Mail Call! UE Rollins + Elite 102 Edge, Theory, and Gunther!
Apr 27, 2023 20:59:52 GMT -5
cableV, jfinnomore, and 10 more like this
Post by HardyKOfan01 on Apr 27, 2023 20:59:52 GMT -5
Earlier today, I got my order from Ringside in today, and I gotta say, I am very pleased overall! Some really great figures here, some even I liked better than I expected I would! In my order, I got 2 of the Ultimate Edition Seth Rollins, as well as Elite 102 Edge, Gunther, and both versions of Austin Theory.
In addition to what you see here, I also included some headswaps, and a bonus at the end of this post! Hope you enjoy! Without further ado, let's get into it!
Austin Theory
Theory is one of those guys that I wasn't the biggest fan of originally, but I definitely began warming up to him in recent months. As for the figure, it's hard to pick a favorite between the standard and chase variant, since I like both for different reasons. I like the Captain America-esque attire of the standard, but something about the black/silver attire on the chase variant is also really nice. Now, the face-scans on this figure has received... mixed reception, to say the least, but honestly? I love them. I love how Mattel is trying with making much more expressive face-scans, and these look absolutely hilarious, which I think was the intention. Theory's old selfie gimmick was meant to be humorous, and I think the faces capture that. That being said, I think it would've been better to give him at least one non goofy face instead of two goofy ones, but I am happy to report that the head from his last Basic does fit the E102 body pretty well, so if you want a more serious Theory, that's an option. Speaking of which, I hope we get an updated Theory head with a full beard in the future. All that said, I think this is a pretty solid figure, and is easily Theory's best to date.
Gunther
I've really been enjoying Gunther's run on the main roster. He's been booked to perfection in my opinion. It would've been great if the Intercontinental Title was included with this figure, since that title has become synonymous with him in recent times, but it's no big deal. Unfortunately, my Ringside Exclusive Walter is in storage at the moment, so I couldn't get that figure for these photos to do any comparisons. Take my word for it though, this figure is a massive improvement over the RSC Exclusive. Not that the Exclusive was a bad figure, because it wasn't, but the E102 greatly improves upon that figure, and gives a figure that, not only is more up to date and matches with Gunther's improved physique, but the likeness in the face is much better IMO, and the attire pops more compared to the basic attire of the original. This figure feels great in hand and feels great when posing. Definitely recommend grabbing this figure. Hope we get Ludwig Kaiser and Giovanni Vinci in a future Elite line so we can have Imperium in figure form.
Edge
Not gonna lie, I'm not a fan of the short hair look for Edge. I still love the guy, and I always will, but I really do miss when he had long hair (I feel the same way about Asuka tbh. Should've kept the long hair). Personal feelings aside, this figure is still a very good release. The entrance jacket, while it looks cool, was a massive pain to get off, and unfortunately doesn't have any flexible plastic like the E93 Rollins jacket for example. Besides that, the attire looks really cool, and the likeness is great. One of Edge's best face-scans to date in my opinion. I just wish they'd give him a better torso already. The one they use looks too skinny for current Edge, and lacks chest hair. Other than my minor nitpicks, this is a very solid figure, and is worth adding to the collection.
Ultimate Edition Seth Rollins
Right off the bat, I wanna say that I'm a pretty big Rollins mark, but even putting my biases aside, I honestly think this could be an early contender for figure of the year. It just looks and feels amazing. The new face-scans look fantastic (the yelling one in particular might be my favorite), the attire pops and is one that is still fairly recent, and the entrance jacket/robe is very well done, especially since he only wore it once (at MITB 2022). We were long overdue for updated Rollins heads with his hair down, and long overdue for an Ultimate of him, so it's great that this figure certainly did not disappoint. It is worth noting that this is a few inches taller than his standard/mainline Elites. Not a dealbreaker, but it is worth noting. I had a lot of fun posing this guy around, and he looks great with the US Title and next to the other Rollins figures. Without question, I would recommend buying this figure. Heck, I'd even recommend buying multiple copies like I did! I only have two at the moment, but I do plan on getting two more in the future!
Now, here is the main reason I bought two of this guy. It was to give the extra heads to my other Rollins Elites! And I am very happy to report that these UE heads fit perfectly on just about any Rollins Elite body. The E93 head kind of fits the UE body, but it is a tad loose and doesn't fully pop on. Not a big deal, since I won't be displaying the UE with that head, but I just wanted to show it off for those who might've been curious. I really love how the new heads look on my custom Survivor Series 2021 Rollins and my Day 1 Rollins.
Bonus! Custom WrestleMania 39 Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens Elites!
As a huge mark for Zayn and especially Owens, I'm not ashamed to admit that I shed a few tears when the two won the Undisputed Tag Titles at Mania this year. I knew I wanted to have that moment forever immortalized in figure form, and luckily, it wasn't that hard to do. I already made a custom E91 Zayn with black pants a few months ago (it was originally an "Honorary Uce" Zayn with the Bloodline shirt, but I took the shirt off of the figure once he left The Bloodline), so all I had to do was seal the paint and add the decals to the pants. For Owens, I have a couple of spare E101 figures, so I used acetone to remove the logos on the shirt and shorts on one of them, then added the decals to the shirt and shorts. To really complete them, I gave them both sets of Tag Team Titles, and I will be displaying them in front of the commemorative plaque I got of that moment! Overall, I really am happy with how these turned out.
