​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.

​東宝大怪獣リーズ 「モスラ 成虫 （1961版）」

​JAPAN ORIGINAL RELEASE: 2012

​JAPAN REISSUE: NOVEMBER 2014

​SERIES: TOHO LARGE MONSTER SERIES

​MATERIAL: SOFT VINYL, ABS

​FROM: “MOTHRA”, 1961
モスラ

​HEIGHT: (ON STAND), 15 INCHES / 38 CM

​WIDTH (WINGSPAN): 22.5 INCHES / 57 CM

​LENGTH (NOSE TO TAIL): 10.75 INCHES / 27.3 CM

​FIGURE WEIGHT: 1 LB, 7 OZ / 652 G

ARTICULATION: MANDIBLES

​REVIEW AND PHOTOS: JOHN STANOWSKI

​In 2012, X-Plus released the Toho Large Monster Series Mothra Imago 1961 Edition Vinyl Figure based on the very first appearance of this classic kaiju from the film Mothra (モスラ) from way back in the early ’60s. And what a beaut! This figure is probably one of, if not THE, very best likenesses of Mosura ever put to vinyl.

What’s particularly unique about this vinyl when compared to the rest of X-Plus’ catalog, is that it’s in flight. Propped into the air with a metal post fixed into a sculpted, rocky base, it strongly contrasts the other bipeds and quadrapeds in your collection by hovering over them with its large, outstretched wings.

WINGS
While we’re on the subject of wings: you no doubt have heard stories about (or experienced yourself) drooping, deformed wings from all three of X-Plus’ Rodan figures. Warm temperatures and the figures’ own weight tends to make the wing tips bend and curve, making the figures lean and, eventually, topple off the shelf. This is not a concern with the Mothra Imago figure. The wings on this buggy beast are made out ABS, a firmer plastic which is immune to high temperatures and gravity. I’ve had this figure for over a year now and both wings are still flying high.

IT’S BIG
The Mothra Imago 1961 vinyl is part of the Toho Large Monster Series. A Godzilla figure in this series is typically around 25cm tall (about 10 inches). Mothra, though, is another story. She’s HUGE and, at first glance, looks like she should belong to the Toho 30cm Series. But this vinyl is actually in scale with the other Large Monster Series figures. Mothra was just plain big in 1961 (and 1964 as well).

From wing tip to wing tip, this figure is 22.5 inches wide. Now keep in mind that both wings are angled upward. If the wings were completely horizontal, this figure would have a wingspan of over TWO FEET!

​The X-Plus Mothra Imago 1961 comes in a big, plain, white box almost 27 inches long (bigger than two 30cm Series boxes put together!) and has monochromatic artwork on the cover. Inside the box, the figure is wired into a plastic shell and is fully assembled. You just need to untwist the twisties and put it on the base.

The base is molded in hollow vinyl and sculpted to look like a piece of Mothra’s rocky home on Infant Island. her “logo” is carved into a stone tablet on the front. A metal pole rises up from this base and supports the figure in the air.

This set-up may look precarious, and could be if you’re not careful. But overall, it’s pretty sturdy. I picked this figure up, base and all, dozens of times while taking photos for this review and there was never a problem. When moving it, just don’t grab the figure by itself, nor the base. Grab the pole instead. And always check to make sure the pole is still sticking out of the hole on the bottom after putting it down. More on that below…

IMPORTANT!
There’s potential for disaster if you don’t place Mothra on her base the correct way. There is a hole in the BOTTOM of the base. The pole needs to go into the base through the top and then ALL THE WAY THROUGH to peep out the bottom hole (see photo to the left). This second hole is needed to keep the pole straight. If you don’t insert the pole into the base all the way through, then your figure may lean, wobble and fall. (This happened to me at first. Luckily there was no damage.)

It goes without saying that this is a very impressive figure. A combination of vinyl, ABS and clear plastic, along with a fancy paint job, makes this piece a prize to be sure.

LIKENESS
This figure seems to be a dead ringer, at any angle, for the ‘puppet’ from the film. But is it picture perfect? No, actually. Allow me to nitpick: the legs are slightly thicker than they should be. The stubby, three-pronged “pincer” at the end of the abdomen which was so prominent in the movie, is less pronounced on this figure. Despite this, I’d say they still did a fine, fine job of it.

Even the patterns on the wings show that a real effort was made to represent almost every jaggy edge in the design. The result also isn’t picture perfect, but the spirit of the pattern is there, intact despite being slightly simplified, no doubt to make it easier on the painters in the factory. The end result is amazing.

FUR
The puppet used in the film had fuzzy, fur all over it which had to be sculpted into a static surface for this figure. And I am just amazed by the fine and intricate detail that was created to cover the main body and parts of the wings. This faux fur texture is yet another clue that this is not some lowend toy… it’s an X-Plus figure.

BIG, BLUE EYES
Mothra’s eyes are brilliantly represented here in hard, translucent plastic tinted blue. The outside surface is smooth while the inside is molded with bumps to mimic the giant moth’s compound eyes. This is a great technique which X-Plus also used on Kumonga, all three Gigans and others.

ANTENNAE
The antennae are thin and precise. They are also soft and bendy. And, in the case of the figure I got, can be on backwards. Out of the box, my figure came with the antennae arcing toward the rear. You can see this in practically every photo on this review. But in the movie, the antennae arc forward. I thought I may as well try and see if they could be rotated… and they could! It seems to me these should have been glued, and maybe they were meant to, I don’t know. So, PLEASE BE CAREFUL if you try this on yours.

MANDIBLES
The mandibles are hard plastic and are articulated for an optional open mouth look. These pieces are sort of stiff and hard to open. The hinges are tiny so use caution here.

There are a few seams to found on Mothra, but they don’t stand out much on her already segmented insectoid body. The head, thorax (middle bit) and abdomen (orange and white stripey thing) are all separate pieces. Lines can be seen if looked for, but like I said, bugs are meant to look like that. My figure has bit of a gap under the neck which thankfully can’t be easily noticed.

All six legs (below the ‘knees’) are separate pieces and are glued to the main body. And they kind of look like they were, too. But, again, she’s a bug and it seems like this should be forgiven. Moving on…

The wings are inserted into the middle section and lines can really only be seen from directly above.

