Macho King and Sensational Queen Sherri

 Macho King and Sensational Queen Sherri

WWE Mattel

I say this a lot...”I am so backed up on reviewing new ___ toys.”  This time, instead of filling that blank with a property name, I’ve got one of the few solo personalities worthy of their own sub-collection:  Macho Man Randy Savage.  Forever larger than life with the talent to back it up.  And so many different wardrobe changes that even Barbie couldn’t keep up.  

This is another variation of the Macho King era.  Who else would be man enough to rock pink leopard print?  Pink leopard print topped with an orange bandana?

This is one of the newer head scans with an open, teeth-exposed mouth.  He’s also the first Macho figure to get interchangeable hands.  Finally, pointing fingers!  He can finally be posed on the turnbuckle, pointing to the heavens before taking flight!

No crown this time, but he does come with his royal scepter.  It comes in two pieces which, I can’t recall any matches where he might have broke over some fool’s head, may or may not be intentional.

Not to diminish her own skill and talent as a wrestler,  but I recently picked up the ultimate Macho King accessory:  Sensational Queen Sherri!  She was the perfect yang to Miss Elizabeth’s ying during this uber-heel turn for Macho Man.  This is the first and only time so far, that Sherri has been featured as a figure from Mattel.  Removable robe and crown, killer makeup application...It’s a great figure, but I do hope she gets a standard “sensational” figure in the near future.

These were EBay purchases, since legends figures tend to be released as hard to find store exclusives now.  I probably paid about $5 more than retail for Sherri, and $10 more for MM.  I’ve never seen the latter on shelves, so I am glad to have done so.  Beats facing the endless disappointment of hunting for him at the worst Target in the world, Springfield, MO.  Sherri was a Walmart exclusive.  Of course, Ive seen her a couple of times at various stores since...but waaay after her original release.  $15 up front versus who knows how much gas money over a long period of searching.  These were worth it.  Macho Man is always worth it.  

WWE Motherload!

 WWE Motherload!

Mattel

So the other day, I was at a local second-hand video game/movie/collectible store, and they just got in an assortment of used WWE figures.  I’m not sure how the employees are trained to price certain collectibles, but their system was...a bit off.  The nailed the rarity of a Flashback series 3 wave (that was exclusive to Walmart and eluded just about everybody), but missed a few other classics.  The man on the street recognizes Jake the Snake, but not, say, Bruno Sammartino or All-American Ron Simmons (WCW title run.)  I scooped up the latter two for $8 each, which I thought was a steal.  

 

After an evening of restless pondering, I went back to pick up the rare Jake the Snake (from the birth of Attitude/Austin 3:16) for $30.  But when I went to check out, I see hundreds more WWE figures on the counter being sorted for sale.  I see some oldies that are now pretty rare/pricey...Rick “The Model” Martel, Akeem the African Dream, Hillbilly Jim, etc.  I ask for prices, prepared to blow it off.  “That pile?  $8.”

 

EIGHT DOLLARS?!  WOO-HOO!  I dove in like Uncle Scrooge in the money bin to find more treasure.  All three members of Demolition!  The Bushwackers!  Vader!  The Rockers!  Some of these guys will never be made again for various reasons:  went to a rival company, concussion lawsuits, death/likeness rights, etc.  I’ve filled quite a few gaps in my collection with this stop!

 

Again, the Man on the Street shrugs, slaps the $8 tag on them...then goes to a box of separated out Rocks, Austins, Hogans, and Macho Men to pice out higher at $10.  It’s a bit baffling in the age of EBay and cellphones that you can still score some deals chalked up to just plain ignorance.  Oh well, one man’s trash is second-hand store’s treasure...or trash or whatever...their loss is my gain?  Ooooooh yeah!

 

Slim Jim Macho Man

Slim Jim Macho Man

Mattel - SDCC Exclusive

Now this is one piece of 90s nostalgia I could not live without!  Slim Jim turned the already awesome Macho Man Randy Savage into a Kool-Aid Man ("Oh yeeeeah!") type spokesman, crashing through walls to dispense meat sticks and combat hunger at the drop of a hat.  The bonkers commercials were a great fit for Macho Madness.  So good, that if you watch a certain sequence of them together, it looks like a murderous decent into madness for the sake of snack treats. 


























