Complete Lucha Action!

And now for some modern wrestling toys that you may not even be aware of. The Legends of Lucha Libre is a fast growing line produced by Masked Republic & Boss Fight Studio. The company has an eclectic group of toy licenses under it’s belt including Popeye, Sam & Max (if you know who they are, we can be friends), Umbrella Academy and even an upcoming Major League Wrestling figure line. More on the latter in a bit. Right now the company is focusing its wrestling division on lucha libre stars of both the past and present. I recently picked up two of the figures, an accessory pack and the arena playset. What’s better than a bunch of reviews in one? 

Before purchasing I recalled hearing of these figures awhile ago and, looking back, it seems that there were a few delays getting them out. The two that I picked up are part of their “Fanaticos” line which would be the equivalent to Mattel’s WWE Basic figures. There are “Elite” equivalents  as well which seem to have been available a bit longer. Penta Zero M and Rey Fenix (The Lucha Bros.) are available in both styles while Juventud Guerrera and Taya Valkyrie, the two that I picked up, are thus far only available in the Fanaticos line. They’re available at various online retailers thus far, though I haven’t seen/heard of them breaking into brick and mortar stores just yet. The accessory pack, one of two, shown here seems to be available wherever the figures can be found. The arena set is more of an exclusive. 

As far as graphics, design and quality the packaging for the figures and accessory set are on par with anything that we’re getting from “the bigger guys.” In fact, I’d probably go as far as to say that it’s more appealing. Through most of its run the Mattel WWE packaging has had simply too much red for me. These are a nice gray/white with a nice, large representation of the star. Nothing too difficult about removing the figures from the packaging, either. The cardstock for the card backs is nice and thick, something that another company could definitely learn from. These aren’t much different in price from those guys, so it isn’t budget we’re talking about here. The accessory set is also nicely packed and nothing’s moving, although you’re more than likely going to want to open it. As far as the figures, the packaging is nice enough that I’d considering buying extras for autograph purposes on certain wrestlers. 

Some of the chatter that I have seen regarding this line were worries of the figures not being to scale with “the other leading brands.” It does appear that the Penta and Fenix figures from The Legends of Lucha Libre are a tad smaller than their Jazwares AEW counterparts, but I’m going by photos that I’ve seen on those. As far as the two figures that I picked up I really couldn’t be more pleased. Valkyrie fits in nicely with other female figures while Juvi works great with Mattel’s Rey Mysterio figures and others. Considering a lot of collectors will want will Juvi for WCW collections, I think that he’s a perfect addition. Some of the upcoming figures in this line also fit that bill. It’s WCW’s Cruiserweight Division revisited! 

There’s something about these figures that, once you hold them, makes you wonder why more wrestling figures can’t be done in such high quality. I really feel like these figures have such little chance of breaking. There are other figures out there that seem as if they’ll break right out of the package. Not here. These things are seriously solid yet move nice enough for some great playability. Certainly as much as some of the other “basic” style figures out there. The accessory pack is well done, too. There’s another set which includes a breakaway table, but I really wanted this one for the dog collars and chain. I was a tad disappointed to find that apparently you need figures with removable heads in order for the accessory to work. I haven’t wanted to remove a head on a figure where it’s unremovable, so I’m unsure if this will work with these Fanaticos figures. Nonetheless for toy photography purposes a small cut in each dog collar should remedy the issue. The chair is one of the more realistic that I’ve seen for figures. The microphone in my set did not have a logo on it as shown on the packaging. You also get a nightstick, breakable block and an extra masked head which leads me to believe that head swapping is a deal somewhere in this line. 

Some of you are chomping at the bit regarding the playset. I can feel it. Playsets bring out the kid in us all. This set is another production of Extreme Sets, the company which makes the arena backdrop set that you’ve seen in photography here on the blog as well as our socials not to mention a review here some years ago. Interestingly they’ve never sold this particular lucha arena set on their site itself. Instead it’s purchasable through Boss Fight Shop as well as a few other online retailers that can be found with a Google search. These Extreme Sets backdrops/playsets/environments can be costly but are a great boon to action figure photographers everywhere. This one, although not as tall as the regular arena, is a bit less in cost but still immense in its own way. 

