As a long time wrestling fan there are few personalities that don’t make an impression on me from the bygone days of wrestling. One of the guys who really stuck out is Razor Ramon. For those of you who aren’t as versed in the wrestling world let me pause and give you some background.
Razor was also known as Scott Hall in his stint in WCW as part of the hugely popular NWO. He gained his first bits of notoriety in the WWF as Razor Ramon. His character was often called “The bad guy” and he tried to live up to that name in his interviews. Razor was an all time favorite of mine even before the NOW days so when the announcements were coming that he was being made for the Build and Brawl series I was kind of ecstatic.
Of course this is not the first time Razor has appeared as a figure. Most of them have been in another scale however. One of the best ones from a different scale was from Toy Biz during the high points of the NWO. He had great articulation and looked dead on like Scott Hall. He wasn’t perfect but was good none the less.
First and foremost let me get the bad out of the way first. While I like the Build and Brawl series one major complaint I have of it is the scale issue itself. For example Undertaker (Who is somewhere around 6’ 10”) should not be as tall as Rey Mysterio Jr. (who measures around 5’ 5” in lifts). I would have probably bought up more of these figures if there was a difference in size for many of them. However I try to keep my Build and Brawls down to those wrestlers who are around the same height (5’10”-6’5”). I think honestly if this 
wasn’t already an existing issue with Jakks Pacific I would be really upset. The Height issues have kept me away from many of their offerings in the larger scales. However 1:18th scale is a
big draw for me and I couldn’t avoid one of my all time favorites in that scale.
The Figure itself is fantastic. Jakks seems to be reusing many bodies for these figures, but they have done a great job of mix and match to make the figures distinct enough that is not as big a deal. This figure has a clenched fist. While fists are generally a turn off in a figure, in this case it allows for Razor to do his trademark “Shaking fists” stance when he first enters the ring.
One of the major wins for this figure is the amount of detail that is one it. Apparently reusing molds has helped Jakks throw 
more money into paint as Razor is detailed all over his trunks and even his knee and elbow pads with his trademark razors. Also the old “Razor” is blazed across the front of the trunks. While most might find the colors garish (Purple and gold) you have to remember that this character came about in the time of Doink the clown, Yokozuna, and other bright and colorful characters. As such his outfits often reflected this tone of the WWF which was long before the black and white (or red) he had while in the NWO. My only guess why they went for the Razor persona over the Hall persona would be a possible copy write issue or maybe even a desire by Vince McMahon himself not to acknowledge the years of WCW in which Razor was a huge part. This was before WWF “got the F out” and copped an “Attitude” and even before ECW had everyone thinking “EXTREAME!” It was a simpler time with simpler characters. Razor also sports his trademark spit curl in the front as well as his constant 5 O’clock shadow. His face likeness is as close to any I have seen on a figure of this scale. He has his trademark arrogant sneer and looks ready to fight.
His articulation is great as is all the Build and Brawl wrestlers. This is a place where I feel this line shines as the articulation is great while being unique. He has wrist (up and down) forearm (swivel) elbow, bicep (swivel again) shoulder, neck, chest (up and down), hip, dual knee and ankle articulations. A major point that must be brought up is that the elbow and knee pads do hinder movement somewhat. However, molding them as part of the figure is not a realistic option and without the pads the figure loses a great deal of flavor.
However it is in articulation that some bad points of the figure come up. First is the ankles, I am not sure why but in this entire line I have had issues with the ankles up and down motion. Most of my build and brawls have trouble standing up as the ankles tend to end up in a way that forces the figure back and thus falls down. This is made worse by the fact that there is no kind of peg hole in the foot (in other words no kind of stand can help). The other problem is in the bicep swivel as the joint tends to be fragile (as I discovered when I broke my Triple H’s arm during a fight with a transformer). If you are aware of that weakness its not a big deal, but if you are not it can be a problem only solved by repurchase or Krazy Glue.
Also I am not sure if its my figure or if this is common with Razor but I have noticed his left knee pad keeps wanting to fall off. Again not sure if this is common to this figure or just one in a million flaw but felt it was worth mentioning.
The other fun point of this figure is what he comes with. With a lot of the Build and Brawl wrestlers there is something to be build (Ring, Stage, Cage ect). This can be 
very problematic for a guy who only buys a few of these as he is left with parts he has no use for. This is my problem as I only pick up 2-3 of these per wave. This time the wave it is the “Money in the Bank” match.
Razor comes with a briefcase which has many, many uses for any 1:18th scale collector.
You can hand it off to Destro for money in an arms deal. Give it to Indiana Jones to hold a rare small artifact. You could even give to Boba Fett to hide a contract. The possibilities are pretty broad for it.
The other accessory is the ladder for the “Money in the Bank” match. This is the perfect accessory for Razor 
Ramon. For those who don’t remember, Wrestlemania X opened with what has been called one of the greatest matches of all time. It was a ladder match between Razor Ramon and Shawn Michaels for the Intercontinental title. Razor won the match and it has been referred to as the standard by which all ladder matches have been judged since (As well as the rematch at that year’s Summerslam in which Shawn Michaels won). This is why this accessory is perfect for Razor and (in my opinion) makes Razor Ramon the best accessorized figure from the Build and Brawl series thus far.
Overall (on a ten scale) I would have to give this figure a 9 (with a minus one for the aforementioned articulation issues). He is a must have for any fan of wrestling, and maybe even for those who are not.
Hey yo, Wat's scientific about wrestlin'?
The Razor's edge
A ladder match for the mantle of the Bat.
Discuss here!
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