Pro-Kaku Heroes - Pre-Release set (alternate color variants) review

Rewind: before the launch of the first wave of Pro-Kaku Heroes Mini
Big Head Figures back in 2004, Character Product released a special
four figure and ring set in 2003.

The set which was called the "Strong Style Pro-Wrest "Ring" & New
Japan Pro-Wrest Superstars" contained four of New Japan's most
popular Wrestlers of the era (since Keiji Mutoh and Satoshi Kojima's
departure to rival company All Japan Pro-Wrestling just a few year
prior).

     

 The set was only available at New Japan Pro-Wrestling's official

"Toukon" (Fighting Spirit) Shop for a limited time.

Now that we're all caught up on the original set. It's time for our
next figure review:


Pro-Kaku Heroes - Pre-Release set (alternate color variants)
                       
                   
Before the release of the first four waves of Pro-Kaku Heroes
in 2004, Character Product (in true New Japan figure fashion)
would once again re-release the four figure and ring set as extra
special alternate color variants.

Like the original ring set, the alternate color variants were only
available as New Japan's Toukon Shop exclusives.

For comparison purposes, I'll be placing the regular Vol. 1.5
"repaint" versions alongside each figure.

The rarest of the set is the Jushin Thunder Liger Mini Big Head

which features silver-foil paint for armor and blue stripes along
his ring tights.

Another minor difference is the small silver circle located in the
middle of Liger's top (on the back) which was painted black and
gold in the Vol. 1.5. version.

Toukon Shop would use the same design a few years earlier
for their common and full-sized Jushin Liger figure.

All five collectable variants of this Mini Big Head!

 

                    

The Yuji Nagata Mini Big Head is based on Nagata's early,
pre- "Blue Justice" attire.

                        

The only real difference between the two versions is that
the pre-release set features Nagata with a mustache while
the 1.5. version does not contain facial hair.                               

Justice is served! All four Yuji Nagata variants.

                                 

Next up is Masahiro Chono in his out-of-character gold hair
color.                                          

                                              
The most noticeable difference is the greenish hue used for the
alternate ring set version (most likely due to discoloration from
light exposure over time). Another nod to this design being released
before the debut of Vol. 1.

Thankfully, the same side effect isn't a problem with later gold-
haired figures from Mini Big Heads line.

Synchronized coolness: All four Chono [A] variants.

        

               
Another highlight from the alternate four figure ring set
is the super cool Hiroyoshi Tenzan Mini Big Head.

                                               

This armored look is based on a full-sized, deluxe Hiroyoshi
Tenzan figure released by Toukon Shop.
                                                                        

The alternate ring set version is the only Tenzan Mini Big
Head to be dressed in ring tights with a unique, silver-spider
web design and matching silver knee pads.  
                              

Rush!: All four Hiroyoshi Tenzan variants.

                      
Besides their subtle differences in coloring, the easiest way
to see if you own one of the ring set variants is to look on the
bottom of each figure's base.                                                               

The first ring set features a copyright stamp from 2003.

The second ring set features a copyright stamp from 2004.

Also, Jushin Thunder Liger's copyright stamp on both versions
also includes "Dynamic Planning" (which is the company owned
by the creator of the Jushin Liger character - Go Nagai).


Closing thoughts:
You have to hand it to New Japan Pro-Wretling for being so
involved with the promotion of Character Product's Pro-Kaku
line.

Not only are these alternate color variants extremely rare,
but their subtle differences make them interesting additions
to any New Japan collection; my absolute favorites being the
Silver/Blue Jushin Thunder Liger and the Silver/Black Hiro-
Yoshi Tenzan figures.


More rarities to come!

Pro-Kaku Heroes - Vol. 7. review

The Vol. 7. 15 figure Hobby Box

                           

August 8th, 2006 saw the release of Pro-Kaku Heroes Mini Big Heads Vol. 7.

Based on the success of Vol. 5's "Legend Fighter" theme from 2005, Vol. 7.
was officially  marketed as "Legend Fighter Part II" which, once again,
featured some of the biggest Pro-Wrestling stars of the golden age of
Japanese Puroresu from the 1970's to early 1990's.

                                         The Vol. 7. individual blind box packaging.

Like other recent Volumes, Vol. 7. consisted of 18 regular figures
to collect plus, for the first time ever, 3 "secret" figures.

The Vol. 7. lineup is:

                            

Japanese Lucha Pioneer Gran Hamada, Seiji Sakaguchi [B] (ring attire)
and Kengo Kimura.

This would be Seiji Sakaguchi's second Mini Big Head since Vol. 1.
from 2004 and was inspired by Sakaguchi's successful tag team
partnership with Antonio Inoki back in the 1970's.

                         
Famous NJPW Dojo trainer Kotetsu Yamamoto (with Kendo training stick),
Jumbo Tsuruta [B] (in ring attire with "Jumping High Knee" pose) and
Genichiro Tenryu [B] (in ring attire with "Knife Edge Chop" pose).

