HAO Collection Yoshihiro Takayama figure review

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continues with another soft vinyl figure from the popular HAO Collection
line.

Let's take a giant leap over the ropes for Blog #134 for another soft vinyl
figure: the HAO Collection Yoshihiro Takayama figure review.

Released in 2004 as part of HAO Collection's earliest Wrestling figures,
Takayama comes in HAO's standard slip-case packaging.

                                

When the cardboard backing of the package is slipped off, the packaging
becomes a jumbo trading card.

Like other early HAO figures, the packaging mentions that the Takayama
HAO figure is a limited edition and displays a large graphic of Takayama
performing his well known "NO FEAR" (Takayama's All Japan and Pro
-Wrestling NOAH tag team with Takao Omori) pointing pose .

The right side of the packaging displays the "@mbition" logo along with
Takayama's name in Japanese Kanji.

The bottom left portion of the packaging contains a hanko stamp (it is
more common in Japan to sign items with an individual's custom-made
stamp than to sign with a signature) with the attached (now-defunct)
website link takayama.do.com.

The back of the packaging contains an even more impressive graphic
of Takayama along with the standard production credits.

While I'm not familiar with the "@mbition" company, I presume the
company is behind the licensing of Takayama's image and may have
been run by Takayama himself (kind of like Keiji Mutoh's LEG LOCK,
Giant Baba's "Giant Services" or Atsushi Onita's  EVIL WAYS companies).

                           

The Takayama HAO figure comes dressed in black trunks with UWF
style ring boots and white wristbands.

                                

Takayama's face sculpt features a shifted glance (a trait common with a few
HAO figures) as Takayama anticipates his next match.

Even in soft vinyl format, HAO made sure to include the mole on Takayama's
chin.


                              

                                       

Takayama's bleached yellow hair is patterned with patches of white for texture.




                                    

The sides of Takayama's ring boots contain gold text which read "Takayama".

Fellow UWF legend Akira Maeda would also receive similar a similar
treatment with his two HAO figure variants.

Takayama performing his best The Rock taunt.

The HAO Collection Yoshihiro Takayama figure features articulation at the
neck, arms and waist.



                             

The bottom of Takayama's right boot reads "(C) HAO 2004" indicating that
the Takayama HAO figure was made around the same time as other mixed
martial artists fighters from the HAO line such as Bob Sapp, Don Frye,
Takada Nobuhiko and Fedor Emelianenko.


                            

When compared next to Mattel's Kamala and Toukon Shop's Yuji Nagata figures.

Scale-wise, Yoshihiro Takayama stands an impressive 7 and a half inches (20
cm) tall - making Takayama one of the biggest figures ever in the HAO
Collection line!