FIGURE SPECS東宝大怪獣リーズ 「ヘドラ(上陸期)」 JAPAN RELEASE: DECEMBER 2011 JAPAN SOFT VERSION REISSUE: MAY 2018 NORTH AMERICAN (DIAMOND) REISSUE: JULY 2018 SERIES: LARGE MONSTER SERIES MATERIAL: SOFT VINYL FROM: “GODZILLA VS. HEDORAH (GODZILLA VS. THE SMOG MONSTER)”, 1971 ゴジラ対ヘドラ HEIGHT: 8.25 INCHES / 20.95 CM WIDTH: ABOUT 7 INCHES (FOOT TO FOOT, NOT INCLUDING TAIL) / ABOUT 17.78 CM LENGTH: (HEAD TO TAIL): ABOUT 10.5 INCHES / 26.67 CM ARTICULATION: SHOULDERS REVIEW AND PHOTOS: JOHN STANOWSKI The murky, smog-eating kaiju Hedorah was once accused of ruining the Godzilla franchise but has since become a favorite among many. To me, Hedorah is one of the most interesting of the Godzilla monsters. Hedorah wasn’t as easy to “read” as the other anthropomorphic kaijus and this made him downright creepy. (As creepy as you can get for a Godzilla movie anyway.) You could always tell when Gigan, Titanosaurus or Mechagodzilla were pissed off, when they were going to charge, etc. etc. But Hedorah acted more like an animal. He just stood there and stared; always calculating his next move behind those two big red eyes. This is why Hedorah is a personal favorite and why I was really glad to pick this guy up in vinyl form! The X-Plus 25cm Large Monster Series Hedorah (Landing Stage) vinyl figure portrays the slimy beast in his “landing stage” between giant tadpole and full adult. This is how Hedorah appeared when he first flew out of the sea and made landfall in order to feast on smoke stack emissions and melt the flesh of anyone unlucky enough to be nearby. SCULPTIt’s a great likeness. There aren’t very many scenes of Hedorah in this stage, but what you do get to see this figure matches up with fantastically. And looking closer, every drip, drape and piece of goop seems to have gotten adequate attention from the sculptor. The head, being the only feature that really isn’t a droopy mess is faithfully reproduced and instantly recognizable. And the eyes are as creepy as ever! The X-Plus 25cm series Hedorah is mostly smooth but does some fine rough detail here and there. And, once again, this figure attempts to reproduce the actual suit and this is overly evident in this case with the presence of what basically amounts to a loincloth between his legs (this detail would have been removed immediately by a sculptor making a stylized version). JOINTS & SEAMSThis figure does have a couple of eyesores. Although there are seams and lines here and there, they’re mostly unnoticeable, except for two. There’s a big ‘ol line running around the waist. And the area where the top part of the tail meets the back has a hideous gap which, fortunately, only the back of the shelf gets to see. POSEThe X-Plus 25cm series Hedorah hunches forward following the same dynamic set by his droopy tendrils. This pose reminds me of the scene where he leaned over to feast on the emissions of a smouldering smoke stack. ARTICULATIONThe arms are articulated at the shoulder and can be posed to lurch forward like Frankenstein or allowed to droop straight down. Letting the arm hang down may be preferable. I recently learned from another collector that in summer his 25cm Hedorah softens up and falls on his face. My figure seems pretty steady in his stance but after investigating I did realize that if his front toes did get soft, he would be front heavy. Having the arms extended in summer seems like it would make him even more unbalanced. PAINT JOBThere isn’t much to say here. Hedorah is almost uniformly a drab and flat, smokey, dark, ash gray. There are some super subtle greenish highlights which can be seen only if you look for them. Nicely done dirty yellow splotches cover his back and portions of his head. Though obviously not painted, the eyes are the final component to Hedorah’s color palette with a dark red base and intricately spiked orange pupils which look fantastic. Although this figure may seem a tad shiny in these photos, it’s really an uneventful flat gray in person which pales, shrivels up and dies in comparison to the paint job on the 30cm Hedorah which, I admit, I’m not completely sure it should match. It’s possible this stage of Hedorah appeared flatter in the movie. SIZEHedorah fits in nicely with his other kaiju buddies in the same scale. True, he’s shorter but that’s because he’s hunching forward. The Large Monster Series Hedorah is only about half as tall as his 30cm brother (sister?). And when not gulping down plumes of toxic smoke, Hedorah really likes Coke. That’s not saying much for all you junk food junkies out there. FOOTPRINTHedorah does not need a lot of room to display. His tail curves to the left (his right) and is easily tucked behind the nearest neighbor. The higher he’s placed, the better Hedorah looks on the shelf. I had this figure on a shelf about waist high ever since I got him last January and always felt he looked like he was hiding his face. While doing this review I placed him on top of my Mac Pro and realized how much better it looks at eye level or above. EXTRASBy John Stanowski Originally posted July 6th, 2013 on Kaiju Addicts.
