Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire - Playmates Toys action figures

I've only watched one trailer for the new upcoming Godzilla x Kong movie, and I hated it. Mind you, this was in the midst of the masterpiece that was Godzilla Minus One, which I think is one of the best Godzilla movies ever made, so maybe my impressions were tainted. GxK looks silly and childish to me, and my initial reaction was, "I don't think I'm going to even bother going to see this one." Then a funny thing happened: the toys came out, which were largely unimpressive to me...at first. But today, walking through the action figure aisle at Wal-mart, something different happened. I got pretty happy. Why? Because there are Godzilla toys on the pegs and shelves, right there among billions of Transformers, wrestlers, Jurassic dinosaurs and DC McFarlane's! It was kind of awesome. And it made me remember something: Godzilla was kind of stupid, and I loved it as a kid. I still do as an adult, but that period of 1970's films that I adored so much when I was younger - the ones with Minila being incredibly whiny and annoying all the time, Godzilla dancing with Jet Jaguar while fighting Megalon, Godzilla literally flying backwards while shooting his atomic breath as propulsion - were all pretty goofy. It seems like that's the direction the MonsterVerse is taking: appeal to the kids. And how can I fault that? 

Playmates Toys Godzilla figures are not collector quality figures by any means. They are cheap but colorful, soft in sculpt, mediocre in articulation and absent of accessories. The Giant version repeats those awful and plentiful screw holes all along one side that the giant GvK Godzilla had. But...they are Godzilla toys on the shelves! And man are they meant to be played with! Much like the TMNT figures they cut their teeth on, these Playmates figures look perfect in the hands of a kid, being carried around on long car rides or hidden in backpacks. And that's what I love about them! They take me back to a time when I would have stuffed that Evolved Godzilla into my lunchbox to show the guys at school, and for $10 a pop (for the basic figures) I think that's a very reasonable ask. I'll wait for Hiya to make the adult-version collectibles. 

Incidentally, I work at a school and the other day a Kindergartner walked by with a Godzilla figure in his hand. I went, "Hey! That's Godzilla Ultima!" He looked at me like, "Yeah?" and said "I know." Duh. He brought it in for show-and-tell. Remember show-and-tell? That's what these figures are perfect for! 

I picked up the large Giant 11" Godzilla Evolved (at $25 it's honestly kind of pushing it - this should be $20 and not more) along with 3 basic 6" figures: Kong with B.E.A.S.T. Glove (good heavens - that's as bad as the H.E.A.V.), Godzilla Evolved and Godzilla with Heat Ray. That last is a re-release of the one they made for the last movie GvK, complete with the removable battle damage plate in his chest. I do like the paint scheme on the dorsals though (they look better than the ones on the S.H. MonsterArts version), and the heat ray blast fits into his mouth better than I remember the last version doing. Evolved Godzilla has a peg hole in his mouth for a heat ray blast as well, but none is included. Kong looks way better than he did in the GvK release, and the stupid glove is really well done with some tiny print on it for detailing. I honestly have no idea how this upcoming movie is going to go. I did not really like Godzilla vs. Kong and feel like they might have hit their high point with King of the Monsters. But for now, I've decided I'm going to ride the wave of excitement that a new Godzilla movie brings and watch the kids be excited for it, as well. These toys are fun and are reasonably priced for what you are getting. Seeing them on the store shelves makes me feel young again, and for that I'll go ahead and be grateful...

This is the Giant Evolved version, which features a much better paint job than the basic does...

Gandalf the Wizard - Knickerbocker Toys Lord of the Rings movie figure

My first exposure to the world of J.R.R. Tolkein and Middle Earth was an animated movie of The Hobbit, produced in the late 1970's by (I think) Xerox and Rankin/Bass. I adored that movie and even still have the small vinyl record and storybook combo (though I don't have anything to play the record on any longer). Shortly thereafter (I'm guessing somewhere around 1979?) I remember going to the theater to see the animated Ralph Bakshi epic animated Lord of the Rings. I was a bit less enamored with that film, as I was around 8 years old at the time and it was much slower, much more difficult to follow, and ended abruptly after the battle of Helm's Deep (the climax of The Two Towers), with very little in the way of explanation. Later, RankinBass did release an animated Return of the King film, but it was stylistically drastically different from the Bakshi film and hugely different in tone from The Hobbit. So, Middle Earth was quite a hodgepodge that didn't get properly re-done until Peter Jackson came along 20 years later. 

