Thanks for adding this forum!
C'mon was the big, burly men in tights line really necessary?

Anyway...just saw the new Wild Samoans pics over at Wrestlingfigs. They look better! They took off about 3 inches from the necks so they look like the no-necks I remember from my youth. It would be cool if Afa's figure had "eye popping action" ala the Real Ghostbusters figures from way back. LOL (If you watched Beyond the Mat, you know what I'm talking about)

The Bushwackers look like...the Bushwackers. I am all for variety in a line, but c'mon. These are the types of figures that kill lines off. Old scruffy lookin' Bushwackers will be the new Jacquline peg warmers of 2005. And, while I'm bashin' em, the old Hasbro sculpts looked better than these! I'm just glad they'll be in the 2-pack section so they won't take up too much peg space in the regular section of wrestling figures.

And the Piper and Stone Cold set looks OK. I hate the plastic kilt though. Looks terrible. I have the Toyfare Piper with the cloth skirt, and it looks superb, really! (Except for the 1 of 3,000 patch)

Overall, the Classic Superstars line has made me a Wrestling figure fan (and BUYER) again! (my eBay Hasbro purchases don't count!)

What do you think of the line?

I like!

I've been trying to get out of Wrestling figures, but I still get sucked in now and again.

I like the Ruthless Agression body type better than any Jakks body thus far. All it needs is the same ball joints you have in the shoulders in the hips and it would be just about perfect.

But back to Classics:

I've tried to be good an not buy too many, but thus fare I have:

Dude Love, Mankind (can you tell I'm a Foley Mark? ), The Funker, Snuka, Piper.

I was sorely tempted to get LOD and the Hart Foundation, but was able to resist.

Probably won't be able to resist the Bulldogs though

Who else am I eager for/would like to see?

Ricky Steamboat, a CS Cactus Jack (my TTL one is a bit puny compared to the CS figures), and some sick part of me want's Demolition.

Yeah, they're the poor mans LOD, but I remember thinking they were pretty neat heels as a kid

But then as a kid I liked the Bushwhackers!

SpyMagician

Yeah, not being too big of a wrestling fan today, I never thought I'd get sucked back in.

I held off the first wave. Then I bought DiBiase. Then Jake the Snake. Then the Superfly. Then I found what I thought was an exclusive Dude Love. I said what the heck.

Well, I now own 17, with plans to someday complete the line.

My biggest gripe, I passed on both the LOD and Hart Foundation 2 packs twice! Now look at what they go for on eBay!

My favorite displays:

Shawn Michaels from the Wal-Mart 3 pack! his first heel look, and matches his Hasbro!

Toyfare Piper and Mr. #1derful together. They look to be plotting Wrestlemania I mischief! (Orton coming soon!)

Bobby Heenan standing between Bundy and Studd. Yeah Bundy is taller, than Studd (so is Bobby for that matter) but I'm a Heenan Family mark from WAY back.

And Sheik and Volkoff. Never in a million years would I have thought that inn 2005, figures of these two would be among my absolute favorites! I despised them at the time. I hated and abused their LJN figures in the eighties. Now, they're prominently displayed on my shelf together-- in all their anti-American, Russia #1, Iran #1, USA hawwwch, ptooie, glory. I added the old LJN world title belt to the Sheik. I want to find a little Iran flag for him to hold also.

I also won't be able to resist a Bulldogs set, Spy. Baby blue tights, ala WMII era. World title belts. They're mine already!

Joel

Yeah baby!

The nostalgia factor is almost impossible to resist!

And quality-wise the CS stuff is pretty much Jakks best stuff ever!

I still watch WWE, but it's really not what it used to be...

Still I'm a big Angle mark, and think that Christian, Carlito and Muhammed Hassan have good heel potential. And I do like Dave (Batista) now, though if you asked me during the "Deacon" Batista days I would have had a very different answer!

But back to the classics. There really was a larger than life, almost cartoon superhero quality to the WWF stuff back then.

Even knowing all about Hogan in real life, I still do mark out (a bit ) even today when he makes an appearance!

Bulldogs. Hell yeah. Dynamite Kid. One of the true greats taken from us far too soon. And Davey Boy in his prime.

Crud. Now I'm really gonna want those Hart Foundation guys I passed on to display with the Bulldogs!

Here's hoping they reissue the Harts the way they did with LOD when the Bulldogs show up!

And I think that's the appeal of this line. It hooks you in! Your displays make me realize that certain character groups are really cool and once you get one, you NEED more!

I was sorely tempted to get Heenan. And if they do Gorrila Monsoon, then having him and Bobby together is a must! Probably the greatest broadcast pair in all of pro wrestling ever!

SpyMagician

SpyMagician

You do know Gorilla is in the next set, right?

I preordered him, King Harley Race, and someone else who's name escapes me right now...

