Popy Mil Mascaras figure review

Be prepared to go Sky High with our next figure review. Continuing our coverage of figures
from Popy's elusive Super Pro-Wrestling Series, Blog #160 is all about the Super Pro-Wrestling
Series Mil Mascaras figure.

Mil Mascaras was released in 1981 as part of Popy's 10 figure Super Pro-Wrestling
Series set.

As a Wrestler that changed his ring attire colours frequently, Mil is depicted in a green,
black and red design.


                            

A close-up of Mil's mask.

Being released in 1981, the Popy Mil Mascaras figure could arguably be the
world's first, official Mascaras figure created (though, if any reader has an
earlier example from Mexico, I would be happy to hear from you).

In typical fashion, the back of the Mascaras figure contains Mil's name written in Japanese
Katakana along with the Popy company logo.


Closing thoughts:

After 1981, Popy would begin focusing on creating Keshigomu (eraser figures) of
officially-licensed Pro-Wrestlers until the mid 1980's. A decision that ultimately led
to the arrival (and major success) of the Kinnikuman/M.U.S.C.L.E. series of minifigures.

The Super Pro-Wrestling Series would never be followed up in the 1980's leaving the
initial ten figure set as a benchmark for Japanese figure collectors for many years to follow.

Myself, I would have painted Mil in his standard white and black ring colours (or at the
very least, released an alternate colour variant to make the line even more collectible)
but that's just nitpicking.

Long before the likes of The Ultimate Warrior, Sting, or Macho Man Randy Savage
became marketable for their constantly changing attires, Mil Mascaras was setting the
standard with his limitless assortment of colourful ring attires and Lucha masks.

When it comes to unopened examples, though, this is the Rolls Royce of Mascaras
figure collecting. A likeness that wouldn't be recreated in Japan again on a majors
scale for another two decades.

Hiroyoshi Tenzan Deluxe Figure Collection review

In our last review, we took a look at Hiroyoshi Tenzan's first action figure from the late
1990's.

Keeping the offence going, Blog #147 takes on the Deluxe Figure Collection Hiroyoshi Tenzan.

Hiroyoshi Tenzan would receive his second action figure three years after the release of
his inclusion in the Super Star Figure Collection line.

The Deluxe Figure Collection (written with the typo on the packaging as "Figuer") was
Toukon Shop's attempt at producing New Japan Pro Wrestling figures complete with
removable entrance attire accessories.

Hiroyoshi Tenzan would be the sixth figure in Toukon Shop's Deluxe Figure Collection line behind

#1 Great Muta (Dragon),
#2 Power Warrior,
#3 Great Muta (Cyber),
#4 Kendo Kashin
and #5 Satoshi Kojima)

Tenzan comes dressed in his early 2000's purple entrance attire (which cannot be removed, unfortunately). Like Tenzan's last Toukon Shop action figure, Tenzan also comes with his
signature bullhorn helmet.

I wish Tenzan's Bull pendant was removable. But, alas, it is only decoration.

The back of the packaging contains Tenzan's stats and a brief summary of Tenzan's in-ring
exploits up until 2000. The figure itself was released in 2001 nearing the end of Toukon
Shop's run as a NJPW figure maker.

While Toukon Shop were known to produce figures based on Wrestler's entrance attires
in the past (such as Antonio Inoki or Osamu Nishimura's robe variant figures) the Deluxe
Figure Collection line served to recreate some of New Japan's most eye-catching and complex
entrance attires into figure form for the first time ever and in far greater scale.

As the sixth entry in the Deluxe Figure Collection line, Hiroyoshi Tenzan keeps the
tradition going strong.

Next up, we'll be taking a look at Hiroyoshi Tenzan's last action figure.

Play Set Products Jumbo Muto Bear Plush review

Continuing over from our previous coverage of Play Set Product's Muto Bear
keychain plushies, blog #137 supersizes to incredible proportions with another
great find.

Today's collectible coverage is all about Play Set Product's JUMBO Muto Bear
plush figures:




                               

You may recognize this adorable character as the mascot of the WRESTLE1
promotion. The first Jumbo plush is the Keiji Mutoh-inspired Muto Bear.

Just like his smaller plush keychain counterpart, Muto Bear's attire is based
on Keiji Mutoh's "Sir PROMENADE" (also shortened to "PROM") ring
gear from the mid 2000's.

The included championship belt is not intended to be removed.

With his unique kneeling pose, Muto Bear can stand on his own for display
purposes when not being cuddled.

Also unlike the smaller keychain version, there is no strap or hook attached
to Muto Bear's head.

The second jumbo Muto Bear variant is based on Keiji Mutoh's evil Pro-Wrestling
alter ego: The Great Muta.

