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I have to say the choice of 'big deuce' for one of the babies is pretty
funny. Yea, deuce means two, and number two is something
babies are sooooo good at. Add in the 'big', and I'm reminded of Stewie
telling Lois "I'm going to crap DOUBLE for you tonight, woman!"
This is a bit of an early review, but you should see these hitting in
the next couple weeks. They retail for around $20 - $25, and
I have some sponsor suggestions at the end of the review in the Where
to Buy section.
Packaging - ***
They both come boxed, and you know I love boxes. Easy to
store, generally sturdy, and usually collector friendly, boxes work
great. These are all those things, plus they're attractive with
little wasted space.
Sculpting - ***
I'll be comparing these to other dolls, not action figures. The
head sculpts here are quite similar to what you get with the usual $20
mass market doll, with unique expressions on both. They are designed to
not be so realistic that they are creepy, but realistic enough not to
look cheap. Rey Rey is a happy baby, but it looks like BD might have
dropped a load. The sculpting below the neck is actually quite a
bit better than the usual baby doll. There's a lot more wrinklies,
texturing, and dimples on the body, arms and legs. You won't get to see
all this detail with the clothes on, but it's nice to see they went the
extra mile, making the basic body better than what you could simply buy
at Toys R Us. My Rey Rey does appear to have a scar above his
left eye though. I'm not sure this was intentional, and looks
like a manufacturing blip. It's more noticeable in photos than in
person. Each doll is designed to sit, not stand, and the are about 7 inches tall in that pose.
Paint - ***
There's not a ton of paint, but that's fine for this style of
collectible. The skin tone is clean and consistent from part to part,
and although these are merely cast in this color, it works well. The
eyes will be what catches your attention, both done in the hard, clear
plastic that gives them a bright, shiny appearance. The bright, complex
eye colors really make these guys pop.
Articulation - ** These
aren't super poseable action figures - they're baby dolls. As
such, they have about the expected amount of articulation. Cut neck,
cut shoulders and cut hips are about it. Cut wrists and/or ankles
were potentials, but it's not a major issue that they are missing.
Accessories - ****
Here's where these guys really start to shine. Literally. Both are loaded down with bling. Rey
Rey has earrings, but they aren't removable. One of mine fell
off, but I glued it back on easily enough. He's also wearing two heavy
all metal dog tags (with a 'B' and 'G' on them in 'jewels'), as well as
a big honkin' diamond ring. Big Deuce has this same huge ring, as
well as a gold rope bracelet, a diamond bracelet, and a heavy gold rope
necklace with a huge diamond crown pendant. All of these pieces
are made from actual metal, and the jewelry looks great.
Outfit - ***1/2
The other place where these really shine is the clothing. Both
have multiple items, all done in high quality material with excellent
stitching and seams. Big
Deuce has the simpler outfit, with a red t-shirt with 'Crunk on Board'
on the front. He's also wearing jeans (with a snap at the waist) that
are rolled up at the ankles. The pockets in back are real, and the
clothing is actually in scale. He's also wearing a do rag, tied
in back, and a red baseball cap that matches his shirt. Everything fits
terrific, with good baby-like tailoring. Rey Rey has the more
complex outfit. He's wearing dark khakis, again with real pockets, and
an elastic waist band. He's wearing a white hoodie under his camo
jacket, and the hoodie includes the trademark front pocket. The camo
jacket has a velcro closure, and more real pockets.
The marketing docs said he was also wearing a do rag, but he's
really wearing one of those cute little caps that babies often wear,
especially on their way home from the hospital. Fun Factor - ***
These aren't exactly traditional baby dolls, but they would be fun
nonetheless. I suspect these will be bought largely by girls - much
like LDD's - but they'll be girls who haven't played with actual baby
dolls in quite awhile.
Value - *** This will run
you $20 - $25, depending on where you go. To the general collector,
that might seem expensive, but regular dolls this size, with less
detailed sculpts and outfits and FAR less bling will cost you $15 - $20
easy at the mass market stores. Getting this much with the doll
at this price makes it a better than average value, particularly right
now.
Things
to Watch Out For -
One of the rings broke when I was using it, so take a little care.
It was nothing that some super glue couldn't take care of, but
it's worth watching out.
Overall - ***1/2 The jewelry and outfits are excellent
considering the price tag, and in fact, these are a pretty solid value
all around. I don't know if they'll hit a nerve with any particular
collector group the way LDD's did, but Mezco always puts as much
quality as they can into every line. These won't be everyone's
thing, that's for sure, and I'm sure some folks will find something
here to offend them. There are baby dolls that poop and piss - I
find that a whole lot more offensive. Score Recap:
Packaging - ***
Sculpting - ***
Paint - ***
Articulation - **
Accessories - ****
Outfit - **** Fun Factor - ***
Value - ***
Overall - ***1/2
Where to Buy -
You can check out one of these fine sponsors to pick them up:
- Entertainment Earth has
pre-orders up for Rey
Rey and Big
Deuce at $25 each.
- or you can search ebay using
the sponsor MyAuctionLinks.
- Mezco has these available through
their store too, but sells them in sets. You can
get all four series one babies for $112, or this pair for $56 (as well
as the other pair).
Related Links -
I checked out their Biggie
figure awhile back at Quick
Stop.
Discussion:
Want to chat about this review? Try out one of these terrific forums where I'll be
discussing it!
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