東宝30CMシリーズ GODZILLA ゴジラ(2014) 限定咆哮VER.

​JAPAN ORIGINAL RELEASE: FEBRUARY 2016

​NORTH AMERICAN DIAMOND REISSUE: FEBRUARY 2018

​SERIES: TOHO 30CM SERIES

​MATERIAL: VINYL

​FROM: “GODZILLA”, 2014

HEIGHT: 13 INCHES / 33 CM

​WIDTH: (TOE TO TOE) 8.5 INCHES / 21.5 CM

​LENGTH: (HEAD TO TAIL) 17.5 INCHES / 44.4 CM

​FIGURE WEIGHT: 2LBS, 3OZ / 538 G

​REVIEW AND PHOTOS: © JOHN STANOWSKI

The Toho 30cm Series Godzilla 2014 Roar Version vinyl figure by X-Plus (released February 2016) is mostly the same figure as the original version which was released seven months earlier. But, three key differences warrant its own review.

Here, in this Quick Review, I will discuss the new head sculpt, translucent dorsal spines and nighttime paint scheme. You can get my thoughts on the rest of the figure in the Review for the Original Version.

Unlike its predecessor, this new version of the figure comes in a plain, brown box with only a title and no art. If you are hunting for the Roaring version of this figure, this is what the box looks like. (The original version comes in a box with full color cover art.)

If you need to measure your mail slot to see if this badass will fit through it on Box Day, I’ve added my phone in the shot to give you an idea of how big it is.

Inside, the figure is in two pieces and wired into a plastic shell. You’ll need to connect the tail yourself.

The tail joint is diamond-shaped so you’ll have to leave the “twist” out of the “insert, push and twist” routine when connecting the tail.

RIGGING FOR LIGHT
For those of you interested in rigging this figure with light: you probably can. The fins are already translucent and can let light pass, but they’re not that easy to get to.

In the photos above you can see that the cavity inside the main body does go all the way up to the head, so you’ll be able to reach the topmost fins. Unfortunately, there is a wall along the back blocking access to the fins on the back. If you’re okay with it, you can remove the back fin piece and cut a hole or two through the back wall. Good news is, you’ll have a platform on which to attach your lights before glueing the fins back on.

Note that you DON’T want to remove this wall. This is a big figure and that wall helps keep it stable. Plus, the head attaches to the body with the usual “suction cup”; it’s just been glued and filled. If you remove this back wall, the head won’t be as sturdy.

(NOTE: Do NOT take this apart unless you know what you’re doing!!)

As for the tail, you only have access to the upper half. Special thanks to Chatchai Shane Soychanawattana for the tail joint photos.

The Toho 30cm Series Godzilla 2014 Roar Version has virtually the same sculpt as the first version with the only difference being the head and neck which now extends upward in full roar.

Actually, this is how we first saw this figure when it was teased at Super Festival 67 back in January 2015. An unpainted prototype sat on the X-Plus table with two different heads at this show. And it was the roaring head that sat on the figure while the standard head lie at its feet.

This alternate roaring head sculpt looks awesome and I think it’s almost enough to change the whole feel of the figure.

Funny how this version almost feels like a whole new figure with just a new head sculpt, blue fins and darker paint scheme.

​This figure has the same seam issues that the original had. Ring Around the Shoulders and Ring Around the Neck. I discuss the distraction they cause in the review for the original.

X-Plus hasn’t come out directly and said that this new version has a nighttime paint scheme (like they did previously with the 30cm Series Gigan 1972), but it’s obvious that it does. The figure has an overall darker shade of black; perhaps with a tinge of blue added. Gone is the tan on the belly and under the tail. And gone is the mustard mustache around the mouth. This is kind of what I was expecting to get – colorwise – the first time around.

Dark blue highlights are added all over but you can’t really see them. To the naked eye, the figure looks like it’s all one shade of black (with the exception of the some visible highlights on the sides behind the arms.) My photos above have been slightly exaggerated so that you can see they really are there.

The dorsal fins have been molded in translucent vinyl with a tint of blue to represent the powering up of Godzilla’s atomic breath. Now, it’s REALLY starting to look different!

I’ve heard comments online that the blue fins make the figure look toyish. I can assure you it’s not like that in person. Cameras have a way of exaggerating the blues. Trust me, it looks good in hand.

It looks like they sprayed on a thin coat of white mid-fin before feathering the black color from the skin on the bases.

Note: the blue highlights on the side texture. These are visible to the naked eye.

The paint on the fins is precise and looks fantastic. You can see the effort that went into this figure by looking at the tail where the fins start to become shorter and more spread out.

​And, of course, light can pass through the fins.

MOUTH
One final difference in paint from the original release is the inside of the mouth. Blue has been mixed in for a sort of dark magenta color. Personally, I find this color distracting; it reminds me of nail polish. See for youself in the next photo below…

There’s little difference in the sculpt between the original Toho 30cm Series Godzilla 2014 (left) and the Roaring version (right).

This figure is hot and I give it 4 1/3 Rads out of 5. You’ll want to wear a radiation suit while handling it.

It has a fantastic sculpt that represents the 2014 design very faithfully and also captures the CGI monster’s personality in the pose. The blue fins are exciting and the tail joint is fairly well hidden.

It still has, however, a distracting intersection of seams around the neck and shoulders. It also could have done with more highlights to counter the sea of black that it is now.

Bad points aside, it’s an OUTSTANDING likeness. I’m really glad that I got it, even though I already had the original version. I now keep one with my collection, and another in my office.

​​By John Stanowski Originally posted February 10th, 2016​ on Kaiju Addicts.

東宝大怪獣シリーズ 「ゴジラ1995」 少年リック限定版

​JAPAN ORIGINAL RELEASE: SEPTEMBER 2015

​SERIES: LARGE MONSTER SERIES

​MATERIAL: VINYL

​FROM: “GODZILLA VS. DESTROYAH”, 1995
ゴジラVSデストロイア

HEIGHT: 10.75 INCHES / 27.3 CM

​WIDTH: (TOE TO TOE) 7.5 INCHES / 19.05 CM

​LENGTH: (HEAD TO TAIL) 15 INCHES / 38.1 CM

​FIGURE WEIGHT: 1.5 LBS / 680 G

​REVIEW AND PHOTOS: © JOHN STANOWSKI

The Toho Large Monster Series Godzilla 1995 by X-Plus was released in September 2015, not with the expected accolades and praise but with controversy and sometimes even ire. The main reason for this was a muddled head sculpt, so smothered in paint that it more resembled an inexpensive Bandai figure than a high-end X-Plus. I admit I was one of the first to get really disappointed.

But, so much of the Large Monster Series Burning Godzilla is good. REALLY good. That’s why I was so pissed off at that face peering at me from inside the box. Why did something so good have to get ruined with that face? I’ve since found that I just had to get over it and focus on the positive.

I’m kind of over it. It is what it is. There is still a LOT to like about it. And, it’s not like we’re getting another DesuGoji any time soon. So if you want Burning Godzilla in your collection — your proper, movie-accurate collection — you’ll have to pick this one up.

I’m glad I did.

I’ve been waiting for an X-Plus Burning Godzilla to come out since I started collecting. Yes, they did release a Gigantic Series version but that doesn’t really count, at least not to me. The Gigantic version is overly stylized and not modeled with the movie accuracy that X-Plus is so well known for and what I mainly want to collect. I wanted a Burning Godzilla that would fit in with the rest of my ‘accurate’ figure collection.

So, let’s now review the good, the bad and the ugly on this figure.

The figure is too large to fit into the standard Large Monster Series window box and so, instead, comes to you in a larger, white blind box with monochromatic art on the front. As usual, the tail comes as a separate piece which you’ll need to attach. New collectors: check out Rich Eso‘s “Squishy Soft” video to see how it’s done.

If you got the Ric Boy exclusive version, then you’ll find your “battery box” wired into the plastic shell below the tail. The round, orange sticker on the front let’s you know you’re lookin’ at a Ric.

​Let’s set aside the soft features on the head for now and take a look at what else we get: a really AWESOME sculpt of Burning Godzilla. I just paused writing this to pick it up and give it a good look. I just don’t know what to say about it that I haven’t said a hundred times before. I’m trying not to repeat the same old thing: ‘It looks like it walked right out of the movie’.

Oh, the hell with. It DOES look like it walked right out the movie!

THE HEAD
Hmmm. Well… hmmm. I don’t know what to say that you can’t already see for yourself. The head sculpt looks good from some angles and not as good from others. Some collectors have complained that the cheeks are too puffy. I tend to agree when looking at it from certain angles. Yet at the same time I can find the same “puffiness” in photos from the movie. This figure just has a way of making the puffy bits puffier.

It would be easier to judge the head sculpt if the face wasn’t so smothered in that thick light-blocking paint.

SPINES
Here’s a dorsal fin comparison. A shot from the movie on the left and the X-Plus sculpt on the right. I invite you to look any fin and compare EACH spike on that fin. I think you’ll find the “spirit” of each spike, it’s direction, angle, etc. are matched on the figure. Holy shit! Who the hell gets THAT precise?

X-Plus does.

This is yet another example of how X-Plus delivers more accuracy than you can ever hope for compared with other lines.

Love the pose. It’s standard and subtle; just the way I like it. The front claws are done so well they seem like they’re actually moving. The tail is expressive and gives the impression that it’s getting jerked by that invisible Toho wire.

The pose looks GREAT from all angles.

​(Don’t forget to click on the photos for a larger view.)

The only free joint on this figure is where the tail gets attached and I’m pleased to report that you can hardly see that connection after it’s been put together. In fact, I just picked it up to try to locate the joint and couldn’t find it right away. I actually had to look at photos I had taken of the figure still in the box to see exactly where the tail attaches, which is not near the body but almost half the way down.

Glued joints can be found under both shoulders and below both knees. Unfortunately, the sealed joints above the biceps do stand out in a tight-string-around-the-finger sort of way. The knee joints are almost invisible thanks to the baggy folds of skin above them.

I can’t find any seams around the jaw or head. And the seams on both sides of the back piece which holds the dorsal fins are equally cloaked with perfect fits. If it weren’t for those shoulder joints, I’d say this is one of the most seamless figures they’ve ever put out.

​As usual, and for the benefit of new collectors: this figure has a base coat of a dusty, off-black color which looks PERFECT. Too often lower end Godzilla toys and figures are too dark and toyish looking. The asphalt black on this figure looks GOOD and is a complement to the realistic sculpt. I have to mention, though, that this off black can come off a little shiny on the head and torso. This is no doubt because these areas are made of translucent vinyl. I don’t know if the change in material is causing this, or if they used a different kind of paint (more likely) which has the ability to block the Ric light gimmick on the inside.

There are easy-to-miss subtle highlights on the side of the tail and possibly on the sides behind the arms. (It’s hard to tell with the shinier paint there.)

The claws and toes are painted with a tannish, bony color which feathers into the black fingers and toes well. This bony color looks good, but seems a bit too bright for my taste. Then again, I think that’s true of ALL the X-Plus Godzilla figures.

Soft ashy whites are added to the smaller dorsal “bumps” from the middle of the tail down. This color is also expertly applied to the small row of fins rising up the back on both sides of the larger fins. Again, very un-toylike and a big part of why X-Plus is so, so good.

The tongue and the inside of the mouth are a dark, reserved red and those teeth… HOLY SHIT! The teeth are probably the most impressive part of this figure’s paint applications. Each TINY, individually sculpted tooth is painted an off white which meets the gums PERFECTLY. I don’t see how it’s humanly possible for this to be done by humans on an assembly line. WOW! No, really. F’N WOW! Scroll back up to the Head section to see what I mean. Keep in mind those photos are extreme close-ups.

Now, I’ve saved the best for last…

FIERY PATCHES
The X-Plus Burning Godzilla’s burning patches look IN-FREAKING-CREDIBLE and are made possible with a technique I first saw used on the S.H.MonsterArts version, and then again on the X-Plus Gigantic Series Godzilla 1995. Translucent material is used on the body and painted yellow and orange from the INSIDE. The colors from the inside show through while the surface is clear enough for light to refract through the sculpted texture. Dark, opaque paint in added on the outside to confine the effect to the signature patches as seen in the movie. The effect in ingenious and amazing.

