The Iron Claw Grips The Figure World

The Von Erich family has risen! While they’ve never been a footnote, I’d say that the mainstream popularity of the name is as high in 2024 as it’s been since their fabled glory days. A very good chunk of that is thanks to A24’s movie “The Iron Claw.” I saw it, you have probably seen it and, aside from an absolutely atrocious portrayal of Ric Flair, it was quite the flick. Yes, some things were changed. Mike and Chris sort of became one person. But that’s Hollywood. It told their story and got the point across.

This summer I was fortunate enough to meet Kevin Von Erich again. He is such a humble and positive person that, despite all of the tragedy surrounding his family, he is absolutely uplifting to listen to. He seems impossible to rattle. He has strong beliefs and that is what has undoubtedly gotten him through some very dark times. Now, in a way, Kevin has returned to our figure shelves, as well.

The only true Kevin Von Erich figure, released in the original Mattel WWE Legends line nearly fifteen years ago, is a treasure. It’s a fairly perfect figure and that, unfortunately for those of you who missed out, keeps the popularity high. I had first met KVE just before the release of that figure. Since he was doing regular appearances at the time I thought to buy a second one to keep carded to be autographed. Due to his move and other factors that didn’t end up happening until 2024, but I’m glad that it did. Now we have another figure of KVE, this time in the form of Zac Efron.

Yes, Zac Efron. Of course, Mr. Efron is the actor who plays Kevin in “The Iron Claw.” The figure can be purchased directly from A24 at their website and caused a bit of a stir when it was first announced. First off, it seemed to come out of nowhere. Secondly, the figure looked a heckuva lot like the Mattel Kevin Von Erich in the initial pictures. Believe it or not, it does in-hand, too! But is that where the similarities end?

The figure comes carded with a traditional glued on bubble. It’s a nice design that looks like something you could’ve purchased in the past. Maybe not in the ‘80s when the film is (mostly) set, but it definitely harkens back. The other Von Erich actors are shown and named on the back but I doubt we’ll be seeing figures. I guess there’s a chance, and I would certainly buy them all, but a little research into the A24 movie phenomenon indicates that the company is fairly well known for quirky merchandise tie-ins around the time of a film’s release. I think that this figure and a few other items that were produced are all that we’ll see for “The Iron Claw.”

Zac Kevin comes dressed in an entrance jacket. The two-toned garment is made from a nice fabric and could be placed on Mattel Kevin. It’s a bit tough to get over the “claw” hand. If the hands are removable I won’t know because I wasn’t giving it a shot. So how’s the figure itself? It isn’t brittle, but it isn’t as sturdy as the Mattel release, either. It’s not going to fall apart in your hand but I don’t know that I’d put it up to super rough play. Ultimately many figures today are made more for display than anything. It will look great either there or in some figure photography, as you can see here.

It does resemble the mechanics of a Mattel Elite and certainly mirrors their version of Kevin, but it’s not exactly the same. A Toronto-based company named Happy Worker Toys & Collectibles is credited on the packaging. A quick look at their website indicates that they’ve produced other short-run and specialized action figures. They did a nice job here. Again, if Kerry, David, Fritz and Mike were to come along at some point I’d certainly pick them all up. Are you listening?

I don’t like to speculate on value too much, but if I had to give you a “hot stock pick” this one would certainly be on my list. We have no idea how big the run is and/or how long A24 will be offering it. I’ve actually considered picking up an additional one myself. Whether or not I drag my feet on that is one thing, but you grabbing one is another matter. If you enjoyed the movie or are even just a Von Erich fan I would highly encourage it. It’s not an inexpensive figure by any means, but it’s also fairly unique. Mattel and Jazwares aren’t giving us Von Erich nor Iron Claw figures. Am I being an influencer here? God forbid.

I’m pleased as punch about the Von Erich resurgence. It’s well-deserved and has been a long time coming. Grab this new fig, support any future figs (PowerTown, we need some more brothers to keep the Kerry releases company) and if you have the shot go out and meet Kevin. Helluva guy and a helluva wrestling legend.

A Hunka Hunka Boxcar!

