Exclusives
Playmates Lucha Libre USA
Super Nova
I was quite surprised when I walked into one of my local Toys R Us stores to see a little shelf space dedicated to these Lucha Libre USA figures. They are from a Mexican wrestling series featured on MTV2 and are put out by Playmates. I have to admit it was a bit nostalgic to guy a Playmates toy as I have not done so since the height of the Ninja Turtles. Each figure comes in a DA style body and features a weapon. This Super Nova came with a melted trash can lid. The body pretty much is in line with the Jakks DA style of figure even with height. He has huge beefy arms and the same exact articulation. I was hoping to use him as a luchadore with my RA figs but as usual he is slightly taller. Still he looks okay side by side with them. The gigantic beefy arms however will make him look on planet roid rage compared to the Mattel figures. It should be noted that not all of the figures have arms like this. Some in the line have a toned down size to their biceps. I probably won’t get too many of these due to the DA size scale but I figured I would try one out. I plan to use this guy as a Mil Mascares or a generic luchadore to fill in for Rumbles and such. I look forward to seeing how far Playmates can push this line. Always niece to see the wrestling line at TRU filled with choice.
RS Rated: 7
Hulk Hogan Masked Wrestlemania
Ticket Promotion Figure
This is a figure that I received long ago back when the promotion was taking place. I reviewed this figure on WF but this was before I had my current website. So I decided to add it to the archives. This figure was truly unique and an obscure look into wrestling’s past. The first version shows Hogan in his work out gear. He’s ready to start “Hangin and Bangin” for hours in the gym. He comes with a great Hulkamania head band and brown colored weight belt. His American Made t-shirt is great, with Velcro on the left side that is hidden perfectly. The shirt even has the famous Hogan slits on the back. My only beef with the shirt is it’s a bit too long. The figure has blue tights with black boots and long socks. This scan shows Hogan with a full head of hair representing his early look and he has a yelling scan. He is ready to do an interview or hit the House of Pain with Mr. T. Version two is the Hulk Machine. Now I know this was originally set to be Mr. America and this was our consolation. I like many of you I was disappointed and had no idea what a machine was. The machine gear is flawless and just looks great. I prefer putting the gear on other figures to make other machines. This is what a figure should look like.
RS Rated: 9
Paul Haymen
I believe this was one of Paul’s first figures released. He comes with his only released WWE head scan who’s double chin strangely resembles Boss Hog. He comes with a plastic cap that doesn’t fit well and baggy pants of the same mold as the first Fred Blassy figure. He comes with a cloth jacket that has seriously plagued the figure with black stains. Underneath he has the Jim Duggan style body with small arms. RS Rated: 6
Undertaker Toy Fair Exclusive
Wow wear to begin. How about the accessories. First thing you may notice is the old familiar BCA urn. Good old classic. He comes with his first title the winged eagle belt. It’s not painted. Taker comes with a new mold hat. I like the hat but the rubber is very stiff making it hard to fit on his large head. Included also is a leather trench coat. Now this is not quite accurate as taker didn’t wear leather until post Bad Ass era. Yes we are still talking accessories cause there be a lot of them. Lastly is the old school World War II style stretcher. This doesn’t really fit if you ask me. I assume the production team wanted to include a casket but costs were probably too high so they said why not a stretcher. What ever. One interesting thing about this accessories is that it’s the only one that Jakks releases that still depicts a WWF logo. Sure it is not the accurate attitude logo but a WWF logo made out of undisclosed body fluids is still a WWF logo! Taker comes with a different head scan that features faux hair on his mustache and beard. He has a sleeveless dress shirt with a grey tie. I really wish they made a more accurate fat tie for taker that was removable. He comes with grey gloves molded exclusively for undertaker figures. Strangely he is free of tattoos not even his one on his forearm. Lastly you will notice that taker finally comes with painted grey on his boots as opposed to cloth leggings.
