WWE Elite 40 Ravishing Rick Rude figure review (Mattel)

Ravishing Rick Rude was a heel I couldn’t stand growing up. He was obnoxious, constantly bragging about his physique and needing help from his manager, Bobby ‘The Brain’ Heenan, to beat top level opponents. In other words, he played the role of wrestling villain perfectly. But when he came to WCW as the cornerstone of the new Dangerous Alliance, I couldn’t help but respect him followed by an immense appreciation looking back decades later at his career.

Mattel already released a Rude figure back in Series 2 of the dedicated Legends line. The airbrushed tights were too event specific and half done since Mattel hadn’t signed The Ultimate Warrior at that point. For Elite 40, Mattel decided it was time to revisit Rude. The result is a much improved figure that will likely become my default version of the Ravishing One.

Packaging: It’s September now and I’m ready to call the Elite the best of the year. There’s enough personalization to really make each figure stand out. I love the accent colors, particularly the yellow for the Legends and the overall vibrant presentation.

Yes, it still could use a better bio, but that’s all I can complain about here.

Likeness: Rude essentially had two iconic looks during his heyday. The close cropped haircut he rocked during his main event run from 1990 to 1993, which we got in the Legends figure and his curly afro. Interestingly, Mattel opted for a more toned down hairstyle similar to how Rude had it during the original Survivor Series. That’s also more like how Rude’s original Hasbro figure looked so there’s enough basis for its selection. I like it, but I definitely understand why some people would prefer the bigger hairdo.

I also like that for a change we get a Rude figure without his signature kissy face expression. This is far more generic, which is appreciated. Beyond the posing and hip swivel, Rude was a tough guy and this is a better, less playful expression. I’m sure at some point I’ll still end up swapping the heads so I have a Dangerous Alliance Rude that isn’t referencing a Summerslam match.

Scale: Rude was 6’3” the same height as The Ultimate Warrior. He’s shorter than the 6’5” Jake ‘The Snake’ Roberts and 6’8” Hulk Hogan. The height discrepancies aren’t major, but it’s enough to see that Mattel is still trying to stick to its scale.

Paint: Rude sports a lighter shade of pink than what we see with Bret Hart. That’s a nice contrast and a good color choice. Rude was all about his intricately airbrushed tights. The first figure was a little underwhelming in that regard. This is more of a traditional Rude. While the front is plain, the back has a woman’s face with her hair splaying out along the sides. It’s a classic Rude attire reflecting his 80s inspired airbrush themes.

The boots have more of a salmon color and there wasn’t a noticeable amount of slop or overspray from the white laces or the black boot tongue. That’s trickier than it looks, but it looks great here.

Finally, Rude’s simple anchor tattoo is clean and appropriately detailed.

Articulation: Rude is one of the few figures where the articulation scheme doesn’t work for properly re-enacting the moves.  I could do a decent Rude Awakening, but wider inner range of the shoulders would make it look more accurate.

Ditto for the trademark hip swivel pose. Rude’s camel clutch is also one of those moves where I had to settle for good enough. That sounds like a lot of problems, but it’s a function of the otherwise terrific articulation scheme for the Elite line.

Rude has:

• neck
• ball-jointed shoulders
• bicep
• elbow
• wrist
• wrist hinge
• torso
• waist
• hip
• thigh
• knee (double-jointed)
• shin
• ankle

Accessories: Mattel gave Rude the only accessory he needed — a cloth robe. I appreciate that this time we get a red and silver one and not just the black and gold robe used with the Legends figure.

Simply Ravishing is written out in silver and while you can’t really see it all when it’s tied up, the effort is appreciated. The material seems thinner than the first robe without feeling cheap. I’m hoping that means we won’t have to worry about the red dye seeping onto the plastic.

Worth it? Right now you can get Rude for $18. For a redo figure that’s more of a make good effort from Mattel. This is the Rude figure to get for those that initially missed out, but still worth it for those with the first figure especially at this price.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10

This isn’t a best of the year nominee, but it’s a pretty good take on Rude. This wasn’t a peg warmer in my area so hopefully Mattel can sneak out one more version with the afro and more intricate tight design. And a suited insurance policy DX/n.W.o. version while they’re at it.

Where to get it? WWE Elite 40 has pretty much vanished from retail at this point although Wal-Mart is probably your best bet. Gamestop and Walgreens will occasionally have them, but Amazon is the option that will save gas money.

 

You can find all of my WWE figure reviews here.