Packaging - **1/2
After the cool packaging on the new mini's and Faces of Springfield, this
was a bit of a let down. The character pictures are good, but the
three figures on a single card means more damage on the shelf, and overall
it just isn't quite as exciting.
Sculpting - ***1/2
All three figures are very true to the source material, and there's a nice
touch on Edna. Her hands have small holes in them so the pegs on her
wings can fit inside, giving the wings much more support and strength.
The only fault here lies in Apu's size. He appears to
be shrunk down a bit from previous versions, and is smaller in comparison to
Homer and the others. It's not a terrible problem, but you can see
it's noticeable in the group shot at the bottom of the review.
Paint - ***
All the paint ops are clean and neat. I had no trouble on mine
with over spray or inconsistencies, but try to be picky selecting yours.
One minor problem is the color of Apu's chest. You can
see in the photo that the bare chest isn't quite the same color as the
head. This detracts from his overall appearance slightly, although of
the three he's my favorite.
Articulation - **1/2
Neck, shoulders, waist, adding to the things they have in common with WOS.
Accessories - Bupkis
No accessories? Yep, nada. I'm sure coming up with some may
have been a tough job, but not having any is something WOS fans won't be accustomed
to.
Value - **
With no accessories and a $20 price tag, these take a pretty serious value
hit. For three WOS figures, with voice chip and accessories, you'd pay
only $15-$18 depending on the retailer.
The exclusivity (meaning smaller run) on these figures is
causing some of that markup, but in all honesty, without any accessories
these shouldn't have been more than $15, even at an expensive store like
Kaybee.
Overall - **1/2
Here's a sticky wicket for the buyer - pick these up or not? On
the plus side, the scale fits right in with WOS, they look good, and if
you're a fan of the comic you'll love them.
On the minus side, it looks like these are the only three they'll do, making
them look a little odd all by themselves on the shelf, they are expensive,
and there's no voice chips of course.
If you're a fan of the comic, you can add a half star to this score. I
scored it as the average Simpsons fan, rather than someone familiar with the
source material. I thought that was more appropriate to the general
audience, although I'm a big fan of the comics.
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