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FIGURE SPECS大怪獣シリーズ 「ウルトラマンティガ(マルチタイプ)」 少年リック限定版 JAPAN RELEASE: APRIL 2013 SERIES: LARGE MONSTER SERIES MATERIAL: SOFT VINYL FROM: “ULTRAMAN TIGA”, 1996-97 ウルトラマンティガ HEIGHT: 9 INCHES / 22.86 CM WIDTH: ABOUT 6 INCHES / 15.24 CM LENGTH: 13.5 INCHES / 34.29 CM ARTICULATION: ANKLES (AND YOU’RE GONNA NEED THEM!) REVIEW AND PHOTOS: JOHN STANOWSKI After a 15-year absence (not including American and Australian versions) Ultraman finally returned to Japanese television in ‘Ultraman Tiga’. The series ran from 1996 to 1997 and the X-Plus rendition is nothing less than ultra-amazing. SCULPTThe X-Plus Large Monster Series Ultraman Tiga (Multi-type) vinyl figure is an astounding likeness. Free from all the unwanted embellishments and artistic interpretations from other lines, this figure… Everybody… looks like it just walked out of the TV show. You may be hard-pressed to make an immediate conclusion if the above shots were actually of the real suit. That’s how accurate X-Plus can be! Tiga is overall much smoother than the X-Plus Showa Ultraman figures with noticeably less ‘crinkles’ in the suit. This is no doubt because modern suits were made of more advanced material. The hands and feet are especially smooth. I think it would have been nice, though, to see more wrinkles to set it apart from other ‘toys’. There are a pair of lines running down the back which I suspect represent the zippers on the actual suit (see below, right). The eyes are made of clear plastic with a honeycombish texture. There is a space between the eyes and a light material inside. This allows light to pass through the plastic and create refractive patterns inside. The temple ‘crystal’ is also clear plastic but usually appears dark because of refreaction. But if you move it around until the light hits it right, it becomes ridiculously accurate! The color timer is also clear plastic but unfortunately almost always looks too dark even though it’s actually blue. The Ric Boy exclusive version of this figure includes a light-up gimmick for clear plastic parts and this probably the reason why they didn’t use a lighter blue on the timer for standard versions. VISIBLE SEAMS & JOINTS: At first you’ll notice seams only around the ankles as they are visible from the front. There is a seam behind the left elbow and the backs of both shoulders have noticeable gaps which are hidden from view when placed on the shelf. The rotation of the shoulders can be tweaked only enough to make sure the paint and lines match up. POSEThe pose is undeniably a signature Tiga stance! One hand is clenched in a fist close to the chest while the other extends outward ready to deflect a blow. While most other X-Plus Ultraman figures stand tall with level heads, the Tiga figure is tucking his chin to his chest. At first this really bothered me because it looked a little odd from the front. But during the course of this review that feeling went away. The pose is awesome. This figure comes with a stand comprised of a clear base, arm and ‘claw’. This stand really isn’t necessary as Tiga is fully capable of standing on his own, though maybe not right away. The ankles are articulated so with a few tweaks you can get your shiny, new Tiga figure fully balanced. PAINT JOBUltraman Tiga is the first Ultra to not have an all-red color scheme. In his standard “multi-type” mode, comparable to all previous Ultras, he sports the standard red and a purpleish blue in non-toyish shades. The hand painters at the factory did an excellent job of keeping the colors “in the lines”. The yellow stripes across his chest are subdued and the silver, as usual, looks great. SIZEThe X-Plus Giant Monster Series Tiga is comparable size-wise with other Ultraman figures. At first glance, he matches up nicely with both the Toho Series 25cm line (as seen with Gigan above) and the ultra kaijus from the Reborn Series. Perfectionists, however, may be annoyed with the true discrepancy in scale lurking below first impressions. Tiga should not be as tall as either of the kaiju he’s pictured with above. A good way to tell is to note where the shoulders line up. Tiga’s shoulders are higher than the others’… and he’s crouching! PACKAGINGTiga comes wired into a plastic shell in a window box with a snazzy, new design for the New Generation series. By John Stanowski Originally posted May 17th, 2013 on Kaiju Addicts.
