| Baseball |
| 1996-1998 Kenner and 1996 Corinthian |
| Baseball must be one of the most favorite sports of Asians (as if all Asians are similar and united when it comes to liking baseball?!), but I have never really enjoyed it. Of course, I don't come from a baseball town, per se, but still, the action is just too slow for me. BUT, that doesn't mean I don't like collecting the baseball cards and sports figurines of Asian baseball players, and what a presence Asian players are making for themselves in Major League Baseball! |
| Hideo Nomo | Click here for image | Hideo Nomo has paved the way for a recent trend in Asian baseball players in Major League Baseball back in 1995 when the L.A. Dodgers signed him as a free agent. He became the rookie of the year, and sparked a sensation out in the West. Unfortunately, this 1998 season hasn't been so good for him, so he was traded to the New York Mets, but I actually liked this trade. Nomo is now teamed up with his old buddy Masato Yoshii, who is making a name of his own out in the East. He's also with his old pitching coach and his good friend Mike Piazza, so I think the Mets are the team to watch out for, plus, we get more coverage of New York teams here in Indiana compared to California teams! But anyway, Nomo sparked a sensation of his own in the sports figurine market, which is dominated by Kenner's Starting Lineups (SLU's), another hobby of mine. In 1996, he made SLU history as the first Asian athlete to be cast in plastic. He had two hot pieces that year, one in a gray uniform, the other in a white one. Ever since then, his pieces have been hard-to-find's in the stores (basically, SLU's can be bought at retail for about $8, but there's a whole bunch of people out there who like to camp out at stores, grab all the hot SLU's, and turn around and sell them for secondary market value, which in some cases is SIGNIFICANTLY more expensive than retail). So Nomo's SLU's are a hot commodity, although they are lessening in value with his trade. In 1997, he had a weird pose, and in 1998 he is wearing a warm-up jacket and is just standing around. He also has a Classic Double (two-pack) with Don Drysdale, and will soon be coming out with a 12" doll. At the recent Cincinnati SLU Convention (largest of its kind) I overheard many people complaining about Nomo's 12" doll, asking why Kenner was even making one. He also has a Corinthian Headliner, which are these tiny PVC-style figures with ENORMOUS heads. They are really cool, and the baseball ones have a separate helmet. |
| Chan Ho Park | Click here for image | Chan Ho Park signed with the Dodgers as the first South Korean baseball player in the United States. For symbolic reasons, he chose the number 61 which is the exact mirrored replica of Nomo's # 16. Park has been coming along rather steadily, but is now in the limelight with Nomo being traded to the Mets. Let's see if Park can make a name of himself out West! His SLU was pretty hot in 1997, but has since cooled down, considerably. I still had a heck of a time trying to find it. My brother finally came across it in a Toys R Us in Cincy. Go figure, eh? |
| Hideki Irabu | images coming soon | Hideki Irabu was considered the Nolan Ryan of Japan. He signed a controversial multi-million dollar contract with the New York Yankees, and has yet to win the favor from that tough crowd. He is having a solid year, though, as his Yankees are picked by many to win it all this year. His SLU is in the 1998 Extended set. It should be fairly easy to find, as I found two at a Meijer's here in Muncie, Indiana. Oh, this reminds me, what is it with ONLY California and New York teams (And Seattle) signing Asian players? This didn't hit me until Nomo was picked up by the Mets. Thus far, the Anaheim Angels, L.A. Dodgers, NY Mets, and NY Yankees (and the Seattle Mariners) are the only teams who have any Asian players (six in all). So is it safe to say that the Reds will never choose to sign an Asian player, or how about the Braves? If the talent exists, then you should obtain it, no? |
| Basketball |
| 1996 Kenner |
