Packaging - ***
Similar to the other exclusive playsets, this box is sturdy and
attractive. It seems to withstand normal shelf wear fairly well for
the MIB collectors, and this time it was far easier to remove the figures
and playset than some of the past releases. Sculpting - ***1/2
The sculpts here aren't any surprise, since they are just variants on past
figures. For those that hated Lisa first time around, they'll still
hate her. I happen to think they did a great job of capturing the
look of the family members, with one exception. The
scale of the kids has always been a problem. Of course, they didn't
fix it here, and can't now, but it's still enough of an issue to take off
some from the score. The
best of the set is Maggie on Santa's Little Helper. Sure, she's
pretty much just a big PVC, but the sculpt is cute and captures the look
of both characters wonderfully. A
lot of folks are going to appreciate this Lisa, however. Although
she is wearing winter clothes, she isn't Christmas themed per se, and that
will allow you to use her in other playsets as well. For those that
missed out on Lisa the first time around, this is a great alternative. Paint -
***
I've never had the trouble with paint ops on Simpsons figures that some
other folks have seen. All five of these are decent, although the
red and white on Homer's suit is a little fuzzy around the edges. The
paint work in the playset itself is excellent, with clean lines and great
colors. Articulation
- **1/2
If you're expecting anything beyond the usual, don't get your hopes
up. It's shoulders, neck and waist once again. Accessories -
**1/2
Most of the playsets have had some sort of accessories included, beyond
just the figures. Here we get the piano, which isn't too bad, but
has a couple failings. First,
it doesn't fit well anywhere on the playset. You can put it in front
of the windows, but then you block that great shot of Patty and
Selma. Putting it by the tree as pictured on the box covers one of
the voice buttons. So you'll end up putting it off the playset,
which is less than a perfect solution. Talking
Feature - ***
Remember how funny Homer sounded in those early episodes? No?
Well, now you will! Yep, they use some terrific lines from the
original episode, but some folks may find the odd sounding Homer
disconcerting. Value
- ***1/2
Usually a playset has one figure and a few accessories for $20. Add
in four more figures at $5 (which seems to be a price that has gone the
way of the buffalo) and you hit $40. So this price is a good value,
certainly as good as any of the other sets and figures.
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