And I think Bret Hart will have figures out quite a few times, and the Anvil is due out in a 3 pack with Marty Jannetty (1990's attire) and Tito Santana in white trunks with red Tito shirt. So chances of completeing the Hart Foundation are really good. Plus Jimmy Hart is in the Gorilla wave as well!

Cool times to be a Classic fan!

The scans for The Wild Samoans look great, but I'm going to have to pass. Those guys were not Yokozuna big; that body is not good for them. Having Wild Samoans the same size as King Kong Bundy just doesn't sit right with me.

Although the CS Bobby Heenan is taller than John Studd and I have them displayed together, so who knows what I'll do.

As I mentioned in my last column here at AFI (plug, plug), I ebayed 95% of my current era Jakks WWE figures about four months ago. The only figures who survived the purge were...

Big Boss Man (who was already displayed with my Classics)
Earl Hebner
Eric Bischoff
Jerry Lawler
Jim Ross
Molly Holly
Sgt. Slaughter (from the Orton 2-Pack)

They were integrated into my recently redone Classic Superstars display, which I don't mind saying looks great. I've been a pretty heavy buyer of CS so far, but I've passed on a lot of the mid-card faces I never even liked as a kid (Duggan, JYD, Hillbilly Jim). I wanted Tito Santana, but I can't bring myself to get him with the long hair. I passed on all of CS6 with the exception of Heenan.

Spy, get the Hard Foundation and Legion of Doom 2-packs. They're some of the best figures Jakks has ever made. The Iron Sheik, Ted DiBiase, Ric Flair and the ToyFare Roddy Piper are way up there too. C'mon already, for Pete's sake!

As for the modern era, the only guys I can see myself re-buying in the future are Rey Mysterio, Eddie Guerrero and Trish Stratus. I saw Ruthless Agression 14 at TRU today and the Trish looks very good AND she comes with the Women's Championship, so I'll probably get her.

In the next few RA assortments, the only figure I want is Carlito. It looks great and that guy is pure gold. Easily the best overall heel in the company today. He reminds me very much of Piper in the early to mid 80s; instigating and driving storylines (his and others) with the mic and fighting only when necessary. I love him as the Intercontinental Champion.

Andat....is cool.

-JJJ

No probably about it. WrestleMania VIII is the best job of commentary I've ever heard. Gorilla and Bobby put the storylines of that show (particularly Flair/Savage) over magnificently. Their work at Royal Rumble 1992, especially The Brain's, is also wonderful.

Wheeee! Hundreth post!

-JJJ

Gah!

I was trying NOT to pay attention to future Jakks releases! Gorrilla! NOOOOO! Carlito? NOOOOOOOOOOOO!

In the hopes of weaning myself off!

Crud. Yeah. I guess I gotta get LOD and the Harts...

Sometimes I find myself chuckling at the oddest things! Tonight on Smackdown (which is mostly blah now that Curt and Carlito are gone) I actually was amused by Heidenreich! HEIDENREICH! Oy. And I actually miss Eugene... And I sorta wanna customize a Stacey Kiebler in her superheroine getup... ACK!

Curse you Vince McMahon! Just when I think I'm out...THEY PULL ME BACK IN!



Spymagician

I actually grew to like Heidenreich as a crazed shooter heel but, like so many other cool heels before him, they've turned him face because people started to cheer him and now he's lost all his edge.

-JJJ

Seems Heidenreich is the substitute Eugene for now... What odds when Eugene is healed they bring him back and team em up?

SpyMagician

Don't even joke about that <cringes>. Eugene and Heidenreich as a team would be scary (and not in a good way).

Hehehhehhehehe. You KNOW Vince is thinking it though. They'd be even more kid friendly than Hurricane and Rosey!

They could do "Who's on first?" type gags, silly slapstick! You know you'd love it!

SpyMagician

Don't you think they have to turn Eugene "heel" or he'll ultimately be booed out of the building? Isn't his 5-minutes of novelty-Gumpdom up?

How do you turn a "moron" heel tho? Shades of Norman the Lunatic?

As for Classic Figs I gotta have...

I'd love to have:

Dusty Rhodes
Mr. Perfect
The Brain Busters (Tully Blanchard & Arn Anderson)
Ricky the Dragon Steamboat
Macho Man & Miss Elizabeth

And I'd love a classic British Bulldogs set (not the singles Davey Boy upcomingin Wave 7-- although I'll take him too!)

Yeah,

I'm not sure what they can do with Eugene. The way he's going, he'll be stuck as a low end face like Scotty 2 Hotty was. Kids dig him but he has nowhere to go really.

As for turning him heel, that is hard. Maybe a schitzo gimmick? Like good Eugene gets a evil personality? They already do that thing where he gets all crazy and no-sells.

Hmmm, contrived, unoriginal, mildy offensive...IT JUST MIGHT WORK!

SpyMagician