Post by Micro on Dec 7, 2011 19:07:48 GMT -5
Basic 2-Packs can be a mixed bag sometimes. At times, you get cool tag teams that otherwise wouldn't show up in the singles Basic series, like Cryme Tyme, Hart Dynasty, and the Usos. Also, you'll find nice debut figures that might not appear anywhere else, like Heath Slater, Michael Tarver, and Chavo Guerrero. Other times, the 2-packs contain unnecessary repaints, like Undertaker, John Cena, and Randy Orton. At worse, they warm the pegs forever like, the Colons, Legacy, and Jericho/Steamboat. Still, the 2-packs are a nice opportunity to get tag teams or notable rivalries and Mattel recently sweetened the deal by introducing accessories with Basic figures in the newly designed Battle Packs series!
I missed out on the inaugural set but recently received the newest series. The Battle Packs come in the cool new, white 2012 packaging and here are my thoughts on this set, starting with the weakest one, IMO...
Randy Orton vs. Mason Ryan
I was excited about this set when I heard about it because it comes with an updated randy Orton, with his recent bearded look, and a debut figure, Mason Ryan! Let's start with the Viper and Apex predator...
This is pretty much a standard Basic Orton with a few tweaks. Like his most recent Elite release, this Basic version is re-scaled to his proper height. It's nice that all the new Orton's are getting updated like this. He comes with green designs on his trunks, which is pretty close to his current look. He comes with his new headscan with the beard painted in. I was looking forward to seeing his crazy bearded look but this version just looks too dark and clean, IMO. The beard should've been a bit lighter and more scruffy-looking to be accurate.
Now let's look at the newest figure in the Mattel lineup, Batista...I mean, Mason Ryan...!
The monster from Wales comes in white attire with some clean logo designs. He also has the different type of knee pads with the opened back. He has an all new headscan which has a decent likeness. I'm still on the fence about his expression, he's got a kinda crazy look on his face!
Every Battle Pack comes with an accessory and with this set, we get an extra folding steel chair. Nothing new or exciting, really, but there's no specific accessory that I could think of for this pairing, so it's ok.
Overall, it's a decent set and only ranks last to me because bearded Orton didn't seem right and it has the weakest accessory of this series. Now, let's look at the latest tag team to get made...
Heath Slater & Justin Gabriel
This the second time both of these Superstars have been made as Basics and it's a nice update. Heath Slater has more details in his attire this time. He no longer has the Nexus armband and it's a good improvement over his previous release.
Heath Slater now comes with a new, more serious, headscan. The only thing I noticed that was off is that he seems to suffer from GNS (Giraffe Neck Syndrome), like Wade Barrett originally did.
Also updated is his tag team partner, Justin Gabriel, and it's a really nice one! His attire is a neat matte silver one with some beautiful African designs all over them. The designs are nearly identical to his Elite version but this color scheme just stands out better.
Another improvement is the headscan. It looks like it's the same from his original release but it includes his beard now and it looks better. Personally, I prefer this neutral scan to his Elite screaming one, so I'll probably do a quick headswap soon!
As tag team champions, this set comes with a highly anticipated set of belts, the new WWE Tag Team Titles!
The new tag belts come with dull, unpainted plates. The plastic itself is a little darker than normal to give it that bronze look. Like most of the dull belts, there is a lot of fine detail in the sculpting of the plates. They're nice belts and I'm glad that we get a full set of two in this 2-pack. At this point, every modern belt has been made, except the Divas belt. Also, we're only a handful of belts away from having full sets of both shiny and dull belts, which is really nice!
In summary, this is a cool set and the inclusion of the new tag team belts is an added plus! Now it's time to look at the best set of the series...
"Macho Man" Randy Savage vs. CM Punk
This was like a dream set when it was first announced; A new Basic version of the Macho Man along with the Best on the World! It seems like a random pairing from the All Stars game but these two figures tie-in together very nicely. Sadly, Randy Savage recently passed away (RIP, Macho Man!), a true legend of the ring and one of the most charismatic performers who ever stepped into the squared circle! The episode of Raw following the tragic news showed a small video memorial to Randy Savage but CM Punk showed a lot of class and respect by donning the Macho Man's signature attire for one night only as a special tribute to the fallen legend. It was a touching moment and it's great that Mattel commemorated it with this new Battle Pack!
CM Punk comes as a new Basic figure wearing the classic Macho Man pink attire with the CM Punk logo in the back. He also has his new chest tattoos, although they're devoid of any color.
Also, this Punk figure comes with his newest short-haired headscan, which is one of his best. It's identical to his popular Elite version but I liked that this time, his hair and beard color match rather than suddenly switching from brown to black.
This is a very cool CM Punk figure and nicely compliments the other figure in this set, the legendary Macho Man himself!
The Macho Man makes for a sweet Basic figure in his classic attire in light purple. All his trademark logos and details are there!
He also comes with the same original headscan. Mattel keeps using it but he still looks great as a Basic Legend. An added bonus accessory is his signature removable shades. Speaking of accessories, Macho Man comes with the best one for this series...The Classic Winged Eagle belt!
This is the same dull belt that came with L6 Ultimate Warrior but with the corrected black strap. It may not be shiny, like the one that came with DM5 Bret Hart, but it still looks nice and is a welcome addition to my belt collection!
