Transformers Beast Wars (Reissues): Cheetor

Ah, Beast Wars...the segment of the Transformers brand that literally saved the brand from fading out of existence, at least at retail. Being released after the failed attempt of the Generation 2, the Transformers got a face lift and injected new blood into the brand. Gone were vehicles, replaced with dinosaurs and other animals. The line was a hit, especially with younger kids and created a whole new era of fans. However how would the "Geewuners" like myself react to the line? Would they embrace it? Hate it? Or just be indifferent? Stick around as I walk down memory lane with the latest line of reissues from Hasbro, celebrating 20 years of Beast Wars.

The tread of what is old is new again is played out again in the Transformers brand with the latest relaunch of the Beast Wars brand. Exclusive to Walmart stores in the US, the first wave featured 4 toys:  the "Ultra" class Optimus Primal and Megatron, "Deluxe" Cheetor and "Basic" Rattrap.

The line seems to have been met with mix reactions and ho-hum sales. The first wave seemed to warm the shelves pretty good in my neck of the woods with all of them eventually hitting clearance, some deeper discounted than others. I myself scored this Cheetor for $6 back during some of the Christmas 2021 sales. I wasn't going to bother picking up any of these (outside of Rattrap) because I owned the originals and while I love Beast Wars, some of these early toys just didn't do it for me. For $6 though I couldn't resist and thought at least Cheetor here would make a good addition to the Maximal shelf I was working on putting together in my display after moving last summer.

Hasbro chose to mimic some of the early Beast Wars packaging w/ the rocky type shaped blister bubble. Kenner would later phase this blister out and go with a smooth bubble. The card back reuses the red reptilian scales with the large classic green eye behind the toy itself. Even the classic Beast Wars logo remains at the top of the blister card. 

 
(Left: reissue - Right: original)

Flip the blister card over and this is where we have some obvious changes to the original. Like with most modern Hasbro toys, multiple languages have been shoehorned onto the packaging. So much so that we've lost his original Bio...which is a real shame because as a kid this is how I determined how their character would be when pulling out my toys and playing on the floor of my bedroom or in the living room. The category stats have also been reduced from 8 categories to just 4, however the individual rankings of these categories remain the same.

I never was a huge fan of the character of Cheetor or his original Deluxe class toy. I think his youthfulness and exuberance just got on my nerves while watching the show...I much more prefer Rattrap and his quips and cynical nature/comments. It's amazing though on how twenty years can change one's perspective as coming back to this toy after all those years I'm finding that it's not nearly as bad I as remember. The Kingdom toy is a beautiful rendition of the character, however the original still has something to offer.

Hasbro did a good job capturing the deco of the original toy. While I don't have an original any longer to compare it to, this figure is just as I remember in terms of paint applications. The figure seems solid with good strong plastic. Outside of a copyright mark on the mold, I'd be hard pressed that many would be able to tell the difference between this reissue and the original.

The original Beast Wars Cheetor was known for having a few variants - namely the color of his eyes. The original came with green eyes, as does the reissue, but blue and even red eye variants exist as well.

Transformation from beast mode to robot mode remains unchanged. Remove both the tail gun and the "gut" gun from underneath, rotate the waist 180 degrees and fold out the legs, fold down the front legs underneath the body, pull up and separate the arms from the behind the head and flip them forward 90 degrees, pull down the beast head to reveal the robot head. Finally pose your figure as such and insert your weapon(s) of choice into his fists.

I never cared for the proportions of the robot mode. The beast head is too big and just hangs off the front of the robot. Looking at him straight on it's not as bad, but looking at the figure from an angle and it looks a little awkward.

I have always loved Cheetor's head sculpt however. I wish however they were able to incorporate some light piping into those eyes as I think that would have been fantastic, but the included "mutant head" makes that impossible as it sits just behind the robot head. I always thought the whole idea behind this "mutant head" gimmick was silly, but in the spirit of capturing the original toy in all it's glory, this feature was carried over to the reissue.

Cheetor is an important character in the Maximal's ranks and his original toy is still pretty solid. Is it a dead ringer for how he appeared in the original Mainframe animated show? Of course not, but that doesn't make it a bad toy. The biggest knock I can give this figure is the original MSRP of $25. Compare that against trying to pick up a loose, vintage piece on the secondary market and it's not that bad. At the of this post, most Walmart stores have probably already ran their clearance as his shelf space was replaced with the retool of this mold, Tigatron. I'm still debating if I need Tigatron in my collection as currently my Maximal shelf is pretty tight, but I'm glad I eventually picked up Cheetor (and that I was able to resist paying full price!) as a BW display just isn't complete without this young cat.

WWE Elite Collection WrestleMania Series (2022): "Stone Cold" Steve Austin

 

Just in time for WrestleMania this weekend comes the annual Elite Collection WrestleMania series. The series features three hall of famers and a future HOFer. Each figure comes with a build-a-figure piece to build a tuxedo clad Vince McMahon.

