DAPHNE BLAKE

SCOOBY DOO (CHARACTER OPTIONS)

Hey, remember last week when I reviewed Freddy and the Mystery Machine?  Yeah, well, I bet it’s not a huge surprise to find out that wasn’t the only Scooby Doo purchase I’d made in recent history.  Scooby Doo has always operated by pairing characters off; Scooby and Shaggy, Fred and Daphne, Velma and…one of the other pairs, you get the point.  Anyway, since I had Fred, it just seemed wrong to not at least pick up his better half, Daphne Blake!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Daphne was released a few different ways.  She was included in a five-pack of just Mystery Inc, a ten-pack with five classic ghosts, and in one of two two-packs, with either the Skeleton Man or the Witch-Doctor.  Since my figure was picked up loose, I can’t actually say which particular release it is.  Regardless, the figure stands about 4 1/2 inches tall and has 10 points of articulation (though the hair makes her neck joint essentially useless).  Like Fred, Daphne is based on her design from Scooby Doo: Mystery Incorporated.  It’s not a huge departure from her classic look; essentially, the main difference is some sharper angles here and there.  The figure’s sculpt does an okay job of capturing her design, though I’d say she’s definitely got a look that just doesn’t translate so well into three dimensions.  The head (especially the face) seems rather on the large side, as do the hands and feet, and her limbs just seem a bit stubby.  Where Fred’s design is a lot of hard angles, and is therefore a bit more forgiving of some slight slip-ups, Daphne’s is a bit more of a careful balance, which causes her to look a bit more off when one or two things are out of whack.  With all that said, her sculpt is certainly passable, and you can very easily tell who this is supposed to be and even which iteration of the show she’s based on without too much trouble.  In terms of paint, Daphne’s decent enough.  There’s a bit of slop here and there (and my figure’s exhibiting a bit of wear), but the application is pretty solid overall.  The purple on her skirt doesn’t quite match the rest of the figure (purple is a really hard color to work with), but aside from that, the colors look quite nice; she’s quite vibrant, which is always a plus.  Daphne included no accessories, but aside from her own ransom note, what exactly would you give her?

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

After picking up Fred and the Mystery Machine, I knew I at least wanted a Daphne figure to go with him.  I was planning to track down one of the two-packs, but I was at Yesterday’s Fun and they had her loose for $3, which was good enough for me.  She’s not going to be winning any awards or anything, but for the price point we’re looking at here, she’s more than acceptable.  Now, I just need to resist the urge to finish the gang…