LVJR - (Fake) Signed, Sealed, Delivered

Make sure that checklist is handy.

Now, lick the tip of that No. 2 pencil and get ready to check this off.

Yes, I have scratched off a major want of mine in the form of the complete Signature Series 2 set of BCA figures.

How does this concern you?

Well...*thinking*

*Still thinking*

*Lost train of thought...and is craving french toast*

Oh, right, by all means check off "number 16 installment" from your checklist devoted to VJB's "Latest Vintage Jakks Receivings" series of posts.

Don't lie, I know you secretly have one.


The complete set of Signature Series 2 figures were won in an eBay auction two weeks ago and only set me back $23.39 shipped, or $3.90 per MOC figure.

Needless to say, it has become increasingly difficult to find a good deal for a complete set of MOC BCA figures, but I was fortunate to come across this lot when I did.

If I haven't mentioned it before, I prefer the figures in my collection to be mint loose, so that's why I buy everything new.



I already owned Shawn Michaels from a previous purchase, and once had Kane in my possession before reselling him (foolishly, I'll admit, as now I only resell doubles of figures in my collection), but I was still eager to track down the rest of Signature Series 2.

I don't even think I had most of these in my original collection, and I always wanted Billy Gunn especially for his metallic blue ring attire.

I got it, but I also got something of a variant Billy Gunn figure with his clashing purple knee pads instead of the regular metallic blue-colored pads.


I covered this a little over two years ago (wow, doesn't seem it's been that long), and it took me long enough to finally acquire one of the two versions.

Along with "The Billy Gunn Show" that is Signature Series 2, Jakks Pacific also gave us his tag team partner, the Cheshire Ca...I mean, Road Dogg Jesse James, in a somewhat-stripped down re-release of his 2 Tuff Series 2 figure (as pictured on the back carding).


The logos on his pants are much smaller (not stretching the full length of his pant legs), and his boots are lacking the silver detail of the original.



With the exception of the glaringly-obvious facsimile signature additions to each figure's right leg, we have re-releases of Slammers Series 2 Dude Love and Kane in this assortment.

B.A. Billy Gunn, Shawn Michaels, and The Undertaker are the only legitimate repaints to the line, but there's nothing here that will "wow" you quite like Austin and Goldust from Series 1.

Gunn and HBK are lacking detail on the back of their trunks/tights; however, I recall Billy Gunn wearing plain trunks early on with the New Age Outlaws, so it's passable, and Shawn's zebra stripe chaps are commendable, in my opinion.

There's nothing inherently wrong with 'Taker either (disregarding scale and a lack of tattoos), and I've always really liked the dark purple concoction that is his Signature Series 2 attire. Note the bronze-colored buckles on his boots, too.


My take: I'll have more on this series in a bit when I give each figure a formal assessment as part of the next Mini Review (yeah, I know, 2 Tuff Series 3 is coming soon).

Billy Gunn is my personal favorite, though Dude Love is probably the best figure in the series. The worst? I would think Road Dogg.

Half re-releases and half repaints, the make-up of Signature Series 2 is largely filler for the BCA line.

Do with it what you will.

Fun fact: It's no variant, but Road Dogg has his own recurring error figure as all of the 2 Tuff Series 2 re-releases feature "PD" on the side of his pants where it should read "RD." Look to this week's "Error to the Throne" on the right side of the page for a picture.

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

- Alex

Championship belts of the BCA era

Championships are forever linked to those who fight for them.

If you're a professional basketball team like the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA, you overcome sweltering (if not fading down the stretch) Heat in order to claim the vacated title of champion.

Professional wrestlers travel the same weathered path, and so do their action figure counterparts to some extent.

If you are the puppet master of your own wrestling figure federation, you know how important it is (even if only for an audience of one) to have a reputable champion, or multiple champions.

Medals and trophies might suffice for others in the amateur ranks but, no, your guys need to wear gold around their waists, or at the very least have it slung over their shoulder.

So, I think we're all in agreement that championship belts are crucial to branding your federation and establishing your place among the all-time greats (or as far as it reaches your bedroom door).

Where would we be without them? Printing out paper belts? Constructing them out of cardboard? Construction paper?