In all you get three “floor” pieces and five “walls” (two solid, two with doors, one entry way) along with two anvil cases, an row of lockers, a ramp and a stage. That’s a lot! All of is printed with high quality graphics on equally high quality and very thick cardboard. The “accessory” pieces easily fold into what they’re supposed to be and the floors and walls connect via two tabs on each. You can do a lot of customization and you don’t have to build exactly what the instructions suggest. Customization is key. As far as rings it’s BYOB, but Masked Republic/Boss Fight Studio do have one coming from the line in the near future. Really there’s enough room to hear to load the place up with all kinds of accessories that you already have. 

I’ve only shown what’s included in the pictures here but I can certainly see myself adding to the set. Some small groupings of the audience/crowd from the original arena from Extreme Sets would look great here and a black mat can be added to create a larger ring/ringside area. The stage can be removed from the entry way to accommodate larger figures. The “curtain/lights” backdrop to the entry way is actually connected via velcro on both the entry way backdrop and the wall itself. This is something that I’d like to see Extreme Sets incorporate into more of their products. The arena itself is that of a older, run-down venue decorated with lucha signage. It’s a fun atmosphere and I could see most any wrestling figure in this environment. Part of it can be utilized as a locker room and you can even stuff a wrestler into one of the lockers. It honestly has a bit of a “Lucha Underground” vibe and I’m sure that’s what they were going for. The packaging says that it’s for adult collectors, but a respectful child could get a lot of play mileage out of this. Are we so far removed that we’ve forgotten that many of the original Kenner Star Wars playsets utilized cardboard? I will say that assemblage should be done by an adult and that, like with the other arena Extreme Set that I own, I’ve always wondered just how much assembly/disassembly these playsets will weather. 

That’s a lot of lucha libre action! I’m excited to see what’s next for this line from Boss Fight Studio. Ultimo Dragon, Vampiro and Konnan are all announced figures in the line that I have an interest in. The MLW line should be promising as well. Figures of Hammerstone, The Von Erich Brothers and Savio Vega? I have no idea of any of the lineups, but I’d be more than pleased with any of those names. As for Extreme Sets, it’s nice to see that they’ve teamed with a figure company to produce a licensed set. It’s curious that it’s nowhere to be found on their site, but there’s probably a story behind it. I hesitate to give them too much of a plug since they refuse to ever use my figure photography on their socials, but I will say that they have an exciting new set coming next year that’s reminiscent of a small venue where a certain soon-to-be-thirty-year-old wrestling program started. Just like everything you’ve seen here, it looks really cool, folks!

The Wrestling Classic Figure Review--Kelian AAA Konnan

Opening vintage toys has always been a touchy subject with collectors. To some it's almost taboo. Why open one up when there are plenty of loose examples around? Why destroy another boxed or carded version of which will never be replaced? There are plenty of answers to those questions, the most obvious being personal decision. If you own something you can do with it whatever you please. But it was a chance bargain purchase and reconnecting with a fellow collector that led me to the topic of today's entry.

Longtime collector extraordinaire Chris Pesqueira could be considered "The King of the Minty Loosies." He has made purchasing vintage action figures and opening them into a science. You see, he's not opening just any vintage figures he can get his hands on. He understands the importance of carded collecting. It's also not cost effective. By searching out boxes and cards that aren't exactly in the best of shape he isn't really doing any disservice to carded collectors who usually want pristine packaging. In turn he also isn't spending the small fortune that one of the nicer examples can yield. He's simply getting a beautiful loose figure in mint condition that he can proudly add to his collection.

