Full Review: X-Plus Toho 30cm Series Anguirus 1955 Vinyl Figure

7/16/2014

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FIGURE SPECS

東宝30CMシリーズ「アンギラス（1955版）ゴジラの逆襲」モノクロ塗装版

JAPAN ORIGINAL RELEASE: 2011

DIAMOND RE-ISSUE: DECEMBER 2014

BANDAI RE-ISSUE: MAY 2015

SERIES: TOHO 30CM SERIES

MATERIAL: SOFT VINYL

FROM: “GODZILLA RAIDS AGAIN”, 1955
ゴジラの逆襲

HEIGHT: ABOUT 10 INCHES / 25.4 CM

WIDTH (TOE TO TOE): ABOUT 8 INCHES / 20 CM

LENGTH (NOSE TO TAIL): 19 INCHES / 48.2 CM

FIGURE WEIGHT: 1 LB, 4 OZ / 566 G

REVIEW AND PHOTOS: JOHN STANOWSKI

The X-Plus Toho 30cm Series Anguirus 1955 vinyl figure was originally released in 2011, shortly after the Godzilla figure from the same movie. Godzilla Raids Again was the second movie in the franchise and the first ever to include a foe for the title character. Anguirus was that foe and was, if you ask me, the most fierce version of all the incarnations to follow, including the one from Godzilla: Final Wars in 2004. (Yeah, Anguirus was pretty cool in 2004, but rolling around and hitting your enemies with your back while your head and limbs are safely tucked in is as admirable as kicking in a fight if you ask me.)

Despite his badassery, Anguirus 1955, or Angilas if you prefer, isn’t as popular as the suit design which came after it. And collectors most likely have set their sights on going after an X-Plus Anguirus 1968. Fair enough. But there’s no reason to turn your head and pfft at this historical kaiju suit and X-Plus’ beyond awesome vinyl rendition of it. There’s lots to love here, whether you grew up with the movie or you just dig the 1950’s retro thing. The Toho 30cm Series Anguirus 1955 is a prize.

THE BOX

This figure comes in a typical X-Plus plain box with cover art which is 12″ x 14.75″ x 8.25″. The figure rests inside a plastic shell kept in place with wire ties. The photo shows the box from the original release. The Diamond Reissue box will have the PX Previews Exclusive logo on one of the corners of the cover art.

ATTACHING THE TAIL

The tail comes as a separate piece and must be assembled. See Rich Eso’s ‘How to Connect Tails’ video if you’re a new collector.
As for how easy or hard it was for me to assemble: I just don’t remember. I’ve had this for over a year now.

SCULPT

As with (most) other X-Plus vinyl figures, the Toho 30cm Series Anguirus looks freakishly similar to the original suit. As far as I can tell, every minute detail was studied and faithfully recreated in this sculpt. It’s hard to appreciate at first since Anguirus was veiled behind dark, grainy 1950’s film stock quality. But if you compare it to good photos from the film you’ll find that it’s an outstanding likeness.

They got the head right, and from every angle. And, once again, individually sculpted teeth… and lots of them. And even though it lays flat in the mouth, the tongue is also a separate piece glued in on one end and loose at the tip.

The texturing on this figure is just kerr-aazay! Folds of rough skin and scales cover this beast. New collectors: note the sculpted holes in the neck which recreates the holes the suit actor used to see through!

Now about those scales. Holy. Shit. They look like they were sculpted one at a time and pressed into the body. This is in no way a “toy”.

The back is covered with individually sculpted spikes. There was no cheap, easy-way-out sculpting done here. This must have been a tedious labor of love to create.

The tail is a masterpiece of foldy skin covered with the same precisely sculpted scales found on the arms and legs along with more sharp spikes which vary from a quarter of an inch to half an inch long. And, yes, these things can hurt you if mishandled!

JOINTS & SEAMS

Not much to complain about here! The only truly visible seam is around the neck and most of that is cleverly conceiled in sculpted folds of skin. The elbows and knees are all joints which seem to be glued into place and hidden the same way as the neck.

The tail is in 4 pieces. One joint is glued and two aren’t but are tight. The final joint is where it connects to the body and that seam is masterfully hidden by the sculpt. Overall: it seams to be pretty seamless. (Yes, that was a pun).

POSE

As for the pose… it’s PERFECT! It literally looks like a snapshot from the movie. Angilas was often balancing on his two rear legs and aiming his front claws and teeth at Godzilla. Even if you don’t recognize the pose from the film, it’s still an awesome position for a monster of a vinyl figure.