Not that there's anything wrong with that, but we're talking advancements in technology and an era in which we have (well, had)...Attitude.
For their Bone Crunching Action figure line of the 1990s, Jakks Pacific afforded us only a few choice boxed sets, but they would prove more than filling for collectors with access to them.

More specifically with access to Toys"R"Us stores, as each one of these was exclusive to the retailer.

Beginning in the fall of 1997 with the first Championship Title Series boxed set, Jakks gave us a line-up of champions (albeit outdated) each wrapped up in their respective title belts.




The belts remain a special part of the line's legacy due to their limited run (never to be seen again), as well as their supremely-detailed-for-their-time appearance with both raised and colored plates for the WWF, Intercontinental, European, and Tag Team Championships.

Jakks went back to the drawing board for reasons unbeknownst to me and concocted a much simpler sculpt of soft, rubbery straps with the designs now instead printed across the front.

They would make their debut in the fall of 1998 with the Off the Mat boxed set featuring four of the WWF's biggest names in street attire, or clothing that would be worn while "off the mat."




A new era of Attitude brought with it conceptual changes for the look of the championship belts, from a splash of blue and purple for the WWF and Intercontinental straps (respectively) to extended Tag Team straps.

Following in the footsteps of the trailblazing, eyebrow-rais...nevermind, Off the Mat boxed set, Jakks gave us more belts in the fall of 1999 than we had seen in the previous two years combined.

First, an introduction to the world of Hardcore and four representatives from the "movement" took shape in the form of yet another four figure boxed set with a theme of champions abound.


Don't you think it would have been more apropo for each of the Hardcore champions to appear battered and bruised in the boxed set?

It might add to the novelty of the set, especially if Jakks threw in a few supporting accessories (Mankind's Socko, Al Snow's Head, Boss Man's Nightstick, Holly's...umm, bad attitude? No, seriously, how about a breakaway table?).

A second Championship Title Series boxed set (as chronicled in a previous VJB post) would appear not too long after with the only occurrence of Stone Cold Steve Austin's Smoking Skull WWF Championship late in the BCA line.




Finally, the "Total Attitude" Grapple Gear boxed set issued re-releases of weapons and accessories including the aforementioned Attitude Hardcore, Tag Team, Intercontinental, and WWF Championship belts.




There were rumors of an additional Off the Mat #2 boxed set being in the works, but nothing came out of the speculation.

In the end, the five boxed sets outlined above were the only remnants to speak of, leaving some with a desire for more and others with a feeling of satisfaction for having been given anything (compared to the Hasbro WWF years).

A total of 21 belts were produced, though that doesn't take into consideration the thousands of sets that stocked Toys"R"Us shelves in all.

We have the luxury now of tracking down 1 of 1,000 belt variants in the Mattel WWE line and having near-fully-colored belts released for singles figures as part of the Defining Moments, Elite, and Legends series.

It's been a long time coming, but the BCA belts are still champions in my book.

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

- Alex

LVJR - Sunburns and leaf blowers

This time last week I was several thousand feet in the air on my way to an enjoyable five-day, four-night vacation at a luxurious resort in Puerto Rico.

Now, I'm writing this blog post.

Something is definitely wrong with this picture.

Though, I'll take the comfort of shelter away from the sun if it means never having to feel the agony of this sunburn again.

Us fair-skinned people just do not stand much of a chance, it seems.

So, while I'm nursing my delicate skin and peeling as good as any grapefruit out there, I thought I'd share some pics of a few recent purchases of mine in this the fifteenth installment of my "Latest Vintage Jakks Receivings" series of posts.



Thanks to WrestlingFigs.com forum member deadmanfan92, whose eBay alias is squaredcirclefan, I was able to shorten the list of names on my most wanted list for the BCA line.

I paid $17.49 shipped for these four MOC figures including Ringside Collection Series 1 Sable (in her repainted red dress), S.T.O.M.P. Series 1 Undertaker (which completes my S.T.O.M.P. Series 1-4 collection), Fully Loaded Series 2 Stone Cold Steve Austin (in chaps painted like blue jeans! Wait, what?!), and Signature Series 6 Vince McMahon (likely his last BCA figure produced).

