Team USA Snowboarding Set (2021-2022)
Mar 27, 2022 13:51:32 GMT -5
Post by chernayakoshka on Mar 27, 2022 13:51:32 GMT -5
Socks: A
Just a pair of classic, light blue socks! They aren’t quite as thick as I’d like for spending a lot of time outdoors in winter, but they’re sturdy and well-made. They slid on easily and stay on the doll’s legs.
A nice pair of socks!
They actually go decently far up Luciana's legs.
Pants: A
These feel like a real pair of snow pants! They’re made of a white, waterproof-feeling fabric (perhaps nylon?) and are lined with a warm, fleecy material. “Team USA” is stamped in dark blue on the left thigh. They’re sure to keep Luciana’s legs warm as she hits the slopes!
They open in the front with non-stick Velcro and go on like any other pair of pants. It’s a bit of a struggle to get them on and I was really surprised at how tight they ended up being. Luciana isn’t an old doll in the slightest and it was tough to get them closed on her. There’s no hope of this going on a PC doll or even an early AG one. They look nice once on, but there’s not a lot of room in there.
My attempt and showing the lining.
Coat: A+
Much like the pants, this feels like a real coat and is made of the same waterproof material (maybe nylon) that real winter coats are made of. Also like the pants, they’re lined with fleecy fabric, though the coat’s lining is light blue. The shell is light blue, dark blue, red, and white in a geometric design reminiscent of mountains. A Team USA logo adourns the upper right front. It feels like it would be warm, but lightweight and functional enough to give Luciana the flexibility she’ll need to pull off some sick moves.
The plastic tag that AG uses to brand its clothes is sewn onto the front. It’s less noticeable here than on some other garments (possibly due to the busy pattern), but I’ll never be a fan of the tag.
It opens fully in the front with non-stick Velcro for easy dressing and slides on easily enough. The lining can get stuck on the doll’s hands, but it’s not to difficult to get the coat on. Also like the pants, the coat is a tight fit, though I didn’t have as much trouble velcroing it as I did the pants. I’m not sure if you’d be able to fit a shirt under here or not, which doesn’t bother me overmuch, but I could see that being a negative to some.
I was pleasantly surprised to find that the hood will actually fit over the doll’s head! A doll with thick hair likely won’t manage and even Luciana’s is a tight fit and bunches up a bit in front, but the hood will go up, which I definitely wasn’t expecting.
I love how colouful it is!
It looks nice with the pants.
Hood up from the side.
And from the front. Emo/goth teenaged-me would have been very impressed by now nicely Luciana's bangs covering her eyes.
Gloves: A+
These are made of real, red glove material and appear to be lined with white fleece, so I’m sure they’re nice and warm! I love doll items that are tiny versions of the real thing! They’re very easy to put on and stay well.
I appreciate that I didn't have to fight to tuck them under the coat's sleeves.
Headband: A
This is just a light blue fleece tube that’s been sewn together – nothing too special. There’s a little bit of elastic around the seam, but I wish it had a little more stretch. I appreciate that AG did not give it a huge tag. Perhaps due to the lack of stretch, it’s not the easiest to get over and around the doll’s hair, but once you get it on, it stays in place and serves its purpose.
Nothing special, but it works!
It definitely does its job of keeping Luciana's long hair from blowing in her face.
Boots: A+
These are made of white Pleather with red toes, elastic laces, and stitching. The inside is lined with white fleece for warmth. These would be a totally unremarkable, if serviceable pair of boots if not for the soles. DO YOU SEE THAT?!?! In addition to having a lovely red outline and white base, the tread is patterned into a line of snowflakes! That’s so cool! What a lovely detail.
They’re also surprisingly easy to put on, even if they take a bit of wiggling. With the elastic laces, I always expect the shoes to get hopelessly stuck on the socks, but that has yet to be the case.
I really can't get over the snowflakes on the bottom!
Looking stylish and serviceable.
Helmet: A+
This is the same helmet design that used for the Alpine Skiing Set, but that’s a-ok by me because I loved that helmet!