Knickerbocker released a set of action figures to go along with the Bakshi film, and I had most of them. But amongst them all, my favorite was Gandalf. Nearly 45 years later, and a little worse for wear, he's still with me, sans staff and sword. I do still have the hat (no idea how that managed to say along for the ride!). Gandalf only has 2 points of articulation: swivels at the shoulders, but I couldn't care less. He's the coolest character ever and he was a huge piece of my childhood adventures. The figure is actually pretty close to how he appeared in the film, blue robes and hat and all...

Gandalf the Grey - ToyBiz Lord of the Rings action figure

Gandalf has always been one of my most favorite characters in all of literature. As a very young kid, I carried my Knickerbocker Gandalf around with me everywhere I went. In fact, I even remember having that figure on my side table at the hospital when I had my emergency appendectomy in 3rd Grade. I still have that figure, and it holds a dear place in my heart. But, let's face it, there have been a ton of much better Gandalf figures released over the years. 

The new preorder for the Hellcat 1/12 scale "Grey Wizard" action figure is something I've wanted ever since Mezco released their first One:12 Collective action figure years ago! At that moment in time, I begged for a line of fabric-clothed 1/12 scale Lord of the Rings figure, with Gandalf at the very top of that most wanted list. Nearly a decade later, it seems like it's finally going to happen (I'm actually really happy it's not by Mezco, too, as I find the heads on their figures to be way out of scale with the bodies)! Here's to hoping that the actual figure comes close to the images shown of the prototype! 

That got me reminiscing about my old (hugely extensive) ToyBiz LOTR collection. So, I pulled out one of those figures (hard to believe it's considered about "vintage" now - seems like they came out just yesterday, in many ways): a rectangular-carded Gandalf the Grey. Now, ToyBiz released about a billion different versions of Gandalf in several different packaging configurations. This particular one is interesting. It features a removable rubber hat, and the articulation features swivel cuts at the biceps and vertical hinged wrists on both hands. There's very little (meaning, none) articulation below the waist other than swivels forward and back at the hips. Glamdring sits sheathed on his left hip, and he comes with a version of his staff. It strikes me as a bit short, and doesn't sit well in the hand, which is opened just a tad bit too wide. 

The top of the shirt is sculpted with wrinkles in a twist to one side, suggesting movement, with the lower portion continuing the curve, but a bit more gently. There's a rubber cape in the back, sculpted separately. The face sculpt and paint are excellent, especially considering how old the figure is. In fact, I think it might be right up there with the pictures I've seen of the newer Diamond Select figure (which I have not purchased) or even the upcoming Hellcat Grey Wizard. 

Articulation-wise, the arms don't come down close to the torso far enough for my liking, and the legs have no posing ability, other than to get him to stand. He's awkward to pose, but I think the overall figure is great. I lean heavily to the aesthetics for my figure preferences, and he looks great just standing in a basic vanilla pose . Sure, the hat is a bit too tall, and the staff is a smidge too short, but this is overall a neat looking Gandalf, right up there with their terrific Gandalf the White, which he will stand beside on my shelf...

Beside Blade Master Weng

ASURA the Red Demon - VToys Studio 1/12 scale figure

Asura the Red Demon is an original-design figure from VToys. Done in 1/12 scale, the figure features fabric clothing, is fully poseable and includes a nice array of accessories. I loved the look of this figure as soon as it went up on pre-order. Knowing nothing about VToys, I decided to take a chance on Asura. During the interim, I caught a sale for another VToys action figure, The Knight of War, and added it to my collection. I was honestly pretty disappointed by that figure, and it caused me some trepidation as I awaited my Asura. I found the Knight of War to feature gorgeous detailing and a pretty nice paint job, but the plastic felt very cheap and the joints were so floppy and loose that working with the figure was a miserable experience. I did manage to finally get it into a standard vanilla pose with the shield on one arm and its enormous sword in the other, and it's going to stay that way for the foreseeable future. For that reason, when the green LACC version became available, I decided not to order it, instead opting to wait out my red version's arrival. 

