Kaiju Battle
  • Home
  • Features
    • Kaiju Battle Vision
    • Saturday Showcase
    • Creature Feature
    • Creator Close-Up
    • Classic Comics
    • Character Close-Up
    • FanWorks >
      • Artwork/Customs
      • FanFics/Projects
      • Events/Cons
    • Godmera's Fandom
  • Movies/Media
    • Godzilla/Toho
    • Godzilla/Legendary
    • Gamera
    • Pacific Rim
    • King Kong
    • Ultra Universe
    • Other Kaiju
  • Collectibles
    • Godzilla/Toho Collectibles
    • Monsterverse Collectibles
    • Gamera Collectibles
    • Pacific Rim Collectibles
    • Ultra Universe Collectibles
    • Other Kaiju Collectibles
  • Comics/Books
    • IDW Godzilla
    • Marvel Comics
    • Legendary/Monsterverse
    • Pacific Rim Comics
    • Other Kaiju Comics
    • Magazines/Books
  • Databases
    • Figure Database >
      • X-Plus Toho/Daiei/Other >
        • X-Plus 30 cm Godzilla/Toho Part One
        • X-Plus 30 cm Godzilla/Toho Part Two
        • X-Plus Large Monster Series Godzilla/Toho Part One
        • X-Plus Large Monster Series Godzilla/Toho Part Two
        • X-Plus Godzilla/Toho Pre-2007
        • X-Plus Godzilla/Toho Gigantic Series
        • X-Plus Daiei/Pacific Rim/Other
        • X-Plus Daiei/Other Pre-2009
        • X-Plus Toho/Daiei DefoReal/More Part One
        • X-Plus Toho/Daiei DefoReal/More Part Two
        • X-Plus Godzilla/Toho Other Figure Lines
        • X-Plus Classic Creatures & More
        • Star Ace/X-Plus Classic Creatures & More
        • X-Plus North America
      • X-Plus Ultraman >
        • X-Plus Ultraman Pre-2012 Part One
        • X-Plus Ultraman Pre-2012 Part Two
        • X-Plus Ultraman 2012 - 2013
        • X-Plus Ultraman 2014 - 2015
        • X-Plus Ultraman 2016 - 2017
        • X-Plus Ultraman 2018 - 2019
        • X-Plus Ultraman 2020 - 2021
        • X-Plus Ultraman 2022 - 2023
        • X-Plus Ultraman Gigantics/DefoReals
        • X-Plus Ultraman RMC
        • X-Plus Ultraman RMC Plus
        • X-Plus Ultraman Other Figure Lines
        • X-Plus Tokusatsu
      • Bandai/Tamashii >
        • S.H. MonsterArts Part One
        • S.H. MonsterArts Part Two
        • S.H. Figuarts Part One
        • S.H. Figuarts Part Two
        • S.H. Figuarts Part Three
        • Figuarts Other Ultraman Lines
        • Ultra-Act
        • Tamashii/Bandai Pacific Rim
        • Bandai Creation
      • Banpresto
      • HIYA >
        • HIYA Monsterverse
        • HIYA Godzilla/Toho
      • NECA >
        • NECA Godzilla/Kong
        • NECA Pacific Rim
      • Medicom Toys >
        • Medicom Toys Part One
        • Medicom Toys Part Two
        • Medicom Toys Part Three
        • Medicom Toys Part Four
        • Medicom Toys Other Figure Lines
      • Kaiyodo/Revoltech
      • Diamond Select Toys
      • Funko/Jakks/Others
      • Playmates Toys
      • Art Spirits
      • Mezco Toyz
    • Movie Database >
      • Toho Godzilla Movies
      • Toho Monster Movies
      • Legendary Monsterverse Movies
      • Gamera/Daiei Movies
      • U.S. Monster Movies
      • International Monster Movies
      • Monster Suits
    • Comic/Book Database >
      • Comicbook Database
      • Book Database
  • Marketplace
  • Kaiju Addicts
Picture
Picture
This section is a fully authorized reposting of content that appeared on Kaiju Addicts.com.

