LVJR! ... It's Austin and the Backlash bunch!

Well, gee, it's been a while, hasn't it?

Almost like attending an awkward five-year high school reunion with people you really wouldn't care to forget about for another five years.

No? It's not like that, you say?

Oh, that's right.

It's like someone who allows a full month to pass with not even one miniscule update to said person's BCA figure blog.

Ouch.

Rest assured, I have kept busy.

I graduated from college after successfully completing (re: barely scraping by) a final research course, and my official degree will be delivered by the end of September.

In the mean time, I've received other notable items in the mail, though I'm sure N64 game cartridges and Jakks Pacific WWF wrestling figures will not look good on a resume.

Or so I've been told. By common sense.

But it will benefit those of you who haven't forgotten about this little ol' site, as here is the eighteenth installment of VJB's "Latest Vintage Jakks Receivings" series of posts.

I purchased several MOC Jakks BCA and TTL figures from an eBay seller (oftimespast, who I would greatly recommend) about a month ago and included was the last Signature Series figure I needed to complete the set, Series 6 Stone Cold Steve Austin, and five Backlash Series 4 figures I've been after for years.

Even though I ended up paying more than I usually would because of combined shipping charges, each figure cost about $6-7 shipped, I was more than satisfied with my purchases.

Signature Series 6 Austin uses one of my favorite figure molds, originally from the Austin/Rock 2 Tuff Series 5 2-pack, and the detail on the Backlash Series 4 figures is surprisingly good for being the second-to-last BCA figure series of throwaway repaints.

What more could you ask for then? Besides accessories, of course.

A few changes I would make to these figures that I think would be vast improvements:

1. Darker shades of blonde hair for Edge and Triple H; a dirty blonde shade would work fine for both (see: their respective Backlash Series 3 figures).

2. Detailed tats or simply scribbling lines on the underside of 'Taker's arms to give it that wrap-around effect; still, it's a very good effort for what it is (same goes for his final Backlash Series 5 figure).

3. You won't see it here, but there is a dreaded "thumbs up" arm variant for the Backlash Series 4 Austin. Oh, right, my suggestion? Burn the "thumbs up" arms. Every last one of them. In fact, Mr. Garrison sums up my thoughts nicely on that particular BCA arm mold.

So, with that being said, I'll leave you with a few detailed shots of the figures.

My take: Repaints are always a mixed bag, so try not to overspend (whoops) and, if you're not in the business of collecting every BCA figure (and if there is such a business, I wonder what it pays...), pick and choose the figures that fit best with your collection.

If you're a fan of late 1999/early 2000 attire repaints, then the Backlash Series is for you.

The Signature Series has its own collection of gems (a future post, perhaps?), and it shouldn't be looked over on account of measly facsimile signatures.

Fun fact: With the purchase of the Signature Series 6 Stone Cold Steve Austin figure, I now have one of every Signature Series figure.

However, I still need the Signature Series 3 torso variants for Austin, Edge, and Triple H.

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

- Alex