RS Rated: 8.5
Sgt. Slaughter Toy Fair Exclusive
Listen up maggots! This is one of many exclusives that I passed up due to finances in the past but since recent price reductions and a lack of current Jakks figures worth buying I was able to get this baby under my tree! Now I must admit that I don’t know the origins of this figure but I have to believe it’s from the AWA G.I. Joe era. Slaughter is jam packed with every accessory he would ever need including a removable camouflage jacket, American flag, brown version sergeant hat and colored glasses. He has a painted on tank top with red white and blue stars across the chest. He comes complete with camouflage pants and his very detailed boots. All in all a really great piece. Now drop down and give me 20! RS Rated: 20 (always do what the sarge says)
CSDA Big John Stud
I was very surprised to see this set in TRU today as I had never really heard of it. I know I am a Debbie Downer when it comes to DA’s (or should I start saying DI’s) but I don’t mind getting one for a guy who is exceptionally tall. Big John falls into that category. The first thing you may notice is it is incredibly boring and plain. This is by far not the most remembered attire for Stud but I think I remember it in the early early 80’s. Any one that has reference pictures to share that would be awesome. Stud comes with baby blue tights and matching knee pads (it is noted that the pads in the box proto pic were regular blue). He has his famous red boots. He was given two open fisted hands. There is not other detail on the figure. The pants are completely plain and he comes with 0 accessories. Remember when these things used to be deluxe. I mean the used to atleast have painted belts. Not any more. You get nothing. Well unless you count Stone Cold’s rubber vest or Chainsaw Charlie’s pantyhose hat. But to call this deluxe is a joke. The only thing deluxe about it is the $17+ price tag. OH yeah there is that single panel WreslteMania III banner. But that’s it. The head is typical stud with blond hair and a dark beard. Over all it’s an okay figure. Nothing special by far. I am glad to have a tall Stud but would have far preferred him in his white attire with stars. Yes this would have been a repeat from his RA style release but still an upgrade. I also included a picture of the back of the box to show you guys the proto pics of the rest of the set that I will not be buying. RS Rated: 3.3
Crazy Toy Bootlegged Kurt Angle
I must admit, I was crazy excited when I saw Crazy toys release cause I could get my hands on a reasonably priced classic looking Angle figure! Well let this be a lesson, when you deal with bootlegs, you get what you pay for. The first thing you will notice is the mismatched skin tone of the head. The head looks hideous! It reminds me of the Joker in the 1989 version of Batman when he put son flesh colored make up to hid his deranged face. Well in the rehashed words of the Joker. This figure needs an enema. The next thing that can be seen is the visible holes in the shoulder balls. This is a flaw that I expected and honestly its not that bad to get used to. What was disappointing was the scratched paint on the figure and the loose joints. The legs and waist were incredibly loose. The figure looked like it came from the bottom of a 4-year-old’s toy box. Then there were the pink/red splotches on the fig. You can see a bad one on his fore arm. Which is okay I guess, but how many times can you justify Angle just coming out of putting a cross face on Doink the Clown, The ultimate Warrior, or the Boogie man. Now I don’t want this to be an anti Crazy Toy rant cause it’s not. He was very professional and refunded me the price of the fig (leaving me to only pay the 5 bucks or so for shipping from Australia). I also want to point out that I have gotten a few of his mismatched figures from eBay and they have been in perfect condition. RS Rated: 1.5
Wizard World Exclusive, Toy Fair,
Classic Superstars, Edge
What do Edge and Matt Hardy have in common? No. Save your Lita jokes. They both have figures that don’t belong in the CS line! Just goes to show that the CS name and packaging is just used to up the prices on some figures. All things considered this is still one of the best Edge figs ever made. The removable jacket is very detailed with painted on buckles and studs. It even is split with tails down the back. My only complaint about this accessory is the material that Jakks uses. It’s so bulky. They should really look into the stuff that Ralph uses. This is the first time we have seen the Rated R spinner belt released. The WWE spin plate was replaced with a great colored “Rated R Superstar” logo that spins quite well. The belt is painted with silver detail but only on the main plate. It even has his name on the name plate. Imagine if Jakks went and did this with every belt that had a name plate. That would make some rereleases more desirable to me to get the correct name plate belts. The rest of the plates are void of all detail. Edge has his signature R arm wraps with lace detail on the under side. His tights have an R on the front with his logo on both legs and his boots. The head scan is by far my favorite ever for edge. Great work all around. RS Rated: 9
Ringside Collectables,
Shattered Dreams Exclusive,
Goldust.
