Speaking of digs, I discovered his old Geocities page while searching the Internet Archive some time ago.
No, it's not the one with the cool graphics and emphasis on his incredible custom figures and accessories during Jakks Pacific's TTL era, but it's still worth checking out for old news reports toward the end of the BCA line.
Better yet, you can go back and read from a Q&A session that Hbreakid (HBK) recorded with Serge (SRG), an employee at Jakks in the late 1990s.
Here is a modified transcript (see: easier to read) of the two interviews, and it's all about the WWF's product from 1999.
First posted: October 5, 1999
Transcript
HBK: Do you know why Jakks decided to switch their WWF line to all-plastic figures (TTL)?
SRG: To answer honestly, I'm not sure. It was a decision made by the big cheeses here. My best guess [is] they wanted to go in a new and, in their view, improved direction with the wrestling figures and TTL was the result.
HBK: Any plans in the making for a "Lion's Den"?
SRG: Yes. We still need approval from the WWF since Ken Shamrock is leaving to go back to the UFC and we're told he owns the rights to the Lion's Den. If the WWF decides to buy it and continue to use it in programming after Shamrock leaves, then yes, we'll definitely make it for sure.
HBK: Once Jakks comes out with superstars like Y2J, Acolytes and any other WWF superstars for Jakks' TTL line, what will Jakks do for their music? [Will they] make more Titantrons for 30 bucks a pop with new music?
SRG: That's a good question, and one I don't have an answer to yet.
HBK: Any plans for a crowd? Jakks should make [one] something like this. Are there any plans for one?
SRG: We're working on it.
HBK: And the last thing is...anything you can comment on [that] I didn't ask?
SRG: Look for the absolute best and most realistic-looking Billy Gunn figure you've yet to lay eyes on...in TTL Series 3, I think, [which is a] couple months away.
Credit to Hbreakid 2000
Now, for an extra special treat, here is an additional interview which I believe was recorded before the one in October '99.
Transcript
HBK: Do you know if there are any plans to make a Hell in the Cell, Lion's Den or a Buried Alive set? Is there any that you know and I didn't list?
SRG: We've been trying to come up with a way to do Hell in the Cell while still maintaining playability. We were developing a Mini-Ring Buried Alive set but that's been axed until further notice.
HBK: Does the WWF play any role in who to create next or is it just up to Jakks?
SRG: Sometimes, in certain circumstances. The last wrestler we did upon Titan Sports' request was Dr. Death in Superstars 7. He's not a very big seller.
HBK: When does Jakks Pacific's contract with the WWF end? When it ends, will it be renewed?
SRG: I'm not exactly positive on the exact year it ends. I want to say 2002. I know it's in that ballpark. Will it be renewed? I don't know.
HBK: [Does] Jakks have any plans on making figures with knee and elbow joints like ToyBiz?
SRG: We have made figures like that. Check out S.T.O.M.P. Series 4: Camo Carnage. And, here's a tip: the first shipment of Camo Carnage has guns. The next shipment won't due to a new company policy: no gun accessories. So, get the one with guns now before they're in hot demand later.
HBK: Is there any chance we would ever see [an] Austin figure with a hand gesture?
SRG: Probably when we make an Austin holding a beer can. Probably never.
Credit to Hbreakid and Serge at Jakks Pacific
What did I learn from those two interviews?
Well, it's pretty much the usual from Q&As with Jakks Pacific. You might learn one new thing that's due to come out, but it's mostly just filler or fluff.
You can see where the wheels were in motion for the later Hell in a Cell playsets beginning in 2001, but it's also interesting to see where the Lion's Den concept fell flat with Shamrock's departure.
I know that Jakks could have learned a thing or two from Hbreakid on how to make custom Hell in a Cell and Buried Alive accessories, as seen below.
Really, it's the kind of work you just have to admire from in front of your computer screen as a kid.
What was the highlight of the interviews for me, you might be asking yourself?
I'm not one to use the phrase that often, but Titan Sports deserves an epic fail for insisting that Dr Death be included in Superstars Series 7.
I would say I enjoyed a nice, hearty laugh at "He's not a very big seller", but that would be the understatement of the century.
At least we can all savor in the thought of Jacqueline's banishment to the Signature Series; what a disaster that could have been for the Superstars line.
Until next time, thanks for looking and have a nice day!
- Alex
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment