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McFarlane Toys- The Wizarding World of Harry Potter: Hermione Granger
Continuing my look at all the Harry Potter themed rides and attractions at the various Universal Studios Parks around the world. Previous thoughts can be found at review 314-2 Dragon Challenge, 337-2- Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey & 392-2- Flight of the Hippogriff.
One of the more clever rides that Universal Studios has created in the Harry Potter world is the Hogwarts Express. And while it is not the most thrilling ride out there, it really does raise the bar in what park goers can expect in theming. For those unaware, in the world of Harry Potter, there is a wizarding school called Hogwarts that is located deep in the countryside of England. Every fall, students who study the magical arts, board a train (called the Hogwarts Express) at Kings Cross (a real place in London) and arrive at Hogsmead Station (a fake village beside the Hogwarts school). Another thing to note if you are unaware, Universal Studios Florida is split into 3 different theme parks. Universal Studios Park (this was the first one that mirrored the Hollywood park) then opened Island of Adventures in the late 90’s (a more themed environment with different franchise tie ins) and finally a Polynesian themed waterpark. Now when Universal first introduced the Wizarding World at the resort it was only at the Islands of Adventure park, but they later expanded to the Studios Park after its success and popularity. This afforded Universal with a rather cool opportunity to make an attraction that would be not only fun, but also functional for the park goers who may want to attend both parks in one day. The premise is simple enough: each respective park has a train stain que that is themed after that area of the Wizarding Word. The Studios Park has a Kings Cross façade, which is attached to the wizard street Diagon alley in London and Islands of Adventure has the Hogsmead station that is attached to Hogwarts. There is a train that runs between the parks, or rather stops, and is themed to the Hogwarts Express that is shown in the film series completed with individual compartments that each party sits in for the journey. I’ll leave it there for now and go into more detail on my next Potter review.
Pros: Of the series, Hermione was the most difficult to find, which is a bit of a shame given that she is a) the only female release and b) a fan favorite, but the entire line was short lived, so I suppose we are lucky to have had any of it. As with the other releases, Hermione has a great overall sculpt, key accessories and a good amount of articulation for any required poses. I also love that her patronus is an otter; who doesn’t love otters?
Cons: McFarlane is known for fantastic sculpts, but the face sculpts on the 3 kids was a bit weak in my opinion. Also, and I know this is due to the line being cut short, outside of the wand and a passing resemblance to Emma Watson, there is very little to connect this with the media that this is based off of. I mean, yes she looks like her character did from the movie, but it’s really just a girl in street clothes when you boil it down. They really missed an opportunity with this line and I think it would have done better if they release them in their Wizarding robes.