This is by far one of my favorite RSC exclusives ever. The gold foil packaging is simply stunning. It really made it hard for me to open this figure. The robe has great detail with silver sparkles and black detail. The white fringe trim is spectacular and it says Godust on the back in silver. The robe Velcros shut and has ties. My only complaint is the color. The robe looks more yellow than gold to me. The problem with most Goldust figures has been the fact that his wig doesn’t fit. The proto pictures shoed a new wig mold but it seems that they stuck with the old BCA relic anyways. Regardless it seems to fit this new head scan much better than the old. It is a different shade of yellow than the original release. I only hope that it doesn’t remove the paint of the figure like it did on my old Golddust figure. The kicker for this figure is the IC belt. IT is not only painted but comes on a gold strap to represent his alteration of the belt when he won it. His attire is great and features his name on the back. This figure comes with the nWo Hogan style gloves mold and has a great new head scan. The face paint is just awesome. I am a bit torn with the fact that this is supposed to be classic but it seems to represent more of a current look for him. But I will deal with that. Bottom line this figure rocks! RS Rated: 9
K-Mart Exclusive Wrestlemania RSR
Hulk Hogan and
Rowdy Roddy Piper
These were two figures that I thought I would never have but to my good fortune through a trade they are a part of my collection.
Lets start by taking a look at the Hulkster. Usually I hate molded on clothing, and if this were the only Hogan out there I would be upset but I kind of like it this way. Gives me that nostalgic feeling of the old Hasbro figures of Hulk with his sculpted shirts. He has his first head scan with more hair on top and the classic white embroidered Hulkster head band. The attire is pretty basic Hogan but there is one major complaint: the shirt logo. Sure Hulkamania is fine for a logo but the black out line of the lettering is inaccurate for that era. That kind of fanciness didn’t surface until he was STILL running wild. Although I like the look of the figure over all, it makes fitting the belt on him a bit odd. Over all I love the figure and the classic belt is superb.
RS Rating: 7.5
Piper is a plain old short haired ring gear piper. Seen it many times over. This one strangely has the super heavyweight torso which does not fit my memories of piper in that time. He has his maroon boots with a nice RP logo and black knee pads for this version. Not the best figures but good ones none the less. I really think all RSRs should come with figures. All wrestling rings for that matter. I mean who wants to get a toy wrestling ring as a gift from some schmuck that forgot to buy you at least two figures to wrestle with?
RS Rating:8
WWE.Com Exclusive Wrestlemania XIV Shawn Michaels Vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin
This just arrived today and it is better than I imagined. Shawn’s figure is just packed with detail. He has logos on his wrists, his knee pads and allover his tights. I mean there are three logos on the front, one on each side, and 3 on the back. Just amazing! Not to mention the detail on the boots. He has his tattoo and they even went as far as to color the rubber band in his hair at the top red (sorry the picture of that turned out a bit fuzzy). The only down side of the figure is he comes with an unpainted classic WWF belt.
RS Rating: 9.5
Stone colds figure is also awesome. He has a black wrist tape and comes with a single knee brace. Some may be sad to see he was given the rocky boots once again and I must agree that this isn’t accurate. The vest is the best one I have seen yet. Unlike the last shopzone release this one has silver decals instead of white. The front is brandished with a scull, 3:16, and SOB, which we all know stand for his favorite wrestler Steve Oliver Borden. The back has yet another skull and says Stone Cold. Two solid figures that I am glad to own.
