PowerTown Arrives: Bruiser Brody

PowerTown is finally complete! Here on the blog, that is. With reviews of Stan Hansen, Lou Thesz, Verne Gagne, Magnum T.A. and Kerry Von Erich published and enjoyed we’re left with the figure in the set which was most anticipated by many. A towering and imposing figure in life, it doesn’t feel that Bruiser Brody has really gotten the recognition in the figure world that he deserves. I think that we’ve finally turned the corner on that and this figure is certainly a big part of it.

I don’t need to go over the packaging yet again. You know it’s unique, fun and something that I can’t even imagine being thrown away by loose collectors. A lot of time and love for the industry (and the stars of it) clearly went into these boxes. No annoying plastic bands, either. Simply a plastic shell holding the figure and accessories into another plastic shell. You could definitely even display the figures inside the packaging once you’ve opened and removed them, but I just wouldn’t want to hide these figures like that. They deserve to be fully seen with the accessories in use.

Just as in life, Brody is tall. Really tall. He towers over the other figures in the series and this may be the one time with PowerTown where a bit of compatibility with other lines is lost. Personally, as long as there isn’t an LJN-Hasbro style different it really makes no difference to me. Any good figure photographer can fudge a few inches between products from different lines. I think the height here really helps drive home that the Bruiser Brody character was indeed a monster.

I nearly got a splinter! Yes, Brody’s piece of wood is in fact made of a balsa style wood. How cool is that? Didn’t we hear that PowerTown has the rights to Hacksaw Jim Duggan? That could be insane, if so. Brody also includes an alternate “Huss!” hand, chain and vest. The chain is a tad thin but is just about scale to size as if a person were holding an actual chain. It can be worked into the hands of the figure. We also get the other PWF Tag Team Championship belt. We received the first with Stan Hansen and many collectors will remember that the second was to be included with Ted DiBiase who was pulled from the line over licensing issues and replaced with Brody. I think we won out on that deal.

The face is incredible and probably the best likeness that I’ve seen on a Brody figure to date. The scars are highlighted with the right color and the scowl is there but neutral enough not to detract. What’s interesting about Brody is that while he didn’t change much in terms of gear over the course of his career, there are different facial and hair sculpts that could be utilized should PowerTown release another figure of him in a future series. Like all of the PowerTown clothing the vest is done in a soft rubber. A soft goods fur vest could be another option down the line if “King Kong Brody” is revisited.

Frank “Bruiser Brody” Goodish has certainly become a rather mythical figure in the world of wrestling since his tragic and untimely death thirty-five years ago. The “What If’s” surrounding his career are endless but, despite being a truly kayfabed character, we must remember that he actually did one of the first “shoot interviews” of sorts not long before his death. There’s no doubt that, even had he had the opportunity to attend conventions and other fan related events, an air of mystique would still surround one of the best big men in the history of the ring.

That concludes the first PowerTown journey and what a run it’s been! I speculated in the last entry that perhaps Mattel was getting a bit concerned about “the new guys on the block” and stepping up their game with legends figures in the WWE line. After the recent disappointing showing at San Diego Comic Con I don’t think that PowerTown has much to worry about. Bring on Ultras Series 2 and the much anticipated return of Remco All-Star Wrestling! The blog will be here to cover all of the legendary action.

PowerTown Arrives: Stan “The Lariat” Hansen

The time has come. PowerTown is here. Some said that it would never happen. Others said that it would be the greatest thing ever to happen for wrestling figures. A line without political restrictions, an impressive roster of legends and a lot of ambition. Have their been hiccups? Sure. They’ve owned them. These aren’t your father’s wrestling figures (though they are his heroes) and this isn’t your rinky dink “boutique” manufacturer. I noticed that as soon as I opened the shipping box. This is something completely different with everything we were promised, a few little surprises and plenty to look forward to. Let’s start the journey to PowerTown Wrestling Ultra Series One figures.