There aren’t very many poses available to adult form Mothra, so posing this figure was a nobrainer. And I have to say, even so, X-Plus did a great job of making it look like it came close to coming right out of the movie. The wings are angled upward and that’s how we saw most side views in the original film.

The front, back and side views seen above may look boring. (Although, I think the side views look pretty freaking awesome.) The pose may seem mechanical and the wings pretty simple and flat. But they actually have subtle curves and waves in them which really shine when you explore this figure from different angles. (Take another look at the first photo at the top of this page to see what I mean.) X-Plus could have taken the easy way out and sculpted the wings perfectly flat like a lower grade toy or collectible… but they didn’t. And that’s why we love them!

This figure has all the right colors in (mostly) the right places. Even though they are each dusty and reserved, the paint job as a whole is an explosion of color. Not in a shouty, overly vibrant, toy-like way, but rather a toned-down, ‘realistic-looking’ and a “I’m kinda flashy so I must be Poisonous so back off” sort of way.

The wings have subtle indents following Mothra’s zig-zagged pattern molded into them allowing the factory folk to paint “in the lines”. There are also some dusty off-whites airbrushed on the wings to give it some gradation. Mothra’s famous big red spots are also airbrushed.

There are some inaccuracies, though. The abdomen should have white stripes which are thicker than its orange stripes. The figure has that reversed. Also the smaller rear wings should be a mustard color gradating into a lightened brick red toward the ends. This figure sports only the red. I’m not going to gripe about this, though. It’s obvious that a LOT of time and effort went into all the little details on this figure and I’m sure they did the best they could in order to remain on budget. The end result may not be 100% accurate in all areas, but it still looks amazing.

​Here the X-Plus Toho Large Monster Series Mothra Imago 1961 is matched up with the Godzilla 1964 from the same line. Keep in mind a completely new Mothra ‘puppet’ was built for Mothra vs. Godzilla (1964), so this isn’t really an accurate pairing. (Although the 1961 Mothra was used for just a few flying scenes in film. (Special thanks to Godzilla nerd Robert Dwyer for the info!))

But, alas, this is the closest thing you’re going to get if you want to recreate that film on your shelves. And size-wise, it’s damn near perfect.

​And here is a size comparison with the Toho 30cm Series Godzilla 1964. Despite the inaccurate scaling, they still make a good-looking couple.

Mothra seems to keep getting smaller with each new appearance in the Godzilla franchise. And thanks to that, the 1961 version may make an okay stand-in — size-wise — for the Toho 30cm Series Godzilla 1992 from Godzilla vs. Mothra.

​With an almost 2-foot wingspan, you might consider the X-Plus Mothra Imago to be a shelf hog. But it’s not, really. It’s base is about 8 inches wide and that’s about the same as most 30cm Godzilla figures. But Mothra herself is up in the air and her wings are even higher. If you place her on the shelf with other Large Monster Series figures you’ll find that they fit right under her wings, allowing you to squeeze more monsters into almost the same space.

If, for some reason, you place her with 30cm figures, you’ll find that even they can fit it under her wings. So, although this figure is 22.5 inches wide from wing tip to wing tip, it doesn’t need to take up all of that space just for itself.

By John Stanowski Originally posted September 15th, 2014​ on Kaiju Addicts.

​大怪獣シリーズ 大映特撮編 「ガメラ（1996年版） ガメラ対レギオン」

​JAPAN ORIGINAL RELEASE: JUNE 2014

​SERIES: DAIEI LARGE MONSTER SERIES (25CM)

MATERIAL: SOFT VINYL​

​FROM: “GAMERA 2: ATTACK OF LEGION”, 1996
ガメラ2 レギオン襲来

​HEIGHT: 8 INCHES / 20.3 CM

​WIDTH (TOE TO TOE): 9 INCHES / 22.8 CM

​LENGTH (NOSE TO TAIL): 11 / 28 CM

​FIGURE WEIGHT: 14 OZ / 396 G

​ARTICULATION: ELBOWS, KNEES (NOT MEANT TO MOVE).

​REVIEW AND PHOTOS: JOHN STANOWSKI

When X-Plus announced its Daiei Large Monster Series Gamera 1996 vinyl figure, I was surprised. Up until now they’ve been making Heisei Gamera figures in the 30cm Series and Show Gamera in the smaller Large Monster Series (25cm). But it was a nice surprise. Just one look and you’ll see this is a pretty badass vinyl. It’s based on the 1996 movie Gamera 2: Attack of Legion.

Like it’s taller 30cm brother, this figure is pretty much dead on. It came as both standard and Ric Boy exclusive versions. This review is on the latter.

This Gamera figure comes in the typical X-Plus Daiei Large Monster Series window box. Inside the figure is wire tied into a plastic shell. It comes in two pieces: body, tail. If you get the Ric Boy version, you’ll also find your battery pack for the light gimmick inside.

Note: the figure’s left leg is twisted at the knee so that it fits in the box. You’ll have to fiddle with that to get the foot to stand flat.

The tail connection is extremely elliptical and has fairly pointy corners. For me, twisting is an integral part of the tail assembly and since this joint isn’t round, it gave me some trouble. I admit I was lazy and probably didn’t heat up the body hole with the hairdryer as much as I should have. I also didn’t put the tail in the refrigerator to make it extra firm. In the end, it went in, but not without some trouble. Collector Rich Eso mentions in his video review that he did do everything I skipped this time around, and the tail popped right in for him. Watch Rich’s How To Connect Tails Video to learn how to master X-Plus tail assembly.

Wow, X-Plus does it again! The Daiei Large Monster Series Gamera 1996 vinyl figure looks just like the title character from the movie. And, it also looks like a perfectly miniaturized version of the larger 30cm Series version (released in 2012) but in a different pose. I guess this means that X-Plus got it right the first time too!

​Some areas of the sculpt, like the thin lines under the eyes, have details which are softer than the 30cm version, but for the most part the figure is absolutely comparable. In fact the mouth on the new 25cm version may even be better. New collectors should take note of the individually sculpted teeth. This toy ain’t a toy!

​The head looks amazing from any angle.

​There is incredible detail on the chest and back shell. Click the photos for larger views.

The ridgey skin texture of the suit has segmented folds of skin which are expertly expressed in the X-Plus sculpt. And if you look closer you’ll find super-fine lines etched onto the bony claws and spikes. They filled in a little with the addition of the paint but can still be seen.

