FIGURE SPECS「ゴジラ(1964年版)モスラ対ゴジラ」 東宝30CMシリーズ 「ゴジラ(1964版)発光VER.」 少年リック限定商品 JAPAN ORIGINAL RELEASE: 2010 JAPAN RE-ISSUE RELEASE: JUNE 2013 NORTH AMERICA RE-ISSUE: APRIL 2013 SERIES: TOHO 30CM SERIES MATERIAL: SOFT VINYL FROM: “MOTHRA VS. GODZILLA”, 1964 モスラ対ゴジラ HEIGHT: 12 INCHES / 30.48 CM WIDTH: 7.25 INCHES / 18.41 CM LENGTH: 16.5 INCHES / 41.91 CM REVIEW AND PHOTOS: JOHN STANOWSKI The 1964 Godzilla suit is a fan favorite and the X-Plus vinyl figure is equally revered. This is a highlight of many a collection. ORIGINAL LATE 2010 JAPAN RELEASE The X-Plus Toho 30cm Series Godzilla 1964 was one of the earlier figures to come out and it’s a winner all around. The standard version of the figure has an open mouth and a Ric Boy exclusive version came with an alternate lower jaw for a closed mouth. JUNE 2013 JAPAN RE-ISSUE Only a Ric Boy version of this re-issue was offered and it came with a closed mouth and a light gimmick that allows you to light the back fins. This re-issue was very well received. So much so that those figures that still remain in the aftermarket, after only two or three months, already have insane price tags on them. NORTH AMERICAN DIAMOND RE-ISSUE This figure will be a North American Diamond Re-issue and is a part of Diamond’s third wave of releases. The window for pre-orders closed last November, but you still may have time to ask your local comic shop about it, or find it online. They are expected to ship March 2014. These re-issues will go FAST. If you haven’t pre-ordered one, you might be out of luck. If you want one, you should scope the web immediately when they’re released and be prepared to pounce! SCULPTIt shouldn’t take you long to conclude that the X-Plus Godzilla 1964 is a fantastic likeness. The sculpt (almost) completely captures the shape of the suit. Even the attitude of Godzilla is captured perfectly. I do think, though, that the sculptor may have taken a liberty in making the legs a little thicker than they should be, and placing them a little closer in the crotch than the actual suit had them. What do you think? (Pictured on the left is the original 2010 Japan standard release with open mouth. On the right is the 2013 Japan Re-issue with closed mouth. They are identical.) All of Godzilla’s 1964 trademarks are present and well done, most notably his long, individually sculpted fingers, his alligator-ish feet and even the position of his tail which was constantly jerked up into the air by wire in the movie. X-Plus got the head right! (Although for some reason I don’t think my photos show it.) His flat yet puffy snout is reproduced perfectly as are his smooth eyebrow… things. The eyes are dead on and so are the unique shape and length of his individually sculpted teeth. One detail that bugs me is the over prominence of the throat seam. The bottom jaw is a separate piece that’s glued in for all versions except the 2010 Ric Boy. It has a noticeable line arcing over the throat. The path this line follows does indeed mimic a feature on the suit, but it was no where near this visible. Those of you who acquire the 2013 re-issue won’t be able to enjoy the mouth full of individual teeth. But check out the fangs on the closed mouth version! JOINTS & SEAMSThere are glue seals at the ankles, knees, wrists and, as usual, the entire back piece. Most of these aren’t terribly noticeable with the exception of the very top of the back piece behind the neck. The tail joint is an okay fit, but could be more snug on both figures. As I mentioned already, the most significant seam on this guy is on the front of the neck. POSEThe pose is awesome. It looks to me like it was taken from the scene in the movie when Godzilla appraoched the grounded Mothra right after she exhausted all of her strength and went to lay with her egg. I love the way Godzilla’s head is tilted downward and his eyes are tucked up to look forward. Again, the position of the tail is typical for this suit. Some collectors question whether the tail should have been positioned the way it is. And I’ve often encountered confusion about why its curved like that. I admit I did the same thing when I first saw it myself. But now I’m glad they did it that way. It’s reminiscent of the movie and breaks the pattern of most other Godzilla tails on the X-Plus shelf. PAINT JOBThe paint job on the X-Plus Godzilla ’64 vinyl figure is a winner. As usual Goji has a base coat of asphalt black but with lots of highlights. Brownish (tan?) areas are airbrushed onto his chest, knees and snout. A sort of off green runs along the underside of the tail and looks great… except where it suddenly just stops with no feathering or attempt at transition where the tail meets the body. The claws look amazing! The eyelids are a dark, dull army green. And, as mentioned earlier, the eyes are painted with perfection. The eyes and the teeth are topped off with a glossy coating. SIZE COMPARISONSThe X-Plus Godzilla 1964 vinyl fits right in with most of his Toho 30cm series buddies. Pictured here: Godzilla 1954, 1955, 1962 and 1964. FOOTPRINT ON THE SHELFThe Godzilla 1964 vinyl figure is about sixteen and a half inches long. The tail goes straight back with very little curving side to side. One feature of this figure which may affect its shelf placement is the downward curve of its tail. The tip of this tail is basically a third leg and it allows the figure to stand. Without it, Godzilla would lean backward. I’ve found that this tip often falls over the back edge of the shelf, so you’ll have to pull this guy a little closer to the front to prevent this. RIC BOYThe June 2013 Japan release comes with translucent dorsal fins loaded with vivid blue LED lights. The light is brightest near the base of the spines and doesn’t quite reach to the tips, but it’s impressive nonetheless. The lights are controlled from an external black box which holds the switch and a pair of LR44 batteries (the same kind you use for laser pointers). The box has a connector that looks like a phono jack which plugs into the rear of the left leg. EXTRAMORE INFORMATIONBy John Stanowski Originally posted September 16th, 2013 on Kaiju Addicts.
