​30CMシリーズ ゴロザウルス

​JAPAN ORIGINAL RELEASE: 2008

​RESIN KIT RELEASE: 2010

​DIAMOND RE-ISSUE: DEC. 2014

​SERIES: TOHO 30CM SERIES (12 INCH SERIES)

MATERIAL: SOFT VINYL

​FROM: キングコングの逆襲 “KING KONG’S COUNTERATTACK”, 1967.
(“KING KONG ESCAPES”, 1968)

​HEIGHT: 9.5 INCHES / 24.10 CM

​WIDTH: 6.25 INCHES / 15.8 CM

​LENGTH: 16 INCHES / 40.6 CM

​FIGURE WEIGHT: 15 OZ / 425 G

​ARTICULATION: ELBOWS, KNEES, ANKLES.

​REVIEW AND PHOTOS: JOHN STANOWSKI

Gorosaurus appeared in the 1967 film King Kong’s Counterattack and Hollywood’s version of it, King Kong Escapes, a year later. Gorosaurus sported krazy, kangaroo-style kaiju kicks before getting downed by Kong – all in less than five minutes of screen time. He appeared again as a member on the DAM roster in Destroy All Monsters in 1968.

The Toho 30cm Series Gorosaurus 1967 vinyl figure was first released in 2008, at the very beginning of X-Plus‘ current ‘way of doing things’. It appeared again as a kit in 2010, and yet again as a special 1968 repaint version in 2011 and, finally, as a re-issue licensed for North America via Diamond Distributors. This review is for the Diamond Reissue.

Before I go on, I just want to say that I was never much of a Gorosaurus fan. I got this figure only because the completist in me just couldn’t say ‘no’ to another X-Plus. And, just as with Varan (also not previously a huge fan of), I was wowed by the figure as soon as I took it out of box. It looks so much better in person than it did in the same old photos I saw on the web for the last two years. What is this power X-Plus has to win me over?

As usual, this 30cm Series vinyl figure comes in a plain, brown box with box art on the front. This Diamond Reissue cover sports a new design which brings it up-to-date with current releases. If you’re not familiar with the original box design, the PX Previews Exclusive logo on the front lets you know you’re getting the North American Reissue.

Inside, the figure is wired into a plastic shell. The tail needs to be attached.

Instead of the larger suction cup-style flange we’re used to seeing on newer figures, Gorosaurus’ tail has a very short, squareish rim. Because of this, the tail can pop off the figure with very little effort. Fortunately, it pops back in just as easily.

Getting the tail on the first time, though, was troublesome for me. The “butt” hole on my figure was squooshed into a horizontal ellipse. The tail hole was squooshed vertically in the opposite direction. Because of this, I blasted the butt with the hair dryer since it was obvious it needed some re-shaping. With the tail end still cool and stiff, I pushed and twisted and it just did not want to go in at first. The hole on the body just completely capitulated to the tail and didn’t have the strength to push its way over the tail’s rim. Blah, blah, blah. Let me just suggest that when you attach the tail yours that you heat and soften the body hole just a little and not as much as you’re used to.

You may notice jacked up feet running at extremely different angles on your Gorosaurus before you even get him out of the plastic shell. Don’t panic, this is easily corrected. This figure has joints at both knees and ankles. AFTER you have the tail attached, stand Goro on the edge of a table and get down low and look at the feet from as close to a zero-degree angle as you can. Then twist both knees until both feet are flat on the floor. Keep in mind that the back of the right foot curves up away from the floor; that’s normal. Also, the figure’s right knee has a subtle step in the sculpt which gives a clue as to where that legs wants to be; start there first.

ALIGN THE TAIL
Goro’s tail has two joints on it and chances are yours won’t be aligned right out of the box. Give ’em both a tweak and set ’em straight. You probably want to do this after you attach the tail to the body since they’re a bit loose.

​As far as my untrained, previously-non-Goro-fan eyes can see: this is one helluva likeness. And what an awesome sculpt! It captures the suit from every every angle! Check out the Pose section for more on that.

I’m in awe of the detailed reptilian skin texture on this figure. It’s like every single bump got individual attention. All of the sculpted folds in the skin is just crazy.

Hate to keep repeating myself, but for the new collectors: check out those individually sculpted teeth! Also, you’d expect no one to bother with the tongue since the mouth is almost closed… but it’s in there! You can’t see it unless you tilt it back and squint yer eyes in there.

