Review By:
Robert Greenwood
Retro is hip, cool and where it's at, so cashing in on all things retro is a no brainer. Walkmans are in and so are mix tapes. So for us wrestling fans, we get our hands on 90's inspired
WWE Retro Action Figures from
Mattel.
If you aren't too familiar with these types of figures, they came out around
1990 and lasted till 1994. This time saw a huge change in the (then) WWF wrestling lineup and a change from
LJN large rubber non-articulated toys to the
Hasbro action feature gimmick. So now that you are caught up on the very brief history, these new Mattel figures are meant to pay homage to those early 90's ones.
Thanks to
Mattel, we got our hands on the
New Day (Big E,Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods), The Macho Man in his WCW “Madness” outfit, “The Nature Boy” Ric Flair in his Bill Watts era look, “The Demon” Finn Balor, Kevin Owens and
Sami Zayn.
Each figure has their own stand which has a sticker with their personal logo.
On the back are scan codes for the WWE mobile game, Mayhem.
We also received the retro ring, which is nearly identical to the vintage one.
It's a little hard to imagine these figures appealing to the new younger audience or an older collector who isn't already a collector of these types of figures. But with that mindset thrown to the winds, this line is the most fun I've ever had with any wrestling figure I've owned or reviewed. I spent most of the night playing with these guys with my 6 year old daughter. She loved the action features and how much fun it is to have Ric Flair chop Xavier Woods in the chest repeatedly while yelling “Woo!”
That is the honest truth. These toys are just too much fun and each wrestler looks amazing even in this style. You can identify each figure just from their face and design.
The ring is essential to the play factor. On the outside, it's just a simple blue, plastic shell but with the removable stairs and announcers table, the play factor escalates rather quickly.
You can recreate matches from the current roster or make your own dream matches using the legends in their old WCW scheme.
In closing if you are a WWE fan or a fan of retro toys, these are worth a pickup. But if you are not and, instead, have kids, they are also a must-buy just for the play.
Mattel has done a great job of making something look retro yet retain new sculpts and play elements that make it a stand out from the old figures they are based on. These figures and the ring are available for purchase at TNI sponsor
Megaloplis.toys.
These figures and ring were provided by Mattel free of charge for purposes of review. Check out more images for all the figures and ring below in our
GALLERY! Also be sure to share your thoughts on these figures in the comments section below.
