WWE MATTEL - BATTLE PACK - Brock Lesnar & Paul Heyman with Stretcher

I mainly purchased this toy to get Paul Heyman. Since there are not that many action figures of WWE managers in the Mattel line as of yet at the time of this writing. You get two figures and one accessory. I already had an Elite Brock Lesnar before purchasing this product. After all, both he and Paul are made in the basic style, not the elite style. There is no ab crunch for neither guy, nor do either figure's legs move outward. And just like the regular single figures the Battle Packs now too come in the newly designed blue and white packaging.

First I'm going to review over Paul, since he is the main reason I purchased this toy in the first place. Hopefully he is the start of more managers to come in this line. When you remove the Paul Heyman figure from the packaging, you'll notice that the figure is completely bald at the top. However when you glance at the picture of the real Paul Heyman on the packaging, you'll notice that he's not completely bald. He does have some peach fuzz on his head. It would have been nice if Mattel could have added these few hairs to his head. This is not a complaint from me however, just an observation .
Speaking of hair, Mattel did not forget Paul's ponytail as you can see.

I love Paul's tie since blue is one of my favorite colors. Also notice that Heyman's right hand is an open palm and his left hand is a closed fist. Since he has this variety in hand displays this gives the luxury of posing him in fight poses or attacking someone with a weapon. Also if you've watched pro wrestling over the years than you already know that most managers cheat, or at least try to, for their fighters.
Now on to Brock Lesnar. This figure is not the same as the elite version of the same character / person. Without paying much close attention to detail, when I first saw this toy at a local Wal-Mart I thought it was the same Brock Lesnar figure I already had, but it is not. All I noticed immediately was Paul Heyman and the stretcher, not paying much attention to Brock . The pics below are comparisons of the elite Brock Lesnar and the one that comes in this battle pack.

When comparing the two different versions of Lesnar, you'll notice that there are quite a few differences between the figures. The battle pack version has knee pads compared to none for the elite version. Also the battle pack Lesnar seems to have lost a little muscle definition compared to the elite version. The elite version has an ab crunch whereas the battle pack version does not . Also as you can see the ab crunch can make part of the belly tattoo disappear if you slightly bend it forward. Finally the battle pack version has writings on his gloves whereas the elite Lesnar does not. If you can not see clearly what the writings say they say " Lesnar -Fear The Fury ". As you can also see this version of Brock Lesnar stands at a little over six inches tall. Right at seven inches tall to be exact .

Now on to the accessory, the stretcher. The piece does not do anything on its own but it makes a nice display piece for injured WWE stars. When displaying it, you may want to have two action figures with good size to hold up the weight of another figure. Bigger figures have more weight for standing support whereas with smaller figures the display would probably topple over.

                                                     FINAL   THOUGHTS
( 1 ) ARTICULATION - Both of these figures have the basic style articulation . No ab crunch for either figure and the legs do not move outward to the side, just up and down, back and forth.
( 2 ) STANDING  ABILITY - Both of these figures stand well without balance issues.
( 3 ) WHAT I LIKE BEST ABOUT THIS SET ? The stretcher and Paul Heyman. The reasons why? Heyman is one of the few manager figures in the line, and the stretcher makes a good display piece for anyone that is supposed to be injured .
( 4 ) WHAT I LIKE LEAST ABOUT THIS SET ? I don't know if all the packages are like this, but my Brock Lesnar figure's right wrist was loosely hanging and I could not shove it back into his wrist socket . However I think that this flaw is of my copy of the figures and not all of them.
( 5 ) WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN DONE TO IMPROVE THIS SET ? Nothing. I think it is perfect the way it is.
( 6 ) GRADING  SCALE - On a scale of one to ten I give this whole set a perfect ten. Individually I give both of the figures a 9.5 . The minus being for lack of outward leg movement. However this does not bother me it would just be better if the feature was included. Love the stretcher I give it a ten .
( 7 ) FINAL  ANALYSIS - You will not be disappointed when you purchase this set. If you're like me at first, only purchasing it for Paul Heyman and the stretcher because you already have a Brock Lesnar figure, then go ahead and purchase it anyway. When you remove the Brock Lesnar figure, I suggest you close your eyes while holding both it and the elite versions in your hands. You will notice that they do not feel like the same action figure, even though they consist of the same character / person . You customizers can always transform Brock into another character anyway . I say this Brock is worth keeping even if you already own the elite version, along with the whole set, Heyman and the stretcher .

