Collector’s Corner #3 With Matthew Barnes: The He-Man Years
Collector’s Corner #3
With Matthew Barnes
The He-Man Years
Welcome back to Collector’s Corner, our new regular feature looking back at the history of wrestling collectibles. Our initial foray into the world of action figures continues this time with a special line of figures produced by Remco for the AWA.
It’s important when looking at action figures to first look at them from a kid’s perspective, as the modern value of vintage action figure collectibles is very much dictated by how loved they were when collectors were children themselves. This is actually something of a conundrum when it comes to the AWA figures. Whilst visually and practically they were almost the perfect toys for their era, availability and the reach of the AWA posed an issue to their appeal, and this issue still resonates to this day, with many mainstream collectors unaware, even, of their existence.
More mobile than the WWF’s LJN range and WCW’s later Galoob range, it could actually be argued that the articulation of AWA’s figures was the best until Jakks came along in the late nineties, as these figures had mobility in both arms and legs (as well as the cranium), whereas the WWF Hasbro range which followed shortly after was limited in maneuverability to built in “Smash-em!” style motions which, whilst very cool and unique for the era, meant that playing with them tended to be limited to signature moves rather than the freedom to fully use your imagination.
Maybe more importantly, these figures mimicked (we’ll stop shot of “ripped off” … that epithet is reserved for Sungold, in this instance) the phenomenally popular Masters of the Universe range. He-Man and his muscle-bound pals exploded onto the scene in 1981 and revolutionised the action figure market by being the first action figure line that existed outside of a TV or movie franchise (the series actually followed, and was a marketing vehicle for, these toys). The MOTU line was nothing short of amazing, with figures with a range of motion, amazing variety (from the fluffed-up Grizzlor, to the Velcro-esque Moss Man, to pop-up eyes, extending necks and flying fists, to weapons and accessories galore, castles, vehicles and slimepits) and a decent price point for the era.
Remco’s vision for the AWA range shared not only the physical imitation of the figures, but also the ambitious addition of robes and belts, which wouldn’t be seen again in wrestling figures until Toybiz entered the fray in the later nineties with their WCW lines, and even then on a much more limited scale. Remco’s ambition with these figures remains impressive to this day.
Released between 1985 and 1986, the Remco line boasted two rings and a steel cage playset, with one of the rings boasting an incredible seven figures as part of the package. Anyone who has bought any kind of playset for their kids over the last 20 years will know that you’re lucky to get even a single figure included, much less seven figures with a battle royal ring you can play with right out of the box. These options alone speak to a different era, in which quality and enjoyability was often the priority, not just relentless profiteering. That’s not to say money wasn’t the priority, just that it wasn’t the only priority. For a wrestling company that didn’t survive much longer, whilst the WWF’s marketing machine exploded and propelled the company to unthinkable new heights, you can make of that what you will.
Unusually for a wrestling figure line, the AWA’s range primarily focused on tag teams, with only nine single figures released, 12 tag teams and three three-man teams. Tag team highlights included The Road Warriors, The Fabulous Ones and Ric Flair & Larry Zbyszko, whilst the three packs included The Freebirds, The Road Warriors & Paul Ellering, as well as Jimmy Garvin, Steven Regal and Precious. Other notable names featured in this multi-packs included Scott Hall, Abdullah the Butcher, Stan Hansen and Kurt (sic) Hennig. Amongst the singles line were Marty Jannetty, Paul Ellering, Buddy Rose, Shawn Michaels and referee Dick Woehrle.
It’s an impressive cast of characters, many of whom never again saw mainstream action figure releases. The assortment of robes and belts accompanying the figures was just as impressive, and their He-Man-esque appearance gave them a fun accompaniment for non-wrestling action figures. Skeletor vs Ric Flair? He-Man vs Greg Gagne? Beast Man vs Sheik Adnan Al-Kaissie? What a time to be alive.
Much like He-Man and his Masters of the Universe friends, the AWA’s figures got the bootleg treatment, primarily through Sungold (who also ‘paid tribute’ to the Masters of the Universe range, though others also got into the fray). Though similar, these figures featured less articulation and far lower detail and quality, though these lines did also include belts and wrestling rings, appealing to the cheaper end of the market. These figures, too, can command big bucks in the modern era, though this is likely more to do with their scarcity than their quality or true nostalgia value. Indeed, when you get a figure with an eye patch and a wrestling belt, it’s pretty hard to know which of the two big lines was being imitated, but there is always a market for cheap imitations of more expensive mainstream offerings.
On the whole, though, the collectible value and appeal of the Remco line tends to be the remit of the hardcore completist. Again, this no doubt comes down to the WWF explosion of the late eighties taking mainstream fandom away from the territories and casting their marketing net worldwide, but these figures really were aesthetically great, and nostalgia abounds for those who loved them during the AWA’s last hurrah. Whilst the “main event” of the collector’s era comes next time with the Hasbro era, the AWA’s offerings should not be forgotten in the pantheon of great wrestling figures. It was a hell of a run.
What may have been more exciting than trying to spend hundreds (and maybe thousands) of dollars trying to collect these vintage figures was the news that the Remco line was returning. We’ll get to the modern era of retro figures in due course, but this is bigger news than it may at first seem. The WWE has been dipping its toe into MOTU-style figures over the last several years (including a pretty awesome ring which sits beautifully alongside Castle Grayskull as a display piece), Remco went deeper, returning to its roots with Jim Duggan, Tully Blanchard, Bobo Brazil and The Missing Link, amongst many others.
Much like the WWE’s Hasbro style 2020s offerings, these were designed to sit alongside the original range, building on and expanding the collection rather than repeating the superstar figures already produced. Looking at the line, you can see robes, belts and accessories, and it’s a wonderful slice of nostalgia to think that owning these and filling gaps in the original roster is a possibility. The first run of Remco Retros quickly sold out, which, though disappointing, likely means that future instalments are a more likely. At $25USD for a single figure, however, these weren’t cheap, and the secondary market will be even more brutal, proving once again that collecting wrestling figures isn’t just a hobby, it’s a lifestyle choice – and a bloody expensive one, at that.
