WWE Elite Collection Royal Rumble Series (2022): Jimmy Hard Build-A-Figure

With each of the 4 figures included in the 2022 Royal Rumble series includes a different figure part to build the "Mouth of the South" Jimmy Hart. While it may seem like an odd character to include as the bonus, let's be honest...how many WWE fans would search out and purchase a manager type figure like Jimmy?

Jimmy Hart's wardrobe was always as loud as his mouth and this carries over to his build-a-figure form. Jimmy is sporting a bright pink sports coat with a black dress shirt and slacks. A wide black sash covers his midsection. His thin white tie features piano keys and helps tie (no pun intended) the whole ensemble together. Both the jacket and the tie are a softer plastic so there is some give.

I think the sculptors did a pretty good job capturing Jimmy's likeness, however you've got to have his iconic shades on to complete the look. A cool feature regarding the shades is that there is a small hole molded into his hair on each side that allow his shades to attach to the head. Not only does this allow the shades to stay on the head better, it just looks better as the sides of the shades "disappear" into the hair. I'd not seen this done before with an action figure so kudos to Mattel. Of course Jimmy is sculpted with his mouth open...I mean when your main accessory is a mega phone how can you not have his mouth open?

In addition to his red/white/heart covered megaphone, Jimmy also comes with a pair of interchangeable pointing hands. Overall this is a great bonus with a great wave of figures. I love the fact that he's only split up between 4 figures versus 6 figures like a lot of the Hasbro Marvel Legend Build-A-Figures. Jimmy has a great sculpt and is the perfect addition to pose outside of your wrestling ring set up. All that's left to complete his look is perhaps interchangeable jackets for the different wrestlers he managed over the years. Bret Hart has a figure in the new WrestleMania series and I think the two will go together side by side nicely in my display.

WWE Elite Collection Royal Rumble Series (2022): Big E

 

Exclusively at Target, this year's Royal Rumble series features four figures, each with a part for the "Mouth of the South" Jimmy Hart build-a-figure. The line up features two WWE hall of famers and two current wrestlers, one from SmackDown! and one from NXT. 

The packaging mimics the regular Elite Collection with it's angled edge window blister. The back of the packaging features a little bio of sorts for Big E along with an image of the other figures included in the series. The Jimmy Hart build-a-figure is also prominently featured and shows you the pieces included. Kudos to Mattel for making a build-a-figure wave as such a little more affordable with just 4 figures...Hasbro should take note!

While some fans may be getting tired of the New Day, I for one enjoy their antics both inside and outside of the ring. Big E got his push and reign as WWE Champion for awhile, but now he's back on SmackDown! with this New Day brethren...or was before he broke his neck.

In what can only be a cruel coincidence, Big E's wrestling gear is supporting his New Day brother, Xavier Woods, who has been out of action for sometime nursing an injury. Now Big E is out of action for the foreseeable future. Perhaps when Xavier returns he'll be sporting a get well soon message on his gear for Big E?

Articulation is great. I believe I counted 16 points of articulation, from his neck to his ankles, he has all of the standard fare joints you'd expect out of a modern action figure. I'm also happy to report that he stands very well without any additional support. I'll be using a figure stand that I purchased from Ringside Collectibles, but it's not necessarily needed.

In typical Big E fashion, this new figure features his trademark smile. The only negative thing I noticed w/ the head sculpt was that the paint application is a little sloppy, especially around his hair line. Otherwise this is a good capture of Big E's likeness.

As previously mentioned, Big E's wrestling gear is loaded with nods to Xavier Woods, from the black armband with the initials XW, to the large "get well soon!" and picture on his back. The right side of his gear as four small D-Pad images which reference Xavier's popular YouTube channel, Up Up Down Down. Xavier's initials once again are used on the side of the leg. The left side of his gear features the same caricature used on the back, however this one is hard to center due to the articulation cut in the leg.

In addition to the set of interchangeable gripping hands, Big E comes packaged with build-a-figure parts for Jimmy Hart. This release includes both arms and a set of interchangeable pointing hands. Keep following the blog as Jimmy will get his own post to wrap up this series of posts.

Overall this is a great figure, but if I'm being honest I think I prefer his previous Elite figure that came with a tag team belt. Unless you must have the Jimmy Hart build-a-figure pieces, try to find him loose as you'll save a good bit of money.