I've long considered opening a carded 1994 Kelian AAA Konnan figure that I've owned for about a decade. I had initially purchased it to be signed, but the lucha legend no-showed the same event twice and I haven't run across him since. The packaging was not great to begin with, but for my purposes it was "good enough." Some creases and bubble cracks were part of the deal and something I was very much willing to live with considering that the Kelian figures aren't ones that you come across every day. Often times a signature will drown out any flaws, at least to my autograph-loving eyes.

Recently I came across a deal for another carded Konnan. This example was in much better shape at what I felt was a very reasonable price. Why not buy it and open up the old one? The thought of finally having the particularly colorful figure in a loose mint example complete with stand wasn't something that I felt I could pass up. I did it and here we are today.

The Kelian AAA line is a lot of fun. It's often confused with The Original San Francisco Toymakers CMLL line from the same era. The difference is that the latter had far less characters produced (a total of six) and is better remembered in the United States as they ended up at Dollar Tree stores around the country. I'm not the only one with fond memories of grabbing Vampiro and Ultimo Dragon right off the shelves. The Kelian AAA line is best known for having the first Rey Mysterio Jr. figure, which has a price that has soared as high as the man himself.

Like the aforementioned Toymakers CMLL line and their later WCW figures, the Kelian AAA wrestlers are solid with no articulation. They make up for that in detail. The colors are absolutely beautiful and are really showcased on this figure thanks to this being the era where Konnan was literally colorful from head to toe. It's a fairly good facial likeness as well in a line where more of the characters were masked than were not. My memories of this era Konnan largely stem from his feud with Jake "The Snake" Roberts that did great box office business. Like many, I followed the conflict through the pages of Pro Wrestling Illustrated and its sister publications which seemingly covered it monthly.

Another advantage to opening a Kelian AAA figure is that you're going to get the AAA logo stand included with each figure. It almost never shows up when these figures come up for sale loose and is a surprising inclusion in an era where things like this weren't the norm.

Remember, toys were meant to be played with. Even if you aren't playing, maybe you just want a nice, shiny figure on display instead of a beat up used one. It makes perfect sense and is nothing that any collector should feel guilt over. If you're spending the money it's yours to do with as you please.

Now, if you're thinking of opening that carded LJN Dynamite Kid...

Could it be the autograph of "The Saint?"

September 23, 2017 marks what would have been the 100th birthday of El Santo. To simply call the man one of the pioneers of lucha libre would be an understatement. It has often been told to us American fans that we simply could not fathom what El Santo means to his home country of Mexico. That his significance to his people was unlike anything that a professional wrestler here in the United States would ever achieve. That being said, did an authentic El Santo autograph finally make its way to my collection?

"If this thing is real, I'd love to have it."

The above sentence isn't my own quote, but when I first came across this signed photo, I suddenly imagined I'd walked into an episode of Pawn Stars. Since I had no way of personally authenticating it, I looked at some facts. I acquired the photo very inexpensively in what seemed to be a broken up collection along with some unsigned photos of other stars. The collection came from Texas, a state where obtaining autographs of luchadores would not be unheard of.

"It looks great to me, but I have to be sure. Mind if I call in an expert?"

Unfortunately, there aren't many lucha autograph experts to be found on the Internet, at least not readily. What's even worse is that there don't seem to be any examples of El Santo's autograph available for viewing, either. When searching for the autograph one only yields results featuring the signature of El Santo's son, El Hijo del Santo. In essence, I had to go on my own judgment...

"My opinion? It appears to be real."

The other photos in the collection are all of stars who worked in the Houston area in 1974. El Santo did in fact wrestle in that territory at the time. How good was the legend at signing autographs? There's no doubt in my mind that an astute fan could have obtained the signature before or after a Houston show. Until we have other examples, it's as good as any other El Santo autograph that would show up with that good of a back story.

Who Was That Masked Man?

