Hulkamaniacs worldwide got some great news in 2020: Hulk Hogan is back in the WWE figure universe. As of press time two Mattel figures are known to be on the way with more sure to be in the pipeline. Even Funko has already brought The Hulkster back to their widely popular Pop vinyl figure line. In thinking about the varieties of Hogan sure to be in the planning stages, there's one design that I'm fairly sure won't be returning. This version of Hulk already saw the light of day as an exclusive five years ago. Seeing as that I passed it up then, I decided to go for it now and see if it really did live up to the hype.
Hogan's availability window for Mattel was relatively brief when you consider the length of time that the line has gone on. Many classic and modern styles were left unreleased. It was roughly a year ago when my review of the Create-A-WWE-Superstar Hulk Hogan figure finally hit the blog. That figure is probably the closest we'll ever see Hogan in his guise of "Mr. America" in plastic form. Today's featured figure also deviates from Hogan's iconic red and yellow. It's the Ringside Collectibles "American Made" Hulk Hogan donning the patriotic blue and white.
The packaging is a colorful variation on that era's Elite box. A later era Hogan photo was artistically recreated to feature this figure's gear. The window is nice and wide with the figure posed to fill it. You'll note the lack of extra hands and heads floating about. For better or for worse this just wasn't part of Mattel's strategy then. It certainly appeals more to the carded/boxed collector that way. This could be an indicator that the older figure remain more desirable for those who don't open and/or prefer to collect signed. The Ringside Exclusive logo is obtrusive, but it no longer bothers me as much now that the company has proven to be the easiest way to obtain the Mattel WWE product.
The figure itself is a repaint of the Defining Moments Hogan released around the same time. It doesn't include the championship belt that was included there and the removable headband is a different style. For some reason this figure appears a bit more bowlegged than that one, and I'm not entirely sure why. It doesn't detract from the figure, however, and I think it may have been done to convey a sense of action which completely reflects The Hulkster.
Some may take issue with the "tear away" shirt as the cut in the front is unavoidable. It really boils down to whether Hogan, legendary for tearing his t-shirt, is able to do so in plastic form or not. I'm fine with it. I like the smaller headband included with this release. It being removable is a step-up from various other Hogan figures released before and after this one and should always be an included feature. He never wrestled a full match with the thing on. It is also the same headband which he wore on the cover of Sports Illustrated in 1985. This is about the third release for the cross necklace which was also a big part of the Hogan character back then. It's rather easily taken off and put back on and looks to be just the right size.
With all of the Hogan looks yet to be made, I just can't see Mattel revisiting this look. The blue trunks have been done before in figure form, but I'm not sure they've been done better than right here. Unless you find someone who doesn't know what they have, you are going to pay more for this figure than it originally sold for five years ago. I will say that prices for it have gone done significantly since the announcement of Hogan's return to the line. I only regret not picking it up sooner.
We already know that we're finally getting Hollywood Hogan in the Mattel line, but how about "workout gear" Hulk that was shown as a prototype years ago? That's probably my personal choice for an alternate Hogan look. Seeing as that he wore a similar look to one of the WrestleMania III press conferences, I can think of no more unique a two-pack than that figure along with a street clothes Andre the Giant. I also think it's inevitable that we'll see an official release of "The Mega Powers" down the line, but how about a look that's never before been done. Possibly finally as some sort of exclusive? Two words:
War Bonnet.
2 comments:
Excellent review as always.
Thank you!
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