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Post by Starbuck on Dec 7, 2007 4:19:37 GMT -5
Just got this coat today as AGPLA was out of Kit's Christmas outfit and she needed some kind of winter wear! I too like the thick fabric of it, the style, and the fact that it closes with buttons. I wanted to mention, however, that the belt buckle is made of plastic rather than metal. That's a big minus on an otherwise great item. The buckle does not have a prong, so it has to be a very tight fit with the belt in order to keep it tightened. This does make it somewhat difficult to re-buckle the belt once you've take it out. A- |
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Post by Starbuck on Dec 7, 2007 4:22:39 GMT -5
These items are well-made and look nice with Kit's coat. The hat is a bit snug, however. It completely flattens Kit's hair, and instead of flipping under nicely at the bottom it sticks out all over the place no matter how much you brush it. B+This is the best I could get Kit's hair to look. I have no idea what they did to it to get it looking so perfect in the promo shots.   |
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Post by Starbuck on Dec 5, 2007 12:40:19 GMT -5
 The panels: I'm not too sure about these. One one hand, I like the colors both for Felicity and in general, and the design is simple and classic. On the other hand, they are confusing and the scale seems off. I got my bed and bedding used, so maybe the new ones come with instructions, but I was a bit clueless. The panels tie on to the top of the bed, as you can see in the above picture, and the canopy covers them. So far so good. But there are seven panels: five large and two small. The small ones are half the size of the large. I just stuck them on the foot of the bed, but I'm not sure if that's the right place or why they didn't just make six large panels. As for the scale, it looks fine in miniature, but it seems like it would be pretty large life-size. Maybe that was the trend at the time, but it's odd otherwise. B The bedspread: This I like. I do wish it were a little thicker, but it's great otherwise. Nice colors, and the pattern is a good scale and seems historically accurate. A |
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Post by Starbuck on Dec 5, 2007 14:12:17 GMT -5
 The chair: This is a nice, solid piece of furniture of the same dark wood as Felicity's other pieces. Very period appropriate and straight off the cover of her school story. The arm moves so you can easily get Felicity in and out of it, and she looks nice sitting in it. I do have to disagree with the above poster, though -- I don't see any way to get all of her Reading & Writing Lesson on it at the same time. It holds two pieces plus the sander maximum, not that that's a problem as it would look odd any larger. My only criticism is the drawer, which is just too small to hold the inkwell. It would have been a convenient place to store it. The rest of the Reading & Writing Lesson will fit, however. A  (Excuse Felicity's inappropriate dress. I am way too lazy to change her into something she actually would have worn to lessons for the sake of one picture.) The inkwell and quill: I have the Mattel version, so my chair came with these. The inkwell is white and blue, which I suppose goes well with the Tea Lesson plate and saucer if you have the whole school set out at the same time. Just a nice little piece of porcelain. The quill was way too small for Felicity, though I expect there's some variance in those. The quill I got with my Reading & Writing Lesson is much larger. A Pre-Mattel on top, Mattel on bottom.  Pre-Mattel on left, Mattel on right. The bottoms of both versions have a handwritten Pleasant Company stamp. The Mattel version has a sticker saying it was made in Indonesia, the PM one for Taiwan. |
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Post by Starbuck on Dec 5, 2007 14:37:53 GMT -5
 The basket: It's to-scale wicker basket. Functional but nothing extraordinary. Not much to say about it, really. You could get a similar one for a dollar at Michaels. B The tea cloth: This is very cute, but loses points for being screen-printed. What, AG, the tea dress is good enough for embroidery but the tea cloth isn't? Okay, I really wouldn't expect them to go to trouble for something this small, but a half-assed effort gets a half-assed grade. B- The sugar loaf: Simple but awesome. I love stuff like this that is nothing like you'd find today but still a regular part of colonial life. AG even managed to put some real, plastic-wrapped sugar in it instead of a piece of Styrofoam. Way to go, AG. I do wish the paper were blue all the way through, though. Mine has worn down in some spots to show the white underneath. A  The cookie cutters: Nice quality, functional metal cookie cutters. This isn't that flimsy crap that gets all bent out of shape, but just like a nice cookie cutter you'd use yourself (and can!). You get a crescent moon, a star, a heart, and a clover/club. A+ The recipe: Yep, that's a recipe all right. Period on the front, unfolds to modern text that runs onto the back. This is printed on nice, thick paper, unlike the dance lesson invitation. A   |
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Post by Starbuck on Dec 5, 2007 12:25:42 GMT -5
