Review: Disney Store Exclusive Eve and M-O Replicas
Recently, I stopped by a Disney Store in the Queens Mall. Often, this is a fruitless endeavor: they tend to deal mainly in inferior merchandise compared with both mainstream retailers and the Fifth Avenue Disney Store, which carries theme park exclusives like these.
In the back of the store, I stumbled across some Wall-E merchandise that was marked down. Most of it didn't look all that interesting, but these caught my eye. Apparently, they're partially die cast "replicas" of the characters from the movie. This is somewhat suspect, as it's not really possible to have a replica of something that never existed... but I digress.
These are in about the same scale as the deluxe action figures I reviewed WAY back when I first started the bin. You can find those reviews here and here: I'll be comparing them throughout this review.
These are produced by Disney, and you can find them in their stores. You can still find the plastic deluxe figures at Toys R Us, but they've marked those up to over seventeen bucks around here.
In the back of the store, I stumbled across some Wall-E merchandise that was marked down. Most of it didn't look all that interesting, but these caught my eye. Apparently, they're partially die cast "replicas" of the characters from the movie. This is somewhat suspect, as it's not really possible to have a replica of something that never existed... but I digress.
These are in about the same scale as the deluxe action figures I reviewed WAY back when I first started the bin. You can find those reviews here and here: I'll be comparing them throughout this review.
These are produced by Disney, and you can find them in their stores. You can still find the plastic deluxe figures at Toys R Us, but they've marked those up to over seventeen bucks around here.
Appearance and Construction: 8/10
These are both extremely good figures in terms of both appearance and build. As the packaging points out, these are partially metal, giving them some heft and a solid feel. From the front, Eve is easily the better of the two, baring a near-perfect resemblance to her screen appearance. The eyes, unencumbered by the action feature of the "Search and Protect" version, incorporate the "monitor lines" she had in the film. I missed this on the other figure, and am glad to have a version containing this.
But this Eve isn't all sunshine and bonus points: there are some gaps where the metal panels meet on her side and the plugs covering the screws on her back are obvious.
M-O is a bit more straightforward. He doesn't have anywhere as many issues as Eve, but he's not as stunning, either. If my memory servers, this looks to be a good approximation of his screen appearance, down to his logo and symbols. His scrubber looks great, and he's a cute guy overall.
My only complaint is more general than specific: he's just not as striking as he could be. The eyes seem a bit bland, the cleaning solution pack is dull, and the figure just doesn't scream "inspiration". This isn't meant to come off as condemning: he's a really good figure, but that's the end of it.
The reasons for the eight are different, but the score is the same.
But this Eve isn't all sunshine and bonus points: there are some gaps where the metal panels meet on her side and the plugs covering the screws on her back are obvious.
M-O is a bit more straightforward. He doesn't have anywhere as many issues as Eve, but he's not as stunning, either. If my memory servers, this looks to be a good approximation of his screen appearance, down to his logo and symbols. His scrubber looks great, and he's a cute guy overall.
My only complaint is more general than specific: he's just not as striking as he could be. The eyes seem a bit bland, the cleaning solution pack is dull, and the figure just doesn't scream "inspiration". This isn't meant to come off as condemning: he's a really good figure, but that's the end of it.
The reasons for the eight are different, but the score is the same.
Packaging and Extras:
Eve: -1
M-O: ----
The packaging for these guys, while intrinsically simple, is actually quite clever, incorporating Wall-E's arms in an adorable manner:
M-O: ----
The packaging for these guys, while intrinsically simple, is actually quite clever, incorporating Wall-E's arms in an adorable manner:
The backs aren't too interesting, but who cares? One of the areas these come up short is in accessories. Both figures come with clear, round stands, which are supposed to hold them up. M-O's, in fact, works fine; Eve's does not. We'll talk more on that in the next section. Pretending that Eve's did work, you're still left with it leaving her on the ground. The base that came with the "Search and Protect" version displayed her a bit higher, which is really essential to the character. That gets her a minus one. Now, about balance....