| OK, y'all might be upset with me once you read this section, but basketball is my absolute FAVORITE sport in the whole wide world, and I just had to include it, even though there are no Asian basketball players in the NBA. A couple of years ago, however, a guy named Ma Dian tried out for the L.A. Clippers, but alas, they didn't sign him (maybe that's why they still suck, no?). But anyway, when I was in Taiwan last summer I got to see some of their professional basketball championships, and it was really fun. Grant Hill toured the country before I left, and he was SHOWN UP by this Taiwanese guy who dribbled two balls down the length of the court between his legs! So Grant took one of the balls and dunked it, so I guess he got his revenge. But anyway, read the following list with a Grain of Sand (ala Nobuko Miyamoto) because it's a major fudge! 8-) Not included in this list are two of the WNBA's fabulous Asian connection: Mikiko Hagiwara and Zheng Haixia. Zheng is the Mongolian Bohemath who is dominating the entire WNBA out in L.A. with the Sparks. Hagiwara hasn't been so great, yet, but she was Japan's most popular player, and now that she's with Cheryl Miller and the Phoenix Mercury (traded from Sacramento Monarchs), she'll probably blossom! (I don't mean that literally!) I got to see Reggie Miller and his sister Cheryl gettin' jiggy wit it in a Broad Ripple dance club last year. That has no relevance to anything in this site, but hey, it's all good, no? |
| Scottie Pippen (Asian Basketball) | images coming soon | Is it just me, or does he look somewhat Asian? I mean, really, he has the eyes. I would bet that he some Eastern flavor in him from somewhere, but the reason I put him in is because he was one of eight players released exclusively in Asian countries during 1996. This was a special set because the packaging was different on the back, listing the names of the Asian distributors instead of the normal collector's club sign-up information. I happened to come across Scottie's Asian Basketball one while shopping at Meijer's, but I couldn't find any others. In any case, it's a cool part of my SLU collection, and I'm kinda fudging it by adding it to my Asian American Action Figure collection. 8-) |
| Kobe Bryant | images coming soon | He's the future of the NBA! Or so the media leads us to believe. Actually, I do think Kobe will be a great NBA player, but it remains to be seen if he can take Jordan's spot. The reason I'm including him here is because he is named after the Japanese city of Kobe. You might remember hearing about Kobe a few years ago when they had a terrible earthquake. Kobe, Japan, is one of Seattle, Washington's sister cities, which I think is cool too. I wonder if any Indiana towns will pick up Asian sister cities? But anyway, Kobe's 1996 Extended SLU is really HOT. Be prepared to shovel at least $50 to anyone who has one. |
| Hockey |
| 1996 Kenner and 1997 Corinthian |
| Here's another popular sport that I just don't get into. I have great respect of professional hockey players who go out and beat each other up each night, but that's not for me. In any case, the one good thing about NHL is that it is so multicultural. I mean, every team has a majority of foreign-born players. Granted, these guys are mostly from Eastern Block and European countries, but it's fun to listen to the announcers struggle with names! 8-) |
| Paul Kariya | Click here for image | Paul Kariya is a multi-racial Japanese Canadian player for the Anaheim Mighty Ducks, Disney's version of professional hockey. He is considered by many to be the next Wayne Gretzky, but he's had one too many concussions, and he may not be the same next year. Only time will tell, but keep your eye out for the Asian Canadian hockey player! His 1996 SLU was really good, until all of the concussions, and his 1997 Headliner is still strong. He was also in one of the really cool Hockey One-on-One's which pitted two hockey SLU's against each other on a simulated ice floor. Check 'em out! |
| Auto Racing |
| 1997 Racing Champions |
| Growing up in Indianapolis, IN should make me a big racing fan, shouldn't it? But I've never gotten into racing. Every time I go to the track in Speedway, my ears bust! In fact, I try to leave town during the greatest spectacle in racing every year in May because we can hear the cars where I live! It's so loud, but anyway, there aren't too many Asian auto racers that have action figures, none to be exact, so this is another fudge section. Enjoy! |
| Hiro Matsushita | images coming soon | I remember back in grade school when my classmates would all ask me if Hiro Matsushita was my father, or my brother, or some other kind of relative. I assured them he was not, and I was not even Japanese, but they kept insisting he and I were related. In any case, the whole CART vs. IRL fiasco has put an end to Hiro's days at the Motor Speedway, but it never ceases to amaze me how often I would hear Indy 500 fans bad mouth this guy, throw racial slurs at him, and wish that he would crash every year. I'm not saying everyone in Indy felt this way, but remember, I'm still young, so we all have a long way to go, I guess. Hiro never won an Indy 500, and I don't believe he ever got really close, but I will always remember him as the father I was never related to, thanks to my elementary school class mates. This piece, by the way, is a 1/64th scale of his Indy car sponsored by Panasonic. It came with a sports card of him, and a little stand to place the car. I suggest you go t the Indy 500 at least once in your life (try to get a luxury suite if you can!), but make sure you take GOOD ear protection! 8-) |
