Rebuilding my collection again....for the Third time

[vandamin8or]

Fantastic. I'm loving all of the Legends 11 too. Unfortunately the set would cost me £160-£200 to get.

[mrh]

The Bam Bam is clearly the best of the set. And Studd is pretty good too

[shanieomaniac]

Hey, just got through the backlog. Loving these updates!

One thing though. John WON Tough Enough 3. I remember that clearly (and looked it up again just to be sure) because I remember him pulling out the standing moonsault in his final try-out match and the trainers losing their minds over it because none of them had taught him how to do it. He did make the final 25 for season 2 but got cut due to his attitude. Just throwing that out there.

As for the figures, so many good ones here. The Commissioner Michaels figure is a bucket list figure for me. I dream of someday owning one but I fear it will stay a dream. I just can't afford him at the price he goes for. Not even loose. Some great tag team figures there. Amazing how the Road Warriors figures hold up after all this time and finally getting the Ellering to go with them was great. Sadly, can't afford the RW figures so never bothered with getting the Ellering.

That Shane figure... Look, I'm not gonna lie and pretend that I haven't bought at least five of those things since they came out for the heads alone. But I really wish they had left the overshirt off and just painted the designs on the molded shirt. It still wouldn't have been perfect, but having the baseball jersey design for a point that pre-dates his baseball jerseys bugs the snot out of my OCD. I'm still trying to find a way to customize a fix for it. (It was a hockey jersey, for the record, and he wore it tucked in.)

And regarding the W.C.W... nope, there was no difference between the original elite and original basic women's figure... for better or for worse. If you look at women's basics like the FTIL Alicia Fox figure and the Katelyn figure, they were completely Elite worthy. But when you look at the Elite NXT Bayley, she's a glorified Basic. (Note the bikini-cut chest mold that's simply painted over like so many basics.) You can't even go by when they came out because the FTIL Basic Nia figure was amazing and it came at the end of the "Elite-Basic" women's run. I mean, it's great for when you go back and collect them - having such great basics comes in handy when many of the women's wrestlers (even now) only get basics - but it does get annoying when you see how far we've fallen.

That said, the women's basics are starting to climb their way from the trash bin. They're starting to sculpt details on them again and they've added a couple more torso options so that we don't have to deal with the bikini-top mold on everyone. The lost of articulation is still tragic, but it's nice to know they're starting to care a bit more these days.

[MonsoonMan]

Aug 9, 2021 4:47:36 GMT -5 shanieomaniac said:

Hey, just got through the backlog. Loving these updates!

One thing though. John WON Tough Enough 3. I remember that clearly (and looked it up again just to be sure) because I remember him pulling out the standing moonsault in his final try-out match and the trainers losing their minds over it because none of them had taught him how to do it. He did make the final 25 for season 2 but got cut due to his attitude. Just throwing that out there.

omg youre absolutely right 😭 my recollection placed him in season one losing to Nowinksi

Aug 9, 2021 4:47:36 GMT -5 shanieomaniac said:

As for the figures, so many good ones here. The Commissioner Michaels figure is a bucket list figure for me. I dream of someday owning one but I fear it will stay a dream. I just can't afford him at the price he goes for. Not even loose. Some great tag team figures there. Amazing how the Road Warriors figures hold up after all this time and finally getting the Ellering to go with them was great. Sadly, can't afford the RW figures so never bothered with getting the Ellering.

yeah commish michaels is totally not worth it for anyone at the current market. i can understand why, but honestly the attitude era collectors go hard with the elite line releases, so i couldve actually seen a commissioner michaels figure selling quite well on its own.

Aug 9, 2021 4:47:36 GMT -5 shanieomaniac said:

That Shane figure... Look, I'm not gonna lie and pretend that I haven't bought at least five of those things since they came out for the heads alone. But I really wish they had left the overshirt off and just painted the designs on the molded shirt. It still wouldn't have been perfect, but having the baseball jersey design for a point that pre-dates his baseball jerseys bugs the snot out of my OCD. I'm still trying to find a way to customize a fix for it. (It was a hockey jersey, for the record, and he wore it tucked in.)

