Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Mattel WWE Mankind 2012


There are some people in the world you can't help but love. They evoke a kindness and inspiration that makes you want to be a better person in return. I think I can safely say that 20 years ago I never would have thought that a professional wrestler would be the one to do that, much less Mick Foley. Then again, twenty years ago I hadn't read his first book, Have A Nice Day. Now? Now, I'm a fan.


This is Mankind as he appeared toward the end of the character, He was playing as Vince McMahon's stooge, which is why he's wearing a white collared shirt and tie, although he is wearing it as sloppily as possible. I'd still love to see a Mick Foley with his trademark plaid shirt, but this was a good decision for the most part. If you have to pick one Mick Foley (and they did) this was easily one of his most popular runs.


The fascinating part of this figure, at least for me, is the mask. It's incredibly well engineered to work with the figure, creating the illusion of a complete mask without actually being one. It's both clever and effective, something I don't often credit Mattel with. Still, they honestly do far better work with their WWE line than they do with almost any other line, and more consistently.
Mick Foley was never a high-flying wrestler by any stretch, which means his articulation doesn't have to be too over the top. Still, Mattel gave him enough to get personality in most of his poses, and his swivel/hinge wrists can threaten anyone with the almighty Mr. Socko. All of his joints are tight without being inoperable, and he looks pretty comfortable in all of the poses you might think of.
Behind the mask, there is undoubtedly the visage of Mick Foley. They captured him really well, right down to his manic grin and wild expression. His hair is a bit of a mop on his head, but it was necessary to make the mask work, and honestly he had that curly, long hair that is really hard to capture correctly. It could use some highlights to bring some more life into it, but when it's under the mask it looks a lot more natural.
This is a figure I absolutely recommend to anyone that is interested in wrestling or Mick Foley, but more importantly I recommend his autobiographies. No, I'm serious. Read his books if you haven't. They sold really, really well for a reason. His philosophies, stories, and even his charity work are all inspiration and just an incredibly enjoyable experience.





2 comments:

flywheels on November 13, 2013 at 5:59 AM said...

What year did this figure come out? I have read is Foley is Good book and you're right, it is a good read.

Wes Grogan on November 13, 2013 at 6:03 AM said...

Oops! I normally try to mention the year or put it in the headline. I'll edit that now, but the year it was released was 2012.

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