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Stonecutter Moe

Stonecutter Moe, the first in the series of Mail Away Stonecutter figures, has actually been shipping for quite awhile now.  But I thought it was high time I got my butt in gear and got a review posted.

This mail away was for the wave 14 figures.  Wave 15's mail away is Stonecutter Lenny, and the current plan is for wave 16 to be Stonecutter Wiggum, although that's subject to change.

Picking up the figure was as easy as pie - just take four proof of purchase symbols from four wave 14 figures, throw in a check for $5 and the completed form, and voila!  A few weeks later Moe shows up at your doorstep.  Playmates even has a site set up for you to track the redemption process.

There was even talk at one time of the possibility of a Stonecutter's Hall for these mail aways, and exclusive playset similar to the Be Sharp's set last year.  Will we get one?  If the demand is great enough for the figures, I'm sure they'll be considering it.



Packaging - ****
I love the box packaging that the mail aways come in.  We've gotten these boxes with all the single figure exclusives, and although the graphics have changed, that consistency in style looks great.  Also, they are completely collector friendly, and you can easily return the figure to the box if you choose.  On top of that, they are sturdy and easy to store.  A winning combination!

Sculpting - ***1/2
The overall sculpt is well done, but it's really the body here that shines.  And considering it's Moe's body, that's saying a lot.

The SC costume is his unique version, making him appear slightly different than Homer and Number One.  There's good detail, just right for the style of the show, and the group looks great together.

This is also a new head sculpt, which surprised me.  The brow sticks out further, as does the upper lip.  The hair stands a little higher on the head, and is a little lumpier.  Is it better?  That's a tough call, as I never thought the old sculpt was all that bad, but I'd have to say I like it a tad better.  I'd assume this is the head sculpt intended for the now cancelled diorama re-release with Moe and Barney.  I'd also say it's a safe bet that the SC Lenny will have the head sculpt of the now defunct diorama with him and Carl.

Another nice sculpting detail is the ring on his left hand.  We don't get small items like this a lot, and having the ring sculpted AND painted is great.

Paint - ***1/2
The paint ops here are a step above what we've been getting used to.  The colors and lines on the SC outfit are great, and Moe's face and hair are clean and neat.  The small ring on his hand even has a separate operation, something they tend to skip all too often. 

Accessories - ***1/2
For a mail away that only cost $5 (technically), we get three new accessories.  That's pretty good!  The stein might look similar, but it's different than either Homer or Number One's.  He also has the required paddle, and the wall hanging (with 'battle damage').  They could have reused all three accessories from the previous Stonecutter figures, but didn't. Considering the cost, and the low run of these figures, getting unique accessories is pretty amazing.

Articulation - **1/2
Can you say neck, shoulders and waist?  I knew you could.

Value - ****
Five bucks for another World of Springfield figure, that goes with two others in a theme, and has unique accessories?  You can't beat that with a paddle.

Of course, this is coming from someone that opens a set of figures.  Therefore, the only cost to me was the five bucks for shipping and handling, and the thirty seven cents for a stamp.  If you're a MOCer only, suddenly he gets a little more expensive.  You'll have to fork out $20 - $25 for the four figures just to open, or you can fall back to ebay.

Overall - ***1/2
I hadn't expected to like this figure this much, considering the episode isn't that big of a deal to me.  But with the price, the new accessories, and the new head sculpt, I can't complain.  I'm looking to add Lenny to the set!

Where to Buy - 
You can still send in for this guy if you can find four Wave 14 figures.  That's a little tougher now that Target cleared out their stock, but some Media Play or Toys R Us stores still have them on the shelf.


Figure from the collection of Michael Crawford.

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