RS Rating: 8
Now the last thing this set came with was a set of cloth boxing gloves. Sadly we are left to assume that these are to represent “Special Enforcer” Mike Tyson. What a pathetic substation. I mean he didn’t even where boxing gloves at the match. Am I supposed to recreate WM 14 and use a set of boxing gloves as Tyson!!? Seriously? I mean what gives Jakks? We know you singed Tyson for the Rocky line. He’s a fan of WWE so why couldn’t you make it a legit three pack. To make things even worse the gloves don’t even work. They do have elastic on the inside which gives you the illusion that they would fit on a figure. Well they don’t. I spent a good 10 minutes trying to stretch them on and could only get it on the closed fist of Piper. So unless you are going to have 2 empty boxing gloves ref your match, they are useless.
RS Rating: 2
Bonus points for anyone that remembers the Subtitle of this Wrestlemania.
K-Mart Exclusive
Chris Jericho and C.M. Punk
The first thing I noticed about this set is the box called it Ruthless Aggression. But the K-Mart 2 pack exclusive that was released before them was called Adrenaline Limited or something like that. So I am not sure if this is 100% historically accurate but this may be the first ever Ruthless Aggression 2 pack. Jericho is freaking awesome. He has his red tights with the chain logo and his name on the back. The head scan is phenomenal if you ask me. Really captures the current heal Jericho. My only problem with him is that his boots are blank and don’t say his name. Punk is very plain. He has monochromatic tattoos and the same head scan from his debut release. Only difference is his hair is black instead of brown. His attire is pretty plain. All black with a red stripe down the sides. Not much else to say. For the price of an RA fig being about 10 bucks I was happy to get this 2 pack for 14. I would recommend it.
RS Rating Jericho: 9
RS Rating Punk: 7.5
Holly and Rhodes
World Tag Team Belt Pack
I had been eyeballing this set for a while simply because I like the color of Holly’s attire. Beyond that there was no other reason to buy it. I don’t like kids belts, I already had that kids belt and that Cody fig is the same as is first release. Ok so maybe its semi neat to have a matching pare of cheap kids belts but I found a reason to make me buy it. It was on clearance at Wal-Mart for $5.!!! Yeah that made it worth it for me. Too bad they still don’t have Demolition!!! Argh! Oh well. There isn’t much to bee said about Cody since he is a re release but he’s good for what he is. Holly has a great fig and I love his attire. The belt is just a flashy bonus. I never did understand why the figures didn’t come with belts too in these sets. Nothing I would recommend for people that already have other versions of these figs but for five bucks it’s worth the buy.
RS Rating Cody: 7
RS Rating Holly: 8.5
Rated R Trio
This was a nice little set as most of the Trios don’t give you two debut figures. Here I was able to snag both Hawkins and Ryder as well as a pretty decent Edge. Edge’s attire is pretty basic grey and has that skinny looking head scan that I’m not so fond of but the tattoos look decent. Hawkins and Ryder have the same body. They have different arms as far as wrist bands and forearm bands but otherwise they are the same and that’s okay with me. They have very detailed Rated R logos on the legs trunks and boots. There head scans look great but I just cannot for the life of me figure out how to know which guy is which. If anyone has a trick for remembering this please let me know.
RS Rating Edge: 7
RS Rating Little Edges: 8
v
IE Ric Flair
This has been one of the most sought out figures by me for a long time. I remember when it was originally released and it should be noted that it was not a “Classic Superstar.” I then remember when Ringside Collectables was unloading them for $2.99 a piece. I true steal of a deal but I just couldn’t afford it at the time. And to try to get one now is damn near unaffordable. I was lucky enough to do some dealing to get a loose one from one guy and the robe from another guy. And now I enjoy the sweet success that is this figure. I believe CS2 Ric had already been released when this figure was out. His robe is great for remembering his WWF debut in the early 90s. It is black with sliver trim and spiced up with the white fur stuff that is substituting for feathers. The robe is just a thing a beauty with Ric’s name on the back. It is the same old over used “Woo” head scan with a fit torso, red boots and black trunks. Just a clean and solid figure for Nache and I for one am glad to finally have it in my collection.