​The X-Plus Daiei Large Monster Series Gamera 1996 has several non-glued joints which can be jiggled but are not meant to moved. They can be found at the neck, both elbows and both knees. All of these joints are elliptical in shape and will resist you should you decide to rotate any. (The Ric Boy version requires you to go against the grain and rotate the left knee in order to plug in the battery pack. More on this further down the page.)

The only joint mentioned here which has a visible seam is on the neck. But even there it’s hidden somewhat well inbetween ridges in the sculpt. The elbows and knees are obscured even better by ridges in the sculpt. The tail joint is utterly hidden under the skirt of Gamera’s shell.

(Note: in order to fit Gamera into the box for shipping, its left leg was rotated out of position so the toes would flare to the side instead of forward. You’ll have to tweak this joint to get his foot to stand flat on the shelf.)

The only other seam I’m aware of is on the back. The back shell, minus the “trim”, is all one piece and is glued on. It’s edge naturally occurs at a line in the sculpt and is meant to be perfectly cloaked. (However, the figure I got in the mail recently isn’t so seamless and the edge on one side can be detected if looked for.)

​Standard stuff here with the pose, and yet again, that’s how I like it. Looks good and generic from all angles. The only thing to note is that Gamera’s head is turned slightly to the his right and ever so slightly looking up. Looks great! It’s also worth pointing out that this figure is not lurching forward like its 30cm brother does and so has straighter legs. Let’s hope they don’t warp under his weight as they do on the 30.

​The paint looks great on this figure as it does on all the X-Plus Gamera figures which came before it. The skin has a base coat of a dusty, off-black. It’s slightly semi-glossy and, in combination with the figure’s deep and detailed textures, reacts with the light to create new highlights.

The shell is an overall dark green. But closer examination reveals super-subtle variations between an olive green and a slightly more saturated green. The chest is a dull brown. The claws, spikes and tusks are a bright, boney color which flare into oranges and browns as they meet the body. And they look GREAT, especially the tusks. These boney colors do not blend into the black skin and so require hard edges. X-Plus did a masterful job (at least on the figure I got) of keeping the paint from slopping “outside the lines”. My only complaint is that the boney bits are a bit too bright and give this figure a slightly toyish look when considering them.

The teeth are a brownish yellow and look very un-toylike. Quality job! The inside of the mouth is a glossy, pinkish red which looks very organic… and wet!

Great job on the eyes, too. Black pupils floating in vibrant, green irises were expertly painted on with great precision. A dull orange was sprayed in the corners to add depth.

Note: the base coat of paint used on the claws is brushed on and is prone to scrapes.

The X-Plus Daiei Large Monster Series Gamera 1996 vinyl figure (left) beside the Large Monster Series Gamera 1966. Sizewise, they’re a perfect match. The head on the ’66 is notably larger but that’s just a sign of the times and 60’s suit design.

And here’s probably the next most obvious size comparison to be made. At first glance, the new 25cm version seems almost as large as the X-Plus Daiei 30cm Series Gamera 1996 vinyl figure…

But, let’s change the angle. Now you can see a big difference in mass. But this doesn’t change anything: the 30cm figure, due to its hunched pose, is no taller than the new figure.

The Large Monster Series Gamera 1996 will look just fine amongst your other X-Plus 25cm figures. (Shown, left to right: Godzilla 1989 DeAgostini Version, Gamera 1996, Godzilla 1968 and Gigan 1972.)

THE 1996’ERS
And, just for fun: this Gamera and Ultraman Tiga were the only kaiju game in town in 1996. (See the X-Plus Ultraman Tiga Figure Review!)

​The X-Plus Daiei 25cm Gamera 1996 doesn’t ask for much room on the shelf. It’s 11 inches from nose to tail, but only 8 1/2 from toes to tail. One potential concern may be that this figure, like most Gamera figures, has its feet reaching out to the sides asking for a little more side space than usual. (9 inches of it.)

The Ric Boy Exclusive version of this figure comes with a light gimmick. Firey red light emits from the cracks inbetween Gamera’s chest plates as well as from the mouth. It’s worth noting that collectors in the West were not aware the light would emit from the mouth since X-Plus only publicized the chest. They did the same thing with the 30cm Series Godzilla 1999 in 2013.

Back to Gamera now: the light effect looks great. The glow on the chest does a good job of making it look like a very big can of whoop ass is building up behind those chest plates. And the glow in the mouth is even more impressive. It looks firey and organic at the same time.

A+ for the looks! But a C- for the flimsy, soft vinyl material used on the chest and head. The head piece is very soft and, if you were so inclined, you could squoosh the head and mouth and make it look like it was talking like a puppet. Those large tusks coming out of the lower jaw are also soft and are very bendy. Speaking for myself, I’d rather have the usual sturdy vinyl even if it meant I couldn’t have the light gimmick. And, don’t think you can get away from this super soft, translucent vinyl by buying the standard version; it’s made of the same stuff. The rest of the body is sturdy and fine.

X-Plus’ current mechanism for activating the light gimmick requires a “battery box dongle” which plugs into a port on the back of the figure’s left leg. The ON/OFF switch is also located on this box. It takes two LR44 (watch) batteries and they come included. If you find this box to be an eyesore, you simply unplug it and put it away.

The implementation of this dongle system on the Large Monster Series Gamera 1996 has a problem. The port on the back of the leg is too high and too close to the figure’s shell. In order to access it, you’ll need to rotate the leg at the knee joint. This joint is elliptical and I worry about it becoming loose if it were rotated too often.

Having rotated the leg and plugging in the battery pack, you’ll find that the figure’s left foot is no longer flat. And, when you go to rotate the leg back, you’ll find that the plug doesn’t have enough room because the shell gets in the way. You’ll need to pull the leg forward a little to complete the job. And in the end the plug will be pressing hard against the inside of Gamera’s shell which will bend the wire and press against it. Bending wires like this can lead to loose connections.

Earlier today I placed this figure on my desk in front of me. When I did I noticed that boths legs, ever so slightly, slid outward toward the sides. Just a tiny bit. But enough to make me pick it up and put it back down again to see if it would happen again. It did.

Now, it’s much cooler in this room and the feet are no longer sliding. However, it seems likely this figure is destined to follow in the footsteps of it’s 30cm brother and get wonky legs over time.

