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Write a Review link for that item. Simpsons (Playmates) (Playmates)Playmates' Simpsons line enjoyed a nice five-year run, and they managed to put out a ton of characters and sets within that timeframe. Near the line's end, they started to pull a bit from past the show's golden age (which is considered to have ended with Season 8, but I'm one of many who still enjoy the show beyond that point), with characters like Ol' Gil and Manjula and her octuplets being made, as well as a set from the tenth Treehouse of Horror special. Doing the Collector's (Comic Book Guy's supervillain persona) lair made sense for the final THOH release, since there's a bit of The Collector in all of us… except we're not deranged enough to collect actual people. The Collector's Lair is bigger than the average World of Springfield set. Nowhere near the size of Main Street, but it is taller. The set spans about 9" long, 11 1/2" tall, and 5 1/2" wide, and the details are pretty nice for a lair set up in The Android's Dungeon's basement. The lower portion of the set has details such as a spiderweb on the balcony's post, a Bart-and-Lisa-shaped hole in the wall, with a small pile of rocks in front, and some candles mounted on the wall. There's also a boiling vat of Lucite, with the liquid cast in transparent red plastic (though it wasn't that color in the episode, and I love the look of it, even spilling out a bit. The details are simple but good, and paint where applied bears clean work and lines. The Lair has the distinction of being the only two-story WOS set, with a balcony about halfway up the wall. The set has to be assembled out of the box, but the wall, balcony, and post connect together easily. I love the inclusion of the balcony, as it adds more space for figures on the set, but my favorite detail is the "near-mint" pop culture icons. Robby the Robot and Bob "Gilligan" Denver are depicted trapped in large mylar pouches, and while the two are sculpted as part of the wall, the pouches are separate pieces done in a softer material for a somewhat realistic feel. The paint on Gilligan is good, but Robby is only colored in two shades of gray. While we know Playmates' tendency to cheap out on paint at times, I wish they had fully painted the robot. Following exposure to a malfunctioning X-ray machine's beams, Bart obtained the power of elasticity, turning him into the Plastic Man-esque Stretch Dude. Bart stands about 3 1/2" tall, and the pose chosen for him is pretty good, but I wish the arms were a bit better. The arms are where Bart's superpowers come into play, as his arms are made of rubber, and his head is attached to his torso with rubber as well. It's a fun gimmick, and besides, stretchy toys are somewhat popular with kids (just look at Moose with their Goojitzu line). Unfortunately, this gimmick means he loses the neck and shoulder joints, but he still has a waist swivel, and the head can turn side to side a bit (just be careful with the rubber attaching it, as it's sort of thin and there's a chance it could snap if you mess with it too much). The paint is good save for some uneven lines, such as on the eyes, and the Saturn on his shirt is cleanly printed. The same X-ray machine turned Lisa into Clobber Girl, meaning she's both brains and brawn. She stands around the same height as Bart and has a stiffer pose, but the right arm is sculpted as if she's flexing her muscles or preparing to punch someone. Her superhero outfit is an altered Amelia Earhart costume, retaining her scarf as a semi-cape, and the colors on it are good, but her belt is unpainted (Playmates' laziness strikes again). At least the torn-off parts of her outfit have clean lines. The more serious expression fits this version of the character, but I will say her mouth looks a little odd. Then we have our villain, The Collector, which is what happens when the Comic Book Guy takes his hobby too far. The Collector stands around 5 1/4" tall, and he's a rather hefty figure as well, and being the first Playmates CBG I got, his size was a bit surprising. His face sports an evil smile that looks pretty nice, and Playmates handled the costume well, though he suffers the most when it comes to paint, as he has various small areas of bleed and slop. Imperfections aside, the colors of his costume are nice and bold, and I'm impressed they were able to paint his tongue. It's not fully painted, but given his small mouth, they did fine. They also forget to paint the white of his shoes, but missing paint apps is something everyone here suffers from. He also has the only accessory of the set in his phaser (which was fired only once to keep William Shatner from making another album). It's solid black, so it doesn't match it in-show, but the sculpt is good, and he can hold it in either hand just fine. Lastly, there's Lucy Lawless, and she's in costume as well as Xena: Warrior Princess. She's not the first real-life celebrity in the line (the late Stephen Hawking, who came out just a few months before, holds that honor), but she is the only character to be from another property; between her, Robby, and Gilligan, a lot of licensing must've gone into making this release happen. She stands just under 5" tall, and they recreated her appearance from the episode very well, even with the lack of paint apps compared to the prototype seen on the box. The shoulders move fine, but the waist is a bit limited, and the neck has even less rotation due to the hair. Given that she's in her Xena getup, I feel a more dynamic pose would work better. Then there's the talking feature. As per usual, there are three pegs on the set, with one being located right on the front left-hand corner. Lisa's the only one who can properly accompany this space, but the others fit on the remaining two pegs well. They won't always work, so you'll have to shift them around or disconnect and reconnect them to get them to talk. The basic sound is a laser blast, which fits given the Collector's weapon. Each figure has three-four lines each, which isn't a lot, but they fit them well and come in loud and clear. Stretch Dude: "Wait a minute, I can stretch! Look at me!"; "I must only use this power to annoy."; "What do you think I've been trying to do?!" Clobber Girl: "I don't think the real Radioactive Man wears a plastic smock with a picture of himself on it."; "Bart, with these powers, we can become superheroes!"; "Your collecting days are over, Collector!"; "Bart, just let me drop and save yourself!" Collector: "Behold, I am the Collector! And I'm here to add you to my collection!"; "I'm not insane, I simply wish to take you back to my lair and make you my bride."; "Good night, Wretch Dude and Slobber Girl. Sweet screams." Xena: "Alright, Collector, stick this in your tweezers!"; "*battle cry*"; "You removed it from its original packaging!" Unlike the previous Treehouse of Horror sets, no other figures besides the ones included work with it, and the figures only work with this set. Since I don't think anyone else would make sense with this set, the limitations are understandable. All that extra space thanks to the balcony is still good, as you can put a few of the celebrity figures NECA made on it (though they'll clash with everything else paint-wise). For what ended up being the final Treehouse of Horror release, Playmates did a pretty good job with it, and it feels like they were trying to go all out with it. Taller set with a balcony, other licensed characters, stretchy Bart… Overall, it's a fun and unique set recreating one of the more iconic THOH segments, and looking over it kinda makes me wish Jakks Pacific would do a new Collector figure. Only time will tell, I suppose. - 7/2/25   by RMaster007 |
| Leonardo (2003 Animated) |  | Submission Order |  | None |
| Treehouse of Horror 3 (Ironic Punishment) | | Simpsons (Playmates) Series | | None |
| Leonardo (2003 Animated) | | Written by RMaster007 | | None |
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