This section is a fully authorized reposting of content that appeared on Kaiju Addicts.com.
 FIGURE SPECSエクスプラス ギガンティックシリーズ 「ゴジラ（2001年版）」 JAPAN RELEASE: DECEMBER 2013 JAPAN BLUE FINS RE-ISSUE: LATE 2016 NORTH AMERICAN (DIAMOND) RE-ISSUE: JANUARY 2018 SERIES: GIGANTIC SERIES MATERIAL: SOFT VINYL (TONGUE: PUR) FROM: “GODZILLA, MOTHRA AND KING GHIDORAH: GIANT MONSTERS ALL-OUT ATTACK”, 2001 ゴジラ・モスラ・キングギドラ 大怪獣総攻撃 HEIGHT: 15.5 INCHES / 39 CM WIDTH: 16 INCHES (TOE TO TOE) / 40.6 CM LENGTH: ABOUT 31 INCHES / 78.7 CM ARTICULATION: NONE REVIEW AND PHOTOS: JOHN STANOWSKI In October 2013, X-Plus caught collectors off guard and announced the Gigantic Series: a new line of ‘gigantic’ vinyl figures. First up was Godzilla 2001 (GMK). X-Plus had previously released a Large Monster Series GMK as well as a Toho 30cm Series GMK, but this new figure would tower over both. THE BOX The box is so large that they only come one to a case. The case is something you don’t usually see. And in this case, your seller will likely just slap the shipping label directly onto it and ship it to you just like that. It’s 25 inches tall (63.5 cm) and will cost you extra to have it shipped to you. EMS was charging something like $105 to ship from Japan to the U.S. FedEx is even more expensive. Inside the case is a simple brown box with simple Ric Boy-style black art on the front. Since the figure is so heavy, it’s packaged into two pieces of thick styrofoam to make sure it reaches you safe and sound. ASSEMBLYThe X-Plus Gigantic Series Godzilla 2001 comes in two pieces: the main body and the tail. The hefty 20-inch tail is so big that it does not have the usual flanged (suction cup-looking) opening but instead has a thick rim to better support its weight. To attach it you need to soften the vinyl around Godzilla’s butt with a hair dryer so that it’s flexible enough to accept the tail. The vinyl on this guy is thicker than other X-Plus figures and so will take more time to get it to become soft. Don’t heat up the tail; leave it firm. If you are putting this together in the summer you may need to pop the tail into the refrigerator to firm it up. When the body is soft enough, just shove it in. Mine went in surprisingly easily.  THE BASE Included with this figure is a “base” sculpted to look like a chunk of battle damaged concrete. It’s meant to go under the tail to help support its weight. It’s hard to tell from the photo above, but there’s a slight depression across the top of the base that’s as wide as the tail. When I first saw it, I had the impression that the tail should fit into this depression completely from one end to the other. But the tail actually only needs to rest on about half of it. If you push the base too far under the tail’s lower curve, it will be pushing the figure up off its heels. The figure stands fine without the base since it’s lower legs are filled with solid resin to help him keep balanced. But I would suggest using the base anyway to prevent gravity from pulling the tail down and possibly opening a crack in the top of the seam. SCULPT Okay, let’s get a couple of things out of the way first: ARTISTIC LICENSE The new X-Plus Gigantic Series Godzilla 2001 strays from the norm of uber realistic sculpts and offers a powerful, dynamic, stylized interpretation instead. If you’re looking for movie-suit-accuracy, save your money for the March figures. On the other hand, if you’d like a powerful, dynamic, stylized behemoth of a Godzilla figure, this one’s for you. IT’S BIG This figure is the first in the aptly named “Gigantic Series” and it’s not just big… it’s literally gigantic. It’s head really is in the sky. It’s 30 inches of awesome. It’s so humonganoid that you’re going to find yourself wondering where the hell you can put it. Only the bravest, widest and sturdiest of shelves can hold him. Better idea: get him his own table.  LIKENESS I’ve seen stylized sculpts that were waaaay out there, but this one isn’t so bad. It obviously looks like GMK. His characteristic fat, feline head, unique dorsal plates and white eyes are all present, just with more flair. GAIT This figure has larger legs, clearly more muscular and spread wider than the suit could ever manage. The upper torso is far too thin for GMK, but this can only be seen directly from the front, and looking up from a low angle. FINS Gigantic GMK’s dorsal plates are much larger. All three rows of fins also fan outward at a more extreme angle. This is mostly visible only from a rear or overhead view of the figure. Their stylized characterics are visible from most angles yet at others the fins can look better and more suit-accurate than those on the X-Plus 30cm Series Godzilla 2001. 
