S.H. MonsterArts Godzilla (Heisei/Birth Version/1995) Figure Review

What a terrific time it is to be a kaiju (especially Godzilla) fan! There are four separate lines that are each fantastic in their own right, competing for my attention (and dollars). X-Plus makes gorgeous statues that are second to none, but which I've got to really be selective about because of their premium price-tags. S.H. MonsterArts is my personal favorite line. The scale, sculpt, articulation and wide range of figures is perfect for me, though the high prices really have me scaling back on nearly all of my other collecting. I say "nearly" with a wink, of course. Because I've also been giving my money to NECA (a lot!) lately. Their two Godzilla releases have been great, and at a hair under $20 a pop, I can buy 3 for the price of one MonsterArts figure. Finally, I've been with NECA's Pacific Rim line from the get-go. It's had some bumps, and I feel like I'm the only person who was stunningly disappointed by their Scunner figure (HATE the rubber cloak over the shoulders- just looks awful to me- and the scaling is totally wrong, but don't get me started on that...), but I'm in for the long haul, with more hits than misses so far. And Otachi really looks like she's going to be a tremendous figure. Anyway, I read a comment on a blog when this was all starting out for me (I had been collecting DCUC, MOTUC, Movie Masters and some Transformers) that said something to the effect that "Every toy collector owes it to themself to buy at least one MonsterArts figure. They are THAT good." And so I did- I got myself a first release Godzilla 1994 and, yeah, I loved it so much (derpy eyes and all) that I've been hooked ever since. That's not to say these figures are perfect - far from it. They are very overpriced and under-accessorized. Some of them fall apart too easily, or have unsightly gaps or seams. But when I look at the whole picture, it goes something like this: I really enjoy them. These are the figures on my shelf that I keep coming back to, keep taking down, keep messing around with. And they are the ones I find myself looking forward to most of all. So, I bite the bullet and swallow the cost because I feel like I get my money's worth in the joy they bring me, which is a great deal more than the hundreds of other figures I have packed in totes, hanging on walls, or displayed on shelves that I rarely notice or bother to look at. Which brings me to my latest Bandai Tamashii Nations S.H. MonsterArts figure: GODZILLA (Heisei version, alternately called "Birth" or Godzilla 1995).

Godzilla 1995 is the ultimate Heisei version of the character and, despite the fact that it's a re-issue of sorts, it's totally worth getting even if one already owns Burning Godzilla.

Aesthetics

No word of a lie, this is the best looking Godzilla released for this line yet. The paint is perfect from head to tail to toes. Godzilla is painted a flat dark grey (charcoal, for want of a better term), but he's got loads of blue highlighting embedded in there. It isn't overpowering (like NECA's 12" tall Godzilla), either. You really have to see the figure under the right lighting to notice it's there at all. The eyes are absolutely perfect, and the claws have that great bone shading with faint gradations where the nail meets the toe (like X-Plus does so well, but much tinier). Claws on the hands and the dorsal spines are painted really well, too. There's a little slop on my figure's teeth, with the red of the gums bleeding over the base of some of the front teeth, but it's fairly minor. The sculpt matches the earlier release Burning Godzilla, and it's truly excellent. Great detail, and all very sharp. My major knock on NECA's Godzillas so far is their shiny plastic look. MonsterArts are painted through and through, and it makes all the difference in the world for these figures to look like articulated models rather than toys. My one outright complaint about this Godzilla's look has to do with the lower torso: he looks like he's wearing a diaper. I suppose it's easier to overlook on this version, since he's all one color, but it's still there and it's an eyesore. Yes, Burning Godzilla's gaps at the hips are present on this version as well, but it is possible to reduce them with some delicate fiddling. Otherwise, downright perfect in the looks department.

Playability

This Godzilla is great fun to play with...mostly. The joints are present and generally work as they are supposed to. In other words, you can get a wide variety of poses from this guy. In fact, he is more dynamic than the actual movie character by far. But this comes at a cost. The sockets on Godzilla are shallow and come apart very easily. My torso separates at the waist, and I've had issues with my left leg coming apart at the hip. They go back together with a slight pop, but I've contemplated trying a fix or two to keep the posing from getting as frustrating as it's been.