This would be Tsuruta and Tenryu's second figures since Vol. 5.'s Legend
Fighter 1 back in 2005.

The inclusion of Tenryu and Tsuruta are based off of their lengthy
feud in All Japan Pro-Wrestling into the early 1990's.

Next up is the Original Sheik Ed Farhat (complete with dagger and
entrance attire), Umanosuke Ueda (with Kendo Stick) and Japanese
masked man The Cobra (George Takano).

                             
Ueda features a gold foil paint design for his slicked back hair while
the varied colors and pattern of The Cobra's ring mask are quite eye
catching.


Collectors should note that these are the only figures made of these
legends by Character Product.

The next pairing of Mini Big Heads were inspired by an early New Japan

Pro-Wrestling feud between the original Tiger Mask (Satoru Sayama) and
Kuniaki Kobayashi (left).

During the build up to the duo's feud, Kobayashi started referring to
himself as the "Tiger Hunter" with an intent to defeat Tiger Mask at
any cost.

Then, on November 4th, 1982, during a taped New Japan event,
Kobayashi (much to the shock of the audience) attempted to rip
Tiger's ring mask off mid-fight!

This heel tactic led to Tiger Mask becoming infuriated as he began
to lash out violently against Kobayashi; turning the match into a
ringside brawl as NJPW staff pooled into the ring to stop the match.

Vol. 7. pays homage to this New Japan classic with the Tiger Mask [E]

and Kuniaki Kobayashi Mini Big Heads, the later of which features a
piece of Tiger's Mask clutched in his hand!

There is no shortage of legendary Gaijin talent in Vol. 7. with "The

Texas Bronco" Terry Funk,  charismatic champion Nick Bockwinkle
and "Captain Redneck" himself: Dick Murdoch!

The Terry Funk Mini Big Head (which used the same mold as his full

-sized Character Product Legends figure) is based on Terry's pre-
hardcore look as a popular babyface.

Nick Bockwinkle's Mini Big Head (another legend that never received a
full-sized Charapro figure) is one of the few Mini Big Heads to feature
a mini Championship belt - in this case, the classic AWA Heavyweight
belt.

Like the Umanosuke Ueda Mini Big Head, Nick Bockwinkle features

shiny, gold-foil paint design as his hair color that helps Nick's Mini Big
Head stand out quite easily.

Easily the two most popular inclusions in Vol. 7. are the legendary

tag team of Bruiser Brody [B] and Stan Hansen [B]. 

This time around, Bruiser Brody is featured in his ring attire with

his wild, curly hair untied and sculpted in an exclusive pose based
on Brody's patented "King Kong Knee Drop" move.

Stan Hansen's Mini Big Head (also featured in ring attire) includes
Hansen's iconic "The Western Lariat" finisher.

Again, both the Bruiser Brody and Stan Hansen Mini Big Heads are
based on two, full-sized figures released by Character Product as part
of their famous legends line.

                       

Continuing Vol. 7's inclusion of throwback designs, next up is Keiji
Mutoh [C] and Masahiro Chono [C].


                     

Both designs are based on the duo's late 1980's, very early 1990's
attires.Specifically, before Masahiro Chono reinvented himself as
a heel character and Keiji Mutoh as his pre-NWO Japan/Natural
Born Master looks.

Masahiro Chono's Mini Big Head includes Chono's famous "Kenka

Kick" attack and is the only Chono Mini Big Head to release Chono
without his iconic sunglasses.

When paired with Vol. 4.'s Shinya Hashimoto [A] the Pro-Kaku
Heroes line once again recreates the famous Toukon Sanjushi trio
for the second and last time.

The Superkick pose was a very popular sculpt!

For the first time ever, Vol. 7. breaks the unspoken rule of the Pro-
Kaku Heroes line by including three "secret" (two more than usual)
figures:

Based on the original (not to be confused with the WWF's short-lived

American adaptation) Japanese "The Machines" stable:

Super Strong Machine (Junji Hirata)  --- Silver

Strong Machine #3 (Yasu Fuji)   --- Black
& Strong Machine #2 --- Red  (Yang Seung-hi - also known as Riki Bassan)

                      

Old school Wrestling fans  may also recognize the trio from their
unofficial inclusion in the very early Wrasslin' title: Tag Team Pro-
Wrestling as part of the "Ricky Fighters". 

Random trivia: to avoid lawsuits, the in-game heel duo of El Canek
and Road Warrior Animal are known as the"Strongbads", an obvious
reference to the Strong Machines.

And let's not forget the final boss of World Championship Wrestling
"WCW Master" ( a nod to Andre The Giant's portrayal of "Giant
Machine")!

All three secret variants contain their own minor differences. Super
Strong Machine is the only variant that includes a Leotard, Strong
Machine #3 stands out wearing ring tights and different layers of black
coloring in his ring mask while Strong Machine #2 is the only variant in
a red singlet with gold accents on the mouth portion of his ring mask.

