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 48 is just all right. It is heavy on current Smackdown Live superstars with Cactus Jack and Boogeyman added as flashbacks.
This set could have issues selling out at retail since Dean Ambrose and Kalisto already have quite a few recent elites…but Boogeyman could be one of the best figures of 2017.
We give our thoughts on each figure and include some pictures.
The Boogeyman – Boogeyman is a character I’ve always thought would make an awesome elite. He wasn’t exactly the best in-ring performer, but his entrance and vignettes are very memorable. Mattel did great work with the clock. It has a breakable face, which I’ve heard is awesome in person. This is a must-buy for me.
Cactus Jack – This is ‘kind of’ a re-release figure since Ringside Collectibles put out a Cactus Jack exclusive a few years ago. Then it was supposed to be included in Target exclusive Hall of Fame series three, but Mick Foley had a contract dispute. The figure was pulled until he signed a new merchandising agreement. I missed out on the earlier Cactus Jack figure, so I like that we are getting another shot at owning him. I have a feeling a Dude Love elite will finally be out in 2017.
Dean Ambrose – Mattel has put out quite a few Ambrose elites, but this is the first with a cloth shirt accessory. It doesn’t have a new headscan and the attire isn’t all that different, so I can see people passing on this figure. The new microphone ‘might’ help sales a little, but would have been better if they included Mitch the Plant instead.
Dolph Ziggler – This is the first Ziggler elite with pants and long, brown hair. This figure should be a nice seller because of the attire change. There are a lot of Ziggler fans out there and it was due for another elite of him. It would have been nice to have some sort of cloth vest, but I’m sure that would have been out of budget.
Erick Rowan – This is only the second Rowan elite, but unlike many other current superstars that haven’t had a new elite in almost two years, it may fail to sell well. It doesn’t help that Rowan is out injured and hasn’t found his own way since first splitting from the Wyatts. He came back to the Wyatts after failing to get pushed as a singles wrestler. The new sheep mask is a nice touch.
Kalisto – It might be a little too soon for another Kalisto elite, but Mattel has a thing for masked wrestlers. They used to put out a new Rey Mysterio every other month, so they are now doing that with Kalisto. This comes with a trampoline accessory, but it’s really just hard plastic that is painted to look like a tramp. I may pass on this one, but I do enjoy the funny carded position of Kaliso jumping in the air.
Elite 48 should be found at retail by late-February or early-March.
Elite 49 was shown at Ringside Fest in October, but lineups have changed in the past, so I’ll wait to talk about that set until carded images are released.
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.