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.
Tail Strike Godzilla stands 7" tall at the crown of his head, and measures about 10" from snout to tail tip. I like this version, though not as much as the Smash Strike one. It's an entirely different sculpt, even down to the rubbery dorsal spine insert. Tail Strike Godzilla has his mouth sculpted closed. He has the same basic paint apps as the other 2 Bandai releases: white on teeth, yellow on eyes and a tan spray on the chest. This version has the glossier plastic that Atomic Breath uses, while Smash Strike is a bit more matte. There's a weird disruption to the sculpt created by the action feature. There's a "button" at Godzilla's tummy that connects to the tail from inside. Pushing the button gets Godzilla's tail to "slam" down, while working the button around gets the tail to swing from side to side a bit. That's the "Tail Strike" feature: the tail is done in 3 hinged segments that swing back and forth. Imagine those segmented plastic snakes you can get at the dollar store. It works ok and kids might really enjoy knocking their other toys around with it, but it compromises the look of a pretty good figure with that giant button up front and center, literally. 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...Tail Strike Godzilla features cut joints and the shoulders and hips, in addition to the swinging tail.
These 2 smaller-sized Godzillas are actually much cooler than I thought they would be. Neither is a collector's version, but they do a decent job of being fun toys for kids to play with. I think both of them had the potential to be better than Atomic Breath Godzilla, but they don't quite pull it off. Each has it's merits, and I don't think I prefer one to the other, but I'm glad that I picked them up...
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