Monday, October 15, 2012

The Evil Queen: Designer-Style!



I rarely dabble in the 12" world, but something about the Disney Villains Designer Collection drew me in. It must have been a spell by the Evil Queen!

Here she is in all her wicked glory, reinvented with a modern twist. Most of the time I prefer my Disney characters exactly as originally imagined, but this particular take on The Evil Queen is a home-run.



Best of all, SHE'S ARTICULATED! I almost couldn't believe it. Disney went all out on this collection. Even when all of the tiny plastic threads that help keep the costume in the perfect pose are removed, this doll still looks gorgeous and is able to hold a variety of poses. I pulled The Huntsman's Heartbox away from the old Mattel Evil Queen doll and it made a nice prop.



Cruella also let the Evil Queen borrow her cigarette holder.



The one problem (there always has to be one) is that I cannot for the life of me figure out how to remove the doll from its stand. I guess they really did intend this one to be a display collectible!

UPDATE: Here is my response from Disney about removing the Evil Queen from the bondage of her stand:

Dear Disney Guest,

We are delighted to have received your recent email and we appreciate
your interest in DisneyStore.com. There are no specific instructions on
removing the doll from the stand. Just take your time and release all
ties that have her bond and carefully remove her. I hope I have assisted
you in getting your doll off the stand the most careful way that I can.

Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have further questions. We
look forward to future opportunities to be of service to you.

Sincerely,
LaDarius

The DisneyStore.com Team


See more Disney doll photos on my Disney doll web page.

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

James Dean by Tonner



Since his tragic death in 1955, James Dean has become more iconic with the passing of each year. Now that they've done Marilyn Monroe, it's not too surprising that Tonner would tackle her 50's male counterpart. Naturally, they chose to do Dean in his classic "Rebel Without a Cause" outfit of the red windbreaker, jeans, and biker boots.



When Tonner released photos yesterday, I will admit I was disappointed. The outfit looks good, so I'll give a plus for that. The waist seems a bit high though, making this cool iconic outfit seem a bit dorky.







The biggest offense is the sculpt of the face.



Dean had a very thin build, and the face on Tonner's Dean is just too wide.



With a little photoshop, you can see a big improvement. I also shortened the sideburns for the sake of accuracy as well. I do give credit for rooted hair vs. a wig, which would really have made this doll look silly.

I just have to wonder who checks the sculpt and paint on these dolls? Comparing photos with the sculpt can't be that hard.



See more Marilyn Monroe doll photos on my Marilyn Monroe doll web page.