How many different versions of Stone Cold Steve Austin does one collector need? This is a legit question and by no means a dig. If you are a huge Austin fan then chances are you will want every version that comes out. If you are a collector that just wants a different version to reflect the different gimmicks of his career (Stunning, Ringmaster, Stone Cold etc) then you’ll collect those variants. If you are like me, then you’ll just need the one that reflects the Stone Cold we know and love.
For years I have only had the one Austin figure in my collection which was the Defining Moments elite. Classic black attire, two knee braces, entrance vest and three (that’s right, count em, three) title belts. Realistically, it couldn’t get much better than that and what more could an Austin fan want? Well, Mattel then announced the arrival of the Ultimate Edition Stone Cold. I went back and forth on if I really needed this figure, given how great the DE version is. But after holding it in my hand, I can tell you that you will most likely never need to buy another Austin for your collection. This is the peak.
Like most Ultimate Editions, this Austin comes with a smorgasbord of accessories. For starters you get three different swappable heads capturing the main moods of Austin - ice cold stare, snarling bastard and gleefully happy to be punching you. Like most swappable Mattel heads though, they are a bit awkward to get right. I don’t know if I am the only one, but other than the head that is already attached, the others never sit properly. You end up with that weird giraffe looking neck which can make picking your favorite option a bit of a chore to deal with. I always worry about forcing a head on the pin out of fear it may snap. I'm pretty happy with the head already attached but I know other people will have this difficulty to deal with.
Along with the three heads, Ausin also has three different pairs of interchangeable hands - closed fist, open grip and pointing fingers. The pointing fingers allow you to have a more PG friendly of the Stone Cold salute but the effect is still the same. In fact, for the figure photographers out there it does still create the right illusion if you are looking to have Austin flip the double bird. If you are looking to have some actual Attitude era approved middle fingers, there are plenty of figure accessory makers and customisers online that could hook you up.
Austin also comes with a decent variety of attire options. You get the iconic entrance vest in silver on black which is easily removable thanks to the amazing articulation on the UE figures. Yet more iconic threads come in the form of his “Austin 3:16” shirt which has printing front and back. Interestingly, this shirt comes as a complete piece rather than with the standard velcro opening on the back. Despite being a fairly stretchy material it can take a bit of time to get the thing on and off. This would be one of my few knit picks with the figure as keeping the shirt with a velcro opening on the back would have been fine and easier to handle. Finishing off the attire options he also has a gold chain and baseball cap which are easily removable.
Rounding off the accessories, Austin comes with a knee brace and the Attitude Era Winged Eagle championship belt. The belt may actually be a decent selling point for some, as it is the rare dark blue version that hung around for a cup of coffee when that design was first introduced. For my display purposes I’ll be swapping it out with a black strap design which raises my main draw to buying this figure. By swapping out the accessories or even taking some from other figures in your collection you can essentially create your ideal Stone Cold. As mentioned, I’ll be adding the black strapped belt and an extra knee brace to be creating an Austin towards the end of his run. As Austin kept the same look pretty much throughout his Stone Cold persona, it doesn’t take a master customiser to add those little details yourself to get the figure looking how you want it.
As always, this UE comes with the articulation that has made these figures such a must have for collectors and photographers. With the butterfly shoulders, double jointed knees/elbows and ball joints you can essentially get this finger into any pose you wish. Plus with the unbelievable details and scans, this is a near perfect representation of ol’ Stone Cold. Make no mistake though this line of figures is aimed at collectors hence why the high price tag. Some Ultimate Editions feel a bit lacking when it comes to the cost but with the amount of accessories and detail here the price feels justified.
If you are someone who is happy with their standard Elite version of Stone Cold then this will most likely be an easy pass. But if you are someone looking to have that perfect Stone Cold in your collection with a variety of display options or are a keen figure photographer this is an absolute must. If you can pick it up for retail price it is a fair deal due to everything involved. A massive shout out to Super Power Toys / Wrestle HQ for where I picked mine up. They have a wealth of payment options that means you don’t have to break the bank if you are looking to add this to your collection.
Comments