It's that time of the year again. Pick out a mask and either ask for candy, pass out candy, or just go to a party. It's a long-standing tradition. For some in the wrestling business, a mask is part of their livelihood. From American stars like The Destroyer and The Masked Superstar, Japanese names like Tiger Mask and The Great Sasuke, to the many masked luchadores of Mexico, wearing a "hood" has helped create many a wrestling legend.

It's often been said that masked wrestlers have to work all the harder. After all, facial expressions cannot be seen outside of a mask. The masked wrestlers must utilize other ways of expressing themselves. The Masked Superstar is a great example of this. While many would say that his in-ring work spoke for him, no one can forget his intelligent yet calculating interviews. Bill Eadie worked hard to make what could have been a forgettable masked heel exactly the opposite. Before the matches even began, fans knew that Superstar's heroic opponent was in for a true battle. In the opposite direction, Mr. Wrestling II worked a similar way. Throughout most of his run, Wrestling II was able to capture the hearts of fans rather than strike fear into them. Famously captivating the mother of President Jimmy Carter as one of his biggest fans, the charismatic Mr. Wrestling II became a staple of southern-based wrestling promotions for over a decade.

Sometimes two is better than one, and in the case of The Assassins it meant double trouble. The familiar black and yellow masks were honestly a bit unsettling to begin with and their in-ring work backed up their villainy. There were a few wrestlers under the Assassin masks over the years, but Tom Renesto and Jody Hamilton are probably the most celebrated. Younger fans will remember Hamilton for his involvement with WCW as The Masked Assassin in the mid-1990s. Hamilton also released a great book about his many different roles in wrestling, including running a WWE developmental territory.

It's Mexican wrestling that is probably best known for masked stars. Lucha libre was built upon superhero-style grapplers who took to the mat and the air equally. It's hard to imagine in the United States, but several legendary luchadores became God-like in their popularity in Mexico. El Santo is one of those stars. Wearing his famous silver mask, El Santo ruled both lucha libre and Mexican pop culture for decades. Appearing in the ring and starring in many motion pictures, comic books, and other media, his popularity was so that his funeral in 1984 is said to have been comparable to a president or other top state figure. Both he and his legendary rival Blue Demon have had their masks handed down thus continuing their mysterious legacies.

Another masked luchador, Mil Mascaras, has seen popularity in Mexico, the United States, and Japan. While he garnered a reputation of being somewhat difficult to work with, it should not take away from his in-ring legacy. As has been discussed before on this very blog, Mascaras is the classic masked luchador who has been merchandised the most outside of Mexico. Thanks to an omnipresence on the covers of 1970's wrestling magazines and a glut of merchandise from Japan, the many masks of Mil Mascaras have been seen the world over with no end in sight.

Japan has created its own masked stars as well, with the look and style fitting well into the wrestling culture of the far east. Tiger Mask, in various incarnations, has been thrilling wrestling fans for over thirty years. As originally portrayed by Satoru Sayama, Tiger Mask toured around the world, perhaps most famously in matches against the equally agile Dynamite Kid. Jushin Liger, with his horned mask and long black hair, became another popular lightweight star and is still gaining fans such as in his recent NXT appearance. Both of these characters were ripped from the pages of Japanese manga books, thus instantly producing real life super heroes.

Of course, it was Rey Mysterio Jr. who carried the masked legacy into the modern day mainstream world of ECW, WCW, and WWE. Mysterio's underdog personality and fighting spirit made it easy for him to connect with fans. It could even be argued that Mysterio's lowest career point was a brief stint where he was unmasked. Once again, the mask became an irreplaceable part of a wrestling career and legacy, not to mention a huge cash cow for WWE once Mysterio was properly introduced by the company's legendary marketing machine.

WWE has not fared well in trying to recreate the Mysterio magic. Still, the popularity of Lucha Underground and other recent outlets prove that it can still be done in the United States. I would love to see the return of a Masked Superstar-style star. A masked villain who is as heelish as he is mysterious. It could be done, and would actually be a fresh idea after being on the shelf for so long.

