Tiger Driver Collectibles' Japanese figure thread

[tigerdrivercollect]

Hello again, everyone.

Like many of us, I am collector of all things Wrestling related. Figures, games, magazines, books, etc). For the past seven years, I've been photographing
many of my Japanese collectibles; which eventually inspired me to start a blog (click HERE) on the subject.

230+ blog entries and thousands of photos later, I've now begun a Youtube channel as well. The first two videos can be seen below:






Next up, I'll be creating a video on the 16d Giant Baba figures: two more additions that just arrived.

[PVA]

Great stuff! Keep us posted.
Think I like the white robe Baba best.

[tigerdrivercollect]

When it comes to designing figures for legends, 16d Collection tends to revolve around retirements. Riki Choshu, Abdullah The Butcher,
Genichiro Tenryu, and so on. Giant Baba's red gown is a nod to Baba's last run in 1998.

For months, getting hold of The Great Kabuki's brand new 'Poisonous Fog' variant was a nightmare. But, I finally got one!



The normal version (left) pays tribute to Kabuki's facepaint worn during Kabuki's 'KABUKI - THE FINAL' retirement match in 2017. The
'Poisonous Fog' version is designed after one of Kabuki's early face paint designs from the 1980's.

Back when Good Smile Shop announced Kabuki as part of the 16d Collection last July, the Poisonous Fog variant's (on the right) pre-order
sold out immediately. Though, that didn't stop certain eBay sellers from selling them in sets for up to $400. Ouch.

Luckily, prices have gone down, and Good Smile shop has since added the poisonous version for sale. Definitely the coolest looking Kabuki
figure released to date.

[PVA]

Feb 17, 2023 13:42:04 GMT -5 tigerdrivercollect said:

When it comes to designing figures for legends, 16d Collection tends to revolve around retirements. Riki Choshu, Abdullah The Butcher,
Genichiro Tenryu, and so on. Giant Baba's red gown is a nod to Baba's last run in 1998.

Nice catch on the retirement tributes. Choshu & Tenryu definitely (maybe jumbo too?) look like their older part of their career in the facial sculpting.

[tigerdrivercollect]

Now up for pre-order on the Good Smile site - Keiji Mutoh and Nosawa RONGAI 16d Collection figures:


With Keiji Mutoh set to retire on February 21st, 16d Collection will be adding Mutoh to their line of soft vinyl figures.

The last time Keiji Mutoh was sculpted by HAO (the toymaker responsible for the 16d and HAO Collection lines) was back in 2009 with the 25th
anniversary Keiji Mutoh polystone statue.



Like Keiji Mutoh, Nosawa is also retiring. So, in natural fashion, 16d decided to create a soft vinyl figure for him as well.




After a few prototype photos surfaced online, Stan Hansen was added for pre-order on the Good Smile site at the end of January.

Along with Keiji Mutoh, the Lariat was a day one pre-order for me. Just love the variation compared to Hansen's last HAO figure -
which was released 15 years ago (HAO Collection Regards For Superstars Volume 002 from 2008).



Keiji Mutoh will also receive his first-ever keshigomu (M.U.S.C.L.E.-style eraser figures). The "Mutoh Keshi" as the figure is being called,
will be handed out as a "present" during Mutoh's retirement show at the Tokyo Dome.

[oldschoolfool]

Oh man, i really want that mutoh keshi...any chance they'll be sold online after the show??

[Scotty T. Ritz]

Feb 5, 2023 13:59:37 GMT -5 tigerdrivercollect said:

Hello again, everyone.

Like many of us, I am collector of all things Wrestling related. Figures, games, magazines, books, etc). For the past seven years, I've been photographing
many of my Japanese collectibles; which eventually inspired me to start a blog (click HERE) on the subject.

230+ blog entries and thousands of photos later, I've now begun a Youtube channel as well. The first two videos can be seen below:






Next up, I'll be creating a video on the 16d Giant Baba figures: two more additions that just arrived.

I really enjoyed your videos here mate, great stuff! I know very little about this line, but it is certainly a great looking run. Love that Bruiser Brody! Keep up the great content, you've gained a sub in me bud! Cheers

[tigerdrivercollect]

Feb 18, 2023 15:37:08 GMT -5 oldschoolfool said:

Oh man, i really want that mutoh keshi...any chance they'll be sold online after the show??

