|
Wind Up Bender |
|
 
|
|
One of the funniest cartoons on television, heck, one of the funniest
shows on television right now is Futurama. Well written, witty and
reminiscent of the Simpsons of 5 or 6 years ago, Futurama could be a major
hit. Could be if Fox would stop relegating it to such an awful time
slot.
We are starting to see some merchandise. Earlier, I reviewed the
diecast set from Rocket USA at the Comic Book
Galaxy. Now I've
picked up the tin wind up toy of your favorite robot, Bender. He is
also produced by Rocket USA (although the action figures that should be
out later in the spring will be coming from Moore Action Collectibles) and
costs about $25 depending on where you find it. Plenty of on-line
stores are selling it, but the only retail outlets I've seen carry it are
the Sam Goody family - Media Play, Sam Goody and Suncoast Video - and
Tower Records.
|
|
Packaging - ****
I wish all boxes and artwork were this good. Not only is the box
perfect for the MIB collector - everything can easily be removed without
damage - it manages to capture the flavor of the show AND the flavor of
the old style tin toys of the 50's and 60's.
Sculpting - ***1/2
It's Bender! He makes a surprisingly good looking walking toy.
Sculpting isn't really the right word here of course - it's more
design. But they've done a terrific job giving you Bender as you'd
expect him. Walking Action - ***
Bender winds up with a removable key, just like the old toys. It
feels like the action and springs are strong, and he walks and swings his
arms well.
|
|
|
Accessories - ***1/2
Bender has two accessories - his required cigar, and a bottle of Olde
Fortan. The cigar fits perfectly into a hole in his mouth, and if
you prefer not to see this hole simply spin his antennae and his mouth
moves around to the other side where there is no hole!
The small bottle looks pretty good, and fits perfectly into his hand. Paint - ***
The paint application was uniform and clean. You should be careful
picking out the eyes, because some seemed off center. But since the
stores haven't gotten many of these, your opportunity to be picky is
pretty much lost.
|
|
Value - *1/2
Unfortunately, as nice as this is it isn't a $25 toy. Ten bucks
tops, and the only reason it's selling well is the overall lack of
Futurama merchandise. Overall -
**1/2
If he hadn't been so expensive, his score would have been much
better. I also noticed one other thing - Playmates has spoiled
me. I want Bender to talk, and I'm disappointed that the action
figure license has gone to MAC instead of Playmates.
|
Figure from the collection of Michael Crawford
|
