Christmas Accessories (Chicken & Chiles) (retired)
Sept 3, 2009 17:13:47 GMT -5
Post by Wickfield on Sept 3, 2009 17:13:47 GMT -5
It's about time I did the review for this set! I bought this as the Mattel "Christmas Accessories" set which included the lantern. (FWIW, mine is a very new version that came in the star box.)
The chicken and eggs - Here's where AG's scaling is very poor. This whole chicken, which in the book is a full-sized one and not a guinea, is smaller than Josefina's head! She looks very out-of-proportion if you pay attention and take her out of her cage! The chicken herself is actually very cute, with both painted-on feathers and two kinds of "real" feathers glued to her tail and wings. She fits easily inside of her cage. Her eggs are small too, but very darling. They are made from a clay-like material that has been spatter-painted. They are ridiculously small and they do roll out of her cage.
B (for scale reasons)
The chicken cage - I didn't find the cage to be particularly cheap - it is made of real wood with a string handle. The string is tied on at the diagonal, and I can't tell if this is clever or annoying, though Josefina can hold it easily. I love the touch of "hay" glued to the inside of the cage! B+
The chiles - I can't tell if these are too small or not but they are very cute! Chiles are such an important part of Josefina's Christmas story and her books in general and are great for setting up scenes. These are made from red paper twisted around green string stems and Josefina can hold these, too. A
The lantern - I actually don't think this is as "crappy" as the other reveiwers have mentioned. It's not fantastic but not horrible, especially considering that it is included in a set with lots of other goodies. It is made from plain wood, stamped with a gorgeous Spanish design. I love the little candleholder inside! The leather straps are glued in knots (again, Josefina can hold this). The windows lower the effect a bit - they seem to be made from layers of plastic and mine are separating, plus the door of my lantern was warped so one of the windows is threatening to pop off. A- (I really like it, except for the windows).
In short, I think this set is worth its original price but wouldn't pay more for it!
The chicken and eggs - Here's where AG's scaling is very poor. This whole chicken, which in the book is a full-sized one and not a guinea, is smaller than Josefina's head! She looks very out-of-proportion if you pay attention and take her out of her cage! The chicken herself is actually very cute, with both painted-on feathers and two kinds of "real" feathers glued to her tail and wings. She fits easily inside of her cage. Her eggs are small too, but very darling. They are made from a clay-like material that has been spatter-painted. They are ridiculously small and they do roll out of her cage.
B (for scale reasons)The chicken cage - I didn't find the cage to be particularly cheap - it is made of real wood with a string handle. The string is tied on at the diagonal, and I can't tell if this is clever or annoying, though Josefina can hold it easily. I love the touch of "hay" glued to the inside of the cage! B+
The chiles - I can't tell if these are too small or not but they are very cute! Chiles are such an important part of Josefina's Christmas story and her books in general and are great for setting up scenes. These are made from red paper twisted around green string stems and Josefina can hold these, too. A
The lantern - I actually don't think this is as "crappy" as the other reveiwers have mentioned. It's not fantastic but not horrible, especially considering that it is included in a set with lots of other goodies. It is made from plain wood, stamped with a gorgeous Spanish design. I love the little candleholder inside! The leather straps are glued in knots (again, Josefina can hold this). The windows lower the effect a bit - they seem to be made from layers of plastic and mine are separating, plus the door of my lantern was warped so one of the windows is threatening to pop off. A- (I really like it, except for the windows).
In short, I think this set is worth its original price but wouldn't pay more for it!