Mini Review #3 - 2 Tuff Series 2 Double Packs

Back again with a fun size review for you to start your week off right.

You know, this would have made a lot more sense had I posted it Sunday evening or Monday morning, but oh well.

This time around, the focus is on the second wave of 2 Tuff Series double packs featuring several new introductions to the BCA line.


As I've mentioned before, I'll be using a rating system concentrating on five major aspects of the figure - the head, torso, arms, legs and any other accessories or minor details that I think should be factored in.

First, take a look at the prototypes shown on the back carding and see if you can spot any differences with the finished products.




Not too many, right? Well, that's usually a good thing, but how will the actual figures fair in this review?


New Age Outlaws (Road Dogg Jesse James and B.A. Billy Gunn) - 15.5/25

This little ditty was one of the more anticipated debut packs among collectors but - surprise, surprise - it didn't quite live up to expectations. The head sculpts could have been a lot better (and thankfully not a lot worse than Billy's Off The Mat boxed set figure), and then there's that whole misspelled/inaccurate script thing.

"PD" instead of "RD" on James's pants? "Mr. BA" instead of "Mr. Ass" on Billy's trunks?

Okay, I understand the reasoning behind Billy's snafu, but why could Jakks never get their Rs right from their Ps?

Fortunately, Gunn's boots showcase some of Jakks' finer attention to detail in the BCA line. I like to call it "dotting the i's and crossing the t's."

And now we're back to letters again. Didn't expect a preschool lesson today, did'ya?


Nation of Domination (Kama Mustafa and D'Lo Brown) - 16.25/25

I'd bet you didn't even have to squint your eyes to see that both torsos are the same. Now, is it any more impressive then that this was Kama's one-and-only BCA figure and he had that many tattoos graciously awarded to him? Technically, D'Lo's figure was only released twice so it, too, is special in its own way.

Kama gets the advantage here (even though the torso is a better fit for D'Lo), and both figures are slightly better than average, in my opinion.


Jerry "The King" Lawler and Brian "Too Sexy" Christopher - 15.5/25

I'll be the first to admit that this set having the same score as the NAO is a disgrace, but don't blame Jerry for his son's mistakes (literally and, well, figuratively). Jerry more than picks up the slack of his packaging partner (akin to Chyna's 2 Tuff Series 1 figure) with his crisp royal blue repaint, but Brian Christopher's debut figure is just...awful.

I wish I could put it into better words, but the whole approach is just wrong. Since when was B.C. ever that muscular? I mean, really? I don't want to know Brian Christopher's superhero backstory to explain his unnerving growth in size overnight, but I do wonder why Jakks never tried to correct the horrendous sculpt.

Granted, Christopher's tights are actually really good, surprisingly good compared to the arms and tone of the torso sculpt, but that's barely enough to save this figure from being one of the worst in the BCA line.


Kurrgan (or however his name is meant to be spelled) and The Jackyl - 19.75/25

Oh, it's good. Real good. No, not Brian Christopher's tights good. Better.

As I said last time while reviewing Rekon's 2 Tuff Series 1 figure, I also reviewed The Jackyl in my list of the BCA line's top ten one-hit wonders, and he actually made it on to the list.

If Kurrgan had fell on there, he would have been a sure bet for a top three ranking. He's a solid 21/25 for me and his score could have contended for the best yet had the torso not been so ripped beyond the point of "suspension of disbelief." There's no way I could let that slip by.

The arms are as close to perfect as you'll find, and his lower body is not far off from that distinction. Love the expression on his face and the strain in his neck, too. I kind of wish Jakks had introduced a smirking head sculpt for his later Oddities attire repaint in the Deadly Games series, but that's asking for three different head sculpts from the guy in the BCA line and I just cannot justify that.

Not even Khali got that kind of treatment in the RA line, and that's...well, not really saying much either.

Until next time, or until we all finally decide on a correct spelling for Kurrgan, thanks for looking and have a nice day!

- Alex

LVJR - A Perfect Start to Your Collection

Impeccable? Not necessarily.

Superb? Depends on who's asking.

Perfect? *Yes.

*By name, of course.

Okay, so a latest purchase of mine might not be the best thing since Sliced Bread #2, but it is a commendable assortment of ten good-to-great BCA figure representations of your favorite WWF wrestlers, circa 1999.


There's nothing "new" to speak of in the fourteenth installment of my "Latest Vintage Jakks Receivings" series of posts, with the exception of a Billy Gunn repaint and a slightly different left arm for Stone Cold (more on both later), but the Perfect 10 boxed set could be considered a perfect starter set for new collectors of the BCA line.

Or, maybe you're still trying to catch up with where you left off in late 1999 with your existing BCA collection.

