The BCA Line

I think the choice to make them 7" display pieces rather than 6" BCA sculpts was an attempt, albeit a failed one, on Jakks' part to broaden their reach and appeal to adult collectors.

There was probably a lot of hope for Jakks to effectively corner that market among wrestling figure collectors after buying out the remaining stock of Playmates WWF figures in late 1997/early 1998.

It's possible that Jakks was either heavily influenced by or enlisted the services of the sculptors responsible for the "Heroes of Wrestling" line produced by Playmates in '97 since the Legends/Ripped and Ruthless figures are eerily similar. I know for a fact that Jakks' attempts didn't go unnoticed, and that a new sculptor was brought on for the Ripped and Ruthless figures, because Tomart's Action Figure Digest makes mention of it in the February 1998 (#49) issue. I'll scan the pages in when I get the chance.

I wouldn't say that the Legends/Ripped and Ruthless figures were ever meant to replace BCA figures, but I firmly believe that Jakks would have jumped at the chance to devote more of their time and efforts to those lines if collectors had, as Seth Rollins so eloquently puts it, "bought in". Remember, the price point for these figures was $9.99 to $12.99 in 1998 dollars, which is equivalent to $14.39 to $18.71 today.

I said when I got the chance I would try to scan in some more BCA content from old issues of Tomart's Action Figure Digest, and I hope to not disappoint.

Here are all of the important and relevant images that I could gather. Remember to click on the images for an enlarged view of each scan. Enjoy!

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Issue #47 (December 1997) previews upcoming Signature Series 1 figures, as well as figures that have recently been sent to stores such as: Ringside Collection Series 1, the Championship Title Series (#1) 4-pack, and the Nation of Domination 4-pack.




Issue #48 (January 1998) is a memorable one with exclusive coverage of S.T.O.M.P. Series 1 figures, as well as unique in-character interviews with Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Headbangers during a recent TV commercial shoot for Jakks WWF toys.







Issue #49 (February 1998) includes a brief mention of Jakks acquiring the rights to make all WWF figures of varying sizes, including such forthcoming series as: 6" 2 Tuff Series 1, 7" Legends Series 1, 7" Ripped and Ruthless Series 1, and the 3" King of the Ring Mini Rings playset.






Issue #50 (March 1998) gives us a glimpse of what's to come with images of Ripped and Ruthless Series 2 and Shotgun Saturday Night Series 1 at Toy Fair 1998. 




Issue #51 (April 1998) breaks the news of Jakks "Match of the Month" 2-packs, a precursor to the eventual Grudge Match Series, and coverage at Toy Fair 1998 continues with images of Slammers Series 1, Slammers Series 2, S.T.O.M.P. Series 2, and other select figures on display.






Issue #52 (May 1998) offers a few nice shots of figures that have yet to be released, including: WrestleMania XIV Series, Shotgun Saturday Night Series 1, and Slammers Series 2.




Issue #53 (June 1998) addressed upcoming Jakks exclusives at KB Toys and Toys "R" Us, including the Yokozuna repaint and WrestleMania XIV Series/4-pack. 

If anything, I should be thanking you.

It was your "From The Vault" series of posts that inspired me in December 2007 to collect rather than sell BCA figures online. I didn't know where that would lead me, but I wouldn't have everything that I do without the little push that your remembrance of the line gave me. I loved those posts, and I'm glad to see that you enjoyed one of mine.

I'm with you on that '96/'97 era. As much as I love all that encompasses Attitude Era figures, I never get drawn in quite as much as I do for those transitional years. It would be the starting point and would comprise nearly all of my fantasy booking scenarios if I were to start another (BCA) figure fed. The talent near the top of the card is stacked with the likes of Bret, Shawn, 'Taker, Vader, Sid, Warrior, Diesel, Razor, Yoko, Austin, Pillman, Owen, Bulldog, Ahmed, Goldust, HHH, Foley, Mero, and the list goes on. 

Awesome dude I'm super happy you actually remember those posts! I am totally with you on the transition years. To me, the attitude era was awesome but lost the classic "soul" of wrestling. 96/97 were the perfect mix of classic meets edgier ways done just right.

