Retro Continues To Be Nowtro: Part I

 It's an amazing time to be a kid from the '70s, '80s, or '90s. Pretty much any toy that you had, even gaming systems, are available again in stores worldwide. Even the action figures that you played with anywhere that you were able to take them can be found on store shelves. From the vintage plastic of Mego action figures in the likenesses of so many pop culture legends to "Kenner" branded Star Wars toys, everything old is new again. Thanks to the Mattel Retro WWE figure line that we've been covering for nearly two years, wrestling isn't left out.

For me, a bit of the shine has worn off since the initial offerings. This actually is starting to ring true for the entire Mattel WWE empire, but we'll get to that in the second half of this two-part review. This week and next will each showcase one of the most recent Retro figure series to be released. Don't get me wrong, there are a lot of nice new figures here that we will look at, but that generally isn't where the problems lie. Before we get to broader issues, let's take a look at the new figures individually.

The cardbacks still strongly resemble the Hasbro WWF packaging of yore. The colors have stopped changing (the first two initial series were blue bordered) but they still fit in nicely with their classic counterparts. Unfortunately the changes that began with series three still linger. A plastic stand featuring the logo of the superstar in question is packaged where the "Real Wrestling Action" graphic should be. Above that is a completely out-of-place advertisement for an app. One of the highlights of the Hasbro line was the large photo of the wrestler. This annoying ad detracts from the photo.

In this set we have Ric Flair, Finn Balor, Sami Zayn, and Kevin Owens. The latter is a repaint of his release from the first series. Like the earlier figures each superstar has an aforementioned "Real Wrestling Action" that either copies or mirrors one from the Hasbro years. Balor's is close to that of the first Marty Jannetty, Owens has the Andre/Akeem/Dusty "jolt," Flair's is an adapted version of the spring-action waist which originated with "Macho King" Randy Savage, and Zayn has a brand-new kick action that easily could have been created nearly thirty years ago. His pose reminds me of the first "Million Dollar Man" figure by Hasbro.

The likenesses and detail are good on all, and just "cartoony" enough to fit into the original Hasbro line. We will dive more into this topic next week. The star here, however, is Ric Flair. This is the Flair that we should've received back during his WWF run. The "chop" move works excellently and the figure simply runs circles around the rather poorly executed Flair Hasbro that saw release in 1993. The re-used body of Ravishing Rick Rude just did not work and I'm sure that I'm not the only one who, at first glance of the famous WWF Magazine ad, thought that the facial likeness was Dino Bravo. One of Hasbro's biggest World Wrestling Federation blunders is finally corrected.

Even though one of the four here is a repaint, this is a nice set. We'll get more detailed next week as we look at a subsequent series and what seems to be going wrong with the line. In the meantime, have you even seen these on store shelves? How about the other newer sets? If the public cannot buy, they will not support. It's as simple as that, and it seems to be creeping into all aspects of Mattel WWE figure collecting.

To be continued...

Mattel Brings Elite Looks At The Past...And Future

The last time that a Mattel figure saw our spotlight was just a few weeks ago. The figure in question, The Bunny, brought up the talking point of depth in wrestling action figure lines. Six years into the run, Mattel should have quite a bit of depth. More and more integration of past stars or Legends into their various lineups greatly helps ensure this. A collector can walk into most stores today and has a chance of finding figures of Paul Orndorff, The Iron Sheik, and The Honky Tonk Man, just to name a few. There's also one "Flashback" figure that comes from the much more recent past. He, along with a more modern figure from the same series, is our focus this time around.

After his untimely death in 2009, most of us were fairly certain that the last Umaga figure had been produced. WWE will acknowledge deaths, but those with a stigma tend to be brushed away. Umaga's young passing was definitely one of the latter. The Samoan Bulldozer had some memorable moments in the company, but ignoring him didn't prove to be difficult. He was not around in a necessarily "Golden Age" for the company, so "erasing" him was not needed nor necessary. In the last twelve months or so, mentions of the agile big man began popping up. The feelings have definitely lightened as is proof with his debut in the Mattel figure line.

Joining Umaga is a man that we're certain to hear more from, Sami Zayn. The NXT standout has finally "graduated" to the main WWE roster. The former "Indy darling" reminds many of Daniel Bryan. Perhaps WWE is looking to fill the void left by the recent retirement of the "Yes!" man. Nevertheless, many fans are looking for Zayn to continue his long-standing rivalry with Kevin Owens. With Zayn's recent appearance on Raw, that seems to be a direction that will be pursued. With Mattel adding both to their lineup, it will at least live on in plastic form.

Both Umaga and Zayn have unique accessories which are a focal point just by looking at the packaging. Umaga comes with his trademark sarong. The wrap is molded in the same rubber/vinyl that Mattel is known for. While the material restricts poses when used for shirts and coats, the use is perfectly fine here. Zayn's figure includes the very first figure-sized release of the NXT Championship belt. I'm not exactly certain as to why, but the design looks a Helluva lot better in figure form than the full-size version.