Asura the Red Demon arrived just before the end of 2023. The packaging is minimalist, yet classy - matte black background covered in gloss black embossing to make it look like flames and a demon's face.  There's very little writing in simple white on the front and sides. Inside are two clear plastic trays with the following: Asura figure, six alternate hands, wine jug, hat, knife and scabbard, enormous sword, scabbard, scarf, and the removable pommel end for the sword. Through the packaging, the figure looks fantastic. The clothing is immaculate and the face detail looks like it comes close to the prototype pictures, though the shading around the eyes looks a bit dark, and the wash over the forehead looks light.

Once out of the shell, the figure does not disapppoint. The joints are tight and fluid, and the plastic doesn't feel cheap or hollow like I felt the Knight of War did. The clothes are nicely tailored and fit well, though the fabric does feel a bit rougher in texture than some other clothed figures I own do. The paint work is excellent, with precise details (especially the gold) of rivets, ropes, wraps and tiny red highlights over the armor of the shins and forearms. The face is terrific, with the tiniest pupils I've ever seen immaculately centered in the eyes (including the third eye in the forehead). The hair could use a bit of a dark wash to bring out the detail, and the transition from face paint to beard isn't as clean as I'd like. But those are nitpicky criticisms. Overall, this is an excellent looking figure, worth staring at on any shelf. The belt and buckle alone are amazing works of art.

I don't get into crazy posing with my figures, but it seems Asura has all the standard joints he needs to hit fighting stances. There's a nice ankle rocker (another thing I missed on the Knight of War figure, as I had lots of trouble with his ankles). One thing I am noticing right away is that the arms don't come down to the sides as far as I'd like. The vest seems to ride right up into the armpit a bit, so I'm not sure if that's keeping the arm from coming down or if it's the sculpt that's at fault, and I'm not finding a butterfly joint there either.

In terms of accessories, I don't care for the fit or look of the hat. I much prefer the snug fit on Blade Master Weng or on the Nottaa Collection Yaomo figures. This one flops around, the string is too long to get it tight, and it doesn't have the natural/weathered look I'd like. I'm fine leaving it off. I haven't messed with the scarf (my Sun WuKong has a blowing scarf going, so I don't need another scarfed figure beside him), and the sword is truly immense, especially in his hand. The hands pull off easily enough, but I did have a bit of trouble getting the swapped ones onto the tiny pegs snugly. Once on, they look great.

Overall, Asura is a terrific addition to my collection. He looks right at home on the shelf beside my other 1/12 scale fantasy figures, and I'd glad to have him!

Mezco Conan, Nottaa SunWukong, VToys Asura, Nottaa Yan

MAZINGER Z - Soul of Chogokin 50th Anniversary GX-105 figure review

My first reaction on GX-105's arrival was one of surprise - the box is shockingly compact! Beside my GX-70 Mazinger Z packaging, it's positively diminutive both in terms of general dimensions and thickness. My second reaction was that the front box illustration is beautiful. There's something I really like about the way the front is laid out, and I particularly like the colors and pose used in the shot of Mazinger Z. The back shows the standard fare: shots of Z in various poses with the included accessories. I must confess, I pre-ordered this GX-105 more out of obligation than interest: I collect Mazinger Z figures, and a new SOC version is an automatic purchase for me (likewise, I have Garada and Doublas on pre-order). That said, I wouldn't consider myself particularly excited about its release, which seems weird to me. I ought to be over the moon at a new Mazinger, but I think I was figuring it wouldn't be too different from my GX-70. Since its release, I've seen several reviews of the new GX-105, and it does look to be an all-new sculpt. I've gotten more and more excited, and now I can't wait to check this guy out! I do expect it to have fewer accessories than previous releases, but I'm not too concerned about that at the moment, since I tend not to use many of them anyway, and I'm hoping (in the event that I DO want to use something else) that GX-70's can be subbed in here in a pinch. In any event, it's time to check this guy out...

