The S.H. Figuarts line has rapidly become one of the biggest and most diverse lines in recent years, but I was still stunned to see the WWE brand join them. Stone-cold stunned.
Launching the line with two of the “Attitude Era’s” most iconic stars was certainly a way to get my attention. When early pictures of Steve Austin and the Rock started popping up, I knew I would at least have to give these a shot. I opted for Austin first, but I have to say, I almost just got them both in one shot.
Once getting the figure in hand, the first thing that really surprised me, though maybe it shouldn’t have, was how tiny this box is!
The last Figuarts stuff I’ve purchased was the AVP and Injustice figures, themselves not gigantic, but this was still about as space-saving a figure package I think I’ve ever seen for a 1:12 figure. But, of course, that was indicative of something else …
Let’s start with looks, though. Austin comes with four alternate head sculpts, and the scanned-in sculpt and paintwork are really top notch, though I really feel like the packaged head is the strongest. There, the likeness is vastly superior to the Mattel versions, and, hey, those aren’t half bad either. The other three more “zany” heads look good, but not as impressive as the stoic one. Austin is depicted in his classic leather vest look, very early 2000s vintage, and his proportions and build are pretty realistic, in comparison to the cookie-cutter mass market occasionaly gives him. The skin-tone maybe could have used just a little more paint to ward off some of that plastic-y look, since the faces did this so well, but the looks are solid.
Articulation is a nice mix of subtle but functional. Using a combination of the butterfly joints, the torso joints, and the elbow joints and swivels, there is a ton of personality possible in his upper body. The opting for the more import-savvy swivels over the bicep swivel does help the sculpt lines a bit, and it doesn’t impact the posing nearly as much as I thought it would. Lower body consists of those pivoting “drop-down” hip joints, double knees, and ankle and toe joints. I like the combination of sculpted elements and “pegged-in” ones for his knee braces, as they don’t hinder his knee articulation much at all. I may have mentioned it before, but I’m still not a fan of this style of hip joint — I think it loses sturdiness and some playability in favor of some minor cosmetics. That said, these work well and look good from most angles — except the butt. I suppose if you can appreciate the fact that, well, you can kiss his ass.
Part and parcel to that articulation would be his accessories — let’s call them “dynamic beer cans.” He comes with a pair of, presumably, Coors cans in mid-fountain. Pretty damn cool, if you ask me. And, of course, there’s pegged hands to facilitate, along with some proper articulated “salute” fingered hands. Add that to the extra heads, and you can throw the vest in there too, since it’s removable, and that’s not too shabby.
There’s just one problem where I’m concerned. One of my regular complaints with Mattel’s WWE figures is the continuation of that old Jakks 7-inch scale. In and of itself it’s not too terrible to mix in with other figures, since WWE loves to overbill their stars as literally larger than life, but the prospect of more real-world 1:12 was really enticing.
Figuarts can (and do), like most import figures, run a little small, though. My hope was maybe we would see a happy accident of WWE oversize combining with that import underscale to get me a nice, Marvel Legends-size Stone Cold.
Well … not quite. Close, but not quite.
Figuarts WWE is going to be more true 1:12 scale than, say, maybe the other two of their lines I’ve collected. Now, nobody thought we were going to be remotely scaled to the Mattel line, but I was hoping we’d be a little more toward the middle. Being billed at 6 foot 2 and like 260 lbs, Stone Cold only really looks imposing with figures like DC Icons or movie masters, outside the intended Figuarts compatriots. It’s not really the height, since at 6.25 inches he’s about right to where he ought to be, it’s more the mass. And it’s in that mass, with his head and hands’ size, that he maybe doesn’t come across as big as he should with figures of the same height, if that makes sense. He’s a good size, just not quite the proportions I was hoping for.
That’s not really a failure of the figure, though. And, honestly, it’s close enough for 75 percent of what you might pair him up with, domestic figure wise. I’m just saying, for me, that was a bit of a downer. The rest of you will likely be fine, as it is pretty much right in line with the rest of the Figuarts figures, and he looks like he scales to The Rock just fine.
Overall, I think they did a bang-up job for a first outing, and while they sadly might not be what I’m looking for, I think a lot of folks will be quite pleased with this line going forward. And that’s the bottom line.