WONKY 30CM GAMERA 1996
When I first got my 30cm Series Gamera 1996, the legs were perfect and the feet were flush on the shelf. After only a year had passed both feet have started to slant. The figure’s weight pushes it’s diagonally posed legs outward. You can see it slightly above. If you watched Rich Eso’s video review, you can see his 30cm figure is even worse.

I was really hoping this 25cm version wouldn’t have the same trouble. Slide back up at the Pose Photo and look at the front view. You’ll see the legs are indeed diagonal. So my fear is hot, summer temperatures may make the 25cm Gamera figure’s legs a little wonky. It doesn’t weigh as much as the 30, so hopefully this little Gamera will keeps its feet flat on the ground.

SUPER SOFT TRANSLUCENT VINYL
Meh. The entire head piece is made of translucent vinyl and the variety which X-Plus is using is so soft, you can squeeze it like a stress toy. I don’t know, this just doesn’t feel like quality to me.

And finally, as already mentioned, the Ric Boy exclusive version’s battery plug doesn’t have enough room between the leg and shell to fit properly.

By John Stanowski Originally posted June 24th, 2014 on Kaiju Addicts.

大怪獣シリーズ ウルトラマン編 「宇宙忍者 バルタン星人（REBORN）」

​JAPAN RELEASE: AUGUST 2010

​JAPAN REISSUE: 2012

​SERIES: LARGE MONSTER SERIES

MATERIAL: SOFT VINYL

FROM: “ULTRAMAN” EPISODE 2, “SHOOT THE INVADER”, 1966
ウルトラマン

​HEIGHT: 9 INCHES / 22.8 CM

​WIDTH: 5 INCHES / 12.7 CM

​ARTICULATION: ARM, WRISTS, ANKLES

​REVIEW AND PHOTOS: JOHN STANOWSKI

Alien Baltan (or Baltan Seijin, also sometimes referred to as ‘Baltan 1’ in toy circles) is one of the most popular and beloved of Ultraman‘s foes. He’s shown up numerous times with many suit upgrades in multiple Ultraman series. He’s even shown up in the original “Ultraman” twice, the second time with one such suit change. But our guy here is the original, as seen in the very second episode of “Ultraman” titled “Shoot The Invader!”

Baltan, and 2.3 billion of his arthropod buddies, escaped from their dead world by miniaturizing themselves and fitting into one spaceship to find a new home. After scoping out Mars and realizing it was loaded with Spacium (their own version of Kryptonite), they came to Earth. Originally, they only wanted to swipe some scientific equipment from 1960s Japan which somehow was a perfect match for their super-advanced interstellar craft. But they soon realized that Earth wasn’t just a nice place to visit and that they would like to live there. Unfortunately for them, Earth had Ultraman and the Science Patrol to greet them.

This character is the very first alien to battle Ultraman here on Earth. Yes, Ultraman’s first foe, Bemular, was from another planet, but he was a kaiju. Baltan is a seijin, or alien. Baltan is also known for his ability to change his size, create multiple copies of himself to confuse enemies and also for his famous laugh which was borrowed from the 1963 film “Matango” (マタンゴ), or as we know it better in the West: “Attack Of The Mushroom People“.

X-Plus has made numerous Baltan figures (some of which you can see here). This review features the 2012 re-issue of the original 2010 Large Monster Series Space Ninja Alien Baltan (Reborn).

LIKENESS
Sculpt-wise, this figure is an insanely accurate representation of the suit used in the 1966 episode. Not only is it a deadringer for the “real” thing as a whole, it’s finer details, up close, are remarkably authentic.

​Every single detail on Baltan’s lobstery, insectoid face has made it onto the figure. I’m talking about tiny details you never even even got a good look at when watching the show. See those grooves on the forehead? There’s 10 of them on either side. This is precisely how many there are on the suit! Crazy! X-Plus does not disappoint!

EYES
Baltan’s buggy eyes are made of clear plastic molded in orange. While smooth on the outside, they have a bumpy, insectoid texture on the inside. I think this is just incredible attention to detail.

The sculpt of Baltan’s claws are freakishly accurate, even down to the subtle bumpy texture. While reviewing the episode, I paused the DVD on a close-up of the claw and compared it to the X-Plus figure and I was pleasantly surprised at the level the sculptor went to reproduce it. On the TV I saw that the inside edge of the top pincer was fairly straight, while the lower pincer had more of a curve on the front half. The X-Plus sculpt mimicks that precisely!

As for that row of rectangular indents: there are nine… exactly how many there were on the suit.

INNIE OR OUTIE?
This row of indents occurs only on one side of each claw; the other side being simply smooth. These claws are removeable and both fit on either arm. I shot all of the photos for this review with the indents on the inside, but it would be just as accurate to switch them and have the indents face outward.

All of the scenes featuring Baltan at human-size had the indents on the outside. However, when they shot the scenes of Baltan on the miniature set to battle Ultraman, the indents were on the inside. Perhaps the indents were meant to switch sides when Baltan increases his size, but I’m thinking that someone on set simply wasn’t paying attention and let suit actor put the claws on the wrong hands.

On the shelf, I’m keeping the indents on the outside of the claws, and have them rotated slightly inward to more mimic the posture of the suit as it was seen inside the science building in the episode.

There are joints above the biceps which are worked into the sculpt very well. My figure will allow me to rotate the left arm at this point. The right doesn’t want to budge and I don’t plan to force it to find out if it does the same. The ankles rotate but the seams are well hidden because they occur at the top of Baltan’s “boots”. The right foot is a bit loose possibly because of the wiring installed for this 2012 Ric Boy light gimmick release. The giant claws can rotate easily at the wrist and can also be removed. This joint is a curious design with the wrist being just a simple cylinder that slides into the claws with no “suction cup” flange to hold them in place. They’re long enough, though, that I wouldn’t worry about the claws falling off. The only joint that does bother me the waist. Though it could be said that this joint is worked into the sculpt, it still ‘sticks out’ to me but is nowhere near a deal breaker.

Baltan stands in an uneventful pose showing neither action nor personality. He may not look like he’s about to do battle with Ultraman, but it’s just fine for display. It could be said that Baltan was often in this pose while stalking the Science Patrol as they investigated in the science building .

Baltan has a dark blue base color with light blue highlights and markings. They did an especially good job on these triangular patterns as they were applied on totally smooth surfaces with no “lines” in the sculpt to stay inside of. No doubt, stencils were used. The colors here look great!

