakers and drum
set, along with the other accoutrements on the wall, all look perfect.
The only thing stopping this
set from getting four stars in this category is the placement of the foot
pegs. They are too far apart to allow them to dance, and really too
close to each other to allow them to free stand without falling over
them. Homer really needs to be on the left peg to work well with
Marge's right hand, but on that peg his right foot hangs over the
edge. While you will be able to find certain decent positions, a
little more thought should have gone into the placement of the pegs.
Paint - ****
The paint ops here are excellent, particularly on Homer's suit.
There's more detail here on the figures than usual for this line, and the
do a fine job with it. Paint ops with WOS tends to be hit or miss
though, so you should look at yours carefully when buying to be sure there
aren't paint flecks on the face and any other issues.
There is one odd thing to
note - it appears as though Homer's mouth was sculpted with, uh,
something. I don't know if its a lower lip, his tongue, or what, but
it isn't painted, and probably wasn't supposed to be.
Articulation - **
The articulation is the usual neck, shoulders and waist. The odd
pre-posed arms work only in certain poses, but since they can dance or
hold hands very well, I'm not beating them up too much over it.
Talking Feature - ***
There are some terrific lines on this set, and although these two figures
only work here, and no other figures appear to work on this set, the great
lines make up for it. They selected several lines for each that compliment
each other fairly well.
Marge says things like
"I'm here with someone else", "Homer J. Simpson, I hate
you!", "Why is there make-out music on?", and "I don't
think you're my type.", while Homer can respond with "I just met
this girl, Marge Bouvier, and I want to force her to like me.",
"I'm not asking you to like me, I'm just asking you to be
fair.", "I'm in love.", "Marge, would you go to the
prom with me?", and "English - who needs English. I'm
never going to England."
The only downside here is
once again I had a lot of trouble getting Homer's foot peg to work
consistently. Marge was fine, but Homer doesn't want to stay
attached to the base.
Accessories - **
This is one area that this set gets hit. There's only one
accessory, and while it's new, it's tiny. It's a corsage for Marge,
which does fit well in Homer's hand.
Value - **1/2
The exclusive nature of these sets is pushing what is really a $20 value
up to the $30 mark. If these were regular release sets, they
wouldn't be worth more than the $20-$25 that those go for, even with two
figures, since the sets are smaller in size. But because of the
lower demand, and therefore lower production numbers, of a set like this
you have to pay a bit of a premium.
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