YES. omg, so much yes to this. it didnt initally register with me until i looked up pictures of shane during this time and im like WAIT A SECOND, lol

Aug 9, 2021 4:47:36 GMT -5 shanieomaniac said:

And regarding the W.C.W... nope, there was no difference between the original elite and original basic women's figure... for better or for worse. If you look at women's basics like the FTIL Alicia Fox figure and the Katelyn figure, they were completely Elite worthy. But when you look at the Elite NXT Bayley, she's a glorified Basic. (Note the bikini-cut chest mold that's simply painted over like so many basics.) You can't even go by when they came out because the FTIL Basic Nia figure was amazing and it came at the end of the "Elite-Basic" women's run. I mean, it's great for when you go back and collect them - having such great basics comes in handy when many of the women's wrestlers (even now) only get basics - but it does get annoying when you see how far we've fallen.

That said, the women's basics are starting to climb their way from the trash bin. They're starting to sculpt details on them again and they've added a couple more torso options so that we don't have to deal with the bikini-top mold on everyone. The lost of articulation is still tragic, but it's nice to know they're starting to care a bit more these days.

as much as i loved the bicep articulation, i do have a few figures where that joint is particularly sketchy; either a large gap between arm and bicep or the joint is frozen and needs work to function smoothly.

[kgchampion]

I think a better Commissioner Michaels would be the Paul Ellering figure with a head swap. He looked color once he ditched the tie and wore non-collared shirts.

[MonsoonMan]

i wont be able to post tomorrow, so ..... heres this edition of W.C.W a day early 😎

WELCOME TO ANOTHER EDITION OF WOMEN CRUSHING WEDNESDAY

today ive got a batch of figures that i personally really dig and am excited to share that they've landed into the collection.



Walgreens Sasha Banks

this particular figure...i dont necessarily remember placing a bid on (damn you Broken Skull Ipa) but i won it at a really fair price so that was cool. the only missing item from the figure was the other hand accessory that says "Boss". this is a pretty cool figure, the colors really pop on this attire. im 80/20% liking the smiling headsculpt, keeping the sunglasses and necklace on for display saves it. i think the reason i ultimately decided to add this figure to the collection was the attire choice; it bright, it pops, and the figure came with the womens championship. its a great sasha.
i won this sasha for $16 loose on ebay



Survivor Series Alexa Bliss

this is probably my favorite Alexa Bliss Release. as ive mentioned im an old school nXt'er , so i remember her debut as the glitter fairy and the subsequent turn while managing blake and murphy. i really like this headsculpt, becuase most of them portray Alexa smiling and being happy but this is a mean, focused sculpt. another huge thing for me is the attire color and choice; red and silver go so well together but are rarely seen.
i was able to SCORE this SS Alexa MOC for $22+shipping



Chyna

i absolutely HAD to have the DX "enforcer" version of chyna. when i started watching wrestling, DX and NoD were feuding and i vividly remember the promos leading upto the summerslam ladder match where rock was taunting chyna while mark held her back.
This figure is SUPER cool. Chyna had a really unique look back then, lots of black clothing, handcuffs, chains, rips, tears, dog collars?! "dont treat me like a woman, dont treat me like a man, dont treat me like you know me..."
this figure at this point is honestly a MUST HAVE for the collection. chyna was a povital character during the attitude era and honestly the wwe mattel Chyna figures are great.
i got this chyna in the wwe elite 2 pack with triple H from ringside.



Stephanie Mcmahon

its supremely ironic that i have finally added a stephanie mcmahon to my collection after having PTSD from seeing that TTL version in the blue dress OCCUPYING PEGS WITHIN A 50 MI RADIUS FOR YEARS. i wanted an "attitude era" steph and was luckily able to secure a loose milk o mania Steph on mercari. this is a pretty cool figure; i guess for me the 'ultimate' release of Steph for me would be her in the Brains, Beauty, Bitch t-shirt with Womens championship OR a Smackdown Gm Stephanie. overall, this is a pretty cool stephy that works as a stand in for the span of the era. poseability is good and the headsculpt is pretty ok.
i purchased this stephanie on mercari for $20 shipped.