The claws are a semi glossy silver which have dark brown “drips” falling from the wrists. These brown lines are the least impressive aspect of the paint job since they are crude representations of what was seen on the suit. They also exude a “by hand” quality. Bright tan areas and hard plastic eyes molded in orange steal some of the attention away from the bright claws. Overall, if it weren’t for the sloppy brown lines on the claws, I’d give this paint job and A+.

At first glance the X-Plus Baltan looks to be a good match for the Ultraman figures… that is, if they’re crouching. (Above: X-Plus Ultraman C-Type Specium Pose).

Size comparisons with standing Ultraman figures is another story. As usual, the Large Monster Series kaiju don’t have the same reach as the Ultramen do. At first, Baltan seems to be just a little shorter than the X-Plus Ultraman A-Type Standing Pose (above), but if you attempt to line them up at the shoulders, you can see these guys just aren’t in scale with each other.

​However, Baltan is a great match with other Large Monster Series Ultra kaiju. It lines up perfectly with other X-Plus Reborn figures: Gomora, Bemular and Red King.

It’s obvious the X-Plus Baltan does not take up a lot of space on the shelf, especially if you don’t use the included clear stand and base (seen below). If you don’t, you may need to apply some putty under the front of his feet. This figure has weak ankle joints and leans slightly forward. Even if you’re able to balance him on his own, it would be a precarious thing to do without some extra support.

The original 2010 Ric Boy release came with an extra set of arms which were bent at the elbows for an alternative look. (See photos below close up photo.). The 2012 Re-issue Ric Boy (seen above and below) did not come with the extra arms but instead offered a light gimmick.

LEDs behind the buggy eyes run down through the body and accept power from the batteries in the base via a port under the right foot. The included base holds two LR 44 batteries and a plug rising out of the top. A switch on the side of the base controls the power. I need to mention that the base is made of thin plastic and not very sturdy. And, as often happens, the figure doesn’t stand completely straight while the heel is impaled with this plug. You might want to consider using the clear plastic arm, which also attaches to the base, to keep your figure from leaning.

By John Stanowski Originally posted January 12th, 2014​ on Kaiju Addicts.

東宝大怪獣リーズ 「ガイガン」

​JAPAN RELEASE: MARCH 2012

​SERIES: LARGE MONSTERS SERIES

​MATERIAL: SOFT VINYL

FROM: “GODZILLA VS. GIGAN”, 1972
ゴジラ対ガイガン

​HEIGHT: 10 INCHES / 25.4 CM

​WIDTH: 5.75 INCHES / 14.6 CM

​LENGTH: ABOUT 11 INCHES / 27.9 CM

​ARTICULATION: SHOULDERS, HIPS

​REVIEW AND PHOTOS: JOHN STANOWSKI

X-Plus made a few Gigans. There is a 30cm Series Gigan in vinyl, a variant with “nighttime” paint scheme, a polystone version and, in 2012, a Large Monster Series (25cm) version. This review is for the latter.

LIKENESS
Green, rubbery skin, gold scales, winged fins, hooks and pincers! There’s so much to see on this kaiju and I think this figure got pretty much every detail spot on. It’s a winner!

​THE VISOR
Gigan’s cyclops visor, as well as the bead above it, is molded in clear, red-tinted plastic. It’s smooth on the outside and has a bubble pattern texture on the inside which shows through to the front. This is a technique X-Plus was to use again on Kumonga. It’s a great effect and it looks awesome.

TEETH
Gigan has a short row of individually sculpted teeth on either side of his beak which aren’t visible at many angles, further obscured by the side “pincers”. But they’re a nice touch to discover while handing the figure.

SCALES
The golden scales that run across Gigan’s belly, back and tail are rendered impressively on this figure. It must have been a monotonous task for the sculptor to make every single scale and to take so much care as to give each and every one of them depth. Now THAT’S X-Plus for ya!

SAW
The “chest saw”, one of Gigan’s key weapons and distinguishing characteristics looks great on this figure. The spikes look particularly impressive from the side as they recede behind the previously mentioned scales.

FINS
The back fins look amazing and true to the suit. I have to say, though, that the “ribs” seem a tad thicker than they should be, and the foldy, wrinkly texture between them seem a bit overdone. The suit did have these wrinkles… just not so many of them. But without nitpicking, the back fins look remarkably like the “real thing”, especially with the crazy-accurate paint job they have.

There are highly visible, doll-like seams at the shoulders and hips, but just like on robotic figures, these make sense. The actual Gigan suit did have “seams” of it’s own in these areas and was part of the design. So no complains there. But there are a couple of real nasty lines which are not inspired by the suit. The neck is a separate piece and a seam can be seen running along the base of it. Because of the gold scale texture in this area, this line is deep and dark. A similar crack can be see where the tail meets the body, also visible because of the scales. Though not glaring, they are still visible enough to make me notice and wish they weren’t there. The only other seam worth mentioned is one between the head and the neck. It’s worked into the sculpt really well and visible only from above. Overall, this figure doesn’t do a very good job of hiding some of its lines. It’s not too good, yet not too bad. And considering how great this figure looks (I like it better than the 30cm sculpt), I wouldn’t let them dissuade you from hunting this one down and adding it to your collection.

Gigan sways his stance ever so slightly to his right. I noticed this for the first time in almost a year while taking this photo. So, the pose is mostly standard yet with a touch of character. And, since the arms are moveable at the shoulders, you’re able to tweak the pose significantly.

THE GREEN & THE GOLD
Gigan’s green is flat and subdued. Again, just the way I like it. It’s looks like a good match to the suit and make the figure more realistic and less toy-like. The scales are gold and only slightly glossy. And because the texture is so deep at the underside of each scale, shadows abound making the whole area come to life with realism.

THE FINS
The rear fins have a ton of paint detail over the “over-sculpted” surface. They are an off, dark yellow with browns radiating out from the back. I’m pleased to report that it is almost scary how well X-Plus completely and accurately reproduced the colors here. A+.

THE SILVER
Finally, the silver bits: beak, claws and chest “blades” are a clean, bright silver. I was originally going to write that these areas were too bright and because of that, seemed a bit toy-like. But every Gigan photo I look to for reference just proves that X-Plus did a great job a matching this color. They may still seem to be too bright under the lights of a photography set-up, but on the shelf I think the color is spot on. I just wish they took the time to add some grunge and grit as they seem overly “clean”.