Then again, you could be the author of a BCA figure blog who buys a lot of stuff he doesn't need as an excuse not to write about anything meaningful.

I just...loathe people like that.


But what I don't loathe is the opportunity to address something that comes to mind whenever I see a boxed set of figures and wonder "If those are re-releases, then where else can they be found?"

If you think like I do, then check out this breakdown of the 10 figures featured in either variation of the Perfect 10 boxed set (oh, yes, there is a box art variant).

---

1. Stone Cold Steve Austin - Besides Austin's semi-closed left fist replacing the original figure's open left hand, it is a re-release of the 2 Tuff Series 5 figure.

2. The Rock - It is a re-release of the Superstars Series 8 "Team Corporate" figure.

3. Triple H - It is a re-release of the DTA Tour Series 3 figure.

4. X-Pac - It is a re-release of the Fully Loaded Series 2 figure (also available: DTA Tour Series 3).

5. Mankind - It is a re-release of the Raw Is War Series figure (also available: Grudge Match with Big Show).

6. Undertaker - It is a re-release of the Superstars Series 7 figure (multiple re-issues).

7. Kane - It is a re-release of the Shotgun Saturday Night Series 2 figure (also available: Fully Loaded Series 1, 2 Tuff Series 3).

8. Road Dogg Jesse James - It is a re-release of the Deadly Games Series (a.k.a. Shotgun Saturday Night Series 3) figure.

9. B.A. Billy Gunn - An exclusive repaint to this boxed set, it can only be found elsewhere in 2 Tuff Series 5, but with a white t-shirt.

10. The Big Show - It is a re-release of the Superstars Series 9 figure.

---

Does that make it any easier to digest the size of this gargantuan boxed set? I hope it does.


It's really a sight to behold, measuring in at 26" by 18" and completely dwarfing one of my other recent purchases.

It's not out of the question then for this set to have been priced at $49.99 when it first reached (and was exclusive to) Toys"R"Us stores in October 1999.

If you hadn't noticed yet, it also comes with a kids size WWF Attitude Era Championship belt.


So, the question you might ask yourself: Is it worth $50? Probably not.

Was it worth the $30 shipped that I paid for it in 2011? Again, probably not.

But I wanted it for my collection and was willing to pay a little extra if it meant buying from a reliable seller.


Perfect 10 is not the perfect purchase by any means, but it's without question one of the best boxed sets produced by Jakks Pacific during the BCA era.


My take: I would recommend this set to new or old collectors looking to expand their BCA collections, but be wary of overpriced sellers and never pay more than retail cost ($50) for it unless other goodies are thrown in by the seller.

Fortunately, mine was upgraded to Priority Mail without having to pay extra, but I don't think many others could be so lucky.

It's a great display piece for sure if you have the room, but the 10 figures included are also ready to be featured on any card for those that prefer to play.

Fun fact: There was an unconfirmed rumor in late September 1999 of an Intercontinental Championship-inspired Perfect 10 boxed set including the likes of The Rock, HHH, Ken Shamrock, Val Venis, Road Dogg, Godfather, Jeff Jarrett, Edge, D'Lo Brown, and Billy Gunn.

Nothing ever came of the speculation, but it's interesting to think about the possibilities.

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

- Alex

Terry L. Lattimer, Where Are You?

Dear Terry,

You don't know who I am, but I am familiar with your name and all that it represents in the action figure community.

To us wrestling figure collectors, you are a visionary and the man who started it all for Jakks Pacific's Bone Crunching Action figure line.

Though you have gone on to bigger and better things since those days, many people, including myself, are still very much appreciative of your work.

There would be no Bone Crunching Action without you.

Hell, there would be no Vintage Jakks BCA blog without you.

According to your iFreelance page, you "developed the skinned joints and ratcheted sound plus did all the sculpts for (Superstars) Series One, Two and part of Three."

Without even having to go into detail about your work with the Maximum Attitude (pre-Maximum Sweat) and Titan Tron Live (TTL) figure lines, I feel it's warranted to commend you on everything that you made possible with the early Superstars Series figures.

I hope that one day I might be able to contact you to ask about your experiences as a toy designer, artist and sculptor for Jakks Pacific from 1996 to 2001.

I can only imagine what the workload must have been like, but you and your team certainly did a fantastic job in the short amount of time.

Maybe you will come across this blog post and maybe not, but I figured that it was worth the chance to reach out to whereever you are.

Thanks for all of the great memories you provided for me with the 40 Jakks Pacific figure lines you designed and sculpted, but none more than special than the one that inspired this blog.

You can reach me at my e-mail or on the WrestlingFigs.com forums, but for now I'll leave you and all of my readers with a few examples from your incredible portfolio.













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

Sincerely,

Alex