LEGENDARY GODZILLA 2014 - Bandai Smash Strike Godzilla

I planned to pass on the two smaller Bandai Godzilla offerings for the new 2014 movie, but once I saw them in the store I just couldn't pass them up.

Smash Strike Godzilla stands 6 and 3/4" tall at the crown of his head, and measures about 9 & 1/4" from snout to tail tip. There's something really appealing about this version's look, despite the huge (and weird) torso split created by the action feature. Let's get this out of the way first. There's a "button" at the base of Godzilla's tail that connects to the upper torso from inside. Pushing the button gets Godzilla to lean up and back, while working the button around gets the upper torso to swivel a bit. That's the "Smash Strike" feature. It doesn't work too great and it really compromised a pretty good figure with that horrendous gap at the waist. I would have preferred this sculpt with better articulation and no action feature, but I'm an adult and this is a kid's toy. My version will come in a couple of months...

The sculpt on this guy is soft, but in many ways is preferable to Atomic Breath Godzilla. I think the shape of the head, face and snout are all better here, despite a slight underbite. The proportions overall also seem a bit better, especially around the thighs. Details that show up clearly in the larger Deluxe Atomic Breath version are very basic here (the gills are just a few curves at the base of the neck, for instance). He's still got the alligator scales, more pronounced on the arms and legs, and the dorsal spines are rubbery enough to bend slightly. The tails juts straight back, but isn't nearly as long as the tails we have seen from NECA or JAKKS Pacific's versions. There's cuts at the shoulders and hips, and pin elbows, but they are so floppy I think it's meant more as a part of the action feature: bend his elbows and close his mouth (yeah, there's a hinge in the jaw), then "Smash Strike" and watch his arms swing down and his mouth open! It's kind of lame- I'd (of course) have preferred real joints for the elbows and the jaw.

And that's about it for Smash Strike Godzilla. He won me over in-person, where he looks a lot better than in the preview pics. He's also a fun little toy, sans electronics. I paid about $12 for this guy thanks to a couple of coupons, so I'm pretty pleased. Now, I need to find that Giant Sized JAKKS!