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Character: William Regal
Brand: Mattel
Year: 2010
Series: Basic Series #4

Straight outta Blackpool, William Regal finally has a modern day representation in figure form.

The shaggy-haired Englishman changed his look around the time he won the 2008 King of the Ring. Here, he is sporting his all black tights, with fancy gold, elegant designs.

The headscan captures his trademark scowl, however, feels as if it lacks the fidelity in his features. The one-tone hair doesn’t help matters, but it’s alright. He also has his one hand taped up just like real life.

Mattel introduced a new torso shared by both William Regal and Matt Hardy, in Basic Series #4. It’s a modified version of the torso commonly seen on most regular-sized Mattel figures, as seen here with Chris Jericho.

He also has his tiny tattoos. They’re not colored in, but it’s still nice to see such attention to small details. Above is the rose tattoo with his wife’s name on top.

This tattoo is supposed to say “Made in England”. It just reads “England”. This isn’t a factory error.

Regal’s Blackpool shield tattoo. Also not colored in.

Here are two Jakks Pacific William Regals compared to the Mattel one. The Regal on the left is from Adrenaline Series #20. It has all of the tattoos the Mattel one has, but they’re also colored in and more legible. The main drawback to this figure, for it’s time period, is the the cut torso. It just…isn’t Regal. Later on they made the RA#26 Regal shown on the right. He’s wearing inaccurate attire, but the new torso they made for him is a much better fit. If there was a way to mix all the best features of the Jakks figures with the Mattel version, we’d have the perfect Master Regal.

As it stands this is a decent, but flawed, first effort on William Regal. The new torso is too lean but a better fit than the standard one. The gold vine designs are nice and shiny. We’re just lucky Mattel didn’t decide to make the women’s bathing suit look Regal had on-and-off in 2009, over this. That wouldn’t have been pretty. My take on this Regal? Hold out for the upcoming Elite one by the end of 2010.

Unessential.

(read up on the S3 rating method used on this site right here).

Popularity: 1% [?]

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Character: The Undertaker
Brand: Mattel
Year: 2010
Series: Pay-Per-View #2: Survivor Series

The Undertaker has seen several Mattel figures in the past 4 months. Coming later this year will be an Elite based on Wrestlemania 26 and a Ministry of Darkness Comic-Con exclusive. There are many different Takers to choose from, so what makes PPV#2 special?

This figure is in the Pay-Per-View line. The PPV series isn’t much different than the regular Basic-style figures. The price is the same, the figures have the same articulation, but there’s a few things of note that makes this particular series special.

For one, this is the only line to date that has different display stands. The Elites and the Basics share the exact same style.  The PPV series has the PPV name insert opposed to the generic standard version. The packaging is also labeled in this fashion. It’s a subtle difference, with the PPV logo on the bottom and blue trim on the sides (the upcoming Royal Rumble set has gray), but it’s enough to stand out.

The best feature about the PPV line is that it’s prioritized ahead of the others. As of this writing, Mattel are up to early Summer of 2009 with attires/characters in the Basic/Elite series. When The Undertaker came back after a long haitus post-WM25, he sported new designs on his gear. He had a different design for a short while and eventually started wearing the red winged logos seen above. This figure is the only Undertaker thus far that is up-to-date with what he currently wears. Survivor Series was 4 months before this figure saw official release, to give you an idea of how recent it is.

The head mold is painted much better than most of the other Undertaker figures. One of the main problems Mattel has here in the infancy of the WWE line is that they haven’t gotten the hang of painting heads yet. Shawn Michaels and Triple H are both sporting bright orange hair on their figures (and that’s why there hasn’t been a Figure 4 review of them yet!). It’s nice to see such a strong resemblence to The Deadman.

Here is a comparison of the Mattel Undertaker vs the Jakks Undertaker. This Jakks figure is from the original Hell in the Cell playset from 2007. It has a RA11 head, as the HITC set had a bizarre scan with Taker’s tongue hanging out. For its time, it was pretty good. Jakks made better modern Takers later on, but this is the only one I own. Notice the MMA-style gloves; nice touch. Usually Jakks’ RA figures are taller than Mattel’s Basic/Elite. This figure is very tall, and is scaled appropriately (more on that later).