FIGURE SPECS大怪獣シリーズ ウルトラマン編 「古代怪獣 ゴモラ(REBORN)」 JAPAN RELEASE: NOVEMBER 2010 SERIES: LARGE MONSTER SERIES (25CM) MATERIAL: SOFT VINYL FROM: “ULTRAMAN”, 1966-1967 ゴジラ・モスラ・キングギドラ 大怪獣総攻撃 HEIGHT: 9.1875 INCHES / 23.33 CM WIDTH: 5.5 INCHES / 13.97 CM LENGTH: 12 INCHES / 30.48 CM ARTICULATION: NONE REVIEW AND PHOTOS: JOHN STANOWSKI Gomora first appeared in the 2-part story “The Monster Prince” (episodes 26 and 27) of the original “Ultraman” series in 1966. He is a fan-favorite kaiju which has made numerous reappearances in later Ultra series. Gomora made his X-Plus debut in 2007 and was later resculpted for a newer “Reborn” version in 2010. This review is for the latter. SCULPTI think it’s safe to say that the head on the figure a perfect likeness. Once again, the sculptors for X-Plus were careful enough to count every tooth and reproduce the mouth very accurately. The scrunchy, ‘Pigmon-ish’ texture on the chest is sculpted and reproduced beautifully. The creases in this area are so deep and sharp I wonder how they managed to pull these things out of the mold! There was a rectanglur ‘strip’ which ran down the back of the suit and it’s reproduced faithfully on the figure. Another amazing job that helps elevate X-Plus above other vinyl lines! On a sour note for perfectionists: a few areas of Gomora’s body have been replaced with a fairly rough texture. The area below the knees, for example, and most notably on the sides of the tail. Where that area of the suit was fairly smooth (and even had a bit of a sheen to it), the figure has a bumpy texture. But despite the liberties they’ve taken with the extra texturing, the X-Plus Gomora is an awesome likeness. Joints & SeamsGomora’s head is a separate piece of vinyl which was glued on in the factory. When viewed from the back, a seam is visible. There is no geometry in the sculpt to help hide it. This seam is not visible from the front or sides so you’ll probably never see it much. As for the tail: after you attach it you’ll find that the rings of folded skin help to hide this joint. And I have to say this: of all the X-Plus vinyls I’ve acquired thus far, the Gomora Reborn has the snuggest fit on the tail. POSEThe pose for this ultra kaiju is accurate and fits his personality. Gomora’s large hands were often raised into the air with his elbows tucked back to his sides. The X-Plus rendition does the same. PAINT JOBThe X-Plus Gomora is predominately a dark matte brown which I find a bit too dark. In the episode he was actually a lighter, almost reddish brown. There are areas of ultra-subtle highlights brushed in but they’re really only visible if you look for them. Gomora crawled out of a mountain, rolled around in the dirt and dug several tunnels. He was caked with dirt most of the time. This would have looked great on the vinyl. X-Plus’ original attempt at Gomora in 2007 (below) seems to have a paint job which, although a tad light, seems to mimic the original suit better. The squiggly, red striping on Gomora’s horns look great! But no attempt was made at reproducing the dull shine that they had in the show. The eyes (corneas) are a vivid blue; too vivid to match the actual suit. At first sight, the teeth on this figure seem to be a toyish, stark white which, on the suit, they indeed were … but only in close-ups. The extra dark brown skin makes them seem even whiter. If you’re good with paint, this might be an area to tone down. Overall, the paint job — though simple — isn’t bad. SIZE COMPARISONSThough just a hair shorter, Gomora (Reborn) lines up well with most other Reborn kaiju from the Large Monster Series. (Above: Gomora, Baltan, Bemular and Red King.) But judging by the misalignment of shoulder heights here, Gomora is really not in scale with X-Plus Ultraman figures. But that doesn’t stop it from looking good on the same shelf. (Above: X-Plus Ultraman C-Type Specium Pose and Ultraman C-Type Standing Pose.) The DVD in the photo above is a contextual real world item to convey this figure’s