If any action figure
comes close to capturing the likeness of the Armchair Empire’s
Commander of Website Forces, Mr. Nash, it’s Otto. Sure, Mr. Nash would
rather play Diakatana for a ten-minute stretch than wear anything pink
and I can’t remember the last time I saw him wearing shorts, but Otto
has something about him that reminds me of Mr. Nash. It must be the hair
and guitar.
Otto needs no
introduction, but I’ll provide one regardless. He’s the head-bangin’
school bus driver that takes the gang to school – sometimes taking
some weird side trips. While most of the Simpson figures have a standard
goodness about them with a certain number of articulation points, good
sculpt and paint job, Otto shows some innovation. Because he’s got
such a mess of hair that covers his shoulders, the designers have given
him a "spring-loaded" neck of sorts. It’s not really
spring-loaded – it’s more a thick rubber band inside his torso that
keeps his head in place. The result is that, his head can be turned
regardless of the hair. Most figures that have cascading hair have solid
necks or useless neck articulation, so I’m glad to see such a simple
solution.
He does have the standard
good sculpt – the likeness if terrific – but the paint job is
slightly lacking, especially where his hair meets his head and hat.
There’s oversplash going both ways which is disappointing considering
how good the rest of the Simpsons line is. In contrast, his guitar has a
great paint job with the individual strings clearly visible and
straight.
Otto wouldn’t be
complete without his Walkman and headphones. They are included. The unit
has a peg that plugs into Otto’s hip which helps avoid losing it. The
headphones aren’t exactly snug to his ears but it
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achieves the desired
effect. He doesn’t look so good when he’s got the Walkman on and
holding his guitar. The guitar itself is too big in proportion to Otto.
It could have been made smaller, but as it is, with the detachable
strap, it’s a good addition.
Playability is right up
there due to his compatibility with the rest of the Simpson figures but
when it comes to installing him on one of the Intellitronicä
bases, he’s only so-so. It leads to the thought that Otto should have
been packaged with his own base. What about a school bus playset? A lot
of the kid figures – Nelson, Milhouse, Bart, Lisa, etc. – could have
extensive sound bites as well as Otto. Anyway, Otto’s a tough figure.
I had worries that the band holding his head to his body would snap
under excessive use but so far nothing has happened.
Another good figure to
help round out your Simpsons collection.