Initial impressions: The first thing that struck me is that the crown on this Mazinger Z is enormous. Especially without the pilder docked, it is simply huge. The figure looks great, with wonderful colors and paint. The accessories? Most striking is that there is no stand included here. I have mixed reactions to this. I didn't find the enormous stands necessary but it was pretty cool to have them, and to be able to store accessories inside of them. I guess there's just not enough here to necessitate such an inclusion? This is a fairly bare-bones version. We get two sets of alternate hands - yup, only two. Closed fists and open palms. One pilder, an alternate stomach piece with the missile launcher open, 3 missiles and the scrander (which needs to be assembled). There are two gimmicks that I'm aware of. First, the forearms include little flame effects at the elbow attachment and these can be "rocket punch" fired by pushing a button. Second, the torso missiles can be launched by pressing a button. I'm not a huge fan of gimmicks like these, as I don't spend much time launching parts at anything else in my space, but so long as they look cool on the shelf I don't care. And that's it. Pretty sparse, but I'm totally fine with it because (like I said) most times the accessories end up staying in the box or stored in the stand anyway. The one part I would normally look to use would be a gripping hand and Mazinger Z's sword, but I'll see if I can get GX-70's over here to this guy if I want to...

The proportions on GX-105 differ greatly from those of GX-70. The lower legs are slightly shorter, the thighs are thicker, the diaper is less rounded, the lower torso is wider, the arms are longer and slightly thicker, and the shoulders sit wider apart. The head is also significantly larger. The overall look is more imposing and substantive, despite the height of the figure remaining about the same across both figures. I think it's more accurate to the anime, but there are times when the head just looks oversized to me.

The scrander is easy enough to attach, as is the pilder, and both look awesome once in place. I do find the articulation to be a bit more limited than in the GX-70, but I will be fine with it, as he'll end up in a basic museum pose on the shelf anyway. 

Overall, GX-105 is an update that's worthy of purchase, in my book. The proportions and overall look are better and it's just a fun figure. Even having GX-70, I don't feel like I've wasted my money in any way, and the three of them look right at home together in my display!

GX-70 and GX-105

GX-70, GX-105 and GX-73 (Great Mazinger)

PANZER WORLD GALIENT - threeZero Robo-Dou Galient (Kelvin Sau Redesign) action figure

Robo-Dou Galient arrived yesterday, and I'm super excited! I'm going to do this opening and review a little at a time over the next several days to 1) see if it's a more manageable way to get this blog going again and 2) savor the figure a bit more. So far, all I've done is checked out the outside of the packaging. It's gorgeous! The front cover illustration of Galient in action is a beautiful painting, done to look like an old oil painting on canvas. There are creases and dappling effects throughout the entire thing - it's really an amazing piece of art. The world of Panzer World Galient is an interesting intersection of medieval and futuristic, with warriors on horseback with swords facing off against enormous mecha centaur-looking things. This artwork, along with the font they've selected for the name Galient really harken back to a Medieval tapestry or something. The back boasts a more contemporary series of images: the three forms that Galient can take. Included are Strike Vehicle, Big Falcon and Panzer Falcon. I'm personally not a huge fan of the two alternate (flying) forms, as they just seem really awkward to me. Combine that with my inability to do transformations without losing my temper, and Galient will probably be remaining in its original form. Tomorrow, I'll open the window flap to check out the figure itself, and maybe pop him out of a package for a quick once-over...

Ok, I couldn't help myself. I opened the flap to take a look. Man, the concept drawing on the inside flap is gorgeous! Unfortunately, the window is really hard to see into - they've wrapped Galient's head in plastic film to keep it pristine, with the result being that it really can't be seen. In this instance, I think it probably makes more sense to just do away with the window. What's the point, if we can't see anything in there? That said, the body looks to have a great paint job. Tomorrow, the tray comes out!

Inside the box are two plastic trays, stacked atop one another. The figure, Galient Blade (sword) and 3 pairs of alternate hands are in the top tray. The tailbone armor piece and backpack are detached in the tray, and lay underneath Galient. The bottom tray holds the shield, rear cannon, assault cannon, Galient Blade (whip form), an alternate right leg cover piece with a hole for a cable, an alternate left leg cover piece with the cockpit open (and a pilot's seat inside!), a handle and an adapter piece for the shield, a cable and a handle for the assault cannon, and an alternate red "belly button" cover (the one he comes attached with is yellow). In all, it seems like a really nice assortment of accessories and they are all well-done. I honestly doubt I'll be using the whip (because I worry once I bend the wire that I won't be able to get it back into its original shape), and I probably won't use the assault cannon. That leaves the shield and rear cannon, which I can imagine using for display, along with the Galient sword. I'm not sure about the alternate leg armor pieces, but I'm inclined to think I won't be using those, either.