size for those who don’t have an Large Monster Series Reborn figures yet. And for the Gomora completist, an Ultra-Act version of the beast. FOOTPRINTThe length of the X-Plus Gomora Reborn vinyl is 12 inches, yet fits comfortably on a standard shelf because the tail curves to its right. If desired, you’ll probably be able to get this figure to face front on the shelf (unlike many other figures with long tails) though it may be a bit too close to the edge. EXTRASIt’s X-Plus! I used to Photoshop to composite an image of the vinyl figure over the original in this shot from the series. By John Stanowski Originally posted May 2nd, 2013 on Kaiju Addicts.
FIGURE SPECSエクスプラス ゴジラ2001 JAPAN RELEASE: JULY 2012 SERIES: LARGE MONSTER SERIES (25CM) MATERIAL: SOFT VINYL FROM: “GODZILLA, MOTHRA AND KING GHIDORAH: GIANT MONSTERS ALL-OUT ATTACK”, 2001 ゴジラ・モスラ・キングギドラ 大怪獣総攻撃 HEIGHT: 10.1875 INCHES / 25.87 CM WIDTH: 8.125 INCHES / 20.63 CM LENGTH: 12.25 INCHES / 31.11 CM ARTICULATION: NONE REVIEW AND PHOTOS: JOHN STANOWSKI This is one of my favorite Godzilla designs. At first glance, this figure may seem slimmer than it should be. But after comparing it over and over against movie stills, methinks they got this one right on the money! SCULPTOnce again, it looks like it crawled out of the movie. Fantastic, faithful sculpt! The actual Godzilla 2001 suit had a number of textures over it. The standard, elongated bumps cover his legs, arms and tail. A unique, somewhat crocodilian/grid pattern covers his chest. And a set of gill-like wisps fan away from his face on the sides of his head. All of these textures are captured in the figure. X-Plus, though, did simplify the texture on the back of the head and neck. His upper ‘fangs’ are smaller than they should be when comparing to stills from the movie. But other than that the rest of his pearly whites are faithfully represented. The real suit had a total of four teeth between the fangs and even that is faithfully recreated. His lower claws were given the extra detail the suit had. VISIBLE SEAMS & JOINTS: There are noticeable joints above the elbows, but X-Plus did a great job of making sure you don’t see them from the front. The tail piece, which the purchaser must insert, is further from back than usual and lands halfway down the tail where it’s a tad more visible. POSEGreat pose. Godzilla arches his back and holds his head up higher than his usual forward hunch and I think this really gives the figure a sense of reaction or personality. Offhand I don’t know if this pose was modeled after a particular shot in the film, but I did notice a similar posture when Godzilla was firing his second blast of atomic breath at Baragon. His stance is noticeably wider than it should be but that could be because moments ago he was hunched forward getting ready to fire his wave motion breath. It really looks great from all angles. PAINT JOBThe X-Plus Godzilla 2001 is painted with the standard Godzilla charcoal color with – surpisingly – no shading or highlights. The real suit had a lot of cracks and lines that were a lighter, dustier color than the surrounding black. X-Plus made no attempt to mimic that. In their defense, though, it probably would have been too time consuming to do. They did, however, put in the time to get the extra detail this Goji has on his claws, especially on the feet. The dorsal spines look great, as usual. And unlike other X-Plus figures, this one actually has glossy paint on the teeth. On my figure the paint on the teeth is a tad too reddish in hue. As much as I hate stark white teeth on a Godzilla figure, the real suit did have big, shiny, white teeth. FOOTPRINT / SIZEThis suit was designed with a shorter, thinner tail and that means more room on your display shelf. Its length is just slightly over 12 inches. The tail curves slightly Godzilla’s right so if you pose him diagonally on your shelf, he’d fit better facing your right. By John Stanowski Originally posted April 29th, 2013 on Kaiju Addicts.