Invitation and Fashion Doll II The doll: I've heard that this version of the doll isn't as historically accurate as the first, which bothers me, but obviously not enough for me to track down the original. Since I don't have an original to compare, I have to rely on photos, but the only difference I can see is that head is flatter and rounder. I'm very fond of the doll, mostly because it was one of my most wanted items in my childhood and it generates a lot of nostalgia for me. What appealed so much then? I loved Felicity's Christmas gown (and still do), and I suppose I just liked the idea of the doll having a doll. From an adult perspective, I like that it's wooden, and that it has a lot of little details. Felicity can actually hold it if you position it just right in her hand, and it makes for a very cute holiday scene. Mine's less than a year old, so I don't know how it'll hold up over time, but it's in great condition for now. Overall, A- for generally being awesome but not being so historically accurate.  The invitation: This isn't nearly as nice. Not that there's a lot you can do with an invitation, but the paper is just an ivory version of your average printer paper. This would have been a lot nicer on something thicker like the Shrewsbury Cake recipe. C
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Post by Starbuck on Dec 5, 2007 13:13:25 GMT -5
The muff: This is a wonderful piece. It matches Felicity's Christmas gown perfectly, and, as mentioned above is of very high quality. I'm a sucker for things that are actually embroidered and not screen printed. It is unfortunate that Felicity isn't built so she can wear this properly, but it's no fault of the muff's. A+   The mitts: I have the Mattel pleather version, and I have to say meh. They are embroidered, so points for that, but the pleather looks and feels cheap. These are basically just little tubes that go around Felicity's arms. They velcro closed and are helpfully labeled left and right. They do not close tight enough for my Felicity and keep trying to slide down her arm. C +. The + is for the embroidery, and the C is for everything else    The pattens: Yeah, they're cool looking, but they're also pretty useless. They slide all around and fall off her shoes if you try to move her in them. If your doll is tightly strung, she can stand in them on a solid surface if you arrange her just right, but it's very unstable. Forget trying to stand her on carpet. C-  I do not think this set is worth the $20 that was its original price, but the $10 it's going for now is a pretty good deal.
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Post by Starbuck on Dec 5, 2007 12:54:39 GMT -5
I have to start by saying that I got my table used and it is not in the best condition. I have replaced the knob, but it still has no back molding.    (Note my missing molding, unbroken tables have molding all the way around.) This is a simple little night table that looks great with Felicity's bed. Her book and candle fit on it nicely, but it's too small to hold the bedwarmer. It's also a good size for her Noah's ark. The bottom shelf is the perfect size for her doll in the sitting position. The drawer is very shallow and essentially useless. It'll hold her invitation to dance lesson, a quill, and that's about it. The top of the table is scalloped rather than perfectly rectangular, so that's a nice touch.   I'd have to agree with the cons mentioned above: it doesn't seem to hold up very well. I did get mine used, so I don't know how much use it got, but it's fairly scratched up and had parts falling off of it. Overall, B+ |
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Post by Starbuck on Dec 5, 2007 13:48:16 GMT -5
 This is a great set. It may not be all pretty and girly like Elizabeth's set, but it is very functional and just what Felicity really would have had. The candle: The detail on this thing, people! The molded wax drips! The blackened wick top! I love it. A+The candle holder: A nice brass to match the hardware on Felicity's furniture. Mine needs some polishing, but it's sturdy and durable. The only downside is that the candle doesn't fit well in it and tends to flop to one side. There are various quick fixes for this -- I like to roll a tiny strip of paper around the candle base. A The bedwarmer: Another nice piece. The brass and dark wood match Felicity's furniture, and there's a little triangle on the end to hang it from. Could be improved if it latched so that it didn't flop open all the time. Still an A though.   The book: A miniature reproduction of a period children's book. Hard to go wrong with this one. The cover's very plain, but that's how they were then, so I can't complain. The inside is perfect, fully readable with the original text and illustrations. So much love. A+  |
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Post by Starbuck on Dec 5, 2007 14:51:50 GMT -5
 This is a pretty pointless set unless you're constantly losing shoes and socks. Yes, it's useful for a child who might often do that, but just to have as part of your collection it's almost entirely redundant. I'm not going to bother to review the pieces individually because all but one are repeats. You get a crappier version of the socks from the meet outfit, the two garters from the accessory set, the socks from the Spring Gown, and a pair of shoes that can either look exactly like those from the Holiday Gown or exactly like that except with maroon bows. I guess you could use the maroon ones with the Rose Garden dress or the school outfit, but I prefer her meet shoes, which seem more like what she actually would have been wearing. C-Here, have a picture of the one new thing in this set:  |
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