Mattel Elite/Ultimate Edition Ric Flair Figures - An Overview

I am a big fan of the figures in this style released so far. I am writing this just a few days after receiving the latest Flair figure, the Ultimate Edition one. I hadn't looked this forward to receiving a figure for a long time. We will get onto that later.

 

So, I am going off memory here, the first Elite style Ric Flair figure released by Mattel was the Defining Moments one that saw Flair come with the infamous 'Butterfly' black & white robe based on his WWF debut on All American Wrestling way back in 1991. I had a version of this figure when I collected JAKKS figure, I believe it was an RSC exclusive but could be wrong. I really wanted that one at the time and of course, really wanted this Mattel version of it. It comes with the 'Big Gold' belt, could be the first time in the line for Mattel figures. I like to go off on sidebars on these blogs, Flair actually didn't arrive with the belt, he had shipped it to Vince McMahon some weeks before to show his intent to actually go to the WWF as Vince had tried to get him there in the years previous. Flair at the time was having issues with the man running the WCW ship at the time, Jim Herd so this time, it suited Flair to go to the WWF.

Again, if memory serves me correctly, I think the next Flair figure to be released by Mattel in Elite style was the one that came in the Four Horsemen Hall of Fame boxset, also included was Barry Windham (his only Mattel figure to date), Arn Anderson & Tully Blanchard. If you were not lucky enough to grab the Legends figures of those two and you wanted them this was a good way to get them. The Legends ones are not easy to come by at all and when they do pop up, they are not cheap. I was a fan of this Flair to an extent, the head scan wasn't great and of course, we would have loved it to have come with a robe, my one actually does have a robe on it at the moment, it was a custom one I had purchased for a JAKKS Flair back in the day, it's maybe slightly too big.

Next up there was another Defining Moments figure and this was based on his retirement match from WM XXIV against Shawn Michaels, again, JAKKS had released a version of this previously. It wasn't really a must have for me at the time of release but I did pick it up relatively cheap some months after. As time would go on, I would have needed to have picked it up regardless as I wanted to complete the Defining Moments line.

 

 

Then we had the RetroFest release. This figure is based on his look from WM VIII, ever since I got into Elite figures and purchased the Macho Man figure which was based on the same match I wanted this Flair to be released. I love this figure, the head scan again is an issue, not the most animated but overall, it really is a great figure. The RetroFest line was a bit hit and miss, this Flair one, the Mr Perfect one based on his Survivor Series 92 look and the Macho Man based on his look from Monday Night RAW from 93 were the stand outs. Wasn't a fan of the Shawn Michaels with the oversized kneepads and the Honky Tonk Man was fine for those who maybe hadn't managed to get the one from the core line in their collection. Similar with the Hacksaw Duggan although with that one it was a bit of a mish mash, the singlet was from his look around 1993 but it also came with a crown, he was king around 1988 and a t shirt which again, was from around the same time.

 

Back to the Flair figures, the final one I'll be talking about isthe most recent one, the Ultimate Edition one. As I put on twitter and Instagram (links at the end) Bill from Mattel really excelled himself with this one. I really don't think I'd looked forward to a figure arriving more than this one, maybe when I got the complete Legends series Texas Tornado just about trumps it, before you roll your eyes, it's my favourite figure in my collection. The Flair, well, the robe - WOW! It is simply amazing. head scans are not ideal (there's a theme here) comes with two, one being the whoooo one. It has multiple sets of hands including the sign of four, all the hands come with his trademark tape and it comes with the Big Gold belt. I am a big fan of the Ultimate Edition figures, I have all the male ones, maybe the only one that betters this is the Hollywood Hogan one.

 

There are LOADS of Flair figures Mattel could release as he had so many outstanding robes over the years, they could release one in every line of figures and I, for one, would buy them. If there is any particular robe you're a fan of that you'd like to see in figure form, tweet it out, tag me in, Bill from Mattel and mattel themselves, you never know, we might just get it.

So that's it guys, please give me your feedback, tell me what your favourite Ric Flair Elite figure (unless the UE trumps them all for you). Is the Flair one the best UE one or do you agree with me and think the Hogan one just pips it?

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