RS Rating:9.5
WWE 24/7 Exclusive Ric Flair “WWE Hall Of Famer”
Boy was I surprised to see this at my doorstep yesterday when I came home. First off I thought I had no chance of getting this figure since it was only for “new subscribers” to WWE 24/7. So I thought I would send in my bill any ways to see if I can fool them. Well as it turns out I have Comcast cable which was the one company that was not allowed to send there cable bill in (as they were going to automatically ship out the promo figure to new customers). Well they sent me one anyways. The only reason why that I can think of is because I moved to the upstairs apartment at and around the promo time. So perhaps that made me look like a new customer. Well to my surprise and what I don’t understand is why they sent me a 2nd one addressed to my old place in the down stairs apartment. What ever the reason I am not questioning it and now I have 2. Well until I unload the 2nd one that is. Any way that’s my story so on with the review.
For MOC collectors you may notice that this figure also has “WWE Hall of Famer” on the name panel. The picture is actually of this fig and even shows the robe a bit. The front says WWE 24/7 excusive and has a WWE 24/7 exclusive sticker. Also the “collector series” tabs are in pink to match Ric. The back of the box Also has the gold and black 24/7 logo and promots CS 21.
Ric comes with a beautiful robe modeled after one that he wore many times. According to my research he wore this robe in the WWF in the early 90’s, in the WCW/NWA in the 80s and even in the Late days of WCw. Only thing missing from the robe is the feather trimming. I am not sure if this is accurate or not but the back of the robe has no “ric flair” on it either. The robe is decorated with purple trim, dots, and flowers. Only the Nature Boy could pull off this outfit and still “Be the Man.” He comes with an unpainted world heavyweight title belt. He is featured with the “Woo” head scan. Personally I would have rather seen a more rare head such as the CSDA or the RSC/CSDA heads. Ric has the flabby torso with regular arms. He was given those God awful claw/groping hands. I don’t know why I just don’t like them. He is in all pink attire. His trunks have a purple RF and his boots have a larger RF. He comes with pink new style knee pads and if you know me you know I like my Flair with old school pads. It is nice that they gave us regular boots and not the huge footed rocky ones. Also the laces are painted white.
Not much else to say about this figure as it’s a Ric Flair and he was always in pretty simple attire. The robe is beautiful and the simplicity of this figure is beautiful as well. Comcast made me a very happy guy. Wooooooooooooooo!
RS Rating: 8.5
WWE ShopZone Exclusive
Eddie Guerrero
WWE ShopZone comes through once again with a stellar exclusive to the classic superstar line. The packaging is the box style with the Mexican flag colors. This figure is all about the LWO. The box has the Classic Superstars logo and the LWO logos as well. This marks the 1st release of the Cruiserweight title with an RA style action figure. He comes with an LWO Latino World Order shirt. The shirt style is the tank top that Velcros down the left side. The problem with this mold is that the ring around the arm is still complete which makes it very difficult to remove and put on this shirt. If anyone knows the trick to using these Jakks shirts please enlighten me. The figure is great. The head scan I believe to be the same as the CSDA RSC exclusive 2 pack. This head is great for classic Eddie fans or for people that remember the early days of Latino Heat or dare I say the Latino Mullet. His attire is plain and simple in gold and black with red trim. His boots are gold and black with black lace detailing. I personally am very happy to have an Eddie figure with this head. This figure goes on my highly recommended list.
