Corinthian Headliners New Zealand All Blacks Rugby Figures Collection were released in
1996-1997 and were available at selected toy stores throughout New Zealand. These figures are now highly sought after by collectors particularly because star player
Jonah Lomu is featured in the line up. Expect to pay around $20 AU for a MIP figure and more for a Lomu figure on auction sites like Ebay.
There are 14 rugby figures that make up the Corinthian Headliners set. Each figure is blister packed and comes with an information leaflet about the player along with a collector information file.
The nicely detailed figures are made from hard plastic resin. Each player is featured in an action pose. These rugby figures while not articulated still make excellent items for display.
There were a number of other releases of New Zealand rugby player figures around the same time as the Corinthians Headliners set. Caltex service stations had two promotions: one in 1995 for the Rugby World Cup and the another All Blacks Interchangeables in 1998 often dubbed
Caltex Rugby Eggs. A decade later Mobil gave away rugby figures in 2007 that stand on a faux grass like base but have no name identifiers.
The Corinthians are easily identifiable as they have a superior finish and each figure stands on its own green base engraved at the front with the player surname. On the underside of the base is stamped
Corinthians, Copyright New Zealand Rugby Football Union, and the number of the individual player in the figure set.
The Corinthian Headliners New Zealand Rugby Figures 1996-1997 set of 14 figures includes the following players:
- #01 Jonah Lomu
- #02 Zinzan Brooke
- #03 Jeff Wilson
- #04 Sean Fitzpatrick
- #05 Andrew Mehrtens
- #06 Christian Cullen
- #07 Michael Jones
- #08 Ian Jones
- #09 Justin Marshall
- #11 Frank Bunce
- #12 Carlos Spencer
- #13 Olo Brown
- #15 Robin Brooke
- #16 Glen Osborne
Summary
The Corinthian Headliners New Zealand All Blacks Rugby Figures Collection of 1997 features 14 collectible players. Each figure is nicely detailed, stands on a green base marked with the player name and comes with information about the player. These figurines are highly sought after on auction sites like Ebay and sell for around $20 AU each MIP and upwards of $35 AU for #1 in the series All Blacks star Jonah Lomu.
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