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FIGURE SPECS東宝30CMシリーズ 「ゴジラ(1962年版) キングコング対ゴジラ」 JAPAN ORIGINAL RELEASE: DECEMBER 2010 JAPAN RE-ISSUE: OCTOBER 2013 DIAMOND RE-ISSUE: SEPTEMBER 2014 SERIES: TOHO 30CM SERIES MATERIAL: SOFT VINYL FROM: “KING KONG VS. GODZILLA”, 1962 キングコング対ゴジラ HEIGHT: 12 INCHES / 30.48 CM WIDTH: 9.5 INCHES / 24.13 CM LENGTH: 18.5 INCHES / 46.99 CM ARTICULATION: NONE REVIEW AND PHOTOS: JOHN STANOWSKI In 1962’s “King Kong vs. Godzilla”, the big guy breaks free from his iceberg prison with a whole new look. And X-Plus did an amazing job of capturing that look in this vinyl figure released back in 2010. It’s big and wide and long and has a lot of “presence”. But there’s not much here not to like. SCULPTIt’s getting really hard for me to review these things. I’ve run out of ways to say they’re “awesome”, “identical”, “dead-ringers” and that they “look like they stepped right out of the movie”. So please choose your own adjective or phrase from this list. Okay, sorry, I can’t stop myself: this thing looks like it stepped right out the movie! Everything about it, the body, head, fins, eyes, color… they all literally mirror the suit! X-Plus even got that goofy front head view accurate. I sat down in front of “King Kong vs. Godzilla” with my X-Plus Godzilla 1962 on my lap to compare details for this review. And I found that these fins are insanely accurate. Not only were the ‘look’ of the fins captured, but most every spike on every fin is very close to how it was on the suit. Now that’s a bit OCD if you ask me but that’s precisely the reason why I love X-Plus. The tree bark texture on the skin is especially deep on this figure and the light plays off it to interesting effect. This gives the figure even more of a high quality feel. My only complaint is that most of the fingers are not individually sculpted. Hardly a dealbreaker though for this guy! JOINTS & SEAMSThis figure comes with the tail as a separate piece which must be inserted as per usual with X-Plus Godzilla vinyls. And the tail joint is a near perfect fit; one of the best I’ve seen so far. As for glue seals, we have them around each elbow but they are mostly invisible. A bit more noticeable are the seams around the ankles. This area also looks to be a potential weak joint considering how flat his feet are. Don’t go slamming this guy down on the table or anything like that. The only other seam I can find is behind the head where the top of the back piece which holds the fins can be detected. I really like how there are no joints at the knees for a change! POSEYou can see for yourself from the photo above that the pose is fantastic. Every angle is so dynamic that you almost get the impression that he’s really moving. Godzilla’s whole body is arching and forms a “c” or “u” with his upper torso twisting toward his left. His tail also curves into the same direction like he’s claiming a plot of land. This is a nice change from the mostly face front poses we’ve been getting with more recent releases. This figure looks great on the shelf facing in either direction. PAINT JOBThe X-Plus Godzilla 1962 has a base coat of the standard light charcoal black plus a whole lot of highlights. The upper elevations of the deep skin texture is brushed with an ever so slightly lighter black. Brownish highlights can be found on the upper chest, knees, tops of the feet and on the sides of the tail. The bottom of the tail is a subtly lighter black. The fins are painted very well all the way down to the tip. The teeth are very off white and they did an excellent job of coloring the inside of the mouth around every single tooth. The eyes look just like they did in the movie. The whites seem to have just a tinge of yellow and a clear gloss covers both orbs giving them a wet look. The claws on both the hands and feet look like they’ve hardly been touched by the painter. SIZE COMPARISONSThe X-Plus Godzilla 1962 vinyl scales perfectly with the majority of the other figures in the 30cm series. Pictured here: Godzilla 1954, 1955, 1962 and 1964. FOOTPRINTAt about 18.5 inches long, this figure requires some extra space. The good thing is, though, that the arched pose I mentioned earlier makes it easier to fit this guy on a shelf than most other X-Plus Godzillas. When it’s placed facing the left, the tail obediently curves back toward the wall allowing another figure to fit in beside him. If you want him to face right (also a great, great angle to view it) then it will need more room. Because of space restrictions and an overpopulated 30cm shelf, I have mine facing almost forward with his tail hugging the wall. I’m not at all happy with that as I really don’t like his view from the front. This goes for the figure and the suit itself. Hopefully someday I’ll find more room and be able to show him off properly. EXTRASMORE INFORMATIONBy John Stanowski Originally posted September 13th, 2013 on Kaiju Addicts.