Yet another figure review? Sure, why not? You never know when a gem is going to pop into the picture, much less a Figure of the Year candidate. Do we have one here? Like with “the best” of anything it’s purely subjective. Only each individual person knows exactly what is “the best” or “the greatest” to them. In my world it’d be an absolute miracle if a figure of someone like The Undertaker or Stone Cold Steve Austin would be considered for FOTY. They’ve simply been done one hundred times too many and there just isn’t enough variation in their looks. But a wrestler who’s had a limited amount of figures, especially in a certain look? Couple that with fairly flawless execution from design to accessories and we’ve got what I consider to be the complete package.

Mattel WWE Legends Series 20 features Mr. Perfect, Million Dollar Man Ted DiBiase and Triple H, but I’m fairly certain that most eyes flew to a figure who’s had both a storied and unfulfilled history: Rhythm and Blues Greg Valentine. It’s the last series to feature the packaging introduced when Mattel brought back their Legends-titled line with Series 7. Interestingly, that series featured the Mattel return of “The Hammer” with a traditional look in both black and yellow trunks. Here we’re getting Valentine as he appeared for most of 1990 while teaming with The Honky Tonk Man. The bio on the back of the box would lead you to believe that this occurred in 1988. If Mattel would like to replace their current bio writer/historian with someone who knows the facts without even needing to research I’d be happy to take over the position. Ozer? Call me.

“The Hammer” comes complete with guitar, glasses, jacket, belt and a hunka hunka Honky love. I’ve complained about this breakaway guitar and I do wish that they’d replace it with a solid version. I’m ok with it this time around for two reasons. Rhythm and Blues had two high profile appearances that are well remembered, those being at WrestleMania VI and Survivor Series 1990. At the former their guitars were indeed smashed to smithereens by The Bushwhackers. The other reason that I’m alright with it is that it seems to stay together just a bit better. Like many of you I’ve taken to keeping the clear plastic band used to keep the guitar intact in the packaging. I removed it then replaced it for the photography that you see here and had not one instance of premature guitar collapse. This is a good sign since, as of press time, there’s no known remedy for PGC. Consult your physician.

Mattel really went all out on this one. If the often discussed budget breakdowns of individual figure series is true, most of it for Series 20 went here. The belt and jacket are amazing. They capture “Boxcar” just as we remember him from those magical months in 1990. The glasses appear to be a new design, too, although it could just be the color. They’re removable yet stay on when you need them to which is always the sign of a good figure accessory.

The real “main event” feature of the figure is that Mattel fixed the leg issue from the previous Valentine release. The legs are a bit shorter and thicker really capturing the look of “The Hammer” as we all remember. That being said, I now want re-releases of the previous looks. I still want some other designs, too. Let’s compromise. We’ll take redos of the yellow and black ones in the upcoming Legends Greatest Hits line and then we’ll take new versions of Greg, with slightly different hair and new robes, in the regular legends line. Since “Dream Team” Brutus Beefcake is seeing a re-release, why not a matching Gregster? If we had as many versions of Valentine as we do Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart I’d be a happy collector.

Who am I kidding? I’m happy anyway! After three decades of complaints about Hasbro not releasing “The Hammer” in this look we now have several to choose from. While the Retro Hasbro-styled version is essential, this one is the ultimate. He’s available now through everyone’s favorite red bullseye retailer and I’d advise to get one if you want one. We all know the penchant that this retailer has for suddenly discounting the price on these figures for a spell, but if this is one that you want I wouldn’t wait around. It’s fairly visually impressive. There will also be those who pass now yet want it when The Honky Tonk Man is re-released in the aforementioned WWE Legends Greatest Hits series for which he is scheduled. Plan your purchasing accordingly.

Enjoy the figure, ponder it as FOTY, but remember, “if you hung The Hammer for being a good singer you’d hang an innocent person!”

The Wrestling Classic Figure Review—Mattel WWE Ultimate Edition Sgt. Slaughter

Ah, the figure that unofficially kicked off “The Coliseum Collection.” Actually, it’s shown on the back of the Hogan/Funk set, so maybe it is considered the first? I think we can best categorize it as “partially” part of that set, just like the figure that inspired it is partially part of the LJN Wrestling Superstars line of yesteryear. Why is it being reviewed now, over two years after the fact? A few reasons, but seeing as that it isn’t brand spankin’ new it definitely works as the latest Wrestling Classic Figure Review.