I don't know if anyone was able to catch this from the scans I posted on Friday, but there were a few unique package samples on display at Toy Fair 1998.





It appears that there were several Special Edition box set mock-ups put out for the February 1998 showcase event, but none of them ever made it into production, or likely were never meant to be, including:

• A red, white, and black checkered Badd Blood 4-pack, which looks nothing like the set that made it to stores in November 1998.
• A lavender, white, and black checkered Championship Title Series 4-pack (?) featuring images of "Wildman" Marc Mero and Ahmed Johnson on the right side. These two studio shots were used for the Triple Threat 3-pack in October 1997. Could this set have been based on Intercontinental Champions of that time period? Other eligible names include: HHH, Rocky Maivia, Owen Hart, and Stone Cold Steve Austin.
• A teal, white, and black checkered 4-pack (??) with images of Crush and Road Warrior Animal on the left side. Crush's picture looks similar to the one used for the Nation of Domination 4-pack in October 1997. Could this have included other members of the Chicago Street Fight match from WrestleMania 13? Other eligible names include: Road Warrior Hawk, Ahmed Johnson, Faarooq, and Savio Vega.

So, do you think Jakks had any legitimate plans to make these sets or were they just for show? I'm definitely leaning towards the latter.

Looks like ideas being tossed around. Jacks had a lot of whacky 4 and 3 packs, I love them. I remember being 9, going to a local collectibles flea market near Christmas 97 and seeing for the first time, the King of the Iron rungs and Raw is War packs. For some reason, they blew my mind and I couldn't believe something so unbelievably awesome could exist.

Absolutely, but crazy in a good way.

Last August, I got in touch with someone who worked on the S.T.O.M.P. line. I won't name names, but I will share some of that person's story.

This person was responsible for the initial concept design of the S.T.O.M.P. figures. This was before the days of computer illustration, so each WWF character's face would be studied and everything was drawn in pencil. Then, the illustrations would be photocopied and colored in with Pantone magic markers. Next, the color illustrations and original black and white drawings would be sent to the Hong Kong office where work would begin with the factories.

The first S.T.O.M.P. assortment was designed by this person after collecting the 5" Spider-Man Bug Wars action figures made by Toy Biz/Mattel. At least 15 wrestlers were designed for the S.T.O.M.P. line, including "The Heartbreak Kid" Shawn Michaels, before the number was narrowed down to six figures for the first assortment, consisting of: Crush, Brian Pillman, Ken Shamrock, Ahmed Johnson, Undertaker, and Stone Cold Steve Austin. It was thought by this person that it would be a great way for boys to have a male version of dress-up, and it would make it feel like you were getting two figures in one with the different outfits.

This person bought lots of gun magazines at Barnes & Noble for research purposes. The original vision for the line was to make it an ongoing series, so themed assortments with earth (Series 1), fire (??), water (Series 2), and outer space armor (Series 3) were pitched. Those people working closest on this line were action figure collectors, and this person being a huge comic book collector was heavily influenced by X-Force and Stormwatch in their design aesthetic.

As it turns out, the initial S.T.O.M.P. figures landed on the cover of Tomart's Action Figure Digest #48 and were released to stores in late December '97 during this person's first semester back in school for a degree in Toy Design. Shortly thereafter, the designer stopped freelancing for Jakks because it was seen as a conflict of interest at school. Nevertheless, it became the launching point for a successful career in the toy business, and it all happened because the creative director at Jakks liked this person's illustrations and gave them the creative freedom to work their magic.

I hope to have more to share with you guys in regards to this person's work, so stay tuned to this thread for any future developments.

It could always be worse. Like mine with its missing eyebrow, paint scuffs, and clump of glue on the crotch piece.



Eh, who am I kidding.

I had to share what I found at a comic shop today. They have a figure section with new figures and some old ones that people have sold to them.

I was looking through the figure section for Mattel WWE figures or figures I could use for custom build n brawls, and I stumbled across these.



I couldn't pass on them especially since the price was so close to the original store price in 1996/1997. The cards are in really rough shape so I will probably end up opening them. This is the 2nd carded Razor I've seen there in the past year. The first one was priced at $24.99. I almost gave in and bought it until the sales clerk got it off the high wall for me to look at it and I noticed the card was in rough shape.