HAO Collection Yoshihiro Takayama figure review

The largest source of information for Japanese Pro-Wrestling collectibles

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!

Mogura House Yoshihiro Takayama & Takao Omori GHC Tag team figure set review

Blog #92 features another tag team set released by Mogura House for Pro
-Wrestling NOAH's "Navigation Tug of War 2001" tour.

Making their Pro-Wrestling NOAH action figure debut: the Yoshihiro
Takayama and Takao Omori "NO FEAR" GHC tag team figure set.

The packaging for this two-pack contains the text "Navigation Tug of War 2001"
which was a tag league tour held by Pro-Wrestling NOAH from October 6th to
October 19th, 2001.

This two-pack contains exclusive body molds of Takayama and Omori in their

NO FEAR tag team point poses. This two-pack is also the only set that features

Takao Omori with a GHC Tag Team Championship belt.

Just like our previous review of the Yoshinari Ogawa and Mitsuharu Misawa
figure set, the back of the packaging contains the origins of Pro-Wrestling
NOAH's Navigation Tug of War tour.

Both examples used for this review are, unfortunately, another case
of figure discoloration often found in older Japanese figures that
used a cheap type of yellow/gold paint.

The "NO FEAR" faction was a popular tag team started by Yoshihiro
Takayama and fellow All Japan veteran Takao Omori while still
competing in All Japan Pro-Wrestling.

After defecting to Pro-Wrestling NOAH among most of All Japan's
roster in 2000, the NO FEAR tag team was also carried over for
active competition in NOAH's "Navigation Tug of War" tour.

The blonde portion of Omori's hair also suffers from the same type of
discoloration often associated with early Pro-Wrestling NOAH figures.

More Pro-Wrestling NOAH figure reviews to come!