Friday, March 18, 2011

How to Train Your Dragon


I caught the show on DVD some time back. Loved it, thought it was good. Went to check out the toys on the net. Didn't know that so many were produced. Lots of characters, dragons and playsets. And there are two scales too, 3.5" and 7". 

This line was produced by Spin Master. It is Walmart exclusive so they never made it to local retail.

Shown below are the 3.5" figures of Hiccup and Astrid. They're smaller than the adult characters. They have only neck and arm articulation. They cannot stand on their own. But they have a good likeness, nice detail and come with cool accessories. 



Next up is a 7" Night Fury, or Toothless as he is called. This was more appropriate to go with the 3.5" figures. There are several versions of him to choose from. I went with the one from series 2 with the flapping wings action. Squeeze his hind legs to make him flap his wings, his mouth opens and closes as well. That feature aside, only his front legs can move.

His appearance is based on when Hiccup repaired his tail, so he has the brown harness on him. He's got a decent likeness. The thing which I dislike most about him is that he's got his head planted in the ground. This is due to the curve of his body and the length of his tail which props up the back portion. His hind legs are off the ground. Adjusting his front legs can help with this but it'll look like he's on tip toe, or tip claws.   



Toothless has got a wingspan of around 10 inches.


I shipped in a playset as well, the Battle and Collaspe Slingshot. Mine comes with the Hiccup figure shown in the pic below. You can also get it with another version of Hiccup or Snoutlout. There's also a similar playset which comes with a catapult instead if you prefer that.



This is a fun playset. You can fire the barrel or the rock. You need to pull it back by hand. 


If the shield in the front gets hit, the structure will collaspe. The mechanism responds really well.


The Hiccup that comes with the playset is taller and has a slightly larger head. The shield from the playset can be used as his accessory. 


I think this is a great line that offers lots of fun. I would love to get more characters and dragons but budget is reserved for upcoming superhero items.




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