The tail, head and arms (especially) are great. I can get that classic "arms up in front and bent inwards" pose for the shelf.

Godzilla comes with a red-tinted atomic breath spray, stand and base. The sculpt matches the one released with the original Godzilla 1994 (which was blue for that version), making it both good and bad. The good part is that it's pretty cool and the red tinting is beautifully done. The bad part is that it was sculpted for a different figure - one with smalled sculpted fangs. As a result, this one doesn't sit right in my Godzilla's mouth. It's a close approximation, but not perfect. Nevertheless, it's great that a breath effect part was included at all, going on S.H. MonsterArts's most recent history.

With Original Godzilla 1994's Atomic Breath

Value:
This guy can currently be picked up via Amazon for $68. That's a fairly low to mid range price for an S.H. MonsterArts figure, especially one that includes a breath effect. Remember, these are generally overpriced figures with some perks that make the cost somewhat more justified: the are Japanese imports, fully painted, beautifully sculpted and highly articulated. They feel high-end. In fact, I showed this figure and a NECA figure to a friend who knows nothing about either, and he could instantly tell a significant difference.

If you want a low-cost toy that's tons of fun to play with, get the NECA Godzilla. If you want an adjustable display model that will impress from a display shelf, S.H. MonsterArts is the way to go. In terms of the line itself, this figure is one of the very best (right up there with Millennium Godzilla 2000 as the best Godzilla), along with Kiryu and Destoroyah. The price is going to skyrocket once the production run is finished. Don't hesitate - this is the best 6" scale Heisei Godzilla out there...

Included Red Atomic Breath Effect

Beautiful Sculpt and Paint

Size Comparison: SW Boba Fett and DCUC Batman

Toe/Claw Detail

Dorsal and skin detail

NECA Godzilla (1994) and MonsterArts Godzilla (1995)

S.H. MonsterArts Godzilla

GAMERA 1996 - X-Plus Large Series vinyl figure review

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...

GODZILLA VS SPACEGODZILLA - NECA Godzilla 1994 Action Figure Review

NECA’s first “Classics Godzilla” has been released, and is appearing on toy shelves. It’s labeled as “Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla”, and had been called Godzilla 1994 previously. It’s packaged in an uninspired clamshell that reproduces the Bandai vinyl packaging found in toy stores. My guess is that NECA wanted to keep some uniformity with those toys, so they mimicked the package, even though it really is weird that a NECA toy of Godzilla 1994 features packaging with a prominent photo of Bandai’s 1954 Godzilla as its centerpiece.

The figure itself is so much better than I had anticipated from the prototype shots, and even from how it’s displayed in-package. He’s a real joy to mess around with, and even though he doesn’t really seem to photograph particularly well, he looks great in-person.

We’ll start at the head and work our way down. The head/face sculpt is both excellent and not that great. As a sculpt in and of itself, it’s really quite good. He’s got cat-like whiskers along the cheeks, and pronounced scales and ridges across the top of his head. The snarl is present, and the eyes are really beautifully painted with a deep maroon  outer edge, a yellow pupil highlight, along with a black iris and a white gleam. It’s all very crisp and sharp. The teeth are a little sloppier, but they are sharper than on NECA’s previous 2014 Godzilla release. There are two rows, and the roof of the mouth is detailed as well. There’s some bleed from the gums onto the lips, but overall the production is very good. That said, there are some problems. As far as the “not so great” goes, the snout is too elongated- it reminds me of when the guys started changing in “Wolfen” or “Underworld” or something, and their snout came pushing out. The lower jaw is also too long. It looks great closed, but when open Godzilla has a serious underbite. There’s a sheath around his neck to cover the articulation, but it’s probably my least  favorite aesthetic piece of the figure: it looks like he’s got whiplash and is wearing a neck brace to court or something. The articulation under that sheath isn’t bad- he’s got a nice range of motion to the left and right, with a slight tilt down, and a slighter tilt up and back. I’m just not sure why the sheath is there at all- my figure doesn’t get any additional movement from the head separate from the neck (he only turns at the base of the neck, in other words).

