Thursday, April 21, 2016

Action Figure Review: Ryback (Series 41) from WWE Elite by Mattel

 Hungry for some more WWE review? Then let's take a look at Mattel's newest Elite version of Ryback from WWE Elite series 41. This is my first Ryback figure and he's sporting the Big Guy's colorful duds from Wrestlemania XXXI when he competed in the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal. He didn't win, though, but he did get somewhat of a push last year when he won the Intercontinental Championship at Elimination Chamber and held it for 112 days until Kevin Owens defeated him at Night of Champions 2015. Sometimes I really like Ryback and sometimes he kind of leaves me cold. He's a solid mid-carder, I guess. Anyways, let's take a closer look at this figure, shall we? Join me after the break...



 The Facts:

Height: 6 3/4 inches

Articulation: Hinged ankles with lateral rockers, boot swivels, double hinged knees, swivel thighs, ball jointed hips, swivel waist, hinged abdomen, swivel/hinge shoulders, swivel biceps, hinged elbows, swivel/hinge wrists, and a ball jointed head.

Accessories: T-shirt and weight belt

Non-Scalper Price: $20 dollars
 The Positives:

* Sturdy. Well articulated. Fun as heck to play with. Those are just a few of the words that can describe Mattel's WWE Elite figures. I love these toys! They're just great action figures, plain and simple. Ryback is an excellent toy and tons of fun to play around with as you let him smash and bash your other figures.

* While Mattel often misses on their likeness for female characters in the WWE, they nail the male performers almost perfectly. This is Ryback, plain and simple. The beard looks good, the expression is perfect, and even if you showed me this head completely divorced of the body or any and all context, I think I'd still know exactly who this was supposed to be.


* Ryback's singlet stands out. It's bold and blue with orange highlights, dripping letters, and the words "Feast Mode!" Pretty cool stuff. I'm really impressed by the number of paint apps and tamp stamps used here. The blue and orange color scheme reminds me of something, but I can't quite put a finger on it. Let me think for a minute...


* Not only does Ryback have the words "Big" and "Guy" stamped on the back of his boots, but he also has some silver jaws with the Ryback "R" logo stamped on the side. Does anyone else think the Ryback "R" looks like the Robin "R" logo?
* Oh my gosh! Seeing this massive tiger on the back of Ryback's outfit, I think I know what his outfit colors remind me of: Some of the later G.I. Joe Tiger Force figures! That's incredible! Throw in Sergeant Slaughter and Mattel's making more 6 inch G.I. Joe figures than Hasbro. If that long rumored G.I. Joe Black Series line doesn't get revealed at SDCC 2016, at least you can team Slaughter and Ryback up!

* Ryback comes with two accessories which you can gear him up with: One of those T-shirts with no sleeves or sides that he likes to wear and a weight belt. The weight belt is bright yellow with bold red letters and clearly lets you know that Ryback is "The Big Guy." I also dig the printing on the shirt. I love the Feed Me More slogan (I love the Feed Me Smores slogan even more!) and this looks pretty impressive.
 The Negatives:

* Do you think an actual fabric smock/ half t-shirt would have looked better? Mattel seems to be trying to move away from using soft goods as frequently as they used to but I think a real cloth shirt would have looked pretty slick. It's still not bad at all, but I think the cloth would have just been incredible.

 Considering the strength of the sculpt and the incredible paintwork, I think it's pretty easy to see that Ryback is an incredibly well done figure. While he's not doing much in the WWE at the moment (he's not on the injury list right now like everyone else, is he?) this figure is still worth picking up. I love the awesome color scheme and the great accessories. This is a Great and a 1/2 figure and a solid addition to the WWE Elite series!


I haven't reviewed any other figures of Ryback but I have reviewed plenty of other WWE figures from Mattel, including:

WWE by Mattel
AJ Lee (Series 53)
Bray Wyatt (Series 55)
Charlotte
Paige (Series 57)
Stephanie McMahon (Series 40)
Tyler Breeze

WWE Battle Packs by Mattel
Big E & Kofi Kingston
Konnor & Viktor 
Nikki Bella & Brie Bella (Series 38)

WWE Elite Collection by Mattel
Bad News Barrett (Series 34)
Bo Dallas 
Bray Wyatt
Bray Wyatt (Series 36)
Brock Lesnar (Series 37)
Cesaro (Series 33)
Damien Mizdow
Daniel Bryan (Series 38)
Dean Ambrose (Series 36) 
Dean Ambrose (Series 41)
Dolph Ziggler (Series 39)
Erick Rowan
Goldust (Series 36)
Hulk Hogan (Series 34)
Kane (Series 31)
Luke Harper (Series 35)
Mark Henry (Series 32)
The Miz (Series 37)
Paige
Randy Orton (Series 35)
Roman Reigns (Series 38)
Rusev 
Seth Rollins (Series 37) 
Stardust (Series 36)
Stephanie McMahon (Series 37)
Triple H (Series 35) 

WWE Elite Collection: Hall of Fame by Mattel
Sargent Slaughter
Stone Cold Steve Austin

WWE Elite Collection: Wrestlemania XXX by Mattel
Bray Wyatt

WWE Elite Collection: Wrestlemania 31 by Mattel
Seth Rollins (Seth Cashes In!) 


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