FIGURE SPECSエクスプラス ウルトラマンCタイプ JAPAN RELEASE: AUGUST 2009 SERIES: LARGE MONSTER SERIES (25CM) MATERIAL: SOFT VINYL FROM: “ULTRAMAN”, 1966-1967 ウルトラマン HEIGHT: 9 INCHES / 22.86 CM WIDTH: 4 INCHES / 10.16 CM LENGTH: 4.25 INCHES / 10.79 CM ARTICULATION: ANKLES ROTATE REVIEW AND PHOTOS: JOHN STANOWSKI There were three suits made for and used in the original Ultraman television series. This figure represents the third suit (or “C-Type”) in the famous Spacium Ray pose. And, wow, all I can say is the six-year-old inside me gives it a big thumbs up! Though I have this listed as 1966-67 in the title, it likely appeared in 1967 as it was the last suit used. SCULPTA lot of figures and toys tend to try to make them look “better” by stylizing them, making them look idealic and trying to cover up the flaws in the original. On the other hand, X-Plus goes out of its way to mimic the precise appearance of THE SUIT. On X-Plus figures, you’ll often find things like ‘zipper lines’ along the back, or tiny holes in the front which the suit actor used to try to see. On this figure the holes under the big white eyes are clearly included in the sculpt. And the dark crease running down Ultraman’s back where the zipper is located is faithfully represented. Particularly impressive on this figure are the tiny lines and etches around the folds and bevels of the suit. I’m about to repeat myself yet again: this figure looks as if it literally just shuwatched right out of the TV show and onto my shelf! VISIBLE SEAMS & JOINTS: Yes, there are some, most noticably around the shoulders. These are part of the sculpt because the Ric Boy Exclusive version of this figure comes with a second set of arms for a ‘fighting pose’. Fortunately when viewed from the front these seams are invisible. There are lines around each wrist and ankle which are somewhat noticeable. The seam around the waist is cleverly hidden by making it follow the line of the red meeting silver design and are only detectable on the back fin. POSEThis pose is truly iconic. This is the stance Ultraman takes when he fires his primary weapon (and discussion-ender), the Spacium Ray (commonly seen written as ‘Specium’) emitted from his open right hand. The X-Plus sculptors captures this pose perfectly. Ultraman suit actor Satoshi “Bin” Furuya would slightly curve his left hand upward and even that minute detail is captured in the figure. Five “shooting stars” for this pose! Best Angle: a forward 3/4 view, preferably facing the left. PAINT JOBUnlike other “toys” which try to sell figures with an overly vivid paint scheme, this one has an especially realistic red color. It’s dull and muted and desaturated… exactly as it should be! The silver paint is also dull and not overly shiny. (I’m afraid my overly Photoshopped photos for this review tend to intensify the colors and shininess giving a false presentation of the true paint scheme. But rest assured, it will look perfect on your shelf!) FOOTPRINT / SIZEObviously shelf space is not a concern with this figure. It takes up relatively little room; even less if you don’t use the base that comes with it. I currently have four “Ultramen” and the only problem I’ve had displaying them is that each one sort of ‘demands’ that nothing be put in front of it except a low-height quadroped Ultra kaiju. This figure is 9 inches tall in it’s crouched pose. It fits in very nicely with the X-Plus 25cm Giant Monster Series. Unfortunately, from what I’ve seen so far, X-Plus has been making the Ultraman figures taller, and thus out of scale, with the Ultra Kaiju figures. While they seem to go together well on the shelf, the truth is the “Ultramen” are at least a “head” taller than the monsters. ARTICULATIONUltraman comes with ankles which can rotate, which is important. It’s so perfectly balanced that only by tweaking the rotation of the ankles, you can get this figure to stand on his own two feet without the aid of the base and peg it comes with. EXTRASBy John Stanowski Originally posted April 28th, 2013 on Kaiju Addicts.