The same technique was used on the dorsal fins. They don’t look as cool as the patches on the front, but X-Plus has managed to get them to look ALMOST EXACTLY, colorwise, as they do in the movie. Scroll back up and take another look at that fin comparison above!

I don’t usually have a “Size” section on my reviews but this figure has made it necessary due to its unexpected larger size.

It’s part of the Large Monster Series and should level off around 25cm (9.8 inches) but instead it reaches up to 27.3 cm (10.75 inches)! But WHY?

I have to assume that X-Plus needed more room to work with when installing all of the lights for the Ric Boy versions. I’m still not sure how I feel about that move, though. I am a scale freak and I want everything IN SCALE! I want all of the Godzilla’s on my Large Monster Series shelves to line up at the heads. That is just one (but an important one) of the most important things that make the collection to me.

Granted, I (we) should be used to and prepared for minor discrepancies like this since a full third of the 30cm Series figures are too short. At least this figure is taller than it should be instead of shorter. One could also argue that Burning Godzilla was technically significantly taller having shot up to 100 meters near the end of the Heisei series’ third installment Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah. Okay: small consolation. But consolation nonetheless. Until you realize that most of the Showa Godzilla’s were only 50 meters tall.

In the end my solution was just to get the hell over it. Like I said, at least it’s BIGGER than it should be.

Let’s move on and see just how much bigger this guy is…

Before we get to the most obvious size comparison (with the Large Monster Series Destoroyah), let’s take a quick look at a shot from Godzilla vs. Destoroyah.

​As you can see, Destoroyah is a good deal larger than Godzilla.

I’d say these two scale up perfectly. (Keep in mind that Destoroyah’s head is tilted up in the screenshot and lower in the figure shot.)

By the way: check out the UNCANNY resemblance between the top of Godzilla’s head in both the screenshot and on the figure. The slope of the forehead and nose are captured so perfectly on the figure that it’s almost scary. Now, THAT’S why we collect these!

Side by side comparisons. (Don’t forget to click on the photos for larger views.)

The Large Monster Series Godzilla 1995 (100 meters) is actually kinda close to how much taller than he really should be compared to the Large Monster Series Godzilla 1989 (80 meters) on the left. However, the Large Monster Series Godzilla 2001 (60 meters) reaches up higher than the ’89. We’re just going to have to accept that the heights on X-Plus figures can go up and down.

Here, the Large Monster Series Godzilla 1995 is flanked on the left by Godzilla 1989 and Godzilla 1991 from the Toho 30cm Series Yuji Sakai Modelling Collection, which are both short for 30’s. So, here we have an overly tall Large Monster Series figure leveling off with two short 30cm Series figures. That’s actually kind of cool in a way.

​Here’s a size comparison with the Gigantic Series Godzilla 1995. I often hear collectors say that there’s no need for this Large Monster Series version when one has the Gigantic. That doesn’t work for me, though, since the GBG is so utterly stylized. Movie accuracy is more important to me. And my collection as a whole is, too. I’m absolutely glad this figure in my collection standing with the other movie-accurate 25’s.

Here’s a size comparison with other recent and somewhat recent releases specifically for new collectors. Left to right: Large Monster Series Mechagodzilla 1975 (this is vinyl, but the RMC version is more recent), 30cm Series Godzilla 2014, Gigantic Series Sakai Godzilla 1999, Large Monster Series Ultraman 1966-1967 C-Type Appearance Pose and the 1968 Manda and Mothra DAM set in the front.

The Toho Large Monster Series Godzilla 1995 by X-Plus is 15 inches long from nose to tail and takes up a tad more room than other Godzilla’s in the same line. The tail curls in toward the figure’s left side making it a little easier to fit on the shelf.

The Ric Boy exclusive version of this figure comes with a light-up feature. And of all the light-features put out so far, this figure is surely one of the most deserving, if not THE most deserving.

Plug in the power and all of Godzilla’s fiery patches, dorsal fins and eyes go ablaze with light. Well, sort of. It’s not really that bright. But I like it exactly the way it is. It’s subtle and not overbearing. Too often, light gimmicks are way, way too bright. This one’s just right.

It’s still a shame, though, that we had to trade in crisper facial features for this light feature.

A nitpick: the eyes on this figure light completely opposite the way they do in the movie. Here the pupils are dark and swim in lit whites. But in the movie, it should be the other way around, with blazing pupils and dark whites. Honestly, though, I don’t think there was much X-Plus could have done about this since the pupils here are likely light-blocking decals.

This photo was shot with a long exposure to make the light appear brighter in order to make it clear where the light was coming from, how the paint laid over it and the potential for leaks.

The eyes on my figure are not evenly lit as the right one is noticeably dimmer than the left. Not all figures are like this though. Some collectors have told me that the eyes on their figure are even.

Another peeve: note how hot the lights are at the base of the dorsal fins, and how dim they are up higher where it matters more.

LIGHT LEAKS
The glow from inside can leak though in areas which didn’t get a thick enough coat of light-blocking paint. Look closely at the photo above. You can see speckled light leaks on the face, neck, etc.

​The light feature is powered with an external “battery box” which plugs into the back of the left leg.

Note that with this figure we now have a box much larger than we’re used to. This new design first appeared with the X-Plus Bandai Exclusive Large Monster Series Biollante.

I liked the older, smaller boxes better. But, I suppose more batteries and a bigger box to house them is needed here.

This figure comes with a sculpted “plug” to cover the power jack when not in use. A nice new touch which X-Plus began implementing with the Yuji Sakai Modelling Collection Godzilla 1989.

BE CAREFUL that you don’t loose this piece! It can fall out easily and disappear when you move the figure.

The Toho Large Monster Series Godzilla 1995 has a lot going for it. Crazy accurate body sculpt, larger size and wicked burning patch effects.

But it also has a lot going against it. Very soft facial features due to over thick paint which doesn’t even manage to prevent light leaks.

If it weren’t for these issues, I’d give this figure 4.5 Rads. I almost feel like I still want to rate it that way because I’m so glad it’s finally on my shelf. But in order to more accurately rate this for the collecting community, I’d say this figure is only warm at 3 out of 5 Rads. So much potential lost on this one.

Still. I’m beyond glad that I have one. 99% of the time, I see this figure facing off Destoroyah on my shelf unit, too far away to notice the soft face sculpt. (…but I know it’s there! AARGH!)

By John Stanowski, Originally posted February 7th, 2016 on Kaiju Addicts.

​大怪獣シリーズ 「ウルトラマン Cタイプ」 登場ポーズ

​JAPAN ORIGINAL RELEASE: APRIL 2015

​SERIES: LARGE MONSTER SERIES

MATERIAL: VINYL​

​FROM: “ULTRAMAN”, 1966-1967

​HEIGHT: (ARM TO FLOOR) ABOUT 10.75 INCHES / 27.3 CM

​HEIGHT: (HEAD TO FLOOR) 10 / 25.4 CM

​FIGURE WEIGHT: 3 OZ / 85 G

​ARTICULATION: ANKLES

​REVIEW AND PHOTOS: © JOHN STANOWSKI

​X-Plus has provided Ultraman fans with multiple releases of the original 1966 titan of light from Nebula M78. Each release featured our hero in a different iconic pose. The wrestling pose, a standing pose and, of course, the Spacium Ray pose. For years I wondered when the hell were they going to get around to the Appearance Pose?

It finally appeared in February 2015 as a pre-order and hit shelves a month later. And it’s freaking awesome!

This figure comes in the standard Large Monster Series Ultraman 1966-1996 Collection off white window box. Ultraman figures from shows post ’96 come in a darker box (blue, I think). As usual, the figure is wire-tied into a plastic shell inside. (I’ll try to add a photo of the box later!)

​As usual, X-Plus Ultraman vinyls have super realistic and accurate sculpts that set them well apart from vinyls from most other companies. And this figure is no exception.

I’ve always been amazed at how good these things look. And, while X-Plus makes the same attempt at realism with their Godzilla and Kaiju figures, extra credit must be awarded for accomplishing that with Ultraman. There’s just a lot less room for error when it comes to this guy. And, X-Plus comes through and EXCELS with it. In my earlier reviews, I was fond of saying that X-Plus figures look like they literally walked off the screen. I find the need to say it again with this figure. If you were to light it just right, photograph it and composite it into a photo, it really would be difficult to tell if you were looking at a vinyl or the real thing.

Always a nice touch on X-Plus Ultras: the eyes are molded in translucent plastic which is segmented on the outside and painted white on the inside. This allows the light to create patterns of refraction on the inner, painted surface. The effect looks great!

​The ridge running down Ultraman’s back (which hid the suit’s zipper from view) is reproduced so faithfully on this figure. This is actually one of my favorite details to look for on new X-Plus Ultraman figures.

Ridges for the zippers on the suit’s boots are also found perfectly sculpted on this figure.

One minor downside to the sculpt on this figure (as on all X-Plus Ultras) is the lack of individually sculpted fingers. When compared to the attention the rest of the figure has received, the hands are not as impressive. I think it would have been a nice touch if X-Plus had applied a darker wash into the groves between the fingers to help out in this, this only weak area of the sculpt. But, NOT complaining at all. I’m still floored that we can get Ultraman figures with such a super-high level of accuracy.

For those who are not blessed (cursed?) with an obsession for the original Ultraman, this is his appearance pose.

Science Patrol member Shin Hiyata would reach into his breast pocket with his right hand and pull out the beta capsule, hold it up in the air and transform into Ultraman. When he appeared, he would be in the same position with his right hand in the air. Unlike Hiyata, Ultraman also has his left arm curled upward as if flexing a muscle.

Preparing to battle kaiju, Step One: Intimidation. Show off that bicep.

​Seams. Yes, ouch. Unfortunately there are always clear seams on the shoulders of every X-Plus Ultraman figure. We’ll just have to look past that. It is a vinyl, after all.

Other than that, nothing really noticeable. Ever. On any of them.

I should point out that the ankles have articulation as do all X-Plus Ultraman figures. This is really helpful if you plan to have your figure stand on its own instead of using the accompanying base. A slight twist on each ankle is very helpful when trying to find balance.

Finally, there is what appears to be a faint seam running around the waist. But hold on there. That was etched into the sculpt in order to reproduce a real seam on the real suit. X-Plus’ attention to accurate detail never fails to amaze.

​There’s not much going on here since Ultraman is basically just silver and red. And in the case of this particular figure, those colors are noticeably brighter than on previous X-Plus Ultraman figures. The red is “redder” and cleaner. And the silver is brighter and shinier. Why? Because this is the appearance pose. He’s only just arrived and has no dirt or debris over him yet. That logic doesn’t really work very well, since the suit got beat up as the episodes went on. I just like to consider this figure the “first” appearance of the C-Type suit.

The only other color on this figure comes from the molded blue plastic color timer on his chest and the translucent eyes I mentioned earlier.

​Here, Ultraman stands among some of his foes. A selection of Ultra kaiju from X-Plus’ Reborn flavor. Left to right: Large Monster Series Red King Reborn, Bemular Reborn, Baltan 1 Reborn and Gomora Reborn.

Reborns are newer sculpts to replace previous X-Plus releases. They are larger than original sculpts, yet still no match for Ultraman’s taller and out-of-scale height. I just don’t get why X-Plus does this. Apparently, they think our hero needs to be taller than the bad guys, and taller than he was on the show.

Ultraman seems like a good fit for this selection of Toho Large Monster Series figures. Left to right: Godzilla 1968, Mechagodzilla 1975, Godzilla 1966 and Hedorah (Landing Stage). Even though he looks good on the shelf besides these, technically he’s a bit taller to be in proper scale with them.

Here is a size comparison with other figures which were released around the same time as this one (left to right): The 30cm Series Yuji Sakai Modelling Collection Godzilla 1991, Large Monster Series Mothra 1964 and the 30cm Series Godzilla 2014. He actually looks to be in scale with that ’91.