WWE MATTEL : Basic Series Tamina Snuka and Ricardo Rodriguez

Here is a review of two figures from the WWE Mattel Basic series. Tamina Snuka is listed as figure number 59 in the series and Ricardo Rodriguez is listed as superstar # 65. ( NOTE ) To end confusion these two action figures do not come together, they are two separate figures. I just chosen to review them together. First I'll review Tamina since she is listed at # 59 coming before Ricardo's # 65. Tamina is a nice new addition for your divas collection in what appears to be somewhat of a new upper body sculpt. Unlike most of the female figures in the line, Tamina appears to have a more muscular build in her upper body.

As you can see this is Tamina's first figure in the line, as she is just slightly a little over 6 inches. In real life she is the daughter of WWE Legend "Superfly" Jimmy Snuka. If you have a WWE Legend Jimmy Snuka in your collection than feel free to purchase Tamina so that you can display her next to her father, just like I did in the pic below.

Even though Tamina 's outfit is a nice shade of red with black trimming, the most standout feature in her attire is her boots, or shin guards in my opinion. If you look closely, the shin guards are nicely sculpted onto her boots, looking as if they may could come off however they do not.

For those of you that like variety like myself, Tamina's hands are posed differently. Her right hand is a closed fist, good for punching poses. Whereas her left hand is an open palm, good for lifting maneuvers such as power / body slams . Most of Tamina's hard plastic hair is over her left shoulder, therefore it is easier to turn her head to the right than it is to the left . Tamina Snuka comes with no accessories but the figure alone is definitely worth adding to beef up your WWE Divas collection.
Now on to Ricardo Rodriguez. He comes with one accessory which is a microphone. The microphone is already in his hand when you purchase him . He also is one of the first few non-wrestler characters in the line. Here's hoping that we see more non-wrestler characters in this line in the near future. I think this line may need more managers, valets, referees, ring announcers, commentators, etc . to be included with the wrestling figures. Other than the microphone I think the other unique feature involving Ricardo is his bow tie . Plus it's not a normal looking bow tie at that.

The first thing you may notice about the microphone is that there is no writing on it, no WWE logo at all. It is just a plain normal looking microphone. Which in my opinion is good or bad depend on how you view the situation. Good in that this allows you the option to display the mike with any action figure, not just WWE Mattel figures. The bad is that if you wish the WWE logo was displayed on the mike, your best bet might be is to look back at some of those old Jakks Pacific figures as a lot of those figures came with WWE labeled microphones.
Of course the most fun thing about figures with microphones in my opinion is displaying them as if they are interviewing someone. Below are two pics of Ricardo supposedly interviewing Tamina Snuka. In the first pic the figures are displayed in reference to Ricardo asking questions. The second pic Tamina is supposedly answering his questions.

                                                  FINAL   THOUGHTS
(1) ARTICULATION - The women figures in this series are more articulate than the male figures. Just about every basic body part is movable with the exception of no ab crunch on either figure, as all Basic WWE Mattel figures have no ab crunch. Plus Ricardo has no outward leg movement, just up and down,back and forth mobility.
(2) STANDING  ABILITY - Both of these figures stand very well with no balance issues. Tamina's shin guards tend to add a little extra stability in her stance.
(3) WHAT I LIKE BEST ABOUT THESE FIGURES ? I like Tamina's shin guards and her boots. Also a nice outfit and I like her muscular build, something quite different and unique from some of the other divas with the exception of the first Beth Phoenix figure, which has a similar build. As for visuals with Ricardo, I like his shoes I think they are nicely done. The suit is nice, the slick back hair and his microphone allows him to be displayed in good interviewing situations .
(4) WHAT I LIKE LEAST ABOUT THESE FIGURES ? There is nothing that I dislike about either figure.
(5) WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN DONE TO IMPROVE THESE FIGURES ? On Tamina, softer hair for better head movement. For Ricardo , if the jacket was removable so that you can put it on other figures would have been nice. For both figures an ab crunch would be nice however the ab crunch was not meant for the Basic figures. Plus for Ricardo an extra interchangeable hand that allows him to hold the microphone like a sword, would have been neat for displays of interviewing tall figures such as Big Show, Undertaker, Kane, etc.
(6) GRADING  SCALE - On a scale of 1-10 I give Tamina a 9.5. The minus is for the hard plastic hair somewhat restricting head movement. Ricardo gets a 9.5 also with a minus for no outward leg movement.
(7) FINAL  ANALYSIS - Overall I am pleased with both of these figures. However I added them both to my collection for different reasons. Tamina to boost my WWE Mattel Diva collection. I don't want to miss out on any of the female figures, since there are not as many of them as the male figures. Ricardo because it feels good to add a suit and tie guy to the collection, a non -wrestler. Plus I wanted a figure that I could use for interview displays, and Ricardo fits that bill .  Rather you are a WWE Mattel Basic or WWE Mattel Elite collector, or both, I highly recommend these two figures for your collection.