WWE Elite Collection Royal Rumble Series (2022): Yokozuna

 

Exclusively at Target, this year's Royal Rumble series features four figures, each with a part for the "Mouth of the South" Jimmy Hart build-a-figure. The line up features two WWE hall of famers and two current wrestlers, one from SmackDown! and one from NXT. 

The packaging mimics the regular Elite Collection with it's angled edge window blister. The back of the packaging features a little bio of sorts for Earthquake along with an image of the other figures included in the series. The Jimmy Hart build-a-figure is also prominently featured and shows you the pieces included. Kudos to Mattel for making a build-a-figure wave as such a little more affordable with just 4 figures...Hasbro should take note!

Yokozuna has to be one of the thickest action figures I've see. I think the designers really nailed the overall look, from the head/facial expression to the overall girth of the character.

The massive wrestler is wearing his iconic white wrestling gear with black sumo sash. This piece is made of a softer plastic so you can move the tassels hanging in the front. A large bow on the rear of the sash completes the look. Here you'll also see the extra piece of plastic added to the, uh, rear of the figure! 

Articulation is great. I believe I counted 16 points of articulation, from his neck to his ankles, he has all of the standard fare joints you'd expect out of a modern action figure. I'm also happy to report that he stands very well without any additional support. I'll be using a figure stand that I purchased from Ringside Collectibles, but it's not necessarily needed.

I'll admit that I'm not as familiar with this wrestler as I am some of the others in the series as I was more of a NWA / WCW guy, however how can you not know who Yokozuna is? From the image on the packaging however it appears they captured his likeness pretty well.

In addition to a pair of interchangeable grasping hands, Yokozuna also comes packaged with a barrel. I'm really at a loss as to why this is included...if you can educate me please do so in the comments.

The included build-a-figure parts for Jimmy Hart include his head, sunglasses and megaphone. What I didn't notice at first was that there are small holes just above the ears that allow the sunglasses to slide in, giving it a much better look than if the glasses just slide onto the sides of the head. Keep following the blog as Jimmy will get his own post to wrap up this series of posts.

Overall this is a great figure and worth the purchase. Once I get my WWE collection out of the moving boxes I plan to include Yokozuna (and Earthquake) in my "classics" display. Unless you must have the Jimmy Hart build-a-figure pieces, try to find him loose as you'll save a good bit of money.

WWE Elite Collection Royal Rumble Series (2022): Earthquake

Exclusively at Target, this year's Royal Rumble series features four figures, each with a part for the "Mouth of the South" Jimmy Hart build-a-figure. The line up features two WWE hall of famers and two current wrestlers, one from SmackDown! and one from NXT. 

The packaging mimics the regular Elite Collection with it's angled edge window blister. The back of the packaging features a little bio of sorts for Earthquake along with an image of the other figures included in the series. The Jimmy Hart build-a-figure is also prominently featured and shows you the pieces included. Kudos to Mattel for making a build-a-figure wave as such a little more affordable with just 4 figures...Hasbro should take note!

Earthquake is a chucky and hefty action figure and I love it! After getting the figure out of the packaging I think the figure is probably a little slimmer that it should be. Regardless, it's a great representation of the late, massive John Tenta, aka Earthquake.

Earthquake is sporting his light blue wrestling gear with the Canadian flag proudly represented on his belly. His white laced blue boots match his gear perfectly. If I have one nitpick with this figure it's the chest hair...it doesn't look near as good on Earthquake as I've seen on other figures.

Articulation is great. I believe I counted 16 points of articulation, from his neck to his ankles, he has all of the standard fare joints you'd expect out of a modern action figure. I'm also happy to report that he stands very well without any additional support. I'll be using a figure stand that I purchased from Ringside Collectibles, but it's not necessarily needed.

The head/face sculpt is pretty great as it catches grizzly look of this mammoth heel character. Earthquake was thin on the top, but always had long flowing brown hair and Mattel did a good job at capturing this feature. You can't see it in my photo unfortunately, but there are a few strands of hair tampographed on his bald head! The beard looks equally great we well.