TEXTURE The X-Plus Gigantic Series Godzilla 2001 has awesome texture. While all the skin patterns mimic the suit in all the right places, they are stylized in that their texture is so exaggerated and deep. Be prepared for your tactile sensors to go on overload while handling this thing. The claws on the hands and, especially, the feet are also super detailed with deep ridges. TONGUE A really small detail worth mentioning is the tongue. The only polyurethane part on the figure, it’s covered in a super-fine, bumpy texture that really sticks out. (Oh, what the hell. Pun intended.) Collector Rich Eso brought to my attention the detail on the roof of the mouth. I didn’t even notice it at first. Its gooey, red ridges are second only to the 30cm Gameras. It’s nice to know that should you choose to explore this figure closely that there’s plenty to discover. JOINTS & SEAMSThere are no non-glued joints except for the tail which butts up against the butt pretty well. The only obvious glue-seams are below both knees. They’re filled in well, but the deep, bumpy texture on the leg does not traverse it, thus making them noticeable. There are glue-seams at the top of both legs. The seam above the figure’s right leg is filled in very well, but not as much care was taken with the left leg, no doubt because it will be facing the wall. If you want to find a line where the lower jaw meets the body, you can, but it’s really not obvious. All of the individual dorsal fins have visible lines where they meet the back but they are very well obscured by other fins and ridges. Overall, there aren’t very many panty lines on this figure which is a huge plus for me. POSEThe X-Plus Gigantic Series GMK is posed hunched over in mid-roar, his body arced in a turning pose. And it looks awesome from almost every angle. Click on the photos below for gigantic, hi-res versions!
PAINT JOB
The X-Plus Gigantic Series Godzilla 2001 is covered is standard, asphalt black which seems even darker with the addition of tiny shadows from its deep texture. The skin’s higher elevations are gently highlighted with a subtle, lighter shade. (I wish they painted the 30cm Series version this color!). The light in the room plays on the figure’s coarse skin for even more visual variation. BONE WHITE The boney protrusions of the claws and dorsal fins are painting in a wildly, stark white. If this figure didn’t have as much detail as it does, I’d say it was toyishly white. But as it is, it seems just another embellishment in this figures stylized design. I have to say, though, it’s mighty bold and seems to demand your attention. DEMONIC EYES Godzilla’s possessed eyes of white aren’t fully painted, but instead are airbrushed near the front which gradiates to black in the rear. Another paint stylization which tries to keep the look of the suit while making these souless eyes look like they’re aimed forward. Nice touch. KAIJU BREATH The teeth start out white but feather into a saturated yellowy-orange which, to me, seems to be calling for attention much the same way a bright stripe on a racing car does. I think this could have been toned down to more of a tan or brown. But it is nice to know the teeth are so big that there’s room for paint detail. SIZE COMPARISONS NOTHING COMPARES Not many other X-Plus figures can compare to this. The Large Monster Series Viras beats it in height by half an inch, but keep in mind that Godzilla is slouching. The only figure that even comes close to the Gigantic GMK as far as overall size and mass is the Large Monster Series Biollante, but even that giant of a figure gets dwarfed. (I have her boxed up right now else I’d pair them up for you.) (Pictured above: 30cm Series GMK on the left, Large Monster Series on the right. I believe you know the one in the middle.) FOOTPRINTIt’s almost 16 inches tall, 16 inches wide and a whopping 31 inches long. Many of you, myself included, won’t even have a shelf capable of supporting this beast. But if you do, its curved pose makes it easy to display on the right end and leaves plenty of room on the left for other figures to creep in beside it if you don’t mind them getting hugged by GMK’s huge tail. Like I said earlier: you might consider just getting it its own table. Or if you really, really love it… a pedestal. RIC BOY EXCLUSIVE FEATURE STILL BEATING HEART Well, isn’t this lovely? The Ric Boy version of this figure comes with a reproduction of GMK’s ejected heart as it was seen at the end of the movie, still beating at the bottom of the bay. I don’t have the Ric Boy version so please enjoy this slimey production photo from X-Plus. SUMMARYWhen I first saw the announcement for this figure I gasped at its immense size, but quickly shrugged it off when I noticed just how inaccurate it was. But I wound up ordering it anyway because I just had to have a big, giant Godzilla in my collection. And in the end this thing did not disappoint. Now, I kind of like it’s stylized sculpt, pose and paint scheme… a lot. It’s big, bad and dynamic. X-Plus controller Gee Okamoto was right: it is powerful. And it’s now the star and centerpiece of my Godzilla collection. EXTRAS   MORE INFORMATION
 Kyle Yount (KaijuCast) was at X-Plus headquarters in Osaka, Japan Friday (in 2013) where he got to hold the new Gigantic Series Godzilla 2001. Who knows what other wonders he got to lay his eyes on while there? To find out click on the video link above from the Kaijucast Youtube Channel. By John Stanowski Originally posted January 18th, 2014 on Kaiju Addicts.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
This section is a fully authorized reposting of articles from Kaiju Addicts, why, because in time Kaiju Addict will be going away in the near future and we wanted to persevere the great reviews, tips, and more on the site. All articles are being reposted with the integrity on the original articles intact as much as possible (there are some minor edits, and dead links that have been removed). Even though these may be older articles they can provide useful information to both new and old fans alike. We thank John for providing us this opportunity.
Author/AboutJohn Stanowski
Owner/Blogger of Kaiju Addicts, a premiere X-Plus and figure related website. Kaiju Addicts is a guide to collecting X-Plus Godzilla/Kaiju vinyls. It is site that is a web portal featuring all things X-Plus including his own written figure reviews, news, release schedules as well as content from other collectors and reviewers. Kaiju Addicts Reviews and Original photos by John Stanowski, do not copy and reuse without permission. Photos are NOT to be used for selling. Kaiju Addicts also posts content from other reviewers and user submitted photos which are copyrighted by their owners and can not be copied without permission. All articles on this page are
Copyright 2013-2021, John Stanowski All Rights Reserved. Please do NOT copy photos without permission. Archives
October 2021
Categories
All
|
RSS Feed