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!