When I wrote the preview article last year I’d fully intended on doing one big blog entry reviewing all six figures at once. Several things changed this. First was a shipping delay with Kerry Von Erich. The company will be shipping that sixth and final series one figure out as soon as it arrives. Without one of the figures I didn’t want to do a massive entry with a hole in it. The second change in my decision came when I actually had these figures in hand. With the obvious care and craftsmanship that these figures were made with, they each deserve a separate review. Just as much as the plusses of each figure need to be highlighted, I know that the company wants to know where improvements are needed, too. I can tell you this much at the beginning: anything that needs fixed is few and far between. I’m not going to hide on any negatives but it’s hard to dwell on them when you come across true pieces of art like this.

Each figure will either get its own review here or two will be coupled up together. A third reason I’m going to do it this way is based on a topic we’ve tackled several times over the past near decade and a half of the blog’s existence: all six of these men have had very few or zero action figures whatsoever. They all deserve an individual look. It wasn’t hard to pick the first. For many of us, he’s the name out of these that we’ve been waiting the longest time to have a modern figure of. He fits into several decades and nearly every promotion that you can think of. He was not only a star on U.S. soil but was an even bigger legend in Japan. I can only be talking about Stan “The Lariat” Hansen.

We all remember his spectacular Remco AWA figure and he’s had several Japanese figures, but there hasn’t been a true modern figure of a man who is very, to use an overused word, toyetic. That is, until now. Upon the initial PowerTown announcement, Ted DiBiase was announced in his look as part of the PWF Tag Team Champions with Hansen. When issues arose with DiBiase’s licensing, Bruiser Brody took his spot. This especially worked out as Hansen also held these belts with Brody. Another underutilized and very “toyetic” legend who’s been underrepresented in the figure world, Brody probably made the Series 1 announcement even more enticing for fans and collectors.

The figures each come individually packaged in sturdy, full color boxes. They’re actually nicer than anything you’d find on the shelves. Why? Loads of photos, a huge bio inside, and a magnetized flap that can be opened to reveal the majority of the figure and its accessories. These boxes are big and are certainly going to take up a lot of real estate for loose collectors, but how you could throw these away? The care is even evident in the packaging. That’s extra effort. I’d like to think that eventually I’ll toss the innards and flatten the boxes for more sensible storage, but I just don’t know if I’ll be able to do it. You may notice a glare on the wrestlers on the boxed photographs. That’s because the figures are held in by an upper plastic tray. This is so much nicer to deal with than those clear plastic bands that everyone else uses.

Even in the boxes you notice the heft on these guys. Get them in your hand and it only doubles. The Lariat was always a burly/beefy guy and it’s well represented here. These likenesses look like wax museum pieces or something. They’re that realistic. What about accessories? You got em. With Stan we have his cowboy hat, vest, chaps, aforementioned belt and bullrope with cowbell. Oh yeah, the rope is soft goods. I was not expecting that at all. You get to tie the bell onto the end yourself. I fully expected this to be another rubberized bullrope. I told you there were surprises here in PowerTown. All of the accessories fit great and are removable to however you see fit. Both hands are removable and Stan includes an extra right hand doing his trademark “horns” sign. The hands aren’t loose but they do come off a tad easier than they should. The peg probably just needs to be a bit longer in future releases.

I don’t use too many comparison shots in my reviews. I’ll report on how figures interact with each other aesthetically, but I feel that the focus should be on the figure being reviewed. Since I know that there’s been much talk about scale, I’ll include a shot here. You'll also note that The Lariat was doing battle with one of his WCW rivals, complete with the PowerTown version of the NWA United States Heavyweight championship. I grabbed a few examples from various recent manufacturers yet I honestly feel that these most closely resemble the few wrestling figures done by Storm Collectibles. I own a few of the Jushin Liger offerings from that company and I just get a similar vibe.

These are just solidly built figures. Of course it will take time to see how well they hold up to the standard use that many of us put our figures through, but so far so good. They settle in well with other figures. The likenesses are amazing as are the accessories. There's room for improvement in a few places, but I don't know a line that's avoided that yet. All of these points will be expanded on as we move along with the Series 1 roster.

