Hey look, Mutant Mania has a playset! MUSCLE had an arena, too... in fact, they seem remarkably similar in a few ways. The Rampage Arena is a wonderfully huge wrestling ring, complete with a stage and to sets of stairs. It's got action features! Exclusive dudes! And fun! It's also almost $40, which isn't too bad for something of this size, but worth a look, anyway.
The box artwork is really awesome. Like, really cool and awesome. Notice how it actually includes the figures' rubber spines, too.
When stripped of all its accessories, the arena is exactly what it says on the tin - a wrestling arena sized for 2" figures. It is a little larger than some toy rings, but it is what it is. Those ropes are elastic and fastened to removable posts, though the knot will be unfortunately visible regardless of what you do. See those big holes on the side? They have a purpose!
Just as the MUSCLE arena had a lever-and-clamp mechanism to hold figures up and have them duke it out, so does the Rampage Arena. You can insert the massive posts and their complex lever mechanisms in at any time (and remove them, as well) for the "battle" feature. With the press of a button, you can send an "arm" roceting forward, or twist it side-to-side to let the front platform flop around.
Mutant Mania figures plug really securely on the foot pegs, so you can whip them around pretty violently.
Sometimes one will get thrown off, and sometimes the loser will just fly apart, but the system is pretty secure (certainly better than the MUSCLE breakable clamps).
I tested it a few times, and found that yes, those pegs are secure. It's actually a fun little game rather than a pure afterthought, so kudos on that. And now that you've had a look at them, let's discuss the two exclusive wrestlers!
This is Sumo, though I swear he looks just like Blinky from the Simpsons. Sumo is the biggest Mutant Mania figure, as his torso is pretty wide and tall. He actually stretches the rubber spines out a little bit.
And this fellow is Rock Dude, who looks a lot rockier on the box art. It should be noted that, although one figure will always be orange and the other purple, there is a paint variant - about half of the time, Sumo is purple and Rock Dude is orange. I went with this color scheme because it's the one on the box.
Next up is the stage! Along with the stage proper, you also get two staircases/launchers, which can be plugged into swivel joints on the edges of the stage itself.
The stairs are covered in footpegs, as you can see. There is a trigger that flips the blue step as well, functioning as a catapult. The idea is to fling your mutant wrestlers into the ring, though you will need excellent aim for that.
The stage itself has a nice little "replay" picture that is oddly unrelated to the two wresters included with the ring itself. Odd, eh?
The door can BURST open revealing a wrestler! That's an awesome little thing, and it helps add some more play to the set. Now we just need theme music for these guys.
It also has a drawer underneath the ring. Said drawer has way too little space to store figures (four? really?), but contains a rack for spare spines. And believe me, you will have spare spines.
The final verdict? It appeals to my diorama sense, and I'm glad to have another wrestling ring for photography, even though it has a pretty specific brand name sticker on it. The play features all work well, the game is fun, the two included figures are extremely cool, and this should really appeal to anybody who already likes the Mutant Mania line. It also supports my theory that Moose is directly trying to ape MUSCLE.
Edited by Ridureyu, 17 October 2014 - 10:06 AM.
