Tekken 2 Nina Williams 1/12 Real Figure review

For blog #76, we'll be looking at another vintage collectible from
the popular 3D fighting game franchise "Tekken".

Titled the "1/12 レアルフイギア" (1/12 REAL FIGURE) line, these
gashapon-styled figures were created to promote the Arcade release
of Tekken 2 in Japanese Arcades back in 1995.

Today's figure coverage from the 1/12 Real Figure line is Tekken's
bone-breaking assassin: Nina Williams.

                          

Nina comes in a simple carded backing with a plastic wrapper.

The Tekken 2 logo is displayed prominently in the middle and top
left corners of the packaging.

Strangely, the Japanese word for "figure" (フィギュア - "figyua")
is written in a shorter form as (フィギア - which would be prono
-unced as "fi-gia"). I don't know if this was intentional or simply a
mistake.

The back of the packaging contains Arcade renders of the six fighters
from the 1/12 series (from top to bottom): Heihachi Mishima, Marshall
Law, Yoshimitsu, Michelle Chang, Nina Williams and Jun Kazama.

Based on the design of the package itself (mainly the large space at
the top of the packaging), I think it's safe to assume that the 1/12
scale figures were only available as prize items in Japanese Arcades
during the era.

The bottom of the packaging mentions that the figure is fragile and
lists both NAMCO (ナムコ - the creators of the Tekken franchise)
and Mitsuwa Model (ミツワモデル - the manufacturer of the line)

in Japanese Katakana.

Let's remove the Nina Williams figure from her packaging:

Nina stands a little over 4 and a half inches tall (11.4cm) and is
made of PVC.

While the 1/12 scale Real Figure line does not feature any articulation,
the figures would set the stage for Tekken 3's fully-articulated figures
that would be released the following year.

With left arm outstretched, the Nina figure is sculpted in a punch pose.

                                

Nina's attire is based on her 1P attire from Tekken 2; complete with
a skin-tight, purple short dress, stockings and garters. 

                                   

The sides of Nina's heels contains small, gold buckles.

Sadly, due to the Nina figure's heels (and more importantly, the sculpt
of the Nina figure itself) makes standing Nina extremely difficult.

                             

Here's an up-close shot of Nina's facial sculpt. You can tell Nina
means business!

The back of the Nina 1/12 Real Figure even includes Nina's clip-on
yellow ribbon at the back of Nina's dress.

EPOCH Nina Williams 1/6 Scale Cold Cast Statue review

Having acquired the rights to produce figures based on NAMCO's

popular Tekken series in the late 1990's, Japanese toy and computer
games maker EPOCH (エポック社) would produce a special statue
in conjunction with the release of Tekken 3 on the Sony Playstation
in 1998.

The front of the box prominently displays the Tekken 3 logo in
front of a purple backdrop. The bottom left corner of the box

credits renown sculptor Hiroki Hayashi for creating this statue.

On a side note: the light purple design behind the Nina statue
is just packaging art.

                                  

NAMCO's familiar mascot PAC-MAN is featured in the bottom
right corner with the text "LICENSED BY namco".

                             

The left side of the box features Nina's official Tekken 3 promo
render.



                                    

The back of the box contains multiple screenshots of the Nina
Williams statue, EPOCH's company info and the usual safety
precautions.

I find the small icon of the person crying (warning that the Nina
Williams statue is fragile) to be mildly amusing.

                                  

The right side of the box is straight to the point with the Tekken
3 logo and Nina's name in bold letters.
                             

The top of the box mentions that the statue and base is "cold cast",
reiterating the description on the front of the box in Japanese
Katakana and Kanji.

                                      

The Nina Williams statue comes packaged in protective Styrofoam.


                               

The bottom of the Nina Williams statue contains a small hole to connect
the Nina Statue to it's included base.


                            


The black base with protruding peg that connects to the Nina statue.


                           

The Nina Williams statue and connected black base depicts Nina
casually waiting around (perhaps for her next opponent or target).


                    

                       

Nina's purple catsuit is based on her 1st Player costume that first
appeared in Tekken 3 and "Tekken: The Motion Picture" the same
year.



                     




The Nina Williams statue has an artistic touch with snow white
skin (which is questionably lighter than the Anna Williams statue's
skin tone), blue eyes and striking red lipstick.

Personally, I feel the face sculpt used for this statue is the most
realistic depiction of Nina Williams to date.

                     

The stylish black base is also cold cast and made of resin.


                            

Nina's included dagger and leg holster is replicated perfectly.
The dagger itself is also 3-Dimensional.


                        

The Nina Williams statue viewed from the front.


                          

Nina's blonde hair is painted with a gold finish.

As is the case with many of Nina's depictions (in both merchandise
and in-game) from over the years, the Nina Williams statue is well
endowed visually.

A Tekken 3 Nina Williams coin bank with discolored green hair.

Unlike other figures from the era (that were painted with a cheaper
grade of paint), the gold finish used for the Nina statue's hair has
not discolored.


                        

Nina's spandex attire contains a "wrinkle" effect with a touch of
burgundy on Nina's waist and stomach.

                      

The same effect contains with Nina's leather boots.

A silver finish is also added to the buckles of each of Nina's
leg belts.


                          

A lighter shade of purple covers the sole of Nina's heels.


                           

Nina's heels stretch out from the included base and can be
circled around the base along with the Nina statue.



                     

When looking at the Nina Williams statue from the back.


                        

Nina's ponytail is attached to her shoulders as Nina looks from
the side.