I don’t have to tell you that I’m extremely pleased with PowerTown thus far. I don’t want that to discourage you from reading about the other five figures. Verne Gagne, Lou Thesz, Magnum T.A., Bruiser Brody and Kerry Von Erich certainly deserve your attention. There’s plenty more to discuss with all of them and the line itself. If you didn’t pre-order these I don’t have any info on how you may be able to obtain them. I can give no straight answer on whether or not this initial series will be available again. What I can guarantee is that more PowerTown is coming. We only have speculation as to the names involved in the next series, but I’m not the only collector already salivating at the thought. Who knows, maybe we’ll get an exclusive reveal one of these days for an upcoming product. I can think of no better place!

The Lariat Hits The Hall

It's always interesting to hear a wrestler describe another wrestler as "a night off." The meaning is that the wrestler being described was so good at the art of wrestling that stepping into the ring opposite meant that it was going to be an easy match, despite it not looking so to the fans. Many times it is ironically the more rough and tumble wrestlers who are described this way. The ones who look like they massacred their opponents. One wrestler who was likely never thought of in this manner is another member of the 2016 WWE Hall of Fame class. He's the bad man from Borger, Texas. He's the man who broke Bruno Sammartino's neck. He's Stan "The Lariat" Hansen.

Stan Hansen belongs in any and all wrestling Halls of Fame. The rugged Texan put fear into the hearts of fans the world over, but it's usually pointed out that his biggest fame came outside of the United States. He is arguably the most successful gaijin (foreigner in Japan) to ever set foot in a Japanese wrestling ring. Both in singles and tag team action, Hansen fascinated the Japanese wrestling fans in a way similar to Fred Blassie several decades earlier. He was the big, bad, American villain. While he certainly built a name here in the States, it is his legendary work overseas that cemented his legacy in the squared circle.

His American career was varied to say the least. Not many stars launch their careers by breaking the neck of one of the all-time greats, but Hansen did. In 1976, Hansen broke the neck of the legendary Bruno Sammartino right in the middle of Madison Square Garden. Fortunately, Sammartino recovered and the two were able capitalize on the incident in the form of return bouts. This would ultimately be the biggest moment for Hansen in the U.S. Beyond that, he is remembered for being the AWA World Heavyweight Champion who ran the belt over with his truck, a cameo in "No Holds Barred," and the tobacco-spitting Desperado who kept having run-ins with Missy Hyatt in the dressing room. None of those truly represent the rough brawler that can be seen on tapes from Japan.

Then there are the stories of Hansen's bad sight. By his own admission, Hansen has very poor vision when not wearing his eyeglasses. This apparently lent itself to Hansen's realistic-looking style in the ring, as it is said that it wasn't unusual for punches and clotheslines from the big cowboy to make true contact. It was that style that caused the eye of Big Van Vader to pop from its socket during one particularly brutal New Japan Pro Wrestling bout.

Similar to his co-inductees in the 2016 WWE Hall of Fame The Fabulous Freebirds, it was a certain action figure that brings Stan Hansen to the minds of countless children of the 1980's. Hansen was a key part of the Remco AWA action figure line. The figure came in a "Greatest Grudge Matches" two-pack along with Jerry "Crusher" Blackwell. Thanks to Remco using their larger body style, Hansen is taller than many of the other figures. The facial likeness is spot on and, as is usual with the Remco line, the accessories are superb. Soft goods chaps and a vest were included with the figure, as was his trademark cowboy hat. I can still remember finding a second-hand Hansen figure, long before I knew who all made up the AWA line. The hair and mustache said it all--I was holding a Stan Hansen figure in my hand. I've since re-equipped it with original accessories, but the figure remains the same one in my collection.

Just like his wrestling career, memorabilia of Stan Hansen was more prevalent in Japan. Figures in all shapes and sizes have been made over the years, but it would be nice to see "The Lariat" get another shot at the American toy shelves. Perhaps this inclusion in the WWE Hall of Fame will lend itself to a Mattel Flashback figure in the future. You certainly would be hard-pressed to find a more exciting look to immortalize in plastic once more. Hansen also found himself on countless programs, posters, and even video games in the "Land of the Rising Sun."

Hansen did a great job inducting Antonio Inoki into the WWE Hall of Fame back in 2010. The next year we were treated to the story of Hansen's career in his autobiography titled "The Last Outlaw." Now it's time for one more look at Japan's favorite cowboy...and America's most under appreciated brawler.