An Epic Flashback To Hasbro Glory

Recently on the vlog I’ve taken a look at some new retro wrestling figure releases. I’ve been very pleased with a lot of the product that we’ve been hit with but I felt that at least one set deserved an extra bit of detail that I can give in a traditional blog review. That set ended up being one that’s full of extra bits of details itself – Epic Toys Wrestling Megastars Series 4. Formerly Chella Toys (don’t ask me the history…I don’t tune in for the drama, I just know that it cleared up), Epic has positioned itself as one of the top boutique retro figure manufacturers with a combination of quality product and dedication to getting product out without making boatloads of promises. How many others could take lessons there?

The fourth series of Wrestling Megastars brings us a much improved version of a legend from the original Hasbro line, two stars who wouldn’t have been in that line and one who by all rights SHOULD have been in that line. In order I’m speaking of Ric Flair, Barry Windham, Dr. Death Steve Williams and The Barbarian. All four are packaged in, what I first seemed as such over twenty years ago, “collector friendly packaging.” As it was explained back in the day, “collector friendly packaging” means that you can open the figure up, remove it and then replace it with no one being the wiser. No seals, stickers, horrendous clear plastic bands or anything else. It causes some controversy among collectors as to what is truly “mint” and what isn’t, but we’re not here to discuss it. My only rule is that if it has some sort of seal, even ever so small (as a few of the Mattel WWE Retro releases have), I won’t get the one that I’ve opened autographed. For figures like these, where removing the figures and replacing them causes no harm, I actually prefer to slide out the card back and just get that signed. Personal preference.

Looking at each figure individually we’ll start with The Nature Boy. If I had to pick “worst Hasbro WWF figure” I don’t think I could pick anyone but Naitch. From the use of the Rick Rude body to the awful head (when I initially saw the “Undertake ‘Em All” ad I actually thought Flair was Dino Bravo) it was easily Hasbro’s worst “effort” of the line. I think I may have “worked” him a handful of times before I went back to the great Galoob figure. Have things finally been made right? In a nice touch by Epic this figure is actually based upon his WWF run, specifically his 1991 Royal Albert Hall match against Tito Santana. A great one to seek out or watch again.

Decked out in a soft goods green robe and green trunks, Naitch is stylin’ and profilin’. Even if we wouldn’t have seen elbow movement like this in a Hasbro, everything else about the sculpt matches up. I’m mixed on so much soft goods being used in retros since Hasbro did it so sparingly but something about this robe looks like it could’ve been done back then. I think it’s actually the gold trim. I can see this figure hanging in a store in the early ‘90s and that’s the effect we want.

Next up is Steve Williams. The good doctor is also decked out in a soft goods robe and is completely covered in red and white throughout the figure as he often was. The sculpt here is even a bit “softer” than Flair and it’s right in line with Hasbro. Of course he was nowhere near the WWF in that era but we’ve long since passed just getting then-current WWF talent in this scale. A retro Terry Gordy would go absolutely amazing next to Doc.

Another who didn’t have much of a chance to be a Hasbro (they were being planned during his brief stint as The Widowmaker) but did have a great Galoob is Barry Windham. “The Lone Wolf” was one of my favorite Galoob figures and definitely one of my most used back then. He had a great pose and I can honestly see a lot of that influencing the figure here. Once again the sculpt is on point for Hasbro authenticity. I’m still undecided on how I feel about the soft goods vest and the extra “claw” hand. Hasbro definitely would’ve sculpted the vest on or left it out completely. The torso sculpt is actually so good and Hasbro-esque that if I were ever to display the figure I may not even keep the vest on. Swappable hands have never been a favorite of mine with the few retro figures that have had it but I do understand the inclusion. It’s a feature of modern figures that’s been integrated.

Last but certainly not least we have The Barbarian. It’s baffling that it’s never even been rumored that Hasbro had him in the works back then. He’s a toy…he has fur and antlers…he’s a barbarian! Epic knocked it out of the park with their Powers of Pain version and this singles effort is no different. Some are calling this “Figure of the Year.” It’s absolutely amazing that this look has never before been done as a figure. The embarrassment put out by Jakks that was completely devoid of accessories and detail does NOT count. I will say that the detail here is a bit more than Hasbro would’ve done but how can it not be excused? We’ve wanted this look as a toy for thirty-five years. Barbs has come home to The Heenan Family.

It's a great set. Any or all of these would be right at home in any retro collection. My ultimate retro “test” is if you placed the figure in question among a smattering of original Hasbro releases and showed them off to someone without a clue as to who made what. If the new figure blends right in it’s obviously good to go. I think Flair, taking all factors mentioned in his individual review into consideration, would pass best. Windham would be second if the casual observer was less savvy on real world wrestling time lines. As far as modern retro wrestling figures go there isn’t a loser in the bunch.

As mentioned earlier I’ve done some quick reviews of some other recent retro releases on the vlog so be sure to check them out here.That platform has admittedly become my focus these days but I appreciate any and all who still come here to the blog for the occasional read. It keeps me going in all forms of coverage any time that I hear someone say that they’ve enjoyed any of my content. As always…thank you! And as I also always like to think, the best is yet to come!

The Powers Return!

