RTE encoder was probably not the problem (its free), however, it is used to make sure that the recipient (you) has the correct copyrighted base geometry files before it decodes the figure.

You just need to look for, and download the figures based on the P4 geometry files that you have (as opposed to add-ons like Victoria, Michael, Millenium Girls, Stephanie, etc.), or install new original figures that come with the base geometry such as "Maya Doll" as DarkStarRising suggested.

But really, there is a ton of P4 goodies in FreeStuff that should work fine for you. You might sort by date and look just about the time the first Victoria stuff shows up.

(When was V1 released?)