The body sculpt is good, with some detailed cross-hatching designs as scales. The dorsal spines are a soft rubber and are painted pretty well, though they do seem a little on the smaller side. He’s got a really great waist ball-joint to allow for some excellent tilt and rotation. The arms have joints at the shoulder, bicep, elbow, wrists and knuckles. The sculpt restricts arm movement laterally on my figure, but I’ve seen other reviewers who had no trouble crossing Godzilla’s arms across his chest. Even with all of that articulation, I can’t get Godzilla into his classic, “arms up in front of him, claws forward” pose very well.

The legs are great, if not a bit on the thin side (for this version of Godzilla, anyway). Movement is possible at the hips, knees (nice range here) and ankles. The tail is too short, and plugs in like the 2014 version’s did. The end is rubber with a wire, and the base nearest the torso has several joints to allow for tilt and turn. It works well enough. Godzilla’s overall color is a very dark evergreen, with some slightly lighter dry-brushed green in places. It’s somewhat glossy. The toe and finger nails are sky blue.

 As mentioned earlier, the spines are a softer rubbery material. Their sculpt is pretty good, and the whitish outline is present, but a bot sloppy in places. Two of my spines were stuck together, restricting the torso joint a bit. I was able to work them apart, but I lost some of the white paint in the process.

Godzilla 1994 stands about as tall as NECA's Godzilla 2014 does, maybe slightly taller. They look pretty cool next to one another on the shelf, and I'm starting to really look forward to this line. There will inevitably be some comparisons of this line to the SH MonsterArts line of Godzilla figures, though that's largely unfair. SHMA figures are high-end, imported adult collectibles, while NECA's figures can be enjoyed by kids with little fear of drastic breakage. The price point is also hugely different. I can pick up 3 of NECA's Godzillas for the cost of 1 MonsterArts figure. Godzilla 1994 doesn't have any bells or whistles, isn't in a gorgeous window box, and won't generate the oohs and aaahs that an SHMA figure will, but he's a heck of a lot of fun to play around with. He looks good, poses well, and is sturdy and relatively inexpensive.

I was really hesitant about this release - the preproduction pictures looked pretty uninspired and I wasn't sure I needed another Godzilla 1994 in my collection. He didn't actually look much better in-package when I picked him up. Once out, though, this figure really started to win me over. It manages to be its own figure, despite Bandai's much more expensive SHMA version, and he's a heck of a lot of fun in-hand. Now I'm looking forward to the next figure due in the line, Godzilla 1984...

NECA Legendary GODZILLA 2014 - (12" Tall) - 24" Head to Tail Figure Review

This guy just arrived on my doorstep an hour ago, so please take into account that I'm still in the midst of a Honeymoon period. That said, I'm going out on a limb and saying that this new NECA 24" Long Head-To-Tail version of Godzilla 2014 is my favorite Godzilla toy of all time...

Godzilla (also know as 12" Tall Godzilla) is a heavy beast. He comes securely strapped in a heavy-duty box. There are a half dozen twist-ties to snip, and the tail comes separately wrapped in plastic. It attaches the same way that the smaller version's did, via a ball-joint at the base. Be forewarned that the largest spines on Godzilla's back may come bent from the plastic shell he sits in, and the left knee on mine looked precariously bent in-package. The spines will need a little hot water to straighten, and the knee still seems a little "off", but neither is a major issue.

The box is attractive enough, and does a fine job of protecting the contents, while also showing them off. The graphics match everything else released for the Legendary film version so far.

There's a small plastic tab at the base of the tail that needs to be removed, and one of the smaller spines can be pushed to summon a very loud version of Godzilla's roar. I compared it to the Atomic Blast Bandai version, and yes, this one is louder. It works beautifully, and sounds totally awesome.

