One of the more popular topics on the blog over the years has been the discussion of wrestling stars from the past who have never received an action figure. With the blog running over thirteen years now, many of those “problems” have been remedied. The latest also happens to be one of the most requested. Despite having a career that spanned over twenty years and being with the World Wrestling Federation during parts of their two most legendary figure lines, Dino Bravo was a poster child for wrestlers who were never immortalized in plastic. His controversial and macabre death could well have played a part as it seemed that his family had no issue with Dino joining the ranks of the figure world. Now, like so many other once figure-less wrestlers, Bravo is benefitting from the “boutique manufacturer” era of wrestling figures and can finally be added to collections.
From Zombie Sailor Toys “Wrestling's Heels & Faces” line comes “The Canadian Strongman” Dino Bravo. Another offering in the style of the beloved Hasbro WWF collection, the line is a mix of legends and indy talent. Bravo joins Earl Hebner and Sabu as the other legends in the first wave. The company is promising many more names to come including another star who previously did not have any figure releases, Paul Roma. The first wave did suffer from delays and finally started arriving to collectors around thirteen months after the initial pre-order.
As the figures are to reflect the Hasbro WWF line, so does the card back. Artistic renderings seem to be the name of the game as far as the pictures on the retro card backs from any manufacturer. It’s likely due to licensing issues regarding the original photos. Thus far "Wrestling's Heels & Faces" may have the best styled card back in the world of retro figures. The card itself is as sturdy as an original Hasbro and is correctly sized. The font is exact thus making the file card look great. The facsimile signature is there just as it should be. One thing that always bothered me when looking at carded Hasbro-style customs was the lack of a true facsimile signature. The customizers would go to all of the trouble of perfecting the rest of the package and then…type the name on in some sort of brush script font. So far all of these smaller outfits making these licensed retro figures have taken the time and done it right. It isn’t hard to do if even I did it in the banner of my blog many years ago.
My one qualm with the card backs is the pushing of designer Ron Rudat all over them. It’s nice that he designed the original Hasbro WWF line and is involved with these as well, but it simply isn’t a selling point for anyone beyond a very small handful. I don’t care who designed the thing as long as it fits in where it should. To be honest there are plenty of retro style figures out now that were not designed by the man and those items fit just fine with the classic Hasbro collection. All sources indicate that he isn’t really much of a wrestling fan and is much more proud of his work on the legendary G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero line. The design blueprint on the back of the card can also be done away with. It’s just unnecessary and if getting rid of all of it brings cost down, let’s have it.
How about the figure itself? The major need is for a retro styled figure to look like it fits with the original Hasbro line. The likeness is just the right balance between realistic and Hasbro cartoonish. The pose, while not exactly one that looks like a re-used Hasbro sculpt, does pass as being from back then. The shine on the figure is just about right, too. Aside from the Mattel WWE Retro figures, none of these new kids on the block have “Real Wrestling Action” and that’s perfectly fine. The paint apps here are vibrant just as a Hasbro should be. What really sells me on Dino is his look from the side and back. Burly Bravo had massive shoulders than almost made him appear hunched at times. You know it's something that Hasbro likely would've picked up on and it's right here, too. The side view of Bravo's likeness is unmistakable here, also.
All in all, this is an absolutely high quality figure. It’s the first licensed figure of Dino Bravo. Of course you’re going to want it. It being this nice and fitting in perfectly where he belongs in the Hasbro world is icing on the cake. This particular figure is sold out but it hopefully sets a nice precedence in what we’ll see going forward in this line. If taking the “designer name” off of these things reduces cost, again, I’m all for it. A couple of bucks can make all the difference for me buying just one to open or buying two and keeping one carded for signing purposes (obviously not an issue with this figure). I probably would’ve purchased an additional Sabu and Hebner for just that reason had the cost been a bit less.
It would be nice to see someone market a licensed Bravo in the current scale, as well. I also wouldn’t mind seeing a dark haired Bravo figure at some point, but not in the retro style. It’s good to see these long-deserving men finally get their recognition and it's always nice to see properly licensed merchandise where the stars or their families get some extra earnings. The retro style seems to be key right now, likely due to the ease of producing them, but with so much great product out there I don't foresee anyone complaining.
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