By Michael Moore, PWTorch Collectibles specialist

In Brief: Mattel released the first figure of Kevin Von Erich in 2011.




Action Figure Spotlight #26: Kevin Von Erich
Originally released: 2011
What you can expect to pay: $10-15 loose; $15-20 packaged

Mattel released six series of WWE Legends before high prices and low interest forced the company to abandon the line and switch to Internet exclusives in 2011. Of all of those figures, just one wrestled his entire career without a run in the WWF.

Kevin Von Erich debuted in 1976, the first of the Von Erich brothers to follow in father Fritz’s footsteps. Younger brothers David and Kerry soon followed, and within a few years they were the biggest wrestling stars in Texas. The Von Erichs became a household name across the U.S. and internationally in the 1980s.

World Class Championship Wrestling capitalized on the popularity of the Von Erichs by selling t-shirts, posters, bandanas, and other merchandise. But, as hot as the Von Erichs were, no toy companies ever produced a Von Erich action figure until Kerry became the Texas Tornado in the WWF in the 1990s.

Fortunately for fans of the Texas-based promotion, Mattel released figures of Kevin and Kerry (along with a Texas Tornado variant) before halting the Legends line.

Kevin’s first action figure features him in red trunks and kneepads, along with a removable red, white, and blue jacket representing the Lone Star State. Kevin also appears barefoot, just as he did during his entire career. His right hand is molded in the shape of the famous Von Erich iron claw.

The entire sixth Legends series – which also includes the Ultimate Warrior and Eddie Guerrero – has been a popular one with collectors. Unlike the first three Legends series, this one wasn’t readily available at retail stores, so finding these figures can be somewhat tricky.

Most of the figures still sell for close to retail price on the secondary market. Loose figures of Kevin can be found in the $10-15 range, while packaged figures are usually available for $15-20. However, there is not an abundance of these figures on the secondary market; type in “Kevin Von Erich Mattel” on eBay and there are usually fewer than 10 auctions at any given time.

Jakks-Pacific made figures of the Von Erichs’s top rivals, the Fabulous Freebirds, in the mid-2000s. If you’re looking to recreate arguably the greatest feud in wrestling history, there are now five of the six figures available. Hopefully Mattel will offer a figure of the late David Von Erich on its collectibles’ website, mattycollector.com, sometime in the near future.

Collectibles News

If you’re having a hard time finding the latest WWE figures from Mattel, check out wweshop.com. The 17th series of basic figures is brand new and not yet available in all parts of the country, but all of the figures are online – albeit at a higher price. The most notable figure in the series is a new Zack Ryder toy. Ryder’s first two Mattel figures, which capture Ryder as a heel prior to his babyface run, have been incredibly popular on the secondary market. The site is also selling the 14th Elite series, which includes a cool hooded Undertaker figure.

Sloppy Signature Trivia Answer

No readers were able to identify the sloppy signature of Eric Bischoff featured in last Thursday’s Collectibles Column. The autograph pictured in that column was taken from a TRISTAR TNA Reflexxions trading card.

Do you have a contact about wrestling collectibles, a story idea or a collection you’d like to show off? Contact Michael Moore at michaelmoorewriter@gmail.com.

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