I saved the best for last with "Stone Cold" Steve Austin. This particular version of the Texas Rattlesnack is from WrestleMania XIX where he went up against the Rock.

The packaging for these WrestleMania figures mimics the regular Elite Collection, but mixes in the WrestleMania 38 logo...that unfortunately incorporates the Dallas Cowboys star. The back of the packaging lists some of Austin's career highlights, including the aforementioned WrestleMania XIX.

I watched more WCW in the 90's than I did of WWE's "Attitude" era, however I'd hear of Stone Cold's wild antics and eventually would tune in. He's not my favorite wrestler, but you can't argue that he's a legend in the business so if you're going to have a wrestling figure collection you kind of have to own a figure of Austin. 

Austin's ring gear was pretty consistent during his Stone Cold years and this figure replicates the vest and black trunks well. I love the included knee braces, something that began a staple look later in his career.

The head/face sculpts in this WrestleMania wave have been hit and miss, but they absolutely nailed the look of Stone Cold. Perhaps the bald head that made it easier to replicate his look, whatever the reason this is a great looking sculpt.

Unlock many of the other figures in this wave, Austin's vest isn't cloth and made of a soft plastic...which I am thankful for. The vest has his initials on one side and his trademark skull on the other side (and the back). It is removable if you wish.

His knee braces are also cast in a soft plastic and still allow movement with the knees. I believe that this brace to be the same that was used on the Dakoda Kai figure we looked at earlier, but obviously cast in black. Notice Steve's Texas tattoo above his ankle? I don't know I recall see that before.

If I have one gripe about this figure is the left ankle/foot...on my specimen at least the foot isn't attached to the leg that well. It doesn't effect the ankle joint, the foot can still lift up and down along w/ the ankle rocker still working.

The included Vince McMahon build-a-figure parts is Vince's head. After refreshing myself by watching some older content on Peacock today, I can confirm that the face sculpt is a good 80's representation of young(er) Mr. McMahon.

This by far is the best figure in the 2022 WrestleMania series and is a must own. I've yet to see this series at local retail, but I would imagine they'll sell fairly well, I mean doesn't everyone want a throw back announcer Vince McMahon figure in their collection?

WWE Elite Collection Series 91: Kevin Owens

 

Kevin Owens has possibly one of the largest spots at WrestleMania 38 so I figured it appropriate to take a look at his latest Elite Collection figure. Included in series 91 along side Hulk Hogan, Rob Van Dam, Austin Theory, Sami Zayn and Bianca Belair, Owens comes packed with additional accessories making this already desirable figure even more so.

I like the packaging refresh Mattel gave the Elite Collection figures recently. Amongst old stock still on the shelves, this packaging really pops and stands out. The WWE logo is still prominent on the front, along with a large headshot of the wrestler. The rest of the packaging is a window to show off the goods inside. Flip the packaging over and you've got a larger shot of the wrestler along with some of their career highlights. A cross sell for the entire series remains at the bottom.

Kevin Owens always had his own look when in the ring as he didn't wear the traditional wrestling attire. Instead he would usually wrestle in a cut off t-shirt with baggy shorts. Mattel did a great job capturing his gear in plastic form. The shirt is made of a softer plastic and is somewhat pliable. The top half of his legs have that baggy shorts look, though from the rear his legs do look a little odd.

I particular like how they replicated one of his shirts well in toy form for this release. In fact, the deco on the whole figure is stunning (no pun intended). From the recreation of his tattoos, to the t-shirt and even the small addition of "Fight" on the bottom of each pant leg, this is a beautiful figure.

This figure probably has one of my favorite head sculpts. To me they just nailed it. From the way the hair is sculpted, to his beard, there is no denying who this is meant to be.

In traditional fashion, Kevin Owens features great articulation...around 16 points if I'm not mistaken. His beard and non-removable t-shirt does slightly hinder the head's range of motion, but it can be turned and moved up and down if you work at it. I'm not sure if this figure features an ab crunch, but you can rotate the figure at the waist. Legs and feet have all of the cuts and articulation you'd also expect.

Included with the figure is a pair of gray handcuffs. This is a great added accessory as I'm sure you could re-create some memorable moments with your figures with these. While the cuffs are molded in a closed position, you can remove the hands and slide the cuffs on, then re-attach the hands if you want that cuffed look. While not pictured, he does come with a pair of interchangeable grasping hands.

One of the draws for me was the inclusion of this ladder. While it's not a giant ladder like you may see in a TLC or Money in the Bank type match, it's a great addition none the less. Standing about the same height as the figure itself, it's made of a light weight gray plastic. You can close the ladder and I assume pose it in the hands of the wrestler to use as a weapon. The part about the ladder that I don't quite understand is that it has joints mid-way down that allow the bottom section to swing out. I can't figure out the purpose of this.

