WWE Legends Series 21 Hulk Hogan review

For the 40th Anniversary of Hulkamania, Mattel is making sure every aspect of Hulk Hogan’s career is covered. Including the period WWE would be fine if fans didn’t remember. That was his pre-Hulkamania phase when he was a heel managed by Classy Freddie Blassie decked out in an all-white attire including a singlet. Jakks did this look as well so it’s fitting Mattel takes their crack with WWE Legends Series 21 Hulk Hogan.

This wasn’t a figure I absolutely had to have, but the typical Target clearance on WWE Legends made this hard to resist at $7. I’m confident that I won’t be grabbing Ichiban Hogan from Legends 22 though. Probably.

For now’s let’s see if the caped crusader version of Hogan was worth adding to the collection.

Packaging: Legends Series 21 marks the first change for the packaging since its return. It’s cut somewhat in an hourglass shape in a manner to reduce the plastic while still allowing the figure and accessories to be easily shown. Maybe it’ll grow on me?

The basic design is intact, but I miss the larger portrait of the character on the front. The side portraits are the same and done big enough to easily spot a specific character from a higher peg. I do like the young Hogan drawing.

As usual, the bio is excellent explaining this look and the story of Hogan’s ties to Blassie.

Likeness:  Mattel understands the Hogan formula now so the Legends Series 21 Hulk is just fine.

Hogan wore a white singlet on a few occasions while moving up the ranks Mattel went that route for this heel Hogan. The look isn’t one you’ll him wearing much during his World Wide Wrestling Federation stint. But it’s one that’s easily distinguishable for this time period. Thankfully Mattel sculpted the singlet and didn’t rely on the paintjob for it.

I would have loved if Mattel made the singlet removable with the white trunks underneath so we could have that dual look for his Blassie management tenure. Rather than reusing an old Hogan head, Mattel sculpted a new one with a fuller head of hair fitting Hogan’s 1980 hairstyle.

The head sculpt is great too as it’s got him with an arrogant expression. This isn’t the leader of the Hulkamaniacs just yet. It does feel somewhat undersized compared to the other 80s Hogan figures though.

Everything else is the basic Hogan formula with the thicker arms and legs with the tall boots.

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Scale:  At 6’7″, Hogan towered over the 6’1″ Bob Backlund. By the time they fought, Hogan was wearing white trunks. He also battled Andre the Giant at 7’4″ and the 6’5″ Gorilla Monsoon who is coming later this year in the territory set. While Hogan’s outfit isn’t an exact match he does have some figures from Mattel to battle against. Hogan is scaled properly to Andre, but Backlund is too tall.

Paint:  Mattel fixed its earlier problems with Hogan figures looking too much like Sheamus and lacking a tan. The Legends Series 21 Hulk sports that familiar deep tan.

This helps to make the all-white attire pop even more. There’s some fuzziness by the singlet lines, but not much in the way of sloppy paint applications.

That’s true for his platinum blonde hair and facial hair. His signature mustache doesn’t have and runoff, which is always welcome. I was able to look at several figures and the eye placement seemed to be the biggest issue to watch.

Articulation:  Hogan was much more of the lumbering brawler at this stage in his career going for bear hugs and power moves over any technical wrestling techniques. The Elite body with double-jointed elbows is just fine for his wrestling style.

Of course, butterfly shoulders would help make moves like the hip toss and bear hug look better, but they’re convincing enough.

Legends Series 21 Hulk Hogan has:

• neck
• shoulders
• elbows (double-jointed)
• wrist
• wrist hinge
• waist
• hips
• thighs
• knees
• ankles

Accessories:  One major reason Mattel likely went with the white singlet look is because that’s what he traditionally wore when he had this sweet purple and gold high collar cape.

The cape looks tremendous and is a fantastic accessory thanks to the stellar tailoring though some of the stitching is starting to come out.

The WWE Mattel team always seems to have problems properly matching purple. Hogan’s cape was a deep purple, but this one is lighter. It’s more of an issue when comparing it to reference pictures.

He also comes with swappable fists.

Worth it?  WWE figures go for $22.99, which isn’t bad since Mattel’s WWE line justifies the price point. But Target does like to quickly move waves to clearance when the next Legends wave arrives, so I was able to get him for $7. That’s an excellent price for WWE figures.

Rating: 9 out of 10

This is a cool Hogan variant though it’s held back by the smaller scaled head and a largely one-off attire choice. It’s worth grabbing for a diverse Hogan collection.

Where to get it?  Legends are exclusive to Target. Currently, Hogan is sold out, but keep checking or head to the stores.

As a Target and Amazon affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases.