Darling I got in a 342 at Toys R us a while back and only just got around to deboxing. Apple and her dragon were on clearance at Argos for a bargain £10 so i made a special trip to pick it up.
So let's have a look at these shall we?
We'll start with Darling.
Now, the retail on these is around £15 which honestly is pretty damn good. That's the price Monster High was when it first debuted and neither EAH or MH has been that sort of price for a long while.
Most EAH actually is retailing for about £20-25 so it was a relief to see a line I actually liked also came with a bargain price tag.
Anyway,
As you can see, despite the "low" price point, Darling comes with a stand! A STAND! A freaking stand! oh how i've missed stands.
Ahem.
I freaking HATE this box. HATE it. Okay, so it's not actually a box. It's more a giant blisterpack. You have to tear the whole back off (and it's glued so that isn't easy) to get to the hidden tabs to unhook the plastic on the front. You can't just tear the front off, oh no, you have to open the back like this, then unhook aaaaal the little tabs.
-_-
I hate you Mattel.
The back of the box features Darling with her dragon and a little bio for the dragon itself. Such a shame mattel didn't make more rideable dragons, that would have been awesome.
But she's free at last!
First impressions? She's a beautiful doll but goddamn her hair is suffering. It's all boxified, half of it is curled the other half is just... frizz.
She's gonna need some spa treatment.
Aside from terrible box hair, Darling is a lovely looking doll. She has narrowed angular eyes that makes her look a lot older than the other EAH girls. She doesn't look like a high school student to me, but she does look like a barbarian princess so whoo.
She has a silver circlet on her head with painted pink jewels. It's tabbed to her hair in two places and I didn't have the patience to try to remove it. I hate how they tab things like this to doll's heads, it's so hard to get them off and you risk cutting the hair in the process. Just.. make the damn things fit properly and then you won't NEED to staple them to the doll's skull!
The circlet actually looks like it'll stay on fine without the staples so... yeah. go figure.
Darling has blue and pink eyeshadow and soft pink lips. Her makeup is subtle but effective. I don't own signature Darling so I can't compare but I do believe this version as a slightly paler but overall pretty similar makeup palette to her signature version.
She has light blue streaks in her hair.
She wears a breastplate with ornate leaf details and a seperate necklace/shoulder piece with painted jewels. I like that Mattel painted these jewels, they add a bit of visual pop to the overall look and make it all feel just a bit more deluxe.
A really elegant design feature is the gaps in Darling's breastplate. At first I thought they were just decorative gaps, but when I looked at her stand.
The gaps line up exactly with the stand prongs, so you can put her stand on while she's wearing the breast plate! How clever is that? I'm actually impressed by the foresight of that as a design.
She has a silver bracer with a chain bracelet attached. It seems to be on the opposite arm as to her artwork, random.
The breastplate clips on over her dress, it's kinda like those clip on clothes you sometimes get for fashion dolls. Ordinarily it'd annoy me but for armor, having a plastic clip on piece makes a lot of sense.
Darling also comes with a ring and a book but we'll get to those.
Her shoes are designed to look like chainmail, which is awesome. There's more painted on jewels too. They're very soft and easy to get on and off.
Under the armor Darling wears a dress with a big poofy skirt piece. The skirt is thick and doubled over, so it has a lot of volume with the gathering and no actual hem as the fabric is folded over and then sewn at the waistband inside.
There's a mesh top and sleeves to the dress and the pattern on the fabric seems to be crosses and clovers? I... have no idea.
She then has stretchy fabric tights/leggings with a sort of foil shine to them. The pattern is swirls and vines.
The outfit is all very very well sewn and nicely put together. I'm actually very impressed with the quality and attention to detail here. Considering her price point, this doll is actually very nicely put together and reminds me of the quality and attention we used to get back when Monster High first launched. It's really nice to see Mattel putting some effort in, and i'm a little baffled as to why this line is so reasonably priced while the really budget EAH lines with zero effort put in, shift dresses and printed on details etc are a similar price. wth?
Okay the book Darling comes with is a little pamphlet about the dragon games, which appear to be some sort of sport. From what I can gather, it's Quiddich on Dragons.