​If you’re new to X-Plus but already an Ultraman collector, here’s the figure with some figures from other lines you may already have. Left to right: Ultra-Act Ultraman (the new one), a Bandai and the CCP Type C. (By the way, if you ever order an Ultraman figure from CCP and you get a choice to go for Orange or Red, get the Orange. Their red is too dark while the orange looks perfect.)

​This figure barely even has a footprint. Unless you use the base which seems to be wider than it need be. Making room for this guy on the shelf: not a problem.

​The Exclusive Ric Boy version of this feature comes with a light gimmick which make the figures eyes glow white, and his color timer blue. Usually, Ric Boy’s come with two modes for the color timer: steady blue and blinking red for when his power is running low. This figure, however, only comes with the steady blue. Which, if you think about it, makes perfect sense seeing as how he’s only just “appeared”. He hasn’t even had a chance to run low on power, so no blinky blinky on this one.

​While Ultraman gets his power from Earth’s sun, the figure gets it from the base. A port under the figure’s right foot let’s it step onto the plug on the top of the base. A switch on the back of the base controls the light.

​This figure has an amazing, accurate sculpt, great paint applications and features the second most famous Ultraman pose of all time. How could you not be excited about this one? Four and a half rads on the Rad Meter!

​By John Stanowski Originally posted January 8th, 2016 on Kaiju Addicts.

I don’t usually review the cheap stuff, but the recently released Rodan 1993 Figural Vinyl Bank by Diamond Select Toys keeps catching my eye. I got the urge to talk about it so here I am with my third “Not X-Plus, But…” figure review.

Standing a little over 9 inches (22cm) tall, Diamond’s Rodan bank has a wingspan of about 15 inches (38cm). It’s very sturdy and is very stable standing on its own.

Sculpt-wise, it totally captures the essence of the Heisei Rodan from 1993’s Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II. I wouldn’t say it’s perfect, though. The torso seems a bit wide. Because of that, and it’s lack of good detail, I’d have to say it may be considered slightly stylized.

Being an X-Plus collector and a realism buff, I originally dismissed this “bank” when I first saw it. But, seeing as how Rodan 1993 is totally unrepresented in my collection, I got one. What the hell? It’s only SRP $29.99.

It was when I walked passed it a few times today that it started to catch my eye. Rodan 1993! I got a little tinge of excitement even though this figure is pretty crude when compared to the X-Plus quality which I’ve become accustomed to. But, I love seeing that Heisei Rodan head when I walk by it! But, that gappy seam at the base of the neck bugs me.

And then I remember, this is a bank. You can insert coins into a slot on the figure’s back and retrieve them by removing the head.

Why the hell anyone would want to save a fist full of coins in a Rodan figure is beyond me. I can’t help thinking that turning a figure into a “bank” somehow puts it into it’s own licensing category or something, and thus the only way Diamond could make these.

The head is on fairly snug but will give way with a slight back and forth tug. Note: when you receive your Diamond Select Rodan Bank, the gap under the head may be much more pronounced than you see in this mini review. That’s just because the factory didn’t insert them on all the way. You can easily tweak it on tighter after you de-bag and de-tag it.

But, be careful when you do! Rodan’s beak and head “spikes” are fairly sturdy, strong and sharp. Keep this in mind if you plan on giving it to your kid as a “Don’t Touch Daddy’s X-Plus, Touch This Instead” figure.

​The Diamond Select Rodan 1993 Vinyl Bank is around about the same size as the two Showa Large Monster Series Rodan figures by X-Plus. Here you see it with the Large Monster Series Rodan 1956. If you don’t mind mixed quality on your shelves and scale is not an issue for you, then this bank would look good in your 25cm series collection.

Serendipitously, this bank is almost in scale with the X-Plus 30cm Series. Seen here with the X-Plus 30cm Series Godzilla 1992 (closest relative available from X-Plus), Rodan is a bit taller than he need be to be in scale with Godzilla. Remember, Rodan was a little guy in 1993.

So, again, if you don’t mind mixed quality on your shelves, this bank is an “okay” fit with your X-Plus 30’s. And, don’t forget: as mentioned in my Gee Okamoto Interview, X-Plus plans to begin work on a Mechagodzilla 1993 figure next year!

This thing makes me HUNGRY for an X-Plus version. For now, this will have to do.

The Rodan 1993 Figural Vinyl Bank may be subpar for X-Plus and resin kit purists, but if your collection is a bit more eccentric, this thing is pretty damn nice. Especially for the low SRP of $29.99.

Please note that this bank is seen here in somewhat dramatic lighting and won’t look as good out of the bag… unless you apply your own dramatic lighting.

Just released, you can grab this thing practically everywhere. You’d do best to find one at a local comic store so you don’t have to worry about dishing out an extra $10 or so for shipping.

By John Stanowski Originally posted December 24th, 2015​ on Kaiju Addicts.

東宝30CMシリーズ 「ゴジラ（2014）」

​JAPAN ORIGINAL RELEASE: JULY 2015

​NORTH AMERICAN DIAMOND REISSUE: JUNE 2017

​SERIES: TOHO 30CM SERIES

MATERIAL: VINYL​

​FROM: “GODZILLA”, 2014

​HEIGHT: (HEAD TO FLOOR) ABOUT 12.75 INCHES / 32.3 CM, (TAIL TO FLOOR) 14.5 / 36.8 CM

​WIDTH: (FOOT TO FOOT) 8 INCHES / 20.3 CM

​LENGTH (NOSE TO TAIL): ABOUT 17.5 INCHES / 44.4 CM

​FIGURE WEIGHT: 2 LBS 4 OZ / 1020 G

​REVIEW AND PHOTOS: © JOHN STANOWSKI

The Toho 30cm Series Godzilla 2014 vinyl figure by X-Plus was released in Japan in July of 2015. It’s 12 3/4 inches tall from the top of the head down with a tail that reaches almost two inches higher. This looked cool as hell right out of the box, and after having spent so much time with it for this review, I’ve come to like it even more. I do have a few nitpicks, but they’re not enough to kill the excitement of adding this AWESOME vinyl to my collection.

​First, I have to mention that the size of the box is a lot larger than I expected. Because of G’14’s long, curling tail, the box is about 150% wider than usual. Below the 2014 box are a couple other of other boxes from somewhat recent releases.

The box sports a new cover design. Unlike X-Plus’ last attempt at new art (for the Sakai’s), this design is pretty freaking cool. If you’re shopping for this online, or you find this on a store shelf, this is what the box for the Standard Version looks like. If you’re after the RIC BOY version, the box is the same except that the RIC has a round, yellow sticker on it. Inside, as usual, the figure is nested in a plastic shell in two pieces: body and tail.

​ADDING THE TAIL

Hmm. Looks like we’ve got a diamond-shape thing going on here. That means not much twisting is possible when attaching it. Fortunately, adding the tail on this guy isn’t as bad as it looks. Just make sure you keep the tail end cool and/or hard while you soften up the butt with a hair dryer. You may have to soften it up more than usual since the leg joints are close to the hole which makes that area a bit less pliable even when heated. Also, note where the back fins meet the tail that there are two layers of vinyl which will restrict movement even more. As Rich Eso always says, “Make it Squishy Soft.”

Even though you can’t fully twist this tail on, you can wiggle a little bit back and forth while you try to get the tail flange securely in the hole and not bunched up. Collectors are reporting this task as both easy and difficult. Make sure it’s easy for you and get that hole on the body really warm and soft first.

Sad to say that this tail joint, like the Gigantic Series Godzilla 1995, leaves a little bit of a gap. It sort of looks like it’s not properly on but I think that’s just the way it fits due to all of the pieces which intersect at this joint. If you see this gap, just push again a little harder, wiggle it back and forth a little and then push even more. When that gap is mostly gone, PUT IT DOWN and let the body cool around the tail while it’s snug. You might also want to try running the joint under cold water to harden the figure while pressing the tail in.

Before you do all of that though, take a look inside the figure and see how it was assembled. You’ll note that both arms and legs have joints the same as the tail (with the only difference being that they were glued and filled after assembly). Knowing this now, you might want to avoid lifting the figure up by grabbing just an arm or a leg.

​And now, the figure:

First let me say this: HOLY HELL! THIS FIGURE IS AWESOME!

Next, I’ve only had a little over a year of seeing this Godzilla in action so I haven’t memorized every nook and cranny of the design. I’m relying more on the “image” of this Godzilla in my mind from seeing the movie about 6 or 7 times (often fast forwarding past most of the Aaron Taylor-Johnson scenes and many of the Serizawa gawking / having assistant speak all of his lines scenes (rant over)). And based on the Godzilla 2014 in my mind, this X-Plus sculpt is a Home Run. Well, mostly anyway.

Kaiju-sized kudos to X-Plus for accomplishing such a complex sculpt! Think about it. All Godzilla designs in the past have been suits made by hand. And nothing against them (I love them), but they didn’t really take that long to design and build. But, this guy…

This guy needed to have a plausible animal design to satisfy mainstream audiences while at the SAME TIME needing to appease US as well as 50 years of history! That’s a tall order. This design was pored over. And over and over. There were separate people nailing down the design on every part of his body. The scales alone had 4 CGI artists working for almost 6 months to get all of those textures looking the way they do now. That’s not animating or rendering; that’s just designing!

What I’m saying is, every little part of this design was tweaked and tweaked and tweaked to perfection (or their idea of it). With so many people working on every part of this design, it’s bound to be more complex. The texture of the skin alone is complex changing from square scales to boney plates to pointy scales, etc.

So what’s left for X-Plus’ sculptors to do? Nail every part of this complicated design in clay and vinyl. And, I think they did just that.

I compared this X-Plus figure to NECA’s 24-Inch Head-to-Tail articulated figure which was created using CGI information right from the monster’s 3D model. I used NECA’s figure as a roadmap to the 2014 design and compared the X-Plus to it. And get this: TONS of details, some down to particular scales and fins, are extremely similar — even down to the spacing between these features! X-Plus absolutely took their time and looked at every square inch and replicated it.

What this means is the Toho 30cm Series Godzilla 2014 vinyl figure has crazy-accurate detail far beyond the point with which you’re even aware of! So, just know this: this figure has a whole level of accuracy which you can’t even see. Now, that makes me feel good. I really, really like knowing that the 2014 sitting on my shelf right now is the shit. Once again, X-Plus proves it’s worthy of our devotion.

Ah, the front view. Not crazy about the front view. But that’s a design issue, not a sculpt issue. In fact, I’m not crazy about the front view on this X-Plus sculpt almost exactly as much as I’m not crazy about the front view seen in the movie. So, I reckon’ X-Plus did a devilishly good job of recreating this design in vinyl.

​And here we have the flank. Once again, it’s a dead-ringer for the “real” thing, yah? Or maybe… it’s a bit fat? I know this design is intentionally fat, but… I don’t know. I think maybe this sculpt is a tad more bloated than it should be. Look at this photo of a comparison between it and the CGI-derived NECA. Keep in mind that the NECA is shorter. What do you think?

THE HEAD
Impressive. Most impressive. I’m not a huge fan of the snouty look on the 2014, but I’m getting used to it. And now I can get used to it with my X-Plus figure because it’s a great replica. I’m totally impressed by the tiny eyes and tiny INDIVIDUALLY SCULPTED teeth. Granted, in close-up photos the teeth can look a bit rounded but… they’re TINY. You don’t see that rounding normally. With the naked eye they look FANTASTIC. I give them an A+. Also note the individually sculpted tongue. Yet another awesome perk feature from X-Plus.

Oh. Not very happy with that mustardy overspray around the mouth. It’s on a bit thick. But, I’ll save the bitchin’ for the Paint Job Section.

​Great googly moogly! LOOK at that! I freaking LOVE those crocodilian features on the back of the head so reminiscent of the GMK design (which also lended its “gills”). And they look crazy good on this figure.

Not overly nuts about the wildly diverse and “leafy” patterns hugging the sides of the fins. But my opinion aside, X-Plus nailed those, too.

