Today I saw the How To Train Your Dragon figures had been put onto clearance at the local Walmart. I decided to pick up the figures I really wanted and wait for the ones I kinda wanted to hit a lower price.
How To tRain Your Dragon: Bone Knapper 12", Gobber 4", Hiccup 4" and Catapult with Collapsing Tower
Company: Spin Masters
Bone Knapper 12"
Packaging:Blister Pack, but not easy to get back into the package after opening. No 'mint in package, opened' displays will work here, as you'll have to cut the package to bits to get the dragon out and assemble it. Several rubber bands are weaved through the Bone Knapper, and you'll need a really sharp thing to get them undone.
Size: 12" or so. A decent size, though slightly smaller than it should be to be in scale with the other human figures.
Price Range: $20 originally, on sale for $12.
Sculpt (7 out of 10): The sculpt is very close to that of the movie, and is very nice from afar. The connections for the bones are not that noticeable when more than a couple of feet away, but close up you see some of the toyish details.
Paint (8 out of 10): The Knapper is painted without flaw, and still has the cartoonish look that you'd expect from this toyline.
Articulation (1 out of 10): No articulation. This was the biggest dissappointment with the figure. The figure looks like its legs move, its jaw, and the tail and neck look like they're flexible material that could be bent into a pose. Nope. It's a statue. Assemble it, and let it stand. Since this is a kid-focused toyline and not a collector focused toyline, this is unacceptable.
Accessories (1 out of 10): None. Unless you cout a near-complete dragon skeleton that can be pulled off and slightly assembled. The removable bone feature is cool, but those damned things just don't want to stay on!
Value (4 out of 10): $20 is too much. $12 is a little too much, too, honestly. $6-$8, assuming you REALLY liked the best thing to happen to HTTYD, the Legend of the Boneknapper Dragon 10-minute short, is worth it, though. I would really like to see a Frozen Viking or Hammerhead Yak with a Hammerhead Whale, though, if they're taking figures from the short.
Overall (4 out of 10): Nice detail, and I am glad I didn't miss the chance to pick the figure up, but it's still not worth the amount Walmart is asking for it. If it were more posable (head/mouth/wings/tail at least), it'd be quite fun. As is? Not so much.
Hiccup and Gobber
Gobber
Hiccup and the below catapult
Packaging:Gobber was blister-packed, and Hiccup came with the Catapult, but is avaible in a blister as well with different poses and accessories.
Size: 4" or so.
Price Range: $6, on sale for $3 (4" single figures)
Sculpt (5 out of 10): Each sculpt has decent detail, and they look like they came from the movie fairly well. They don't stand up, however, without a LOT of figiting and careful bracing.
Paint (4 out of 10): The paint jobs are decent; no floating eyebrows in the hair here, but the lines between points are sometimes ragged. The paint stops far from the borders of the piece being painted, leaving a flesh trail around the hair, for example, or a line around where the belt and torso are.
Articulation (4 out of 10): Here's where I got kinda dissappointed. The articulation is the arms and the waist on Gobber, and the arms and head of Hiccup. No elbows, nothing of that nature.
Accessories (4 out of 10): Discounting the catapult, as it's more of a 'playset with a pack-in figure,' Hiccup and Gobber both come with swords. Gobber comes with an additional hammer, but this doubles as his ARM. Gobber can switch out the hammer and the sword when you want to, which is kinda fun for a kid. Hiccup comes with just the same copy of the sword (and the picture above is not accurate-- the sword isn't monocolored. It has a silver blade and brown handle, and each toy's is identical). The accessories are soft rubber, and seem safe enough for kids.
Value (5 out of 10): Considering the _____Heros type of figures are going for eight per two pack, a figure about an inch taller isn't a terrible value at $4, but they don't pose as well as the Galactic/Robotic/Marvel/Wrestling Heros style toys.
Overall (4 out of 10): Nice to pose if you like the movies, but unfortunatly not very good at being posed. To get them to stand takes a bit of work and waist-twisting with Gobber, and to have Hiccup stand up he has to hold a sword behind him for balance. He can't hold it in front of him, as he'll fall over.
Catapult and Tower playset
Packaging: Box, with one of two figures included.
Size: 10" tall, not counting the catapult arm.
Price Range: Original retail $15, on sale for $3(!)
Sculpt (9 out of 10): This thing looks great. It has nice woodesque detailing, and looks very decent up close.
Paint (7 out of 10): The painting is detailed, though sparse, and adds to the appeal of the toy. Even the barrel accessory looks quite nice, paint wise.
Articulation (N/A out of 10):
Accessories (1 out of 10): Being a playset, Hiccup counts as an accessory. Hiccup also comes with a sword and a shield that is too heavy for him to hold without toppling him over, but the shield is also a part of the tower itself. The catapult is about what you would expect: You pull it back, and it automatically flings whatever you put into it when you let go. The set comes with a small rock and a barrel that you can fling. The flinging is quite powerful, too. Also, the tower has three hinged colums, and if you hit a point on the top of the colum, the whole thing folds backwards, 'collapsing' and knocking the figures on it down. The feature works really well, and sets back up almost effortlessly. Very well done, that one. And there's holes to put weapons in. Several swords would look pretty badass in this thing.
Value (4 out of 10): $15 is a bit much for a smaller accessory/playset, though it's not a horrible deal. At $3, I would've paid that for the hiccup and really nice barrel that comes with it. Nice background items are something that's rare to find.
Overall (6 out of 10): Decent display piece, and seems very functional for a toy. For added fun, try flinging Hiccup himself out of it. Lawls!