On to the figure itself. My immediate initial response to taking the figure out of the package was honestly one of disappointment: it feels so light to me! That's the same reaction I had to the Dancouga ROBO-DOU I acquired last year. I also had some trouble adjusting the feet and legs to allow Galient to stand in a regular museum pose. However, the figure has really been growing on me since then. Galient weighs in at 1 lb. 3.8 oz. once the tail piece and backpack are attached. For comparison's sake, that's 4.7 oz. more than my Soul of Chogokin Getter Arc, who stands about 7.5" tall, as compared to Galient's 9.75" height. It's also nearly a half pound LESS than my ROBO-DOU Shin Getter 1. And I think that's my biggest gripe; my first two figures in the line were Neon Genesis Evangelion's EVA-01 and Getter Robo's Shin Getter 1. BOTH of those figures are heavy and really feel substantial in-hand. For the asking prices at their time of release ($150 for Getter 1 and about $130 for Eva 01) I was really over the moon ecstatic. Dancouga ran over $300 and weighs 1 lb. 3.4 oz, and Galient was $200+. It's a lot more plastic than metal at a much higher price. Granted, both feature engineering for transformation (and in Dancouga's case, we are talking about 4 different forms that these vehicles can take), but still, I couldn't help but feel a bit more ripped off with these last couple of releases.

However, over the past couple of days, I've begun to appreciate what threeZero has done here. The primary quality I look for in my action figure collection is aesthetics. To me, action figures are a form of art. I want to come back over and over again to appreciate their details, paint, and overall look. If I want posing, I'll check out D Amazing. If I want critique, I'll check out Anthony's Customs. For me, most of my figures are in a standard vanilla "museum pose," with few accessories around them. Accessories are ok, but I tend to not use most of them. Light features are usually unnecessary and the batteries just don't last - I'd rather have a stellar paint job that stays "on" all the time. But I've also grown to love die-cast metal content. There's just a different feeling in-hand that really makes me feel like I've spent money on something of quality. Which brings us full-circle back to Galient and the ROBO-DOU line. Here's what I've learned: these are not chogokin. They are not meant to compete with the Soul of Chogokin line. They are their own thing, which means plastic that's been painted to look like it could be weathered metal, and metal joints, for the most part. It's more MDLX Transformers than DLX Transformers (2 other threeZero lines).

I've been comparing these to my CCS Toys figures, which I think (again) is a mistake. Those are just about perfect in my eyes. Huge, heavy, eye-poppingly painted and detailed pieces of artistic expression and creation, they are a very high bar for anything to be compared to.

So, Galient on it's own. What do I think? I think it's beautiful. With the two pieces attached to the back, and the legs (finally!) adjusted properly, it's gorgeous. The paint is impeccable. Two shades of red for the armor, muted yellow trim, flat white to offset with a black wash over the entire thing and some faint silver dry brushing at the sharp edges to add some metallic wear effects. I think the blue gem in the forehead is a separate piece. Overall, it's a terrific presentation. Matched with excellent proportions, it makes for a striking figure on the shelf.

I'm very happy with Panzer World Galient. It's got a unique real-world weathered look, an interesting design, and so much beautiful detail to take in. I really have only one major gripe with the figure: it's advertised as having working rolling wheels under the feet, and the final product just doesn't. In the anime, Galient whooshes around in battle on roller wheels under its feet. It's very reminiscent of Votoms, if one is familiar with that anime. The description of the figure for sale clearly says this figure will have real rolling wheels. Mine doesn't. They are sculpted plastic with no movement. It's not a deal-breaker by any means, but it certainly is disappointing. Otherwise, this guy is darn near perfect. Next up in the Robo-Dou line is Voltron. I'm going to lower my expectations for die-cast metal and let it be what it will be on its own merit.