RS Rating: 9.5
Treacherous Trios Series 8
Deuce, Cherry, and Domino
This set is yet another in a recent long line of jacks re-release upgrades. A shameless attempt to get collectors to buy 2 repeated figures for one debut. Domino is plain and simple but the same thing we have seen in every one of his figures. Nothing new here. Deuce on the other hand has a slight modification. He has hand/wrist tape. Nothing too special but at least there was some effort made here. Cherry on the other hand is the rose between these two rotten thorns. She is dressed in her pink attire with a skirt and the small chest torso. Her outfit is decorated with cherries on her top and skirt. Her hair is in a pony tail and has hair ties in it. Her boots are even decorated with cherries. But what stands out about this figure is that she comes complete with working roller skates! This was a huge surprise to se but it relay makes the figure and even the set worth snagging. The trio comes with a mic and a folding chair. Not the greatest set ever but Miss. Cherry really makes it worth it.
RS Rating Duce and Domino: 4
RS Rating Cherry: 9.5
Dream Match 2 Pack Bret hart (from Bret Jeff Hardy 2 Pack Internet Exclusive)
From one of the stupidest concept 2 packs I have ever seen comes this great Bret Hart figure. I don’t know why it was ever made. I mean both are great performers but I really wouldn’t call that a dream match. But I finally found a decent auction for Bret loose. He comes with a jacket that is detailed like he wore in the early 90’s when his singles career as the Intercontinental champion was kicking off. He comes in black tights with a pink top and the tread mark Hit man style. Complete with a great pair of hit man shades and the latest Bret head scan. I love the boots on this figure the most. This is certainly a fig worth checking out.
RS Rating:8.5
Rhyno (best of ECW)
Yet another figure that I stupidly passed on many times at KB toys is now in my hands. My thought at the time was the AD version that I had was good enough. But I slowly became dissatisfied with the R3 head that was on that figure. This head is not a great likeness for Rhyno but is much better than the R3 version. Saddly this figure must have been made before the large singlet torso (Jim nidhart, Jay Strongbow, etc.). As I think this would have suited him much better. But this will surely hold me off until Jakks begins work with the TNA license.
RS Rating: 8
2 Dudes With Attitudes Ringside Colectables Classic 2pack
This is a set that I waited out for a while on but couldn’t pass it up after seeing it for under 15 bucks in the Ringside Collectables Blow out Sale!!! I didn’t pictures of the HBK rubber chaps and vest as I hate them. They are so annoying to put on and off. Just, eh at least they are removable. The head scan fits good with this era Shawn but it would have been nice to see him with that black hat kind of like came with the Brawler. TH attire he has is awesome. The only thing I don’t like is that it says dudes with attitudes on his back. But that’s the gimmick of the set. Same with Diesel. Fig isn’t anything too special as it’s the same as his other cs release. Only difference is the logo on the front. One upgrade to this fig is the detail they put on the side of his legs. I don’t know why but I think that just turned out amazing if you ask me.
RS Rating Big D: 5
RS Rating HBK: 7
Beth Phoenix and Maria Diva 2 pack
On this two pack they really seamed to cut back on the accessories. I mean the box is the same size as the previous 2 pack but for what ever reason we are cut to having 0 cloth accessories and down to just a mic and an unpainted women’s title. But let me tell you, the figures make up for it. Beth is pure perfection. She has black attire detailed with silver spots even on the back and boots. Her arm bands really make the figure look authentic and the head scan is spot on!!! The detail in her hair is simply beautiful. Some of the best sculpting I have seen. Maria turned out great too. Photos really don’t give the likeness of her face justice. Her attire is a bit plain but what can you do. Her pants are white and her top is a slightly more shiny white kinda like a yellowish or pearl opal color. The head scan is great and they captured her eye makeup perfectly. She is wearing a glove on her left hand and was given the smaller chest mold which matches her physique. They even went as far as to paint her nails pink to match her pink lipstick. Now that my friends is detail. It’s not often that we get diva 2 packs and very rare that they are both debut figures. This one is a must have if you ask me.