The included build-a-figure parts for Jimmy Hart include his upper torso, his pink sports jacket and a sash for his waist. The plastic used for his jacket and tie are much softer. I love that Mattel used the skinny keyboard tie for this ensemble. Keep following the blog as Jimmy will get his own post to wrap up this series of posts.

Overall this is a great figure and worth the purchase. All that we need now is a figure of Typhoon so the Natural Disasters can be re-united in plastic form. Unless you must have the Jimmy Hart build-a-figure piece, try to find him loose as you'll save a good bit of money.

WWE Elite Collection Royal Rumble Series (2022): Dakota Kai

 

Exclusively at Target, this year's Royal Rumble series features four figures, each with a part for the "Mouth of the South" Jimmy Hart build-a-figure. The line up features two WWE hall of famers and two current wrestlers, one from SmackDown! and one from NXT. When I first saw these at Target I have to admit I was a little surprised at the inclusion of Dakota Kai, but happy none the less. NXT is probably my favorite WWE brand at the moment.

The packaging mimics the regular Elite Collection with it's angled edge window blister. The back of the packaging features a little bio of sorts for Dakota along with an image of the other figures included in the series. The Jimmy Hart build-a-figure is also prominently featured and shows you the pieces included. Kudos to Mattel for making a build-a-figure wave as such a little more affordable with just 4 figures...Hasbro should take note!

Dakota is sporting her black outfit that she wore for parts of 2021 before she mixed up her look/hair color. I like this gear and always thought her top looked like a skeleton. Her arms and top portion of her torso have been painted black to mimic her black top she wears. Her boots are standard fare, but I love that Mattel included the white knee brace she has worn lately.

Articulation is great. I believe I counted 16 points of articulation, from her neck to her ankles, she has all of the standard fare joints you'd expect out of a modern action figure. I'm also happy to report that she stands very well without any additional support. I'll be using a figure stand that I purchased from Ringside Collectibles, but it's not necessarily needed.

I've been really impressed by the head/face sculpts of most of the wrestlers in both the Basic and Elite lines, but there is just a little something off with Dakoda here. The hair is fantastic as they were able to capture the style she wears her hair. The face though...well I'm not sure what went wrong. It seems that her facial expression was meant to mimic the photo on the back of the packaging. Dakoda is known more for her heel character so the almost cocky like look isn't out of place. Perhaps its the printing of her eyes/eyebrows that throws off the face. I was able to point out these minor imperfections while in the store, but seeing what she commands on the secondary market I wasn't about to pass her up...plus she was the last figure of the series I needed to finish off Jimmy Hart.

Speaking of Jimmy Hart, Dakoda comes packaged with Jimmy's legs. I've never been a huge fan of sculpted pants as such as they look weird with the various articulation cuts, however these get the job done. I was concerned at first with the way the crotch section looked, but later learned there is a sash like piece included with another figure that covers his waist. He has nice matching black dress shoes to complete the look. Keep following the blog as Jimmy will get his own post to wrap up this series of posts.

Overall this is a good figure and worth the purchase, especially if you are trying to bolster your NXT ranks. I'm looking forward to pairing her up w/ the upcoming Raquel Gonzalez figure even though they are now enemies. Unless you must have the Jimmy Hart build-a-figure piece, try to find her loose as you'll save a good bit of money.

WWE Basic Collection Series 122: Chelsea Green (variant)

We are on the road to WrestleMania and as such expect to see a little more WWE product on the blog in the coming weeks than usual. We're going to kick things off with this figure of Chelsea Green from series 122 of the basic figures. It's been a while since I've featured a WWE basic series figure, with Kelly Kelly last showing up almost exactly 9 years ago!

Mattel's basic WWE figures may lack the articulation, paint apps and accessories that their Elite Collection counterparts have, but many times the various wrestler's first figure will be in the basic series, as is the case here with Mrs. Cardona, Chelsea Green. Part of the 122nd series of figures, she came in two varieties. The common version she sported light purple wresting gear with white boots and knee pads. The chase or variant version replaced her gear with all black. The last time I happened to place an order for some figure stands with Ringside Collectibles they just happened to have the chase version in stock, so I added it to my cart...if nothing else it helped me reach the amount to get free shipping.

Packaging for the basic figures hasn't changed much over the years. You still get a large image of the wrestler's face beside the blister bubble showcasing the figure itself. It does note that this was Chelsea's first (WWE) figure at that time of release. The back of the packaging has a large cross sell for the other figures in that particular series. 

