Howard Finkel is the undisputed greatest ring announcer of all time. This is a FACT. He is the greatest. Michael Buffer and anyone else can go kick rocks.
It does not matter what the subject matter is; if I feel the need to announce something important, and do so loudly, I ALWAYS mimic the Fink’s voice. I am an unapologetic fan of ’80s and very early ’90s WWF, and while the wrestlers themselves took center stage, there are some from the “supporting cast” that were as memorable and important as any in-ring performers. Gorilla Monsoon, Bobby Heenan, “Mean” Gene, Lord Alfred Hayes, and some select others belong to this group, as most certainly does Howard Finkel. Howard got the energy going, and if you were actually at a live show, he was most certainly the voice of the production. Plus, no one on the planet could announce the outcome of a championship match with the deep-voiced bravado as Howard. Good times, man, and fond memories.
With the Mattel WWE product being a total nostalgia line for me (don’t get me wrong, the figures are generally amazing as action figures in their own right), filling in the corners of the Golden Age has been a top priority for me, and it’s been a fun and sometimes frustrating endeavor. I cannot believe the collection that I have right now, and adding these old timers brings me such joy, but I am always wanting more. And more. And more. We are really to a spot where most of my top wants are pretty minor personalities, or those on bad terms with the WWE (Greg Valentine and Haku are two guys seemingly okay, but we STILL do not have them), or are support cast characters who might not always be “toyetic.” The latter category needs some more creative thought in how to be released, so when Howard Finkel was announced as a build-a-figure, I was both ecstatic and a little scared.
The good news is, even though he was chopped up across four Basic figures, and exclusive to Walmart, I found the entire series the first time I went to look for it. Yay, me! Nothing can describe that relief, but upon getting them home, I was even more pleased because The Fink turned out awesome, and the Basic figures (a series I do not collect, as I prefer the articulation of the Elites) are really great too. So our skinny, bald, mustachioed, and tuxedo-wearing announcer found the perfect place to be released, and with him now on the shelf, I REALLY hope Gorilla Monsoon is up next for the supporting cast. With the Fink out there, that really does open the door for the rest of those guys.
For being a BAF in a Basic wave, I am happy that Howard has the Elite articulation scheme in the standard suit base body. No, he will not need to be doing any Perfect-Plexes or Camel Clutches, but having the hinged hips and double knees adds so much to the figure’s ability to stand more naturally. Yes, that makes him 90 percent reuse in terms of his build, and it might make him a little muscular, but black is slimming and it does not bother me much at all. The likeness on the new head sculpt fits The Fink well, and while I *might* have pushed for a more open-mouthed, mid-announcement expression, the smile works just fine. I am grateful they went with the era-appropriate hair style and decided to forego when he got a little tougher and shaved his head during the Attitude Era. His generic microphone is essential and included, and I am happy they corrected this regular tie shown on the prototype, and gave us the appropriate bow for the final release. The neat part is that you can swap his head with the new Mean Gene figure for those times when Gene-o needs to be a little bit more dressed up for his interviews (and to tell some crew member to “put that cigarette out!”).
Admittedly, I was only planning on covering Howard Finkel in this review, but since I ended up liking most of the Basic figures required to build him, I wanted to mention those as well. At first, I cringed at the thought of Finkel costing me about 60 bucks just to build with figures that I would likely cast aside, but of the four Basics in this set, two of them will most certainly make it to my main display, and one works well as a tribute figure to the old Hasbro days. Cowboy Bob Orton is really the only figure that I have no real use for due to the fact that I already have an Elite version of the same get-up with better articulation. If you don’t have Orton, this is a fine stand-in if you are not bothered by the limited articulation.
The “Ravishing” Rick Rude figure is a fun one for me because represents the same costume used in the old Hasbro figure from the late 1980s, and because, well, frankly, I have not really been over the moon for either of the Elite Rude figures yet. In terms of looks, this one is definitely my favorite, and I can admit that I would totally buy this same figure again, but with the Elite articulation scheme if Mattel were to ever offer it. I was, and still am, a BIG Heenan family guy, so I actually have a little sub-collection of alternate costumes of the Heenan Family members a part from my main display, so this Rude will be replacing the short-haired version in that spot for sure.
The other two figures in the assortment are very much legitimate variations of characters I already have in my Elite collection. “Heel” Sgt. Slaughter is an important one because his evil turn as a Saddam Hussein sympathizer during the Gulf War was a HUGE thing during my days of watching professional wrestling. Not only was it shocking that a red, white, and blue bound U.S. Military character to go against his entire COUNTRY, but Sarge played it so well (along with a repurposed Iron Sheik) that the man actually received death threats thanks to the hardline “kayfabe” being intact. The curled toe boots and headdress borrowed from the aforementioned Sheik are essential to the look and are nicely used here. This is an important part of the history of Sgt. Slaughter, so I am glad to have it, and again, I would totally but an Elite version.
For me, though, the best Basic figure in wave is the Million Dollar Man. In his iconic full green tuxedo, this is how I picture Ted DiBiase from the Golden Age in my head for any time he was not actually in the ring. Sure, he had black and silver tuxes as well, but the green was always the most eye-catching for me, and hey, it is the color of money, so that only adds to the effect. Plus, as you can see in the pics, this figure looks AWESOME with that Virgil release we got just awhile back, so as soon as I get the new Mean Gene figure, their interview set-up will be ready. Plus, since this is more of just an entrance costume, I am not even bothered by the limited articulation. Money, money, money, moneeeeeeeeee-ee-ee-y!
I know it might sound like hyperbole, but I am beyond thrilled to finally have an action figure of “The Fink.” Howard Finkel is as essential to the Golden Age of the WWF as many in-ring talents, so he has been critical to my display. It took being a build-a-figure to get him, but it is totally worth it, and the accompanying Basic figures are pretty nice, too. Sure, I still have a long list of essential wrestlers I want to see in this line, but getting Finkel hopefully opens the door for the likes of Gorilla Monsoon, Lord Alfred Hayes, 1980s Vince McMahon, Jesse Ventura, and some of the managers like Mr. Fuji, Sensational Sherri and the rest. Make it happen, Mattel – the Golden Age was the BEST age!
