In June 1985, Bandai launched a Hokuto no Ken line built on the opposite philosophy to its Real Scale Model kits: the Battle Model series (バトルモデル). No more scale modelling, it was time to play. Each box held three snap-fit figures needing no glue, with flexible heads and arms that could be bent at will to recreate the battles from the series, weapons included. And while the concept was simple, the character selection was unusual, featuring the very first figure incarnations of several iconic adversaries from the early manga.
Details
A licence that ran through the anime
The box fronts and the instruction cover carry the full copyright line: ©武論尊・原哲夫・集英社・フジテレビ・東映動画. The presence of Fuji TV and Tōei Dōga shows that the licence ran through the animated series rather than the manga alone, which the box artwork confirms, drawn as it is in the anime style. That explains the casting: Joker, Jackal and Amiba had all aired in the preceding months.
The ST seal (標準玩具安全基準) printed on the box front also settles the nature of the product: an approved toy, not a model kit. The two approval numbers run consecutively, T131073 for No.1 and T131074 for No.2, evidence of a joint filing.
Three figures, no glue
The line 3体セット is printed on both box sides: three figures per box, no more and no less. The instruction sheet opens on an unambiguous statement, 接着剤は使いません, no glue is used. The line’s technical hallmark lay in the choice of materials. The heads and arms were moulded in soft TR resin, a pliable material that let the limbs be twisted and stretched to compose combat poses freely. The waist and leg joints were functional, and each character came with a weapon.
The 〈キットの特長〉 block on the box sides sets out those three points, and the instruction sheet adds two more. A whole section, 〈武器の持たせ方〉, explains how to fit the weapons into the figures’ hands and notes that weapons beyond those illustrated are supplied. Assembly also comes with a warning: some parts are unavoidably sharp and care is needed. Bandai warned rather than deburred, which says a good deal about the expected level of finish.
The figures were sold unpainted. The box sides are careful to note that the photographed samples had been painted (（完成写真）この完成品は塗装してあります), and the instructions warned that model paint flakes off the soft parts very quickly. The product fully embraced its status as a toy.
A page on how to play
The instruction sheet devotes a full page, 〈バトルモデルの遊び方〉, to using the figures, laid out as comic panels drawn in the style of the series. Jackal takes one of Kenshiro’s punches, a head is stretched between finger and thumb. The text, translated by us:
Never point a weapon at anyone.
Battle Model No.1 instruction sheet, Bandai, June 1985 (translated by us)
On the soft resin parts, model paint flakes off very quickly.
The figures’ faces and arms deform freely when stretched.
The springiness of the arms is what holds the weapons in place.
The middle section of the nunchaku does not bend.
The two sets
The first set pairs Kenshiro with two choice villains: Jackal, the dynamite-toting gang leader, and Jagi, the disowned brother. Seeing Jackal and Jagi as figures as early as 1985 is exceptional; later lines would ignore them for decades in favour of the major rivals.
The second pushes further still with an improbable trio: Rei, master of Nanto Suichō Ken, alongside Amiba, the self-proclaimed genius, and Joker, Shin’s henchman. For Amiba and Joker, no source records an earlier figure, though we have not been able to establish it formally.
One detail for anyone quoting the running order of the names: it changes from one surface to another. The No.1 front reads ★ケンシロウ★ジャッカル★ジャギ, its side ケンシロウ・ジャギ・ジャッカル. No.2 keeps the same order throughout, ★ジョーカー★アミバ★レイ.
Details
| Manufacturer | Bandai |
|---|---|
| Release | June 1985 |
| Contents | 3体セット, three figures |
| Characters | ケンシロウ, ジャッカル, ジャギ |
| Material | plastic, heads and arms in soft TR resin |
| Assembly | snap-fit, no glue |
| Weapons | included, more than those illustrated |
| JAN code | 4902425038681 |
| ST approval | T131073 |
| Part number | 0503868-300 |
| Copyright | Buronson, Tetsuo Hara, Shueisha, Fuji TV, Toei Doga |
| Price | not established |
Details
| Manufacturer | Bandai |
|---|---|
| Release | June 1985 |
| Contents | 3体セット, three figures |
| Characters | ジョーカー, アミバ, レイ |
| Material | plastic, heads and arms in soft TR resin |
| Assembly | snap-fit, no glue |
| Weapons | included, more than those illustrated |
| JAN code | 4902425041858 |
| ST approval | T131074 |
| Copyright | Buronson, Tetsuo Hara, Shueisha, Fuji TV, Toei Doga |
| Price | not established |
A short-lived line
The two sets were released together, on two converging pieces of evidence: the shared printing code on the instruction sheets, dated June 1985, and the two consecutive ST approval numbers. To date, no source records a third set. Six characters, two boxes, and that was that; Bandai would go on to concentrate on other formats.
The original price remains unknown. No 定価 appears on the boxes or the instruction sheet, and no source we consulted gives one. The box side carries a part number, 0503868-300, whose suffix corresponds to the price in Bandai’s numbering, but that is a reading rather than a source: we would rather leave the field empty.
Finding them today
Like the Real Scale Model kits, the Battle Models were never reissued and have to be hunted down on Yahoo! Auctions, Mercari and Suruga-ya. The very nature of the product makes complete examples hard to come by. Built to be handled, these figures led busy lives, and soft resin ages poorly, between warping and hardening. The weapons, small and numerous, are often missing. A complete boxed set with its instruction sheet is a real find. For the other side of Bandai’s 1985 output, more patient and aimed at scale modellers, see the Real Scale Model kits.
Sources
- Battle Model No.1 and No.2 boxes: fronts, sides, ST seals, barcodes, part number.
- Battle Model No.1 instruction sheet: cover, assembly diagrams, 〈バトルモデルの遊び方〉 page, publisher panel.