Who were those masked men? Maybe you'll be inspired to hit the Halloween streets dressed in honor of one of them. After all, many wrestling masks were designed to instill fear in the hearts of opponents. Other wrestlers had faces that were designed perfectly to be right on masks themselves...

Happy Halloween, pencil-necked geeks!

Mil Mascaras: Masked Man of Merchandising

Seeing as that this is the Wrestling Memorabilia Blog, we often pay tribute to pioneers in wrestling merchandising.  Awhile back, we took a look at efforts in the Memphis wrestling promotion that included the birth of "the gimmick table" and many other merchandising concepts.  This time around our spotlight is on an individual star.  From his look to his charisma, both of which were shrouded in mystique, it's no wonder why the man became one of the first big merchandising stars of the wrestling business.  That man is Mil Mascaras.

The Man of 1,000 Masks is said to have begun his career simultaneously as a Mexican movie star and luchador.  With that being the case, one could argue that his merchandising began as soon as his career did.  With his colorful masks and costumes plastered on movie posters and lobby cards, the Mexican public was already becoming enamored with the man formerly known as Aaron Rodriguez.  Though this took place in the mid-1960's, it was the following decade when Mascaras became a true worldwide name in wrestling.

All Japan Pro Wrestling regular featured Mascaras in the 1970's which propelled the Mexican star to a top spot in Japan.  It was here that he adopted a theme song.  "Sky High" by British group Jigsaw became the associated tune of the high flying star.  Photos of the luchador appeared on various releases of the song.  A disco anthem to be sure, the song is very catchy and has several portions that absolutely fit a '70s hero.  Mascaras still uses this song today for matches around the world.

Domestically, Mascaras became best known in the '70s for his work in the IWA and the WWWF.  It was in the latter promotion that wrestling magazine editor and photographer Bill Apter shot so many iconic photos of the masked star.  For decades now, Apter has deemed Mascaras as his favorite wrestler and can be seen at ringside for many of the masked star's matches in old Madison Square Garden films.  It's no coincidence that in 1979, Apter chose Mascaras along with Dusty Rhodes to star on the cover of the first issue of Pro Wrestling Illustrated.

The premiere of PWI was hardly Mascaras' introduction to the American wrestling magazine.  From Inside Wrestling and The Wrestler to Wrestling Revue and Wrestling Monthly, Mascaras appeared on the cover of every title available on the newsstand that decade.  Is it any wonder?  An exotic and mysterious high-flying masked man with colorful outfits and maneuvers to boot?  A real life superhero come to life in wrestling rings across the world.  Next to faces covered with the proverbial "crimson mask," Mascaras was probably the most frequent subject of wrestling magazine covers of the decade.

In 1983, Mascaras along with Bernie Lopez Enterprises released "Mil Mascaras Pro Wrestling Game."  The board game is a complicated early wrestling "simulator" that can even be played solo.  Using dice, numbers, and many, many rules, players can "promote matches in the wrestling capitals of the world--New York, Tokyo, Mexico City, Hong Kong, etc." according to the box.  The game is certainly an interesting novelty, probably the first of its kind, and features two box photos credited to wrestling's other top photographer, George Napolitano.

Surprisingly, it was not until the last decade that quality action figures of Mil Mascaras appeared on the market.  For years, unlicensed figures were produced in Mexico and sold by street vendors to children yearning to recreate the matches of their national hero.  In the early 2000's, licensed Mil Mascaras figures in a variety of outfits were produced by Character Product in Japan.  The masked man's popularity has not waned in the Land of the Rising Sun, and these figures are proof positive.  A nearly perfect likeness along with removable accessories combine to bring us what will likely be the nicest Mil Mascaras figures ever produced.  Despite being a perfect candidate for one of the wide variety of wrestlers in the line, Mascaras was never part of the Jakks WWE Classic Superstars line.

