Full Review: X-Plus Baragon 1965 Large Monster Series Vinyl Figure

​FIGURE SPECS

東宝大怪獣シリーズ 「バラゴン（1965年版） 立ちポーズ」 少年リック限定版

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​JAPAN RELEASE: AUGUST 2013

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​SERIES: LARGE MONSTER SERIES (25CM)

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​MATERIAL: SOFT VINYL

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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

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​HEIGHT: 9.5 INCHES / 24.13 CM

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​WIDTH: 7.75 INCHES / 19.68 CM

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​LENGTH: ABOUT 15 INCHES / 38 CM

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​ARTICULATION: BOTH ARMS AND LEGS, NECK.

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​REVIEW AND PHOTOS: JOHN STANOWSKI

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​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.

​SCULPT

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!

JOINTS & SEAMS

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.

POSE

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!

​PAINT JOB

​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.

SIZE COMPARISONS

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.

FOOTPRINT

​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.

​RIC BOY EXCLUSIVE FEATURES

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.

THE BOX

​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.

​The X-Plus Baragon vinyl figure is nothing less than pure awesome. The sculpt, likeness, texturing, pose and paint job make this one of my favorite figures so far this year.

​MORE INFORMATION

• Rich Eso’s Baragon Video Review
• GodzillaFanFreaks Baragon Video Review

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