I was so taken by my first Art Spirits Godzilla figure (Shin Godzilla, reviewed earlier on the site), that I decided to go ahead and purchase their earlier, first release: Millennium Godzilla 2000. I did so with some trepidation. Despite the fact that it's been out for several years now, there isn't much in terms of reviews or comments about the figure that I could find online. And most of what I did find seemed lukewarm, at best. So, I sort of lowered my expectations as I awaited the figure's arrival. I am, however, very glad to say that I'm quite happy with the figure. It's not as impressive as Shin Godzilla (the Art Spirits version is currently my favorite Godzilla in my entire collection), but it's really a rather nice addition, and the two look great alongside one another.
Much like their Shin Godzilla, Art Spirits Godzilla 2000 is a creature of pure action. The figure leans forward, mid-roar, legs spread in a wide stance. His arms frame the upper torso, with his tail whipping up in a tight curl. Even the tail seems to be pushing forward. The pose is striking in the sense that it is much more dynamic than the film version could ever hope to be. The head is similarly "stylized", not really matching the on-screen Godzilla. It's got a distinctly cat-like appearance, with slitted eyes and pointed ears swept back in a threatening hiss.
The texture of the figure is excellent, with plenty of detail and roughness for any Godzilla fan to appreciate. The throat and neck is particularly eye-catching. The purple spines are razor blade jagged, while remaining rubbery enough not to cause injury. The figure comes with a circular black plastic base to peg into, so there's no danger of him toppling forward. There's a small nameplate fixed to the base, written in Japanese (I'm guessing it says "Godzilla 2000"). The figure is noticeably smaller than the Art Spirits Shin Godzilla, coming in just a bit larger than the SH MonsterArts figure. That said, I think the two Art Spirits figures might be in scale to one another.
The figure is really nice, though not as nice as their Shin Godzilla. The head/face sculpt might throw some, as it differs quite a bit from the film version, and the toe and finger claws are not as detailed or well painted as they should be (the Shin Godzilla nails are fabulous in comparison, so I'm guessing they learned a bit from this initial release), but otherwise this is an excellent Godzilla figure. There's another version of this figure with glow-in-the-dark dorsal spines, sold as a Bandai Premier Website Exclusive figure in case you are interested in searching out every Art Spirits figure released.
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| The eyes don't look as bad in person... |
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| Art Spirits Pair |
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| With Shin Godzilla |
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| Alongside S.H. MonsterArts Millennium Godzilla |
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| Texturing from above |
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