With the 2020 WWE Survivor Series PPV airing this evening (Sunday, 11/22/20) I figured now was a perfect time to revisit Mattel's excellent Elite Collection of action figures. For this post we'll showcase a figure from the new Survivor Series Elite subcollection - none other than the Scottish psychopath, Drew McIntyre!
Drew comes in the familiar Elite Collection packaging sporting a large window to show off the figur. The back of the packaging has a large image of Drew, along with a brief bio and a cross sell of the other 3 figures in this special Survivor Series wave - John Morrison, Kane and Samoa Joe.
Right off the bat you can see that Drew comes packaged with an alternate head, a cloth Team RAW shirt and a pair of semi-closed hands.
Each side of the packaging has additional images of Drew McIntyre. This packaging is designed to be reusable in the sense that you can remove the inner plastic tray that houses the figure and it's accessories, then put everything back and slide the tray back into the box. Perfect for those collectors that want to let their figures "breath" and display in package.
I was impressed with the overall look of the figure in the a packaging, but even more impressed once I got the figure out of the packaging. The sculpt is muscular, but not too over the top. The head sculpt is nearly perfect. The joints on the figure are tight which I was happy to see as it allows the figure to hold in various poses. Drew's black trunks have his logo on the back and seems to be accurate. While he doesn't have any tattoos to be recreated for the figure, Mattel did an admiral job with the chest hair.
Speaking of the head sculpt here is a close up of the default head. This one features Drew's long locks pulled back, slightly coming around his neck. You can see the determination in his eyes which have a nicely applied deco. I'm not sure how Mattel (and other toy companies for that matter) are applying the facial paint applications now, but it looks great. Drew's now signature beard and goatee finish off his look.
Other than the additional head and hands packaged with the figure is this red sleeveless cloth shirt. I'm usually not a big fan of cloth accessories such as this, but this works for a few reasons. 1) Survivor Series is all about brand vs. brand and in this case McIntyre represents team Monday Night RAW. 2) the shirt fits snug on the figure and the smooth velcro strip on the back let's the shirt hold onto the figure well. I did find it was easier to put the shirt on the figure after popping off the head, but your mileage may vary.
The alternate head features Drew's hair hanging down in front of his face, slightly obscuring one eye. It's a nice sculpt, but I prefer the other head as it better capture's his current look.
All of the Elite Collection figures feature enhanced articulation from the Basic or Core collection figures. The most obvious addition in this department is the ab crunch, thigh swivel and ankle articulation. The plastic knee pads do hinder the double jointed knees, but they can slightly be moved up and down to allow more flexibility.
Wrestling figures have come a long way in recent years. It seems as if each subsequent year that Mattel has pumped out these WWE Elite Collection figures the better they get. The likeness of the WWE Superstars, the sculpting of the figures and the added accessories are all top notch.
I believe this Survivor Series line is exclusive to Walmart stores with McIntyre and Kane being the two that are in demand the most. If you are a fan of this line then I'm sure you probably have already picked these or have plans to. However if it's been awhile since you've bought a wrestling figure you really can't go wrong with any of the Elites, especially with this latest version of the Scottish psychopath!
