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Packaging - ****
The figures come in a nice sized box, easy to store, and with no wasted
space. It's also fairly sturdy, and it's collector friendly to boot -
you can take the figures and accessories out and put them back again, almost
like new.
The box also features a lovely letter from Mike Horn on the inside,
explaining the connection between the figure and Cooper Perry, and there is
additional important text on back. It also has a new Muppets logo on
the front, and is a great job all around.
Sculpting - ****
Perhaps one of the best known single scenes of any Muppet film is this
scene. Kermit is sitting on a log, singing the classic song The Rainbow
Connection. His log is sculpted over some water - a nice transparent
blue plastic - and he's in his classic pose with banjo in hand. The
banjo is actually not part of the basic sculpt, but rather an accessory.
This set also adds in Robin, sitting on his own stump. The scale
between these two figures is very good, and they are in scale with the
entire rest of the line as well. The sculpts are great, with the usual
texture detail and quite a bit of realism in the logs. I would have
liked a little water around Robin's log as well, but that's a very minor
point.
Paint - ***1/2
The paint ops are well above average, with a nice consistent green for the
bodies that matches the other figures in the series well. The eyes are
clean and straight, and the various accessories and stumps look terrific.
There's a little slop around the two tongues, with some bleed into the
mouth, but it's pretty minor.
Articulation - **
This set isn't loaded with articulation, with just some very basic points to
allow minor adjustments to the sculpted pose.
Robin doesn't have any articulation, so what you see is what you
get. However, Kermit has ball jointed shoulders and a cut neck, so
that you can adjust the arms and head enough to hit that perfect spot.
Accessories - ***1/2
Even if you count this as a two pack, with both Kermit and Robin as
figures, and include their stumps and his banjo as part of the main set, you
still get a nice assortment of accessories thrown in.
There are three different singing vegetables to accompany Kermie - the
lettuce, an eggplant, and some onions ("scallions" for the fancy among us). While some of these are re-uses,
you can never have too many talking/singing foodstuffs.
There's also a small framed photo of Cooper, which adds a wonderful
personal touch to this set. Some people have felt this was 'weird', and
didn't know what to do with it. I know what I'll do with it - it will be
displayed next to the set, to always remind me (and to spark future
conversations) of the young child who helped inspire this set. Long
after the box is gone, I'll still be able to remember who Cooper was and why
the Rainbow Connection Kermit means so much.
Fun Factor - ***
Kids aren't going to have a lot of fun playing with this set - it's just not
that kind of set. But you can't ignore the wonderful lesson you can
teach them about helping others at the same time as getting a really cool
toy for their shelf.
Value - ****
I don't remember when I got this good of value from a simple toy.
How often do you get a toy this cool, this neat, this important to your
collection, AND you get to do something truly good for your fellow
man? It doesn't happen very often.
Things to Watch Out for -
Nada. You won't be able to look for the best paint ops before you buy,
so there really isn't anything else to be watching out for.
Overall - ****
This set caps off a wonderful series of Muppets figures in a grand
style. Capturing a key moment in Kermit history, and tying it to
something so dear and important to Mike Horn, this set is wonderful for any
fan of the characters, and not just the Muppets action figure completist.
Pikc one up, and you'll be happy you did. Hell, buy two and give one
to a friend.
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