FIGURE SPECS大怪獣シリーズ 大映特撮編 「バイラス ガメラ対宇宙怪獣バイラス」 少年リック限定版 JAPAN RELEASE: AUGUST 2013 SERIES: LARGE MONSTER SERIES MATERIAL: SOFT VINYL FROM: “GAMERA VS. VIRAS”, 1968 ガメラ対宇宙怪獣バイラス HEIGHT: 16 INCHES / 40.64 CM WIDTH: 10.5 INCHES / 26.67 CM ARTICULATION: NECK, WAIST REVIEW AND PHOTOS: JOHN STANOWSKI The third of Showa Gamera’s foes, Viras, is finally unleashed. Though a part of the smaller Large Monster Series line, Viras is tallest vinyl figure to walk out of the X-Plus factory. SCULPTIt’s hard for me to tell how faithful the new X-Plus Viras vinyl is to the original. I was never really big on Showa Gamera movies except when I was a kid. And even with that, the only things I remember from back then are images of a spinning Gamera in flight, and Viras. Having to rely on photos and a viewing of “Gamera vs. Viras”, I’d have to say the vinyl comes pretty damn close. All the details are there. They’re in the right places and are in scale relative to itself. The overall sculpt is a striking resemblance that not only captures the look of the suit, but the subtle ways the suit carried itself. The chisled angles of the face are dead on with the possible exception that the eyes are too dark. The head… spike… things are shaped perfectly as are the tips of the lower tentacles. TEXTURE The X-Plus Viras is multi-textured. Under an array of elephant trunk-like grooves is a subtle bumpiness that makes this figure visually interesting. However, X-Plus definitely went a little overboard with it. They have the pattern right, there’s just too much of it. The Viras in the movie was a lot smoother than this figure, especially from the neck down. Not that I see them all, but the last time I saw this sort of skin textures going too deep was on the 25cm Ultra kaiju Gomora Reborn. It makes for a nicer figure, but the tradeoff is accuracy. JOINTS & SEAMSOkay, let’s get this out of the way. You’ve probably already noticed the heinous seam around Viras’ neck. It’s there because part of the Ric Boy exclusive version is an interchangeable second head. Okay, that makes sense. But that seam! Groan. I would GLADLY send my spare head back to X-Plus if they would glue seal this joint and fill it in. See the pic at the bottom to see how much better it would look without the necklace. There are seams where all of the tentacles meet the body just below the neck. Though they are glued and covered over with paint, they’re still obvious if you look closely. The rear tentacle has an obnoxious seam that looks like a flap. This is intentional as this was part of the actual Viras suit and was visible in the movie. The waist can be rotated but I don’t see any benefit to doing this, though it may need to be adjusted. When I took mine out of the box I found that the legs weren’t inserted all the way. The neck can be rotated only slightly because of it’s elliptical shape. POSEX-Plus had a few poses to choose from since this six-tentacled kaiju did have some moves. They chose the standard standing pose and is the way we see Viras most of the time while he stood in his cage onboard his spaceship. The mood/feel/personality of Viras’ tentacles and posture in the movie are captured very well in the figure. BALANCE Viras stands on his own two feet and is also supported by the front and rear tentacles. As for the former, I found that it hung down too low and didn’t allow Viras to keep his feet flat on the ground. I just gave it a squeeze and it stands fine now. PAINT JOBThe X-Plus Viras vinyl figure has a good looking paint job, and an interesting one too. It looks like it was first given a base coat of a dull purple and was then gone over with a light blue, almost teal color. This second color fills in many of the cracks in the texture of the skin, and yet only ‘clouds’ over the rest. It’s hard to describe but it look really good. The paint job overall is semi-glossy and almost seems iridescent. It also seems a bit darker than it should be. The beak is a glossy silver and, if you can see that close, the eyes are full of detail with arteries fanning out around black pupils with firey orange irises (no pun intended). SIZEViras is huge and seems to dwarf the X-Plus Gamera 1966. At first they didn’t look to be in scale with each other. Yes, Viras was much taller than Gamera… but this much? I revisited the movie and I’m still not sure. It’s hard to tell as Viras was often squishing and squooshing around Gamera during the fight. Ultimately, I’ve come to feel that, yes, they are mostly in scale with each other. It’s just that the Viras figure is standing tall, and Gamera is slouching. So, yeah, look