| Professional Wrestling |
| 1994 Hasbro, 1995 Playmates, and 1998 Jakks Pacific |
| I had several friends in high school that were competitive wrestlers, so I can say rather comfortably that WWF wrestling is NOT a sport. It is a form of athletic entertainment. In either case, there is a growing presence of Asian "wrestlers" in WWF. I do have to admit, it is a bit fun to watch the drama of these WWF matches. |
| Yokozuna | Click here for image | Yokozuna is the Sumo wrestler of WWF wrestling. He is HUGE! He has this thundering body slam that kills people, I think. In any case, I have not idea if he is really from Japan or not, but his figures are cool. He has a big one, a really tiny one with a big head, and one that pits him against Ahmed Johnson (former pro football player) in their own tiny wrestling ring. Needless to say, Yokozuna always knocks Ahmed out of the ring due to his tremendous girth! |
| Taka Michinoku | Click here for image | This guy is kinda cool. I mean, he's small and quick, and starts out beating his opponents pretty good, but then he usually loses?! Go figure, WWF! His figure is very interesting. I don't get into wrestling figures a lot, so some of this might be common, but his legs are non-poseable and they are made of a soft rubber mold. I guess it allows him to beat up all the other action figures, so I keep him separate from them. His arm action, or jaw-breaking action, is just him flapping his right arm up and down in rapid succession via a lever on his back?! He's got teh Rising Sun flag and the Katakana characters for TA and KA on his left rubber leg, and the English word for TAKA on his right rubber leg. How unique. His head is the most odd mold I have ever seen. He's got a flat top, literally! His head is just FLAT on the top, and it's facing down, meaning you have to bend his legs back in order for hi mto look staight ahead! Otherwise, he looks like he has a hunchback. Also, don't try to turn his head, it'll pop right off. oooppps! |
| Other |
| 1996 Kenner |
| As you may already know, Asians and Asian Americans are also represented well in many other sports. Tennis, gymnastics, figure skating, and billiards are all sports where Asian Americans have made their mark. Unfortunately, many of these figures may never be mass produced in action figure form. This brings me to the idea of customizing action figures. Now, this is a fine art form, and I am no master at it. As you have already seen with this web site, my talent level is already rather low, but I have customized two action figures. This section will serve as a combination other sports / customized action figure section. Do read on... |
| Amy Chow | Click here for image | That's right, here she is, one/seventh of the famed magnificent seven from the 1996 Atlanta Olympics! I took a 1996 Timeless Legends Nadia Comenci and painted her hair black, and painted her uniform. It's not great, but I think that Amy Chow deserves it. She has received, by far, the least amount of attention among all of the U.S.'s Olympic team. All seven of them contributed equally to winning the Gold Medal, yet why is it that they don't all receive equal amounts of attention? |
| Peter Chen | Click here for image | Say, doesn't that name sound familiar?! Hey, it's me! Actually, I have ALWAYS wanted an action figure made out to be me, and when I came across a Marvel Action Heroes 1996 Peter Parker figure, I just had to customize it. All I did was paint his hair a darker brown, and I've been trying (rather unsuccessfully) to fashion a pair of eye glasses for him, but I've worn contacts, so he's half way there! Of course, I'm no athlete, but I did say this would serve as my customized section, didn't I? 8-) Stay tuned for more customized figures coming whenever I can recuperate from the paint fumes! |
____________________________________________________________________________________________
All images and text have been created by Peter J. Chen...
Copyright © 1998
for the Asian American Action Figure Homepage. All rights reserved.
All action figure names, biographical information, and company names are copyrighted ©
from their respective creators.
If you find any part of this homepage to be used unlawfully, then please, by all means,
contact me at:
aaaf.geo@yahoo.com
Revised: July 7, 1998
