WWE Ultimate Edition Fan TakeOver Shawn Michaels review
There was a sweet spot in 1995 when the freshly face-turned Shawn Michaels wasn’t an unlikable “boyhood dream” prick character. This was when he was the IC champ playing Robin to Diesel’s Batman and was HBK’s most endearing stint.
Mattel captured this era with its latest Fan TakeOver Ultimate Edition figure from Survivor Series 1995. Let’s see if this figure breaks my heart or will be a welcome addition to my New Generation display.
Packaging: Like the normal UE packaging, it’s mostly red with white accents. This doesn’t work as well with a character in mostly red. The side features a janky Photoshop portrait of HBK that doesn’t capture his 95 look at all. Fan TakeOver logos are scattered throughout.
Unlike Jazwares, Mattel really puts a lot of work in the back of the packaging. There’s a nice shot of the figure in classic HBK pre-match stance. The actual photo reference shot is obviously much better though I wish some of his attire was shown.
As always, I dig the stat breakdown on the side with an excellent bio even though it’s done in smaller text this time to show the breakdown of the fan votes for the attire choice.
Likeness: HBK isn’t a hulking brawler and needed a more streamlined torso than the usual UE bodies. For as anticipated as the TakeOver Jeff Hardy figure was, Mattel really botched the torso choice with him. That’s thankfully not the case with HBK who has a far more appropriate slender torso.
The head sculpt is ok. It captures that playful, cocky demeanor he had for most of 95.
Even better, the hair sculpt has hair falling down over his right eye. It’s nice attention to detail and captures this specific timeframe in Shawn’s career. I’d still like to see a mid-95 look with the beard.
I thought the wrist tape/wrapping was too short, but Mattel actually does have it at the proper length.
Scale: HBK was 6’1 so he’s looking up at foes like the 6’4″ Yokozuna, 6’7” Razor Ramon and the 6’9” Sycho Sid. Shawn seems right even if Sid is just a tad shorter than he should be in this scale.
Paint: Despite the tough challenge of white logos on red pants with extra red detailing within, Mattel pulled this off pretty well. There’s the inevitable bleed through, which seems unavoidable in this case, but the hearts are accurate and are clean enough.
It did seem weird that Mattel could put a heart on Shawn’s crotch like his actual tight design but have to leave the lips off of Billy Gunn.
Mattel also added a hairy chest to Shawn to further the accuracy. Shawn’s bicep tattoo is faithfully replicated as well. I wish Mattel could add the black lining to his boots, but that’s probably a licensing issue.
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Articulation: Shawn is exactly the kind of wrestler the Ultimate Edition line was made for with his hyper athletic, bob and weave, quick strike style.
He also benefits from the butterfly shoulders, which further aid in hitting moves like his top rope elbow and better selling range of his Sweet Chin Music.
As always, the torso joint would benefit from better back and forth/side to side range to pull off moves even better.
Ultimate Edition Shawn Michaels has:
- neck
- bicep
- ball-jointed shoulders
- butterfly shoulders
- elbows (double-jointed)
- wrists
- wrist hinge
- torso
- waist
- hips
- thighs
- knees (double-jointed)
- ankles
Accessories: This is the category that sufficiently bumps Shawn up to Ultimate Edition worthy.
He’s got an alternate head sculpt that’s got a more fired up expression. The likeness is noticeably better than the default to the point it might be the main one I use.
The earrings are removable, which is a nice touch compared to some Elite HBK figures.
He’s also got swappable fists that also sport a strong paintjob.
But the main selling point here is Shawn’s complete ring entrance gear from the Blue Oyster style hat. Mattel went with plastic for Shawn’s vest, but those aren’t a problem in this style since they’re not hard to get off.
Impressively, it’s got sculpted rhinestones. These aren’t painted especially well, but I appreciate the extra effort and they look fine from a distance.
Next is his chaps. They’re cloth to slip off his legs and waist easily. These are tremendous and really seal the deal in completing the full ring entrance look.
Worth it? Mattel has raised the prices on Ultimate Edition figures to $33. The standard Elite figure is $22.99 now. I don’t think every UE figure is worth the extra cost, but that’s not true for Shawn as there was real visible effort put into this one.
Rating: 9.5 out of 10
Shawn has been a tough one for Mattel to perfect his likeness, but at least the secondary sculpt has a great likeness. Getting the full Survivor Series outfit with the superior articulation makes this an easy recommendation.
Where to get it? HBK is still in stock for Amazon proper which is helpful since he’s an Amazon exclusive.
