The King, The Dragon, Two Snakes & A Kid Commish

Now that we've gotten over the bitterness of the release of these figures in the last entry (though there will be more to come), let's look at the figures themselves. Being completely honest, there wouldn't BE any bitterness over the release if they weren't great figures. That being said, if Harley himself wasn't involved it would be the first "Build-A-Figure" release that I would've skipped had the release still gone the way it did with a different figure in place of "The King."

Aside from Steamboat, the series almost seemed to have a "King of the Ring" theme. With Race being obvious, you have Austin and Roberts appearing as they did at King of the Ring 1996. Steamboat did compete in the 1985 King of the Ring tournament which was won by Don Muraco, but there's no real connection. The look is obvious here. This is WrestleMania III Steamboat complete with the Intercontinental title. I guess you can split the set and say half is 1987 and the other half is 1996, but that's looking way too far into themes that the manufacturer never intended.

The packaging is a look back to the rectangular boxes of the past several years that I so enjoyed. These Flashbacks are particularly nice seeing as that the bright colors and baby blue "interview set" background are direct World Wrestling Federation-era throwbacks. I would not argue anyone who said that you get a true blue backdrop piece with each of these. That right there goes to show that bitterness over the release aside, I am always fair and give credit where it's due. The difference in the packaging releases between the United States and international were covered in the last entry.

Were this not a "Build-A-Figure" series, I would not own the Austin. I own so many figures of Stone Cold, The Rock, and The Undertaker from the Jakks era that I have no desire to add any more to my collection. A new "Stunning" Steve Austin would definitely pique my interest, but that's nowhere near here where we're discussing "The Rattlesnake." Steamboat has already been done in white as a Basic release although the detail on the gi is sensational. Jake Roberts is a fun entry as he has never been produced in his 1996 outfit correctly before. Jakks made an attempt in a two-pack with Austin as part of the Classic Superstars line, but the tunic ended up being made as a vest and was not accurate at all.

Fan of "The King" or not, Harley Race is the standout figure here and why so many want the set. The thing looks like a statue and for once I appreciate a soft plastic accessory as opposed to soft goods. The crown, which was re-released with the RetroFest Jim Duggan, fits perfectly on Harley's head even though it does not look like it would. With the accessories removed Harley looks just as accurate. I'm not sure that Mattel did quite as good of a job with the tattoos as Jakks did but the facial sculpt is better here. Harley's hair color changed during his run as "The King," and I'd say that this shade sits somewhere in the middle. The crown is present on the back of the trunks and the boots. The trunks crown always seemed to be a bit off-center in real life. It may be tad too far to the right here, but I'm not complaining.

While Race's accessories are his cape and crown, the others have a wider variety. Steamboat has his gi, sash, and Intercontinental Championship, Jake has "Revelations, his albino Burmese python, and Austin has his vest and microphone. The old school microphone would've been a better fit, but I'm not deducting points for it.

The Commissioner Shawn Michaels "Build-A-Figure" is an interesting choice. It's certainly a way to get another figure out of an all-time popular character. The stint was so brief, however, that I'm not sure it's essential. The likeness is perfect and the beard and ponytail are a great look, but it remains one of my least favorite of the "Build-A-Figure" lineup. It doesn't have the importance to the line that Jim Ross, Michael Cole, and The Fink do, yet I doubt it will be released on its own like Paul Heyman and Ricardo Rodriguez were. It's just sort of there and if you're not interested in Harley it really isn't worth the trouble of the set. If you're an HBK collector, you will want it for the face scan/sculpt alone.

This is a great set. It will irk a lot of collectors who, like myself, paid a premium to own the set should these exact figures get re-released. It's the nature of the beast and a risk you have to be willing to take. Austin and Steamboat aren't involved here as similar figures have been released. More figures of Jake are already on the horizon and seeing as how limited his run was in this outfit, I don't see a rehash. The, pardon my French, "shit-eating-grin" head sculpt debuted here should definitely see reuse. Harley is Harley. I think he's essential to any collection and I would be just as anxious for a figure of him with blue trunks and mutton chops. There have been rumors that we'll see him released in another form, but he isn't the kind of wrestler that Mattel likes to produce much of. Time will tell.

I took the plunge to get a case of these. I've rarely overspent in over three decades of collecting and I don't really feel that I did here, either. Way more than retail? Yes. But I feel satisfied. I have a set that I wanted. I'm still not happy about the blunder of a release that it was nor the "Collector's Edition" crapola that we collectors continue to face with each series. They can keep their "Elite Squad" hashtag and all of that other marketing nonsense disguised as something "fun." I'll collect my figures and spend the least amount of time out of my busy day doing so, thank you very much.