Full Review: X-Plus Toho 30cm Series Godzilla 1989 Vinyl Figure

5/28/2014

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FIGURE SPECS

東宝30㎝シリーズ「ゴジラ1989」

JAPAN ORIGINAL RELEASE: 2012

JAPAN POLYRESIN RELEASE: 2014

DIAMOND REISSUE: DECEMBER 2014

SERIES: TOHO 30CM SERIES

MATERIAL: SOFT VINYL

FROM: “GODZILLA VS. BIOLLANTE”, 1989
ゴジラVSビオランテ

HEIGHT: 12 INCHES / 30.4 CM

WIDTH (TOE TO TOE): 7.5 INCHES / 19 CM

LENGTH (NOSE TO TAIL): 18.5 INCHES / 46.9 CM

FIGURE WEIGHT: 22 OZ / 623 G

ARTICULATION: JAW

REVIEW AND PHOTOS: JOHN STANOWSKI

The X-Plus Toho 30cm Series Godzilla 1989 vinyl figure was first released in 2012. Slowly but surely, it became scarce, as usual, and aftermarket prices became steep. Some collectors found relief in a polyresin version which was announced, I think, in April. But only 50 were made.

X-Plus released this fan favorite from Godzilla vs. Biollante (1989) again as a Diamond Re-issue in December 2014.

THE BOX

The X-Plus 30cm Godzilla 1989 vinyl figure comes in the usual 30cm plain box with art on the front. Inside the figure is twist-tied into a plastic shell. It comes in two pieces: the main body and the tail. Click here for tips on connecting the tail from Rich Eso.

STANDARD AND RIC BOY
This is the box for the Ric Boy version. You can tell by the presence of the small black sticker under the Godzilla logo. (Click on the photo on the left for a larger view.) The standard box is identical sans the black sticker.

DIAMOND RE-ISSUE
The Diamond Reissue (most likely coming out later this year) should also have the same box, but will come with a small “PX – Previews Exclusive” logo adding in one corner.

SCULPT

It goes without saying that the X-Plus Toho 30cm Series Godzilla 1989 is FREAKING AMAZING and should be in everyone’s collection. X-Plus has made only three Heisei Godzilla’s. The 1984, 1989 and the 1992. All three have their good points. But, if I had to choose a favorite, it would be the ’89.

HEAD
Godzilla 1989 is one of my all-time favorite designs. And the head is a big part of that. It makes him look fierce and powerful and Badass with a capital B. The X-Plus vinyl captures all of that in the head sculpt.

What I find amazing is that the head design is captured so well from every angle.

Some features to note are the piercing yellow eyes, the subtle point on the top of his head, even the texture on the tongue is reproduced with uncanny accuracy. I didn’t remember there being much detail on Godzilla’s tongue, but when I watched the movie again in preparation for this review, I got a good look and, WOW, X-Plus NAILED IT! It’s this super attention to detail that makes so many collectors hold X-Plus with such high regard.

THE JAW
An unusual feature on the 30cm Godzilla 1989 is the hinged jaw which allows you to choose from a semi-closed mouth or a full roar position. While I appreaciate this option, I feel the gaping ventriloquist doll line under the jaw takes away from the near perfect look of this figure. This gap is more visible when the mouth is near closed, so I keep mine open wide.

As usual, the teeth are individually sculpted… both rows of them! By the way, all of the fingers are also individually sculpted and very expressive.

JOINTS & SEAMS

This figure is “mostly” free of visible seams. There are glued, sealed and filled joints at the elbows and below the knees and they’re practically invisible unless you look for them.

The main tail joint is an excellent fit and match. Godzilla’s bulky thighs obscure the sides of this joint and you can see the join only from above, and even then, it’s worked into one of the sculpted tail segments. The tail has two additional “jiggle joints” that aren’t meant to move and they pretty much stay put if you leave them alone. They’re obvious only if you look for them.

The back piece from which the doral fins spring, as usual, looks seamless.

