Playmates
is bent on producing every peripheral character that has appeared on the
Simpsons.I can’t really
label this a bad thing because I’m such a fan of the Simpsons, but
some characters are limited in their appeal to the casual fan.One such character is Herman, the proprietor of the Military
Antique Shop.
Even
though he is a peripheral character, his action figure is very good.And it helps that he’s packed with a great playset – which
may be the only problem with Herman.
The
earlier playsets were spartan affairs with little in the way of
obstructions.But the more
current crop of playsets features lots of extras, like the courthouse
playset (with Judge Snyder).With
so much included it’s hard to use the area to its full potential.The same can be said of the Military Antique Shop.Although it has three Intelli-tronic plug-ins the figures you can
install are limited because the plug-ins so close together.The
number of accessories is also high meaning a truly cluttered space.And to add a little more frustration,
the
playset is compatible
with a lot of Simpsons figures meaning that you have to swap the figures
often if you want to hear the different phrases.
It’s
all true to the Simpsons vibe, right down to the riding crop and
Hindenburg model, but it’s all so crowded!
If
you play with your toys, you’re bound to lose some of the smaller
pieces.But if you exercise
a bit of caution the chances of this can be reduced. Herman himself is solidly built – and has one less arm to
break off.Durability has
always been a highlight of most Simpson figures.
Advertisement
I’ve
said this before, but with each successive series you can play out more
and more complete episodes of the Simpsons.Or get creative and make your own episodes.Herman does have a cigarette in his mouth, so I’m sure some
parents will balk at buying him for their kids, never mind the whole
military theme.(I dunno,
some people are strange about things like that.)He also comes packed with two swords (which can be mounted on the
wall of the playset when not in use) and swords are just good
accessories – no matter the figure.
It
may be a crowded playset, but the Military Antique Shop is still a solid
addition to your Simpsons collection.