When it was first released I’d initially planned on having it autographed. It’s a great looking figure with unique packaging and I decided that I didn’t really need to open it as it wasn’t all that much different from various other Slaughter figures. Then a few things changed. It’s actually thirty-five years to the month that I first met The Sarge. Always one of the kindest and most gracious wrestlers to meet, it was a little shocking when I began to hear reports that he was charging upwards of $100 to sign this particular figure. In fact, his prices have skyrocketed for just about anything you could want from him at an appearance.

As I said, the man himself has always been one of the best to meet. I’ve never had a bad experience with Sgt. Slaughter nor have I ever heard anyone else report one. Until now. Price gouging is an issue all around the appearance scene, but whether it’s Slaughter himself or the used car salesman who handles his appearances (and, I suspect, his social media accounts), the real-life G.I. Joe is effectively pricing himself out of the market. After three and a half decades of various meetings I certainly don’t have a shortage of Slaughter autographs, but it’s always nice to add more if there’s a particular item out there. Until things change or he’s in a situation where the pricing is different (part of a prepaid lineup, for example), I’ll be looking at his items just as I would those of a wrestler who is no longer with us: unsignable.

If you’re familiar with the aforementioned Coliseum Collection then you’re already familiar with the packaging here, it’s simply one figure instead of two. This was a San Diego Comic Con exclusive which sold out on Mattel Creations in seconds. Their SDCC release this year, Muhammad Ali, is still sitting available as of press time. The design, just like The Coliseum Collection, is based upon the look of the classic LJN Wrestling Superstars line. The figure itself is based upon the look of the Hasbro G.I. Joe mail away figure release that was designed to interact with the LJN figures. I remember marveling, even as a kid, that LJN figures were actually seen at the feet of the Slaughter figure in the Hasbro mail order brochure. That was the kind of thing that most kids wouldn’t have given a second thought to. Me? I guess I was just different!

The interesting part which coincides with my mini-rant above is something that I actually didn’t discover until I went to open the figure. Unlike The Coliseum Collection and just about every other release from any figure company that I’m familiar with, there’s really nothing stopping you from completely returning this figure to “mint” condition. There are no annoying clear bands or plastic fasteners that require cutting. You can take Slaughter, and the accessories, in and out as much as you want. I’m not saying that I’d get it autographed should I ever have the chance to not pay the All-American $100 Sgt. Slaughter Cobra Corps God Bless America fee, but it’s certainly doable.

Just as with The Coliseum Collection the accessories are stored in a box underneath the figure, resembling where the poster would’ve been in the LJN releases. An extra head, various gloved hands, riding crop, whistle and jacket are all included. A removable belt, sunglasses and hat are already positioned on the figure. I’m a really big fan of the various gloved hands included here. You can recreate a lot of Sarge’s famous poses (“Stop and give me $100, kid!”) and I’m sure that these could even work well on another wrestler if you thought about it enough. The jacket reminds me of the one that he wore on that day back in September of 1988 when I first met him. Ah, the glorious and ungreedy days of yore.

The figure itself is of the “Ultimate Edition” style which means more articulation than ever. My personal jury is sort of out on whether or not the extra shoulder joints really work for Slaughter himself, but they DO help it resemble the Hasbro LJN-esque figure on which it’s based. That figure is, pardon the overused expression, jacked. He looks as he did in the G.I. Joe cartoon, especially, and since that’s what we’re going for here…well…why not? The “pained” expression on the extra head (not the one on the fans walking away from his table with sticker shock) is amusing and I don’t think that it’s been released elsewhere. If you can pop this head on the Iraqi Slaughter figure released by Mattel around the same time, and I’m pretty sure that’s doable, it would look great in a WrestleMania VII recreation.

Overall, it’s a nice figure and while it isn’t officially part of The Coliseum Collection, I think that you really may need it to feel “complete” if that’s your thing. I recall that prices for both versions (a “chase” exists on a black inner card) skyrocketed after the ten seconds in which it was available and I’d venture to doubt that they’ve fallen very much. Still, Mattel never seems to release the SDCC exclusives in quite the same look again (aside from Ali even after the original release didn’t light the world on fire), so it may not ever fall. Just remember to sock away a hundo if you want that baby signed.

Yo Joe, money grubbing maggots!

