I’m a self-confessed vintage toy nerd. I collect vintage wrestling action figures from the 80’s & 90’s. I started purchasing some vintage toys out of nostalgia. Well, WWE and Mattel sucked me into their new stuff. I now buy a few figures a month. You can view photos of my collection on my Instagram account.
The lineup in Elite 47.5 is solid. I’m glad Mattel is trying to put out an in-between series instead of sending mixed collection of elites to retail. Elite Series 47.5 includes debut Goldust, The Ascension (Konnor & Victor), Flyin’ Brian Pillman, Kane and The Rock.
We give our thoughts on each figure and include some pictures.
Goldust – I’ve been waiting for this figure since I first started collecting Mattel figures. This attire is from Goldust’s debut appearance at an ‘In Your House” PPV during the New Generation era. This figure would have been amazing if it came with a gold Intercontinental title. Kudos to Mattel for adding a cloth robe instead of a hard plastic one.
Flyin’ Brian Pillman – We already got a Pillman figure from his short run in the WWF in the early Legends series, so it was long overdue to get one from his early days in WCW. I loved this time in Pillman’s career. I was a young wrestling fan and enjoyed him jumping off the top rope when not many wrestlers did.
The Rock – I believe this flashback figure is from his appearance at Wrestlemania X-Seven when he faced Stone Cold Steve Austin. This is arguably considered the best Wrestlemania overall. The shirt the Rock wore during this time period is a nice touch for this figure. He wore it quite a bit when he had surgery on his pecs.
The Ascension (Viktor & Konnor) – I would have loved if The Ascension elites came with the NXT Tag Team Championships, but the entrance gear is pretty cool. I’m not too sure how well these will sell, since tag team elites have struggled to sell out at retail. I think they are cool and will probably pick them up.
Kane – This figure is from the transition from Corporate Kane to Demon Kane. The smiling Kane headscan is a little weird, but he was acting a big happy when the mask was off. I would have liked ‘World’s Greatest Director of Operations’ coffee mug accessory. I like the little display for the mask, it’s a nice touch.
Elite 47.5 is expected to hit retail in February 2017.
The lineup for Elite 48 has already been announced, but I’m waiting on MOC images to post a review. It has some solid Flashbacks like the Boogeyman.
You can pre-order everything at RingsideCollectibles.com. I’m not getting paid to plug them (although it would be nice to get a nice discount – wink wink). I just highly recommend them. I’ve been pleased with every purchase.
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About the Author…
Bobby Roberts (otherwise known as Sweetbob) is the creator of ‘America’s White Boy’ and contributor at Project Shanks. His writing has been featured on ESPN’s ‘SportsNation’, Sports Illustrated’s Hot Clicks, Guyspeed, and various other sites. You can follow him on Twitter at @Sweetbob.