As far as the figure goes, if you liked the look of the 6" tall version, you'll like this one, as well. The sculpt is indeed a 2-up of the mini, but the details are deeper, sharper, and more intricate. Keep in mind that the pictures really fail to capture the in-hand awesomeness of this guy. In fact, I think it would be really hard to tell the two versions apart at all through pictures, without any comparison shots to help.

The details along Godzilla's legs and back are particularly striking, as are the gills along his neck. There's a couple of very visible seam lines (one splits his snout and another cuts across the tops of his arms), but the sculpt is otherwise excellent. NECA's Godzilla has all of the detail that the JAKKS Pacific version was missing.

The paint choices on Godzilla are interesting. NECA decided to carry over the blue dry-brushing that some of the smaller version sported. It's fine for bringing out the details, though it really doesn't show up well in most of the photos. It runs over his back, legs and arms, but is absent from his torso front. It kind of looks of odd from the front (and in-package) - almost like he's wearing a green tank top. The teeth (much like in the smaller version) are disappointing to me. They are small, rounded and poorly painted. They fail to make him look as ferocious as he did in the film, and they really pale in comparison next to another 12" figure like the X-Plus GMK I have sitting beside him. The eyes are painted cleanly with their single-line black pupils, there's a dirty pink inside the mouth and tongue.

Besides, my only other disappointment is with the lack of detail on the dorsal spines. It's the same level as what we got on the smaller version. I can't remember the movie well enough to know whether or not there should be more, but the upcoming SH MonsterArts version looks a lot more detailed!

Like the 6" tall version, 12" Tall Godzilla can be posed pretty well. The articulation mostly matches, with a couple of notable exceptions. My Godzilla's shoulders seem to be more cut-joints than ball joints. As a result, I can't get the inward/outward tilt that I could from Junior. As I mentioned earlier, mine's left knee looks odd. It's almost like it's not pushed in all the way, so there's a gap behind the knee. I can't get it in any further, and the right one doesn't look the same, so I can't say if it's a production thing or just an oddity on mine, but he stands just fine. Yes, the hips have that inward/outward motion, by the way.

Many of the joints otherwise match, but they seem to have a greater range of motion on this big guy. His head and neck joints can turn more freely, there's more bend at the elbows and the wrists are on excellent ball-joints. The tail has a TON of joints (I count 13), and replaces the bendy wire from Junior with MonsterArts-style ball-joints along its length. It's really excellent!

My Godzilla had one other issue worth noting. Along his spine, where the torso joint and the pelvis joint meet, the dorsal doesn't have much room to wiggle. As a result, he's pretty hard to rotate, and I have to lean him forward, slide one dorsal over top of another, and then bend him back. You'll see in some of the pictures that there's a gap (almost like on the MonsterArts Godzilla 1964) as a result of this.

So, what else is there to say? The most obvious question at hand is: How does he scale up to other figures? I'll end with several comparison pictures to try to help answer that question. He's bigger than my X-Plus GMK Vinyl, while he towers over the Pacific Rim 7" Jaegers and Bandai's Atomic Roar. He still looks comically small beside JAKKS Pacific's Giant Size version.

In sum, if you've been waiting for the ultimate version of Godzilla 2014, this is probably it. NECA's 12" tall version has the weight, detail, paint, articulation and SIZE to make it "the one" you'll want to have above all others. It's not as large as JAKKS Pacific's, and not as detailed as SH MonsterArts promises to be, but this guy is plenty big enough, and detailed enough to get the job done. Oh, and he ROARS!!!

Beside X Plus GMK Vinyl

Striker Eureka, Godzilla and Gipsy Danger

Bandai Atomic Breath Godzilla 2014 & NECA 12" Tall

NECA version & JAKKS Pacific Giant Size Godzilla

Gap

NECA 24" Long Head-to-Tail GODZILLA 2014

NECA Legendary GODZILLA 2014 - 12" Head to Tail Figure Review

Well, it took what felt like forever, but my 6" tall, 12" Head to Tail Godzilla 2014 arrived yesterday from NECA, and quite honestly it was absolutely worth the wait. This is now my current favorite Godzilla figure, and it ranks right up there with Burning Godzilla (1995) and Millennium Godzilla 2000 from SH MonsterArts as my favorite Godzila figures, period. NECA's Godzilla is beautifully sculpted, well-articulated and just plain tons of fun to play around with!

