What if the LJN Wrestling Superstars Line Continued?

[HOT RODney]

What if LJN never closed their toy division and the Wrestling Superstars line continued today? What would series 6/7-present be? Comment your opinions below! I’d love to see them!

[walter7paisley]

Jun 20, 2022 22:55:16 GMT -5 HOT RODney said:

What if LJN never closed their toy division and the Wrestling Superstars line continued today? What would series 6/7-present be? Comment your opinions below! I’d love to see them! Also, please don’t lock this thread!

According to the people who worked there, they were moving away from the solid moulds and into articulated territory, so they'd probably be less recognisable as what we know immediately to be classic LJN.

Did any of the articulated prototypes ever show up?

[oldschoolfool]

You mean these?

[MKSavage]

Jun 21, 2022 7:51:21 GMT -5 oldschoolfool said:

You mean these?

Interesting, never seen this before. I'm guessing these were about the same size as the G.I. Joe line from the 80s? 

[ozz]

Those articulated figure prototypes were from the earlier history of the LJN line. While that's not to say they wouldn't have re-visited the idea for future series releases/lines, those weren't created for post-1989 releases.

The originals were supposed to be the size of the bendies line originally too, similar in size to the articulated example above.

[@Chair.Shot]

I started to write a lengthy thing about unproduced LJNs but then I realized you could just watch this video instead!

[HOT RODney]

What wrestlers would be released in what series tho? (If the LJN line still continued today)

[dixol]

Jun 21, 2022 11:34:55 GMT -5 @Chair.Shot said:

I started to write a lengthy thing about unproduced LJNs but then I realized you could just watch this video instead!

The articulated figure talk in this video starts around 10:30. But it really makes no sense that these would be planned for late in the run of the line. All the figures shown are of people who were long gone from the company by then. Bundy finished up at Survivor 87. Sheik was gone even earlier than that. Albano was gone by, what, late 86? No way they were moving to articulation when the line died. Those protos had to be from, at the latest, 86.

[MKSavage]

I wonder if the next set of LJN figures, after the black card series, would have been the first Hasbro figures: Hogan, Andre, Macho, DiBiase, Jake, Rude, Warrior, Brutus, Ax, Smash, Bossman, and Akeem. Though, it appears that most of those were on the black card series so they may not have gotten a new figure so quickly. Maybe Smash, Barbarian, Akeem, Hercules in blue trunk, Dino Bravo, the Model Rick Martel, singles Tito Santana, another Hogan, Savage, and Warrior. Maybe an announcer Jesse Ventura or Gorilla Monsoon.

[Zincdust]

Barring the ones who had been announced but not released (Bad News Brown, Smash, Barbarian, Bushwhackers, Brother Love... There may have been 1 or 2 more, but that's all I can think of off the top of my head), here's who I feel could have made it in at the time:
The Red Rooster
The Texas Tornado
Mr. Perfect
Dino Bravo
Earthquake
Dusty Rhodes
The Rockers

[walter7paisley]

Jun 21, 2022 7:51:21 GMT -5 oldschoolfool said:

You mean these?

Didn't they have some finished products, well, prototypes? I'm sure they showed them on the episode of Toys That Made Us. I recall seeing an articulated Hulk Hogan.

[walter7paisley]

Jun 21, 2022 9:30:05 GMT -5 ozz said:

Those articulated figure prototypes were from the earlier history of the LJN line. While that's not to say they wouldn't have re-visited the idea for future series releases/lines, those weren't created for post-1989 releases.

The originals were supposed to be the size of the bendies line originally too, similar in size to the articulated example above.

I thought they had some new articulated ones lined up before the line finished, I could be wrong, but I recall seeing it on TtMU.

[walter7paisley]

Jun 21, 2022 18:17:17 GMT -5 dixol said:

Jun 21, 2022 11:34:55 GMT -5 @Chair.Shot said:

I started to write a lengthy thing about unproduced LJNs but then I realized you could just watch this video instead!

The articulated figure talk in this video starts around 10:30. But it really makes no sense that these would be planned for late in the run of the line. All the figures shown are of people who were long gone from the company by then. Bundy finished up at Survivor 87. Sheik was gone even earlier than that. Albano was gone by, what, late 86? No way they were moving to articulation when the line died. Those protos had to be from, at the latest, 86.

Could that just be the late turnaround for the development, though? It's similar to the Hasbro line having figures coming out who weren't exactly do of the month.

[ozz]

Jun 22, 2022 14:45:29 GMT -5 walter7paisley said:

Jun 21, 2022 9:30:05 GMT -5 ozz said:

Those articulated figure prototypes were from the earlier history of the LJN line. While that's not to say they wouldn't have re-visited the idea for future series releases/lines, those weren't created for post-1989 releases.

The originals were supposed to be the size of the bendies line originally too, similar in size to the articulated example above.

I thought they had some new articulated ones lined up before the line finished, I could be wrong, but I recall seeing it on TtMU.

I can't recall, but that sounds familiar. Like I said, it was most likely based off the idea of the prototypes that we've seen from years prior w/the older characters.