This figure is based on the "villain kaiju" from 1995's "Gamera: Guardian of the Universe", the first film in the modern Gamera trilogy. It was released by Kaiyodo as part of their SciFi Revoltech line, which introduced collectors to a range of highly articulated monster figures. The figures come in attractive, collector-friendly book-style window boxes with loads of photographs and Japanese text, and feature some neat accessories, detailed sculpts, excellent paint apps with some weathered highlights and a maddening level of articulation, via the special Revoltech "revolver joints". I personally have a very difficult time with these, but I'm pose-impaired anyway, so your level of success may easily eclipse mine.
Gyaos comes sandwiched in a plastic tray, complete with a few twisty ties and plastic slips for protection. I kind of like that (even though it's mostly unnecessary)- it makes me feel like I'm getting a collector's piece, and not some cheap toy. Included are: a storage box and Japanese toy coin, a name plate in Japanese, a mini flying Gyaos and its clear stand, and a large black stand and attachment piece for the figure. Gyaos comes with his right wing/arm detached, but it pops on very easily. That's actually one of the "perks" I had to get used to with these revolver joints: they are designed to have their attachments pulled apart and replaced. In some instances, one needs to use some needle-nosed pliers to rotate the joint before snapping the limb back into place.
Gyaos is an awkward-looking creature when standing, and the figure is no different. He looks much more imposing and natural in an in-flight pose.
The figure's articulation works well with the design to allow a range of poses. In short, he's fun. The revolver joints accomplish their mission: for instance, there's a joint at the shoulder, and one on either side of both hands. The rubbery material used for the wings combines with these to allow them to fold inwards and outwards really naturally for some neat options. The hips and knees work well together to allow him to stand or "fly". My only difficulties came at the knees and ankles, which are hinge joints, but are a shade loose, which means he tends to topple fairly easily unless you distribute his weight just right.
The sculpt and paint are great, with some neat textures and cool highlighting to capture the Gyaos look. I don't find him to be quite as detailed as an SH MonsterArts figure, but he's still reasonable in the "collector" realm.
The engineering of the figure is very thoughtful and practical. There's a small rubbery "wattle" below the throat that covers the joint when he tilts his head back. I already mentioned the material used for the wings. The tail can spread slightly for "flight mode". It's all good. There's only 2 exceptions for me. One is the stand- it's really black and thick, and it's supposed to attach at the base of the tail (which seems a little awkward to me). I'm going to opt for a Tamashii Stage Act stand instead. The other nitpick I have is with the absence of a beam attachment. I haven't seen the film for a while, but I thought he had a beam (I know the 1967 Gyaos did, and his figure comes with one)?
Gyaos looks amazing in-flight! With this figure, I'm looking for an accurate representation of the film with enough articulation to get a couple of cool poses on the shelf and enough detail to keep me coming back to check him out. He accomplishes all of that! In fact, once I got messing with him in-flight, I loved that look so much that that's how he's going to stay on the shelf for now.
Gyaos 1995 is a terrific figure. If you are a Gamera fan, he's a must-have, and he's worth the investment. He looks great, is fairly easy to pose, and menaces Revoltech Gamera quite well. Highly recommended!
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| Revoltech Gamera 1996, Gyaos 1995 & Gamera 1995 |
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