I am both surprised and I am not as Series 38 just began hitting retail around me (Series 37 took longer than usual to show up here). Two series' of these showing up back to back is a rarity, but I am not surprised given Easter being weeks away.
Basic 38 does not sport any debut figures like Elite 27 did, which for hardcore collectors like yours truly is a little disappointing, however that does not mean it is a terrible set. Despite it not including any new to the line figures, I actually like the set and think it is a great entry point for new collectors and fans too. Let's get started looking at them.
#19 - Chris Jericho: Chris Jericho was a favorite of mine growing up (and he still is) however he is not the active wrestler he once was. Even though his main priorities are his band, Fozzy, and other projects in the entertainment industry, he still finds time to come back to the WWE every once in awhile. Last year, he made an amazing surprise return (amazing because it wasn't spoiled on the internet) at the Royal Rumble event. Shortly afterwards, he would engage in a feud with a debuting Fandango.
This Chris Jericho figure boasts an entirely new head sculpt to reflect his updated hairstyle and overall look. He also is sporting his "Y2J 2013" attire he wore for much of his recent WWE run. As I said, this series doesn't boast much in terms of totally new stuff, aside from a lot of what went into this new Chris Jericho figure, so it is really easy for me to say this is my favorite of the set.
#20 - Dolph Ziggler: Dolph Ziggler is another favorite wrestler of mine, who actually grew on me during his run as a villain (he is floundering on TV at the time of writing this, but that is a story for another day). Aside from the attire, there isn't much more new about this figure as Dolph has been in the line plenty of times before and a few last year sporting that trademark show off smile.
The age old argument "real men wear pink" comes up again here as more often that not now, Ziggler wears pink trunks to the ring, so it is great to get one in that color as opposed to the usual black or silver attires Mattel frequently does in figure form. While not particularly new, the attire choice makes this Dolph Ziggler figure stand out, and as a huge fan of his work in the ring, I'm not going to complain about getting more figures of him.
#21 - Vickie Guerrero: Women and Non-wrestlers are a huge rarity in the WWE line (Mattel claims they do not sell but I beg to differ) so any time they decide to include them in a set, you won't see me complaining. While Vickie has been in the line before, this is her first single figure release since 2012. Meant to reflect what she was wearing when she was "fired" from Raw last summer, I can't help but wonder if this figure could have been done better or if they should have just went with a different outfit of hers.
The tones of this outfit are confusing. It looks as if it is very revealing due to the borderline skintone color, but if you look very closely, it is not. It's meant to reflect an all cloth outfit. Also, if you see Vickie on TV, in terms of scale weight-wise, this figure is a little generous compared to who she is based off of. While Vickie is a welcome return to the line, I believe the figure could have been done better simply by going with a different outfit she wore.
#22 - Sheamus: A lot of collectors questioned why Sheamus was announced for this line-up, for at the time he was out with a serious shoulder injury. It doesn't help his case either that out of all of the wrestlers made, his figures currently have a tendency to sit on store pegs for months on end. While again, this figure doesn't boast any new parts that we have not seen before it is unique in that Sheamus was ultimately included in this line-up because upon meeting with the Mattel WWE team, he told them the next time he would be on TV, he would be wearing trunks with orange highlights. Sadly, it was right after that he got injured.
It is worth noting that these figures are planned months in advance, so hardly ever can you get a figure of someone and it correspond 100% with how they look and what they wear on television. However, this is a rare case that defies that. Sheamus recently returned from injury earlier this year (in the trunks he told Mattel he would wear prior to the injury). Because they were privy to that information, they could produce a figure in that attire with the potential to reach the market by the time he had recovered to return to action, which is what happened here. So within a few weeks of Sheamus returning, you could get a figure 100% accurate to how he looked, making this not just another Sheamus that some people are quick to write off, but one to look forward to due to how current it is.
#23 - The Miz: I took a couple years hiatus from enjoying wrestling as I got bored with the product shortly after Steve Austin and The Rock moved on from the industry. Ultimately, it was this man above, The Miz, that got me interested again in the product back in 2010. He still is one of my favorites today, despite the roller coaster that is his TV time. So, you would think I would be excited for any new release of his I would be excited for. However, this time I am not. Absolutely nothing about this figure is new.
While one of his better head sculpts, this was introduced last year and used on at least 3 figures that made it out in time for the Christmas rush. The gold trim attire here is an even guiltier offender as it has been used on figures of his more than 5 times already (usually most attires in figure form are done once or twice max). It was said by Mattel that this was a rush to replace a highly anticipated 3MB version of Drew McIntyre that would not be ready in time. If that is indeed true, it clearly shows as this is the weakest figure of the set.
#24 - Kofi Kingston: Rounding out Basic 38 is Kofi Kingston, which is appropriate given that this is an incredibly detailed figure. While this head sculpt has been seen before (but not abused in use like with The Miz, the attire is entirely 100% new. People tend to write off Kofi Kingston figures, much like Sheamus, due to that it just is a man that doesn't change his overall look too often. Well, Kofi is a man whom after sidelined with an injury for part of 2013, decided it was time for a change. Instead of wearing the trunks he was usually known for, he returned from injury and began wearing pants.
Kofi's figures are almost always incredibly detailed. He usually hides clever things in his attires as well, and this one is no exception (note the alien on his left knee in the first picture). The fact that this is his first figure with a major overhaul in terms of what he wore makes it that much more special also, making Kofi a perfect person to cap off this wave.
As I mentioned earlier on in this post, despite Basic Series 38 not sporting any debut wrestlers, that doesn't mean it is a series to write off and ignore. While some figures were done better than others, as I said, this could be a great entry point for a new collector, making everyone worth getting. But to those who have been around the block, like myself, you can probably stand to pass on a few of these (except if you are a completionist like me).
And because there was such a quick turnaround between this set and the prior one, there probably will be a longer than usual wait between 38 & 39. However, it will be well worth it as 2 of the 6 are Basic line debuts, 3 more feature a lot of new tooling to reflect updated looks of seldom seen wrestlers, and only 1 of them is essentially "recycled" much like this wave's Miz. Whenever I get ahold of those (I don't anticipate until late Spring/early Summer) I will review them as well. Until next time!
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