X-Plus does some pretty amazing work, there's no denying that. Their figures command a premium price for good reason. Their new Gamera 1996 version (Advent of Legion) is my first X-Plus Gamera figure, and I'm honestly thrilled that I picked him up...
X-Plus makes highly detailed and screen-accurate vinyl statues. Their packaging is bare base (though this figure did come in a window box with lots of protective plastic and baggies on extremities), and no accessories are included. The tail must be attached, and there are no articulation points. These figures are prized for their beautiful and highly detailed sculpts and paint jobs.
This version of Gamera manages to showcase these within a dynamic pose that truly captures my favorite movie version of Gamera. Large Series Gamera 1996 stands about 8.5 inches tall, and measures just under 11 inches from snout to tail. His legs crouch wide, with his clawed toes splaying outwards and his arms bent in front of him in a powerful battle stance.
He looks great from just about any angle, though his eyes initially struck me as nearly crossed, until I got used to the way he looks face-on. His mouth is captured mid-roar with his tongue up off his lower palate. The interior of his mouth looks incredible, with perfect teeth, tusks and glistening gums. The eyes are perfect, as well, with bright green irises, clear black pupils and surrounding white fading to a pink at the edges.
Gamera's claws and toes feature fine striations and darker shading at their bases, just like the tusks. Most of Gamera's body is flat black (charcoal, I suppose), except for the chest piece, which is brownish. Tons of detail everywhere, from undulating folds of skin to the patterned undershell design of his belly. If you are going to buy a statue, you want one that will capture your attention over and over again- Gamera will accomplish that mission in spades.
The shell, in particular, is a true work of art. Besides the amazing textured design of the sculpt, the paint work here is really exceptional. It's really got to be seen in natural light, where a complex overlaying of blues, browns and greens compliment one another to create a shimmering rainbow of bronze-like armor. It's unfortunate that all of this beautiful work resides on Gamera's back, away from the eyes of most viewers of the statue, but it's work like this that makes X-Plus purveyors of fine art, rather than "toys".
There are only a couple of small gripes I have with the figure. One, the chest piece is made of a very soft, squishy vinyl. I think this was done to accomodate the light-up feature of the Ric-Boy exclusive version (which this is NOT). There's a little bit of buckling as a result, and picking him up by grabbing his chest needs to be done gently. My other quibble is with a seam line at the base of Gamera's neck. It's VERY pronounced, and seems unnecessarily so. There are other seams at the elbows, knees, and tail (also very notice-able, but at least it's kind of hidden away underneath him), but they blend much better.
As my first X-Plus Gamera purchase, I'm really thrilled with this figure! I was lucky enough to "take the plunge" and order him before he sold out, and I'm really glad that I did. He looks amazing alongside the rest of my Gamera collection, and even beside my other couple of X-Plus Godzilla figures. The size is just about perfect for what I wanted, and the sculpt, paint and pose really do the character justice. It's a beautiful representation of my favorite version of Gamera. I've checked out the larger Gamera 1996 and Gamera 1995 figures from X-Plus, and they are a little too crouched/hunched over for my tastes. This guy is just about perfect. I'm currently watching "Revenge of Iris" for the third or fourth time, and his look in that film is growing on me. Might just have to keep my eyes open for one of those amazing Gamera 1999 figures from X-Plus, as well...
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