Play and Display:
Eve: -3
M-O: -1
M-O: -1
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Both of these have some serious issues here, but Eve's is far worse. This is a top-heavy figure, shaped like an egg, and she comes with a small plastic base she's supposed to sit in. You need to spend some time just finding her center to get her upright. If she's the slightest bit off, she'll roll to one side. Then, once you get her there, she isn't staying for long. Sometimes I use a phrase like "slight breeze" to describe how unstable a figure is, and you know I'm exaggerating. This time I mean it literally.
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Balance accounts for two of her three point deduction: the last point is getting taken off for limited articulation. This is actually kind of a shame, because she has some innovative joints here: just not enough to make up for the issues.
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The best point of articulation is the neck joint. This allows you to pull her head up about a quarter of an inch. Her head can rotate 360 degrees in either position, which does open up some posing options. In addition, she collapses into "pod" form, though this would offer more possibilities if they'd provided alternate face plates or something. I also like the theory behind her arms, just not the execution. In some ways, these are similar to the innovative arm joints on the Search and Protect version, but they don't give you nearly the same range of motion. They feel like they're attached to springs, which pull them tight against the body. While this does help maintain some poses, it also means the she can't move "open" her arms. To put it another way, they function like pegs, rather than ball joints. |
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The real problem here, though, is the range of motion. The above photos cover it all. Her arms can't go higher than her left is displayed above and, more irritatingly, they can't swing behind her at all: they go no further than her sides. The Search and Protect Eve, in contrast, has a full range of options. That's another point gone, right there.
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M-O actually has less articulation than Eve, but it has less impact. Ultimately, M-O has four moving parts, but calling any of them "articulation" is straining credibility.
To give you a sense of how limited it is, the photo on the left demonstrates the ENTIRE range of his articulation. His head is attached by a clear square peg that pulls up and down. Because it's square, he lacks the ability to turn his head at all. His arm piece is designed with a similar logic: you can pull it out or push it in. There is no up, down, or side to side. You can spin the black scrubber to heart's content, but that doesn't really help in terms of display. |
Finally, the blue cover at the end of the arm can flip around. This is actually surprisingly useful, considering its simplicity. While I'd have like the arm to turn, the real problem is the head. There's no reason they couldn't have stuck a ball joint at the top, which would have given him a huge amount of poseability. Barring that, a simple cut joint would have sufficed.
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The minimal articulation provided is actually quite cute - which is the only thing saving him from a two point deduction - but it's not enough. Just to put things in perspective, the miniaturized version sold by Thinkway has a ball jointed head and a pin joints holding the arm. It's sort of sad they couldn't get that in a toy multiple times as large. On the plus side, M-O's base, while not very inspired, holds him up well enough. I've still got to dock him a point for the articulation, though. |
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Price Tag and Final Analysis:
Eve: 4/10
M-O: 7/10
M-O: 7/10
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Okay, first of all, I want to point out that most of the issues with Eve aren't with Eve, at all: they're with the base. If Disney had included a way to hold her up, she'd have gotten a seven, like M-O. This means if you're willing to build her a base (or just use wire to hang her from a shelf), there's no serious issue with the figure. In fact, in terms of likeness, she beats the Search and Protect version, hands down.
But the Search and Protect version comes with some great accessories, a working base, better articulation, and a phenomenal action feature (the changing eyes). On the other hand, Toys R Us is currently asking seventeen fifty for her. |
Now we've reached the REAL place these two shine. You know what their original retail price was, according to what's printed on the pack? Seven dollars and fifty cents. And that was BEFORE clearance. I got these for half that: $3.75 a piece. That's significantly less than the miniature ones are going at Toys R Us. Even at their original price, these are kind of worth it. They're well made, solid toys. Just be aware that Eve is not ready for display out of the pack: you'll need to do some arts and crafts before you can leave her on her own.
If there's a Disney Store near you, I recommend stopping in to see if they've got these in stock and, if so, if they're marked down. These have some real problems and are not what they could be... but they're spitting images of the characters at absurdly low prices.
If there's a Disney Store near you, I recommend stopping in to see if they've got these in stock and, if so, if they're marked down. These have some real problems and are not what they could be... but they're spitting images of the characters at absurdly low prices.
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