Kane
WWE Elite Collection Series 4
Mattel/ 7" Scale
Approx $15
When Kane debuted in the then-WWF back in 1997/98, he was an intimidating force. Billed as the Undertaker's long-lost brother, their feud became legendary creating new, brutal match types, like the Inferno Match. Over the years, Kane's become an oddball character, he doesn't fit in with the newer, "realistic" characters, instead portraying more of the fantastical elements of pro-wrestling much like the Undertaker. Yet, he's remained a popular Superstar and is always a great subject to be rendered in action figure form and this is an odd figure indeed.
First, the figure follows his modern, maskless, look with his half-shaven head and eyebrowless face. He's sculpted with this unsettling grin, which I've seen him display on several occasions, just prior to beating the hell out of somebody or attempting to set them on fire. I don't think WWE allows that on TV anymore.
He shares several parts with the Undertaker, however Kane gets his own torso, left and right hands, the latter sporting a fingerless glove. The right hand is also sculpted with a wide grip to fit around another figure's throat and simulate a Chokeslam.
Everything from the waist down is the same as the Elite 1 Undertaker, but it works because both men are basically the same size. Awesome detailing makes it look like he's wearing tights and not like his legs were just painted black. The boots are a generic style, but done with great detail on the laces and wrinkles on the sides.
The paint on Kane is mostly reserved for his right hand and the red barb-wire on his tights. They did a great job on his face, especially the eyes which can be tricky since he wears a white contact lens on his right eye. The teeth and mouth have great paint apps and everything works perfectly for that crazy look.
Kane moves pretty well, the main problem being the same as the Undertaker's figure, he can't hold his legs at a full 90 degrees to achieve the "Big Boot" manuever. It's mostly attributed to the shape of his lower torso and the size of his hip pieces. The elbows are somewhat restricted by the larger elbowpads. I plan to pickup the WrestleMania XXVI Basic Kane because he has smaller, less restrictive pads on his arms and I can just swap them out and he also features an angry head sculpt I could just swap with the Elite figure's.
In keeping with the crazyiness, Kane's packaged with full shackles and a towel he wears as a hood. I remember the hooded look from the early days after removing his mask. He would wear it during his entrance to the arena. The towel is molded in black and shaped to fit around his head like a hood. The detail is sufficient to make it look like a towel and I'm glad they didn't go with a soft-good here because it would just fall off. The shackles are a bizarre, but welcomed addition. I don't remember him being shackled, but it could have been from the past 5 years when I wasn't following WWE programming. They're molded in a soft rubber that stretches over the different body parts. You basically slip it over his waist then pull the cuffs and leg chains on. Together with the hood the look is pleasantly twisted and the fact he's smiling makes it all the more unsettling. Of course, Kane also includes the standard WWE display base and nametag.
I wasn't a fan of his look without his trademark mask and was not excited when this figure was announced, but when I saw the promo shots, I thought it looked awesome and was very happy to find him at Walmart about a month ago. Now he's one of my favorites in the line.
At $15, he's the now standard price for Mattel's collector lines and being that he is a bit larger than the average WWE figure, he appears as a better value for the cash. He has just enough in the accessories dept. to make him a much better deal than say Chris Jericho from the same wave, who is about half the size of Kane and only includes a microphone. Kane's definitely popular because I've only seen him at retail once and that was the day I bought him. And it was the only one on the pegs. So if you're a fan of the Big Red Machine, don't hesitate on this figure if you spot him. He's a blast!
3B's Opinion: Buy It!
