Mattel’s WWE line has finally hit retail, and it’s time to answer the question on everyone’s mind: are the figures any good? Has Mattel successfully taken up the mantle from Jakks and added to the proud legacy of WWE figures? It is finally time to find out.

FIGURES AND MORE EXCLUSIVE!!

MATTEL WWE BASIC SERIES 1 REVIEW

This first series of reviews will cover the six figures that comprise Series One of Mattel’s WWE Basic figure assortment. These figures are the main component of Mattel’s WWE line. There will be a new wave of Basic figures every other month. The Basic line will alternate with the Pay Per View themed assortments. These figures come with no accessories and have no entrance attire. They are “ready to wrestle” figures. They are extremely detailed sculpts, featuring “Real Scan” faces and accurately sculpted bodies.The Basic Series also exemplifies the “Superstar Scale” feature of the line. The figures are all scaled to match the relative height differences of their real life counterparts. All Basic-style figures have an average of 15 points of articulation. Six Superstars who are all marquee stars have been chosen to make up Basic Series One. They are: John Cena, HHH, Evan Bourne, Kofi Kingston, Batista and the Big Show. I will be reviewing the figures one at a time and there will be images you can enlarge in a gallery underneath each figure.

Big Show: We kick off the reviews with the World’s Largest Athlete, the Big Show. Big Show stands 7 ½ inches tall and is wearing a clenched teeth expression. It is a well done, if simplistic figure. Here is the breakdown.

Articulation: Big Show is articulated as follows: ball jointed head, ball jointed shoulders, rotor cut biceps, jointed elbows, rotor cut wrists, jointed hands, twisting waist, t-cut legs, jointed knees, rotor cut ankles and jointed feet. All of this articulation makes it more than possible to perform any of Big Show’s moves. His hands are posed to deliver his two most famous moves. The right hand is poised for a chokeslam, the left for a knockout punch.  SCORE: 4 out of 5

Attire: It’s the Big Show. He wears a black singlet, which is exactly what he wears here. It’s accurate, just not very exciting. SCORE: 3 out of 5

Deco: This is where the real difference between Mattel and Jakks comes through. Big Show has ALL of his tattoos, including both shoulders, the lady on his lower left leg and the initials TKE on his lower right leg, These tattoos are not just accurately reproduced, but they are in COLOR. This is above and beyond what anyone should expect from a Basic figure. SCORE: 5 out of 5

Accessories: It depends whether or not you count the display stand and nameplate. If you don’t, there aren’t any. SCORE: N/A

OVERALL SCORE: 4 out of 5

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Kofi Kingston: Next up is a man who really came into his own late last year, the high flier from Ghana, West Africa: Kofi Kingston. Kofi stands 6½ inches tall and is wearing his traditional easy-going smile. The skin color is really well done on this figure as is the attire color. Here is the breakdown.

Articulation: It seems only right that someone as flexible and acrobatic in the ring as Kofi should have a figure with so much articulation. Kofi has the exact same articulation as Big Show (ball jointed head, ball jointed shoulders, rotor cut biceps, jointed elbows, rotor cut wrists, jointed hands, twisting waist, t-cut legs, jointed knees, rotor cut ankles and jointed feet). There is only one problem with Kofi’s articulation. You will never see his knees, because he has on large kneepads that tie into the deco on his boots. Because of this, his knees do not bend back as fully as they would otherwise. This is a minor gripe, but, in the spirit of a fair and honest review, I thought it was worth mentioning. Definitely not major enough to affect the score. SCORE: 4 out of 5

Attire: Mattel shows that they have done their homework and definitely used all of the reference material provided to them by WWE. Kofi’s tights, boots, headband and wristbands are JUST  THE RIGHT SHADE of green and yellow. I cannot emphasize enough how hard it is to mess this up. Well done Mattel. SCORE: 5 out of 5

Deco: Kofi has one shoulder tattoo that. honestly, I couldn’t have told you was there. His tights have the word “Kingston” on the back of them. He has yellow designs on either side of his trunks and an intricate yellow palm tree image on either side, which begins at the mid-way point of the outside his kneepad and continues to the bottom of the boot, just above the kick pad. This design is incredibly intricate and looks incredible when the two parts are lined up. SCORE: 5 out of 5

Accessories: Just the stand and nameplate.  SCORE: N/A

OVERALL SCORE: 4.7 out of 5

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Triple H: Next up is the King of Kings, the Cerebral Assassin, one Half of DX, Mr McMahon’s Son-in-Law, a Former 13 time Heavyweight Champion and The Game: Triple H. Triple H stands 6¾ inches tall and he is wearing a grim facial expression. This is one of the better Triple H figures I have seen. The hair color is just right, it’s not too blond and just dark enough. Likewise, the musculature is defined, but is not overly exaggerated. here is the breakdown.

