I was on a shopping trip with the family. I hadn't bought anything in a few days. I was bored. I saw this Hulk Hogan figure sitting on the shelf and I decided to buy it. Don't get me wrong, there's nothing at all wrong with Hulk Hogan: The guy's an icon in sports entertainment and pop culture in general. Still, this isn't a 1980's/ early 1990's Hulkamania Hulk Hogan. It's actually Hogan as he appeared on an episode of WWE Raw last year (which, interestingly, is not the outfit he's wearing on the package). He comes with some unique accessories which made him rather interesting to me. I shouldn't need to defend my decision to buy an action figure of a 60 year old Hulk Hogan but I do. Anyways, let's Hulk-up and do this! More details after the break, brother!
The Facts:
Height: 7 1/4 inches tall
Articulation: Hinged ankles w/ lateral rockers, double hinged knees, swivel thighs, T-bar hips, swivel waist, mid-torso hinge, swivel/hinge shoulders, swivel biceps, hinged elbows, swivel/hinge wrists, ball jointed head.
Accessories: Two swappable t-shirts, feather boa, and sunglasses.
Non-scalper price: $20
*This is an excellent Hulk Hogan headsculpt. Seriously, it looks just like him. Even if he weren't wearing the Hulkamania bandana you'd still no exactly who this is. He's got a great facial expression, too, as it perfectly captures Hulk playing up to the audience. Mattel did a really fine job here.
*Just like most of the other WWE Elite figures, Hulk Hogan is sturdy and well articulated. Worry about the 24 inch pythons and Hulkamania destroying you and not the other way around: This figure is solidly built! Seriously, there's no way you're breaking this figure. He's solid brother.
*As far as I can tell Mattel nailed all of the Hulk Hogan's tattoos. Well, at least those that are visible when he's shirtless. He's got "Immortal" across his back, "I am that I am" on his right forearm (God's response to Moses from the book of Exodus), and the words "Awareness" and "Grateful" on his right and left wrists respectively. These are all very neatly applied and add a lot to the figure.
*I love that Hogan comes with the flamboyant extras for his outfit from the February 24, 2014 episode of WWE Raw. The red "Hulkamania, Est. 1984" shirt is removable as is his feathery boa and his sunglasses. The paint work on these pieces looks fantastic! Just be careful with those sunglasses, as they might be fragile and can easily get lost.
*Hulk comes with an extra yellow t-shirt that says "Hulk Rules." It's a cool extra, definitely, but I'm not sure where it comes from. I mean, you can find shirts like it online, no problem, but it's definitely not from this appearance. Still, an extra accessory is an extra accessory, and what other figure comes with an extra shirt? Just the Hulkster, baby!
The Negatives:
*From what I've heard, negativity and Hulkamania are two things that don't go together, so I'm going to try and not get hung up on these things. Still, I wish it was a bit easier to swap Hulk's shirts. Rather than have a removable ball jointed head to facilitate easy swapping you actually have to stretch them a bit. I'm afraid that over time this could lead to some problems so I'd say pick your favorite and stick with it.
*Hulk's wearing the same pants as both versions of Luke Harper. That's not a huge deal but what is a little odd is that where Luke Harper has a pocket handkerchief hanging out of his back pocket, Hulk just has a hole. Little stuff like that sometimes bothers me as it just seems lazy. Maybe they could have given him something else to store back there?
I've now reviewed far more WWE Elite figures than I thought I'd ever own:
WWE Elite Collection by Mattel
Bray Wyatt
Erick Rowan
Luke Harper (Series 35)
Paige
Rusev
WWE Elite: Wrestlemania XXX by Mattel
Bray Wyatt
I like this one. It is a little weird to have an older, modern Hulkster but at the same time there has to be tons of figures of the younger Hogan out there and to be honest he still doesn't look that old, I mean he's aged for sure but he still looks like Hulk Hogan and this is a cool figure.
ReplyDeleteYeah, Hulk Hogan is one of those guys that has had, has, and will have multiple figures in his likeness. You're totally right, though, in that he really doesn't look that much different these days, at least in regards to his face and build. If someone had told me this was a classic Hogan, I might have believed them just looking at the figure.
DeleteI have the Defining Moments one but was tempted by this one too but in the end i think i like the one i got the best...Ringside Collectibles as a blue and white American Made one that looks awesome!
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