Modern Godzilla (2014) is the first of a new line of 6" articulated Godzilla figures that NECA is planning to release (Godzilla 1994 is due this summer, and Godzilla 1985 is expected by year's end). Modern Godzilla comes on a standard (albeit thick) NECA clamshell. The package design matches the Godzilla image used in all of the other toy product releases from Bandai and JAKKS so far. The plastic is thin and bows between creases for those MIB collectors, but it's fairly easy to pop back into place. Godzilla is clearly visible, with his head turned slightly outwards and the main portion of his tail detached. Out of the package, I found attaching his tail to be quite difficult, actually, and needed to heat the end with a hairdryer before applying a good deal of force to seat it properly. Once mated to it's ball, the tail works (and looks) marvelously well.

From the side and slightly above, NECA's Godzilla looks amazing. The figure is made of a heavy hard rubbery plastic, which feels solid and playable. Godzilla's proportions look screen accurate, and he's got plenty of fine detail built into the sculpt. The spines on his back are rubbery and pliable, and while accurately shaped, seem mostly absent of texturing. The tail is terrific, as is his head and face. There isn't a ton of paint here: the body is cast in a very dark charcoal or green. The throat is a different shade than the head, but only by a smidge. The plastic is mostly matte, though there are sections of the torso that have a glossier sheen. The toes and claws are glossy black. The eyes are yellow, with tiny pupils and there's lots of red in the mouth (mine actually has a lot slopped onto the teeth, so check yours in-person if possible). There's no light tan shading on this version's chest, like there is in the Atomic Breath, Destruction Pack or Giant Size versions.

Godzilla's articulation is really excellent in an odd way. None of the joints have a terrific range of motion, but they work pretty well together to create a nice variety of poses. There's a swivel head, and another at the base of the neck. The jaw is hinged to open and close, though it doesn't close completely. I would really have liked to be able to have him look up more, but he's got some slight downward ability. There's a joint mid-torso to allow for some twist. The arms have joints at the shoulders, elbows and wrists, with enough inward/outward movement at the shoulders to allow him to bring his hands together in front of him. The hips have the same in/out tilt-ability, and there are joints at the knees and ankles, as well. The tail is jointed (4 ball joints from the base), then switches to a rubber bendy for the thinned end half. The parts rotate and tilt well - it's not "MonsterArts" tail flexible, but it gets the job done.

NECA's first Godzilla is a really great figure. I don't think any figure of this version of Godzilla has managed to capture this ferocious pissed-off look of his face from the movie, and this version especially looks very awkward viewed head-on. But this is the first legitimate collector's figure released based on the new movie design. In fact, it's the best Godzilla made from this film so far. JAKKS has this one beat for sheer mass, and his head sculpt is great, but this one's the whole package, and I'm guessing would be much easier for any kid to manage for play than that massive one is.

At around $20, this is the Godzilla to have. He looks great, poses well, is solid, and he scales great with S.H. MonsterArts figures. The newly shown MonsterArts version looks like it's got crisper details and a sharper sculpt around the eyes, but the general shape and articulation looks really similar to this one (probably for about 3 to 4 times the price). After seeing the movie, I'd really love for NECA to release a couple of MUTO figures (scaled properly and with/without wings as appropriate), and I think another Godzilla with blue glowing spines and atomic napalm breath would be awesome. I also can't wait to see how the 12" tall 24" Head to Tail figure comes out - I'm sure the level of detail will blow me away! I'm so happy with what NECA has delivered here and am eagerly looking forward to their next Godzilla release - bring on the '94!

MonsterArts '64, '94, '95, TM Zilla '98, 2000 and NECA 2014