They also nailed the dorsal fins.

All hail X-Plus!

​X-Plus says that this pose is right out of the movie, though I’m not sure which scene it came from. It certainly looks like a well-captured standard G’2014 look. And it’s neutrality is a big plus, at least for me. Extreme poses, like the one on that Sideshow statue kind of limit your interpretation of the piece. This pose here… looks good for all occasions.

One little thing I’d like to nitpick on is the position of the tail. It swoops up into the air, no doubt to make room for the figure to fit into an already large box. Thing is, at some angles it sort of reminds me of a scorpion or something. The tail looks alive and ready to stab like one of Iris’ tentacles. Fortunately, you don’t get this vibe when the figure is facing mostly forward.

And one last thing I just noticed which shows the insane amount of attention this figure got: About 3 or 4 inches away from the very tip of the tail is a super slight kink. Almost looks like this Godzilla got his tail slammed in a door when he was a pup. This kink is right out of the movie. Remember right before the bridge scene when Godzilla’s tail towered out of the water over the battleship? You can see this kink there clearly. And now, thanks to mammoth OCD from X-Plus, it’s on the figure, too.

X-Plus… more than meets the eye.

​There are no “working” joints on this figure. But, that’s not how the figure started. As I mentioned earlier in the Tail section, peering inside the figure reveals that both arms and legs are attached to the body in the same exact way the tail is. The only difference being that the joints were glued and the remaining seams filled and painted over. Now, collectors seem to be generally happy with this figure as far as seams go. And, I hate to be a whiner, but, I need to do it anyway.

These seams on the legs are hidden only fairly well within the creases and texture of the sculpt. The arms, however, are not so well concealed. With nothing in the sculpt to help hide them, and a flat texture in that area, the arm seams have no choice but to reveal themselves. To me, I see them every time I look at the figure. It’s the fact that I keep reminding myself that this is a vinyl, and this is how vinyl’s can be, which is preventing me from actually getting annoyed with this.

Not helping matters, these over-the-shoulder seams work in concert with the lower neck seam to create a cacophony of lines concentrated in too tight a space. This group of lines together make a sort of tank top pattern with a loop under the neck and around both shoulders. Sigh. At least that lower neck seam isn’t as deep as it was in the early production photos.

There are other filled seams traveling away from the corners of the mouth, and down the side of the neck before angling to loop around the lower neck. This is all a separate piece. the lower jaw itself may actually be yet another separate piece, but if it is, it’s well hidden.

As we’ve seen from the Tail Section, the tail is actually several pieces. Most notably the final segment. I don’t really detect any seams here. But the tail joint itselfisn’t very snug and leaves a gap.

The back dorsal fins are sculpted onto a separate piece of vinyl which is glued onto the back which, as we’ve already seen from the Tail Section, actually has a wall there for added support. Seams running laterally along this piece are fairly well hidden. However, on my figure at least, I have a couple of tiny holes from either a poor fit or a poor filling job. (the same sort of holes which are common on the 30cm Series Gorosaurus 1967). I really didn’t even notice them though until I took the figure out under the sun to get a good look at the paint job. So, if you’ve got them too, they’re probably not very noticeable.

​When photos of the X-Plus Godzilla 2014 first started appearing online, I began to panic. Many photos showed an overly vibrant and gaudy belly glowing in bright yellows. If you’ve seen these shots as well, rest assured: what you’re seeing is just crazy phone camera tricks.

In hand, the figure has a very subtle paint scheme. The unsaturated yellows (or tans) on the chest spread out onto the insides of the arms and legs and traverses almost the entire length of the bottom of the tail. This touch of color is pretty much the only thing added over the flat, asphalt black base coat. Very un-toylike, very cool, very X-Plus.

I’m especially glad this yellowish highlight is so subtle because, honestly, I didn’t even know why it was there in the first place. I don’t remember seeing this ‘yellow streak’ in the movie. And, I was perplexed when I saw it coming out on other toys like the S.H. MonsterArts, Bandai and NECA figures. It turns out this coloring is present on Gareth Edwards original maquette as seen below on a page from the book Godzilla The Art of Destruction.

​Okay, so the yellow is on the maquette. But I still don’t remember seeing it in the movie. Do you see any dominant yellow highlights contrasting the black in the shot below? (Keep in mind this is a warm, yellowish shot.)

​How about here?

I’m not seeing it. I appreciate the fact that it’s “supposed” to be there. But, it just doesn’t show well in the CGI. So I guess what I’m saying is that I wish this coloring was a bit more subdued, as in almost not even there. ESPECIALLY around the snout. Surrounding the mouth is a gaudy spray of the same yellowish color applied to the chest. And there is far too much of it. Again, yes, it’s on the maquette. But I don’t pop the maquette into my DVD player every now and then. The only one who sees that maquette is Gareth Edwards who, I think, got to take it home.

All in all, I’m not against the yellow. They do add a little something to the figure. I just wish there were less of it. Especially around the mouth. If I ever get the nerve to try to find a black paint which matches the figure, I just might drybrush over it.

OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
Lighter shades of the black bring new meaning to word “subtle”. Sparingly applied over the higher elevations on the sculpt, these are true highlights in that they are no doubt meant to use brightness in order to mimic light hitting some of the peaks on the skin texture in the sculpt. They are applied mostly on the sides of the legs and can also be easily seen on the top and sides of the head. You have to really look for them on other parts of the vinyl. But they are there. Seems a lot of effort went into applying a nearly invisible shift in color. Kudos to X-Plus for making that effort. This figure wasn’t just churned out of the paint department. They really worked on it.

EYES
The eyes are freakishly tiny on this 30cm Series figure. And, get this, they measure LESS than 1/32 of an inch! And yet, somehow, they managed to add color there without “going out of the lines”. On top of that: they managed to paint ULTRA SMALL black dots to represent the pupils and irises. Once again: AMAZING effort and attention to detail.

MOUTH INTERIOR & TEETH
The mouth interior has a medium, unsaturated red/pink coat which is just enough color to make it look… mouthy, and yet not toyish.

Now the teeth… WOW. I’ve already gone into how TINY the individually sculpted teeth are. But, can you imagine the nightmare it would be for one to paint those? And to paint them realistically? Well, they’ve gone and done just that. They are colored with a bony tan with dabs of overly bright white added to make them stand out. Now, usually I am against bright whites on teeth as they are too bold and unrealistic and toyish. But these practically microscopic dabs of bright white blur into the surrounding colors when viewed by the naked eye. Again, highlights done right. Now you may see photos of the teeth and think that perhaps they look gunky in a Sakai ’89 sort of way, but keep in mind you don’t stand a chance of seeing the same thing with your naked eyes as a good camera close-up could. All in all, teeth are painted surprisingly well.

CLAWS
The claws on the hands are painted fully with an orangeish, bony tan. Very subtle, yet they stand out just the right amount. The claws on the feet, however, did not get the same treatment and were, instead, lightly sprayed at the tips. Not sure if it is supposed to be that way or if this was a creative decision. Either way, I’m actually GLAD the toes were merely misted on the tips with an airbrush. The toes are too large and painting them fully would have made them stand out more.

JUST ADD LIGHT
The overall paint job can look a bit flat in certain lighting conditions. If you want to really make your 2014 shine, just add some hard light and let it play off the insanely awesome skin textures in the sculpt.

Up until now, our best option to have Godzilla 2014 on our shelves at this scale was the NECA 24-Inch Head-to-Tail articulated figure. And so, a comparison is in order. Especially for those non-X-Plus collectors who are trying to decide which figure suits them best.

Right off the bat, the X-Plus vinyl is noticeably taller (and un-riddled with joints), but even coming in over 2 pounds, it’s a lot lighter than the NECA which has a lot of I-must-be-expensive heft to it (even though it’s only around $60).

I suppose the most important comparison should be made against the sculpts. Supposedly, the NECA is built from 3D data from the original 3D model. It doesn’t get any more accurate than that. That’s why I’m comparing the X-Plus to it. And it’s close! At a glance, there’s little difference between the two. Looking closer, the X-Plus seems fatter from certain angles. Most of the differences seem to be found on the head, even though it looks totally fine to me.

For those of you who had been using the NECA as a placeholder for the X-Plus version on your shelves, there’s no reason to discard it now. It’s still a great figure. Put it in a different room. If you have a desk job, take it to work. (Just lay off the roar feature!)

On the left, we have the original King of the Monsters, the Toho 30cm Series Godzilla 1954. And on the right, X-Plus’ newest entry: the Toho 30cm Series Godzilla 2014. At 12 1/2 inches, both are some of the taller figures from the 30cm Series.

​Here’s the new guy flanked on the left by fan favorite: the Toho 30cm Series Godzilla 1964 which has a very typical height from this series. The new 2014 stands just a tad taller than the ’64 and most other 30cm vinyls.

To keep the size comparison relevant to recent releases, on the right we have the Toho 30cm Series Yuji Sakai Modelling Collection Godzilla 1991, way shorter than Godzilla 2014, and shorter than any other 30cm Series Godzilla for that matter. (But I think it’s still, hands down, figure of the year with Godzilla 2014 being a contender for second place… so far.)

For those not avidly into X-Plus as a line, but still love to collect the Hollywood Goji figures, this size comparison is for you. Towering in the rear is the Jakks Pacific. In the middle row is the NECA 24 Inch Head-to-Tail figure and to the right is X-Plus. In the front row, left to right: the NECA 12 Inch Head-to-Tail quasi-articulated figure, the Bandai Movie Master Series vinyl and finally the S.H. MonsterArts articulated figure.

The X-Plus Godzilla 2014 is surprisingly friendly on the shelf, assuming said shelf has enough headroom for the 14 1/2 inches of the upraised tail. But, it’s thanks to that upward tail that this figure doesn’t cause any trouble on the sides. As you know, long tails run to the back of the shelf, hit the wall, and force us to pose them at angles (at least on narrow shelves) whether we want to or not. This figure is 17 1/2 inches from the tip of the nose to the back of the curved tail. As usual, subtract 2 or 3 inches if you place the feet right at the edge of the shelf and let the figure’s head hang over the edge. (14 1/2 inches long if you go that route.) Not bad.

The figure’s 8-inch legspan is only a tad wider than what we’re already used to and also doesn’t hog extra space on the shelf.

I have the Standard Version of this figure so I do not have this mini Male MUTO which comes with the Ric Boy Exclusive Version. I can’t really comment on anything which I can’t glean from the above photo taken by X-Plus. I can tell you that this mini figure is definitely NOT in scale with the main figure, but if placed at the rear of the shelf, you could go for a faux perspective look (as in: it looks smaller because it’s further away.)

I heard this mini MUTO has a nice “sand paper” texture on its wings. And though it lacks the whiteish front from the “real” monster in the movie, it looks like a decent replica.

Do you know what would make me flip out right now? A female MUTO by X-Plus. Is it possible? I don’t know. But what do you think about the very idea? Do you want a 30cm female MUTO? Say so in the comments; X-plus looks at this site!

By John Stanowski Originally posted July 18th, 2015​ on Kaiju Addicts.

​The new Large Monster Series Mothra 1964 Ric Boy version came paired with a re-issue of the Large Monster Series Godzilla 1964. Some collectors, though, already had the original release of the 25cm Series Godzilla ’64 already sitting on their shelves and so opted to buy Mothra solo.

Thing is, there’s a footprint on Mothra’s sandy base meant for Godzilla’s foot to rest in. The new G’64 comes with a small base that rests under his tail and lets one foot sit on Mothra’s base and the other on the shelf. Owners of the original Godzilla ’64, though, have a completely different, fuller base with raises the figure slightly off the shelf and supports it into a standing position. (The figure can’t stand properly without something holding the tail up.)

Now, just because you have an original Godzilla beside a new Mothra doesn’t mean you can’t arrange them the same way as the Ric set was meant to. As I already demonstrated in my recent 25cm Godzilla 1964 Review, you can have the figure stand directly on the shelf and still use the base to support the tail, just not in the way in which it was intended.