RS Rating Beth: 9.5
RS Rating Maria: 8
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Melina and Ashley Diva 2 Pack
If your not addicted to wrestling figures this set probably isn’t necessary. But since Ashley is not longer with WWE I felt the need to pick her up as she will never have another figure made of her most likely. The good thing about this set is it is jam packed with accessories. Comes with a chair, which I always love, not painted women’s title, microphone, and a hat for Ashley. Unfortunately the hat was not a rubber one like the ones released with crime time. These are better as they are easier to fit on heads. But the hard plastic one seems to fit Ashley pretty well. The Ashley figure is a great piece. Her hair and face are so detailed right down to her lip piercings. She is complete with fishnet stockings on her arms and legs. Her legs are detailed with pink striped socks and even have pink jolly rogers on them. The pink jolly roger also appears on her top. The rubber skirt is a bit of a drag but at least she came with a skirt. They even went as far as to add detail to her back with the Asian lettering back tattoo. The Melina is really nothing special. Same thing we have seen time and time again in the Ruthless Aggression series but at the time I think this was one of her first figures with the new body mold. They went the extra mile and gave her her fuzzy boot coverings. They are huge too. Over all it was a great set at the time. Awesome accessories and cool figs but it’s a bit outdated for now.
RS Rating Melina: 8
RS Rating Ashley: 9
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First Loose Look at Lance Cade and Trevor Murdock Toy belt Two Pack Exclusive to Walmart.
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First off. Why is he called Lance Cade now? Did he used to be Garison Cade? Just Like JBL. Why did he stop being Justin Bradshaw and now is John Bradshaw Layfeild? OR Rey Mysterio JR. and CHavo Guerrero Jr. droping the Jr.s ? I predict that in 6 months Ted DeBiassie JR. will be called Justin Garison Million Dollar Man Senior. I just don’t get it.
Any how. Sorry about that little rant. Can I just say FINALY Jakks has released a full ring gear Cade figure!!! But to damn bad it is already outdated since he has Cade and Murdock logo on his trunks! OH well. It didn’t stop me from dropping a Jackson to get him in ring gear. The Murdock figure is the same old same old. Has the metallic trunks just like his last adrenaline release. There also is no tattoo on him. Cade is a great figure. I love the white cowboy boots and it was surprising to se they gave him a hat too. Long over due if you ask me. But at least I’m no longer restricted to a molded on shirt or a jeans mold. One thing that has always annoyed me about these belt packs is the figures don’t come with mini belts. I mean WHAT THE CRAP?!?! If you are selling a pack to commemorate the tag champions would it kill you to give the figs the tag team championship belts? It just doesn’t make sense.
Lastly. I’m not huge on the toy belts since I’m a bit out of that range and into the real replica belts. I really only have the hardcore one that came with Spike Dudely and now this one. But it seems with this one they made them even smaller. I mean one of the straps is crazy small. Not sure if this is like that on any other jakks belts. It’s also too bad that they only give you 3 of the belt plates on these. Then again we must remember they are toys. And not a day goes by where I didn’t wish that I had such a huge selection of toy belts as a kid. I mean available in stores too! When I was little you had to go to a WWF show or order it through the catalog for $25 or $30 by the time it was shipped to you. And the accuracy was completely disregarded. Just remember when you think you have it bad, look back to see what things used to be like.
RS Rating Cade: 8
RS Rating Murdock: 6
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Hardys WWE Shop Zone Classic Superstars Exclusive
Hot of the back of the USPS truck to you its my review of the Hardy’s Classic Exclusive. I always wonder why some figures get regular classic packaging and others get the boxed kind. Personally as a loose collector it don’t matter to me either way, but I feel the MOC collectors must get a bit annoyed by this. I mean I can see where the packaging does have a very non classic feel. Sure there is the part that it is of a team that I personally don’t feel has reached the ranks of classics yet or the fact that it is photos of the Hardys as they look today. I think the one thing that annoys me the most is that no where on the box does it say the name of this “Classic Tag team”. It has there individual names multiple times but never does it mention “The Hardy Boys.” I mean come on. I know your trying to get rid of the boys thing to show they are real contenders and grown up men but stick with the classicness! Its also interesting to note that they went with the Summer Slam logo for the box. A nice little touch if I do say so myself.
