Belts are for losers.
In the annals of manga, few titles are as enduringly endearing as Kinnikuman. Unfortunately, it was only localized in the West in toy form as M.U.S.C.L.E., depriving kids there like myself the long-running bizarre fun of the intergalactic wrestling drama and its huge cast of imaginative characters.
▼ Whichever network TV gatekeeper stopped this from entering my Saturday morning cartoon lineup in the ’80s really needs to be held accountable
For example, in the story there is a place called Tournament Mountain, which is a fake Mt. Fuji built right next to the real Mt. Fuji. However, one side of the mountain is flat and has seven wrestling rings suspended from the side in a tournament bracket arrangement. And embedded in the top of Tournament Mountain is a tag team trophy which is kind of like the sword in the stone in that can only be removed by a tag team that possesses true friendship.
After winning the Space Chojin Tag Tournament, series protagonist Kinnikuman and his rival-turned-friend Terryman had built their relationship to the point that they became the first tag team to lift the trophy in 140 million years.
▼ Yeah that’s right, 140,000,000 years
And now, you can too!
Precision parts maker Castem in Fukuyama City, Hiroshima Prefecture, has designed a 1:1 scale model of the actual tag team trophy that stands at a height of 130 centimeters (four feet, three inches). However, in order to allow mortals like you and I to lift it, this trophy is made from fiber reinforced plastic which is painted to give it the right metallic sheen and then finished with 24-karat gold leaf for a total weight of only 20 kilograms (44 pounds).
That’s pretty much where the differences end, though, as every detail of the trophy’s design was painstakingly lifted from the two-dimensional images of Yoshinori Nakai’s artwork and converted into a 3-D model by Castem.
It also comes with a certificate of authenticity signed by Kinnikuman writer Takashi Shimada. Shima expressed his own pleasure with the life-sized trophy, saying: “Tag team trophies strike a chord with pro-wrestling fans and boys, so just looking at one can cause excitement. I think I want one too. Please get one!”
Kind words, but that might be easier said than done since one trophy costs 1,100,000 yen (US$8,400). Moreover, Castem is limiting production to only five, but since they will be made to order, if only one person buys one, they will end up having the only one in existence.
If that’s too steep or you simply don’t have space for a gigantic tag team trophy in your home, Castem is also offering a smaller, 1:14 scale version of the trophy.
At only 10 centimeters (four inches) tall, this trophy is instead made of steel and then given a gold leaf finish by a specialist in Kyoto. The result is a much weightier 500 grams (1 pound).
The size makes it a perfect accessory for any super fan’s figure collection.
Or, it could also make a spiffy goblet to enjoy a nice aged whisky after a hard day of grappling to earn a seat on the throne of your home planet.
These smaller trophies are also made to order but have no limits and cost 33,000 yen ($252) each. Although it’s considerably cheaper than the life-sized trophy, it still makes for a rather expensive cup.
Perhaps, much like the trophy in the manga, these cups can only be purchased by teams who can demonstrate the truest of friendship by pooling large sums of money together and sharing extravagant cups without any problems. Luckily, this is a test our team already passed years ago, so Tournament Mountain here we come!
Source, images: PR Times
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