at this. Viras is from the smaller Large Monster Series line and yet is taller than the two tallest figures I have from the 30cm series (Godzilla monochrome 1954 and Hedorah). He’s taller than Biollante. The only figure that comes close to Viras’ height is Mothra Imago, and she’s held up high on a pole! FOOTPRINTEven with tentacles off in every direction, Viras still takes up about the same space a other biped figures. Also, conveniently, the two tentacles that spread out the farthest are in the front and make it easy for other figures to fit behind them. But forget all of that. It’s Viras’ height you need to contend with. At 16 inches, the only shelf this vinyl fits on is the top one. RIC BOY EXCLUSIVE FEATURESThe Ric Boy version of the X-Plus Viras vinyl comes with a second head. It sports all three head tentacles retracted into a giant spear perfect for impaling boulders and giant turtles. But it may also be capable of doing some damage to vinyl collectors. (You should probably keep this one away from the kids.) This alternate head also features an open beak and derpy eyes looking toward the left. The joint for the head is elliptical and can be a little more challenging to switch than with rounder ones. But, wait! That’s not all! The Ric Boy version also comes with a miniature “bumblebee” spaceship. The detail and quality of this item is fantastic except for some flash line artifacts on each of the radar dish thingys. Also some of the antennae feed horns are bent, but can be somewhat coaxed into being straight again. As for paint: good show! The concentric circles of black and yellow are perfectly “in the lines”. The dishes, landing gear and ring are colored in a metallic blue. A+! THE BOXThe X-Plus Viras comes in a plain, white, blind box just like the ones for Kumonga, Mothra Imago and the Rodan figures. Viras is wired into the plastic shell with two ties. EXTRAHere’s a Photoshopped example of how perfect Viras could have looked without that ugly seam running around his neck. By John Stanowski Originally posted September 7th, 2013 on Kaiju Addicts.
FIGURE SPECS東宝大怪獣シリーズ 「バラゴン(1965年版) 立ちポーズ」 少年リック限定版 JAPAN RELEASE: AUGUST 2013 SERIES: LARGE MONSTER SERIES (25CM) MATERIAL: SOFT VINYL FROM: “FRANKENSTEIN CONQUERS THE WORLD”, 1965 フランケンシュタイン対地底怪獣バラゴン HEIGHT: 9.5 INCHES / 24.13 CM WIDTH: 7.75 INCHES / 19.68 CM LENGTH: ABOUT 15 INCHES / 38 CM ARTICULATION: BOTH ARMS AND LEGS, NECK. REVIEW AND PHOTOS: JOHN STANOWSKI The recently released X-Plus Baragon 1965 (Large Monster Series) vinyl figure features the first appearance of this subterranean kaiju. But it is not the first appearance in the line! In a very curious move, X-Plus has released another version/pose of a kaiju already added to the same line previously. Not that I’m complaining! The first Baragon from the X-Plus Large Monster Series came out in August 2011 and features the monster on all fours. It has since become a rarity and very highly sought after by collectors. This new figure gives us latecomers another chance to add this kaiju to our collections. (Note: X-Plus also created a second version of a pre-released character: the Mechagodzilla 1974. They just don’t do this with Godzilla figures, though they have done it with Ultraman Figures.) Oh, and by the way, this figure is friggin’ awesome. SCULPTI’m not a super huge Baragon fan, but from what I can tell, they got the head of this guy exactly right. Hell, all of it looks right. The whole thing is an outstanding likeness. Every detail of this figure shines! Baragon has multiple textures. A tiled square pattern adorns his chest and runs all the way down the underside of the tail to the tip. The rough texture on the arms and legs are brilliant. A fine speckled pattern crowns the tops of the head. And the back ridges have a fine ‘combed’ pattern on them which run all the way down to the tail! Incredible attention to detail on this thing! JOINTS & SEAMSThe arms and legs are not glued and are free to move, but they do have their place. Most of these joints are sculpted to be in a certain position. There are little clues in the texture of the skin which show you precisely where they should be. The only time you really want to mess with these is to make sure both feet are flat on the ground. When I pulled my Baragon out of the box, his right leg needed adjusting for him to stand properly. The head at the base of the neck can also be rotated but you’ll find that that joint moreso than the others has its place. As for panty lines: all of these joints do have visible seams, but they’re not very noticeable from