Reality check: those blue shoes are actually black, and the bronze ones white.
Unfortunately these dolls do not come with stands. There's been a lot of complaining within the MH fan community about the lack of stands for exclusive releases, and for good reason. It's particularly frustrating that the I <3 Fashion dolls, who come with extra fashions perfect for displaying, don't come with anything to help you actually display the dolls in the clothes. This is obviously a cost-cutting measure by Mattel and it comes across as cheap. Mattel (wisely) responded when fans complained about the lack of torsos for the Create-A-Monster sets; why haven't they responded to the complaints about stands? Surely throwing some stands in with these exclusive dolls is cheaper than manufacturing entirely new torsos for the CAM's?
Moving on, this is a beautiful version of Abbey.
She has a simple, clean faceup. Her eyes are framed by lavender eyeshadow, which is topped by pink shadow that goes up to her eyebrows. Her lips are a fantastic deep purple. She has the standard Abbey haircolors -- white with purple, pink, and blue streaks underneath. The sides are pulled tightly into a low ponytail in the back, which shows off her colorful streaks nicely.
The best outfit in the set is the one that Abbey actually comes wearing in the box. It's a salmon pink, knitted, calf-length sweater dress with a wide, folded collar. It has no sleeves, and a black stitching detail that runs all the way down her front-left, ending in two loose tassles. The material of the dress feels really nice. My opinion: it's one of the best dresses we've seen from the entire MH line, period. The dress is paired with black and purple high heeled booties, over which Abbey wears thick black knitted legwarmers. The only jewelry Abbey wears is purple bubble earrings (if you own Dawn of the Dance Lagoona, you've already seen these in white). This is an impressive look for Abbey -- it's subtle, chic, and sophisticated without being stuffy. The second outfit included is good, too.
It's a one-sleeve top with chunks of lavender, pink, and white in geometric shapes. The top is paired with an extremely snug fitting pair of tights made to look like denim. The "denim" is white, with splashes of more lavender and pink all over. The colored splashes have glitter on them. The overall look has a retro 80's feel to it. The last outfit surprised me. Based on the promotional picture I thought this dress was one piece, but the middle portion is actually a wrap that can be worn separately. I tried the outfit on my Skultimate Roller Maze Ghoulia but didn't care for the wrap and removed it. To me the dress looks much better by itself.
I think Frankie's sparkling lightning purse matches nicely.
It's sleeveless, short, and has a seam under the bust to add visual detail. The colors are once again lavender and pink, plus some light blue, all with a purple, broken ice pattern print. The wrap has a white"fur" bodice and black, gauzy skirt that splits up the front. It's well-made but to me it doesn't really work as a "look". The two extra outfits emphasize Abbey's general "ice cold" theme. The extra shoes are lacking in detail, but get the job done (although, like the earrings, one of these pairs is a differently colored repeat). The shoes can be mixed and matched however you feel, of course. The purse is nice but is a purple repeat of the blue one included in Abbey's second fashion pack. The earrings and bracelets are standard MH stuff.
Overall grade: B+ You get a fantastic version of Abbey (possibly her best so far?), and some great clothes. The accessories are good but not very unique. The lack of a stand is frustrating. Please remedy this, Mattel. Overall quality control on the doll and clothes is good, at least for the one I bought.
Top image: Mattel. The rest: yours truly.
Hey, I've got a question for you.
ReplyDeleteDid either of your ILF dolls come with an iCoffin?
Because my ILF Frankie Stein doll didn't. Not that it bothers me too much, but it's kind of false advertising when they differ from the promo/descriptions.
Oh gosh, that's a good question. It's been so long since I bought them that I can't remember. If they did, I just threw them in one of my MH accessory baggies and forgot about them. iCoffins are kinda "filler accessories" to me. Agreed though, if they advertise it, then it should be included.
DeleteYeah, I wasn't too disappointed. I have the three DDG iCoffins, so it's not too bad. But for some people, the accessories are fun to put in photographs.
DeleteI do that, too! Putting the accessories & unused pieces in ziplock bags so I don't lose them. I recently bought a set of clear containers with little compartments in them, so I'm a little more organised. :)