The Strong Machines would be the first secret Mini Big Head figures
NOT to be sculpted in suits, dress attire or based on promotion
Presidents.

Closing thoughts:
From a collection standpoint, Vol. 7. picks up exactly where the
previous wave of Legend Fighters left off. With more familiar
faces and a total of three secret figures to find, Vol. 7. delivers
with a high level of collectability.

It's worth noting that many of the legends featured in Vol. 7.
were never made into full-sized action figures by Character
Product!

If Character Product ever decides to officially resurrect the blind
box minifigure portion of their Pro-Kaku Heroes series, my
personal wishlist for a "Legend Fighter Part III" would be:

Tune in next time for a very special collection of repaint exclusives!

Pro-Kaku Heroes - Rare Antonio Inoki variants

Taking a minor detour from the planned coverage of the entire Pro-Kaku
Heroes Vol. 7. series review (which is now near completion), today's blog
post is all about the two rarest Antonio Inoki Mini Big Head figures:


Antonio Inoki (Blue Towel Version)

In 2004, New Japan Pro-Wrestling would release a special re-paint
of their Pro Kaku Heroes Antonio Inoki [B] figure.

The repainted version features Inoki's iconic "Fight Towel" painted
blue instead of red.

The blue towel version was only available for sale at New Japan's
Toukon Shop in very limited numbers.

Another minor difference between the regular and repaint variants is
the lighter skin color used on the repaint version (a trait that is
common with other Mini Big Head pre-release figures).

While I'm not entirely sure how in fact the Inoki blue towel version
was sold within the Toukon Shop, based on the figure being poly-
bagged, like every other regular figure, I think it's safe to assume that
the blue towel Inoki was sold in typical Blind Box fashion along with
the rest of Vol. 4.

Antonio Inoki "Jungle Fight" Mini Big Head Strap.


On September 13th 2003, Antonio Inoki and New Japan Pro-Wrestling
hosted a special, mixed martial arts event called "Jungle Fight 1" at the
Ariau Amazon Towers Convention Cente in Manaus, Brazil.

The even's name "Jungle Fight" and theme were inspired by Manaus'
situation along the Amazon Rainforest and Amazon River.    

"Welcome to the jungle". Literally!

Coinciding with Jungle Fight's official release on DVD in 2004,
Character Product would also include a special Mini Big Head
of Antonio Inoki exclusive to the Jungle Fight DVD!

                             

Packaged in cardboard casing, the Jungle Fight Inoki Mini Big
Head sticks out from a small window in the bottom left corner
of the box.

                                 

The Jungle Fight 1 event contains 11 matches packaged in a 2 disc DVD set.
The main event was a match between Jorge Patino VS Ronaldo Souza who
fought for the first time ever on Brazilian soil.

You can check out Jungle Fight's full match listing HERE

                            

The Inoki Mini Big Head in it's removable cardboard sleeve and window
packaging.

Polybagged and ready to open!

                            
The most obscure types of Mini Big Heads are what's known as the
"strap" figures; which are basically redesigned (and previously
 released) Mini Big Head sculpts recreated as keychains.

Besides the adorable baby Monkey, the most noticeable feature
with Character Product's Strap figures is their lack of the typical
red display bases.
                            

Surprisingly, even without a base, the Jungle Fight Inoki Mini Big
Head is able to stand up relatively well on it's own.
                        
                                    
The Strap contains the typical copyrighted information as found on
most Inoki products of the era.

The strap gets bonus points for being removable (just in case you
want to display the Jungle Fight Inoki along with your other Mini
Big Head figures).
                    

The Jungle Fight Inoki strap figure uses the same head sculpt as the
Vol. 1. Antonio Inoki Mini Big Heads, while the body mold was
clearly lifted from the very rare Vol. 1. "secret" variant.

The entire Antonio Inoki Mini Big Head collection.

                   
Closing thoughts:

When I first laid eyes on the Jungle Fight Inoki Mini Big Head figure
several years ago on eBay, I originally shrugged the figure off as an
unofficial, fan-made item.

It was only after a ton of research (in Japanese, mind you) did I
discover that there are, in fact, quite a number of official Character
Product Strap figures in existence that were released alongside the
original Pro-Kaku heroes line from 2004 to 2007!

The Jungle Fight Inoki Mini Big Head stands apart from the other
strap figures as it was the only strap to be included as a DVD
item exclusive (the only other DVD exclusive is the super-rare
"clear black" Masahiro Cbono Mini Big Head that was given
out as a not-for-sale prize item during the release of Chono's
25th Anniversary DVD set).

Just like the Blue Towel Inoki exclusive, New Japan's Toukon
Shop would release 8 more exclusive Mini Big Head figures.
All of which will be featured in the next blog post!

Stay tuned!