I'm sure you'll see some pop up in Yahoo auctions Japan, Toudoukan or Rakuten. Pro-Wrestling Keshi aren't as desirable in Japan as certain M.U.S.C.L.E.
erasers are in the West.

You can search for the Mutoh Keshi in Japanese with the following keywords: ムト ケシ

[tigerdrivercollect]

For a couple of years now, I thought the following figure was a very well made custom Atsushi Onita figure. I was wrong.



What you are looking at is, as to my knowledge, an unreleased prototype created by HAO - the sculptor responsible
for the HAO Collection, KING OF TOY, and 16d Collection lines.



The Atsushi Onita prototype is made of soft vinyl and was featured at Good Smile's Toy Festival and Legend Master's store opening events
back in 2017 - before the launch of the 16d Collection line. The figure's retail price of 4,320 yen was slightly higher than what 16d figures
would begin selling for the following year (3,850 yen).

I would imagine this Onita figure was created to commemorate Onita's retirement that very same year.

I myself have never seen any other photos of this soft vinyl figure --- if, in fact, it was ever released to the general public.

[charabro]

Absolutely beautiful collection mate, might post my own at some point

[tigerdrivercollect]

Japanese mail day: two new additions to my 16d collection. Minoru Suzuki and the recently-released Jumbo Tsuruta.



Minoru's last HAO Collection figure was released in 2007. Jumbo makes his debut in the HAO Collection/16d lineup with this release - and what a way to debut!

Jumbo includes AJPW's Triple Crown belts. The same belts (albeit, in a larger scale) were previously packaged with the HAO Collection Satoshi Kojima back
in 2005.

[tigerdrivercollect]

Two figures that seem to be going up in value lately are the Abdullah The Butcher 16d variants.



After Andre The Giant, Abdullah was the second legend added to the 16d line; and created to honour the legend's
2019 retirement ceremony held in Japan. Besides having two colour variants, Abdullah is also the first figure in the
16d line to feature a removable entrance accessory!



The figures are sculpted in Abdullah's signature "Hell Thrust" technique ...which in layman's terms is a quick chop to the neck!



With careful precision, you can even fit a fork in Abdullah's left hand! It's a shame a smaller fork wasn't included.



Abby's infamous scars are also recreated eerily accurate.

[romanthenewyorker]

That Onita figure hasn’t surfaced for me, I import a lot of Japanese figures and it has never popped up for me.
Likely to have been scraped.

The Muto-Keshi was exclusive to the ticket holders, not available online.
I’ve bought one through a Japanese seller but they’re already rising in price to about $30 for the figure excluding shipping.

[tigerdrivercollect]

As long as there's demand for the figures (and buyers willing to pay the seller's inflated asking prices), then prices will continue to go up.

In the mid 2000's, Keiji Mutoh launched his original LEGLOCK website. Back then, the DX Character Product Bruiser Brody figures originally sold
for $22.00. Good luck finding one now for that price.

Recently, I've seen some sellers try to hock the 16d BYE BYE Muta variant for $400+!

[walter7paisley]

Feb 5, 2023 13:59:37 GMT -5 tigerdrivercollect said:

Hello again, everyone.

Like many of us, I am collector of all things Wrestling related. Figures, games, magazines, books, etc). For the past seven years, I've been photographing
many of my Japanese collectibles; which eventually inspired me to start a blog (click HERE) on the subject.

230+ blog entries and thousands of photos later, I've now begun a Youtube channel as well. The first two videos can be seen below:






Next up, I'll be creating a video on the 16d Giant Baba figures: two more additions that just arrived.

I have that Ricki Choshyu figure, it's one of my favourite Charapro.

[tigerdrivercollect]

Speaking of Riki Choshu, one of the rarest figures you can get of the Revolution Warrior is a special two-pack with Atsushi Onita.



While both figures are available separately, what makes this two-pack so special is the included contract accessory.

In 2000, Atsushi Onita challenged Riki Choshu to a match in New Japan Pro-Wrestling. To make the match possible,
Choshu came out of retirement and signed a contract agreeing to the fight.



While finding the two-pack is easy enough, the real icing on the cake is the bonus contract & envelope given out to customers.




