Walmart Exclusive "Kid Connection" Safari (Lion) Playset Review:
This year, Walmart has added a safari theme to their line of 3.75" scaled "Kid Connection" play sets. There have been 2 small animal/vehicle sets released so far: a tiger/jeep set and the set I am about to review containing a lion and a small helicopter. These small sets retail for $4.97 each and are a great buy.
This set contains a rather large lion, a rather small helicopter with lights and sounds, an action figure and an accessory tree.
The lion is the real star of the set. It is far larger than an actual lion while also being rather skinny left-to-right resulting in an odd, almost alien appearance. There are 5 points of articulation: 4 swivel hips and a button activated jaw. The jaw is activated by a really cleverly disguised button on the top of the lion's head. When the button is depressed, the jaw closes. There is very little paint on the lion, essentially just the mane (although the ears protruding from the mane were painted the same color as the mane), eyes, nose and teeth. The sculpt is quite nice but since most of it is unpainted, it looks a bit "cheap", although I bet it will look great with some additional paint applications.
The helicopter is very well designed save for the undetailed cockpit interior (and the usual lack of window "glass"). The light and sound feature works very well and the rotor spins freely and well balanced (very little wobble unlike most toy helicopters). It is only a single seater due to its size, but would make for a great scout copter with some paint and added accessories.
The figure looks to be a new version of an older "Wild Quest"/"Animal Planet" mold or at least based on the older mold. While there is very little in the way of paint applications, there is a rather striking cat's paw symbol on the figure's shirt. The figure has the standard 5 points of articulation: swivel neck/shoulder/hips.
The included accessory tree is the best one that Chap Mei ever produced for their "- Quest"/"Animal Planet" lines, although the material is a duller color and somewhat more rubbery than what they are usually produced out of. The accessories on the tree include a digital camera, a lantern (sadly hollow on the reverse), a walking stick, a water bottle, binoculars, a tablet, a video camera and a flashlight.
The lion alone is worth the price of the set (especially with the dearth of articulated scale animals) so you cannot go wrong with $4.97 for everything in the box.
