I really like the look of the 1964 Godzilla suit. I prefer the face and thinner body-type to the 1994 Godzilla, so I was really looking forward to this MonsterArts release. Despite some serious shortcomings (no pun intended), little 1964 Godzilla has managed to become my favorite MonsterArts figure released so far.
Yes, pretty much all of the criticisms you've probably heard about are accurate. He's too small. Yes, he is, especially for the cost. He has no accessories. True, which is terrible, especially for the cost. The box is windowless and boring. Yes, it is. His feet don't sit flat at the heels. Mostly true. The new side "hip panels" are hideous and unnecessary. True. The shoulders don't have much of a range of motion. Also, true. The eyes are not painted like previous releases. Correct. There's a weird gap between the two largest spines on his back. Absolutely. So now that all of that is out of the way, let's get to why this guy is at the top of my MonsterArts Godzilla list.
I think the biggest reason is that I love the way he looks. I really like this suit, and I think the figure replicates it very well. The sculpt and paint work perfectly together to replicate the 1964 suit. The face and head are terrific, especially from the front right-side angle. The look manages to be great whether the mouth is open or closed.
Speaking of which, the mouth and skin detailing are both brilliant. I love the nooks and crannies on each of the dorsal spines from the head all the way down to the end of his tail. His skin texture is awesome, and I love the thick brow ridges above the eyes. The hip articulation cuts are a definite eye-sore, and I agree that his ability to "do the splits" is probably not worth having them.
The tail is great- looks and works really well. The rest of the articulation is mostly good. The torso is a little restricted side-to-side and he tends to pop apart when tilted forward deeply. It also doesn't eliminate the "gap", even when tilted as far back as it will go. The extra pieces used for the neck articulation add to the movement, though Godzilla looks like he's wearing a turtle-neck from some angles. The claws, hands poses and highlighting are all great. Oh, and I love the eyes. They look a little googly, but I really like the effect.
Godzilla (1964) really has only two major detractions, as far as I am concerned, and they both relate to the price. At $65, he's about $25 too expensive. Why? Well, 1) he is notably smaller than previous Godzilla releases. Whatever the reasoning in terms of Showa and Hesei and new scales and whatever are fine, jus charge me a reasonable price for what I'm getting. Godzilla Jr. and Rodan didn't cost $65, and they came with loads of stuff. Which brings me to 2) he has no accessories whatsoever. Really? We can't even re-package or repaint a beam effect from a previous release? At $40, '64 would be a solid bet. At the $60 I paid ToyFreakz for him, I couldn't help but feel a tad disappointed. That said, I really like the figure itself. I've been reflecting lately (that's what the New Year is for, right?), and I've learned a little about myself. As a kid, and for a good amount of time as an adult (before kids), I was a model-builder. Plastic kits of ships, tanks, starships, etc. I learned to appreciate the realism and detail of weathering and sculpt. I think I look mostly for those things with my figures. For me, sculpt and paint are #1, with articulation coming in behind. As long as I can get one or two cool poses out of my figures, I'm happy. It's nice to know I could get more, but the fact is once it's on the shelf, rarely will I mess with it. And if I get a pose I really like, I cringe at changing it for fear of not finding that one awesome look again. As a model, Godzilla (1964) is great, and he does pose really well. An additional inch, a couple of accessories or a lower price would have gone a long way towards endearing him further. As it stands, I'm predicting that Millennium Godzilla 2000 is going to knock off my #1 Godzilla spot. The verdict is out for a couple more weeks, and then we'll know for sure...
No comments:
Post a Comment