Mattel has done a good job with capturing the likeness of the wrestler and Chelsea is no different. While I'm not sure about the large grin on her face, the paint apps that create her eyes are nicely done. The molded hair is detailed and the plastic used is soft enough to bend to allow the head to turn. Paint apps on the rest of the figure aren't bad. Black paint is used on the body, arms and legs to create her wrestling gear. The boots are tall and cover he knees for the most part, but the knees do look odd from the rear view being painted black. I count about 12 points of articulation on the figure - head/neck, shoulders, elbows, wrists, waist, hips/legs and knees. No ankle pivot or ab crunch. Being that I'm not the best with pulling off dynamic poses with my figures (see below) I don't mind the absence of say an ab crunch because the figure looks more aesthetically pleasing without the cut in the stomach area.

Ironically enough by the time this figure was released to retail Chelsea had already been released from her WWE contract. With the massive amount of layoffs that happened in WWE in 2021 and even early in 2022 it's no surprise that a lot of the licensed products coming out feature an outdated roster. For some this may make the figure more or less desirable. I got to know Chelsea via Matt Cordona's YouTube videos and could tell she was a character herself. I never got to see her actually wrestle much, but knew she was someone worth following regardless of which promoter she was working with. When I realized she had a figure coming out I figured it was worth grabbing and adding to my sparse collection. For a $9.98 figure it's not bad. I'd say it's on par with the last few basic WWE figures I've purchased. Knowing she won't get the Elite treatment from Mattel now that she's not with the WWE, this may be the best version collector's get for the time being.

GI Joe: Ninja Speed Cycle (Forever Clever Building Set)

When I first learned of new building block GI Joe sets I was so excited. I didn't hate Hasbro's Built to Rule sets, though they weren't quite on the level of LEGO. Fast forward to today and the license has been given to a company that I've never heard of, Forever Clever. I'm not sure if these building sets skipped regular retail or not as I've only seen them at discount stores such as Ross, TJ Maxx and Ollie's. I believe this retailed for $3.99 which is pretty cheap...just like the product itself. I went ahead and grabbed a few of the various sets, but after opening this one I may not even bother with them.

The best part of these sets by far is the packaging. The cardboard box itself is really thin so if you're thinking about grabbing a set or two for display, good luck finding one in good condition. The artwork for the front of the box is straight from the 80's, complete with the explosive background. A small product shot graces the bottom right corner of the box with a piece count above in the upper right corner. The back of the box shows a larger image of the product along with a small cross sell of some of the other sets down the left side.

At just 44 pieces the Ninja Speed Cycle is easy enough to build...if the pieces weren't crap and the set would actually hold together. I should've known this was a piece of trash...just look at the actual cycle! The "guns" on the front look silly and the rest of the proportions just look off. Turn the bike to the side and you'll really see how ridiculous it looks.

The little black bike you see underneath all the blocks is your standard LEGO sized motorcycle. The wheels are rubber, but both tires in the set had horrible flashing hanging off the tires. I had to take a razor blade to cut this excessive plastic off just so the wheels would roll. 

All of the blocks on top of the cycle barely stay together. If you look at the handlebars of the actual motorcycle you may notice a flat 6 stud block just sits on the handlebar. The gray piece that holds the guns also will barely hold onto the bike. I should also mention that Snake Eyes can't actually ride the cycle. Yes. I'm serious. 

The included Snake Eyes minifigure is probably the best part of the set. The figure is on par with dollar store building block figures. It's light weight as the plastic used isn't the greatest. The back of the legs are hollow as well, contributing to the figure's feather like weight. The deco on the chest and head is decent, but the little nub on the head for the nose is distracting. Had I not been so eager to move onto something else after opening this set, I would have grabbed a LEGO figure for a comparison shot.

I will probably open and build one of the 3 Cobra HISS Tanks that I have, but the rest of the sets I purchased will most likely stay sealed until I can find a sucker buyer to take them off my hands.

Overall this thing is just garbage. I tried to be positive, but I honestly can't find any redeeming qualities here. Maybe, just maybe you buy it for the figure...but temper your expectations because you'll probably be disappointed.