Articulation: Same as the other figures. Triple H’s articulation allows him to perform all the appropriate moves and poses. SCORE: 4 out of 5

Attire: Triple H comes in simple black trunks and black boots. In addition, he comes with knee and elbow pads.  SCORE: 3 out of 5

Deco: Triple H comes with a faithfully reproduced skull with cross logo on the front and back of the trunks and on the outside of each boot. In addition, there is a cross logo on the back side of each elbow pad. SCORE: 4 out of 5

Accessories: Same as the others. SCORE: N/A

OVERALL SCORE: 3.7 out of 5

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John Cena: The Champ or, rather, the former Champ is here! The Doctor of Thuganomics makes his way to you and Mattel has created this figure using plenty of Hustle, Loyalty and Respect. Cena stands 6.7 inches tall and  wears a grim facial expression and his musculature is designed to match the real thing. There are even molded veins on the biceps. Here is the overview.

Articulation: The same as the other figures. Every move, from the Attitude adjustment to  the STF, is possible. SCORE: 4 out of 5

Attire: Cena comes in jean shorts, with the bottom of the knees pads molded in and three tones sneakers. He also has painted-on wristbands and a painted-on bicep band. SCORE: 4 out of 5.

Deco: Cena;s wristbands each carry a different design. The right wristband carries the “U Can’t C Me” logo and the left wristband carries the “HLR” (Hustle Loyalty Respect) logo. In addition, the left bicep band has the word “Cenation” on it. The sneakers are colored in black, white and orange and are designed to look authentic. I apologize in advance. I tried to take pictures of the wristbands and bicep band, but the logos are tiny. SCORE: 4 out of 5

Accessories: U Can’t C Them. SCORE: N/A

OVERALL SCORE: 4 out of 5

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Batista: The Animal is next up in Series One. Batista stands 7 inches tall and has a grim, determined facial expression. His body is molded in plastic using what Mattel designers call the “baked” skin tone, which is used for tanned Superstars. Batista carries all of his many tattoos. It is a very well done figure that captures the intensity of Batista. Here is the breakdown.

Articulation: Same as the other figures. You can Spinebuster, Spear and Batista Bomb to your heart’s content. SCORE: 4 out of 5

Attire: Batista is wearing red tights and boots and has black knee and elbow pads. Simple, but well done. The knee and elbow pads are particularly detailed. SCORE: 4 out of 5

Deco: Batista has an extraordinary amount of deco. Every tattoo, from the sun around his navel to his intricate back design has been faithfully reproduced. The back design in particular is extraordinarily impressive. Batista also has tattoos on both arms. In addition, his tights carry his name on the front and a dragon design on the back. His elbow pads each carry a silver logo with his name in the center. The tattoos are all in color and extremely detailed. The amount of deco and color on this figure is quite a bit more than you would normally expect on a “Basic” figure. SCORE: 5 out of 5

Accessories: Stand and a nameplate. SCORE: N/A

OVERALL SCORE: 4.3 out of 5

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Evan Bourne: The heir to the young high-flier throne once occupied by Jeff Hardy. RAW’s aerial daredevil makes his debut in Mattel’s first Basic series. Bourne stands just under 6 inches tall and is wearing a determined facial expression. This is a good first effort at Evan Bourne, though I think the next figure you should wear a smirking facial expression, which is more in line with Evan’s character. Anyway, here’s the breakdown.

Articulation: Same as the others, which is more than enough to perform all of Evan’s high flying aerial acrobatics, including his signature Shooting Star Press, affectionately referred to as “Air Bourne.” SCORE: 4 out of 5

Attire: Evan is wearing his signature tights and boots, which have high tops that reach the knees and laces in the back. The tights are well done, as are the boots. The laces are molded instead of merely painted on. Score: 4 out of 5

Deco: Evan’s tights are extraordinarily detailed with his shooting star press logo faithfully reproduced on both sides. The only other deco is a pair of painted on red bicep bands. Though I wish they were fabric, it’s a nice touch that they included these. The boots also have an intricate molded design on them. SCORE: 4 out of 5

Accessories: Nope.  SCORE: N/A

OVERALL SCORE: 4 out of 5

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Here is a pic of all of the figures together, showing off the “Superstar Scale.”

Closing Comments: So, as you can see, Mattel is off to a good start with their newly minted WWE line. If these 6 figures are indicative of what we can expect over the next few months from Mattel, I, for one, am very excited about this era of WWE Figure collecting. Considering these figures have no accessories, this line’s score is unusually high.

MATTEL WWE BASIC SERIES 1 OVERALL SCORE: 4.1 out of 5

The Mattel Basic Series 1 figures reviewed here are on shelves now. Next up, Mattel basic Two packs Series One.