From his ring pants to his Darth Maul-inspired ring mask and body paint, the
Great Muta Muto Bear figure contains plenty of detail. There's even a draw
string on Muta's pants!

The only downside (and a very minor one at that) is the lack of detail from
the back of both plushies.

Given that this figure is made of plush with a unique design, it's also quite
difficult to stand this version of Muto Bear on his own.

When compared to a standard Japanese figure (Toukon Shop's 5" Hiroyoshi
Tenzan figure).

Both Jumbo Muto Bear plushies stand an impressive 15 inches (38 cm) tall
(making them some of the biggest Great Muta/Keiji Mutoh figures ever created).

                              

Both plushies (and their smaller keychain equivalents) include an identical tag
which includes a picture of the Wrestler the Muto Bears are based off of (Keiji
Mutoh/The Great Muta) in front of an All Japan Pro-Wrestling backdrop (which
Keiji Mutoh served as president for between 2002 to 2013).

Confusingly, the first version is listed as "Mutoh Bear" while the Great Muta
version is simply listed as "Great Muta".

The back of the tag reads "Play Set Products X Keiji Mutoh
                                           Play Set Products Mutoh Bear
                                           MUTO BEAR Plushie"

                                                                  

HAO Collection Jushin Thunder Liger figure review

In 2007, HAO Arts Office would release two highly anticipated figures
as part of their HAO Collection lineup; the legendary Beast God himself:
Jushin Thunder Liger!

The standard version depicts Liger in his regular red, white and black
attire.

The slipcase backing reveals large graphics of both variants of Liger,
New Japan's "Toukon Shop", the New Japan Pro-Wrestling and
RingSide.jp's logos.

                                

The back of the packaging contains a full bio and an image of
Liger's black and gold alternate attire.

The bright colours along Liger's attire and the contours of Liger's
ring mask are immediate standouts.

A silver-painted finish is featured along the edges of Liger's mask; while
the jewel near the tip of Liger's mask is also painted in emerald green.

I especially like the textured appearance of mesh covering the eye
portions of Liger's mask.

Quite possibly the only HAO figure to feature this addition: Liger's
chest plate contains a noticeable glitter finish.

The smaller jewels and belt along Liger's body also contain a lighter
shade of emerald green.

The unique patterns of Liger's attire continue on the back of the
this soft vinyl figure.

The alternate black and gold variant contains the exact same packaging.

                             

The limited edition, alternate variant Jushin Thunder Liger figure is based
on Liger's alternate persona, the heel-based "Evil Liger".



                                

The silver accents from the standard variant have been repainted gold while
the emerald green crest has been changed to a contrasting silver finish.

                             

The crests along Liger's body also contain a gold finish with a striking
red colouring on the inside.

The same glitter finish is applied to Liger's chest plate.

                          

The intricate lines in Liger's attire are more visible with a new gold
finish.


                                

The only downside to the HAO Collection Jushin Thunder Liger figures
is their lack of articulation. Both variants are only articulated at the arms
and waist.

                            

Thanks to the unique shape of his ring mask, the HAO Collection Jushin
Thunder Liger towers over most Japanese Wrestling figures standing at
over 6 inches in height.

Andre The Giant 16d figure review

Today's figure coverage is about the brand new 16d Andre The Giant soft

vinyl figure which was just released this week in Japan!

Pre-orders for the 16d Andre The Giant figure began in late 2017 through
various Japanese websites such as Good Smile Shop and Otaku Mode.

Originally, the Andre The Giant 16d figure was planned (see above
advertisement) to ship in September 2018, but was delayed until

October.

                         

The packaging uses the same layout and design as the first two figures
in the 16d series.

Andre's name is also written in Japanese Katakana and English.

                             

The left side of the packaging contains a brief bio on Andre
which reads:


"PROFILE
..........................................
Date Of Birth: 1946Year 5Month 19Day (May 19th 1946)
From: France, Grenoble
Height/Weight: 224cm (7'4")/236kg (520lbs)

Special moves: Sitdown Splash.
                          Double Underhook Suplex"

 

The right side of the packaging with a full body shot.

The back of the packaging with an intimidating close up of Andre.

The top of the packaging contains the "16d COLLECTION" logo
(for those curious: 16d stands for "sixteen directions") and the
numbers "003".

As the third figure in the 16d series (behind 001:Tetsuya Naito
and 002: Kenny Omega) Andre The Giant marks the first
throwback figure in the set not to be based on the current stars
of the New Japan Pro-Wrestling promotion.

The bottom of the packaging contains the standard toy handling and
recycle warnings in Japanese; along with a description of the figure
itself.

The bottom of the packaging also contains the WWE and INGRAM
(Japanese company that licenses merchandise in Japan) logos complete
with holographic INGRAM sticker.

