Thursday, November 19, 2009

Cornette speaks on Jakks BCA, possible NWA figure

Jim Cornette is not a fan of his one and only Jakks Pacific figure from the BCA line (Ringside Collection Series 2, to be precise).

He says so himself on the Nov. 16 edition of Cornette's Commentary for the Who's Slamming Who podcast:

"Uh, well, absolutely because I, I want to avenge my previous and former WWE [figure], they say action figure now instead of doll, because they made me as big [as Paul Bearer]," Cornette said.

"Paul Bearer's figure was not as big as mine. That's why I'm just saying it was, it was, uh, enhanced. I wasn't that big then.

I may be that big now, but I wasn't that big then. So, I want one of those action figure bodies like everybody else gets."

Cornette might get his chance at a more svelte figure now that Jakks Pacific has the rights to produce NWA Legends for the next five years.

It hasn't been that easy to produce a Jim Cornette figure the past five years, as Jakks has been unable to make one for the Classic Superstars line due to his affiliation with rival companies of the WWE.

But, Cornette isn't one to complain (for once) -- he's still getting paid:

"I have no idea, I've had a contract with these people for the last five years. But, when I was in TNA, they couldn't do me because the WWE had to approve their stuff because of the lawsuit and, now, they do TNA and I'm in ROH," Cornette said.

"You know they sent me a contract and a check every, uh, every January, I believe, or whatever and, uh, never make any dolls of me. So, I've taken their money apparently under false pretenses.

Either that or they just forgot about me."

When asked if his lone WWF figure rests next to his Slammy plaque, Cornette said he believes it's actually holding the door open on the other side of the room.

Well, at least that expanded waistline is being put to good use.

- Alex

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

LVJR - Special Edition Series 3 HHH with variant head

For the fifth installment of my "Latest Vintage Jakks Receivings" posts, I've decided to share MOC pics of my most recent BCA buy since late July.

I bought this MOC KB Exclusive Special Edition Series 3 HHH figure from an eBay seller for $11 shipped.

The reason why I spent nearly three times as much as the price tag on the front carding is because this is a variant figure that I've only seen MOC twice (this being one of them) since I started re-collecting the BCA line in July 2007.


What makes this HHH special is that it was the only regular-sized (or, 6 inch) Jakks Pacific figure to use a head from the Ripped and Ruthless line (similar to Unmatched Fury today, but with more articulation).

Ripped and Ruthless Series 2 HHH featured this particular head, but it was never used again until the third of KB's Exclusive Special Edition series showed up in stores several months later.



I'm not exactly sure why Jakks chose to re-release this head with the same old Superstars Series 6 HHH figure, but it wasn't available all of the time. In fact, the majority of those being sold today or in people's collections do not have this head, unless the heads were swapped at a later date.


It isn't a drastic improvement over HHH's second sculpt, which was used up until the end of the line, but I think it looks different, in a good way.

There's something about the snobbish expression that goes great with HHH's appearance before and after joining forces with Shawn Michaels in D-Generation X.

All of the detail that you would find with the Superstars Series 6 figure can be found here, too. Obviously, the head is where the discussion begins and ends, and it offers plenty of long, wavy hair strands that other HHH BCA figures failed to capture.

My take: I am working on creating a new rating system that would be easier to interpret, but for now I'll just give my own personal take on this figure. With or without the variant head, HHH's new sculpt after his debut Superstars Series 4 "Bad Boys" figure is/was a major upgrade. If you cannot track down the first release in the Superstars Series 6 set, there are plenty of re-releases such as this that will do the job without losing any details.

However, if you can find one with the variant head, go for it all the way. You never know when you might find one again, such as I learned, so don't be wary of spending a few extra dollars to get one. It is one of few BCA variants that truly stands out.

Fun fact: The back carding shows other series released around the same time, which include a few other famous BCA variants: Ringside Collection Series 2 Jim Ross with "War Zone" or "War Tony" jacket and Signature Series 2 Billy Gunn with blue or purple knee pads.


Speaking of which, I still need to track down "War Zone" J.R. and both versions of Gunn.

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

- Alex

Sunday, November 1, 2009

BCA Custom Corner #1 - "The Heartbreak Kid" Shawn Michaels




For the first installment of BCA Custom Corner, I thought I would acknowledge this Shawn Michaels figure that I saw on eBay a while back.

There is so much great work put into this piece that I don't even know where to start.

Excellent zebra stripe painting on Shawn's entrance vest and chaps is the first thing that caught my eye, of course.

The customizer also made sure to include HBK's left bicep tattoo (which wasn't on the Slammers arms to begin with)

The Series 1 head (with silver earrings) best captures the particular era of HBK, and the leather cap is a nice touch. You might also notice the chest hair has been touched-upon, which isn't too heavy nor too light; it looks just right (Bud Light should be paying me...).

Thumbs up all the way.

E-mail me at tmac152303@yahoo.com if you would like your BCA customs to be shown in a future installment of BCA Custom Corner!

- Alex