X-Plus Hedorah (Landing Stage) Vinyl Figure Review

7/6/2013

0 Comments

 
Picture

​FIGURE SPECS

​東宝大怪獣リーズ 「ヘドラ(上陸期)」

​JAPAN RELEASE: DECEMBER 2011

​JAPAN SOFT VERSION REISSUE: MAY 2018

​NORTH AMERICAN (DIAMOND) REISSUE: JULY 2018

​SERIES: LARGE MONSTER SERIES

​MATERIAL: SOFT VINYL

​FROM: “GODZILLA VS. HEDORAH (GODZILLA VS. THE SMOG MONSTER)”, 1971
ゴジラ対ヘドラ

​HEIGHT: 8.25 INCHES / 20.95 CM

​WIDTH: ABOUT 7 INCHES (FOOT TO FOOT, NOT INCLUDING TAIL) / ABOUT 17.78 CM

​LENGTH: (HEAD TO TAIL): ABOUT 10.5 INCHES / 26.67 CM

​ARTICULATION: SHOULDERS

​REVIEW AND PHOTOS: JOHN STANOWSKI

The murky, smog-eating kaiju Hedorah was once accused of ruining the Godzilla franchise but has since become a favorite among many. To me, Hedorah is one of the most interesting of the Godzilla monsters.

Hedorah wasn’t as easy to “read” as the other anthropomorphic kaijus and this made him downright creepy. (As creepy as you can get for a Godzilla movie anyway.) You could always tell when Gigan, Titanosaurus or Mechagodzilla were pissed off, when they were going to charge, etc. etc. But Hedorah acted more like an animal. He just stood there and stared; always calculating his next move behind those two big red eyes. This is why Hedorah is a personal favorite and why I was really glad to pick this guy up in vinyl form!

The X-Plus 25cm Large Monster Series Hedorah (Landing Stage) vinyl figure portrays the slimy beast in his “landing stage” between giant tadpole and full adult. This is how Hedorah appeared when he first flew out of the sea and made landfall in order to feast on smoke stack emissions and melt the flesh of anyone unlucky enough to be nearby.

SCULPT

Picture
It’s a great likeness. There aren’t very many scenes of Hedorah in this stage, but what you do get to see this figure matches up with fantastically. And looking closer, every drip, drape and piece of goop seems to have gotten adequate attention from the sculptor. The head, being the only feature that really isn’t a droopy mess is faithfully reproduced and instantly recognizable. And the eyes are as creepy as ever!
Picture
Picture
The X-Plus 25cm series Hedorah is mostly smooth but does some fine rough detail here and there. And, once again, this figure attempts to reproduce the actual suit and this is overly evident in this case with the presence of what basically amounts to a loincloth between his legs (this detail would have been removed immediately by a sculptor making a stylized version).

JOINTS & SEAMS

This figure does have a couple of eyesores. Although there are seams and lines here and there, they’re mostly unnoticeable, except for two. There’s a big ‘ol line running around the waist. And the area where the top part of the tail meets the back has a hideous gap which, fortunately, only the back of the shelf gets to see.

POSE

​The X-Plus 25cm series Hedorah hunches forward following the same dynamic set by his droopy tendrils. This pose reminds me of the scene where he leaned over to feast on the emissions of a smouldering smoke stack.
Picture

ARTICULATION

​The arms are articulated at the shoulder and can be posed to lurch forward like Frankenstein or allowed to droop straight down. Letting the arm hang down may be preferable. I recently learned from another collector that in summer his 25cm Hedorah softens up and falls on his face. My figure seems pretty steady in his stance but after investigating I did realize that if his front toes did get soft, he would be front heavy. Having the arms extended in summer seems like it would make him even more unbalanced.

PAINT JOB

​There isn’t much to say here. Hedorah is almost uniformly a drab and flat, smokey, dark, ash gray. There are some super subtle greenish highlights which can be seen only if you look for them. Nicely done dirty yellow splotches cover his back and portions of his head. Though obviously not painted, the eyes are the final component to Hedorah’s color palette with a dark red base and intricately spiked orange pupils which look fantastic.

Although this figure may seem a tad shiny in these photos, it’s really an uneventful flat gray in person which pales, shrivels up and dies in comparison to the paint job on the 30cm Hedorah which, I admit, I’m not completely sure it should match. It’s possible this stage of Hedorah appeared flatter in the movie.