Trish and Lita Battlepack

so these two are my first 'new' basic women's figures. i honestly wanted the pack for the Trish exclusively; i LOVE the overall aesthetic of the figure. the gold highlights in the hair, the gold accents / logos on the attire and the mesh design look AWESOME.
expanding to the Lita figure, we get new updated tattoos, a newer headsculpt and more mesh outfit designs.
i got these two figures for $14 +shipping; loose.

LAST BUT NOT LEAST IN THIS WCW batch of reviews::::



SONYA DEVILLE

PUT YOUR HAIR UP AND GET READY TO SQUARE UP. i love this phrase AND this Sonya Deville figure. i really dig Sonya's overall look with the boxer style entrance hoodie and Gladiator attire. the headsculpt on this figure is phenomenal; she even has the small braids molded into her hairstyle--frankly a lot of unique sculpts on this figure. she also features her unique tattoos which not only look awesome naturally, but mattel nailed them. the black and yellow attire DOES stand out, but franklly her basic and chase version translated to elite would be 10x cooler.
i was able to SCORE this sonya MOC on mercari for $40 shipped

sad to say, this will probably be the last major W.C.W update for a bit. i do have Womens figures on pre-order/bid, but it may be a while before i have enough on hand to actually make a post worth sharing 🥱 really pleased with my womens collection so far 😎 id actually really pop if for some reason mattel announced that theyre slotting old school divas and womens talent like Sable, Jacqueline, tori, Torrie Wilson, Stacey Keibler, Trish, ....(more) Trish......uhmmmm

✌

[mrh]

That Sasha is a great figure. What series is that?

[POOR-ly Cuyler]

Aug 11, 2021 0:46:46 GMT -5 mrh said:

That Sasha is a great figure. What series is that?

It was a Walgreens exclusive. They did Becky, Sasha, Alexa, and Maryse.

[mrh]

I remember that line! Didn't realize this was the Sasha

[kgchampion]

Aug 11, 2021 2:41:51 GMT -5 POOR-ly Cuyler said:

Aug 11, 2021 0:46:46 GMT -5 mrh said:

That Sasha is a great figure. What series is that?

It was a Walgreens exclusive. They did Becky, Sasha, Alexa, and Maryse.

You can still find them at some of the Walgreens my parents live at. I seem to recall a few Maryses, at least.

[MonsoonMan]

Ladies and Gentleman MY NAME is Paul Heyman and im here to represent my client.....

THE REIGNING, DEFENDING, UNDISPUTED CHAMPION OF THE WWE



BA-ROCK LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLESNAR!





Wrestlemania Brock Lesnar

i HAD to have a Ruthless Aggression era Brock in my collection. even in 2002, Brock was on the S-Tier of superstars. WWE Smackdown : Here Comes the Pain is my ultimate favorite ps2 era wrestling game and Brocks moveset in that game was absolutely devastating; i DREADED having to enter a feud with him for the undisputed title, but it was always inevitable and made the win that much sweeter. as far as this figure is concerned, i like everything EXCEPT the screaming headscan. the included VAC Undisputed belt is ace as fk, i love the details they were able to capture with the larger size, but my only obvious complaint is that it is definitely only made for the chonky brock torso.



shortly after getting this figure i bought a Brock basic figure to do a headswap. i cannot stand screaming/shouting headsculpts and i remember really liking this particular Brock head, so it worked out great-funny think is that i think i inadvertently turned the Wrestlemania Brock into the RSC exclusive Brock.
i got the Wrestlemania Brock MOC on ebay , the seller bundled in the loose paul hayman figure all for $45 +shipping 😎



E30 Brock

i think this is the Elite 30 Brock. i dont really have too much to comment about it; it was included in a lot of figures i got for an ultra good price-i didnt want this brock at all but he was listed with three other figures i was hunting for so it was a no brainer. i will say that i like this headsculpt over the screaming one, but still definitely not my favorite.
for the price of the lot of figures, i paid $10 for this Brock, loose with all accessories.



