Hulk Hogan: WWE Defining Moments figure review (Mattel)

WWE Universe fans, can’t see anyone but John Cena. Ask anyone from the Attitude Era and the bottom line is clearly “Stone Cold” Steve Austin. Grew up with the New Generation and the best there was, best there is and best there ever will be is no doubt Bret “The Hitman” Hart.

But if you started watching WWF (WWE) back in the 80s — like me — your champ is the man remarkably still the first name associated with wrestling…Hulk Hogan.

Mattel kicked off its Legends line in 2010 and included luminaries like Steve Austin, Bret Hart, The Ultimate Warrior, The Road Warriors, Rick Rude, “Rowdy” Roddy Piper, Mr. Perfect, Andre the Giant and more, but for many fans their investment in the Legends/Flashback line was validated at last year’s San Diego Comic Con when Mattel revealed its first Hulk Hogan figure.

Was it worth the agonizingly long wait to bring ‘The Hulkster’ to our collections? Let’s find out.

Packaging: Hogan marks the second figure of the relaunched Defining Moments line. I always liked the classy look of the packaging with the brown and gold. It showcases the figure and makes it look like a big deal.

For the line’s relaunch, Mattel has made the box more character specific so in Hogan’s case, the inside resembles one of Hogan’s T-shirts right down to the ripped back. Hogan is posed flexing his 24″ pythons.

Once you open it up, you can fully appreciate the clever packaging. While the figure is a bit too heavy to stand on the display as it comes, you could probably find something to use as a weight to keep the bottom portion down and allow Hogan to stand. It’s a very slick and creative packaging and easily one of my favorites of the past 12 months.

Likeness: With the beefy, stockier torso, big arms and tall frame, there’s no mistaking that this is ‘The Hulkster.’

A lot of Hogan figures you’ll find tend to sport a lot more hair up top than Hogan did even back in the early 80s so I appreciated that Mattel’s version had a thinning hairline to more accurately capture his look.

Paint: In all the promo pics, I’d already penciled in a problem — the lack of Hogan’s roasted red skin tone. But while it’s not the hot dog look we’ve come to associate with him, Mattel did make an effort to give Hogan a darker complexion. I expected to have to paint him a little, but I’m happy with what we’ve got.

The yellow tights and boots are striking and help make Hogan stand out on your shelves. Even the red knee pads sport the two-tone shade of reds.

I had a little bleed of red on the yellow T-shirt and the ‘Hulkamania’ was a bit blurred so if you’re picky, you may want to check to see if you get the best paint job.

Scale: I took pictures with a number of legends figures and while a few of them are scaled taller than they should be, Hogan is just right. Hogan was billed as 6’7″ so comparing him to Andre the Giant at 7’4″ and Paul Orndorff’s billed 6′, Hogan is perfectly in scale. That’s great because you don’t want a shrimpy Hogan in your collection.

Articulation: Despite the fancy Defining Moments tag, Hogan is your standard Elite figure so you won’t have any problem re-enacting his moves from the lariat corner clothesline, axe bomber, the big boot, the legdrop or any post-match pose down routines.

As someone who collected LJNs, Hasbro, Jakks, Toy Biz and now Mattel wrestling action figures, the Elite articulation is definitely the best in terms of maneuvering figures to mimic their real-life counterparts without frustrating me in the process of posing.

Accessories: As with every DM figure, this is meant to capture one of the standout moments in the character’s career. It’s hard to top Wrestlemania 3 for a bigger moment and it allows Mattel to cram a good amount of accessories even if they’re a mixed bag.

The best accessory is the classic WWF title, which Hogan wore through the majority of his first title reign. It’s got a nice sheen and well detailed although I’d like to see Mattel color in the side panels as well.

Hogan’s headband fits in snugly in the small slots along his sides. I really like how it’s positioned to capture the slanted look that Hogan typically wore them early on. Hogan’s trademark cross chain is plastic, but it looks good. That’s the last positive use of plastic for the accessories.

Mattel opted to give Hogan a plastic removable shirt with “rip away” ability. It’s a solid idea, but the execution is lacking and I continue to not like them.

Mattel has to thin down the size of these plastic shirts as they look like coats and vests instead a thin T-shirts. We’re sure to get more Hogan figures and hopefully one will have a cloth shirt. Until then, you’re much better off tracking down someone like Ralph’s Figure Clothing to handle your wrestling figure clothing.

While what’s included is exactly what Hogan wore at Wrestlemania 3, I wouldn’t have been upset with the inclusion of an American flag or a separate red headband.

Worth adding?: Mattel has built its legends line largely around Hogan opponents and allies. He’s the sixth degree of separation character that connects to all of your pre-1992 Legends collection so even if you just want to have everyone from Honky Tonk Man to Terry Funk beat him down he’s absolutely essential. Fortunately Mattel delivered a figure well worth the wait.

I’m still not altogether positive the figure needed the DM price tag, but it’s hard to knock Mattel for making a big deal out of their first Hogan figure. And the packaging helps make that price a bit easier to swallow.

Sure there’s some Hulkster variants such as an early 90s Hogan with full red bandana, but for WWF fans from the mid 80s, this figure fills a massive void in a WWE Legends collection.

Want to get it? Wisely, Hogan is available all over from Toys R Us, Target, Wal-Mart and site partner Amazon – WWE Elite Collection Defining Moments Hulk Hogan Figure. If you pick it up from Amazon, a portion of your proceed is kicked back to the site so be a pal and help Lyles Movie Files out.