So, if you like, you can still “connect” these two figures even if you don’t have that new mini base for Godzilla. Just press his foot into the footprint, press and hold it while sliding the original base behind him until his right heal and tail rest on it.

By John Stanowski Originally posted June 13th, 2015 on Kaiju Addicts.

​東宝30CMシリーズ 「ガイガン（1972）」

​JAPAN ORIGINAL RELEASES: 2010, 2011, 2015

​DIAMOND RE-ISSUE: MARCH 2016

​SERIES: TOHO 30CM SERIES

​MATERIAL: VINYL

​FROM: 地球攻撃命令 ゴジラ対ガイガン
“GODZILLA VS. GIGAN”, 1972

​HEIGHT: 12 INCHES / 30.4 CM

​WIDTH: 8 INCHES / 20.3 CM

​LENGTH (TOES TO TAIL): 11.5 INCHES / 29.2 CM

​FIGURE WEIGHT (WITH BASE): 1 LB / 453 G

​REVIEW AND PHOTOS: JOHN STANOWSKI.

​The Toho 30cm Series Gigan 1972 vinyl figure by X-Plus was first released in 2010. A polyresin Real Master Collection version was also released in 2010. It was re-issued in 2011 with an exclusive nighttime paint scheme for Wonder Festival. Most recently it was re-issued again as a Ric Boy Exclusive in March 2015.

This review is for the 2015 Re-issue but should be relevant to all releases with only minor differences, mostly with paint.

At first, I planned on getting this figure simply because I’ve succumbed to becoming a completist. Over the past two years I became tired of seeing the same old photos of this figure over and over. Plus I knew that he was short compared to most other figures in the line. But when I pulled it out of the box, yet again, I was floored. And the more time I spent shooting it for this review I’ve become a big, big fan.

The original Toho 30cm Series Gigan 1972 vinyl came in a blind box with color cover art on the front seen above on the left. If you’re hunting for an original release, this is what the box will look like. Also, it’s likely that when this figure is re-issued again through Diamond Distributors that this is the box design they will use.

The recently released 2015 Ric Boy re-issue of this figure comes in a plain, blind box with monochrome artwork on the front.

INNER PACKAGING
Inside the figure is wire-tied into a plastic shell in two pieces: body and tail. You also get the battery pack for the light-up feature on this version. There are additional pieces of plastic nested between each fin to help prevent them from getting distorted while in the box. Although I suspect that once again, the box has failed some of us on this release. Sometimes the figure in the box is too close to the inside of the lid and pressure on the box does get transmitted to the figure. (I.e. King Ghidorah and the 30cm Anguirus 1955 often has damage because of this).

I’ve seen photos of this Gigan figure with its leftmost fin curved inward. It shouldn’t be like that. All three fins on my figure are perfectly straight. If yours is curved and it bothers you, take a hairdryer to it and set it straight.

SEE AN UNBOXING
Check out the X-Plus Gigan 1972 Unboxing Video from YouTube user Ohgod itsoniichan for a great look at how this figure is packaged.

ADDING THE TAIL
Damn. This tail was one of the most difficult tails I’ve ever had to attach. The flange on the tail piece is not thin and flared like most are but is, instead, short and thick. To make things just a bit harder, the back piece (holding the fins) runs all the way to the tail hole on the figure so, even when you take a hairdryer to the body hole to soften it up, the top of the hole remains firm. If I had to attach this again, I probably wouldn’t try to get the hole overly soft with heat since the rest of the body will reach a consistency comparable to a piece of foam before the top part gives. Anyway, do you best. Ganbatte ne!

ADJUST THE FEET
The legs are attached to the body with unglued joints so that means they can move, but only a little because of restrictions in the sculpt. But they do move enough for you to adjust them which is something you’ll need to do if you want his feet flat on the shelf. Try to get eye level with the feet, make sure the tail is lying flat and then rotate each leg until the feet are flush with the floor.

FIX FINS AND SPIKES IF NECESSARY
As I mentioned before, I’ve seen some figures come out of the box with its left fin curved inward toward the center of the back. Hit it with a hairdryer and straighten it out. Some of the spikes may also be bent out of shape. I had one bent spike on my figure and it took very little to coax it back into position.

At first glance, I think it’s safe to say that X-Plus captured the Gigan suit very, very well. This is indisputably Gigan we’re looking at here! Once again, X-Plus knocks it out of the park.

As a figure, it’s a big winner. This multi-textured sculpt no doubt kept the sculptor on his toes with it’s combination of crinkly skin, scales, smooth areas and fabric-like fins. All this is on one figure and for that alone I think it deserves a prize.

But as part of a series, we should knock off points for it’s lack of height when compared to the group in which it belongs. Oh! What could have been. Can you imagine this thing an inch or two taller?

I’d be first in line should X-Plus ever decide to do a Gigan V2 as they did with the Large Monster Series Baragon.

LIKENESS
There are actually a lot of shots of Gigan in the movie which don’t seem to agree with the X-Plus sculpt. No doubt this is because the suit bunched and bended in ways the X-Plus figure doesn’t recreate. And there are some suit details on which this sculpt outright fumbles. The “knee pads” for example are way too big on the figure. And the spines running through his back fins seem a tad too thick.

However, if you keep watching the movie, there will be several wow moments where you’d swear your figure crawled into the television. Overall, I’d say the X-Plus 30cm Series Gigan 1972 is a fantastic likeness. It’s a winner!

The figure has individually sculpted teeth which some say are too big. I’m inclined to agree, but not by much since his teeth were bigger and more spread out than on other monsters. I do think they’re a bit too bright though. I would have liked to see them a shade or two darker.

The tongue is molded into the lower jaw. The side pincers are separate pieces, somewhat soft and pliable. I don’t expect anything bad will happen if you mess with them, though. Worst case scenario, it pops out; you glue it back in.

A nice touch, and also a favorite X-Plus trick is the visor. It’s made of transparent plastic colored red and allows a bumpy pattern on the inside to be visible giving it that compound eye effect we’ve seen on other figures like Kumonga and Mechagodzilla.

​And it looks good from all angles.

THE SKIN
The sculpt of the skin looks awesome! These rough and crinkly bunches and creases are reminiscent of the suit and are very detailed. In fact, if you look really close, you’ll find a bunch of grungey scratches. I didn’t even notice these until my close-up photos revealed them to me.

THE SCALES
The sculpted scales look great. They are no where near as good as the scales on the Large Monster Series King Ghidorah. But they still have good depth to them on the sides and bottom. And the dark paint wash on them make them look busy and realistic. However, this wash, to me, creates the illusion that the properly-sized scales are actually made up of yet even smaller scales. More on that later.

The fins (wings?) look great and the sculpt does a great job of reproducing that fabric look from the suit. The spines running through them seem to be a little thicker than they should be, but I’m not complaining.

This is a forced perspective camera trick to make both figures appear to be the same size. On the left is the Large Monster Series Gigan 1972 (25cm series) and the 30cm Series version on the right. With them lined up like this, we can compare the sculpts. The 25cm Gigan seems sturdier but I think the 30 got the head right. What do you think?

JOINTS
This figure has unglued joints at the top of both legs, both arms and, of course, the tail. The legs don’t have a lot of movement available yet they move enough to allow you to make sure the feet are flat on the shelf. The arms have a LOT of room for posing and can be placed hanging down, forward or up. Both of these joints do seem to have a place that they “want” to be, though, and that’s hanging down. You can detect this when you move the arm up and then back down again as it seems to sort of snap into place again.

SEAMS
Oh, ouch. You had to bring that up. Okay, let’s get this over with. There is a seam running around the base of the neck and because of the scale pattern, this seam is somewhat visible from the front. Nothing terrible, but it’s there. One nasty seam, though, runs from both cheeks up around the back of the head. This seam runs over smooth terrain and so can be detected fairly easily. The back piece, which includes the fins (fans?) is glued really well into place. On the sides, this seam is mostly hidden from view and can be seen only with super bright light and a close eye. This piece runs up the back of the neck and is a bit awkward looking. The seam from the tail joint is, again, more obvious than usual because of the scale pattern not meeting completely flush.

I’m not complaining about any of the seams. This is a vinyl figure. Vinyl figures have joints and seams. I’m just telling you what I see and I don’t really have a problem with any of them.

…except that friggin’ seam on the head!

At first glance the pose is pretty standard. Gigan is just standing there facing forward in a pretty standardy way. He comes out of the box with his arms hanging down and that seems to be the way the sculptor intended it to be, but as mentioned, they can be posed. The head is turned ever so slightly to the figure’s right. And the fins, as one whole unit, also veer toward the figure’s right side. This off-balance direction of the fins is very obvious when looking at the figure head on. I don’t see this as completely terrible though since the fins on the suit were pretty flimsy stuff and prone to swaying. Final judgement: looks good.

Now, looking even closer we see that Gigan seems to be tilted backward, the same way you might if someone got too far into your “space”. This pose also reminds me of a post I-can’t-believe-I-ate-the-whole-thing Thanksgiving dinner back lean and belly tap. OR, a better way to look at it is a sort of “yo, check out this saw, you want some of this?” pose. This is actually a pose unique to Gigan and I’m glad that at least one the X-Plus Gigan sculpts captured it.

He was often in this pose in the movie Godzilla vs. Gigan. Two scenes that come to mind is when he approached Anguirus with his chest saw spinning away. Gigan stood like this again when he and King Ghidorah watched as Godzilla tried to stand after the tower was finally destroyed and its relentless laser beam attack ended.

I’d probably rather that this figure stood taller like his shorter 25cm counterpart (huh?). But what we got is accurate and it’s nice to know that X-Plus’ sculpt not only captured the details of the suit, but the personality of the monster as well as his stance. F, yeah! X-Plus, I love you.

And, once again, the arms can move allowing you have some say in the pose as well.

THE GREEN
The Toho 30cm Series Gigan 1972 vinyl figure from X-Plus has a muted, dark green coat on his non-scaley skin areas. It seems it’s a bit darker than on previous versions of this release. This coat appears to come in different shades as light plays off the sculpt, creating shadows and highlights against the skin’s creases and folds. Now, when you look closer (see photo above) you’ll find there are a lot of subtle bluish/greenish highlights brushed on which aren’t overly obvious to the naked eye. Nice to know they’re there. Nice touch, X-Plus!

THE GOLD
The scales are painted with a semi-glossy gold. Again, the light plays off the sculpt creating shadows and thus creating the impression of different shades of gold. But not all of those impressions are just impressions. The scaly areas have a darker paint wash applied. (A wash is the addition of a second color meant to fill in the gaps of a sculpt and remain there while the paint is wiped away off the higher elevations.) This wash totally enhances the look of the scales adding “texture” on a hue level. Definitely a nice touch, however, the puddles of darker paint left behind can give the impression that the sculpt isn’t as intricate as it really is, but only when looking at it super close like only a camera can. My point is, if you see what appears to be sloppy work on the scales in the photos of this review, keep in mind you really can’t see that with only your eyes.

As mentioned earlier in this review, this darker wash can give the impression that the scale pattern is busier and finer than it should be. Well, I won’t nitpick any longer. I’m actually glad it’s there as it gives the scaly areas a realistic appearance and avoids a toyish look.

THE SILVER
Gigan’s beak, pinchers, horn, spikes, claws and saw are painted in a bright silver with only a super slight gloss to them enough to make those bits seem like metal without being overly shiny. They are, though, in my opinion, too bright. When I look at it with the lights low, the silver seems perfect. But in normal light: too bright. I’m probably just over thinking this.

The silver feathers fairly well into the green. But it’s too clean. There was clearly more ‘grunge’ on the the claws in the movie.

THE FINS
The fins (back flaps?) have a muted, mustardy yellow base coat which feather into brown near the back and then slightly outward along the spines in the wing. Shadows are applied strategically along folds in the sculpt making them stand out even more. Light sprays of muted red highlight the base of each silver spike reaching out beyond the yellowish membranes.

The teeth are painted in an off white and the inside of the mouth is a sort of pinkish color and the visor is molded in dark red. Overall a fine, fine paint job.