“Psst, Finkel, that’s King HAKU, pal…”

Sure, over the past decade or so the wrestling world has become enamored with Haku and the stories surrounding him both in and out of the ring. But how many of you, like myself, have been a Haku guy for a lot longer than that? I’m betting a good many of you. No matter where he was or what they were calling him, the man variously known under such names as King Tonga, Haku and even Meng was someone you always wanted to see on the card. That being said, he’s been grossly under represented as far as action figures! You’ve seen his LJN here on the blog and I’m sure that his two Classic Superstars figures have popped up as well. Now, thanks to one of the boutique companies, we get to see him in “Hasbro” style as he always should have been. How does it measure up to the Tongan nightmare himself? Let’s take a look.

This one was a long time coming. A lot if it, I imagine, was due to the original company, Chella Toys, apparently getting out of the business. Though the name is kept on the card back here, that was said to be symbolic. The company will be known as Epic Toys going forward. I steer clear of all of that type of drama, so don’t ask. I imagine that there are plenty of sources where you can find out what happened there. My concern was if the pre-orders, which had been paid for a year prior, would be fulfilled. They obviously were so no complaints there. My other further comment on the company itself is that it does cause concern about the financial liabilities of these boutique companies. They are fast to take the money but what if something happens in the meantime, as did here? With the long waits between pre-ordering and the figures arriving on your doorstep a lot of the financial institutions won’t be helping out if something goes wrong. It’s a major “red flag” as the kids like to say.

I will say that of the boutique retro/Hasbro styled figures that I’ve encountered, this company gets the card backs the closest. I think that we could even toss Mattel in there and Chella/Epic would still win. The thickness and feel of the cardboard is spot on. They do as well as they can with the logos (obviously there’s no WWF here) but all of the fonts, borders and even the drawings on the back fit right in. The bubbles on these throw me a bit, though I’m guessing that’s done to ensure that they won’t fall off. Even without a “Real Wrestling Action” I’d prefer a “mock” description on the back as opposed to a photo of the figure, but that’s still better than another outfit that needlessly puts the design schematics of the figure on the back, touting that they’re designed by someone who had a hand in creating the Hasbro line. If it looks like a Hasbro I really don’t care who designed the thing.

Like Mattel and every other current “retro” figure the photo of the wrestler on the card back is a rendering based on a real photo. I’d imagine that this is done due to the original photo rights. I can’t be objective on whether or not the crown on Haku’s head looks “off” or not. I’m too familiar with the original photo and it dates past his time as “King,” at least in the WWF. To this day he is still billed as “King Haku” in some areas including Japan. For me it looks like it shouldn’t be there, but again, after thirty years of seeing the real photo I can’t really say if it’s out of place or if it’s just me. I will say that there are plenty of photos of Haku actually wearing the crown that could have been used, but I’m sure that there are reasons that this was done instead.

As with all of the current licensed retro figures aside from Mattel’s lineup, there are no “Real Wrestling Actions.” I’ve been ok with that and I continue to be. Even Mattel’s soon-to-be-ended Masters of the Universe line featuring fairly direct re-releases of the vintage figures are produced sans most of their original actions. Again, as long as the figures appear as they are supposed to that’s what matters. Here you are getting King Haku and his crown. I appreciate that the crown is removable. I wouldn’t say that it fits snugly, but it fits…”nicely.” Most of all it looks great when on. When a retro figure has a non-removable head accessory I do understand it as that’s how most of the original Hasbro figures were handled, but I will always prefer removable when given the choice.

Overall this is a nice figure. The likeness is good and not TOO modern to ultimately look unretro, a problem that a lot of the retro boutiques are facing. The arms are posed well for some good Haku-esque stances and the figure stands well. While it fits in, size wise, with Hasbro figures and retros alike, I feel that he’s just a tad not thick enough. I’m thinking that he should be as bulky as the Hacksaw Jim Duggan Hasbro figures. Remember, nine times out of ten the Hasbro sculpts were a bit exaggerated. We needed some of that here. It could also use a bit more shine. The Blue Meanie figure from Chella had a great Hasbro shine. Haku is a tad on the dull side, though there is a bit of shine. I will say that the figure shows a decent shine in my accompanying photography, so the bit of dullness must only be in-hand.

I pre-ordered two of these since Haku is a favorite of mine and I’m hoping to get one signed. Do I regret it? Not one bit. It’s a perfectly acceptable entry to anyone’s Hasbro/retro collection, especially of a star who has been so under produced as an action figure.  Is it perfect? No, but I think we’ve said that for all Hasbro-esque figures including those from Mattel. I like it enough that if it was redone with flowery tights for a later Haku I’d probably pick one of those up, too. I don’t know if King Haku will be available post-pre-order, but if it is I don’t imagine that it will last long. Most of these boutique figures have proven to be hit or miss as far as availability once completed.