Killing Shakespeare:

Terrorizing the elderly:

Beating on kids:

Finally brought to justice:

Alone with the madness:

And now we have a figure to commemorate it all!  This was a San Diego Comic Con exclusive (*throws up in anger), but was pre-sold on Entertainment Earth before the show.  I was lucky to get one before he sold out.  It comes in a snazzy Slim Jim replica box (another package I am forced to keep.)

The figure is a bunch of reused parts from other Macho releases, but features a new paint job and two plastic Slim Jim box accessories.  It's rare to get a MM fully decked out from head to toe with hat, glasses, and tassels galore.  Everything looks great, but I have one gripe with the hat.  It's a bit small on the head they used, which is one of the newer scans.  It's not terrible, but even looking at the picture on the back, that hat should be riding lower on his head. 

Even with reused parts and an ill-fitting hat, I won't pass up a Macho Man figure.  Yes...that goes for WCW era, too.  In fact, one MM I want the most:

If Mattel can get me that truck in figure form, all past SDCC transgressions will be forgiven.  Even the Gleek fiasco.

USA Macho Man

USA Macho Man Randy Savage

Mattel - Gamestop exclusive Retrofest figure

 

Oooooh yeeeeeeah!  Another Macho Man figure here in time to help us celebrate the 4th of July!  He's a Gamestop exclusive under the "Retrofest" banner that I assume is a Gamestop exclusive as well.  He's pretty much the "Ultimate Maniacs" Mach repainted to match an attire from when he was working the early days of the Monday Night RAW program. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

He looks great, but for an inflated price tag of $30, the only real extra you get is a snazzy box.  The box, designed to be a stand-up arcade cabinet, is great and all (nice retro fonts and character bio on back), but I am not a mint-in-box/card collector.  It was virtually impossible not to damage the box taking the figure out even if I did want to keep it.  In the trash it goes!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You would think an extra ten bucks would at least get you another key clothing item, his long-sleeved, tasseled coat as well.  Or maybe Macho Mini?  Heck, we know Mattel has a little person buck that they haven't used in a while.  It couldn't take that much retooling.  Ah, well...as I said before, I cant pass up a Macho variation and I know I would regret not picking this one up later on.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Happy Independence Day! USA! USA! USA!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Sting, Lex Luger, and Macho Man

WCW Bash at the Beach 1996 Three-pack

Sting, Lex Luger, Macho Man

Mattel WWE elite - Then, Now, Forever (Wal-mart Exclusive)

July 7th, 1996 - These WCW superstars were set to face off against the Outsiders (WWE turncoats, Scott Hall and Kevin Nash) and a mystery sixth man at pay-per-view, Bash at the Beach.  The reveal of the sixth man would set up story-lines for years to come.  Am I allowed to mention his name?  To be safe, let's just call him "Hulk H."  No, that's too obvious...let's say "H. Hogan."  Anyway, Mr. America (spoiler! Doh!) turned heel and the NWO (New World Order) was born.  That nugget of information is what makes this 3-pack noteworthy in the history of wrestling, but not as exciting as it could have be had it been released as a 6-pack with the Outsiders and Suburban Commando.

This is the first release of this look for the Stinger.  It was kind of short lived, between surfer-blonde Sting growing his hair out to become Crow Sting.  Anyway, its a new head scan, and it looks pretty good.  There have been some complaints out there that his head is a lil over-sized and that he has no neck.  Still, the eyes and paint are great.  The painted rainbow scorpion on his pants is great, too!

Another new head sculpt for Lex Luger.  All pony-tailed and smug looking!  The only strange thing is the face paint.  While it is accurate to the match, it was a one-time thing.  Some sort of team solidarity with Sting as the leader?  No worries.  I'm sure that this head will be used again sans paint very soon.  Mattel: "Don't like it?  Well, here...buy it again!  And again and again!"  Also, the boots should be white to be accurate..."Buy it again when we make a running production change!"

Oooooh yeah!  He's back in the blog again!  Another Macho Man for the ever-growing collection.  Like Luger, the face paint look is lost as a fleeting moment in time but still looks great.  I just wish that he had picked a more colorful bandanna to go with the rest of the outfit.  It is the sole accessory in this set.

Another Wal-mart exclusive, this may be a hard one to find in the wild.  However, since it is a very match-specific theme, it may be an easy one to pass on for even hardcore wrestling fans.  Price might also be a deciding factor.  It retails for $49.99, which is ten dollars cheaper than buying three separate elite-articulated figures.  On one hand,  it only has the one accessory.  On the other...it's a new Macho Man.  Sold!