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)
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"
 |
| "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.
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!
No comments:
Post a Comment