One side is pictures of the arena.
The other side is the rules. I assume the US release has more than just 3 rules and one paragraph about the dragon on, but this is the EU version so.. yeah, that's all we get. Oh well.
Darling comes with a ring "for you" which is way too small to fit my fat hands.
It has Darling's signature D and swirl on it.
Then I realised Darlings artwork has her holding a buckler, and it looks just like this ring!
Oh very clever Mattel. The ring doubles as a shield!
Unfortunately, the actual execution doesn't quite work. As a ring the doll hook part digs into your finger a bit and on the doll the human ring bit gets in the way. The angle of the hook and the ring is such that it's really really awkward for the doll to hold it.
Maybe if they'd put the hook going the same way as the ring section it would have worked, but as it is, it's a great idea but badly executed. What a shame.
I actually found the only way to get Darling to hold the shield was to ignore the hook completely and just elastic band the ring section to her arm.
She stole one of my cocktail stick swords.
So, my thoughts?
I really really love this girl. I honestly do.
EAH is definitely not a "me" franchise, but I am ALL about the D&D barbarian princess dragon rider line. Heck yeah. Not only is it a cool idea, it's also pretty well done. Her outfit is really nicely put together, it's detailed and well sewn. She has a stand and there's some clever little touches like the holes in her breastplate and the ring, which ordinarily would be a "leave it in the box" piece of plastic crap doubles as a doll accessory which I think is brilliant. Okay the ring/shield thing doesn't really WORK, but they tried.
Props for effort.
Her hair needs some help, but otherwise she's a really nice little doll. Well worth the £15, honestly it's a bargain price if the rest of the line are this well put together.
I'm now actually tempted to get more, so...
9 sets of boob armor out of 10. She'd get a solid 10 had her hair come out the box not looking like she'd been dragged through a hedge.
Now my bargain basement Apple.
I really wanted this dragon, it's an adorable reindeer lion dragon thing... it's so cute and so... random.
I admit, when this set was first revealed I was baffled as to why APPLE got the dragon when Raven is the one with the dragon pet. Where's our Nevermore playset mattel?
Still, there was no denying it was a cute dragon.
The original price tag on this was a rather eyewatering £35 though Argos has had it on at £25 for a while now. They dropped to £10 for a week, sold out everywhere, then went back up. Argos stock is weird like that.
My store only had one in, as most Argos stores only get one of anything.. like.. ever. Because of this, I didn't really get a choice in which set I got, I got whatever came off the conveyer belt and was thrust into my hands. Aside from checking for massive eye wonk, I didn't look that close.
this will become important in a bit...
The back of the box has a dragon bio on it. Though I was a bit confused by this at first as I hadn't looked at Darling's box which has the bio categories listed. This just has an obscure picture and then a word so I was like "wait.. cake? Is there a dragon called cake?"
It was just a bit... yeah.
Anyway, Apple's dragon is named Braebyrn, because of course she'd name something after a sort of apple. Her canon pet is called Gala, which is also a sort of apple so it fits the theme. It's a kinda cute name. Certainly cuter than Darling's "Herowing" which sounds like a racehorse sort of name. What on earth is a "hero wing" anyway?
Anyway, Apple's box is very easy to open. The whole inner just slides out. The box is HUGE, but at least it's easy to get into.
Only gripe? the dragon's wing.
WHY!? Why is it blister packed? and only the ONE wing... like.. wth?
Apple is.. well... Apple. I've never found her a particularly interesting doll. This one is blander than usual with straight hair and slight eye wonk. I kinda like the wonk though, it gives her a sorta sassy expression. I'm pretty sure her lips are wonky too, so she's like half smirking.
Amused.
But can we take a moment to talk about how she's posed in the box?
What even IS this?
Husband said she looks like she really has to pee, and I agree. Either that or she's dancing.
This is gotta be the most awkward doll position i've ever seen in a box. It's hilarious.
Thankfully her legs seem no worse the wear for their awkward box positioning.
Apple is a VERY budget doll, but she is fully articulated so that's something. She comes with no stand, no ring/shield and very little armor. Her hair is just kinda.. bleh.. there and she has very little in the way of makeup. She's a very plain doll facially, and that's a shame as her design in the actual Dragon Games special is really pretty.
