Posted in: Collectibles, Hasbro | Tagged: hasbro, lebron james, Starting Lineup

Starting Lineup Is Back, Let's Take A Look At LeBron James

Published Sat, 24 Dec 2022 10:22:11 -0600

Starting Lineup was a staple of young and old sports fans' lives throughout the 80s and 90s. Simple yet somehow still superb, the sports line covered the biggest names and even some lesser-known heroes from all corners of sports before the line ended. Other companies like McFarlane have tried to capture that spirit as well, but none have come close to those original figures. Hasbro has brought the line back with a new wave of NBA figures this holiday season, and they were kind enough to send over some for us to take a look at. We decided to show you, LeBron James.

Starting Lineup For A New Age

From a packaging standpoint, these fall under the plastic-free packaging Hasbro is doing now. As of now, these are not available in stores, so some of the issues people have found with figure swapping and such are not a concern. The box feels impossibly small for what is packed inside, and once you open it, the layout is great. The figure and accessories are in paper Starting Lineup baggies, and the staple trading card is in a box to protect it. The slight stand is located underneath.

The card is cool, though the collector in me wishes they were not doing rare variants, and especially the NFTs they were doing with these releases, as it drove the cost up too much, in my opinion. The card is nice, and I like how it has the player on one side and the figure on the stats side. The flight stand is also great; I wish Hasbro made more of these across their lines. Sturdy, moves well, and holds the weight of the figure perfectly.

Speaking of the figure, Starting Lineup in the past were limited articulation and had basic sculpt work. Those days are gone. This is a fully articulated, six-inch scale version of LeBron James, featuring a pretty perfect likeness. A lot has been made about the lack of tattoos on these, and while I get it, I also understand why they are not there. Lots of legal hurdles to clear there with the artists. Also, the cost would be even higher. They make up for that by grabbing the Nike logo and accurate shoes, with the LeBron 19 Low Nike sneakers on his feet. The uniform has accurate coloring and little flaws to speak of. LeBron even has his sleeves on, and that attention to detail is appreciated.

When the figure really takes off, no pun intended, is when you pair him with the flight stand. Just standing there, he feels a little static and boring. Get him in the air and doing some of his iconic dunk poses and such, and the figure comes to life. he can grab the ball every way you need, though the ball is attached to a swappable hand. That is also a little annoying; a loose one as well would have been appreciated. Or a hoop for him to be leaping at.

So, for $49.99, is there enough here to get fans excited? I say…maybe. If you are a LeBron fan or Lakers fans, this is a great get. It has the perfect look, the many hands and flight stand included mean you an pose him any way you want, and the detail work is there. But the cards and everything to me do not justify the price tag; I feel like without the NFT component, these would be in the sweet spot of $35 and a must-buy. That being said, I wouldn't feel ripped off at all by this if I was purchasing, and I wait with bated breath for an MLB announcement, as that is my sport of choice and where my Starting Lineup dollars went in my youth. These are available right now here.

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