And it looks good from all angles. Though its left side is better than its right because of the leg positions. Click on the photos for larger versions.

POSE UPDATE

Doh, I feel so stupid. After two years on my shelf and after taking all of these photos I find out that Anguirus’ tail should curve DOWNWARD. As you can see in all the photos on this review, I have Angy’s tail curving straight up in the air. And why wouldn’t I? That’s how it came out of the box. But X-Plus collector Michael Erickson set us straight on the X-Plus Kaiju Collectors Facebook Group by posting one of the original production photos. It’s clearly pointing down.

Michael told us to line up the spikes. I never noticed but Anguirus has only 3 rows of spikes: one down the top and one on each side. Use those as your guide. There are two joints you’ll need to rotate to get the right look. And right it is! Now it more resembles the tail on the suit as it was tugged on by a wire on the set.

It would seem the X-Plus factory folk rotated the tail out of shape and into a single curve in order to make it fit into the box. Oh well. Now we know. Take note, though, that twisting the tail into the correct position will add a few inches to Anguirus’ overall length. Yeees, he’s even longer now. If he doesn’t fit on the shelf anymore, you could always just put it back the way it was.

…it does wonders to summon up visions from Godzilla Raids Again when gazed upon. It may not be your favorite Anguirus suit, but it is one hell of a figure.

PAINT JOB

The X-Plus Toho 30cm Series Anguirus 1955 is monochromatic to match his look in the black and white film. The figure is a very light, dusty black; some might say it’s gray.

The eyes, teeth and claws are a super light gray, almost white. And the spikes on its back are a brighter, dirty white. The feathering of this white into the base of each spike is beyond impressive. Also, many of the spikes, especially the crown of them on the head have a nice grungey texture to them.

Subtle highlights are brushed on to the higher ridges on the belly. And perhaps most impressive is the freckling of silver scales on each shoulder. The painters in the factory actually targeted individual scales to brighten. And it looks exactly like it did in the movie.

Now, all of this was done back in 2011 when X-Plus was still trying to prove itself with this line. Let’s just hope that the upcoming Diamond Reissues will have paint jobs which match the quality of the original.

SIZE COMPARISONS

The X-Plus 1950s monochrome monsters. The 30cm Anguirus fits right in with the 30cm Series Godzilla 1954 and 1955. His height is only 10 inches compared to the 12ish of the other two, but remember, Anguirus is leaning forward.

While we’re comparing Anguirus ’55 with Godzilla ’55… One possible annoyance is that, however they’re arranged, these two monsters just don’t see eye to eye. Anguirus almost looking straight up, while Godzilla seems to have set his sights on something at the horizon. It would have been nice if this pair could at least look at each other. But I won’t complain any more. Both of them have perfect poses copying signature moves from the movie and they look GREAT next to each other on the shelf.

And here’s probably the second most obvious comparison to make. On the right is the Toho 30cm Series Anguirus 1968. They size up…..

Uh, hello? Are you still reading?

You’re staring at the ’68, aren’t you? Come on, this review is all about the ’55.

Fine, stare away. I’m moving on.

And, finally, for those who don’t yet have an 30cm X-Plus, here’s a shot of the figure with a DVD to give you a good idea of its size.

FOOTPRINT

WARNING: SHELF HOG
Even with its tail curved up into the air to cut it’s length, this figure is still 19 inches (48.25 cm) long! If your shelves aren’t that deep, you’ll need to pose this guy on an angle (which you’re likely to do anyway). But, if needed, you can subtract 4 to 5 inches off the length if you’re only concerned with keeping his feet inside the edge of the shelf.

If you also have the X-Plus Toho 30cm Series Godzilla 1955 you’ll be pleased to know that you have the option of interlocking it with the Anguirus ’55. I don’t know if it was planned this way or not, but these two figures actually fit pretty damn closely together. Anguirus’ head fits in between Godzilla’s outstretched arms like he’s going for the throat! And Godzilla’s and Anguirus’ arms are all at different heights so they allow for a really close fight!

This kind of set-up is probably only for diehard Godzilla Raids Again fans since it takes up three feet of shelf space.

SUMMARY

The sculpt, likeness, detailing, texture, pose and paint job on the Toho 30cm Series Anguirus 1955 is very, very impressive. No, really. This figure is a fine example of the sort of quality you would expect from X-Plus. And it does wonders to summon up visions from Godzilla Raids Again when gazed upon. It may not be your favorite Anguirus suit, but it is one hell of a figure.

EXTRAS

MORE INFORMATION

By John Stanowski Originally posted July 16th, 2014 on Kaiju Addicts.

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