It comes out to about $4.37 per MOC figure which isn't too bad of a deal, especially since I wanted three of the four for my loose collection (I already have Vince).



With that said, let's take a look at the other three who have escaped their plastic confines.




Ringside Collection Series 1 Sable -

I don't know about any of you, but for the longest time I thought this figure was a variant.

I always compared it with the Managers Series 1 figure in a black dress, and I never owned this version even as a kid.

Now that I do, well, it's not much different from her figure in the 2-pack with "Wildman" Marc Mero, who (and I'm not sure it wasn't) coincidentally had a red attire repaint of his own. Make that two if you count the Live Wire Series 2 "Marvelous" Marc Mero figure in red boxing trunks.

On this particular Sable, the makeup is applied heavily and I'm not crazy about the two-shade eyebrows, but the red gown with gold sparkles and red fingernail polish are a nice touch.

Personally, I prefer the Managers Series 1 figure but, again, it's not that much different.



Fully Loaded Series 2 Stone Cold Steve Austin -

I think I broke his leaf blower accessory within minutes of opening the package, but maybe I'm wrong since there isn't anything to technically break on it.

It's an awesome sculpt for yet another unusual weapon added to the mix, but Austin is rather plain in comparison.

For as often as we were "treated" to street gear figures in the BCA line, this one just doesn't offer much that can't be found elsewhere. This was released shortly before the 2 Tuff Series 3 Austin opposite Undertaker, and truthfully the appeal with Fully Loaded Series 2 lies in a gardening tool that I don't recall Austin ever using on TV.

I've deduced that Austin's lower body was repainted from Slammers Series 2 Shawn Michaels, the same mold which can be found in my previous post about Shotgun Series 2.

Why not just use a traditional jean mold, you might be asking yourself?

Why is the sky blue? Why is the grass green?

Oh, my bad, I was only reciting Jakks Pacific's response to whenever they make a poor decision.

It's just the way it is.



S.T.O.M.P. Series 1 Undertaker -

I had a S.T.O.M.P. Series 1 Undertaker growing up that I used in my figure fed as a character named Weapon.

Unfortunately, I no longer own the original, but he lives on in my CAW roster for the Nintendo 64 video game "WWF WrestleMania 2000."

He's been a jobber for as long as I can remember, but I guess he wins by default in the "Final S.T.O.M.P. figure acquired to complete my collection" contest.

Yay for anoxeric 'Taker in purple knee pads and a black, skintight shirt with frayed, painted-on sleeves like he's been saddled up next to Tom Hanks in "Cast Away" for the past three years of shelf life.

Soon, I must review the S.T.O.M.P. line. Until then, I'll just leave you with these three mugs.


My take: Any of these figures would be great to fill out a collection, but I wouldn't suggest buying them the first time around.

Sable has had better repaints (personally, I think the black dress looks better for her original sculpt), Austin has had better street gear figures (any with jorts and a vest/t-shirt will do, though shirtless with ACTUAL jeans is not a bad look either), and the S.T.O.M.P. line has, as I've said in the past, an acquired taste, but feel free to hoard S.T.O.M.P. accessories (and, believe me, you will if you complete a collection).

Fun fact: Shall we share in the delight of the S.T.O.M.P. Series 1 backstory?

Follow me...

"WASHINGTON D.C. - Rumors surfaced over the Internet suggesting that an elite corps of the World Wrestling Federation may be responsible for devastating anti-terrorist attacks around the world. The United States government neither denied nor confirmed that such a group exists, but sources deep inside the Pentagon provided some sketchy details. According to these sources, the government secretly hand-picked wrestlers to form an underground militia to bring war criminals to justice.

The World Wrestling Federation would not comment on the story, but during the period in question, as well as in recent months, some of their top wrestlers were unexplainably absent from the ring. Stone Cold Steve Austin, Ahmed Johnson, Crush, Brian Pillman, Undertaker, and Ken Shamrock are among those suspected of being part of this Special Tactical Operations Military Police, or STOMP as they are known, but others may be involved as well. A full scale media investigation is expected to shed light on these bizarre allegations, but until then the story remains clouded in speculation and unsubstantiated rumor.

Please see STOMP, A11"

Did I say delight? I meant literary diarrhea.

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

- Alex