THE VISOR
Okay, so the visor is a plastic piece and not painted. But it is a part of the color scheme. It’s molded in a sort of watermelon red which seems to get deeper on both sides, in the “corners”. Lots of reflection and refraction add lots of visual interest here.

SIZEWISE, IT FITS RIGHT IN
At ten inches, the X-Plus Gigan fits right in with other figures from the Large Monster Series. (Pictured left to right: King Caesar, Godzilla 1968, Gigan, Mechagodzilla 1975 and landing stage Hedorah.)

Gigan’s tail is shorter than a 25cm Godzilla’s tail and this immediately makes it easier to fit this guy on the shelf. Because the tail slightly curves to the figure’s right, I display mine on an angle facing the left. This leaves room on the left (from your view) to have another figure fit in beside him. I like to keep the arm closer to the edge of the shelf down low, and the arm further away raised up. This way you see everything and obscure nothing.

​The Ric Boy Exclusive version of this figure came with a light-up eye gimmick. I don’t have it, so I can’t show you. But I can tell you that it pre-dates the current light gimmick arrangement which includes a battery pack “dongle” which plugs into the figure. The Ric Boy Gigan requires you to pop the head off in order to flick a switch to activate the visor light.

I’m not a big fan of having a black box stuck in a figure’s leg, but having to pop the head off is far worse. I have the 25cm Ric Boy crawling Baragon and Giant Series Skydon which both require popping off the head. Needless to say I pretty much never play with the light feature on these.

I postioned these in a way reminiscent of the scene in Godzilla vs. Gigan where Gigan stands watching Godzilla get laserbeamed by the tower, unaware that Anguirus is sneaking up from the side.

​By John Stanowski Originally posted January 1st, 2014​ on Kaiju Addicts. 

​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.

​It’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.

Okay, 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.

X-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.

The 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).

Viras 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!

​Even 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.

The 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 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.

​Here’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.

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.

I’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!

The 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.

It’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!

​The 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.

The 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.

​Consider 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.

The 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.

​Baragon 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.

​By John Stanowski Originally posted September 4th, 2013​ on Kaiju Addicts.

東宝大怪獣シリーズ 「キングシーサー（1974年版） ゴジラ対メカゴジラ」 少年リック限定版

​JAPAN RELEASE: JULY 2013

​NORTH AMERICAN (DIAMOND) REISSUE: CANCELLED

​JAPAN REISSUE: APRIL 2019

​SERIES: LARGE MONSTER SERIES

​MATERIAL: SOFT VINYL

FROM: “GODZILLA VS. MECHAGODZILLA”, 1974 ​ゴジラ対メカゴジラ

​HEIGHT: (EARS DOWN) 9 INCHES / 22.86 CM

​WIDTH: 5 INCHES / 12.7 CM

LENGTH: (HANDS TO TAIL) 8.25 INCHES / 20.95 CM

​ARTICULATION: ARMS, HIPS, ANKLES.

​REVIEW AND PHOTOS: JOHN STANOWSKI

​The sleeping, dog-eared monster King Caesar (Seesar, Shisa), protector of the Azumi Family in Okinawa wakes from his hibernation once again in the form of an X-Plus Giant Monster Series vinyl figure. And wow, did they get this guy right. Sorry to repeat myself again, but it really does look like it stepped right out of the movie! This is what X-Plus is all about!

This figure was originally released in Japan in July 2013. It was available as both a Standard and Ric Exclusive (which came with a mini statue). A North American (Diamond) Reissue was scheduled but later cancelled. A Japanese reissue (April 2019) was offered with no Standard version available. The Ric-only reissue offers light-up eyes.

This review features the original release.

Here’s the part we saw through most of the movie. The head of King Caesar framed in his rocky hibernation chamber. Moving on from the great resemblance, you’ll notice the eyes are a burning orange and must have been molded in plastic. Just below their shiny surface are a series of finely detailed concentric circles. Most of the teeth are individually sculpted. Curiously, though, the front bottom row is not. Hardly something to complain about considering the stellar job X-Plus did everywhere else on this figure.

How do you translate long tufts of knotted fur into vinyl? X-Plus found a way! Each of the long rows of fur falling from Caesar’s mane are detached from the rest of the figure giving them more dimension. There are also six extra tufts of hair glued on to the arms and legs as separate pieces. Awesome job! (I suspect the ‘crown’ over Caesar’s eyes is also a separate glued piece).

The armor-plated scales are very well done. They look accurate and the bottoms raise away from the rest of the body with precision. Some scales actually slightly overlap the ones below it.

As for moving joints, The X-Plus King Caesar has more than a few: both shoulders, legs and feet. Neither of these are likely meant to be moved. The arms don’t have much range to even bother with. The joints at the hips and the ankles are molded to fit snugly in their predetermined position. But you may have to wiggle these to make sure Caesar stands properly.

As for seams: there are quite a few around the mane but are hidden good enough. The seams where the legs meet the body, though, are another story. This is the lowest point for an otherwise fantastic figure. These seams are obvious, distracting and just overall heinous. Traditional vinyl collectors accept this is as just part of the nature of vinyls. But what drew me to X-Plus was the amazing realistic looks these figures have. Seeing these gaping lines at the tops of the legs are a turn off. Thankfully they not visible when the figure is rotated to one side a bit.

​Most biped X-Plus figures without long tails usually have some balance issues either immediately or down the road.  Some collectors have found that they need to rotate King Caesar’s feet outward to give the figure balance. The feet on my figure are most forward and it stands fine. Either way, it is easy to topple with a poke at the head. And I suspect the summer heat could, if allowed to, soften up the feet enough to make poor Caesar lean forward and take a tumble.

The pose of the X-Plus King Caesar has him facing his enemy and poised for action. The “personality” of Caesar is perfectly captured here. They did as a good a job on the pose as they did with the sculpt. Combined, the two make for one hell of an excellent figure. The only thing wrong with this picture are the ears which should be upright while in battle mode. The standard edition has droopy ears, something they really only did while KC was sleeping.

​Awesome paint job! The hair has airbrushed gradients that span dark brown to tan. There are no ‘shadows’ per se (darker colors in the inner grooves of the hairs) but the graduated colors more than make up for that. As for the scales: they pretty much captured a difficult color pretty well. The scales on the suit were a sort of dark brown with a tinge of a purpleish red and the paint on the figure follows suit.

