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