The bangles on Nina's upper arms even include a silver finish
and are textured.


                  

No detail was spared recreating every last portion of Nina's
spandex catsuit.



                   

The included base stands 6 inches (15 cm) on it's own while the
Nina statue (with base) measures 10 1/2 inches (26 cm).

                

The bottom of the base includes fabric padding on each corner
along with the usual company, licensing and production date.

                        


Whether displayed on her own or paired with the second statue
from the set (Nina's sister Anna Williams), the Nina Williams
1/6 Scale Cold Cast Statue is an excellent addition to any Tekken
fan's collection and is a splendid sculpt in it's own right.

20 years later, both Williams sisters' 1/6 scale statues remain
highly sought-after pieces of Tekken merchandise and provide
a realistic contrast to today's line of hyper-sexualized Bishoujo
Nina and Anna statues (click grey links for photos).

The Nina Williams cold cast statue would be the final figure
of the Irish Assassin released under the EPOCH banner before
moving on to figures for characters from Tekken Tag
Tournament and Tekken 4 in 2002.


                      

Tsukuda Hobby Tekken 2 Mini Character Collection Series figure review

Taking a side step from our regular Pro-Wrestling figure coverage,

today's review covers two pieces of vintage video game memorabilia
released in the mid 1990's exclusively in Japan: Tsukuda Hobby's

"Mini Character Collection Series".

               


Following the massive success of Namco's 3D fighting game Tekken
in 1994, Namco immediately began working on a sequel along with a
weapon-based fighter called Soul Edge (which was renamed "Soul
Blade" to audiences outside of Japan).

To promote the arcade release of both titles, toymaker Tsukuda Hobby
produced two volumes of minifigures based on characters from Tekken
and Soul Edge.
                      

The first volume of minifigures features 10 of the starter characters
from Tekken 2.

The top of the packaging contains 3D renders for both volumes. The

Japanese text reads:

"Mini Character       No. 1                          No. 2
Collection Series       TEKKEN 2                SOUL EDGE
Lineup"                      10 Set                         8 Set"          

                         

The side graphic also depicts a grey Pac-Man logo in the right corner
which reads "LICENSED BY NAMCO" indicating that these sets
are official products.

The back of the Tekken 2 set includes the arcade portraits of each
of the 10 characters along with Japanese text mentioning Namco's
newest fighter and the figures based on the game.

A closeup of the 10 character portraits. Each character's name is written
in English, Japanese Kanji (Yoshimitsu, Jun and Heihachi), Katakana
and  Chinese (Lei)

The first figure is of fan favorite Paul Phoenix; doing his best Super
Saiyan powerup impression.

Paul's skyscraper hairstyle is faithfully replicated.

The text on the backs of each figure reads "(C) NAMCO
                                                                      CHINA"

One of the new fighters that was first introduced in Tekken 2
was Wildlife activist Jun Kazama.

Jun's goodhearted demeanor is captured in this minifigure.

Next up is the fast-paced, Bruce Lee-inspired fighter: Marshall Law.

Complete with confident facial expression and raised right leg, Law
looks ready to dish out a frenzy of flip kicks.

Other Bruce Lee inspired fighters from the era included Fei Long
(Street Fighter), Kim Dragon (World Heroes), Lee (Fighting Hero III),
E.R. Kung/Lee (Yie Ar Kung Fu/Jikkyou Max Voltage) and Liu
Kang (Mortal Kombat).

Taking a cue from Street Fighter, Tekken 2 featured the recently
dethroned boss of Tekken 1 turned starter character: Heihachi
Mishima.

You can almost imagine the lightning emerging from Heihachi's
victory pose.

It's a shame that Heihachi's signature Tiger decal is not included
on the back of Heihachi's black gi.

He said he'd be back: Russian robo-fighter Jack 2 in victory pose.

To stand out from the human combatants, Jack 2 is painted with a
lighter skin tone and contains striking red eyes.

                             

The camo design along Jack 2's pants is a nice touch.

"HI-YA!" Tekken's answer to Joshi Pro-Wrestling: Michelle Chang
in victory pose.

Even for the simple designs of the Tekken 2 set, there's plenty of
detail in the Michelle figure.

Another fan favorite. Japanese Swordsman and leader of the Manji
clan: Yoshimitsu.

Yoshimitsu's armor uses a special paint with a silver finish and
is the only figure in this set to feature it.

The top of Yoshimitsu's monk hat contains the Japanese Kanji "宇"
(which translates to "Universe"); a piece of writing Yoshimitsu has
often incorporated this symbol into his various attires throughout
the Tekken series.

Next up is series mainstay and bone-breaking submission master:
Nina Williams.

Nina's skin-tight, spandex outfit and matching stockings marked
the first time in the Tekken series where Nina was portrayed as a
video game sex symbol.

Even the attached tail (your guess is as good as mine) is also
included in minifigure form.

Tekken's resident Pro-Wrestler: the Jaguar Masked "King"!

King's design was based on the famous Anime-turned Pro-
Wrestling gimmick "Tiger Mask".

                            

King also features a championship belt around his waist
(a feature only included in King's Tekken 2 CG Art).

Random trivia: in 1997, Satoru Sayama (the original wearer of the
Tiger Mask gimmick) started billing himself as "Tiger King".

Strange coincidence?

Even King's Jaguar tail is included swaying to the side.

Stay tuned as we transcend history and take a look at the next
volume in this two-part series: the Soul Edge set!