The X-Plus King Caesar vinyl figure is about nine inches tall and fits in very well with other members of the Large Monster Series.

Believe it or not, the X-Plus King Caesar vinyl is almost as long (nose to tail is 8.25 inches) as it is high. Still, as with most biped X-Plus figures, KC doesn’t demand a lot of space on the shelf at all.

The X-Plus King Caesar Ric Boy Edition comes with a few exclusives. A miniature of the King Caesar statue (which actually might have gotten more screen time than Caesar did himself in the movie) is in the box. It’s a great likeness but it doesn’t contribute as much to the figure as the extra set of upright ears!

​The ears pop right in and out with just a tug. The figure may have to be warmed up a little in colder climates to make the switch. Both sets of ears have tiny clues in the sculpt as to where they were intended to be adjusted to.

​The X-Plus King Caesar vinyl figure comes in the standard Large Monster Series no frills window box. The figure is held in the plastic shell with a single wire tie.

​By John Stanowski Originally posted August 31st, 2013​ on Kaiju Addicts.

大怪獣シリーズ 大映特撮編 「ガメラ（1966年版） 大怪獣決闘 ガメラ対バルゴン」 少年リック限定版

​JAPAN RELEASE: JUNE 2013

​SERIES: LARGE MONSTER SERIES

MATERIAL: SOFT VINYL

FROM: “GAMERA VS. BARUGON”, 1966
大怪獣決闘 ガメラ対バルゴン

​HEIGHT: 7.75 INCHES / 19.68 CM

​WIDTH: ABOUT 6 INCHES (FOOT TO FOOT) / ABOUT 15.24 CM

​LENGTH: (NOSE TO TAIL) ABOUT 12 INCHES / 30.48 CM

​ARTICULATION: ARMS AND LEGS CAN ROTATE IN SOCKETS BUT NOT MEANT TO

​REVIEW AND PHOTOS: JOHN STANOWSKI

After releasing Large Monster Series Figures of foes Barugon and Gyaos, X-Plus finally makes the big turtle available. The figure is based on the 1966 version and good thing too as that was arguably the best looking suit of the bunch.

I’m not an overly avid Showa Gamera fan, so when it came to writing about the accuracy of the X-Plus Gamera 1966 vinyl figure, I had to consult the movie. After comparing detail after detail, I can safely say that I think this figure is ridiculously accurate.

The teeth are large and rounded but this is just to reflect the suit. A nice touch is that the tongue is not molded into the bottom of the jaw and is, instead, suspended above it.

Most of the fingers are individually sculpted.

There is a lot of interesting texturing on this figure. Swirly patterns adorn the head, the front shell is checkered and the back shell …

The back shell is awesome! It looks like each and every plate was individually cascaded onto the back for a really accurate representation of the suit. Each plate individually hovers over the other like long finger nails. (This really makes me wonder how they pull this out of the mold!) Looks great!

One slight problem with the Gamera 1966 is that the center of the belly is dented inward. It’s looks kind of like an invisible log is pressing up against him. It’s a bit hard to capture this in a photo, but if you look at the Side View pose below you can see it a little.

The arms and legs have round connections and while it’s possible to rotate them, you’ll likely look to the sculpt as a guide to where they should be. You may also have to tweak the rotation of his legs to make sure his feet are flat on the shelf.

​Well, yes, there are seams around everything that’s sticking out of the shell. Obviously this is the sacrifice needed for a figure which can have it’s limbs interchanged. It’s a shame for buyers of the Standard Version though.

Nice pose! I’m just glad they didn’t sculpt him to stand straight up. I mean, the figure has enough of that Showa goofiness we all love already. Instead, Gamera 1966 leans forward almost eager to grapple with Barugon. A nice touch is that the tail does not touch the ground and is suspended in the air above it.

One thing that concerns me is that Gamera is standing at a 45-degree angle. His short tail does little to counter the pull of gravity on his outstretched head and arms. His legs are pretty much the only thing keeping him balanced. The problem with this is that his right leg is a step back. This is the same footwork on the X-Plus 30cm Varan which, it’s reported, tends to fall down when the summer heat softens his feet. Well, today’s 95-degree high here in Philadelphia proved this problem does exist. I gave the figure a gentle poke and it fell forward. (I just read from the X-Plus Kaiju Collectors Club on Facebook that one collector couldn’t even get him to stand right out of the box.)

RIC BOY EXTRAS
The Ric Boy Exclusive Version of this release comes with an additional head, tail and limbs to allow you to put the Gamera 1966 into a crawling pose.

A problem you may encounter when making the switch: the belly becomes jelly when devoid of limbs, especially if you’ve heated it to make it easier to work with. When pressing a new limb into a socket, the bottom half of the shell easily collapses in on itself. It helped me to insert a finger inside to press the belly outward when adding pieces. If your fingers are too large, try using a sturdy pen in one hole to press the belly outward when pushing a limb into another hole. Another tip: when doing the lower body, add the tail first; there isn’t much wiggle room if the feet are in place.

The paint job is boring.
Besides the eyes, mouth and claws, the X-Plus Gamera 1966 is all one shade of black There are no highlights, brushing, dusting — whatever you want to call it. Very often X-Plus will at least use a very slightly lighter black to brush over the higher areas of the skin wrinkles. And I think, maybe, they did that here but it’s so slight and in so few areas it doesn’t even register to the eyes. The good news that liight and shadow do play off the myriad of textures in the sculpt.

​LOOKS GOOD WITH THE 30s
I usually keep my 25’s and 30’s separate from each other but if you do choose to combine them, the Gamera 1966 seems to display well with its larger incarnations.

​LOOKS GREAT WITH THE 25s
Naturally the Gamera 1966 Vinyl Figure fits in well with its other Giant Monster Series cousins. I love the fact that Gamera’s shoulders line up perfectly with the others. He’s in scale, baby!

STANDING POSE
The standard version and pose only takes up 12 inches from nose to tail. Plus, since Gamera is leaning forward to much, a good bit of those 12 inches could be hanging over the edge of the shelf. (If your figure is having balancing issues then you don’t want to do this!) Gamera 1966 doesn’t demand a lot of room in the standing pose.