Another entry so soon? Well, the last one was very unexpected. As for this one, once I had these figures in hand I knew I’d have to sing their praises. Like a lot of my work, you should know going in that, more often than not, I’m actually going to like what I’m reviewing. In my decade and a half of doing the blog, Topps was the only company kind enough to send me product to review. I’ve never forgotten that. As for everything else, it’s out of my own empty pocket. So generally you’re not going to see a review here of anything that I truly despise, unless it’s part of something else, i.e. one figure in a set.

The “boutique” figure makers that have popped up over the years, mostly producing retro figures in the spirt of the Hasbro WWF line, have largely run hot and cold. This one is too detailed. That one isn’t detailed enough. This person doesn’t belong in this style. Why do we need another version of this wrestler in this style? You can take any of those complaints and add about fifty more. And don’t even get me started on the egos of some of these “businessmen.” Early on I came to a conclusion not unlike one that I follow for most of my collecting: if I don’t like it, I don’t buy it. Some majorly pathetic folks can afford to just buy everything. That’s not collecting. It’s stocking up to feel as if it gives them some sort of clout. If someone going out and spending money impresses you, you should probably stop reading this blog and see a shrink. Those are the types that I sit back and wait for the fire sale on. Their hefty and undeserved paychecks won’t last forever and the “collections” will start hitting eBay. But maybe I’m just a sadist with bad karma.

Anyway, we’re here to talk about two of the NICEST guys in the wrestling business, The Warlord and The Barbarian. I don’t think I’ve heard a bad thing about either, aside from idiots who might critique their in-ring work. Those are the clowns who don’t understand that wrestling isn’t all flips and mat sequences. It’s getting over, being memorable and making money. While both of these guys are still making appearances, I highly doubt it’s because they need to. It’s because, if you’ve ever met them, you can tell that they both genuinely want to be there.

Ok, enough anger, I promise. Let’s get to these figures. This set is put out by the group now known as Epic Toys. I’m still not sure of the details of what happened with the late Chella Toys but something went down and the company seemed to split. At least there are several companies currently that I think rose from the Chella ashes. I could be wrong about that, but I’m not here to talk about failures. Epic Toys has done a spectacular job thus far since taking over at least a portion of the former Chella line. I had passed on the initial pre-order for The Powers of Pain and regretted it once they hit collectors hands. Thankfully a second batch was made and that’s what we’re looking at here today.

The two-pack comes in a very familiar looking package with the card back greatly resembling the Hasbro two-packs of yore. The biggest difference is that this is “collector friendly” the figures can be removed without damaging a thing. Mattel has begun doing this with their retro line, however they also started adding a sticker tab so that the figure isn’t technically “mint” if you open it. That doesn’t exist here.

I’m very mixed on the concept across the board. While it’s nice and convenient, for whatever reason I’m not as keen on getting them signed in this style. I can’t say that I never will. I recently had the Mattel Retro Wendi Richter signed (it was from a set before the sticker arrived), but for some reason I’m just not as big on it. I prefer the traditional card back and glued bubble combo when it comes to getting them signed. Just a personal preference.

Whatever your feelings are on that, you WILL want to open these. These are absolutely 100% the closest “retro” figures we’ve gotten thus far to actual Hasbro releases. No, there isn’t any “Real Wrestling Action,” but the style and sculpts are absolutely right there. These could’ve been popped into Series 1 and a non-collector would be none the wiser. The PoP were still very much a team in this look when that series was designed so it isn’t out of the question that they COULD have been done then. Both figures also have the look of two original Hasbro poses. The Barbarian most closely resembles Hulk Hogan #1 or Sid Justice while The Warlord looks almost exactly like a redesign of Hogan #3. I absolutely love these designs/sculpts.

Some may have an issue with the soft goods entrance gear, but why? The Berzerker was released with soft goods. They’re a perfect balance of detailed and not-too-detailed. Although I’ve always felt that it was probably a wrestler’s tall tale, but for years the story has went that Mary Tyler Moore wanted to buy The Barbarian’s “fur” at WrestleMania VI. She probably made a joke that got taken too far, but it’s cute and the figure here brings it to mind.

The Barbarian is so under utilized in the figure world. I’m very much hoping that Epic takes on his “antlers” look as a single release. As for getting your hands on these, I wouldn’t even want to look at eBay prices and unless Epic does another release that will be the only way to go. They could do single carded releases if the demand is there. I just don’t want the company to get overwhelmed. They have, in my opinion, a retro coming that, in design, could even outdo these two (will you all please rise?), as well as the long awaited retro debut of Bobby “The Brain” Heenan. What really killed these boutique releases for a lot of us were the constant announcements and no product. Slow and steady wins the race. However you look at it, the retro ring is getting crowded.

So I came back for a few weeks. I have two ideas in the pipeline so I guess we could make a few more entries to round out the year. One is regarding a set that is scheduled to ship this year (although, you never know…) and another that, well, it might be one of the oddest ones I’ve done. Is it really memorabilia? Is it merchandise? It certainly features merchandise, in a sense. Regardless, I feel like talking about it and you can make your own decisions on whether it belongs here or not.

Maybe we’ll visit with The Von Erich boys yet again, too. This blog always was a “World Class” kinda affair.