Homer Jay--the beginnning of a Springfield Invasion!!!
Written: Feb 28 '01
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Pros: Great character likeness, nice accessories, good choice of characters
Cons: I don't like the playsets, barely poseable...
The Bottom Line: A great line for fans of the Simpsons; probably more fun to look at than play with.
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| JediKermit's Full Review: The Simpsons World of Springfield Intelli-Tronic F... |
The World of Springfield is a great addition to the World of Toys. The Simpsons has been on the air for 12 years now, and it's waaaaay past time these cats got their own toy line.
This review will be more about the toy line in general than about just Homer--but he will be covered shortly.
Homer was a part of the first wave (other figures included Bart, Lisa, Grampa, and Krusty the Clown), and all of these figures are very well made, with the characters an exact likeness of their animated selves.
Playmates does a great job with distribution--I was a fan of and collector of their Star Trek line for several years, and they made hundreds of those figures--hopefully the Simpsons line will do as well.
With all of the wonderful characters in Springfield, Playmates can and should keep going for years. That said, it's always best to start with the basics: Just the family at first.
The Homer figure is great--he has a nice smile (I was wondering which expression they'd use for him....I'd like to see one of him when he's strangling Bart) (THAT'D go over REALLY well with the child protection groups). He's also got the perfectly shaped tummy (for HOMER, not me), arms, legs--he's just perfectly sculpted.
However, with toys, the sculpting isn't the only thing. How much can you play with Homer? The only joints on his tubby body are his neck, shoulders, and his waist can rotate. Nothing in the hips or knees, which means he can't sit down. I guess they had to make a choice between appearance and mobility, and they chose appearance for all of the Simpsons line, because none of them move from the waist down.
A positive side to the lack of joints is that it keeps the price of the toys lower, and I'm surprised and impressed that the Simpsons toys are usually found for $4.99...they have multiple accessories, the voice chips, and dead-on likenesses; that's a LOT more than you get with most action figures at higher prices!
The accessories are always nice--Homer came with a can of Duff Beer, a bag of pretzels, a TV remote, and a donut with a bite out of it. Very nice and appropriate; not many toys come with a can of beer, but it fits the character. It's up to you to decide if that's appropriate for your pups or not, but I think most people buying these are adult collectors, anyway.
One thing I don't like about the line is the playsets; I appreciate the voice chip technology, and they do SOUND good, but it meant that in order to complete the Simpson family, you had to hunt down the living room set with Marge and Maggie....also, the bases of the figures don't always clamp in to the base of the playset, making it difficult or impossible to have that figure talk. If you WERE considering the set for the child, consider that as a part of the frustration.
I really really like the line so far, and have many (but not all) of the figures. There are characters I can't wait to get my mitts on, like Ralph Wiggum, and others that I just don't care about, like Mayor Quimby. Funny character, but I don't need the toy.
Read my reviews of the other World of Springfield characters like Mr Burns, Smithers, and Flanders....all characters I never thought would be made, but Playmates has already done in the first year of production.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 4.99
Type of Toy: Action Figure
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Epinions.com ID:
JediKermit
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Member: Quinn
Location: Salt Lake City, Utah
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Books, Movies, and Toys. Is there more to life?
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