Figure Review #3 - Superstars Series 3 Mankind

Long before fans associated him with Mr. Socko and his three reigns as WWF Champion, Mick Foley donned the persona of a deranged individual with a tortured past and a knack for physically abuse himself.


Mankind debuted the day after WrestleMania XII on April 1, 1996 in the WWF after two successful runs with ECW and WCW.

He feuded with The Undertaker upon his arrival (as well as introduced the first ever Boiler Room Brawl match), earned his first WWF Championship title shot against Shawn Michaels at IYH: Mind Games (and lost), and gained the support of fans as he juggled three different gimmicks (the other two: Dude Love and Cactus Jack).

Unquestionably, Foley/Mankind was one of the most influential people/characters in the success of the WWF in the late 1990s.

So, as should be expected, it didn't take long for Jakks Pacific to give him his first WWF wrestling figure.

In the beginning, there was Superstars Series 3 Mankind, and it was a great start for one of the most unusual characters of his time.

An entirely new body mold was created for Mankind, and it was re-released several times due to the popularity of the figure and, well, Jakks attempting to get their money's worth out of it. Many collectors would agree in saying that Mankind's first figure is/was one of the best representations from the BCA era.

And, again, it's worth noting that these were the pre-Real Scan technology days and parts were sculpted (often) without anything to fall back on. Certainly, this is one BCA figure that is hard to deny as one of the overall best produced.

Head:

All things considered, the original head sculpt for Mankind is impressive and features plenty of small details, from the shading of his beard and the receding hairline to the excellent painting of the Hannibal Lecter-inspired mask.

However, the cheesy smile detracts from the other great aspects of the sculpt, so I cannot give it a great score. Grade - 3.5/5

Torso:

A larger sculpt would seem necessary since Foley wasn't exactly light as a feather, but Jakks was still experimenting with new molds at the time and were giving their best effort with what was available to them (foreign concept now, eh?).

Great detail again here, but I won't penalize this time around (except that it could have been a little thicker). Grade - 4.5/5

Arms:

The one major flaw here is the elbow pads, which Mankind did not wear, but the Mandible Claw finger mold on his right hand and scars on his upper left arm, as well as the forearm hair on both arms, more than make up for the one negative aspect of these parts. Grade - 4/5

Legs:

One could make the case that the legs should have been thicker because of Foley's actual size, but it cannot be disputed that the boot mold, and painting thereof, is phenomenal. The sculpt of the legs and knee pads are not substantially different from your average BCA figure of the first few series (smaller than they should be), but they are passable and easily overlooked with this figure. Grade - 3.5/5

Accessories/Other:

A silver WWF stand is included with the figure, but that's about it. A removable mask or cloth top would likely be preferred by collectors of today, or even fake strands of Foley's hair, but accessories were few and far between during those days.

As I've done with previous reviews, I'll take into account the many details Jakks provided for the figure which deserve recognition (such as the mask, Mandible Claw, scars on his left arm, boot straps, etc). Grade - 3.5/5

OVERALL: 19/25 - Thus far, this has been the highest score (tied with Funk/Hart figures) that I've attributed to any BCA figure, and it is quite deserving. The head sculpt could be improved, the elbow pads removed, and the overall mold thickened some, but it is an otherwise excellent representation or first crack at Mankind's debut look.

Until next time, thanks for looking and have a nice day!

- Alex