I wanted
to go ahead and knock these out before Dragon Con because I was still
excited about them and because I don’t know how much tolerance the
average Needless Things reader has for wrestling toys.
Actually,
I don’t know anything about you guys because Blogger’s comments
system is bullshit. So be sure to find us on Facebook
and Twitter,
as well as following Phantom Troublemaker on Instagram. It’s much
easier to interact those places. And maybe – just maybe – at some
point I’ll figure out something better to do with the site.
I let
myself buy Bray Wyatt.
Obviously that meant I was going to have to get Harper and Rowan as
well. Not just because they’re three peas in a dirty, backwoods
pod, but because they come with the rest of Bray’s accessories.
It’s
funny – for the most part I have gotten away from wrestling toys.
But Mattel has just happened to unleash a bunch of figures right
around the same time that hit my sweet spot. The Wyatt family, Andre
the Giant, and the Amazon Exclusive Mankind are all figures that I
probably shouldn’t have bought, but that were characters that I
like enough to have gone outside of my current collecting norms. It
doesn’t hurt that Mattel’s WWE action figure line is one of the
best on the market.
Luke
Harper doesn’t have a sheep mask, so he might initially seem like
the less interesting of Bray’s henchmen. But he has two things that
put him on equal footing with his tag team partner, Erick – sweat
stains and crazyface. This guy makes some of the creepiest, weirdest
faces in the business. And apparently his sweat stains were so
integral to his character that Mattel thought it worth the expense to
make them a paint app on the figure.
That’s
some crucial sweat, right there.
FIRST
GLANCE
I’m
not quite sure what I would make of this figure if I didn’t have
the context of his story from watching WWE. I suppose it’s a given
that I would know he’s a wrestler, but I don’t know that I would
identify him as a sort of sociopathic gang member. He looks more
Bushwhacker-y, if I’m being honest. Especially with that face.
While I know that it’s part of his weirdo character, it would look
kind of silly without the proper knowledge.
Of
course, none of that matters because the WWE line is one the few
lines in stores today that still features comprehensive biographies
on the
PACKAGING
The
WWE Elite series packaging is nice. It isn’t too
overdone and fits the figures nicely without a ton of wasted space.
The shape and graphics are eye catching and I like that the graphic
depicting the wrestlers is nice and big, it’s on the front of the
box in a prominent position, and it doesn’t block any portion of
the figure. As I mentioned with Bray
Wyatt,
the picture looks kind of computer-y. Like the character select
images in the video games.
Like
Bray’s figure, I find the description of Luke’s shirt to be
slightly off. Wouldn’t “plaid” have been a better word to use
than “flannel”? Because that thing is quite clearly one but not
the other.
This
is another great bio. I certainly couldn’t have written one hundred
words (yes – exactly one hundred, which leads me to believe there
is a minimum 100-word count for these bios) about Luke Harper.
Granted, only 19 of them are specifically about
Luke Harper, but it’s still an impressive bio.
Side
Note: Okay, so it’s 99 words and an ampersand. Whatever.
LOOKS
Once
again Mattel has knocked it out of the park with this likeness. Not
only that, they chose a great facial expression. You guys know that I
normally prefer my figures to be neutral, but I was serious before
when I said that Harper’s crazyface was a big part of his gimmick.
The raised eyebrows and the protruding tongue are great. Even more
importantly, the facial proportions are perfect – nose, eyes, beard
– everything looks great.
The
base figures consists of what I assume is a fairly standard torso and
arms with jeans and boots. Unlike the feet of the Masters of the
Universe Classics line – which all pretty much look like dinner
rolls – Harper’s boots are detailed with seams and laces. The
jeans are the baggy kind that Harper wears and are probably generic
enough to be used as other sorts of pants on other sorts of figures.
The real point of interest is the handkerchief dangling from the back
pocket. The sculpt is fantastic, but the deco is what is really
surprising. Not just because of the excellent detail, but because it
is there at all. This is just another example of the commitment that
Mattel is showing to this line.
The
other non-removable elements on this figure are his white tank top –
more of a sleeveless t-shirt, really – and the fabric wrapped
around his wrists.
The
tank top is a separate piece made from a plastic soft enough to allow
some movement of the figure’s abdominal joint. It’s thin enough
to look good as a shirt and looks so much better than it would if it
were part of the body sculpt. This simple piece gives the figure so
much more character and dimension. And the sweat stain deco is just
awesome.
I
assume the wrist wrappings are bandanas or something. They look good
and – like the shirt – just add a little more depth to the
figure. Obviously they would look like crap if they were just painted
on, but even if they were sculpted as part of the figure they
wouldn’t have the same look. It’s amazing how two little bits of
rubber can do so much for a figure’s profile.
ACCESSORIES
Harper
comes with a “flannel” (plaid) shirt and a glow-in-the-dark
lantern.
I
won’t shy away from telling you that the glow-in-the-dark lantern
was a factor in my decision to buy the entire Wyatt clan. The fact
that it wasn’t just a lantern, but that it was a phosphorescent
thing of beauty certainly played into things. It’s a nice looking
lantern with plenty of detail and a handle that pivots.
The
shirt is easy enough to remove from the figure. It has a sculpted
collar and looks just fine. The plaid is just a bunch of black lines,
but that’s all you need, really. It’s a soft plastic like the
t-shirt underneath. Again – it just adds to the profile of the
figure. It’s a nice bit of gear to have.
FUN
These
Elite figures are packed with articulation and all of it is
particularly useful on Luke Harper. The figure can be posed in ways
that the actual wrestler probably can’t.
The
ankles have a much greater range of motion than they appear to. You
have to carefully loosen them up a bit, but there’s a great degree
of pivoting in both directions. The rest of Harper’s joints are all
quite functional and have very satisfying ranges. As with the paint
decos, Mattel seems to have put an awful lot into making this portion
of the figure high quality. Everything looks great and functions
well.
If
you’re curious, the differences between this and a basic release
are the abdominal pivot, ball joint hips, double pivot knees, and
rocker feet. I’m pretty sure the basics use ball joint heads since
most of the head sculpts end up being shared. I don’t think the
basics have as many different body sculpts as the Elite, either, so
while Elite CM Punk and Evan Bourne may have different torsos, basics
of the same guys might be the same.
OVERALL
It’s
a guy in jeans and a couple of cut up shirts, but I am extremely
happy with Luke Harper. Mattel put a lot of effort into making this a
strong figure and it paid off. It looks great, it’s fun to play
with, and it’s under twenty bucks. I also dig that Mattel figured
out a way to get all of Bray Wyatt’s appropriate accessories out
into the market.
5
out of 5
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