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Post by BØRNS on Dec 5, 2010 17:34:10 GMT -5
I wanted to take this time to open up a discussion on Elite figures from this past year. There are many points of discussion to talk about. I will briefly go over these, but please add more if you wish, and elaborate on my topics as well as any others that come up: -Static knee joints (those with large kneepads)We have been battling with this problem ever since Series 1 CM Punk. The kneepads are way too hard, and disable the double-knee joint that makes Elites superior to Basics. Even Jakks made better pads than Mattel  . It's been a year now and Mattel has shown no effort to fix this problem. -Selection of figures (characters)There are usually six figure per series of Elites, and they are coming out at the rate of one set every two months. 6x6=36, so we should expect 36 new Elite figures a year, which is hardly anything compared to once a month Basic style figures: Basic 6x12=36, Basic 2-packs 6x12, Basic PPV 6x12, with 200+ figures per year (not to mention store and internet exclusives such as the WrestleMania "mega-line"). 36 figures is an extremely limited selection of the roster over an entire year, and look at all the doubles we've seen in the Elite line just this year! -John Cena -Triple H -Batista -CM Punk -Matt Hardy -Rey Mysterio -Shawn Michaels Which brings our actual character count down to 29 (which we never got Jeff Hardy, so actually 28) . So for every 1 Elite figure, there are almost 10 Basic style figures. Fair? -Frequency of release (series to month)Like above, we only get a set every other month, which is bittersweet. I, for one, appreciate the lag time to save up extra money in order to buy these figures, but with this slow turnout rate, we will never get the chance to have even close to current attires, nor new superstars (over a year turnout for new stars in Elite form). -Price point ($15/figure at retail)This has mixed reviews, and while some figures justify a higher price point like Goldust, CM Punk, and Randy Orton, which were as perfect as figures that could be made, then it is a fair price. I'm not complaining about the price personally, but the problem is the shelfwarming that figures nobody want like Cody Rhodes, Finlay, Santino, and Vladimir Kozlov. These figures that make new sets hard to order from retailers sit on shelves and rarely get bought. -New attire turnaround (as well as new characters)If we are getting less than 30 Elite characters a year, then they will only be able to have one attire, and many of the re-release Elites like John Cena and Triple H are hardly worth the attire change if they only add orange wristbands, or a dx logo. It will take us over a year to get an Elite Sheamus, so when the hell do you think we'd get a current Sheamus figure if let's say he started wearing white trunk on Raw tomorrow? 2012? And by that time God only knows what he'll be wearing. I'm a little frusterated with the attire turn-arounds because there's no such thing in the Elite line, and it like a bad joke when we see current attires with only a 2-3 month turnaround in the Basic PPV series. -Accessories (improvements and future accessories)The shirts I have been impressed with. I like most of the accessories Mattel has produced with the Elite line, but what we need the most asap are belts. Elite 8 we will see only 2 current belts- WWE and IC. We should also get more tables, ladders, and chairs, since those are the most frequently used "weapons". Cross our figures for possible an announcer's table. -Display stands (will we be getting them)These things have been discontinued in the Basic lines, but since we're paying $5 more for each figure, I would expect Mattel to keep including these with Elites. They're nice and all, and look nice on display with the figures wearing their respective accessoreis. -Overall satisfactionI'm satisfied with the quality of the Elite figures, but everything above has a large room for improvement. I look forward to seeing new Elite figures and hope the line lives long and prosperous. Please comment and add to the discussion in this thread. Again, feel free to add and share your opinion about the characteristics I've mentioned and also add another topic to discuss about Elite figures! |
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Post by AdamBomb on Dec 5, 2010 17:39:57 GMT -5
I think production costs went up in general - effecting all of the lines, regardless of Elite's being $5 more.
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Post by ~*Young $ Money*~ on Dec 5, 2010 19:58:31 GMT -5
I agree with some of your points but disagree with some also.
Like the first i'll comment is the release and frequency of the new figures. I prefer every other month maybe even a little longer per set b/c they shelf warm here like crazy and it takes forever for them to sell them out. The amount of figures is just right too. I mean they need to release repaints and such b/c of how they sell. You cannot release guys that no one wants or you will see them warming like Santino and Rhodes did.I think the Cenas are welcome every once in a while. We have only had 2 in the Elite set with 7 out. How many do we have in the Basics? 6? 7? prob. more if you think about it.
The accessories are fine. I think the Tshirts and such are great. I don't think they need tables, chairs or other things to cheapen the series. THey release the things that relate to the figure. HHH with a water bottle and sledge hammer, Cena with dog tags and hat, Finlay with his stick and jacket, and so on. So i think we will get the chairs,tables,ladders, and other things in exclusive packs or some kinda ring things like TRU has now.