Mascaras is just one third of a trio of brothers who became stars of lucha libre.  Dos Caras and Sicodelico (who in my opinion had the coolest mask of the three) also ruled rings around the world, although never with quite the amount of fame as Mascaras.  In 2012, Mascaras was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame by his nephew, Alberto Del Rio, the son of Dos Caras. 

Despite criticisms of his behavior both in and out of the ring, I've always been mystified by Mascaras.  A little over a year ago, I had the chance to see the masked legend perform live.  Still flashy, still charismatic, and still giving nothing to his opponent, Mascaras turned back the clock for about five minutes.  Say what you want about the man, he is an originator.  Whereas before you may have thought it was simply because he was the Man of 1,000 Masks, he may also be the original Man of 1,000 Gimmicks!

Lucha Libre Crosses The Border!

Over the years many different backers have tried to introduce different styles of wrestling to the sports-entertainment loving American public. From Wrestling Society X to New Japan Pro Wrestling USA, most of these ventures have fizzled out before they ever truly had a shot to take off.

MTV2's Lucha Libre USA is the latest entity to try and captivate American audiences. One advantage that this promotion has is its very own action figure line by Playmates Toys.

Playmates is no stranger to the wrestling market. In 1997, the company was awarded a WWF license to produce figures and toys that weren't the same scale as the Jakks Pacific line. Sadly, only a few products were ever produced after a promising and still-remembered initial offering. Large sized statue-style figures of Sid and The Undertaker as well as Stretch Wrestlers and mini-figures were among the Playmates WWF line.

In 2011, Playmates has returned to wrestling. The "Lucha Libre Masked Warriors" line includes basic figures of six of the television shows top stars. While some names such as Charly Malice are new to American audiences, others such as Marco Corleone (Mark Jindrak) and Sydistiko (TNA's Puma) have previous American exposure. Lizmark Jr., Tineblas Jr., and Super Nova round out the first series. A six-sided ring and deluxe figures of Tineblas Jr. and Super Nova (including child-sized masks) are also available.

The packaging for the line is somewhat of a departure from other wrestling figure package designs. To be honest, the style is very reminiscent of packaging from cartoon character action figure lines of the early '90s. It is also bilingual, which is no big surprise considering the source material.

A sign on the packaging touts the 30 points of articulation on each figure. This is indeed true and something that Playmates pulls off very well. Even the dreaded "mid-torso joint" simply doesn't bother me much here. Another plus is that I did not encounter loose joints right out of the package. Any collector can tell you of a figure or six from the past ten years that came with loose joints right from the factory. I'm not sure why this is so, but it is a problem that has plagued multiple manufacturers. Playmates seems to have avoided this thus far.

The detail on these figures, especially when compared to the picture right on the card, is dead-on. While one could argue that masks are easier to capture than faces in figure-form, the detail of the masks and expressions underneath chalk up another victory for Playmates.

Like most wrestling figure lines in history, the scale of the figures is somewhere between the other two big lines on the market today. Neither the Sydistiko or Lizmark Jr. figures reviewed here would look bad next to current WWE or TNA offerings.

Each figure is given an accessory and Sydistiko has very nice pants made from real material. The deluxe versions of Tineblas Jr. and Super Nova have removable entrance gear.

I don't like making controversial statements, but these truly may be the best bang for your buck in the wrestling figure aisle right now. Opening these guys up, I feel like I'm getting something for my money. These are solid figures the way I remember figures feeling years ago. The inclusion of an accessory, no matter how relevant to the character, is always a bonus especially when thinking of the children that these are intended for. My recommendation? Buy these up. While the ring looks rather small and the deluxe figures are somewhat pricey, I would highly recommend the basic six figures. These are well-manufactured, just plain cool looking figures that would spice up any collection.

Despite the absence of new product for last months Toy Fair, Playmates could be on their way to establishing a great new third brand for wrestling figure collectors. If not, I'm willing to enjoy what they've already given us.