Her hair is really choppily cut and caked in hard gloop. Ew.
It's crunchy! WHY is it crunchy!?
Her crown is stapled to her head, and worse, it's attached with multiple tabs and set waaaay too far back on her head.
Her outfit is very simple but actually really sweet. The dress/tunic is beautifully made, there's a stretchy bodice and then this lovely floaty skirt piece made from soft fabric that's so swishable. It's pretty, I want it in my size.
Apple comes with a piece of shoulder armor, it's made of soft squishy plastic and doesn't stay in place properly unless you elastic band it.
When she moves her arm the shoulder piece distorts and twists. Annoying.
While we're looking at this arm... that mark? that's from her backing card. It's like.. glued to her arm. Huh? HOW? eugh.
She has crazy detailed boots of fabulous though. There are dragons on the heels!
Looks like dragon scale pieces too.
At this point, it's worth mentioning that yes, her leggings are moulded on. We'll get to those.
Her little dress/top thing is sweet even without the belt and armor. It's really basic but I still think it's really pretty. A little jacket and a pair of leggings and it'd be gorgeous for a casual top.
The moulded on leggings are surprisingly detailed. They stop at her feet which I find curious as her boots mean she doesn't need her feet exposed anyway. Then there's a moulded waistband and everything. There's even moulded on creases!
now, ordinarily i'd hate moulded leggings and I do feel like maybe they could have done something with fabric here but at the same time, they DO look like armor more than fabric ever could so... mmm.. torn.
There's roses and studs moulded all over these things. It's kinda cool.
What is weird is that there's a lot of strangely positioned seams because of these. They aren't painted, they're moulded in silver plastic and then glued to an upper torso and the feet are then glued to the bottom. I find that weird because it means she has a seam at her ankles and one up under her bust making her look a little bit frankendollied. Wouldn't painting the leggings have been easier?
Not that i'm complaining that they moulded the leggings in coloured plastic, it just seems a really weird and complicated way to do it.
Her feet have strange circles on the underside too, dunno what that's about.
Her belt is... kinda a goldy brown colour and has a dragon clasp on the back of it. Cute hidden detail.
Her crown has little comb bits so it sticks into her hair, it actually sits okay without the tabs.
But you can see just how much more basic Apple looks than Darling. Her outfit is nice and all, but the moulded leggings coupled with such a boring faceup and such lacklustre hair really does let her down.
Also, damn Apple's head is huge. Like.. holy crud... I knew EAH had balloon heads but i'd forgotten just how moon faced the original moulds were!
While I was taking photos, the light shone on Apple's face and I noticed a flaw I hadn't seen earlier.
A closer look confirmed it. A huge gash out of the doll's cheek.
At first I thought maybe i'd done it when I was trying to get the crown off her head (it took forever and was really awkward) but I looked back at my "in box" photos and nope, you can see it (go back and look) so it's clearly a manufacturer error.
It's hard to see unless the light hits it the right way, but it's actually quite deep. Now I know it's there, I can't unsee it.
I contacted Mattel who were about as helpful as ever. "return it to the store", yeah, i'm sooo gonna lug a giant box all the way back on the bus, besides which, Argos won't accept it back if it's open and won't let me exchange, they'll just refund the £10 and i'd have to rebuy the set for the new £25 price tag. Nooo thanks.
So then they suggested I return it to them and they'd give me Argos vouchers. *sigh* Which means I have to get on a bus, queue up and go buy the set AGAIN, get the giant box home AGAIN, debox it all AGAIN. For a tenner, it's just not worth that hassle.
Can't you guys just send me a replacement damn head? Come on, you must have a pile of broken EAH dolls in the office to decapitate.
Anyway...
let's look at the real reason I got the set anyway. The dragon!
Braebyrn is freaking cute. I dunno if it's a he or a she, but it's cute!
It has these huge filigree wings of uselessness, they fall off if you so much as look at the thing which is pretty annoying but they do flap if you press the bow on the dragon's butt.