The stands i agree 100% with you on. My Elites have a hard time standing, some even with the stand. I think they should include them with the elites and legends especially at a high price point that they do have. THese are suppose to be for the collectors and most collectors display and the stands make them look more presentable then just action figures standing on a desk or table.
I am overall happy with the Elites since they have given us a wide array of figures so far and have really gone the extra mile on some of the figures. Like Kane getting a towel even though he hasn't used it in a while. The one thing i do want to see them improve on is the loose ankle problem but i think they are trying to fix that.
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Post by BØRNS on Dec 5, 2010 23:19:57 GMT -5
I agree with some of your points but disagree with some also. Like the first i'll comment is the release and frequency of the new figures. I prefer every other month maybe even a little longer per set b/c they shelf warm here like crazy and it takes forever for them to sell them out. The amount of figures is just right too. I mean they need to release repaints and such b/c of how they sell. You cannot release guys that no one wants or you will see them warming like Santino and Rhodes did.I think the Cenas are welcome every once in a while. We have only had 2 in the Elite set with 7 out. How many do we have in the Basics? 6? 7? prob. more if you think about it. The accessories are fine. I think the Tshirts and such are great. I don't think they need tables, chairs or other things to cheapen the series. THey release the things that relate to the figure. HHH with a water bottle and sledge hammer, Cena with dog tags and hat, Finlay with his stick and jacket, and so on. So i think we will get the chairs,tables,ladders, and other things in exclusive packs or some kinda ring things like TRU has now. The stands i agree 100% with you on. My Elites have a hard time standing, some even with the stand. I think they should include them with the elites and legends especially at a high price point that they do have. THese are suppose to be for the collectors and most collectors display and the stands make them look more presentable then just action figures standing on a desk or table. I am overall happy with the Elites since they have given us a wide array of figures so far and have really gone the extra mile on some of the figures. Like Kane getting a towel even though he hasn't used it in a while. The one thing i do want to see them improve on is the loose ankle problem but i think they are trying to fix that. Thanks for your contribution to the thread. I do agree with the loose ankles. I think, for some reason they are improving, I guess they adjusted the molds? Stands should be included and hopefully they continue. However, I think they should add some generic accessories, too. Don't get me wrong, I do like the wrestler-specific shirts/items, but we have yet to have a regular steel chair, ladder, or table in the Elite line. Mattel hasn't shown much effort for those- they just say "Flexforce" but those aren't even accurate. While the lag time between series is convenient for the high price, wouldn't you want a larger selection of figures in the series. I think we were all "wowed" by Mattel's Elite roster this year because they were all brand new and we were excited for the new line. Now that we're familiar with the pro's and con's of the line, we'll have to see if the Wfigs community feels the same a year from now. |
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WWF
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Post by WWF on Dec 5, 2010 23:25:31 GMT -5
I gave up on the elites a long time ago. They are way too stiff mainly in the legs. The price point in some cases is bad like when Jericho just came with a Mic while R -Truth came with his shirt and a mic. I also don't care for the mid size torso. Like seen on Jericho and Ted Jr. It makes them look like little kids. So I am pretty much just a basic guy.
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Post by Lorenzo Alcazar on Dec 5, 2010 23:35:51 GMT -5
The major flaw with the Elite figures is that the ass is so big it prevents the legs from moving backward. The legs only go forward, and not that much.
The Elite Torso also ruins the figure because they aren't character specific. There are so many more torso's for Basics. Basic 7 Sheamus has a brand new torso that has never been used before....the Elite Sheamus has the same torso that Batista and Triple H and John Cena get.
Elite figures are good in theory, but they have major design flaws.
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Post by Mr. #1derful 🇵🇸 on Dec 6, 2010 0:08:10 GMT -5
For me I was never too big on the t-shirts because the mass majority of them had necklines, hemlines and sleeves that were not sewn up all the way. Very tacky on Mattel's part especially considering that seven series in the problem is still there. I'd love for them to do more attire variants each series even if it's just another color scheme like the Elite Jerichos. Elite collectors would have more costume choices, and if the attires were really good, I can easily imagine picking up another one of my favorites. Folks like CM Punk and Rey Mysterio seem like no-brainers for variants. Not so much chairs but I'm all for tables, ladders, stretchers, SFX ring bells and other hardcore weapons being packaged with Elites. Basic 7 Sheamus has a brand new torso that has never been used before....the Elite Sheamus has the same torso that Batista and Triple H and John Cena get. Look again, fella.  |
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Post by Lorenzo Alcazar on Dec 6, 2010 0:17:25 GMT -5
For me I was never too big on the t-shirts because the mass majority of them had necklines, hemlines and sleeves that were not sewn up all the way. Very tacky on Mattel's part especially considering that seven series in the problem is still there. I'd love for them to do more attire variants each series even if it's just another color scheme like the Elite Jerichos. Elite collectors would have more costume choices, and if the attires were really good, I can easily imagine picking up another one of my favorites. Folks like CM Punk and Rey Mysterio seem like no-brainers for variants. Not so much chairs but I'm all for tables, ladders, stretchers, SFX ring bells and other hardcore weapons being packaged with Elites. Basic 7 Sheamus has a brand new torso that has never been used before....the Elite Sheamus has the same torso that Batista and Triple H and John Cena get. Look again, fella.     They all look like the same torso to me? |
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threehgame
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Post by threehgame on Dec 6, 2010 0:48:14 GMT -5
Agree with most of your points however, the t-shirts to me suck. The logos are great but the edges not being hemmed makes they frey to easily. If Jakks can hem the edges of all the cloth pack ins in the UFC line you'd think Mattel could on their WWE line.