​The X-Plus Gorosaurus has joints at both elbows. The right elbow joint is elliptical and will complain if you try to move it. The left elbow is more round and will gladly let you tweak the rotation. As stated previously, both knees have joints and you need them to straighten his feet when preparing it for the shelf. Unfortunately, all four of these joints are somewhat noticeable; especially the elbows. For some reason, I’m not very annoyed by this. The figure looks cool and it is, after all, a vinyl figure. This is an early figure and X-plus has since gotten much better at hiding these connections.

The ankles have joints which just don’t want to bothered. Leave them be unless they came out of place. They are reasonably unnoticeable.

The two joints on the tail are, for the most part, well hidden between the segments in the sculpt. However, they are a bit loose and may easily move out of alignment with handling. The tail matches the body fairly well on the top, yet has a slight gap on the underside.

As for glued seams: there are two. The bottom jaw is a separate piece and has a seam which is only somewhat noticeable, but only if you look. Mine has a bit of a gap on one side and I expect the degree of this varies on each figure. The main body is in two piece as so there is a seam running along the front right above the waist and up the back. Again, it’s mostly unseen unless you look for it. Photos have already turned up online where some figures have large gaps and outright holes along this connection.

​The pose is unmistakably Goro all the way and it looks good from so many angles. This is one of the reasons why I was taken aback when I first pulled it out of the box. I had gotten used to seeing the same old production photos of this figure online for the past two years. I had no idea its pose had so much more to offer.

With so many choices, I can’t decide how I want this figure to stand on the shelf!

Gorosaurus is covered with a dark, dull, unsaturated green (bluish-green?) which seems to be a few notches lighter than it should be when comparing it to the suit in the movie. There are even darker shades sprayed in the creases on his back. (See the Footprint section for a look at that.) His throat, belly and underside of the tail is a reserved tan which fades well into the green. This tan, however, is applied a bit more liberally than on the actual suit. There are dull red highlights (shadows?) sprayed onto the throat, belly and inside the thighs. These red highlights looks great on the figure, though the throat looks as though it needs more of it.

The inside of the mouth and gums are a dark red and, as usual, the individually sculpted teeth are individually painted which makes them really look like they’re protruding out of the gums. Despite being expertly applied, though, the white used on the teeth is too bright and looks somewhat toyish, especially since it contrasts so much against the overly dark colors around it.

Despite the liberties this paint job takes from the suit, it’s look fan-f’n-tastic! The throat is particularly impressive.

​I saved some potentially bad news for last. The X-Plus Gorosaurus is short compared to other 30cm Series Figures. You may not mind this as much if you consider that he’s leaning strongly forward. Myself, I don’t care. I’m having trouble not loving this thing.

Flanked by 30cm Series figures Godzilla 1962 and Godzilla 1968 (which is a shortie, too), Gorosaurus is noticeably challenged in the height department. But he’s not the only one…

​There are 30cm Series figures with heights similar to Gorosaurus such as Baragon 1968 and Gaira.

​Hell, at least he’s taller than Anguirus 1968. Which reminds me…

Gorosaurus would make a nice addition to your collection, especially if you have a 30cm Series Destroy All Monsters shelf.

The X-Plus Gorosaurus is about 9.5 inches (24cm) tall, 6.25 inches (15.8cm) wide toe to toe and about 16 inches (40.6cm) long nose to tail, however it’s only 12 inches from toes to tail (if you don’t mind your figure reaching over the edge of the shelf.)

The tail makes a bend toward the figure’s left side which is perfect for scooping up behind it’s nearest neighbor on the shelf, assuming that the tails don’t collide. This figure seems to fit in well on a crowded shelf. It’s tail could limit the angles you display it at in tighter spaces.

By John Stanowski Originally posted December 21st, 2014 on Kaiju Addicts.

​東宝大怪獣シリーズ 「ジェットジャガー」

​JAPAN ORIGINAL RELEASE: LATE 2010

JAPAN FIRST RE-ISSUE: LATE 2012

​JAPAN SECOND RE-ISSUE: JUNE/JULY 2016

​SERIES: TOHO LARGE MONSTER SERIES (25CM)

MATERIAL: SOFT VINYL

FROM: “GODZILLA VS. MEGALON”, 1973
ゴジラ対メガロ

HEIGHT: 9.25 INCHES / 23.4 CM​

​FIGURE WEIGHT: 3 OZ / 85 G

​ARTICULATION: SHOULDERS, WRISTS, ANKLES.