WWE Elite Collection Flashback - Series 25 Bruno Sammartino

Happy New Year again everyone. This post is an article of "firsts". What I mean is, this is the "first" post of the year 2014, in the "first" month of the year. Along with Bruno Sammartino being the "first" WWE Champion, as listed in his bio on the packaging. Also it is his"first" time in the line, also listed on the packaging . The figure does not disappoint as he is very well sculpted with nice attention to detail such as body hair. He has some hair on his chest, belly and forearms. It looks cooler in my opinion when you view him from a distance rather than up close, because up close it looks like what it actually is, ink markings and not hair. Bruno's right hand is open and his left hand is a closed fist, great for punching poses. Plus the figure comes in all brand new blue and white packaging, compared to the old red and white packaging. As for the insert of the new packaging, it is now grey and white.

There are some nice highlights mentioned in Bruno's bio. The three most notable ones in my opinion are (1) Setting the world record in 1959 for bench-pressing 565 lbs., (2) Becoming the first WWE Champion in 1963 becoming the longest reigned champion in eight years, and finally (3) Being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2013. Of course the WWE was still the World Wrestling Federation when Bruno wrestled. Back to the action figure. He comes with two very neat accessories. A hall of fame podium and plaque.

As you can see in the pics above the podium itself is a little around four inches tall, however the tip of the mounted microphone adds to a height of around five inches. The podium is a neat item made of clear plastic which produces somewhat of a shine when shone in very bright light. The plaque is very well detailed for such a small item and looks like the real thing.
Back to the podium. Although this accessory came with Bruno, it looks like it may very well be suited for other figures in the line. Especially shorter figures. Bruno looks as if he is too tall to be displayed as if he is talking on the microphone. It would be wise to bend his ab crunch a little to get his face closer to the mike. Whereas shorter figures, especially shorter female figures, look as if their face is right at the microphone, as illustrated in the comparison below.

Now back to the figure again. Bruno is very well detailed with his painted on hair and is sculpted well with a super hero like physique. He looks like he could easily be customized into a super hero character in my opinion. I mean the broad shoulders seem like the perfect resting place for a cape. Right at his ankles you can even see his white socks. The face is very well done however I don't think it looks like the real life Bruno. The figure's hair appears to be darker than what we see of the real Bruno on the packaging. Also the real Bruno's hair appears to be just a tad bit higher off of his forehead than the action figure. However I am not complaining about this attention to detail, just making notation of it. Bruno is still a neat action figure with cool accessories.

                                                          FINAL    THOUGHTS
(1) ARTICULATION - My only complaint with Bruno's articulation is that his head is extremely difficult to pose in up and down positions. You will have to bend his ab crunch back to make him look upwards, and bend the ab crunch down to make him look down towards the ground. The rest of the articulation is perfect.
(2) STANDING  ABILITY - The figure stands very well with no balance issues.
(3) WHAT I LIKE BEST ABOUT THIS FIGURE ? The figure's upper body bulkiness makes him fun to pose into power fighting positions, such as body slams, hard punches, etc. A closed left fist great for punching poses.
(4) WHAT I LIKE LEAST ABOUT THIS FIGURE ? Can't think of any dislikes.
(5) WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN DONE TO IMPROVE THE FIGURE ? Ease the somewhat restricted movement on his neck for better up and down head movement.
(6) GRADING  SCALE - On a scale of 1 to 10 I give this figure a 9.5. The minus is for the somewhat restricted up and down movement with the head. The accessories combined with the figure gives the overall package a perfect ten.
(7) FINAL  ANALYSIS - Although the real reason I purchased this figure is because of the accessories, especially the podium, I really think the action figure itself is really cool for the reasons I listed above. Old school WWE fans may want to add this guy to their collection, because at the time of me writing this article / review there are not that many action figures of wrestlers from the 1950s or 1960s just yet. Only one thing puzzled me about this figure though. Since Bruno is the first WWE champion, where is his championship belt? That would've made a cool third accessory to go with the other two. Oh well, even though there's no belt Mattel still did a nice job with the figure itself and the accessories it comes with. I like the new blue and white packaging as well.