The contract is a facsimile of the same contract Choshu was ordered to sign 23 years ago. By the looks of it, the contract was written
in Atsushi Onita's handwriting, and even includes a Japanese hanko stamp (the more culturally appropriate way Japanese individuals and
businesses prefer signing documents). The hanko stamp reads "大仁田 厚" (Atsushi Onita).

I've only ever encountered one in the wild, and assume this was a pre-order bonus given to customers as a present for purchasing the set.




Dynamite Kid and Kuniaki Kobayashi have just been posted for pre-order on CJ Mart. You can check out the figures here:

cjmart.jp/en/products/list.php?category_id=13

[romanthenewyorker]

The new Sofubi Fighting Series can be purchased directly from Medicom on mct.tokyo

[tigerdrivercollect]

Special thanks to Dylan Sharek at wrestlingfiguredatabase.com for sending the 16d Collection Antonio Inoki figure!

 

In the past, all of the Inoki figures sculpted by HAO were based on Inoki's later years. This particular variant is based on Inoki's
entrance attire for NJPW's first-ever show held in 1972. Inoki would face "the god of Professional Wrestling" Karl Gotch in the main
event; ushering in, arguably, the birth of strong style in Japan.

While simplistic when compared to the more elaborate robes Inoki would wear in the decades to follow, this particular gown contains the
Japanese kanji for "fighting spirit"; one of the slogans Inoki has been synonymous with throughout the duration of his career.




The last time Inoki's appearance from the inaugural NJPW event was captured in figure form was in 2002 as part of a special Toukon Shop
2-pack alongside Karl Gotch.

As Inoki is considered a national hero in Japan, the initial batch of 16d figures based on the legend sold out in record time; prompting 16d to
re-release the same Inoki figure several months later.

Sadly, just one month after figure's re-release, Antonio Inoki passed away; marking the 16d Fighting Spirit Gown Inoki the last figure made
while Inoki was still alive.

[tigerdrivercollect]

Still working away on my next video (apologies for the delay). I just wanted to take a moment and warn everyone about a sketchy website that
is currently selling 16d figures:




The site is advbesstet.com. They were even brazen enough to use product photos stolen from Wrestlingfigures.com and Ringside Collectibles....




16d figures - almost never go on sale (I've only seen them go on sale once). And for one as rare as the chase variant Liger? Unheard of.
So, against my better judgment, I sent the store an email - inquiring to see if they had the blue Liger in stock. This was the email I got:

[tigerdrivercollect]

An update on my 16d collection:



After collecting Charapro and Toukon Shop figures for years, I still remember getting my first HAO Collection figures. Their larger scale and level of detail were such a welcomed
change of pace for me - and the collector packaging was the icing on the cake. Sadly, the HAO Collection fizzled out by 2008; save for a handful of specialty figures and statues
released on a more sporadic basis.

It's worth noting that the Genichiro Tenryu retirement figure (Chop and Goo Punch versions) was actually the harbinger of things to come. Similar packaging, scale, and also sculpted
by HAO. I remember enjoying the Tenryu figure considerably, to the point of wanting more HAO figures sculpted in that style at the time.

With the release of Tetsuya Naito as the first figure in the 16d line, my wish was granted.

Over the years, I mostly focused on collecting the legends available in the 16d line. Though, I have made minor steps in regards to collecting the modern Wrestling greats as well.

At the moment, my 16d Collection wishlist is:


WWE figures:
- Ultimate Warrior
- Stone Cold
- Macho Man
- The Undertaker
- Bret Hart

WCW figures:

- Road Warrior Hawk & Animal

- Vader
- Sting
- Ric Flair

AJPW figures:

- The Funks
- Mil Mascaras
- Tiger Jeet Singh
- The Destroyer
- Kenta Kobashi, Toshiaki Kawada, Akira Taue
- Miracle Violence Connection (Terry Gordy & Steve Williams)

NJPW figures:
- Super Strong Machine
- Masahiro Chono
- Keiji Mutoh (young)
- Shinya Hashimoto
- Kensuke Sasaki/Power Warrior

FMW/Deathmatch figures:
- Hayabusa
- Atsushi Onita (early 90's)
- Tarzan Goto
- Mr. Pogo
- Mitsuhiro Matsunaga

Michinoku figures:
- Ultimo Dragon
- Great Sasuke
- Super Delfin
- Hakushi/Jinsei Shinzaki
- Tiger Mask IV