FIGURE SPECSJAPAN RELEASE: 2012 JAPAN RE-ISSUE: 2013, (EBIRAH SET) SERIES: LARGE MONSTER SERIES (25CM) MATERIAL: SOFT VINYL FROM: FROM “GODZILLA VS. THE SEA MONSTER”, 1966 ゴジラ・エビラ・モスラ 南海の大決闘 HEIGHT: 9.25 INCHES / 23.495 CM< WIDTH: 6.75 INCHES / 17.145 CM LENGTH: LENGTH: 15 INCHES / 38.1 CM ARTICULATION: NONE REVIEW AND PHOTOS: JOHN STANOWSKI This is the very first X-Plus vinyl I acquired and I hope you can see how it became the catalyst for a downward spiral into an X-Plus addiction. SCULPTWhat can I say? It looks amazing. The familiar rough Godzilla-skin is very detailed and stands out even though it’s mostly just one color. There aren’t very many visible joint seams on this figure other than where you connect the tail. If you look closely you may notice lines above the elbows but they are hard to miss. Though the tail comes in one piece you can see how it used to be two before they glued them together halfway down. Other than those two, it looks and feels like one piece. This figure has separated fingers with the exception of two which are webbed together on its right hand. Head to head with the original, the X-Plus figure comes close. But keep in mind the orginal is a rubber suit which folded and contorted when in action. In the second photo you see a comparison of Godzilla’s dorsal spines. The X-Plus figure comes very close, yet in other scenes the similarity fades somewhat. All in all, the X-Plus is successful in capturing the essence of the 1966 Godzilla and is worthy of being called a definitive collectors item. POSEThe X-Plus 25cm Godzilla 1966 is in a standard, straight-on pose. He’s looking forward and is mostly symmetrical in every way. Even his tail goes straight back. If I’m not mistaken this pose was taken from when Godzilla stood on the beach looking out into the choppy waters where Ebirah has just surfaced. It’s a really great pose. PAINT JOBThe skin on the Godzilla 1966 is pretty much one single color: a very nice asphalt black. There is very subtle highlight shading on the bumps of his chest and around his thighs. The same asphalt black creeps into the dorsal spines and claws where it meets tan highlights on the edges. The teeth are a very off white (almost tan) color which distances it from the stark white found on cheap toys. The eyes are painted with a slight orangeish tinge around the dark corneas which really adds a nice touch. SIZE COMPARISONSThe Large Monster Series Godzilla 1966 looks good beside the X-Plus Ebirah 1966. FOOTPRINTThis figure has a tail which goes straight backward making the total length 15 inches! If your display shelf is a standard 11.5 inches deep then this fellow is going to take up some room. You won’t be able to get more than a forward 3/4 view of him. That actually works out just fine as I think this is his best angle! The tail will take up some space for the next figure so it’s a good idea to but him next to a figure with a smaller footprint like a 25cm Mechagodzilla or Gigan. MORE INFORMATIONBy John Stanowski Originally posted April 23rd, 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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