Today's mail haul from Big Bad Toy Store (Skeksis) and Toys R Us (Animal Planet set)
The "Dark Crystal" Skeksis finally shipped after being on back order since November! I was finally able to complete my build-a-crystal Dark Crystal diorama element.
The "Animal Planet" Deep Sea Shark Research Playset is AWESOME! The boat is quite large but narrow and can hold a bunch of figures, accessories and even a small boat. The plastic is typical Chap Mei quality: thin but sturdy.
The action features work quite well. The lights and sounds are bright and loud. There are 4 small articulated searchlights which can be mounted in 6 different ports along the deck. The bow mounted launcher has some pretty impressive range.
The articulated crane can be placed in any 1 of 3 different ports along the ship's centerline (bow, right behind the flying bridge and just before the tail). The articulated claw and the shark cage can be attached to the hook on the end of the crane. The hook can be lowered by pressing the black button atop the crane and pulled out as far as desired. There is a working crank to bring the hook back up.
The flying bridge can fit either of the included figures or 2 figures side by side if the back rest stand is removed. The cockpit is undetailed but that is not a major concern for customizers or most kids. There are several antennas and a rotating radar dish atop the flying bridge for added realism.
This set includes 2 figures (same 2 figures as many "Animal Planet" Sea sets), 3 all new sharks (including a large stubby hammerhead with a lever action jaw), a brand new accessory tree, a GITD tree of small sea creatures (same mold as the one included in the undersea lab set), a small raft with articulated oars and searchlight, a shark cage with opening top, an articulated claw for retrieving sharks or small craft, 2 life preservers, a net projectile for the bow mounted launcher and a large red rescue case.