Well, that's all for now. In conclusion, I'm very happy with everything I received. I definitely plan on grabbing the rest of E102, as well as some extra UE Seths! Until then, here's the obligatory group shot of everything I received, plus the custom Owens and Zayn I finished up last week. Peace!
In addition to what you see here, I also included some headswaps, and a bonus at the end of this post! Hope you enjoy! Without further ado, let's get into it!
Austin Theory
Theory is one of those guys that I wasn't the biggest fan of originally, but I definitely began warming up to him in recent months. As for the figure, it's hard to pick a favorite between the standard and chase variant, since I like both for different reasons. I like the Captain America-esque attire of the standard, but something about the black/silver attire on the chase variant is also really nice. Now, the face-scans on this figure has received... mixed reception, to say the least, but honestly? I love them. I love how Mattel is trying with making much more expressive face-scans, and these look absolutely hilarious, which I think was the intention. Theory's old selfie gimmick was meant to be humorous, and I think the faces capture that. That being said, I think it would've been better to give him at least one non goofy face instead of two goofy ones, but I am happy to report that the head from his last Basic does fit the E102 body pretty well, so if you want a more serious Theory, that's an option. Speaking of which, I hope we get an updated Theory head with a full beard in the future. All that said, I think this is a pretty solid figure, and is easily Theory's best to date.
Gunther
I've really been enjoying Gunther's run on the main roster. He's been booked to perfection in my opinion. It would've been great if the Intercontinental Title was included with this figure, since that title has become synonymous with him in recent times, but it's no big deal. Unfortunately, my Ringside Exclusive Walter is in storage at the moment, so I couldn't get that figure for these photos to do any comparisons. Take my word for it though, this figure is a massive improvement over the RSC Exclusive. Not that the Exclusive was a bad figure, because it wasn't, but the E102 greatly improves upon that figure, and gives a figure that, not only is more up to date and matches with Gunther's improved physique, but the likeness in the face is much better IMO, and the attire pops more compared to the basic attire of the original. This figure feels great in hand and feels great when posing. Definitely recommend grabbing this figure. Hope we get Ludwig Kaiser and Giovanni Vinci in a future Elite line so we can have Imperium in figure form.
Edge
Not gonna lie, I'm not a fan of the short hair look for Edge. I still love the guy, and I always will, but I really do miss when he had long hair (I feel the same way about Asuka tbh. Should've kept the long hair). Personal feelings aside, this figure is still a very good release. The entrance jacket, while it looks cool, was a massive pain to get off, and unfortunately doesn't have any flexible plastic like the E93 Rollins jacket for example. Besides that, the attire looks really cool, and the likeness is great. One of Edge's best face-scans to date in my opinion. I just wish they'd give him a better torso already. The one they use looks too skinny for current Edge, and lacks chest hair. Other than my minor nitpicks, this is a very solid figure, and is worth adding to the collection.
Ultimate Edition Seth Rollins
Right off the bat, I wanna say that I'm a pretty big Rollins mark, but even putting my biases aside, I honestly think this could be an early contender for figure of the year. It just looks and feels amazing. The new face-scans look fantastic (the yelling one in particular might be my favorite), the attire pops and is one that is still fairly recent, and the entrance jacket/robe is very well done, especially since he only wore it once (at MITB 2022). We were long overdue for updated Rollins heads with his hair down, and long overdue for an Ultimate of him, so it's great that this figure certainly did not disappoint. It is worth noting that this is a few inches taller than his standard/mainline Elites. Not a dealbreaker, but it is worth noting. I had a lot of fun posing this guy around, and he looks great with the US Title and next to the other Rollins figures. Without question, I would recommend buying this figure. Heck, I'd even recommend buying multiple copies like I did! I only have two at the moment, but I do plan on getting two more in the future!
Now, here is the main reason I bought two of this guy. It was to give the extra heads to my other Rollins Elites! And I am very happy to report that these UE heads fit perfectly on just about any Rollins Elite body. The E93 head kind of fits the UE body, but it is a tad loose and doesn't fully pop on. Not a big deal, since I won't be displaying the UE with that head, but I just wanted to show it off for those who might've been curious. I really love how the new heads look on my custom Survivor Series 2021 Rollins and my Day 1 Rollins.
Bonus! Custom WrestleMania 39 Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens Elites!
As a huge mark for Zayn and especially Owens, I'm not ashamed to admit that I shed a few tears when the two won the Undisputed Tag Titles at Mania this year. I knew I wanted to have that moment forever immortalized in figure form, and luckily, it wasn't that hard to do. I already made a custom E91 Zayn with black pants a few months ago (it was originally an "Honorary Uce" Zayn with the Bloodline shirt, but I took the shirt off of the figure once he left The Bloodline), so all I had to do was seal the paint and add the decals to the pants. For Owens, I have a couple of spare E101 figures, so I used acetone to remove the logos on the shirt and shorts on one of them, then added the decals to the shirt and shorts. To really complete them, I gave them both sets of Tag Team Titles, and I will be displaying them in front of the commemorative plaque I got of that moment! Overall, I really am happy with how these turned out.
Well, that's all for now. In conclusion, I'm very happy with everything I received. I definitely plan on grabbing the rest of E102, as well as some extra UE Seths! Until then, here's the obligatory group shot of everything I received, plus the custom Owens and Zayn I finished up last week. Peace!
