Kane
Masters of the WWE Universe (Mattel) - Wave 6
Rated 4.50 stars by Karl T. Face
May as well review something spooky this month. Kane appeared in the 90s, which is a vibe all its own. A bit of a cartoon, he was Undertaker's brother, left deformed and mute by a house fire, but with ill-defined fire powers. Over time, he used a voice box, then regained his speech, lost the mask, and quietly dropped the supernatural angle to good effect. This appears to be his recent retro look, mapped onto Origins Roboto. And you know what, it works. The greebles are unpainted (no doubt to preserve the color balance as much as the budget), and end up looking somewhat like athletic support devices. Sci-fi devices. Helps balance out the human torso. The head is new, of course, and looks great. The hair is translucent yellow, so the unpainted parts really stand out. This guy can in fact...[See More]

Triple H
Masters of the WWE Universe (Mattel) - Wave 1
Rated 4.00 stars by Karl T. Face
Well, that's an improvement. The pack-in HHH was a fine wrestler toy, but not so hot for a MOTU crossover. This is more in line with his more extravagant entrance gear, which blends right in. The body is the same, but with full pants and a lot of purple. A bulky harness adds some fun spiked armor, and it's topped off with a tattered cape and skull-crown-helmet. Articulation is standard as always- above average, in fact, since nothing was stuck. The shoulder pads do restrict upward motion a bit, but he can still pose with his hammer convincingly. For a bit. The hammer is actually the chief flaw here. The gorgeous sculpt can't quite save it from the fact that it's slightly too big for the hands. It's bad enough the reused Classics sculpts barely stayed on, now they're doing it on purpose?...[See More]

Finn Balor
Masters of the WWE Universe (Mattel) - Wave 1
Rated 4.25 stars by Karl T. Face
Another modern character I'm only somewhat familiar with, Finn Balor was built for this line. Maybe not to the extent of, say, Berserker, but that ain't happening. Anyhoo, Finn's Demon persona works well here, other than one minor niggle. A Beast Man-esque collar forms the lower jaw of his usual makeup, but it goes all the way around, somewhat lessening the illusion. Just somewhat. The bracers are new to me, but possibly reused. They're a good look. And on the accessory front, the streamers he wears on his wrists have become grasping tendrils. Two pairs, one black, one red. Happily, one can get all four on at once, and they look halfway decent grasping at other figures from halfway across the ring. Just flexible enough to eliminate any fear of breakage. My only major complaint is another...[See More]

Roman Reigns
Masters of the WWE Universe (Mattel) - Wave 2
Rated 4.00 stars by Karl T. Face
I know little of Roman Reigns; I've been a fairly peripheral fan since the Attitude Era or thereabouts. But this figure definitely works for me. May as well get the basics out of the way. The standard body used here is basically the vintage MOTU body, with vastly improved articulation. Swivel/hinges at the shoulders, elbows, wrists, hips, ankles, and knees. Barbell joint at the neck. Movement range is about as expected for something this bulky, and the knee and elbow pads on some of them don't help. But it's enough for a number of wrestling poses, and as we've got a Fisto homage here, punching is all it needs. The sculpt here is great. The head looks okay to my eyes, and the fusion of RR's vest and Fisto's armor looks quite good. Paint is impressive by Mattel standards, with the gorgeous...[See More]

Grayskull Mania
Masters of the WWE Universe (Mattel) - Rings
Rated 4.25 stars by Karl T. Face
So, WWEternia. I've been an on-and-off wrestling fan for most of my life, and this set was actually what got me started on the line. A couple basic toys and a playset seemed pretty nice for, what, $20? And it is, mostly. Getting the ring itself out of the way, this one's solid enough. The base and ringposts are pure Grayskull, while the mat itself is pretty standard. Feels a bit hollow, but that's a result of the spring action. I never understood that, since the figures don't really weigh enough to bounce on it, but oh well. The ropes are oddly bright, but have a good spring to them. The steps are as Eternian as the base, and tab in on either of two sides. My only gripes are the mysterious clips on the sides of the steps (none of the weapons so far really fit in there), and the lack of...[See More]