TENSAI

so, i definitely had Tensai in my second collection, and frankly i liked the figure so much i had to get another one for this collection. i really enjoyed the IDEA of the tensai character, but ofcouse it didnt last long before he lost his direction / creative backing and faded into obscurity. his 'poison claw' move should have been the set up for a devastating power finisher, and not an actual move that he tried to get over going up against john cena of all people. i really like this figure; obviously the biggest detractor in my book is the obnoxious rubber robe. i had seen a couple of tensai up for sale that featured damage to the tattoos because of the rubber robe, i hate these freaking things. my tensai is in great condition; i say that because i had also seen a few listed with frozen legs-but mine poses and moves smoothly. i really like everything about this figure, its very unique and looks great posed amongst the roster of the time.
i got this tensai loose but with all accessories for $25 shipped on ebay



Royal Rumble Ultimate Warrior

this figure is actually amazing. go buy one right now. i had my original pre-order cancelled on me by Amazon, so i was feeling a little bummed, thinking i had missed on on getting this figure through a retailer. i eventually snagged one up on Ringside and; WOW i love this warrior figure so much. headsculpt with the realfx looks really,really good albeit a little bland for warrior. i think the post match-damaged facepaint headsculpt is a GREAT addition id like to see every warrior figure come with from now on. the BEST parts of this figure to me are #1 jointed tassles and #2 pinless elbow joints. both arm and knee pad tassles are no longer sculpted in one piece but the tassles actually plug in now and can be posed to match his movement. the pinless elbows really arent that huge of a thing but i think it makes for a cleaner overall look of the figure. yellow strap IC belt is also a great addition to the collection.my only note on this figure would be that i would like him to come with the fully open hands so we could do the Ultimate Slam pose
i got this figure for retail on Ringside



Royal Rumble Rock

this Rock had been eluding me for a bit just due to the prices people were asking for it? the Royal Rumble Series of figures are really cool but for some reason they all command really high prices. i wanted this Rock figure not only to add to the rock collection, but because the match that this figure was from was a really big pivotal point in my wrestling fandom; Rock vs CM Punk was huge for me. growing up as an attitude era kid, rock was my guy-i loved his charisma and energy; but continuing my fandom into my teens CM Punk was 100% my guy. when they crossed paths and CM Punk dropped the "Box with God" promo on him and Rock went back to his bucket of catchphrases..man i didnt know what to think anymore. anyways Rock got the win-ended the 434 day streak and went on to usher in a new WWE championship design.....that he would then lose to jahn seena.
all in all this figure is OK by me. i like the updated headsculpt with realfx, we got the "just bring it' hands which every rock should come with-frankly, but the biggest complaint i have with this figure is that its another Elite Rock in freaking SILVER logo trunks. it is accurate to the match and event in this case, but im so tired of Silver logo Rock figures. gimme some rock in blue logo or red logo trunks.
i got this figure MOC on ebay for $50 shipped


just wanted to add a little 'props' to our collector base for fully backing the mattycreations project! i backed the project the day they announced the macho man early bird deal and i cant believe we made it all the way to 8000 and unlocked everything--its gonna be a KILLER bundle all for $250........but im really dreading it getting here coz i have absolutely NO room for it 🤣

[MonsoonMan]

🌟🌟🌟🌟

HOLY SH*T
HOLY SH*T
HOLY SH*T
HOLY SH*T

so, just like Rampage last night ive gotta get this outta the way right away. WHEWWWWWWWW. did i ever think id see the day? the entire landscape has just changed and i think the ground is still trembling today. CM Punk has returned to PROFESSIONAL WRESTLING.