​RIC BOY CRAWLING POSE
Sorry, I forgot to measure this guy while he was in the crawling pose. However, the Ric Boy web site states that Gamera is 36.5cm (14.37 inches) while in turtle mode. I’ve known the Ric Boy site to get dimensions off from time to time so I can’t confirm that but it can’t be far off. The only thing to keep in mind when placing a Gamera 1966 in crawling mode on the shelf is that your kaiju skyline is going to take a hit. Gamera is really low while in this pose. Hopefully you’ll have a figure you can display behind him to fill the gap.

​Comes in the standard Large Monster Series window box with the fancier Gamera series design. If you get the Ric Boy version then you’re gonna have a lot of wires to untie!

Even though I’m not an über Showa Gamera fan, I’m really glad I got this guy! Even though he tends to tumble, he is a deadringer for the suit in the movie, has a lot of impressive details and fits in well with both scales!

You might also like: X-Plus Gamera 1996 Vinyl Figure Review
You might also like: X-Plus Daiei 30cm Series Gamera 1995 Vinyl Figure Review

By John Stanowski Originally posted July 11th, 2013 on Kaiju Addicts.

東宝大怪獣シリーズ 「ゴジラ（1975年版） メカゴジラの逆襲」 少年リック限定版

​JAPAN RELEASE: JUNE 2013

​SERIES: LARGE MONSTER SERIES

​MATERIAL: SOFT VINYL

FROM: “TERROR OF MECHAGODZILLA”, RELEASED IN JAPAN AS “COUNTERATTACK OF MECHAGODZILLA”, 1975
メカゴジラの逆襲

​HEIGHT: 8.75 INCHES / 22.22 CM

​WIDTH: ABOUT 6.75 INCHES (FOOT TO FOOT, NOT INCLUDING TAIL) / ABOUT 17.14 CM

​LENGTH: ABOUT 13 INCHES / 33 CM

​ARTICULATION: LEFT SHOULDER

​REVIEW AND PHOTOS: JOHN STANOWSKI

​The final Godzilla design from the Showa-era gets the X-Plus treatment. This review is for the Ric Boy version which includes additional an extra arm and Mechagodzilla head. The rest of the review still applies to the more common Standard Version of this release.

One of the highlights of this figure is its intricate surface. The combed Godzilla “tree bark” texture is VERY finely detailed and looks incredible. This one feature alone makes this a stellar X-Plus figure.

Fingers are not individually sculpted. Meh.

UPPER LIP
Ever since the first teaser photos of this figure appeared, collectors have been expressing concern that the upper lip is not accurate. In the movie, the upper lip typically curved upward in the center revealing the front teeth. But on this sculpt, it seems the lip definitely makes a detour from the actual suit. Not a dealbreaker for me, but many collectors have already modified their figures to correct them.

TEETH
Whoa, look at the teeth! Beautiful, individually sculpted needle-like incisors wrap around the upper and lower jaws. It’s a shame that the upper row is hidden under the lip making it necessary to look up into the mouth to even see them. Now THIS is why I collect X-Plus!

RIC BOY EXTRAS
The Ric Boy Exclusive Version of this release comes with 2 additional pieces: a Mechagodzilla head and a specially shaped left arm with which to hold it allowing you to re-enact a scene from the movie “Terror of Mechagodzilla”. I don’t usually dish out the extra money to get the special exclusive versions, but this figure is definitely one of the exceptions!

The extra Mechagodzilla head looks fantastic the same as the heads on the recently released full Mechagodzilla 1974 and Mechagodzilla 1975 figures. But if you don’t own either of those, read on. The head has fantastic detail with individual bolts, weapons in the mouth (which has a hinged jaw) and yellow, plastic eye pieces. It’s interesting to note that though the jaws were hinged on both of the full figures, the mouth could never actually stay closed. The bodyless head from this release has a jaw which really closes up and stays that way.

​The left arm can be rotated at the bicep. This is possible because the Ric Boy version has an extra arm which is better suited to hold the severed Mechagodzilla head. But even without this extra arm, the standard version allows you to rotate the standard arm.

​There are usually seams on the arms of X-Plus Godzilla figures but they’re glued and meant to be hidden. The left arm on this figure, though, does have a slightly noticeable line running around the bicep. This arm is meant to be removed and switched with the extra arm which can hold Mechagodzilla’s head.

Often you can see line around the tail joint on many X-Plus Godzilla figures. One this one, though, the joint is much closer to the body and thus more hidden from the rear. The tradeoff though is the there is a triangular seam visible from the front under the groin area.

​From the front, the right arm seems a bit awkward to me. It’s almost like he’s waving or dancing. But, as you can see, all other angles are interesting and dynamic. Click on the photo above for a larger view.

The standard Godzilla black on this figure has been highlighted with a dusting of a slightly lighter color over most of finely textured skin which looks unbelievably awesome. The inside of the mouth is painted in a deep, dark red and it seems like the teeth have been given a glossy coating making them shine in the light. Collectors at the X-Plus Kaiju Collectors’ Club on Facebook have mentioned that the dorsal fins should actually be more silver than they appear on this figure. Again, I’m not an expert on details like this but I thought I’d still pass that info along.

Sizewise, the X-Plus 25cm Godzilla 1975 fits in perfectly with his other incarnations.

Okay. What? Really?
The X-Plus Godzilla 1975 is almost a whole head shorter than the Mechagodzilla 1975. These figures were released only three months apart. Didn’t X-Plus think collectors would pair them up? Some collectors have told me that Godzilla is shorter because he’s hunched or that Mechagodzilla actually was a lot taller in the movie. I plan to watch the movie again to find out what’s going on here.

NOTE: There is no size comparison photo with the Coke can this time around as I didn’t have a photo to place beside it. If you are a new collector and would want to see something that would give you an idea of this figure’s real size, please take a look at the Godzilla 1966 Review as they are roughly the same height.

This figure’s tail makes a hard turn to its right making it easier to display it on the shelf facing your right. Being 13 inches long, it’s possible to make this figure face full front on a standard shelf.

This figure comes in the standard Giant Monster Series style window box. The main figure comes in two pieces, each wire tied into a plastic shell. You’ll need to attach the tail to the body using a hairdryer or boiling water to soften the flange at the opening. The tail “hole” on this figure is smaller than usual and is tucked in deeper behind the legs. The end of the tail is elliptical except for the top which is flatter. This, and the smaller hole, made it a tad harder for me to assemble.

By John Stanowski Originally posted July 9th, 2013​ on Kaiju Addicts.