Okay. Wow that was way to long for a loose collector to go off on packaging. Lets get on to what matters, the TOYS. The first thing you may notice is that we are getting recycled head scans. So its current hardy heads to be classic guys. Not the first time we have seen this from jakks but I think it’s acceptable as they don’t look all that different. The rainboing of Jeff’s hair turned out great with the blue yellow, purple, and teal. simply awesome. I love the t-shirt mold that was used for this set. They look really tight fitting, much like what the Hardy BOYS wore back in the day. The old jeans mold is perfect for the baggy pants they wore too. They were complete with the white stitching detail too. Jakks really go out of there way to differentially the two characters so as not to release the same figure twice with different heads. ON matt we have plain arm things and left hand tape where Jeff has his signature arm things. They even went as far to give Matt a black belt and Jeff a white one. So as far as the figures go I have no complaints at all.
Jakks Also gave us some pretty decent accessories to. A tall ladder and a table. Now would it have hurt them to throw in a chair so we could call it TLC? My only real complaint is its one of the cheaped up versions of the table where they didn’t do the black detail painting or emphasize the color in the wood grain. I know this isn’t a huge deal but had to point it out as this is a critique. And what’s with jakks newer tables? It seems that they fit together much more loosely than the original ones. Almost as if someone broke into the factory and played with the tables too much to loosen them up.
I’m really glad that they gave us some RA classic hardy figs. I always feel jealous when I see a DA set that come out that has not been solidified in RA form. And it was nice for jakks to come out with this one right after the RSC Brood Hardys. Over all I think this is a stellar set worth picking up.
Rating: 9.5
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The Great Khali Internet Exclusive:
I personally feel that this fig has not gotten near the coverage that it deserves. Sure its basically the same figure as we saw before. But the original RA version of him had a horrible cartoony looking screaming head scan. I mean his mouth was so wide open that you could literally fit carlito’s apple inside and have the Wilde Samoans roast his ass like a pig. And for those of you wondering the answer is yes, I have had a story line where all of my samoan wrestlers tied khali to a spicket in a celebration of winning more tag tittles. But seriously now. The head scan is right on in this version and the Indian necklace thing is a nice little bonus. Now on to my favorite part of the figure. Now those of you that know me know that I am a strictly loose collector so this may seem odd but I love the box. its straggly taller than most exclusives due to his size which I love. And its like a freak show curtain stage décor. Overall this fig is A#1.
Rating: 10/10
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McMahon Helmsley CS 2 Pack
Stephanie McMahon HElmsley:
Very nice debut RA style figure for Steph. First off we all know she went a bit over board on the make up but understand that it doesn’t look all that bad in person. Its nice to see jakks went all out on the softs for this set not only giving her a good painted on outfit but also a great shirt that she actually wore. Her attire is very nice. And the removable shirt Velcro’s up the side, witch I usually don’t like but its nicely hidden in this case. She also comes with a great painted women’s title. My only compliant is the heals mold. I know it makes sense and all but I just find the heals so damn hard to pose.
HHH:
The Game-eh Thripple-Eh Ache’eh! Yeah a mediocre fig if I do say so myself. Don’t get me wrong its okay but just could have been better. The jacket is simply awesome, and the head scan is great too. The belt is colored witch is very nice but they left out the collar on the property of wwe plate. My main gripe is that they didn’t use the t-shirt mold torso! Its just painted around the neck and doesn’t have the molded on collar. This just irks me as it would have really made the set much better for me.
Score: 7.75