Man, do we ever need a Bobby Heenan retro figure…

The Greatest Boxer Or The Greatest Referee?

Hard to believe that it’s already the tail end of summer. Nice for someone like me who doesn’t care for the heat, though the ease of not having to worry about coats and things nor weather prohibiting travel is always nice. With the end of the season always comes the San Diego Comic Con exclusive to many of our doorsteps. This year it seems that more of these are being delivered as something changed with the availability. As far as my beliefs go, that’s a good thing. Nevertheless, Mattel once again created a SDCC WWE exclusive to thrill not only wrestling fans but also the masses. The name? Muhammad Ali.

Ali had several tie-ins with wrestling over the years. He was said to have been a fan growing up and attributed his “promo style” to Gorgeous George. It was later contested that he was likely confusing the household name of George with who he was really watching – the similarly able-mouthed Fred Blassie. He would end up working with Blassie in his first foray into wrestling in 1976 when he fought Antonio Inoki in a “Boxer vs Wrestler” match. While the match was considered less than spectacular both in athletics and money-drawing power, it is well-remembered. In the ‘80s Ali was a special enforcer during the main event of the first WrestleMania and became involved in a Mid-South Wrestling match featuring Jake Roberts. Later, Ali would make a brief appearance or two with WCW.

For their SDCC exclusive Mattel has brought us a two-pack representing Ali’s first two ventures into wrestling. His iconic boxing look, patterned after the Inoki match, is one while the other is in is referee gear from WrestleMania. The figures are “Ultimate Editions” and come in the same type of elaborate packaging that Mattel has brought us with The Coliseum Collection and other exclusives. An outer box houses a very striking inner “hinged” box featuring a mock WWF Magazine cover on one side (The Referee) and a mock boxing publication (The Boxer) on the other. When opened (held closed by a magnet) you see both figures displayed behind plastic adorned with Inoki (unnamed) and Hulk Hogan, respectively. It’s a stunning display though a bit much for openers.

Packaged below “The Boxer” is a box full of accessories. You get a plethora of additional hands, two extra heads and Ali’s terry cloth robe. While the variety of hands is great, it’s curious that the set of “gripping” hands is repeated. Would you really want to display those on both figures at the same time? The larger grip hands, included with many figures over the years, should have been included for completely accurate “raising the victor’s arm” poses. Yeah, you can do it with the completely open hand, but it isn’t quite the same. Also one of the heads is completely repeated. I can understand that a bit more if you want a neutral facial expression on both figures at the same time. The “two-count” hand is the most pivotal piece here for me as it seems like Ali was flashing the peace sign a lot in his day.

The figures themselves are great. You won’t be sorry if you add them to your collection. I don’t know that we needed a referee in the “Ultimate” style, but it does help to resemble Ali’s body shape. They got “The Boxer” version down pat, too. You not only have three other “boxing” figures for him to tangle with (Rowdy Roddy Piper, Cowboy Bob Orton and Mr. T) but you can slide the boxing gloves onto many of the other figures that now have removable hands. I already have an idea for some figure photography there. Also in that realm I can see “The Referee” figure making it into shots as a generic classic ref. It’s all about smoke and mirrors.

As mentioned above, this one was not hard to get. In fact it’s still available as of press time. Why is that? It can only be that Mattel realized that making enough for collectors to buy directly from THEM is the way to do it and not to let secondary market scalpers get all the money. It will sell out eventually and will rise in price a bit, I’m sure. There will always be a market for Ali from all angles. I’d say that these two will also be the “definitive” Ali releases. Just like when Mattel grabbed the license for Mr. T, there’s already another Ali on the way in the form of a Retro figure. While I feel it’s unnecessary, I’m sure that I’ll enjoy it in-hand. Anyone can also see them milking the license as much as they can. Suited Ali? Could happen. How about his look when he jumped into the ring to confront Gorilla Monsoon? I’m sure the company has it all thought out. Again, I can’t see us getting standard sized boxing and referee versions outside of this set. 

Another cross-genre SDCC release from Mattel and WWE. I could definitely see Mike Tyson fitting that mold. And boy could they get their money’s worth out of that one. Boxer. Referee. Degenerate? But that’s not who I want. I want Mona Flambé. I just wanna have fun…

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.

