X-Plus 23cm Gomora (Reborn) Vinyl Figure Review

​FIGURE SPECS

​大怪獣シリーズ ウルトラマン編 「古代怪獣 ゴモラ（REBORN）」

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​JAPAN RELEASE: NOVEMBER 2010

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​SERIES: LARGE MONSTER SERIES (25CM)

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​MATERIAL: SOFT VINYL

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​FROM: “ULTRAMAN”, 1966-1967
ゴジラ・モスラ・キングギドラ 大怪獣総攻撃

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​HEIGHT: 9.1875 INCHES / 23.33 CM

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​WIDTH: 5.5 INCHES / 13.97 CM

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​LENGTH: 12 INCHES / 30.48 CM

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ARTICULATION: NONE

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REVIEW AND PHOTOS: JOHN STANOWSKI

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Gomora first appeared in the 2-part story “The Monster Prince” (episodes 26 and 27) of the original “Ultraman” series in 1966. He is a fan-favorite kaiju which has made numerous reappearances in later Ultra series. Gomora made his X-Plus debut in 2007 and was later resculpted for a newer “Reborn” version in 2010. This review is for the latter.

​SCULPT

​I think it’s safe to say that the head on the figure a perfect likeness. Once again, the sculptors for X-Plus were careful enough to count every tooth and reproduce the mouth very accurately. The scrunchy, ‘Pigmon-ish’ texture on the chest is sculpted and reproduced beautifully. The creases in this area are so deep and sharp I wonder how they managed to pull these things out of the mold! There was a rectanglur ‘strip’ which ran down the back of the suit and it’s reproduced faithfully on the figure. Another amazing job that helps elevate X-Plus above other vinyl lines!

On a sour note for perfectionists: a few areas of Gomora’s body have been replaced with a fairly rough texture. The area below the knees, for example, and most notably on the sides of the tail. Where that area of the suit was fairly smooth (and even had a bit of a sheen to it), the figure has a bumpy texture. But despite the liberties they’ve taken with the extra texturing, the X-Plus Gomora is an awesome likeness.

​Joints & Seams

​Gomora’s head is a separate piece of vinyl which was glued on in the factory. When viewed from the back, a seam is visible. There is no geometry in the sculpt to help hide it. This seam is not visible from the front or sides so you’ll probably never see it much. As for the tail: after you attach it you’ll find that the rings of folded skin help to hide this joint. And I have to say this: of all the X-Plus vinyls I’ve acquired thus far, the Gomora Reborn has the snuggest fit on the tail.

​POSE

The pose for this ultra kaiju is accurate and fits his personality. Gomora’s large hands were often raised into the air with his elbows tucked back to his sides. The X-Plus rendition does the same.

PAINT JOB

The X-Plus Gomora is predominately a dark matte brown which I find a bit too dark. In the episode he was actually a lighter, almost reddish brown. There are areas of ultra-subtle highlights brushed in but they’re really only visible if you look for them. Gomora crawled out of a mountain, rolled around in the dirt and dug several tunnels. He was caked with dirt most of the time. This would have looked great on the vinyl. X-Plus’ original attempt at Gomora in 2007 (below) seems to have a paint job which, although a tad light, seems to mimic the original suit better.

The squiggly, red striping on Gomora’s horns look great! But no attempt was made at reproducing the dull shine that they had in the show. The eyes (corneas) are a vivid blue; too vivid to match the actual suit. At first sight, the teeth on this figure seem to be a toyish, stark white which, on the suit, they indeed were … but only in close-ups. The extra dark brown skin makes them seem even whiter. If you’re good with paint, this might be an area to tone down. Overall, the paint job — though simple — isn’t bad.

​SIZE COMPARISONS

​Though just a hair shorter, Gomora (Reborn) lines up well with most other Reborn kaiju from the Large Monster Series. (Above: Gomora, Baltan, Bemular and Red King.)

But judging by the misalignment of shoulder heights here, Gomora is really not in scale with X-Plus Ultraman figures. But that doesn’t stop it from looking good on the same shelf. (Above: X-Plus Ultraman C-Type Specium Pose and Ultraman C-Type Standing Pose.)

The DVD in the photo above is a contextual real world item to convey this figure’s size for those who don’t have an Large Monster Series Reborn figures yet. And for the Gomora completist, an Ultra-Act version of the beast.

​FOOTPRINT

The length of the X-Plus Gomora Reborn vinyl is 12 inches, yet fits comfortably on a standard shelf because the tail curves to its right. If desired, you’ll probably be able to get this figure to face front on the shelf (unlike many other figures with long tails) though it may be a bit too close to the edge.

​EXTRAS

​It’s X-Plus! I used to Photoshop to composite an image of the vinyl figure over the original in this shot from the series.

By John Stanowski Originally posted May 2nd, 2013 on Kaiju Addicts.