There's no doubt about it, Mattel is absolutely cranking out great new WWE product. It's wonderful for collectors, but if you're like me, it's total destruction on the wallet. Nevertheless, to celebrate all of these great figures, here on the blog the entire month of October will be dedicated to these new additions. Not to fear "old school" fans, you ought to know by now that some of these figures will be of stars of the past. Did you have any doubt? To kick it off, we have a WWE Superstar whose figure includes an accessory that wasn't even invented until a few years ago. It's none other than "Prince Pretty" himself, Tyler Breeze.
This is Tyler's first "Elite" figure and is part of a series exclusive to Wal Mart that is branded with the recent WWE motto of "Then, Now, Forever." The retail chain previously had a "Basic" figure series with the same theme, but this Elite set is definitely more varied. Included are The Rock, Rusev, Bam Bam Bigelow, and Breeze. You can probably guess which figures in the series are selling and which are collecting dust. With just a quick look at the packaging you see one cool feature right on the back. The superstar that you're purchasing is shown with a comparable superstar from either "now" or "then." Breeze is compared to Shawn Michaels. Looking at their gimmicks, you can definitely see some influence of "The Heartbreak Kid" on "The Sultan of Selfies."
Speaking of selfies, this is easily the defining figure of Breeze up to this point. While the Basic releases were, as expected, devoid of accessories, this Elite is the total Tyler package. Not only is his vest here, but his color coordinated selfie stick makes its debut as well. No, the phone is not removable, but why would it be? Tyler can hold the selfie stick in several realistic poses. The vest is flexible plastic and is fairly easy to remove and replace. The matching "fur" pieces on his boots are molded separate from the figure in the same color as the vest.
From what I've seen of the Basic Tyler Breeze figures, the same facial likeness is used here. "If it ain't broke, don't fix it!" Tyler is known for pretty much one facial expression and it's perfectly captured. His hair is pulled back into a small ponytail. I could definitely see a future release with the hair down. The manufacturers are always looking for a way to re-release figures, and that seems like a reasonable option for a future Breeze. I like the dark/light blue color scheme, as well. The purple on the Basic release reminded me too much of other character releases. These colors make him stand out from the rest. The painted on belt/buckle doesn't bother me, but it just looks flat with all of the other detail that's going on.
If you're a fan of "Prince Pretty," this is the figure to get. Will he get another Elite figure down the line? It's possible, but with the company overrun with talent and Breeze being greatly underutilized, it may be awhile. I could see a basic two-pack with Fandango coming before a new Elite release. As I hinted above, Breeze and Bigelow are the two most popular of the set. If your local Wal Mart stocks them, you'll likely encounter a bunch of Rusev and The Rock unless you happen on a recently unpacked case. Amazon has them as well, but not at the $19.87 price point of Wal Mart. Right now this is the only way to get Tyler's accessories which are a must if you're going to be displaying the figure loose.
Next week, the Mattel madness continues. I'm not going to announce just which figure will be appearing yet, but if you're a long-time reader, you know that I've been waiting for this one for a long, long time. Did I even beg for it a few times? Yes. Next week, he finally arrives...
This is Tyler's first "Elite" figure and is part of a series exclusive to Wal Mart that is branded with the recent WWE motto of "Then, Now, Forever." The retail chain previously had a "Basic" figure series with the same theme, but this Elite set is definitely more varied. Included are The Rock, Rusev, Bam Bam Bigelow, and Breeze. You can probably guess which figures in the series are selling and which are collecting dust. With just a quick look at the packaging you see one cool feature right on the back. The superstar that you're purchasing is shown with a comparable superstar from either "now" or "then." Breeze is compared to Shawn Michaels. Looking at their gimmicks, you can definitely see some influence of "The Heartbreak Kid" on "The Sultan of Selfies."
From what I've seen of the Basic Tyler Breeze figures, the same facial likeness is used here. "If it ain't broke, don't fix it!" Tyler is known for pretty much one facial expression and it's perfectly captured. His hair is pulled back into a small ponytail. I could definitely see a future release with the hair down. The manufacturers are always looking for a way to re-release figures, and that seems like a reasonable option for a future Breeze. I like the dark/light blue color scheme, as well. The purple on the Basic release reminded me too much of other character releases. These colors make him stand out from the rest. The painted on belt/buckle doesn't bother me, but it just looks flat with all of the other detail that's going on.
No comments:
Post a Comment