Bandai Tamashii Nations has delivered a stylized version of Legendary's newest incarnation of Godzilla (2014) as the latest release from their S.H. MonsterArts line. The figure retails for just under $70 and showcases the "essence" of Legendary's Godzilla, with the sculptor sacrificing some screen-accuracy, resulting in a figure that is both unique and slightly divisive. Those seeking the ultimate screen-accurate Godzilla 2014 will probably have to make do with NECA's versions for the time-being, at lease until X-Plus unveils their version.
MonsterArts Godzilla 2014 has a sharper brow ridge with deep-set eyes, shoulders set closer together, thicker fingers and longer toes than the screen-version did. The thick brows really set the facial sculpt apart from the smoother rounded look of the NECA versions.
My initial excitement over this release faded quite a bit as pictures and early reviews began to trickle out: this guy's got a couple of really glaring issues (all having to do with paint), and they appear to be common enough to be the rule rather than the exception. First, his eyes are misaligned. The left pupil looks down while the right one looks straight ahead. That said, those pupils are really tiny dots, and the heavy and sharp brow ridge keeps them in shadow for the most part. So, yes, it's frustrating knowing they are there like that, but it's really not as noticeable as I feared it would be. Second, he's got too much "blood" smeared across the front of his snout. Third, the teeth are terribly mis-painted with lots of slop, especially down over the lower jawline. Not quite sure what's going on with these latter two issues, but that these figures shipped from the factory like this is frankly unacceptable. I have walked away from several lines because of QC issues (MOTUC, DC Direct Arkham Asylum, DCUC, to name a few), and it won't take too much more sloppiness like this to dull my enthusiasm, but a little paint and a very fine brush helped a lot here (though these pictures were taken before I did any paint adjustments).
My initial excitement over this release faded quite a bit as pictures and early reviews began to trickle out: this guy's got a couple of really glaring issues (all having to do with paint), and they appear to be common enough to be the rule rather than the exception. First, his eyes are misaligned. The left pupil looks down while the right one looks straight ahead. That said, those pupils are really tiny dots, and the heavy and sharp brow ridge keeps them in shadow for the most part. So, yes, it's frustrating knowing they are there like that, but it's really not as noticeable as I feared it would be. Second, he's got too much "blood" smeared across the front of his snout. Third, the teeth are terribly mis-painted with lots of slop, especially down over the lower jawline. Not quite sure what's going on with these latter two issues, but that these figures shipped from the factory like this is frankly unacceptable. I have walked away from several lines because of QC issues (MOTUC, DC Direct Arkham Asylum, DCUC, to name a few), and it won't take too much more sloppiness like this to dull my enthusiasm, but a little paint and a very fine brush helped a lot here (though these pictures were taken before I did any paint adjustments).
Aesthetics:
S.H. MonsterArts' Godzilla 2014 actually looks pretty great. The sculpt and 95% of the paint are just beautiful. There's tons of great texture over all of the skin, and unlike NECA's and Bandai's versions, the detail carries over onto the jagged and roughly textured dorsal plates and spines. Gorgeous, just gorgeous. Personally, I like what they've done with the feet here, giving him some slightly longer claws/toes along with a wider spread. The result is a really stable figure, no matter the stance. The fingers are a bit thicker than previous versions seemed to be, and that severely pronounced ridge above the eyes is one of the most unique aspects of this particular sculpt for me. Godzilla had a really expressive face in the movie, and this figure comes closest to capturing the fury and rage that he unleashed in every roar. He's also not quite as "narrow" up at the head. When viewed from head-on, most of my Godzilla 2014's look like giant "A's" to me. This version overcomes that better than any of the other 2014 versions I own.
On the down-side, there's an odd-looking cut joint in the torso that runs just under the armpits. It really breaks up the sculpt from the front, and I can't get much articulation out of the joint, so that's one part I could do without. But the sculpt is otherwise really excellent.
I mentioned the paint issues earlier - they were true with my figure, as well, but I was able to reduce the slop around the face with some dark grey paint. The eyes I can't do anything about. There's a great faint drybrushing over the scales on the back, and I really like the way the chest coloration was handled. It's not quite as jarring as it is on many other versions. The overall color of the figure is a terrific flat dark grey and there's a wonderful tan applied to the toenails.
I mentioned the paint issues earlier - they were true with my figure, as well, but I was able to reduce the slop around the face with some dark grey paint. The eyes I can't do anything about. There's a great faint drybrushing over the scales on the back, and I really like the way the chest coloration was handled. It's not quite as jarring as it is on many other versions. The overall color of the figure is a terrific flat dark grey and there's a wonderful tan applied to the toenails.
Playability:
This Godzilla is a lot of fun to play with. He's got a lot of joints and they work well together to allow for a variety of poses (I was able to replicate the poses from the back of the box pretty well). All of the earlier releases of Legendary's Godzilla, from NECA to JAKKS to Bandai, have him standing very upright with little to no ability to lean forward, which I felt like he did a lot of in the movie, head thrust out in that massive roar. Even when he stormed into battle with the MUTOs, he leaned into it. None of my other figures could do that. This one can (sort of). He looks great in a forward lean. Despite that, he still can't get the head out and forward as much as I'd like to get that mid-roar pose I want. The joints are quite loose in many places, but that's par for the course with this line. I think the sockets that Bandai uses for the ball attachments are intentionally left fairly shallow, which makes them pop apart easily. My figure's tail fell off right out of the box, but it snapped together again without much of an issue. He's had fewer parts falling off than my 1995 Birth version did, if that's any consolation. It should also be noted that there's a great deal of side to side movement you can get from the thighs, and the sculpting that was done on the inner thighs, which is mostly hidden unless the legs are spread pretty wide, is just amazing.Value:
There are no accessories included with Godzilla 2014. At around $70 shipped, this is a mid-range offering from Bandai Tamashii Nations, and is an average value. The figure is tons of fun, even alone, and is able to strike some great poses. I added the MUTO figure from the Destruction Pack in for some pictures and it seemed to work out pretty well. I love that this figure isn't just like my others. It keeps the essence of Godzilla 2014 while adding some life of its own to the character, and it looks great with the rest of the line...
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