​REVIEW AND PHOTOS: JOHN STANOWSKI WITH CONTRIBUTIONS BY LESTER WAYNE DANIELS

The X-Plus Toho Large Monster Series Jet Jaguar was released way back in 2010 shortly after the beginning of the modern era of X-Plus accuracy awesomeness. This size-changing robot appeared once in the 1973 film Godzilla vs. Megalon. And these days, he’s quite a prize considering his rarity and super-high price tag.

This figure is a part of the Large Monster Series (or 25cm Series as it’s often called) and is totally in scale with other figures from that line.

(Special thanks goes out to Lester Wayne Daniels for allowing me to use a few of his photos for this review.)

This figure is packaged in a box which sports the usual Large Monster Series art, although it’s sized down to look more like an X-Plus Ultraman box. Inside, the figure is wired into a clear, plastic shell. It comes with black base with a peg which fits under one foot, but this is optional since the figure is more than capable of standing on its own.

This thing isn’t just a nice Jet Jaguar figure, it’s crazy-accurate! I have to say it again… This figure looks like it just walked right out of the movie.
Now, THIS is the reason I collect X-Plus!

Even with movie accuracy aside for a moment, the details on this sculpt are pretty impressive.

The head and face on this figure really make me wonder how human hands can sculpt something like this. It just looks outstanding. And the detail is insane! Particularly impressive is the mouth “grill”. This pattern is deep and precise… and all in a space smaller than a dime!

The eyes are molded in clear, smooth plastic tinted blue. A series of concentric circles molded on the inside create the ridges for Jet’s eyes. Sidenote: I only now realized how Jet Jaguar’s face was modeled after old Japanese Noh masks and demon paintings. See for yourself: can you find Jet?

Jet Jaguar’s antennae are skillfully etched into the head with fine detail. No, sorry, they don’t fold out.

The back sports the many flat and subtle elevations found on the suit. It’s almost a shame that this has to face the wall while on your shelf. The conjoined arrows in Jet’s “belt” area is insanely detailed for something so small. (By the way, that arrow is pointing toward his junk. What’s that about?) Finally, those subtle lines which look like seams on the mid-upper legs are not seams, but an actual detail on the suit. I never noticed these lines before I got this figure. I looked for them on the blu ray to see if they were actually there and they were. This just goes to show that if you go with X-Plus, you get it all. Even the details you never noticed before while watching the movies.

The head has an unsealed joint but just wants to be left alone. Don’t try to turn his head. The shoulders a freely moving joints and you can pose your Jet Jaguar with the arms up, down or both. The wrists are free to move but are more elliptical than round so you’ll be able to get them to rotate only so far. The ankles can rotate and you’ll probably need to play with them to get him to balance on his own if you choose to not use the stand.

As for seams… they’re aren’t any! At least none that you can casually see. I hereby declare this figure seamless!

​As usual with most other X-Plus figures, the pose is pretty neutral and standard. Perfect for the shelf. Jet’s not completely static, though. His knees are bent ever so slightly making him look a bit more dynamic, especially in combination with his bent arms. With this pose, he could be posing for the camera or ready to fight. Or both.

Jet Jaguar’s silvers, reds, blues and mustard yellows are both vibrant and yet reserved enough to not look toyish. The yellows pop more loudly than the other colors yet are still reigned in. Please note that the yellows in the photos posted here are a tad more colorful that they look in real life.

These colors were also expertly applied and conform very well against the subtle elevations in the sculpt. The painters did a great job of “staying in the lines”. Well done, X-Plus!

The X-Plus Jet Jaguar fits in perfectly with most other figures from the Large Monster Series. Here he is with the X-Plus Gigan and Godzilla 1975.

​At less than four inches wide, there’s barely any footprint at all. There’s practically no reason at all to rearrange your shelf when you get this guy. Currently my figure is standing between two of Kumonga‘s legs replacing some of that dead space above them.

The Ric Boy version of this figure comes with a set of interchangeable open hands which you can see here. Not a huge loss if you can’t get the Ric version. The fist-like closed hands on the standard are cooler and make him look ready to Punch! Punch! Punch!

​By John Stanowski Originally posted December 14th, 2014 on Kaiju Addicts.