Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Puroresu Figure Review: Great Sasuke & Tiger Hattori


I originally planned to complete my review of two Transformers figures for 'Saibaa Nichiyoobi,' but was unable to because of some unforeseen circumstances. Regardless, I still want to provide something, so I'll instead review all of my puroresu figures that were recently added to my collection. The Great Sasuke and Tiger Hattori are just two out of four puroresu figures that I want to write about. Without further a do, let's move on tho the review!

Great Sasuke:  The Great Sasuke is one of the best high-flying wrestlers from Japan. His style incorporates martial arts, acrobatic moves, and traditional wrestling maneuvers. He is also credited for having a high-tolerance for pain, based on the fact that he suffered a cracked skull on two occasions as well as other multiple injuries. Despite those incidents, the Great Sasuke still wrestles today, and still adapts to any gimmick, hardcore, or traditional puroresu wrestling matches.


The figure is based on his ninja style costume and red striped mask. This toy was made by Charapro (Character Product) sometime in the late 90's. The sculpt and details are really impressive. Sasuke is posed with a battle stance and his fists up in the air. Kudos to Charapro for never leaving out small miniscule things like a noticeable white symbol on Sasuke's shirt, or the red and blue stripes on the mask.


Design wise there is nothing to complain about, and having Sasuke stand the way he does is rather refreshing, compared to just standing straight with his arms to his side. If there's one thing that may be an issue to some collectors is the lack of articulation in the limbs. However, Sasuke's stationary pose still makes up for that.

In conclusion, the Great Sasuke is a great piece and a must have for any puroresu figure collectors out there. This toy just seems so diverse and different from the others, that there is certainly nothing to nick pick about.

Tiger Hattori:  To some wrestling fans, a referee is just as important to a wrestling match as the wrestlers. Also, there are some officials that are famous too. Tiger Hattori debuted as a referee in 1977 in the US and has also worked briefly in All Japan Pro-Wrestling in 1980. However, Tiger Hattori became famous for most of his work in New Japan Pro-Wrestling throughout the 90's by being involved in some of the most memorable matches during that period.


Tiger Hattori is also another figure that was made by Charapro (Character Product). Tiger is wearing a black and white stripped referee uniform, black windbreaker pants, and red shoes. The similarities between this toy and the real Tiger Hattori mostly spot on, except for the figure's awkward, neutral facial expression.


Besides that, this figure does have a neutral stance, which exactly what Tiger Hattori would look like when he stands between two wrestlers. The design, paint applications, and details still brings forth great appeal. Every part on this figure is nicely carved, even Hattori's shirt and shoe laces have deep etches in them, likely to ensure proper precision when painted.


Overall, this figure does provide a great sculp, fabulous paint job with extra fine details, and a sensible neutral stance. This toy by itself is strongly recommended, but a better deal is when you happen to buy him complete with a NJPW ring replica.

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