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King of the Hill
Hank, Peggy and Dale

If you've been paying attention, you've seen my earlier review of Bill Dauterive from the King of the Hill line.  I picked up the other three figures last weekend at a local Gamestop, so I thought I'd update the site with my feelings on the rest.

The full first wave includes Dale, Bill, Hank and Peggy, with a second wave of Luanne, Boomhauer and Bobby (with Ladybird) coming soon.  The figures are produced by Toycom, and sell at specialty shops and comic shops.  I haven't seen them at any major retailers.



Packaging - ***
I didn't include a photo this time since the packaging is the same as the Bill card art. There are different cutesy sayings though for each character, and the artwork and text has a nice KOTH feel to it.

Sculpting - Dale ***1/2; Hank, Peggy **1/2
These sculpts are similar to Bill's in style, as you'd assume. I like the rough appearance, and it actually fits the style of animation well. Dale is clearly the best here though from both a style and final appearance aspect. He looks very much like the source material, and his expression fits his usual mood.

Both Hank and Peggy are off slightly. Maybe it's using a worried look for both of them. Sure, it's a look they have often on the show, but it really doesn't right frozen on their faces for all eternity. It is particularly annoying on Peggy, since a more happy or upbeat expression for her isn't uncommon on the show.

All the hand sculpts have been designed to hold their respective accessories, and that feature works extremely well.

None of the glasses are removable (although you could get them off if you really want to), and Dale's hat isn't removable either. That would have been a nice touch, considering how they incorporate his bald head into several plot lines.

Paint - Dale ***; Peggy, Hank **1/2
Dale has fairly good paint ops, with most of the lines clean and straight. There's a  little slop from the cigarette on to the hand, and some clumping of the skin tone paint on the back of his hands, but overall he's not bad.

Hank and Peggy fair considerably worse again. Hank's biggest issue is the paleness of his skin tone - it's just too light. Likewise, Peggy's coloration could have been darker, and she has relatively little paint detail for this size figure.

Articulation - Dale ***; Hank, Peggy **1/2
Toycom has given each figure the articulation necessary to do certain poses. That means that a figure like Dale has more articulation than Peggy, as an example.

Dale has a pretty good set of joints, with neck, shoulders, hips, and both elbows. The right elbow allows him to smoke his cigarette, and that pose works extremely well.

Hank has some unusual articulation. He has the expected neck, shoulders and waist, with one cut elbow to allow him to drink his beer. he also has a cut joint on both thighs, although I'm not sure what the purpose is. There isn't much range of motion, and the cut lines actually hurt the look of the sculpt.

Peggy has the least, with neck, shoulders, waist and legs where they meet the skirt. She can hold the garbage bag out in front of her, but that's about it. All three figures stand fine on their own,
which is always a big plus.

Accessories - **1/2
I was being generous with Bill - now getting three more figures with just one accessory and the fence piece each, I'm feeling less generous. Both Dale and Hank come with the can of Alamo, and while it's very nicely done, it's not enough to make up the entire list of accessories. Peggy comes with the bag of garbage, which is at least bigger and heftier than the little beer cans, but not enough to satisfy my accessory hunger.

All three also have sections of the fence, but we're still missing two sections. I assume those will come with Boomhauer and Luann, but it is a little annoying that I have to wait for series 2 to complete the backdrop.

Value - *1/2
I paid $13 each for these three at a Gamestop. That's about $6 too much, and a terrible value for your money. I'm betting these are being produced in a very limited number, hence the much higher cost (and I doubt the license was cheap knowing FOX), but if that's the case, Toycom should let us know. Otherwise, they get compared to other regular lines, and at that price point they are way too high.

Overall - Dale, **1/2; Hank, Peggy **
This is a line I'd really like to see succeed, since I love the license and I do like the style of sculpting. Still, the price point with the limited accessories is really a  killer. I'm hoping we get to see the second series - I can't have my fence unfinished!

Where to Buy - 
I grabbed mine at a local Gamestop, which is owned by Babbages.  On-line:

- Grant's Toys is carrying them, for $50 plus shipping.  I've always gotten great service there.

- Entertainment Earth has the set of four figures for $50 plus shipping. (MROTW Affiliate)


Figure from the collection of Michael Crawford.

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