Flappy flappy. It's fun, till one or both wings pings off and smacks someone in the face.
Which.. actually totally happened. Don't fly this dragon down stairs while someone else is standing below you okay?
The dragon's tail is fuzzy, I love me a fuzzy dragon tail. There also appear to be vines growing down it? Is this dragon part Ent? I'm so confused.
He has these slightly feline looking legs with dragony feet, but there's something paw-like about them to me.
They're really cute though, with little nails and even wrinkles UNDERNEATH the foot.
the belly scales also go aaaaaall the way under, which is really nice.
All four legs are jointed, but there's very very little movement in them. Likewise the tail has a hinge but it doesn't really serve much purpose as the tail looks weird in any position other than one.
There's some writing under the chin, and the mould line looks like the mouth should open but it doesn't.
The head does however pivot and move with a surprising amount of mobility.
He has a cute face that's mostly this GIANT eye, some whiskery bits and then these branch-like antlers.
The reins are detailed with little beads, the top piece hooks around the antlers and then connects to the mouth piece.
It all fastens with a big "jewel" at the top.
The dragon has a kinda fuzzy mane too, the neck has moulded fuzz.
He has a really wide head and a very short snout. But it's nice the whole bridle piece comes off.
I kinda wish the mouth DID open, it really does look like it should.
But the poses the head can achieve just add to the adorable factor. This dragon excels at the "cute cocked head" pose.
There's a teeny little extrusion under the chin which is what the bottom piece of the bit hooks around, it's a little tricky to squeeze it over just right but once it's in place it holds the whole bridle in the correct position.
Clever.
The actual headpiece itself comes in two pieces, which makes it a lot easier to get on and off.
The saddle has a built in stand, which explains why Apple doesn't come with a stand herself. She's supposed to sit on the dragon after all. It's a good idea, it means the doll stays in place when you fly her about on the dragon... unlike the wings which you know... fall off. <_<
The stand is a bit tight, so getting the doll on is a little awkward but once on she's very secure.
I do wish she had stirrups though. Her legs just kinda hang there and it looks awkward.
Braebyrn showing off that cute head tilt.
The reins are designed with little loops so Apple's hands can go into them, which allows her to hold them nicely. I do feel like she's sitting a little too far back in the saddle though.
Incidently, despite thinking it might come off, the saddle does NOT in fact come off. It's glued on.
Apple is way bigger than her dragon. It's a little ridiculous.
She looks a lot more comfortable riding it than she does standing beside it.
I kinda like the size though, it's a good "swoosh around the room" size for a flying toy and it is quite hefty, anything bigger I think would be too difficult to play with.
And yes, Darling can also ride the dragon. The gaps in her breastplate match up precisely with the dragon's saddle clip too. Huzzah!
So, overall?
Is the set worth £10? HELL YES. Is it worth the current £25 asking price though? mmmm, i'm not sure. The dragon is really cute and very well made, but i'm not sure i'd pay that just for a plastic dragon. Apple herself is super budget and though her outfit is really cute, the doll itself is just SO bland and uninteresting it's hard to look past. Ignoring the fact mine has a huge gash in her face, she's just a really boring doll.
I like her top, boots and her paldron/shoulder piece thing but the rest? It's just SOOO dull.
I think with a more interesting head she could have been a really stunning doll. Just, some makeup or something, some volume to her hair.. something, ANYTHING.
I love the dragon, the dragon is awesome and i'm definitely keeping it, but Apple could have been so much better. I get they wanted her budget, but did they have to make her so generic?
Honestly, I want to find a Hattastic Apple and stick her head on this body, the red streaks and curls would look AWESOME. Also, I need to paint the jewels on her crown and find her a few more bits. I feel like this Apple could have been great, I mean her animated form is gorgeous but they stripped all that detail and all that design away and left us with what feels like an unfinished doll.
Overall?
7 out of 10 wings to the face. The dragon is great, but stirrups and better leg motion would have made it perfect. Apple... she's just massively disappointingly BLAH.
There's waaaay better Apples. So... so many better Apples.
They could at least have painted the swirly lines on her face, that she has in the movie in the Final Climactic Scene.
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