The glaring difference between the two are the tattoos. Simply put, Jakks doodled on his arms with the slightest resemblence to the man’s ink as possible. Mattel actually recreated a large percentage of them. Even the scribe w/ feather is detailed and in color!

The castle on his left bicep is quite visible. You can even lift up his one elbow pad (+1 for accuracy on that too) to expose more tats!

Mattel went as far as to wrap the tattoos around his arms like in real life. Jakks’ kid-doodles didn’t even do that!

They actually go “under” his singlet straps! He is also sporting the neck tattoos.

Undertaker hits his trademark Tombstone Piledriver on his brother, Kane.

Here’s an idea as to how it is scaled with other Mattel figures. Seeing a Shelton Benjamin figure be shorter than The Undertaker is long overdue. He and Kane are massively sized and are quite heavy compared to the “Chris Jerichos” of the Mattel universe. Proper scaling makes everything look so much more authentic.

As said, there have been many Undertaker figures thus far. The Elite has a very impressive removable trench coat. Basic Series #3 has nice looking, albeit dated logos. Any way you go with The Dead Man is a good one with Mattel. I believe, though, that PPV#2 might be the best 2004-Deadman Undertaker ever produced by any manufacturer. PPV #2 is available now for $9.99.

Perfection.

(read up on the S3 rating method used on this site right here).

Popularity: 3% [?]

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Character: Shelton Benjamin
Brand: Mattel
Year: 2010
Series: Basic Series #3

Shelton Benjamin will go down as one of the biggest missed opportunities in modern WWE history. Get this, the day I finally found Basic Series #3 was the day Shelton got released from his near 10-year career with World Wrestling Entertainment. It was bittersweet.

This is the only Mattel figure of Shelton released thus far. There is one more planned for a future Wrestlemania 26 set, but the status of that particular figure is unknown at press time.

Shelton Benjamin began calling himself The Gold Standard in 2007, during his first run in WWE’s now defunct ECW brand. While there have been a few Jakks Pacific figures released since then, this is the very first (and possibly one and only) true dipiction of Shelton as The Gold Standard.

He is seen wearing the all gold attire he frequently wore in 2008-2009 for his US title run. His look hasn’t changed a whole lot since then, so this is considered to be pretty much up-to-date.

The attention to kickpad detail is spot-on. The ribbon is done with a metallic gold paint, contrasting nicely with the standard gold (or is that gold standard?) paint on his attire. Another detail that could’ve  easily gotten looked over was his boot style. Shelton wears kickpads with laces designed on, not actual traditional wrestling boots.  They nailed it.

“The Gold Standard” is sporting his platinum blonde hairstyle. He also has an expanded tattoo for (I believe) the first time in figure form.

Here are two older Shelton Benjamin figures produced by Jakks Pacific. On the left is Adrenaline Series #25. On the right is the rarer Wrestlemania Winners Shelton as a member of  World’s Greatest Tag Team. Both of these Jakks figures are extremely well-detailed. The Adrenaline Shelton has his yellow ribbon and complete details on his kickpads, along with his tattoo. The WM Winners Shelton has a mustache, back details on his singlet and Team Angle logos on the sides.

There is one flaw this figure has, and that is the kneepads. They’re the longer style and go far too up his thighs. Shelton wears smaller pads in real life. It’s certainly not a deal breaker, but considering how difficult (read: impossible) it is to remove Mattel pads, it’s annoying.

It’s very fortunate that Shelton was planned early on, or else we may have not have seen this figure. His last notable appearances were against Christian in a ladder match last December for the ECW title, a feud against newcomer Vance Archer, and beating CM Punk to enter what is now his last Money in the Bank ladder match. In an era where guys are shot up to the top to amuse writers in the back, it’s a shame Shelton never got that kind of support.