WWE BATTLE PACK - Naomi & Cameron

I'm very much sure many of you if not all have heard of the old saying " looks can be deceiving" . This old saying applies to this Battle Pack, but I mean that in a good way. When observing the figures when inside of the packaging, it looks like Naomi and Cameron are the same height. However, when you take them out they are not. Naomi is taller than Cameron. I was surprised but also glad that Mattel tries to stay true to real life with these figures. For those of you whom may not know, Naomi is the taller dark skin tone lady and Cameron is the brighter skin tone, shorter other lady. Also, the Disco Ball had me fooled for a moment. What I mean is, when I first saw the package, I thought there was two disco balls, not one. It was not until later that I discovered that these were two pieces of the disco ball that need to be snapped together. However this was somewhat of a small minor disappointment, two disco balls would have been better than one. But I'm not complaining the disco ball is still a cool accessory to go along with the two figures. Also while they are in the packaging I got the impression that they were flat footed with no heels, but when removing the figures you'll discover that they both are in high heels.

Another surprise about the packaging itself is there is no mention of the team name Naomi and Cameron were given , "The Funkadactyls". For those of you that watch WWE I'm sure you pretty much know that Naomi and Cameron were called the Funkadactyls when they first teamed up . This is not a complaint from me however, just a notable mention. I'm not sure why the name "Funkadactyls" was not mentioned, you'll probably have to ask Mattel . Now on to the figures.
I love these figures. They are very well done and do not share the same bodies. Naomi has taller longer legs. Look at their midsections closely and you'll discover that Cameron has more muscle definition in her abs than Naomi. Whereas Naomi has almost no abdominal muscle definition. Cameron is also flatter chested and has more muscle definition than Naomi in the upper body also. The hair on both of these ladies is very well sculpted and does not restrict head movement, as the hair on both is made out of a soft, rubbery plastic. It seems like the only body parts they share are arms. But even they look slightly different in scale, same mold but different scale as it is very logical that a taller person would have longer arms than the shorter one. Naomi's arms look slightly longer than Cameron. Very good job Mattel in the attention to detail department.

As you can see Naomi is slightly over six inches whereas Cameron is slightly under six inches. The figures come with three accessories, or two depending on how you look at it. Two of the accessories combine together to make one, the disco ball. Whereas the other accessory is the handle for the disco ball . The instruction sheet on how to put the ball together makes mention that the surface that you adhere the suction cup of the handle to may have to be cleaned with warm water. I tested this advice by adhering the disco ball and handle to an old CD jewel case. As you can see I was successfully able to make this happen as it sticks to a clear CD jewel case holding a Microsoft Windows 95 CD inside. However the theory about applying warm water to whatever surface you apply the suction cup to has some truth to it. I did not wash the CD case with warm water before sticking the suction cup to it. This resulted in the disco ball along with the handle falling off the CD jewel case only after a few seconds of attachment.
Also, before I snapped the disco ball together , I put a LED flashlight behind one of the pieces to see what kind of special effect look it may give. As we know disco balls are known for the light they emit.

The above pic is the one with the LED flashlight behind one of the disco ball pieces. I think it is a cool effect, kind of reminds me of an eclipse.
Even though he did not come with Naomi and Cameron, how can I mention these two without mentioning Brodus Clay . On the WWE show Clay would dance in the ring with Naomi and Cameron. It was here that Naomi and Cameron become known as the Funkadactyls. I've made some pictures below posing the women with Brodus. Also I tried to do my best positioning the two female figures into dancing poses.

                                                         FINAL   THOUGHTS
(1) ARTICULATION - Both figures have the same basic articulation as most WWE female figures, with no ab crunch. Hair does not restrict head movement.
(2) STANDABILITY - In my opinion I think Cameron is a little bit easier to stand than Naomi. Probably because she's shorter with shorter legs and Naomi is slightly more top heavy. Just position their legs a certain way to keep them from falling with their high heels.
(3) WHAT I LIKE BEST ABOUT THESE FIGURES ? Just about everything. Different bodies, the outfits with the lime green color along with the shredded elbow sleeves provide a decorative look to the figures.
(4) WHAT I LIKE LEAST ABOUT THESE FIGURES ? Nothing. I can't think of anything that bothers me about neither figure.
(5) WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN DONE TO IMPROVE THESE FIGURES ? Add an ab crunch. This applies to all WWE Mattel figures however, not just these two. However no ab crunch does not take anything away from these high quality action figures, but having an ab crunch would make them better.
(6) GRADING  SCALE - On a scale of one to ten , I give both figures a 9.5. The minus is for no ab crunch. Combining both figures with the disco ball accessory gives the whole set a perfect 10. Nice accessory, nice figures.
(7) FINAL  ANALYSIS - I have been wanting action figures of these two before the figures were made and was pleased when Mattel finally made them. I am not a huge wrestling fan but I love a lot of the WWE Mattel figures. However if you are a huge wrestling fan with a Brodus Clay action figure in your collection, adding these two standing next to him on your display shelf would give you the satisfaction of completing a small team. Since Brodus was made into an action figure before these two. Plus it's always great to add more WWE divas to your collection.