most angles… except for the neck. This joint isn’t meant to move and it would have been great if they had glued it and filled in the line. But even without that, the seam is well hidden in the sculpt. The tail joint is a good fit and it looks better from the top. POSEIt’s a great pose which looks good from practically every angle. I think his left side is his best though. One detail to note is that his left foot is actually bent so that his heel is off the ground like he’s walking. Nice touch! PAINT JOBThe paint job is incredible and a nice change from the offerings of late. The body has a base coat of brown. The ears and back ridges are a light brown, almost tan. I’m wondering if maybe it’s a bit too light. But as for attention to detail when flicking the brush over this guy: amazing! The light brown was added to the back ridges with precision. This is even more noticeable on the tail where the ridges get smaller and smaller, thinner and thinner. And the paint is still spot on! Plenty of subtle highlights are scattered over the brown areas. (This is how they should have painted Skydon!) The eyes look so good you almost feel as though you’re being watched by the figure. The teeth are a dirty reddish, brown and are glossy. The horn is translucent and fades from a brown to a bone color. (I suspect the entire head is translucent under all that opaque paint.) This is one of my favorite X-Plus paint jobs so far this year. SIZE COMPARISONSThe X-Plus Baragon vinyl figure is actually a tad larger than both Godzilla 1968 and Godzilla 1966. Not only is he up on height, his bulk makes him even larger. Ironic since the “real” Baragon probably only comes up to Godzilla’s knee. Still, it’s not too much of a size difference. It still fits in well with other figures in the Large Monster Series. FOOTPRINTConsider this figure with the same demands as a Godzilla. From horn to tail, it’s almost 15 inches long! The feet are a few inches inward than the horn so a good bit of that length can be sticking over the edge of the shelf. Baragon’s tail makes a slight turn to his left while his body turns to his right. RIC BOY EXCLUSIVE FEATURESThe X-Plus Baragon Ric Boy version brings an impressive set of exclusive features in one box. Not only does it come with an extra set of “alert” ears, but the horn lights as well! A black box ‘dongle’ with on/off switch plugs into the rear of the left leg. Plug it in, switch it on and the horn glows. A possible downside is that the LED used is a tad too bright. The brown to bone coloring of the horn disappears when turned on and become mostly white. The LED is also too close to the horn itself as there is a hotspot ring visible. What is nice though is that it’s bright enough to illuminate Baragon’s nose below. The ears on the Ric Boy version pop right off and can be switched for the extra pair. I’ve found they need some coaxing to make a good, tight fit. You find while switching the ears that the head is really very soft; much softer than the rest of the body. The back of the head actually collapses a little when inserting new ears. The head is so squooshy that you could, if you were so inclined, squeeze the front neck and the back neck to make Baragon’s mouth open wide. I imagine you wouldn’t want to do this very often because of the wires inside and the possibility of cracking some paint. THE BOXBaragon comes in the standard Large Monster Series window box. He’s kept in place with a single wire tie around his body, and another around his tail. The remaining bits are taped in. The X-Plus Baragon vinyl figure is nothing less than pure awesome. The sculpt, likeness, texturing, pose and paint job make this one of my favorite figures so far this year. MORE INFORMATIONBy John Stanowski Originally posted September 4th, 2013 on Kaiju Addicts.
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Author/AboutJohn Stanowski
Owner/Blogger of Kaiju Addicts, a premiere X-Plus and figure related website. Kaiju Addicts is a guide to collecting X-Plus Godzilla/Kaiju vinyls. It is site that is a web portal featuring all things X-Plus including his own written figure reviews, news, release schedules as well as content from other collectors and reviewers. Kaiju Addicts Reviews and Original photos by John Stanowski, do not copy and reuse without permission. Photos are NOT to be used for selling. Kaiju Addicts also posts content from other reviewers and user submitted photos which are copyrighted by their owners and can not be copied without permission. All articles on this page are
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