Ok, so here’s the deal. I was all set to review my Paul Bearer Build-a-Figure after finally tracking down the fourth and final member of the set on eBay – for a pretty good price I might add.
Naturally I had one chance to get the four figures in one swoop during a late night pit stop on my way home. But this set was exclusive to Walmart, and judging by the surplus of Basic Series 58, I assumed this wouldn’t be any problem, right? Oh so wrong. The set, for all of you who are curious, is Chris Jericho, Rusev, The Undertaker, and Neville. It was Neville who had proven so difficult to find again, so getting that package in the mail had me feeling pretty content and satisfied with myself.
I was basking in that satisfaction of having a long-pursued figure — even if I had to “cheat” by resorting to eBay — when I happened to glance at the helpful rear package of The Undertaker figure. Contains BAF Paul Bearer legs. Wait, say what? Jericho came with the head and urn, Rusev got the torso, but it was Neville who came with the legs and Undertaker with the arms, right? Not quite.
To my great annoyance in my excitement of spotting Neville on eBay for a reasonable price, I didn’t bother checking the BAF piece he was supposed to come with. And who sells a wave’s BAF part with the wrong figure? That’s just terrible. So now I still have an incomplete Paul Bearer. On the bright side, I’d been considering trying to track down some BAF legs since a customizer said those would help put the way-out-of-scale IRS figure to a more accurate height. So, I . . . kind of won?
That got me thinking about a larger problem, though. Mattel’s WWE BAF strategy is pretty screwy and in need of an overhaul. For starters, for some reason, it’s rare to see all four figures together, completely defeating the purpose of the BAF format.
Beyond maybe certain figures in the first wave of Walmart exclusive waves and the overall nightmare that was Series 8 distribution, Mattel never had any problems with the DC Classics line. Superman 23 seems like the most common missing figure from the BAF Justice Buster line, but even he’s been a figure I’ve seen on more than one occasion for the DC Multiverse line. And finding all the pieces to a Marvel Legends BAF, like the Odin AllFather set, is typically easy after the initial surge.
When it comes to the WWE BAF series? Well, hope you get lucky or you have to go the eBay route. The Curtis Axel figure was a nightmare to track down with the Toys R Us exclusive Jim Ross figure. He regularly still goes for $60 to $70 online.
Distribution is the main thing that needs to be addressed, at least early on in the set’s run. Make them plentiful so everyone who wants one has a legitimate shot at finding and buying them. The thrill of the hunt for most collectors is a myth. I get much more satisfaction finding a coveted figure on the first attempt than the 20th.
Secondly, Mattel has occasionally burned collectors with the highly coveted BAF figure eventually getting a standalone release. For everyone who took the time to assemble all the pieces for the 2013 Paul Heyman figure, the Battle pack version with Brock Lesnar made your efforts moot. It’s not like folks need multiple Heyman figures.
Thirdly, Mattel would probably be better suited making some loose theme for the BAF figures. Neville fans probably aren’t as interested in having a Paul Bearer figure as they are a more colorful attire for Neville than his Basic debut. Put Kane in Neville’s slot and those parts wouldn’t be so hard to come by. For BAF figures, it’s not about making any of the figures more in demand than the next otherwise everyone’s collection will feature an armless Paul Bearer.
Mattel isn’t getting out of the BAF line in the foreseeable future as a Mean Gene Okerlund figure is en route. And for everyone’s sake we can’t have a Mean Gene running around without arms.