A picture on INGRAM's official website under the company's client
section called "LEGEND PRO-WRESTLING" displays images of Tiger
Mask 1, Genichiro Tenryu, Stan Hansen, Riki Choshu and Abdullah The
Butcher.

Here's hoping we'll see these (and other) Japanese legends make their
way into the 16d collection in time to come!

 

The Andre The Giant 16d soft vinyl figure stands just under 15cm

(6 inches) in height.

This particular design is based on a younger Andre The Giant
from the 1970's with red and blue coloured ring attire.

Even Andre's time-accurate afro contains plenty of detail.

More than just painted on: Andre's beard also has a textured
feel to it.

 

Ready for a body slam: The 16d Andre The Giant figure features

articulation at the neck, arms and waist.

As an officially licensed WWE product, the WWE logo is printed
on Andre's left sole while CMG Brands LLC (Andre's licensing
company) on Andre's right sole.

Setting the stage for the 16d series.

 The 16d Andre The Giant figure was sculpted by HAO Arts
Office who also handled the Genichiro Tenryu retirement
soft vinyl figure that was released in 2015.

The Tenryu retirement figure stands 12cm (about 4.7
inches) in height compared to Andre who again stands
at 15cm (under 6 inches).

The 16d box is about the same scale (just slightly wider) compared
to the Tenryu figure's packaging.

It's been 10 years since HAO's last legends series (2008's Regards
For Superstars series). I only hope that Andre will be the first of
many legends added to the 16d series.

Hopefully, we'll see more WWE hall of famers such as Hulk Hogan,
Ric Flair and...even the Ultimate Warrior in the not too distant future
as part of the 16d legends lineup!

HAO Great Muta (Spider Ver.) Figure Review

Following the success of their first wave of Pro-Wrestling figures,
Japanese toymaker HAO would release a second wave of figures
in 2006.

The theme for this set of figures was based around the biggest stars
of All Japan Pro-Wrestling during the mid 2000's.

Continuing from my previous blog post that featured the classic, red
facepaint Great Muta HAO figure, today we'll be looking at the two
"Spider" variant Great Muta figures:

This time around, HAO discarded their classy tile design in exchange
for large, full-colour imagery on the front of each figure's packaging.

If you look closely, you can see two small Great Muta icons  (classic
red and Spider design)next to the large image of Great Muta towards
the top of the packaging.


                 

The alternate black and silver Spider Muta figure comes with a special,
gold, foil sticker on the front of the package indicating that the figure
was an online exclusive that was only available at the (now defunct)
battleroyal.jp website back in 2006.

Since the second wave of HAO figures featured All Japan Wrestlers,
this would be the first Great Muta figure exclusive not sold at New
Japan's Toukon Shop.

Other than the battleroyal.jp sticker on the front of the Silver variant's
clamshell, both Spider Muta figures have the same packaging; complete
with a collage of Great Muta images as well as a small bio and list of
Muta's Pro-Wrestling accolades.

I also find Spider Muta's entrance hood (with blood dripping down the
design's lips) extra creepy.

These particular designs were based on The Great Muta's debut for
All Japan Pro-Wrestling back in 2002 and 2003 where Keiji Mutoh
 resurrected the Muta character after leaving New Japan Pro-Wrestling.

Following Character Product's Great Muta figures, the HAO Spider
versions are posed in an intimidating pre-Poison Mist sculpt and
feature an amazing amount of detail.

The red Spider version has a special splatter design along Muta's pants
with the text "MUTA" scrawled across the front while the alternate Spider
version has red and silver spider web decals with the text "FANTASY OF
MUTA".

The Spider designs are also the first of many bizarre ring masks Keiji
Mutoh would wear as The Great Muta after he shaved his hair.

The Japanese Kanji "Fire" (火) is written twice on the left side of both
version's mask.

The silver Spider version also has a red tongue and mist stains over
Muta's beard when compared.

Even Muta's famous arm scar is recreated.

The regular red Spider version contains black and red wristbands with
Japanese Kanji scrawled across them. The alternate silver version
contains black wristbands with "MUTA" written in red.

Pictured with Character Product's Spider Muta figure.

"Poison Mist" about to drop some insane Puroresu rhymes.

The Spider Great Muta figures have articulation in their waists,
wrists, neck and arms.           



Closing thoughts:When it comes to highly detailed Puroresu toys, it's hard to top HAO's
assortment of 6" soft vinyl, sofubi-styled figures. Their level of detail,
size and variety of Wrestler likenesses is worth checking out.

Next to Takara's 12" Keiji Mutoh and INSPIRE's fully articulated Keiji
Mutoh/Great Muta figures, the HAO versions are some of largest
Puroresu figures available (at a more attractive cost, too)