WWE Elite Cactus Jack figure review – Elite 48

A WWE Elite Cactus Jack was shaping up to be one of those figures I’d never get in my collection. Previously, Mattel released him as a website exclusive. It didn’t take long for him to sell out.

There was a glimmer of hope as he was revealed back at San Diego Comic Con 2016 (15?) as part of a new Hall of Fame lineup. But he was shelved following yet another Mick Foley and WWE fallout. With Foley back in the WWE’s good graces, all of us who missed out finally had our chance. And the second I learned Elite 48 was out, I quickly went on a hunt and grabbed him. Now let’s see if he was worth all the fuss.

Packaging:  Mattel tweaked the design of the previous Elite packaging. It’s not a huge difference, but little things like the included accessories are relocated.

I still wish Mattel would do more of a bio like they used on the Then, Now Forever figures. Oddly, he’s got the vintage WWF logo at the right corner instead of the more appropriate Attitude era scratch logo.

Likeness:  This a pretty solid likeness for the Attitude Era version Cactus Jack. Jakks made an excellent Cactus head sculpt that I’ve held onto for years in hopes of creating an ECW era version. But for what this figure represents, it’s pretty solid.

 

I hate the bulky plastic shirts, but this helps pad Foley’s torso out and gets all the detail in his epic Wanted T-shirt. I’m still going to look into swapping that with the cloth version from the Jakks Cactus Jack figure. I tried and it’s a little too big for the figure. That’s not a big deal since the included shirt actually works pretty well.

The neutral expression is an interesting choice considering Cactus is one of those guys who could work with a more maniacal or deranged head sculpt. This was also one of those instances I would’ve loved specialty hands. Bang Bang gun shooting hands would have been great. I probably would have gotten a few more for the Bullet Club members too.

Scale:  The figure does a pretty decent job of capturing Cactus’ girth. He wasn’t fat at this point, but he was definitely not a slender cruiserweight either. Cactus was 6’2” making him slightly shorter than the 6’5” Billy Gunn and the same height as Tommy Dreamer (not counting the hair). Man, I wish Mattel could do an Elite Sabu figure!

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Paint:  Most of the paint is handled with the shirt. If you can choose between figures, pay attention to the hair and beard line. That’s where you’ll notice the biggest annoying issues. Of the two that I could choose from neither was terrible, but it’s nice to get the best option.

Instead of a Cactus lettering along the sides, there’s a cactus on either leg. That’s a nice touch and offers a reasonable variant for folks who got the online exclusive version.

Articulation:  Cactus is the standard Elite figure. The old model plastic shirt had the pesky habit of unfastening with light movement. Mattel fixed that here and just glued it together. It’s not like Mick was taking his shirt off during his matches.

There’s enough give that I was able to tilt the torso back and forth well enough. The clothes only really get in the way when I added the flannel vest. That’s just too much plastic to allow for smooth movement.

As far as Cactus’ big moves? You shouldn’t have any problem pulling off a double underhook DDT, the Cactus clothesline or big elbow from the apron. Hardcore brawlers are always easy to work with in terms of getting their move set.

Cactus has:

• neck
• ball-jointed shoulders
• bicep
• elbow
• wrist
• wrist hinge
• torso
• waist
• hip
• thigh
• knee (double-jointed)
• ankle

Accessories:  Cactus gets a pretty decent assortment of accessories. His ever present flannel shirt is included. It’s made of plastic, which actually makes sense here. I’ll probably look into finding a cloth flannel shirt all the same.

He also comes with a Do Not Enter sign. This should make a fun addition to your hardcore weapons trash can/Dumpster. He can’t really hold it thanks to the wider spread left hand.

Finally, there’s another section of the Build-a-Backstage diorama. I’m not the biggest fan of these are they’re too small to really work and the stands break up the image enough to ruin the illusion of a cohesive image.

Worth it?  I got Cactus for regular retail price of $20. While not as good a deal as Marvel Legends, this is a pretty decent deal. Given Foley’s roller coaster relationship with the WWE, I’d recommend grabbing this now and not waiting for it to hit clearance.

Rating: 9 out of 10

Mattel likes going with expressive heads and this was a weird choice to leave that for a guy known for his expressions throughout his career. The shirts don’t impair articulation and now I finally have a Cactus Jack for my ECW display.

Where to get it?  Elite 48 is slowly trickling out to retailers. Wal-Mart got this wave first so check there, but the regular suspects (Toys R Us, Target, Gamestop) should get them in soon.