Packaging - ***
It looks fine, and fits the overall theme of the current series. Still,
the lack of collector friendliness - and the fact that it's the only package on
the market that requires a screwdriver to open - bugs me these days.
Sculpting - playset ***; Herman ****
This playset isn't the most intricate, but there is plenty of sculpted
details to satisfy the usual fan.
There's the wall hangings, book shelf, frames,
and other doodads. Some folks would have preferred to see the actual items
inside the cases, similar to the Comic Book Shop, but with only one shelf,
that's pretty tough. The wall details are great, including the muskets and
the Zulu Warrior style shield.
Herman is fantastic though. He leaps to
the top of the pile as one of my all time favorite WOS figures. They've
captured him perfectly, from the sour, mean look to the missing left arm.
There's more detail here than many WOS figures, yet it remains true to the
source material.
There's a real variation here as well.
I've seen versions of Herman with a permanent cigarette (the one pictured is
that way), and I've personally seen a version where the cigarette was not glued
in, clearly on purpose. I'm betting the early sets did not have the
cigarette glued into the mouth, and a running change was made. This is
similar to the Burns set, where some had the fireplace grate attached, and some
did not.
By the way, as far as Playmates is concerned,
that's not a cigarette. It's simply a white piece of plastic in his
mouth...he's chewing on it...it's a straw! Yea, that's it, it's a
straw...yea.
Paint/stickers - ***1/2
The paint apps on both the playset and the figure are excellent, and I had no
problems with slop or over spray.
There's not a ton of paint detail, and most of
the colors are bold and cover large areas. But what details are present
are cleanly accomplished, and the overall paint application is great.
There's a ton of stickers with this set as well,
and all of them were well designed, well applied, and look great. The
majority of the color and detail comes from the stickers, so it's fortunate that
they look good.
Articulation - **1/2
Neck, shoulders, waist. And yes, his 'sleeve' is articulated at the
shoulder.
Accessories - ***1/2
There are technically seven accessories, all new, which is quite a lot for the
average playset. There's the dirigible, the rope barrier, the warhead,
two, count them TWO swords, the riding crop and the rifle.
The swords and dirigible fit into the
appropriate spots on the playset easily. Unlike the DMV, there's plenty of
room for the rope and posts, although it gets pretty crowded depending on which
figures you have visiting the shop.
The warhead, rifle and crop are all nicely
sculpted, although the paint details are sorely missing. Again, it's due
to the show more than the toy line.
Talking Feature - ***
I posted a listing of the various new character phrases with the Simpsons
series 13 review - for a complete listing of all phrases, check out Simpsons
Collector Sector.
Overall, I'm pretty happy with the talking
feature. It's no longer really the big selling point it once was, since
the number of new phrases, and the applicability of those phrases to either the
set or the characters, is getting weak, but it can still be fun.
Value - ***
I'm going based on Target's price of $20 - if you pay another five
bucks, take off a half star, another $10, take off a full star.
Considering the level of detail, the great
figure, and the overall cool factor, twenty bucks is a great price.
But get up around $30 and you're getting into the range of sets like the
Muppets Kitchen.
Overall - ***1/2
I really do like this set, although it doesn't beat out sets like the
Kitchen, Comic Book Shop, or Moe's for the top of my list. Still, it's
well above sets like the simple exclusives or others like the DMV or Town
Hall.
But if it was just the set, it wouldn't make it
past three stars. The inclusion of such a cool figure, so well done, is
what pushes it up another half star.
Where to Buy -
I got the set from Entertainment Earth for $25. Target and Toys R Us
stores are also receiving them right now.
On-line:
- Ebgames
has a great on-line price at just $20 plus shipping. Look in the Action
Figures section under the Simpsons.
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