Another Shot At Greatness…

What did I promise you in the first blog entry of 2023? Like you remember. Well, maybe this will ring a bell – The King is back! No, not Elvis. Our gravel voiced monarch of the WWF in the late ‘80s, King Harley Race. As was announced in a surprising move, Race is back “available” for Mattel to produce as a figure. This was after their original rights to the legend resulted in exactly one figure being produced. Poor distribution, to put it mildly, caused that figure to become one of the most desired in the entire Mattel WWE run. He’s back, albeit with a few changes, and it’s time to bow and kneel before The King.

As he is part of the Greatest Hits series the packaging is fairly standard to how most of the Elite figures come boxed now. As I’ve said before, the packaging is good though I don’t care for it as much as I did the rectangular boxes of a few years ago in which the original Harley release came. In my order I did manage to get two examples in great shape, but the cardboard in this latest generation of boxes just seems flimsier than ever to me. It’s harder than ever to be shipped or find a truly nice box. Two images of The King adorn the box with a standard short bio.

As with the original you receive the rubber cape and crown. The crown may be a tad softer in material but the cape felt very much the same. It’s the look that made me fall in love with this figure long before it was released even the first time. It remains my favorite Mattel WWE release. As the entire line has stepped it up since that figure, we now get a pair of interchangeable fists, as well. For a guy like Harley one of my few complaints about the original release was that neither of his hands were a fist. This is a guy who could bust you open “the hard way” using a perfectly positioned knuckle yet…no fist. It’s fixed here.

That’s not the only upgrade. The face seems to have the “True FX” detail application which many collectors are hit-or-miss on. It seems to have changed the look of his eyes a bit. It isn’t too noticeable unless you’re closely comparing the two. Aside from the fists the other very pleasing upgrades are the additions of double-jointed elbows. Now Harley can REALLY drive that fist in deep! While the feature has been on many figures over the past several years, it didn’t really strike out to me as a huge deal until this one. Likely because I’ve spent so much time on the original figure.

The Greatest Hits series have had an interesting run so far. Figuring that they would stick around, at least for a bit like most modern figures, I didn’t jump on any at first. They’ve actually proven to be very in-demand. The lone figure that I wanted from the first lineup (Rikishi) barely made it past the pre-order stage at online retailers. I ended up finding it at a toy show for a perfectly acceptable price and I have seen pictures of it showing up at retail, but either the figures are truly “hot” or Mattel is playing distribution games again. This second series, especially Race, is proving to follow suit. The pre-orders are gone and retailers aren’t showing any signs of restock. This, like the original one years ago, needs to be grabbed when seen.

It’s also been confirmed that the Greatest Hits line will continue and a separate Greatest Hits line exclusively featuring legends is to come about. The latter, featuring names like Bruno Sammartino and Terry Funk, should be fairly hot. Sammartino and Race both indicate to me that Mattel is working extra hard to secure the legendary names that were said to be unavailable to them for years. My guess would be because PowerTown has shown what a powerhouse that they aim to be. While Mattel says that they cannot negotiate for names on their own, it wouldn’t surprise me to hear that they are now pushing WWE just a bit more to obtain rights to certain names. After all, Race was initially mentioned by PowerTown as a name available to them.

I would have liked to have seen what PowerTown could’ve done with Race. We could’ve gotten any number of versions from early in his career. Now that he’s back with Mattel, I can’t help but think that we’ll see him in the LJN-inspired Coliseum Collection. That release would no doubt include a soft goods cape. A fun addition would be the cape-jacket hybrid that was sculpted onto the original LJN. Hopefully Mattel realizes the want for pre-WWF versions of Race and gives us some figures in that realm, too. I’m not holding my breath, but it wouldn’t exactly surprise me, either.

As a collector who owns the original version of this figure, and even one of the few autographed examples known to exist, I have no dismay about this remake. I’ve long championed the idea that everyone should be able to acquire these toys at the standard price for a reasonable amount of time. That was not the case with the original. There won’t be any signed versions of this one, sadly, nor does it include the Commissioner Shawn Michaels “Build-A-Figure” arms that the original did. Heck, as I said I bought two of these new ones myself. In fact, it’s time to update the meme that I made some time ago. It swept the Internet, or at least a few hundred people who passed it along. Here it is, in its original form, before I added two more for the girls to gossip about…

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!