Extreme flooding in Chicago's Midwestern suburbs has had an impact on NetherRealm Studios figurehead and Injustice: Gods Among Us Creative Director, Ed Boon. As he tweeted recently, natural disaster was turned to archival gold as the Chicago native uncovered undamaged, classic memorabilia from the early days of Mortal Kombat!

Original stop motion models from Mortal Kombat and its two sequels have been added to the NetherRealm Studios collection, discovered amongst "20+ years of paraphernalia & swag."

Shokan characters Goro (MK), Kintaro (MKII) & Sheeva (MK3) were each accomplished through the magic of stop motion animation and digitized photography. The method - a trademark of the series in its early incarnations - allowed four-armed behemoths to appear opposite live-action actors with awe inspiring effect.

As series co-creator John Tobias explained in a Mortal Kombat Online anniversary interview; the method of animating models was partly inspired by classic cinema: "We wanted to have a brutish character as our boss and I remember thinking of the old Ray Harryhausen films..."

Goro as he appears in classic Mortal Kombat (1992) attract screen.

The discovery comes as Mortal Kombat II marks its 20th anniversary. The first sequel is still widely regarded as a high point for the series, responsible for adding a wealth of new elements considered definitive to the franchise. MKII introduced Kintaro as replacement sub-boss in an upgrade to the model work of the first game. Goro was the iconic first model featured in the series.

Dive deeper into nostalgia by joining the discussion in the 2D Klassic Kombat forum! There you'll find timeless discussion for topics like the first part of our John Tobias Interview.