This figure is a great way to commemorate the career of Shelton Benjamin. Basic Series #3 retails for $9.99 and is in stores now.

Well done!

(read up on the S3 rating method used on this site right here).

Popularity: 2% [?]

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Character: Kane
Brand: Mattel
Year: 2010
Series: Basic Series #2

Kane hasn’t had a lot of variety in his attires since removing the mask in 2004.  The Big Red Machine’s current action figures and video games models have been the same old same old for quite some time now. So what makes this figure so special?

Well…just look at it. There has never been a depiction of the Kane persona this well done. Period.  The front and back red stitch design cover his entire legs. The parts are accurate (and new for Mattel).

His sinister headscan is just as ugly as the man himself…and that is a compliment. His hairline is visible with subtle stubble on the back of his head. He has a unique molded glove on his right hand complete with open holes just like his real glove. His elbow pads accurately do not have any openings.

He is wearing tall long boots that give him the desperately needed improvement in scale. This is one big, tall, mean action figure. His legs are well articulated so executing a big boot here or there will not be an issue.

To the left is the Mattel Kane, to the right is the 2nd Jakks version of this attire (Adrenaline 15 2-pack w/Edge). It came out in 2004. This figure is a hybrid of Ruthless Aggression 5 Kane, when he was still in the mask. The kneejoint does not fit correctly on the attire because of the old boot mold used, resulting in him always bending. The issue got corrected a few years later, but other than that every modern Kane has been the same aside from PPV6 with a different head, a Wrestlemania 24 figure with waist tape and the unpainted Kane from the final RA series, RA44. We’ve seen this particular Kane re-released dozens of times since 2004.

This figure is without question one of the most impressive figures I own. If Mattel can make me search endlessly for a KANE figure when the guy hasn’t changed his look at all for half a decade now, that says it all. From head to toe the scaling is impressive, the bulky body fits him like a glove, the scan is great, the detail is full…this is a perfect figure. $10 is a steal for this piece.

Perfect.

(read up on the S3 rating method used on this site right here).

Popularity: 5% [?]

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Character: Rey Mysterio
Brand: Mattel
Year: 2010
Series: Basic Series #2 (dark blue variant)

This particular Rey is based on a look he began sporting way back when he was drafted to Raw. While the flash of the camera doesn’t make it quite as obvious, this is the second-wave variant from Basic Series #2. The original is in light blue, which is accurate, whereas this one is simply a color change. It looks a little darker in person – very appealing, though.

Rey’s mask is his newer style, exposing the back of his head. Mattel gave him a nice and big back tattoo that even goes up to the neck where the mask mold obscures. It’s very detailed.

On his right leg is the skull/mask design he sported frequently in 2009. It resembles the cover mask he gives to kids at ringside. “Mysterio” is written in big letters the wrap around half of his leg.

On his left leg is “619″. The bottom cuff of the leg has a stripe, and he even has his own ridged boot mold. Nice touch!

Rey has a TON of tattoos on both arms. Not all are even pictured, as some are on the inner-side of his forearm. I’m not sure why his glove cuff is detached from his hand. I believe this is a factory error.

On his inner arm reads ” Aalyah” on one and “Dominik” on the other. These are the names of his children. Some tattoos are even hidden under his elbow pads! The only glaringly missing one that I can see is the recent religious prayer he got from a little girl at an autograph signing. He got it sometime in 2009.

While this figure does have a good amount of articulation, I did run into a bit of a problem…

Within just minutes of moving him around, his left leg fell off. And later when I went to photograph these shots, his other leg fell off! I do not play with my figures, only display them, so this is incredibly frustrating to see this happen after simply moving his leg up. I didn’t even get the chance to bend his knees before this happened. I have read other occurances of people having some problems with this particular Rey, so I’m guessing this isn’t an isolated issue. Perhaps it has to do with the pose he is packaged in?