While my wrestling figure collection may be rather small and tame to some, this has to be one of my favorite figures I've opened in quite some time. It's got a great sculpt, great paint apps and fantastic accessories bundled in. KO is entertaining in the ring, whether he's wrestling, cutting a promo or the host of his own talk show, The KO Show. His event w/ Stone Cold Steve Austin this weekend at WrestleMania oughta be entertaining. Question is, which one of them is going to pull out their signature finishing move first? Great figure, highly recommended.

WWE Elite Collection WrestleMania Series (2022): AJ Styles

Just in time for WrestleMania this weekend comes the annual Elite Collection WrestleMania series. The series features three hall of famers and a future HOFer. Each figure comes with a build-a-figure piece to build a tuxedo clad Vince McMahon.

We'll start off this series of posts with Bret "Hit Man" Hart. This particular version of the Bret is the WrestleMania 36 where he went up against the Undertaker in a Bone Yard match.

The packaging for these WrestleMania figures mimics the regular Elite Collection, but mixes in the WrestleMania 38 logo...that unfortunately incorporates the Dallas Cowboys star. The back of the packaging lists some of Shawn's career highlights, including the aforementioned WrestleMania XXVI.

Ever since AJ Styles joined the WWE, I've enjoyed watching him perform. I think he's one of those guys that makes a great babyface or heel. When I saw that this figure was taken from WrestleMania 36's Bone Yard match against the Undertaker, I knew this was one that I wanted to have. I was excited to open him up...even though he comes with cloth t-shirt. The printed OC design looks good and  the shirt  fits the figure pretty well. The Velcro strip along the backside holds together well and the shirt is easily removable. Since this wasn't your traditional wrestling match, AJ is sporting blue jeans which surprisingly look pretty good.

Finally, a face sculpt that looks like the actual wrestler! After the last few figures I've opened I've been disappointed with how the head/face looked, this figure hits a home run. There is no doubt that this is AJ.

AJ comes with several accessories outside of the Build-A-Figure part. He has three sets of interchangeable hands, a pair of gripping, his gloves and a pair of hands holding three fingers up. He also comes with a shovel accessory...which may be a first for a WWE figure.

The included Vince McMahon build-a-figure part is the chest. The jacket is attached to the body, but it is cast in a softer plastic. 

AJ Styles is one of the best figures thus far in the new WrestleMania series and one that will be going into my personal collection. I've yet to see this series at local retail, but I would imagine they'll sell fairly well, I mean doesn't everyone want a throw back announcer Vince McMahon figure in their collection?

WWE Elite Collection WrestleMania Series (2022): Bret "Hit Man" Hart

 

Just in time for WrestleMania this weekend comes the annual Elite Collection WrestleMania series. The series features three hall of famers and a future HOFer. Each figure comes with a build-a-figure piece to build a tuxedo clad Vince McMahon.

We'll start off this series of posts with Bret "Hit Man" Hart. This particular version of the Bret is the WrestleMania XXVI where he went up against the boss himself, Vincent Kennedy McMahon.

The packaging for these WrestleMania figures mimics the regular Elite Collection, but mixes in the WrestleMania 38 logo...that unfortunately incorporates the Dallas Cowboys star. The back of the packaging lists some of Shawn's career highlights, including the aforementioned WrestleMania XXVI.

Growing up a WCW fan it was exciting when another WWE legend jumped shipped and joined "the other company". However I was never attached to Bret so I wasn't expecting much going into opening this figure. I generally don't care for cloth clothing/accessories, however this one isn't too bad. I love the printed design on the front and it fits the figure pretty well. The Velcro strip along the backside holds together well and the shirt is easily removable. I'm not a fan of wrestler figures that aren't in their gear as the jean shorts here, while appropriate for the character, just don't look that great in plastic form.

I'm not digging the face. It looks derpy. I don't know what other word to use here. I mean, I guess it kinda resembles Bret...maybe? The only good take away here is the hair...it's sculpted well.

As I mentioned earlier, the cloth shirt is removable, but after doing so I wished I had not! Maybe this is why Bret wrestled in a shirt/jersey in his later years?! Like with most modern Elite Collection figures, Bret features all the articulation that you'd expect. The elbow pads do restrict the articulation a bit, but the pads are made from a softer, thinner plastic so you can move them to a certain extent. 

The included Vince McMahon build-a-figure parts are the legs. I'm pretty sure these are the exact same legs that were used for the Royal Rumble series Build-A-Figure, Jimmy Hart.

This is a decent figure, however I'm not sure this is one that I'll want to keep in my collection. So far this is the weakest figure in the series in my own opinion. I've yet to see this series at local retail, but I would imagine they'll sell fairly well, I mean doesn't everyone want a throw back announcer Vince McMahon figure in their collection?