This sturdy helmet is made primarily of silver plastic. An American flag over the Olympic rings is stuck on the right side (it’s clearly a sticker…I do wish they’d gone with something a little more permanent feeling, but it’s not horrible). The inside is patterned like black Styrofoam, though it’s actually just plastic. The earflaps are a bit squishier and were moulded as a separate piece from the helmet, so they have a bit of flexibility. The chinstrap is made of red elastic with a dark blue clip and adjustable chin guard. The helmet also has a clip in the back to secure around the goggles. On the whole, this is a wonderfully detailed piece! It might even be my favourite part of the set for how much thought went into it.
The helmet is incredibly easy to put on the doll and has a decent amount of room without being loose. I was definitely preparing to have to fight with it, but the clip is easy to use, the elastic has plenty of give, and it sits on Luciana’s head just right. There’s even room for the headband! To reiterate my thoughts from my Alpine Skiing Set review: Best. Helmet. Ever!
From the front, it looks kind of boring, but it's really quite cool!
Team USA, just in case you forget which team your doll is supposed to be skiing for.
Inside and the strap.
On Luciana.
From the side.
And the back. That strap serves a very useful purpose.
Goggles: A+
These are also the same design that was used in the Alpine Skiing Set, and like with the helmet, that’s perfectly fine because this is a great pair of goggles!
These are made of sturdy silver plastic on the outside and a somewhat softer dark blue plastic on the inside. I was very impressed that these are actually two pieces bolted together and not one continuously moulded piece. The “glass” is made of thick plastic. The elastic band is thick with a dark blue background and “American Girl” printed in white. They look like perfectly acceptable, functional goggles!
They fit easily over the helmet due to their stretch. The nifty clip at the back of the helmet allows them to be clipped in place to stay put as your doll hurtles down the hill. They can rest either atop the helmet or be slid down over the doll’s eyes.
Super awesome goggles.
Goggles up!
And down! (pardon the flash)
That strap on the back of the helmet is very useful! You can't have the goggles slipping around while trying to pull off flips and spins.
Snowboard: A
This is a piece of plastic that’s shaped like a snowboard (and man, did that feel like a funny sentence to write). The plastic is fairly thin, yet the snowboard is sturdy and feels like it would hold up to play. There’s a decal over the top that says “Team USA” in red and otherwise features a red, light blue, dark blue, and white striped pattern and red stars. I’m honestly not a huge fan of how plasticky it feels, but I also don’t know how else AG could have made this, so I shouldn’t complain too much.
The bindings are red and have a foot strap that can swivel up to lock the doll’s boot in place. I wouldn’t exactly call it easy to get the doll’s boots secured into the bindings, but once they’re in there, they aren’t going anywhere. Luciana took a face plant while I was taking photos and the board simply fell down with her – her feet didn’t so much as budge from the bindings, so they do their job! If your doll has tight limbs, she’ll balance well on the snowboard. Be aware that the doll will topple if you let her fall too far forward or back, but otherwise, the board is stable.
Front of the snowboard.
The bottom.
The bindings in action!
Good Value?
This retails for $75 directly from AG, and I’m sure it’ll go for more on the secondary market with the limited-edition element and Team USA tie-in. Given AG’s current prices for other outfits, the Olympics connection, the number of pieces this comes with, and their overall quality, I think this one is worth it. You get a pretty good bang for your buck.
Overall: A+
My complaints about the fit of the pants and coat aside, I really like this set a lot! It’s a sporty, practical snowboarding set with some really nice, well-made pieces and a fun Olympic theme. I personally love that it’s not super girly (sorry, AG, all the pinks and purples in your more recent athletic offerings just haven’t been doing it for me) and could also be worn by a boy doll...or just by a girl that’s not into super feminine colours and patterns. Having been a kid that wasn’t especially into what’s considered “girly” colours, patterns, and styles, I always appreciate AG offering something with a more practical design and neutral colour scheme. As a lover of the Olympics, I really dig the Team USA tie-in. Even in non-Olympic years, I see this set getting a lot of use in winter. It’s great!
Ready to hit the slopes!
Looking good!