RSE ECW Punk

i remember passing on this CM Punk figure when it was initially released. i was never really sold on the headsculpt, plus i already had a Classicdas custom Punk in the exact same attire. owning this figure now; im still kindof feeling the same way--not completely loving the headsculpt. i think its the smiling expression that throws the likeness off, but this one seems more like a caricature drawing of punk than a more realistic offering. if i were offering an ECW era punk, i honestly wouldve gone with his debut look in the yellow trunks.
i pickup up this figure loose on mercari for $35 shipped



Wrestlemania 29 CM Punk

i had this punk in my previous collection, and i honestly was okay with buying it again for this collection. i also remember buying the basic punk that was in this attire but was in that awesome white tshirt. this is another figure that im kindof 'ehhhh' on the headsculpt. this was heel punk with the super short hair, so im sure they didnt have time to do a proper scan of this look, resulting in the 'not quite there' likeness. i think a proper sculpt/scan of punk during that era would make this figure one of the greatest of all time. punk looked really run down during this time and the short hair and visible bags under his eyes gave him that crazy like a fox look when going up against the deadman. i loved his program with taker, loved their wrestlemania match, but it was definitely that weird period of Punks career where he was kindof in limbo creatively
i picked up this punk on ebay loose for $25 shipped



TRU BAF Punk

yet.another.bad.punk.head. i think this one actually just suffers from bad factory paint apps. this sculpt actually looks like punk to me, but the eyebrows are whack and the paint on the hair/facial hair could use a little more finesse, but i think with those tweaks this head could be leagues better. i also previously owned this punk but on a whim, had placed a random bid on an ebay auction. someone literally bid RIGHT UP TO my limit, so now i own this punk again.. i like the attire, it really pops and it is a fresh look next to his E16 figure(wish i never freaking sold mine) the megaphone accessory is...dumb. i mean i get it but--the figure realistically cant even hold the item it a way that would make sense because he has the classic one open hand and one fist.
i won this figure on ebay loose for $30 shipped

thats the extent of my punk collection at the moment. i was 'window shopping' this morning and classic------ALL of his figures have SKYROCKETED in price. 🤬🤬🤬 i tell myself its all good, though because ive already owned those figures so, thats what i get for letting them go and its the universe telling me i dont need to re-acquire them now.

so shifting gears just a tiny bit---earlier this summer i noticed that EntertainmentEarth was taking preorders for the Rock N Sock Elite 2 pack. i am a frequent shopper there, and i prefer to not have funds for pre-orders charged immediately, so i placed my order there. THEN last week or so i got this email from them:



so......the two pack is a ringside exclusive then?

nevertheless i logged into ringside and placed my order; which they shipped out the very next day(awesome!)



Mankind

i owned E17 Mankind in my last collection and it frankly was one of the figures i really struggled with letting go. firstly--it was a GREAT figure, but it was also my very first personal mankind figure. i never had the chance to own a mankind....anything as a kid. i missed out on all his figures in all forms across the board. that being said, i gladly welcomed this new 2 pack mankind into my collection! the headsculpt with realfx looks incredible. i dont think that too much, if anything has changed with the body formula, but no complaints from me on that. i REALLY like the blue pants. they really pop and its a better look for a re-release than more dark toned pants.



the included jackets fit both the figures comfortably and they are made of a LEGIT material; the fabric is heavy and durable feeling. i dont have enough photos available for the post but the mr socko looks and feels great as well, it doesnt feel like its gonna fray apart.



