Since his inception, the Godzilla I identify with has been a slow, lumbering behemoth. This is due, in part, to the realities imposed on an actor working from within a heavy rubber suit. He stomps, slowly, standing mostly upright. He's not built for speed, but with various levels of thickness about the thighs (depending on the suit), he portrays a triangular forward silhouette: he's a mountain brought to life. His deliberate and methodical plod has contributed a great deal to what Godzilla represents. He is an unstoppable force of nature. He sweeps in like a storm- you can see him coming, and there's nothing you can do to alter the destruction you are about to be subjected to.
But here...we have something a bit different. This is a Godzilla for the new Millennium. We are all, go, go go, and now it seems that Godzilla is, too. S.H. MonsterArts Godzilla Millennium 2000 sports a truly hunched pose, and that's how he's meant to look. He's lunging forward, almost like he's about to break into a sprint. As such, his eyes are sculpted/painted as staring up and forward through his brows. His ears are pulled back and his fangs are bared in a snarl that reminds me of a hissing cat. And, oh, the spikes all over this guy! Handling him is like hugging a rose bush- there's just no pleasant way to do it. Those qualities work together to make this one of the most unique and interesting Godzilla designs I'm ever likely to own. If only this was what the new Godzilla 2014 design was like, I'd be a truly happy camper (and, no, I'm not a huge fan of what I've seen of the new movie Godzilla...).
Godzilla 2000 looks oddest to me when viewed head-on. With his severe hunch, his eyes get lost, as does most of his upper torso. Personally, I think he looks best when viewed from a 1/4 side angle. The sculpt, articulation and paint are all top-notch. That is, after all, what you are paying for (this guy comes bare-bones, no accessories at all). His asphalt body has a greenish tinge in the right light, and there's a few highlighted spots of light brown. The finger and toe nails are awesome, with wicked hints of striations and paint in darker gradations as the nail joins the appendage. The dorsal and tail spines are just as threatening in an absolutely real sense: the spikes are sharp and hard, with a lovely shimmering purple hue to the blade-like edges. The image of "oversized sharp edges" carries throughout the sculpt, from the huge dorsal spines and enormous claws, through the elongated fangs (which, unfortunately, aren't as sharply sculpted as they ought to be), the tremendous tail, and even throughout the rough bark-like skin, whose texture is emphasized with deep trenches between scales. Everything about this Godzilla is X-treme...
S.H. MonsterArts Millennium Godzilla 2000 stands just under 6" tall to his hunched head, though his spikes might get you a bit more of an inch. He measures around 13" to to tip of his tail, depending on how you choose to pose it. He poses fairly well (certainly better than any previous MonsterArts Godzilla incarnation), even for an amateur poser like myself. His joints have a pretty good range of motion, and are more intelligently designed than they have been previously (the feet, ball-jointed hands, head/neck and tail are all vastly improved).
His huch is difficult to alter due to the way the dorsal spines are layed out, combined with the weight they carry. Personally, I can't get him nearly as upright as the photos on the back of the box suggest. I also can't get the tongue to hinge out of the way to close his mouth completely. I'm not thrilled with the way the teeth are painted. Whether intentional or not, there's a lot of red slop on mine. I wish they were cleaner. Otherwise, this guy is darn near perfect. The gaps at the joints have been resolved (see Burning Godzilla 1995 for the issues I refer to) very well, and he does a fantastic job of being aesthetically pleasing while also being a heck of a lot of fun to mess around with and pose.
From what I've read, people seem to be very pleased with this newest version of Godzilla, and it's with good reason. He's got a dynamic sculpt, despite it being nearly the complete antithesis of the previous "best" Burning Godzilla, who exudes smooth curves, a nearly completely upright posture and thick, deliberate slowness. 2000's feline predatory look is ferocious and fully threatening, while suggesting motion everywhere. Don't expect any accessories and you won't be let down by their absence. Know what you are paying for: a top-notch sculpt and paint work, with excellent articulation and terrific engineering. You likely won't be disappointed- I know I'm not...
S.H. MonsterArts Millennium Godzilla 2000 stands just under 6" tall to his hunched head, though his spikes might get you a bit more of an inch. He measures around 13" to to tip of his tail, depending on how you choose to pose it. He poses fairly well (certainly better than any previous MonsterArts Godzilla incarnation), even for an amateur poser like myself. His joints have a pretty good range of motion, and are more intelligently designed than they have been previously (the feet, ball-jointed hands, head/neck and tail are all vastly improved).
His huch is difficult to alter due to the way the dorsal spines are layed out, combined with the weight they carry. Personally, I can't get him nearly as upright as the photos on the back of the box suggest. I also can't get the tongue to hinge out of the way to close his mouth completely. I'm not thrilled with the way the teeth are painted. Whether intentional or not, there's a lot of red slop on mine. I wish they were cleaner. Otherwise, this guy is darn near perfect. The gaps at the joints have been resolved (see Burning Godzilla 1995 for the issues I refer to) very well, and he does a fantastic job of being aesthetically pleasing while also being a heck of a lot of fun to mess around with and pose.
From what I've read, people seem to be very pleased with this newest version of Godzilla, and it's with good reason. He's got a dynamic sculpt, despite it being nearly the complete antithesis of the previous "best" Burning Godzilla, who exudes smooth curves, a nearly completely upright posture and thick, deliberate slowness. 2000's feline predatory look is ferocious and fully threatening, while suggesting motion everywhere. Don't expect any accessories and you won't be let down by their absence. Know what you are paying for: a top-notch sculpt and paint work, with excellent articulation and terrific engineering. You likely won't be disappointed- I know I'm not...
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