I
used to really like – nay, adore
– Mick Foley.
He
was a hero to me for the many different things that he not only
pursued, but excelled at. There’s no questioning that he’s a
bona-fide wrestling Legend. He changed the face of the business and
is one of the greatest sports entertainers to have ever entered the
ring. I can’t mention Hulk Hogan, Stone Cold, Ric Flair, or The
Rock without mentioning Mick Foley. He was an innovator and a
trendsetter like none other.
Mick
Foley is also an ambassador of Christmas, and there are few things I
love more than Christmas.
But
over the course of time, the combination of Foley’s recurring talk
of politics and his time in TNA Wrestling tarnished his image to me.
I still had a tremendous amount of respect for the man, but it was
for who he had been and not who he currently was. Well, mostly. I’m
super-impressed by his work with multiple charities, particularly
RAINN.
But
nothing will ever change Foley’s initial impact on me. I’ll
always respect Mick Foley – for being an incredible entertainer,
for being a guy that never stopped chasing his dreams, for being a
great father. He wasn’t one of the guys that I had to grow to
appreciate. He was compelling to me from the get-go. He exuded
charisma and intensity in everything that he did as Mankind. I didn’t
know about Cactus Jack until later, when he teamed up with Terry Funk
as Chainsaw Charlie to take on the New Age Outlaws.
I
appreciate that Mattel chose to make this figure. This isn’t
moneymaking Mankind. Usually when we see a Mankind figure it’s from
Foley’s later years as the character, when he wore a white
button-up shirt, a necktie, and the mask spent more time off of his
head than on it. This is scary Mankind. This is the dark, twisted
side of Mick Foley that unnerved children and his opponents alike.
First
Glance
This
is definitely Manky – as no one ever called him.
All
of the key parts – hair, mask, shirt, boots – look great. His
legs are too long, like most of the Elite series. I wonder how much
that shirt is going to interfere with his articulation.
Also,
is it just me or does his head kind of look like Fozzy Bear?
Packaging
This
is where things get weird.
I
don’t know the story of why this figure was only offered as an
Amazon Exclusive or why it is in a blister card more akin to Mattel’s
regular WWE line as opposed to the Elite style of packaging, because
this is definitely an Elite-style figure. But you know me – aside
from gauging how eye-catching and practical packaging is, I really
don’t give much of a rat’s ass about it. Ninety-five percent of
the boxes my toys come in go in the garbage.
This
is a simple blister card – which I love – with some really nice
graphics and a bio on the back. And it’s a good bio.
The
best thing about this bio is that is focuses solely on Mankind and
doesn’t delve into any other Foley personas, not even “Mic
Foley”. Aside from a mention of the legendary Hell in a Cell match
– which you can’t very well not
mention – it all pertains to brown-shirted dungeon guy Mankind.
Side
Note: “Dungeon Guy” is my own personal Mankind descriptor. He
always looked to me like he was some kind of executioner or torturer
that lived/worked in a dungeon.
Looks
This
is an incredible head sculpt. I’m not sure if this is the facial
expression I would have gone with, but it’s Foley through and
through. I wondered if maybe this head was intended for a later
Mankind (when he was more frequently joyous), but I don’t think
Foley’s hair was ever this long once he started wearing the shirt
and tie.
The
hair is sculpted to look wild and tangled, and even features two
shaved spots on top.
The mask is part of the sculpt, so it doesn’t
look odd or too big like figures with a removable mask tend to
(though JAKKS did produce one decent Mankind with a removable mask).
The studs on the mask are sculpted on and so is Foley’s beard. I’m
also noticing that the top of the mask and the hair are a separate
piece, so it’s possible that the bottom of the head was used
elsewhere.
The
shirt is used to bulk the figure out a bit – not that Foley was as
large this early in his WWF career – and the shirt is a great piece
of sculpting. The frayed edges look great, but what really impresses
me is the fact that the trim and logos are sculpted and not just
paint.
The
shirt is a textured brown plastic that resembles fabric while the
trim and logos are a lighter, glossy brown. Even the studs are
individually painted silver. If you look closely, you can even see
that the frayed edges have layers to them. This is truly an excellent
piece.
Mankind’s
wicked Mandible Claw apparatus is also sculpt. There’s a strap
around his wrist that goes up the outside of his hand and connects to
the casing that covers (and protects) his middle fingers. It’s
weird and ominous and I love it.
The
left arms features Foley’s gruesome Deathmatch scars. I’ve seen
these handled different ways and I’m not sure what’s right. When
they’re sculpted they tend to be too raised and look like
artificial battle damage (which is wrong because they are legit
battle damage). Paint can look okay, but Mattel used too deep a shade
of red here. Also, I’m not sure this scar is entirely accurate.
Side
Note: I find it so odd that Mattel will put heinous,
barbed-wire-inflicted scars on action figures but not nipples, which
we are all born with. Unless you’re Lizard People, in which case I
apologize for generalizing.
Mankind’s
boots look great. If you’d asked me yesterday what color Mankind’s
boots were I would’ve told you brown and I would’ve been wrong.
These are accurate, with brown silver-studded straps over black
boots.
Accessories
Mankind
comes with two pieces of hair. They plug into the bald spots on his
head so that you can have crazy Mankind or crazier Mankind (crazier
being the one that has yanked his hair out).
They work wonderfully
and stay put. This was such a neat feature that Mattel would have
been perfectly reasonable to skip. What’s most impressive is how
good the head looks with or without the hair plugged in.
Fun
Mattel
probably could have gotten away with making this figure with the
articulation from their standard line. If you don’t know, the
difference is double-jointed knees, ball-jointed hips with thigh
swivels, and an abdominal joint. Mankind’s shirt restricts the
usefulness of everything but the knees. Not totally – the shirt is
soft enough to allow for a little movement out of the hip joints. I’m
not saying I’m not glad
this is an Elite figure. And thanks to those hip joints, you can
achieve a number of Mankind’s sitting and/or squatting type poses.
All
of these Elite figures are fun to play with. Adding the interactive
accessories (the hair) on top of the great articulation makes this a
worthwhile toy as well as a nice-looking collectible.
Overall
When
this Mankind was first offered he was only fifteen bucks. Like I said
– I don’t know what led to this great figure being an Amazon
Exclusive or why it got a lower price point than other Elite
releases, but it’s worth every penny. Of course, now that time has
passed that price has crept up.
If
you’re a fan of Foley or of classic WWF, this is a must-have for
your collection.
5
out of 5
I
would love to see similar releases of Dude Love and Cactus Jack.
Heck, I’d buy a repaint of this one if they stuck all three in a
Faces of Foley box set.
Until
then, if you want this Mankind you can buy him here and help out
Needless Things!:
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