Before getting into size comparisons I should point out to those who don’t already know that this Gigan figure is short. Noticeably shorter and thus technically out of scale with other figures in the series. However, when I finally got this figure in front of me, it didn’t seem all that bad. Still, I wish it was taller.

If you already own the Large Monster Series (25cm) Gigan 1972 then this should give you a good feel for the size of the 30cm version seen on the right. I had heard that the 30cm version is barely taller than the 25. Glad to see that’s not quite the case.

Toho 30cm Series Gigan 1972 and Gigan 2004 seem to see eye to eye, or visor to visor. Note that the 04’s shoulders and hips are higher than the on the 72 which means he’s bigger. Even so, visually, they size up pretty well next to each other.

​Here we have some 30cm Series up-and-down height craziness. The 30cm Series Baragon 1965 vinyl manages to be even shorter than Gigan. And the X-Plus Mechagodzilla 1974 is clearly a whole head taller.

​On the left, the 30cm Series Godzilla 1964 vinyl’s grumpy mug needs to look down on Gigan. On the right, the 30cm Series Godzilla 1968 is a bit closer to Gigan in the Height Department. Or should I say the Lack of Height Department, since the X-Plus G’68 is notorious for being short as well.

Here’s a new size comparison which I thought would be handy for new collectors. Here, the 30cm Series Gigan 1974 is surrounded by many of the most recently released figures, currently available figures and figures coming soon.

From left to right: 30cm Series Godzilla 1989, Large Monster Series King Ghidorah 1968, Large Monster Series Anguirus 1968, Gigan, Large Monster Series Godzilla and Minya 1968, 30cm Series Hedorah and the 30cm Series Gorosaurus 1967.

​And for those who have no figures shown above we have a real world size comparison with a Godzilla vs. Gigan blu ray case, and iPhone set to one of my favorite websites and our old friend, the Coke can. (Did you miss him?)

​At only 11.5 inches long for a tailed biped, the 30cm Series Gigan 1972 doesn’t cause trouble on the shelf. It will slip in nicely between two other figures and won’t take up a lot of space. His tail even curves slightly to one side so that if you place him on an angle facing the right he still won’t hog up space.

The exclusive Ric Boy version of the original release and March 2015 Japanese re-issue both have light-up visors. (The March 2016 Diamond Reissue does not have the light gimmick.)

I’ve been bad mouthing light gimmicks for a while now but that has been because the translucent, plastic-looking fins lacking paint and paint detail on light gimmick Godzilla figures were not made up for by a light effect which would be used only occasionally. But Gigan’s visor is already plastic and nothing is lost here. And it LOOKS FANTASTIC!

The entire head is likely made of the softer, translucent plastic since it’s so squishy as pointed out in Ohgod itsoniichan’s review (see link below). I should have realized myself though since this gimmick unfortunately has light leaks creeping through the paint on the back of the head. And it’s not just the figure I have. Others have reported the leaks as well. On the bright side, these leaks can mostly be seen only from the back.

The light effect requires you taking the battery box/pack/dongle thingy and plugging it into the rear of the figure’s left foot and switching it on. The box takes two LR44 watch batteries (I believe) and can be replaced.

By John Stanowski Originally posted March 11th, 2015 on Kaiju Addicts.

​東宝大怪獣リーズ
「ゴジラ（1964版）モスラ対ゴジラ」

​JAPAN ORIGINAL RELEASE: 2012

​JAPAN RE-ISSUE (WITH MOTHRA SET): APRIL 2015

​SERIES: LARGE MONSTER SERIES (25CM SERIES)

​MATERIAL: VINYL

​FROM: モスラ対ゴジラ
“MOTHRA VS. GODZILLA”, 1964

​HEIGHT (WITH BASE): 9.5 INCHES / 24.13 CM (WITHOUT BASE): 9 INCHES / 22.8 CM

​WIDTH: 4.5 INCHES / 11.43 CM

​LENGTH (NOSE TO TAIL): 13.5 INCHES / 34.29 CM

​FIGURE WEIGHT (WITH BASE): 15 OZ / 425 G (WITHOUT BASE): 10 OZ / 283 G

​REVIEW AND PHOTOS: JOHN STANOWSKI. SOME PHOTOS CONTRIBUTED BY LESTER WAYNE DANIELS AND RICH ESO.

​The Toho Large Monster Series Godzilla 1964 was released by X-Plus in early 2012. It’s modeled after the suit as it appeared in Mothra vs. Godzilla. This suit was used again (with some modifications) in Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster which also came out in 1964. Depending on your level of OCD, this figure will do fine to represent either movie on your shelves.

​The 25cm Godzilla 1964 comes in the standard Large Monster Series window box. This same box design gets used for all of the Large Monster Series figures that will fit into it. The only thing on the box that’s different and identifies the figure is a long black sticker on the bottom of the front.

Inside, the figure is wired into a plastic shell made just for the main body, the tail which you must attach yourself and the base.

Special thanks to Lester Wayne Daniels for the photos of the box. My box is long gone.

This vinyl comes with a base which is needed for the figure to stand properly. A rare move for X-Plus. It is not attached; the figure’s feet simply rest on impressions on the top. It’s fairly snug and the figure fairly steady when on it. If you’re not diggin’ the base, you can push it out of the way and let Godzilla’s feet touch the ground. See the Footprint on the Shelf section for more on that.

​A picture is worth a thousand words, and the one above shows that the Large Monster Series Godzilla 1964 by X-Plus is unmistakably a fantastic representation of the suit. I’m going to have to say it yet again: it looks like it walked right out of the movie.

​All of MosuGoji’s unique signature characteristics are captured accurately in the sculpt. The shape of his head, his long, thin fingers and even little details like every spike on his dorsal fins is here on this figure. Note the unique “V” shaped fin at the top of this back, and the extra spikey fin further down. This guy is crazy accurate.

Not only did X-Plus reproduce the suit’s details accurately, but its personality, movement and gait as well.

​Signature features of the 1964 Godzilla suit are here in the sculpt. The smooth, sweeping eyebrows, jowls and inward slanted teeth are faithfully represented.

Once again, I have to point out this excellent X-Plus figure has individually sculpted teeth. Okay, who’s getting tired of reading that? We all know this by now, I know. But I have to consider the new collectors!

​The sculpt represents the head on the original suit very well from every single angle! A nice touch are the crinkles in the skin at the bottom of the neck, where the rubber head started to fall forward over suit actor Haruo Nakajima’s real head inside!

I’m surprised that this figure does not have the dimples in the sculpt to represent the holes Nakajima was able to see through. X-Plus usually adds that feature on other figures.

​Let’s use some camera trickery to even out the heights and focus on the sculpts.

​This is the Large Monster Series (25cm) Godzilla 1964 beside the 30cm Series Godzilla 1964. They are NOT the same size. Actually, the larger figure on the right is standing about 12 inches further away from the camera than the smaller figure on the left. This is a forced perspective in-camera trick to make the two appear to be the same size. I did this so that we could ‘line them up’ and compare sculpt details from both on even ground.

And I have to stop and say, Woah, look how similar they are! No really, holy shit, X-Plus! How are you that good?? The proportions line up and the size of mostly everything matches up perfectly. The only difference I see in in the size of the feet. Still… Wow! X-Plus’ sculpting expertise astounds me yet again.

WHO’S BETTER?
Well, what do YOU think? Comment below and let us know which is your favorite sculpt. That’s if you see much of a difference.

​First, I’d like to review my definitions of joints and seams because I’ve heard the two used interchangeably recently.

A joint in the real world is an articulate surface, like a human knee or elbow. Articulated figures have mechanisms referred to as joints because, well, they’re articulated. In the world of vinyl statues, however, a joint is limited to the joining of two separate pieces which are not glued nor have had any attempt at being filled or covered. They are, most of the time, free to rotate.

A seam is an area where two pieces are held together with glue. On a vinyl statue these are most commonly seen at elbows, knees and jaws. This connection of separate pieces does not allow for any movement at all. Basically, a seam is a visible line which ideally should not be there in the first place.

Now, with that out of the way, this figure’s only joint is at the tail. It’s reasonably concealed within the sculpted bands of the tail.

There are seams above both elbows and below both knees. They are relatively unnoticeable with the exception of the right elbow. There’s likely a seam around the bottom jaw but you can’t see it so let’s move on. The entire of row of dorsal fins, as usual, are a attached to a separate piece of vinyl glued onto the body. The seams here, also as usual, are pretty much invisible. Deduct some points from my review for even bringing it up.

To summarize, there isn’t much to see here except an excellent sculpt!

The pose is more expressive than most X-Plus Godzilla vinyls. I have to point out the hands right away. They look and feel so real. I actually feel like they’re getting ready to close by themselves.

There’s a subtle sway in the monster’s step. He’s looking down and slightly toward its left. Also, a big thing to note is that the figure is in mid-step with its right heel still off the ground. Here’s where that base comes into play for making this pose possible. As interesting as the base is, I’d rather the figure had a more standard footing so that the base didn’t have to be there all the while messing up the pattern on my shelves.

THE LEAN
Which brings me to the lean. If you look at the front and rear views of this figure, you’ll see the lean I’m talking about. It looks great from some angles and makes it look like Godzilla is actually walking. However, from some angle it also seems to be too much. Click the photo above for a larger view and you’ll see what I’m talking about.

If you happen to not like the base, or the lean, or both, I have a couple great tips for you down below in the Footprint on the Shelf section.

​The X-Plus Godzilla 1964 is a tad more colorful than other Godzilla figures. It’s black skin is glowing with a blueish/greenish glow with a dull, lighter greenish spray of highlights on the chest. Subtle neutral highlights can be found on the higher elevations of the skin all over the figure. Drab green coats the signature 1964 “eyebrows”.

The teeth are an excellent, non-stark, off white and a gummy pink fills in the rest of the mouth. The whites of his eyes are also off white and on the darker side. Like it! Black is used for combined retina/iris balls of mean stare. It looks like they dabbed over the black with a glossy filter paint to give them a little shine — a nice touch for something so small on the figure.

The claws are a dirty tan with even darker shadowing sprayed close to the ‘cuticles’. We seem to have some disagreement between the two scales on which shade these bony bits should be colored. The 30cm Series Godzilla 1964 has a dirty ivory color instead of the tan used on the 25.

​The Large Monster Series Godzilla 1964 fits in well with other figures in the line as seen here with the 1966 (left) and the 1968 (right). The 64’s base gives the figure a half inch boost and thus makes him out to be taller than he really is. But you can fix that …

If you like, you can let your 64 touch the floor with only his tail resting on the base, now pushed toward the back. Everyone is seeing eye to eye now.

​The 25cm Godzilla 1964 almost seems dwarfed by the Mothra Imago 1961, but these are the correct proportions. Mothra was a big ol’ bitch back then! By the way, you need use the 61 Mothra for only a little while longer since a 1964 version is in the works and due out later this year.

Here is the Godzilla ’64 flanked by his Ghidorah, The Three-Headed Monster buddies, Rodan 1964 and as a stand-in, the King Ghidorah 1968. (The non-scale Mothra larva was the Ric Boy extra that came with Rodan.) As you can see, nice fit! 

And just for the hell of it, here’s the Large Monster Series 64 with the Toho 30cm Series Godzilla 1964.

​This figure gets along well with other on the shelf and doesn’t ask more much room. It’s 13.5 inches long from the nose to the tip of the tail. It’s about one inch less if you just go by the front of the base to the tail.

​TO LEAN OR NOT TO LEAN

This figure has a lean which looks great from some angles, but looks like too much from other angles. There is an easy fix if you’d rather your 64 was standing straight. While keeping the forward leg completely in its footprint on the base, lift the back of the figure and swing it slightly toward the side so that the rear foot comes out of its footprint and rest closer to the edge. That right there will make the figure stand tall, and it’s still reasonably sturdy, too.

BASE, AWAY WITH THEE!
If you’re just not diggin’ the whole base thing at all, do this: stand your 64 directly on the shelf and place the base (rotated 90 degrees) out of the way behind the figure. Lift the tail and rest it on the same rocky hill it was resting on before, just from the side this time. Note that the figure will still have the lean.