And then there’s the aforementioned hinged jaw which, when not opened all the way, has a very noticeable gap around it.

POSE

Once again, pretty standard stuff in the pose department. And, again, that’s how I like it! One thing I particularly like with this figure’s stance is that the legs are not spread extra wide like so many other X-Plus Godzillas. The stance is more subtle and more movie accurate.

The figure has a slight lean to one side which I like. I feel this makes Godzilla look like he’s lumbering forward, swaying side to side. It’s pretty dynamic, but can only be appreciated from the front.

And, once again, (groan) this figure is leaning so far forward (almost as bad as the 30cm Series Godzilla 1984) that it looks like it’s about to topple over. There’s no danger of that, of course, but it looks really odd and unnatural. Fortunately this can only be UNappreciated from the right side and you’re probably not likely to position it on your shelves like that.

PAINT JOB

The X-Plus Toho 30cm Series Godzilla 1989 has a base coat of that oh-so-awesome asphalt-like, off black which so many other Godzilla figures in the line have. This is first clue you get that your not holding just another toy in your hands but something much, much better. This dusty, dark color looks more realistic than a solid, dark black as often used on toy versions.

HIGHLIGHTS
There a super, super subtle highlight brushed over the chest, neck, arms and legs. So subtle that you really have to look for them. But, subconsciously they will register and give that black skin another layer of realism and detail.

CLAWS AND FINS
The claws at the ends of all four limbs are a smokey, boneish tan graduating to darker shades nearer the “cuticles”. The dorsal fins are a similar color but more on the lighter side. These lighter tones are expertly feathered over the tips of the fins. The smaller “bumps” that run all the way up to almost the top of the head are painted with hard edges while the smaller bumps running down the tail are very soft and “fuzzy” all the way down to the end.

MOUTH
The inside of the mouth is a deep, dark red as are the “cracks” on the tongue. The higher elevations of the tongue are a shade or two lighter; just enough to make the cracked pattern stand out a bit more. This has got to be the best-looking X-Plus tongue after the one on the Gigantic Series Godzilla 2001.

SIZE COMPARISONS

The most obvious comparison to make right away would be with the X-Plus Toho 30cm Series Godzilla 1992.

Size comparison with the X-Plus Godzilla 1964 Japanese Reissue Ric Boy and the X-Plus Godzilla 1999 (2000). The ’89 seems just a bit shorter than the other two, yet still fits in.

And here’s the ’89 with the only Heisei villain in the 30cm Series: Space Godzilla. He’s noticeably shorter. But don’t blame him, SG is supposed to be larger. And this vinyl is probably a bit larger than it should be.

And here’s the 30cm Series version with its Large Monster Series (25cm) counterpart. This photo shows the DeAgostini version with warmer fins.

It’s not in scale with the Large Monster Series Biollante, but I couldn’t pass up this chance to get this big, green beast in front of the camera again. They still make quite a pair.

FOOTPRINT

The X-Plus 30cm Godzilla 1989 vinyl figure is about 18.5 inches long from the tip of the nose to the end of the tail. Take off two inches if you only care about the length from toes to tail.

The tail appears mostly straight but actually has three curves to it. Overall, the tail drifts toward the figure’s right side which means it will fit on the shelf better (if there is a wall at the back) if it faces slightly toward its left. The pose of the legs are ready to accommodate you with this position since the right leg is slightly further back. X-Plus seems to have planned for this to be its best angle.

RIC BOY EXCLUSIVE

The Ric Boy Exclusive version came with a mini Rose Form Biollante. It’s almost 4.5 inches tall.

SUMMARY

Awesome! Awesome! Awesome!

The X-Plus 30cm Godzilla 1989 looks great, looks accurate, has a pretty nice paint job, and few visible seams (apart from the gap around the jaw) and a great pose. This thing has got to be in the Top 5!

EXTRAS

MORE INFORMATION

By John Stanowski Originally posted May 28th, 2014 on Kaiju Addicts.

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