At the same time I don't think extra weapons would work. I like the character specific items and entrance gear.
As for the torsos, welcome to Mattel action figures. The DCU figures have multiple torsos but really they all look like re-tooled versions of the same mold. Sheamus's torso looks different then the Cena mold but then again the cross covers up the chest, and the light skin makes it hard to spot the details on the side muscles. Looks the same to me to, but it's hard to say.
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guster
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Post by guster on Dec 6, 2010 0:54:31 GMT -5
It's a different torso. Sheamus' is slightly more slender. The dead giveaway is the muscle that is horizontal on the pecs of the Cena torso is absent on the Sheamus figure. The pecs are also shaped differently and a bit smaller on Sheamus.
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guster
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Post by guster on Dec 6, 2010 0:57:03 GMT -5
Agree with most of your points however, the t-shirts to me suck. The logos are great but the edges not being hemmed makes they frey to easily. If Jakks can hem the edges of all the cloth pack ins in the UFC line you'd think Mattel could on their WWE line. I think all of Jakks stuff is absurdly oversized. Mattel's stuff fits so much better and looks much like the real deal you see on TV. |
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Post by ● kaneisdaman ● on Dec 6, 2010 1:52:45 GMT -5
One thing i want to say is im one of those who like the use of rubber for accessories. It allows you to get the detail in that isnt possible on 6" representations. Like goldusts robe, its packed with detail from studs to feather texture and all, way more effective than cloth. Edges jacket is easy to see. Jakks printed designs onto leather which looks hilariously wrong, but using plastic allows you to get detail and better fitting items. Only thing is it must suck for those who remove the gear regularly or dont just use the figs displayed.
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Post by Next Man’s Knowing Rock on Dec 6, 2010 6:02:14 GMT -5
-Selection of figures (characters)There are usually six figure per series of Elites, and they are coming out at the rate of one set every two months. 6x6=36, so we should expect 36 new Elite figures a year, which is hardly anything compared to once a month Basic style figures: Basic 6x12=36, Basic 2-packs 6x12, Basic PPV 6x12, with 200+ figures per year (not to mention store and internet exclusives such as the WrestleMania "mega-line"). 36 figures is an extremely limited selection of the roster over an entire year, and look at all the doubles we've seen in the Elite line just this year! -John Cena -Triple H -Batista -CM Punk -Matt Hardy -Rey Mysterio -Shawn Michaels Which brings our actual character count down to 29 (which we never got Jeff Hardy, so actually 28) . So for every 1 Elite figure, there are almost 10 Basic style figures. Fair? I think whoever you got to do the figures for this section was either intellectually- disabled or playing a prank. In series 1-6, Michaels, Triple H and Cena didn't have doubles. If you're counting series 7, then you need to add Tyson Kidd, DH Smith and Hornswoggle to your total. |
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Post by PJ on Dec 6, 2010 6:55:53 GMT -5
As far as the larger knee/elbow pads go. I've never really found them to be a problem, but with the WMXXVI HHH & Taker the pads seem much softer as I can bend their kness/elbows just as far with the pads as a figure without them.  |
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RussellV1
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Post by RussellV1 on Dec 6, 2010 7:02:53 GMT -5
^ That's no better that basic articulation though....
I really think that the pads should be moulded on to make full use of the elite articulation
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Post by spamdfms101 on Dec 6, 2010 8:26:56 GMT -5
I have a problem with certain arms/legs being warped because of the packaging. Also when we get a crappy microphone instead of shirt.
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stinghitmanfan
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Post by stinghitmanfan on Dec 6, 2010 16:08:49 GMT -5
^ That's no better that basic articulation though.... I really think that the pads should be moulded on to make full use of the elite articulation really? pads molded? not a good idea. not to be mean or anything having molded pads and arms pads makes it weird. Just look at the figures of TNA from Toybiz/Marvel |
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