If you want a baseless, lean-less pose, slide the tail off the rock and rest it beside it. This will make the figure stand straight.

​The Ric Boy version of the original release came with two mini Mothra larva figures. One is straight while the other has a curl in the tail. They’re a tad small to be in scale with the main figure, but they make nice addition nonetheless. Alas, I don’t have them. Special thanks to Rich Eso for taking a photo of his.

By John Stanowski Originally posted February 28th, 2015 on Kaiju Addicts.

The X-Plus Kaiju Museum is a line of small polyresin figurines. Eleven were made a year or two ago based on the original Ultraman television series. They are about 4 inches tall on average and yet have amazing detail and likenesses. Each one came with a sturdy, plastic display case.

I thought now would be a good time for an overview of these amazing figurines since the line is getting re-booted with a focus on Godzilla characters. X-Plus has told me that those will start coming out sometime in the first quarter of 2015. But, more on that further down the page. For now, let’s talk about the Ultras.

​This is the Kaiju Museum Zaragas by X-Plus. It has INCREDIBLE detail, texture and paint applications. Just look at the eyes! All of this is typical of each figurine in the series. Some of them come with translucent parts for really nice touches as in the case of Zaragas’ horn seen above.

Here’s a close-up of Ultra-Kaiju Antlar. Note the nice texture on the head and front mandibles. Antlar also has fine, thin mandible bits around his mouth. They look fantastic but seem prone to breaking. Mine actually arrived with one broken mouth piece while it was still in the box. But more on that later.

​The Ultra Kaiju Ragon looks ridiculously accurate and from every angle. …And they’re all like that!

​All of this suit accuracy, detail and texture is crammed into an average size of only 4 inches. It must have taken a secret pact with Xiliens, Kilaacks, people from Venus, people from the future and a deal with the devil to make these figures possible. How else could X-Plus manage to make these so awesome and yet so small at the same time?

And, you know what’s really crazy? They are fully capable of standing on their own. Of course the monsters with tails can stand on their own with no problem, but even the bipeds like Baltan 1 and Ragon can too. The one exception is Pigmon who absolutely requires his base in order to stand, but more on bases later.

Okay, let’s look at more figures.

​You’ve already seen Ragon, Zagaras and Antlar. Here are shots of the rest. Don’t forget, you can click on all the photos for larger, hi-res views.

ULTRAMAN
The original Ultraman is sculpted reasonably well for something so small. It may be a bit smoother than it should be. The paint job is fantastic considering someone at the factory had to ‘stay in the lines’ with this tiny figurine. The eyes and timer are made of translucent material. Nice touch! He can stand on his own but it’s just a matter of time before a sneeze knocks him over. Keep this one in his case!

BEMULAR
Ultraman’s first kaiju foe is a wonder of detail and texture. The scales are intricately and deeply sculpted allowing light and shadow to play on the texture which brings it out even more. It also has individually sculpted teeth and an amazing paint job on the eyes.

BALTAN 1
Wow! Baltan’s head is packed with texture and detail. The ‘eye pin holes’ for the suit actor are clearly visible which I find incredible considering it’s so small. And suit accuracy abounds! Just as on the vinyl version, each claw has a row of 9 square indents on the inside of each claw; exactly how many there should be. Eyes are made of translucent plastic and the figure stands on its own, but the slightest bump and he’s down. Keep him in his display case.

NERONGA
I have the same good words for Neronga. Look at the square pattern on his chest and note how the squares start to break up and scatter just as they did on the suit. His horn is made of translucent material and looks fantastic! Unfortunate for me, the tip had broken off before I even opened the box. His “ears” come as separate pieces which you can just insert either back or forward ready to fire. This figurine has a bit of heft to it compared to most of the others. It’s solid.

GREENMONS
The texture, crinkles and folds on Greenmons looks great, especially for such a small piece. One thing watch out for on this one, are the tiny protruding protuberances crowning his head and running down his sides. Again, my figurine arrive with a couple of these broken off, even before I got it out of the box. Seems like a fairly easy fix with a steady hand and some super glue.

PIGMON
Holy crap, this thing is incredible! Not only does it look exactly like Pigmon, but the level of detail knocks me out of my chair! You just have to see it for yourself in person to really appreciate it. One thing to note is Pigmon can not stand on his own at all. Don’t even try it or he may break a finger or his tail in the fall. Keep him on his stand and in his display case.

And already seen above:

ZARAGAS
Another solid and hefty entry in the line. Zaragas sports astounding detail. The shuffled, raised square pattern on his chest is incredibly detailed. And the paint job on this one is particularly impressive. Again, this figurine has a cool looking translucent horn and wicked crazy good eyes!

ANTLAR
You already got really good looks at the Kaiju Museum Antlar’s details from the photos above. One thing you may not have seen are the smaller insectoid mouth bits which stick out a good three quarters of an inch or so in front of it. This are prime targets for breakage. And even though somewhat shielded from the giant claw-like mandibles. Looking at it you would think that he’s top heavy, but he does stand well on his own. Better safe than sorry, though. Keep him in the case.

RAGON
The main thing you’ll notice from Ragon is the insane detail on the eyes and teeth. I’m looking at mine right now and I just can’t believe they got fit it all in a space smaller than a quarter. The paint job on the eyes is so good, you might almost feel like he’s actually looking at you. The top row of teeth are individually sculpted. Yes, you read that right. The bottom row, are not but do have deep enough lines between each tooth to make them appear to be individually sculpted. And, check this out, they actually painted shadows between the lower teeth. I can’t even relate to you how tiny these teeth are, so to see this … all I can say is Hail, X-Plus!

OTHER KAIJU MUSEUM FIGURES
Recently X-Plus ‘revealed’ a couple more figures from this line. Apparently they were custom made for DeAgostini. A Zarab, Baltan 2 and a (reissue of) Pigmon were made available for pre-order in October 2014. I don’t have these so I can’t show them to you, but you can click on their names to see their archived pages on the X-Plus Ric Boy site.
(Edit X-Plus' pages are no longer available, images below.)

​Everyone knows by now that polyresin is fragile. It should go without saying that these figurines should be handled with care, especially the thinner ones. But even the fat, bulky figurines have some finer details which could break. And that’s why you absolutely should keep them in their display cases.

Unfortunately, you may not even get a chance to break them yourself. I had three Kaiju Museum figurines arrive with broken pieces loose in the packaging. I suspect this was not due to rough handling during shipping. As I said, they are pretty immobile in the box. Instead, I think the breaks happened while the factory workers inserted the figurines into their bags. Greenmons and Antlar, especially, have long, thin details which could snap off just by holding them the wrong way.

Now, if you have a steady hand and some super glue, you may be able to fix these little problems easily. But keep in mind, these broken pieces may be tiny. It may require little fingers or tweezers to get the repair work done.

Most of the figurines are fairly safe to handle but as I’ve already said, some of them come with protruding details so small that the mere act of picking one up the wrong way could cause an accident. Again, watch out for Greenmons who has tiny sprouts all over it’s body. And Antlar’s insectoid mandibles and mini mouth bits need careful attention.

And just so you know, some of these are so small and thin, that they actually feel like you could crush them into pieces just be squeezing them. Ragon, for instance, has legs which are only a quarter of a inch thick!

Now, I hope I’m not scaring you away from these amazing, awesome figurines. They really will be fine if you handle them carefully. And they should be fine on your shelves if placed in their cases. They really are pretty damn awesome.

​The Kaiju Museum Ultraman figurines come in brown window boxes. And there are several layers of protection for what’s inside.

​The figurines are slipped into plastic bags and sealed into… I don’t know what to call this packaging, but there are two form-fitting plastic pieces which snap together keeping the figurines inside absolutely immobile.

Then each one is placed inside the display case which is designed to hold not only the figure but it’s plastic shells. When you squeeze a Kaiju Museum box, it’s hard and sturdy and that’s because of the display case inside cradling the contents.

​Liberate the figurines from the packaging and place them on their base pegs and they’re ready for display.

Because every Kaiju Museum figurine has a tiny footprint, you would think that shelf space need never be a concern. But since half of them aren’t prepared to stand well on their own you should set them into their display case stands which take up twice as much room as the figures alone. And the larger your collection gets, the more of these plastic boxes you’ll have. Optimally, a thin ‘knickknack’ shelf unit would be ideal to display these. But if you’re left with only standard shelves, you could better utilize space on it by lining up these figurines in their cases in two rows and employing risers on the back row for a stepped, ziggurat look.

DISPLAY CASE SIZES
The cases are all about 5 inches high. Thinner, biped figurine cases are about 3.5 inches across the front and about 2.75 inches on the sides. Cases with larger figurines sporting tails are about 6 inches across the front and 3.5 inches on the sides.

Now as for the upcoming Godzilla figurines: most likely most of those will have no trouble at all standing on their own and you could bunch them together just like you would a group of mini Sakai Dioramas. Although they’d would be much safer if protected in their cases.

Speaking of Godzilla figurines…

The Kaiju Museum Ultraman line seems to have ended. I haven’t seen a new figurine for well over a year now (except for those DeAgostini specials). However, it seems the Museum will be opening again and will feature kaiju from the Godzilla franchise. X-Plus revealed 3 new figurines at the Miyazawa Model Exhibition last November. On the table were Godzilla 1954, Godzilla 2004 and Gigan 2004. Interesting choices. X-Plus must feel that these will appeal to newer, younger collectors with two Final Wars characters in the opening line-up.

HOLD UP ONE SEC
Are you looking at that Gigan 2004 and thinking what I’m thinking? Given everything I’ve said about fragility and breakerishness of the Ultra figurines X-Plus is certainly making a very, very bold move here. Of all the kaiju in the Godzilla universe, Gigan 2004 must be near the top of the list for characters with long spikey bits. X-Plus must be really confident that they’ve solved the problem of breaks occurring in the factory. Well, we’ll just have to wait and see.
(Kaiju Battle Note: Gigan was never released, but a painted version was shown as well, pic below.)

X-Plus has since teased us with a painted sample of the Godzilla 2004 on their blog which you can see here.

​By John Stanowski Originally posted February 9th, 2015 on Kaiju Addicts.

​東宝大怪獣シリーズ 「キングギドラ（1968）」

JAPAN ORIGINAL RELEASE: DECEMBER 2014​

NORTH AMERICAN (DIAMOND) RE-ISSUE: NOVEMBER 2017

​SERIES: TOHO LARGE MONSTER SERIES

MATERIAL: SOFT VINYL, ABS, INJECTION MOLDED PLASTIC

​FROM: 怪獣総進撃 “DESTROY ALL MONSTERS”, 1968

HEIGHT (TOP OF HEADS TO GROUND): 12.59 INCHES / 32 CM

​HEIGHT (TOP OF WINGS TO GROUND): 18.5 INCHES / 47 CM

​WIDTH (WINGSPAN): 24.4 INCHES / 62 CM

LENGTH (NOSES TO TAIL): 20 INCHES / 51 CM

FIGURE WEIGHT: 3 POUNDS, 2 OZ / 1417 G

REVIEW AND PHOTOS: JOHN STANOWSKI

​One of THE most eagerly anticipated figures has finally landed! As of this writing, the X-Plus Toho Large Monster Series King Ghidorah 1968 vinyl figure is finally dropping on the doorsteps of eager collectors everywhere causing them to scream with glee like a pack of Japanese school girls. And if any of them tell you any different… they’re lying.

This figure is based on King Ghidorah’s appearance in the 1968 film Destroy All Monsters. A curious first choice for this monster since it appeared in the movie for only five minutes. No doubt, X-Plus chose the 1968 version in order to provide us with a DAM line-up of vinyls.

This figure belongs to the Large Monster Series where most figures come in at 25cm (9.8 inches) tall on average. King Ghidorah, though, is much larger yet in scale with the other figures in that series. Actually, it’s not so much “larger” as it is taller, wider and longer. The body itself is comparable to the 25cm Godzilla 1968. But its long necks, tails and wings stretch out ridiculously far making this… okay, it’s Big!

