WWE Beast Mode (Series 1) Blind Box: The Rock

Mattel has recently jumped into the blind package toy market with their release of the new WWE Beast Mode toys. I first saw these in an episode of the Major Wrestling Figure Podcast when they visited Toy Fair. I liked the novel idea and I'm a sucker for trying out a new gimmick at least once, so when I ran across a fresh cash on the shelves of my local Walmart I decided to take a chance.

 

The outer packaging resembles that of a red cage with silver chains wrapped around the outside. On 3 of the sides you can see fists griping the bars with words like "uncage me" and "break the chain". The back of the box shows off the entire series 1 cast of figures with their accompanying beasts.

To open the package you grab the pull tab location on the chains on the right side of the box. There is a perforated section that allows you to rip the top of the box open.

Once you have ripped the top of the packaging off you are left with a orange/red foam like cage sitting in the tray of the box. There is a little instruction sheet/catalog also included. As you can see from the image on the sheet, you are supposed to just rip the cage open by gripping it in one hand and using your other hand to tear open the top. The best way I can describe the material this cage is made out of is it's similar to the Thanostone from Funko's Marvel Battle Ground game/toys. Its soft, but firm and rather easy to sink your fingers into to rip apart.

Once you've ripped open the cage, you'll find your mini WWE Superstar figure inside with it's beast shell. I ended up with The Rock.

The figures stand close to 2.5 inches tall, with the WWE Superstar figure having 4 points of articulation: head, both arms and waist. The beast mode figure is basically a hollow shell that snaps around the wrestler figure. The Rock's beast mode is the Brahma Bull...which if you know anything about the Rock or WWE you would know this makes sense.

The beast mode shell has more sculpted detail than I imagined they would. Sadly there are zero paint apps, just the molded yellow semi-translucent plastic. Personally I love the spiked shoulder armor held up by a chain and a leather strap. The loin cloth completes the look of this minotaur looking creature giving him a very tough, rugged look.

The tiny Rock figure is pretty chiseled and even features those large, iconic tattoos of his. The head sculpt doesn't quite capture the look of Dwayne Johnson, but it's close enough. The figure is articulated at the head, arms and waist.

My one gripe with this figure is that the arms look like they are about to pop off. The large sculpted physique of the figure also looks off if you have the arms in any position other than down by the figure's side.

The first series of Beast Mode features some big names, such as Triple H, Daniel Bryan, Becky Lynch and Roman Reigns. Some of the beast figures make sense since they are based on nicknames of the wrestlers, while others seem a little goofy like Daniel Bryan's "Planet Champion" from his earth hugging heal turn time.

This is a goofy, but fun little toy line that I hope catches on with the kids. Priced at $5.99 they are reasonable enough to keep going to back to the well in an effort to land your favorite WWE Superstar. I personally wouldn't mind pulling a Becky Lynch, Braun Strowman or Triple H. So far I've only seen these stocked at Walmart so I'm not sure if they are exclusive to the chain or if other stores are just slow to get new product stocked on the shelves. If you've picked up one of these let me know in the comments what you think about them.

 

Hot Wheels City Track Pack

During a recent stroll down the die-cast vehicle aisle at my local Walmart I found some Hot Wheels City Track Packs. As a little lad I tons of Hot Wheels and other die-cast vehicles I played with, however rarely did I ever had roads for my vehicles to travel on. I had playsets, but nothing else. Where were these when I got down on the floor and played?!

I recall seeing two different types of packs. This one with an intersection piece and a straight piece and another with two pieces of straight roads. The back of the packaging shows that you can connect these road pieces with the traditional orange Hot Wheels track, as well as connect them to various playsets.

The pieces of track are molded in a dark colored gray plastic. Each end of the track has tabs that easily connect to another piece. The sides of the track are raised with a concrete curb like look. This only allows room for one vehicle, despite the orange sticker lines down the middle of the track. If you are fine with your Hot Wheels city essentially only having one way roads, these are a great addition. Priced at just $2 per bag, this could be an affordable way to bring your Hot Wheels to life.