Both figures are full of fantastic paint detail. Umaga has all of the tribal tattoos that he had at the end of his WWE run. His tights are also very decorated, including a great likeness of his facial appearance down one leg. Sami has tights that really pop with their unique design, and the chest hair that was missing in his first release in the Basic line is painted on here. Both have facial likenesses that should carry no complaints. Umaga does seem a tad tall compared to other figures, but he was a tall man. He is not as tall as a figure of The Big Show, which is usually a good measuring stick.

The Elite tooling style works well for both of these stars known for agility. Umaga's joints are a bit tighter than I would have liked, but anyone looking to pose moves shouldn't have much of a problem. The figure does have issues standing however. It seems to take a bit of patience and maneuvering of the legs and ankles to get Umaga to stand, but eventually he will.

These are two that you will want to grab on sight. I'm not sure that I'd have added Sami to my collection had the belt not been included. The Basic was good enough for me and we'll see many more releases of him down the line. The NXT belt should also see more releases, but who knows when. I could imagine an Elite release of Kevin Owens down the pike possibly including both the Intercontinental and NXT Championships. Umaga is less likely to see additional releases, though I can imagine one that would please Mattel. A release of Umaga early in the run of the character would require much less paint as he had far fewer tattoos. The unique tooling of the head, hair, and sarong could then also be reused. Look at me, just giving away money-saving ideas!

Hey Mattel, any room for a consultant?

A SummerSlam Of New WWE Product From Mattel

For the past few years it's seemed as if there are two times of the year when you are guaranteed to see Mattel WWE product stuffing the shelves--WrestleMania season and Christmas time. With the recent rumors that WWE is wishing to transform SummerSlam into a "second WrestleMania" as far as hype, scope, and marquee matches, it's more than likely that merchandise will follow suit. Already, SummerSlam 2015 has been bumped up to a four-hour time slot. Does the recent surge in new product and retail store space reflect this?

Since July, most Target stores have devoted an endcap to the line. The centerpieces have been the exclusive Four Horsemen set as well as the "classic" blue barred steel cage accessory. Basic and Elite figures as well as entries from the newer "Create A WWE Superstar" line have also been featured. Wal Mart stores have received giant blue cardboard displays for Basic, Elite, and Battle Pack figures. Newer series seem to be shipped with the display, but older figures that have been peg-warming for Wal Mart are frequently mixed in. These cardboard displays are far from collector friendly, often smashing the product inside. While no special displays have been rolled out, Toys "R" Us has also seen an influx of newer product, with the "Build-A-Figure" Elite Corporate Kane series being a well-selling exclusive for the retailer.

But what about the figures themselves? Although my wallet can't say the same, I have been very impressed with Mattel's recent additions to the line. For once, the company seems to want to attempt to get everyone a figure, including Divas. The company was infamous for thinking that female figures would not sell in a line traditionally marketed to boys. I'm not sure where their surveying is done, but in my childhood days, the boys were just as excited to have female G.I. Joe figures as they were the males. The same should go for wrestling, especially with all of the "Divas Revolution" talk. Lana and Summer Rae, ironically currently embroiled in a WWE feud, are two of Mattel's newest additions.

One "first" doesn't involve new names, but rather a never-before-done concept in wrestling figure collecting. With the release of El Torito last year, collectors were able to hold the first match between little people when paired against Hornswoggle. Now both have been re-released in the first wrestling figure two-pack of little people. This Battle Pack represents the feud between the two that culminated in the epically entertaining "WeeLC" match. The set even includes a mini table and chair. Torito is featured in his red attire, while Hornswoggle is in his more recent look that, to me, is reminiscent of 70s-90s wrestler Little Louie. His hair is even removable so that he can "lose" a Hair vs Mask match. Even with Lana and Rusev and the first Mattel Legion of Doom two-pack also in the series, the little guys really stand out. A friend of mine has already deemed this Hornswoggle as his "Figure of the Year." I can completely understand why.

The Elite line, figures with accessories and additional articulation, has also seen new faces. Earthquake and Diamond Dallas Page have joined the "Flashback" collection of wrestlers of yesteryear. DDP is a re-release of the WWE Legends figure, while Earthquake is fully new and comes complete with Damien the snake and his bag for the big man to "squash." New faces in the line include Stardust and Bo Dallas, the latter with his "BOLIEVE" t-shirt. Both of these stars saw their first figures in the Basic line a few months earlier. My own personal rule of thumb is to wait for the Elite when this is knowingly the case, as the included accessories are often worth the extra money spent.

Finally, we have received what should be considered the first NXT figure. While we have seen figures of many who began their WWE careers on the NXT roster as well as the NXT Women's Championship being included with Paige, this is a different scenario. Sami Zayn is the first wrestler to have a figure released before an official WWE roster call-up. I'm sure that it will not be his last and the fact in itself will end up rather trivial, but this is indeed a first. As of now, Tyler Breeze and Bayley look to be next in line for figures while still fully part of NXT, but that can always change.

As the hot weather ends and the holidays fast approach, we're bound to see even more Mattel goodies pop up. Favorites such as Charlotte, Hideo Itami, The APA, Dean Malenko, and Randy Savage are all slated to debut or return, and you can be sure that most of them will pop up here. Mattel is continuing to give us reasons to care about their line, and that deserves our support. Happy hunting!