Okay, ’nuff chit chat. Let’s open the box!

​This figure comes in the standard “alternate” Large Monster Series box design reserved for larger figures. It’s plain white with monochrome figure art on the front. We’ve seen this style of box before with Mothra Imago, the Rodans and Viras.

Inside the box, the figure is wired into a plastic shell. The figure comes in three pieces: the main body (including the heads and tails) and two wings. Some collectors, though, are getting their figures in four, five, six or more pieces. But, more on that later.

The wings are made of ABS plastic. Prongs on the end of each wing plug into an ABS infrastructure inside the torso. How successful these connections seem to be are on a figure to figure basis. Many are reporting loose connections. The wings on my figure were pretty loose when I first put them in. However, later, they seemed to get snug. I suspect this has something to do with the vinyl surrounding the connection. Perhaps they help to “hug” the joint. Some collectors have said that they heated the vinyl around the back holes which allowed the wings to slide right in. And then they cooled the vinyl and report the wings seem tight now.

Be sure to read the Caution Section further down in the review for more on the wings.

Because of its size, this figure has been reinforced. The wings are made of ABS plastic to prevent droopage. They used this technique previously with the wings on the Large Monster Series Mothra Imago. King Ghidorah also has something going on under the hood. ABS innards allow the wings attach to something stronger than vinyl. Now, while the wings themselves won’t get deformed in warmer seasons or climates, it remains to be seen what role the vinyl itself plays in keeping the wings flying high.

Speaking of droopage, all three of King Ghidorah’s heads lay at the end of long, winding vinyl necks. Two of them reach out almost horizontally forward. These are perfect candidates for the dreaded droopage. To combat this, X-Plus inserted metal wires on the inside of each neck to keep its heads held high. This same technique was used previously in the tentacles of the Large Monster Series Biollante.

Weight was added to the bottom portions of the figure to help prevent toppling. How it was added, I’m not sure. But something feels solid down there in the leg pieces below the knees and the first few inches of the tails. As a bonus, the figure has a nice heavy feel to it.

King Ghidorah’s heads are not vinyl. Instead they are made of injection molded plastic. Because of this, the horns can be snapped off if mishandled. Please see the Caution Section further down in the review for more.

​Do I even have to say anything here?

HEAD
As already mentioned, the heads are made of injection molded plastic. And they look good! What really stands out on them, as with most other high end X-Plus figures, are the individually sculpted teeth. The tongues are also individually sculpted. All of it looks more impressive in person because you can’t help but wonder how they managed to get so much detail into a space the size of a quarter.

LOOK, MA! NO WIRES!
The necks have been positioned to create a suspended-on-wires look for a truly authentic recreation of the suit from the movie. And that’s a GOOD thing! If they had gone for something more probable and realistic then they would have crossed the line into stylization. Thank God for X-Plus’ devotion to suit accuracy!

The upper legs look beefier than they were on the suit which had a severe case of skinny, horse rider legs with a huge gap between them. In the movie, they looked like shit. The gap between the legs is here in the sculpt, but the scrawny legs are, shall we say, fixed. If I’m right, and X-Plus took a liberty with the design here then that’s okay with me. Hey, Ghidorah. Nice legs!

​SCALES
Will you LOOK at the scales on this figure! Holy shite! King Ghidorah’s scaly skin isn’t merely a texture etched into the vinyl, but rather a mass of sculpted scales! Many of them peel away slightly from the body. Fan-f’n-tastic!

WINGS
The ABS wings look incredible with fabric-like waves and folds the likes of which you might find on a hot air balloon. But, is that suit accurate? The actual wings were probably about as large as a bed and I don’t remember seeing that many waves on them in the movie. The wings on this figure may be a case of artistic liberty. But I’m not going to complain. They DO look good!

The base of each wing, where it connects to the body, has a “sleeve” of vinyl material sculpted with scales and done so to match the rest of the figure. You can detect a difference in material between the wings and wing base, but that’s not the main problem here. They stand out as different pieces since they don’t physically blend into each other very well. Dark shadowing applied in this area helps to conceal this gap, but it’s not perfect.

​MANES
The manes of hair behind each head are sculpted fairly well considering that furry mops don’t translate to vinyl very well. I think they stand out more than they should but methinks that’s more a matter of paint.

​TAIL
Like the necks, the tails waver up and down as if subtly pulled on by wires in true King Ghidorah suit form.

It’s not like there’s a ton of poses to choose from for this guy. The pose is pretty standard stuff, and once again, that’s fine by me. With golden wings fully outstretched, one leg slightly behind the other and all three heads looking like they’re really hanging from wires, the X-Plus King Ghidorah looks purdy on the shelf.

​Scaly textures usually don’t make for seamless seams. Thankfully, the front view of the X-Plus King Ghidorah is immaculate and you’d have a hard time finding a line without a really, really close look. This is impressive since this figure is made of a lot of pieces. The lower legs are separate pieces but you can’t even tell since there’s no line to give it away.

The upper and lower body are two separate pieces with a mostly invisible (from the front) seam running between them right under Ghidorah’s man boobs. This seam is, though, more visible from the back.

On the necks, there are seams about an inch behind each mane though I suspect not the middle head. You can’t see these unless you really, really look. And you have to believe you’ll see them before they appear! The base of each neck, where they connect to the body have seams a tad more visible, but again, more from the back. The bottom jaws are separate pieces and do have faint lines visible.

The tails are made up of several pieces but so far I’ve seen only one faint seam. I just gave up trying to find them. If I have to try that hard to see them, then they may as well not be there.

Now, here’s where it gets ugly. From the back and sides you can see gaps around where the wings connect which, I suppose, is to be expected. Also, the ABS wings have sleeves of scaly vinyl glued on near where they attach to the body. There are visible gaps here as well. Thankfully, from the front and forward angle views, you can’t see any of it. The real mess is left for the wall to see.

Photos of the X-Plus Large Monster Series King Ghidorah can be deceiving. In these shots, the figure usually turns out looking like it’s covered in bright, super shiny, metallic gold. That’s not ‘exactly’ the case when the figure is in front of you. It’s hard to explain, but it really looks like a dark, dusty gold. The light plays off its semi-glossiness to great effect and creates tons of specular highlights and lots of detailed shadows. In addition to the shadows caused by the light, there is also subtle shadowing applied with a darker shade of gold paint here and there. It looks amazing. And more importantly, it looks like a perfect match for the suit in the movie (in person).

The wings, also golden, appear to be a slightly different shade, possibly because of the difference in material. Or possibly because that’s how the suit actually was. Either way, they are a bit too shiny for me. They’re definitely shinier than the wings in the movie. I would have preferred it if they used something more dull here. They do look fantastic the way they are, but I’m just not seeing them match with the movie 100%.

Let’s work our way up the necks to the furry manes behind each head. They are a dark, unsaturated brown with highlights brushed onto the higher elevations. Overall, I think they’re too dark. Keep in mind that they look much darker in photos, including my own. In person, they’re not as bad. But they could still use a slightly lighter shade.

The eyes have large, shark-like pupils with slivers of red on the sides. From what I could see, they match the suit fairly well. Close enough for me.

The individually sculpted teeth are also individually painted! Whether one by one by hand or with the aid of a stencil, the end result is gold teeth (as in the movie) cleanly separated from the pink gums and mouth.

The Large Monster Series King Ghidorah 1968 towers over the Large Monster Series Godzilla 1968. If you count the wings, KG is twice as high! Unfair height advantage aside, these figures really are in scale with each other.

What I usually do to determine this is I see if the limbs line up. Do the knees, hips, shoulders and heads of the suit actor inside meet from each figure. Yeah, I’m sure there were suit actors with different heights but it works good enough.

You saw this one coming, right?

MORE COMPARISON SHOTS TO COME.

Here now is our big problem with this figure: The X-Plus King Ghidorah is going to wreak havoc with your shelves. It’s TWENTY INCHES LONG! Those tails don’t care how much space you have. They don’t want to accommodate the depth of your shelf by curling up into the air. They just gently wave straight back. The good news is it’s only 13 inches long from toes to tail (less if you place it on an angle, but those wings may get in the way). You may have to get used to the idea of those golden heads precariously reaching out over the edge of your shelf.

Obviously, the length isn’t the only problem, or even the main problem. The wings rise up 18 and half inches above the ground plane! If you have adjustable shelves, you’re going to have to make a change. And even then it may look odd with all that dead space above all of the other 25’s. I’m sorry to say that the X-Plus King Ghidorah 1968 either needs to be on the top shelf (assuming your ceiling is high enough), or in its own open space.

As for width, the wings take up a lot of room, but they angle so far back that they will allow other figures to stand not only in front of them, but almost side-by-side with King Ghidorah.

​This vinyl figure has quite a few features that make it necessary to treat it with a little more care. You almost need to treat it as if it were a resin statue. The heads and long necks are glued on in at least three sections and are perfect targets for accidental bumps and collisions, wires or no wires.

The injection molded heads have horns which are no where near as forgiving as vinyl when it comes to bumps. The horns can and will give by snapping off. The claws (or hooks) at the end of Ghidorah’s wing fingers (or digits) are also super prime candidates for getting snapped off. This is a large figure and it’s very easy to hit something with the wings when moving it around. Imagine moving around in a closet with an open umbrella. That’s what it could be like handling this figure.

Finally, the wings may not fit very snugly into the back of your figure. At first, the wings on mine went in easily and immediately began to pull away from the body. They don’t do that now, and I’m not sure what’s different, but they’re pretty set in now. But they will come loose if bumped. Also, even though the ABS wings won’t droop in the summer heat, I’m wondering if it will have any effect on the joints. Will the holes in the back vinyl get larger or softer? Will they loosen their grip on the wings? Will the ABS pegs alone be able to support them? It may be a good idea to make sure your X-Plus King Ghidorah is on softer ground and give the wings a short fall should they decide to detach on their own.

The release of the X-Plus King Ghidorah was not as cheerful as one might expect. Not for everyone.

THE GREAT AMIAMI FIASCO
The box for King Ghidorah is an odd shape. It’s very tall, very wide but not very deep. And there just aren’t any shipping boxes that even come near its size specs. AmiAmi.com, a popular (past tense?) Japanese retailer who makes it easy for us westerners to get X-Plus, solved the problem by NOT using any shipping box at all. Yeah, you read that right. They just slapped an invoice pouch directly onto the X-Plus box (they stuck it on the front over the cover art) and sent it on its way overseas. …What?

Dell Champagne Martinez says his friends in Japan who ordered from AmiAmi DID get shipping boxes. …What?

AmiAmi did start to listen to complaints but only half of them. They started to slap the invoice pouches on the top of the box instead of right smack on the art. But they were still sent out without shipping boxes.

It should go without saying that the King Ghidorah box is not made to aptly protect the figure inside when it’s tossed into the mail without a shipping box. There have been almost innumerable cases of collectors in the west getting figures with broken horns, necks, legs.

Public sentiment in the collector community toward AmiAmi has taken a nosedive, and rightly so.

Dumbasses.

THE GREAT X-PLUS KING GHIDORAH FIASCO
Not all broken figures came from AmiAmi. Yes, even many of the figures which were lovingly wrapped in custom shipping boxes arrived in pieces. Again: stories of broken horns, necks and legs abound. Some collectors got two broken necks. Some got three.

King Ghidorah cost over $300, but X-Plus couldn’t make a better box to protect it?

Thankfully, heads, necks and legs can usually be glued back on cleanly by the collector. But, should they really have to do that? Getting a busted figure on Box Day isn’t fun. See collector Samson West’s unhappy Unboxing Video.

For a lengthy discussion of the atrocities that have been showing up on collectors’ doorsteps, see Rich Eso’s X-Plus King Ghidorah Video Review. The first 20 minutes is devoted to just that.

And, please don’t let the horror stories dissuade you from getting this amazing vinyl though. Despite the desecrated box I got from AmiAmi, my figure arrived in fine condition.

​By John Stanowski Originally posted January 2nd, 2015​ on Kaiju Addicts.