Here is a picture to demonstrate the scaling differences between Mattel and Jakks. Jakks are on the left, Mattel on the right. Rey is just shy of being as tall as Kane for the Jakks figure. For the Mattel, Kane towers over Rey. He is a small man and properly scaled body parts (arms, torso, legs) make this figure that much more accurate. It’s remarkable.

It’s a very nice shot at Rey Mysterio. I don’t know if I can recommend it due to what happened to mine, but if you collect MOC or simply want to take a chance with it, this Rey figure is as good as any. As with all Basic Mattel figures, he comes with a display stand and sells for $10.

(read up on the S3 rating method used on this site right here).

Popularity: 5% [?]

Character: Randy Orton
Brand: Mattel
Year: 2010
Series: Elite Series #2

This is the first in what I plan to make a regular series of in-depth figure reviews of mainly WWE Mattel action figures. I’ve been collecting wrestling figures since my 10th birthday, when I received WWF Superstars Series #3 as a present. For the  rest of my childhood into my early teens, I ran my own little federation complete with story arcs, stables, tournaments, and other fun stuff. While I sadly don’t have that imagination anymore as an adult, I’ve kept my 13-year collection alive to this very day in the form of display pieces.

For now, this is just a one-off review. I currently have merely two Mattel figures (variant series Jericho and now Elite #2 Orton). As my collection grows in 2010 I’ll start doing these more often. Without further ado here is my first figure review!

We didn’t have much choice throughout 2009 when it came to an updated Randy Orton. Orton had arguably one of the best years of his career and yet he seemed to be an afterthought to the folks at Jakks Pacific. There were a whopping two choices: a Deluxe Aggression highly-articulated figure, or a Ruthless Aggression style figure with the worst part choices known to man (eww).  While Jakks did a tremendous job on his new sleeve tattoos, the figure itself was inaccurate: tall boots, an alien-like torso and a full head of hair.  They re-released this abomination no less than SIX DIFFERENT TIMES over the course of the latter half of 2009. So long story short, my latest Randy Orton up this point was from the Hell in the Cell set from 2006.

Mattel came along to save the day with Elite Series #2 Randy Orton. The Elite series is the premium line with higher level details, extra accessories, increased articulation (most notably the torso and hip joints), and cloth goods. The back of the boxes have a see-thru plastic opening giving you a full 360 look at the figure you are purchasing. Even included on the back is a unique bio on the superstars.

As you can see this Randy Orton is fully detailed. He has dark blue tribal logos on the side, “Orton” on his backside and all his sleeve & back tattoos.

To the left is the HitC playset Randy Orton from Jakks Pacific.  This is widely considered to be one of the better Ortons. While a fine figure by itself, when juxtaposed it simply can’t compare to Elite Series #2 Randy Orton.

Demonstrating the articulation of the Elite line. Orton can hit his RKO finishing maneuver with relative ease.

Another angle. Note the details in how his original tribal tattoos are colored differently from his skull sleeve work.

Randy Orton has nice big logos on the side of his attire.

This is a close-up of his bible verse quote. It reads: “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.” There are a lot of misquotes online about the verse just above his right elbow, but this is exactly as it is in 1 Peter 5:8 word for word. The shot is extremely close-up – reading it in person is straining on the eyes. Great attention to detail!

Here is the rose tattoo in dedication to his daughter, Alanna.

Elite #2 Randy Orton also comes with a removable t-shirt. The shirt itself is very easy put on and off thanks to the split velcro on the back. Also, this picture does great justice to the accuracy of the headscan. It’s the spitting image of 2009 heel Randy Orton.

The shirt itself is high quality – you can’t even feel where the logo is printed. Orton was seen wearing this t-shirt right around Wrestlemania 25.

Here is one last comparison shot with the man himself. Also included with the Elites is a base you can display your figure on.

I have to say that my 2nd Mattel figure and my first Mattel Elite is an absolute hit. The only flaws I can think of is that his tattoos don’t have any shading and his hair is a tad too dark. But really, look at this thing. It’s fantastic! You can pick this figure up for $14.99 at most retail stores.

(read up on the S3 rating method used on this site right here).

Popularity: 1% [?]