Rock

so, ive been reviewing a flurry of Rock figures lately and i can say that THIS is one of the best classic era Rock figures available right now. THEY GAVE HIM RED LOGO TRUNKS 🤩🤩 as you guys know one of my biggest complaints with rock figures is that mattel always gives him silver logo trunks 😤 these red logo trunks look GREAT! they pop and the paint apps on my figure are perfect. an additional detail that helps leverage this figure over the top is the "Laying the Smack Down" elbow pads!!!! i can distinctly remember the rock wearing these on tv and wweshop actually sold them for quite some time. some kids dreamed of becoming astronauts and walking on the moon one day, and here i was as a kid my main dream was going to a live wwe show and catching a peoples elbow pad from the great one.
the headsculpt and realfx applications look great on my figure. really dig the extended sideburns they gave rock-he was definitely on the cutting edge of sideburn fashion during this era. a weird thing ive noticed is that mattel has been giving these classic rocks what looks like stubble? like a 5 o'clock shadow beard? IIRC rock was always clean shaven apart from his sideburns,so...im not diggin that look at all. this figure gives me heavy WWF Attitude vibes-that was my game growing up.



all in all, im going to be blunt and say you'd really be doing yourself a HUGE disservice as a collector and as a fan by skipping on this two pack. both figures look great individually; we get a classic rock in red trunks(!), a new mankind release(mankind figures routinely list and sell for $40-60 loose; 90+MOC) TWO quality softgoods jackets (personalized names), mr.socko AND MR.ROCKO!, AND sunglasses and interchangeable hands for Rock. honestly for the price point this is a monster set. in this climate i could have easily seen mattel or retails trying to pull a fast one and msrp price this at $59.99
BUT THEY DIDNT and i got my set from ringside for retail.

todays mantra is:
Damn it feels good to be a gangster wrestling fan 😎

[POOR-ly Cuyler]

Yeah I did head swaps on all those punks. I really like the basic 29 head they would repaint. The gimmick line where you squeeze the legs had a good head for the WM29 one.

[MonsoonMan]

Aug 21, 2021 14:14:54 GMT -5 POOR-ly Cuyler said:

Yeah I did head swaps on all those punks. I really like the basic 29 head they would repaint. The gimmick line where you squeeze the legs had a good head for the WM29 one.

interesting i do like that sculpt; the basic punks all had pretty good sculpts that never saw elite versions. i remember having this punk back in the day:



i quite liked that headsculpt

[POOR-ly Cuyler]

Aug 21, 2021 16:13:01 GMT -5 MonsoonMan said:

Aug 21, 2021 14:14:54 GMT -5 POOR-ly Cuyler said:

Yeah I did head swaps on all those punks. I really like the basic 29 head they would repaint. The gimmick line where you squeeze the legs had a good head for the WM29 one.

interesting i do like that sculpt; the basic punks all had pretty good sculpts that never saw elite versions. i remember having this punk back in the day:



i quite liked that headsculpt

That’s the series 29 I mentioned. The Super Striker head is the same, but they would paint a full beard over the chopstache. I put the battle pack head on the JR BAF elite, two differently painted SS heads on the shirt basic and WM29 elite, and some older head on the RSE.

SPOILER: Click to show

[Thunder Chunky]

The bad CM Punk headsculpts are almost always the result of bad paint jobs.


Someone repainted the E16 head and it looks much better.

[kgchampion]

I regret not picking up another of those Punk figures with the red trim. They were very easy to find in TRU once he quit. It was much better than his final elite with the blank kickpads. I put his final head sculpt on the TRU figure and it’s awesome.

[SteveHulk]

Aug 21, 2021 17:46:46 GMT -5 Thunder Chunky said:

The bad CM Punk headsculpts are almost always the result of bad paint jobs.


Someone repainted the E16 head and it looks much better.

Wow, that's fantastic.

[Deleted]

Aug 21, 2021 17:46:46 GMT -5 Thunder Chunky said:

The bad CM Punk headsculpts are almost always the result of bad paint jobs.


Someone repainted the E16 head and it looks much better.

That is unbelievable!

I love you.

[shanieomaniac]

Aug 21, 2021 17:46:46 GMT -5 Thunder Chunky said:

The bad CM Punk headsculpts are almost always the result of bad paint jobs.


Someone repainted the E16 head and it looks much better.

Holy carp that's beautiful.

I want one of THOSE