Overall, Battle Packs Series 2 is a nice set. You get a lot of neat things here: Updated Basics, a debut figure, a new tag team, a sweet CM Punk tribute figure, a classic Legend, and three championship belts! I like the new Battle Packs, this is the first time I bought a full set of 2-packs since Mattel's debut Series 1!
I missed out on the inaugural set but recently received the newest series. The Battle Packs come in the cool new, white 2012 packaging and here are my thoughts on this set, starting with the weakest one, IMO...
Randy Orton vs. Mason Ryan
I was excited about this set when I heard about it because it comes with an updated randy Orton, with his recent bearded look, and a debut figure, Mason Ryan! Let's start with the Viper and Apex predator...
This is pretty much a standard Basic Orton with a few tweaks. Like his most recent Elite release, this Basic version is re-scaled to his proper height. It's nice that all the new Orton's are getting updated like this. He comes with green designs on his trunks, which is pretty close to his current look. He comes with his new headscan with the beard painted in. I was looking forward to seeing his crazy bearded look but this version just looks too dark and clean, IMO. The beard should've been a bit lighter and more scruffy-looking to be accurate.
Now let's look at the newest figure in the Mattel lineup, Batista...I mean, Mason Ryan...!
The monster from Wales comes in white attire with some clean logo designs. He also has the different type of knee pads with the opened back. He has an all new headscan which has a decent likeness. I'm still on the fence about his expression, he's got a kinda crazy look on his face!
Every Battle Pack comes with an accessory and with this set, we get an extra folding steel chair. Nothing new or exciting, really, but there's no specific accessory that I could think of for this pairing, so it's ok.
Overall, it's a decent set and only ranks last to me because bearded Orton didn't seem right and it has the weakest accessory of this series. Now, let's look at the latest tag team to get made...
Heath Slater & Justin Gabriel
This the second time both of these Superstars have been made as Basics and it's a nice update. Heath Slater has more details in his attire this time. He no longer has the Nexus armband and it's a good improvement over his previous release.
Heath Slater now comes with a new, more serious, headscan. The only thing I noticed that was off is that he seems to suffer from GNS (Giraffe Neck Syndrome), like Wade Barrett originally did.
Also updated is his tag team partner, Justin Gabriel, and it's a really nice one! His attire is a neat matte silver one with some beautiful African designs all over them. The designs are nearly identical to his Elite version but this color scheme just stands out better.
Another improvement is the headscan. It looks like it's the same from his original release but it includes his beard now and it looks better. Personally, I prefer this neutral scan to his Elite screaming one, so I'll probably do a quick headswap soon!
As tag team champions, this set comes with a highly anticipated set of belts, the new WWE Tag Team Titles!
The new tag belts come with dull, unpainted plates. The plastic itself is a little darker than normal to give it that bronze look. Like most of the dull belts, there is a lot of fine detail in the sculpting of the plates. They're nice belts and I'm glad that we get a full set of two in this 2-pack. At this point, every modern belt has been made, except the Divas belt. Also, we're only a handful of belts away from having full sets of both shiny and dull belts, which is really nice!
In summary, this is a cool set and the inclusion of the new tag team belts is an added plus! Now it's time to look at the best set of the series...
"Macho Man" Randy Savage vs. CM Punk
This was like a dream set when it was first announced; A new Basic version of the Macho Man along with the Best on the World! It seems like a random pairing from the All Stars game but these two figures tie-in together very nicely. Sadly, Randy Savage recently passed away (RIP, Macho Man!), a true legend of the ring and one of the most charismatic performers who ever stepped into the squared circle! The episode of Raw following the tragic news showed a small video memorial to Randy Savage but CM Punk showed a lot of class and respect by donning the Macho Man's signature attire for one night only as a special tribute to the fallen legend. It was a touching moment and it's great that Mattel commemorated it with this new Battle Pack!
CM Punk comes as a new Basic figure wearing the classic Macho Man pink attire with the CM Punk logo in the back. He also has his new chest tattoos, although they're devoid of any color.
Also, this Punk figure comes with his newest short-haired headscan, which is one of his best. It's identical to his popular Elite version but I liked that this time, his hair and beard color match rather than suddenly switching from brown to black.
This is a very cool CM Punk figure and nicely compliments the other figure in this set, the legendary Macho Man himself!
The Macho Man makes for a sweet Basic figure in his classic attire in light purple. All his trademark logos and details are there!
He also comes with the same original headscan. Mattel keeps using it but he still looks great as a Basic Legend. An added bonus accessory is his signature removable shades. Speaking of accessories, Macho Man comes with the best one for this series...The Classic Winged Eagle belt!
This is the same dull belt that came with L6 Ultimate Warrior but with the corrected black strap. It may not be shiny, like the one that came with DM5 Bret Hart, but it still looks nice and is a welcome addition to my belt collection!
Overall, Battle Packs Series 2 is a nice set. You get a lot of neat things here: Updated Basics, a debut figure, a new tag team, a sweet CM Punk tribute figure, a classic Legend, and three championship belts! I like the new Battle Packs, this is the first time I bought a full set of 2-packs since Mattel's debut Series 1!
Great Review. 
