Hey guys! Welcome to another installment of Figure Friday! This week we take a look at SmackDown Live’s newest, and well deserving in my opinion, tag team champions, American Alpha!
This set is currently available on RingsideCollectibles.com, where I got my set, as I was anxiously awaiting to get my hands on these figures! There have been a few complaints over these, such as their likenesses, but once I opened them I think I really started to like them.
Let’s take a look at them in the packaging first. You can see they have updated 2017 packaging, as technically this set will release then at retail. You can see the large NXT logo behind them as their attire is based on one of their outfits they wore at their time in NXT. These are their “First Time in the Line” figures, as they’ve never been made before this time, pretty much making this their rookie figures. I am hoping they get turned into Elites eventually so fingers crossed! Also in their set are The Usos, Sami Zayn & Kevin Owens as well as a re-release of nWo Scott Hall and Kevin Nash. Usually Battle Pack sets only have three sets of figures and they come with accessories, but for some reason in 2017, much like the Basics having more figures, Mattel is releasing four sets and pulling the accessories to make up for the added set. A lot of people were pissed about this as not everyone buys Elites and some Battle Packs come with unique accessories you wouldn’t see with an Elite, so there was some backlash over that. I understand the grief, as this set itself would’ve been even cooler if Gable had his cloth he holds up in their entrance. I also really don’t like Mattel re-releasing figures as I feel it’s a wasted slot for new figures. I get some people missed out but it takes the fun away for those who have collected from the beginning. Not to mention this Hall & Nash set isn’t even that old.
Anyway, looking at Jason Jordan out of the packaging I actually like this figure a lot more once I had him in front of me. A lot of people said he looks like an African American John Cena figure, which is quite humorous and I can see where that comment comes from based on some of Cena’s older head scans, but the more I look at it I don’t think it looks too bad. I can see Jason’s likeness in there a bit. I wouldn’t say it’s an amazing scan as that it certainly isn’t, but I’ve seen worse. The detail in his hair is nice, especially the fade, which is a nice touch. Not to mention you can see his teeth, which is cool, too. The only issue I have detail wise is that they didn’t include his facial hair, which you can clearly see in his photo on the packaging.
Jason’s attire is very detailed, which is awesome honestly. They did a very nice job with both Jason and Gable’s attires with all their specific logos on their singlets and just minor details in general. Both of these figures have the newer molds for 2017 in that they have swivel elbow joints as well as newly designed knee joints. Their legs have seams, which I don’t like honestly as you can see a minor split in my Jason’s leg. It doesn’t impact his movement or anything, so don’t worry, but it’s something to be aware of when purchasing if you’re able to see it in the box. Lastly for Jason looking at his shoes, he has a special mold over his ankles to look like his gym shoes he wears. This does seem to restrict his ankle swivel joint sadly so don’t try and force the joint as you could end up breaking it. His ankle does move up and down slightly, which I believe is the John Cena shoe mold with this newer piece on top of it. Regardless aesthetically it looks good for the most part, not sure how I feel of the “flap” look it gives off, but it still looks similar to his shoes.
Now looking at Gable’s figure a lot of people complained over his scan. I, too, don’t think it’s spectacular but it’s not awful. His facial hair is a tad too dark, but it’s not detrimental to me, as I know it bothers other collectors. Looking at his image on the box as a comparison it doesn’t look too bad. Gable currently doesn’t even have facial hair so maybe if you removed it it would look better? No idea but just a thought. The detail in his hair is well done though as it gives off the “wet hair” look.
Gable’s singlet has similar details as Jordan’s as well as his personal details like his name. He, too, has the swivel elbow joints, which I recommend being careful with, as they seem pretty stiff to move. Considering these arm molds are newer I don’t really know how well these move in terms of ease, so just be careful. Gable, too, has these seams near his knees, which does bother me, as it’s something I will have to edit out in my photos if I want to create realism. Once again it’s not detrimental but it is noticeable, which the older knee/leg molds never had from what I recall. Lastly looking at Gable’s boots the wrinkles and colors are really nice as they make his boots pop, not to mention his initials on each side.
Overall, I do really like this Battle Pack minus their flaws. I love they are in scale with one another as well if you didn’t notice that. You have to remember these are their first figures and based on how well they’re doing in WWE right now I’m sure they will have more. As I said earlier I really hope we get some Elites of them with their more detailed singlets and accessories like the tag titles and Gable’s towel he uses in their entrance. Remember you can currently get this on RingsideCollectibles.com!
Be sure to tune in to a new episode of Figure 2 Photo on the WrestleZone YouTube and Facebook this upcoming Monday showing the making of the Grand Amplitude photo above! In the meantime, be sure to follow me on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube to stay up to date on my latest figure photography and figure news! I recently did an Instagram Live special and on my next one I plan to do some photography live, so be sure to follow me on there to be ready when that happens!
Thanks for tuning in this week! Have a very Happy New Year and I’ll see you next week in 2017!
Figure Friday American Alpha
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