SIZE

Picture
​Hedorah fits in nicely with his other kaiju buddies in the same scale. True, he’s shorter but that’s because he’s hunching forward.
Picture
Picture
​The Large Monster Series Hedorah is only about half as tall as his 30cm brother (sister?). And when not gulping down plumes of toxic smoke, Hedorah really likes Coke. That’s not saying much for all you junk food junkies out there.

FOOTPRINT

Picture
Hedorah does not need a lot of room to display. His tail curves to the left (his right) and is easily tucked behind the nearest neighbor.

The higher he’s placed, the better Hedorah looks on the shelf. I had this figure on a shelf about waist high ever since I got him last January and always felt he looked like he was hiding his face. While doing this review I placed him on top of my Mac Pro and realized how much better it looks at eye level or above.

​EXTRAS

Picture
Picture
By John Stanowski Originally posted July 6th, 2013​ 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/About

    ​John 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
    July 2021
    January 2021
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013


    Categories

    All
    30cm Series
    Collector Profile
    Gigantic Series
    Guides
    Interviews
    Kaiju Addicts TV
    Large Monster Series
    News
    Photos
    Reviews
    Tips


    RSS Feed

About Kaiju Battle
Links & Friends
Contact Us
Privacy Policy

© 2011-2025 Kaiju Battle. All Rights Reserved.
Visit Our Social Media Sites
Proudly powered by Weebly
  • Home
  • Features
    • Kaiju Battle Vision
    • Saturday Showcase
    • Creature Feature
    • Creator Close-Up
    • Classic Comics
    • Character Close-Up
    • FanWorks >
      • Artwork/Customs
      • FanFics/Projects
      • Events/Cons
    • Godmera's Fandom
  • Movies/Media
    • Godzilla/Toho
    • Godzilla/Legendary
    • Gamera
    • Pacific Rim
    • King Kong
    • Ultra Universe
    • Other Kaiju
  • Collectibles
    • Godzilla/Toho Collectibles
    • Monsterverse Collectibles
    • Gamera Collectibles
    • Pacific Rim Collectibles
    • Ultra Universe Collectibles
    • Other Kaiju Collectibles
  • Comics/Books
    • IDW Godzilla
    • Marvel Comics
    • Legendary/Monsterverse
    • Pacific Rim Comics
    • Other Kaiju Comics
    • Magazines/Books
  • Databases
    • Figure Database >
      • X-Plus Toho/Daiei/Other >
        • X-Plus 30 cm Godzilla/Toho Part One
        • X-Plus 30 cm Godzilla/Toho Part Two
        • X-Plus Large Monster Series Godzilla/Toho Part One
        • X-Plus Large Monster Series Godzilla/Toho Part Two
        • X-Plus Godzilla/Toho Pre-2007
        • X-Plus Godzilla/Toho Gigantic Series
        • X-Plus Daiei/Pacific Rim/Other
        • X-Plus Daiei/Other Pre-2009
        • X-Plus Toho/Daiei DefoReal/More Part One
        • X-Plus Toho/Daiei DefoReal/More Part Two
        • X-Plus Godzilla/Toho Other Figure Lines
        • X-Plus Classic Creatures & More
        • Star Ace/X-Plus Classic Creatures & More
        • X-Plus North America
      • X-Plus Ultraman >
        • X-Plus Ultraman Pre-2012 Part One
        • X-Plus Ultraman Pre-2012 Part Two
        • X-Plus Ultraman 2012 - 2013
        • X-Plus Ultraman 2014 - 2015
        • X-Plus Ultraman 2016 - 2017
        • X-Plus Ultraman 2018 - 2019
        • X-Plus Ultraman 2020 - 2021
        • X-Plus Ultraman 2022 - 2023
        • X-Plus Ultraman Gigantics/DefoReals
        • X-Plus Ultraman RMC
        • X-Plus Ultraman RMC Plus
        • X-Plus Ultraman Other Figure Lines
        • X-Plus Tokusatsu
      • Bandai/Tamashii >
        • S.H. MonsterArts Part One
        • S.H. MonsterArts Part Two
        • S.H. Figuarts Part One
        • S.H. Figuarts Part Two
        • S.H. Figuarts Part Three
        • Figuarts Other Ultraman Lines
        • Ultra-Act
        • Tamashii/Bandai Pacific Rim
        • Bandai Creation
      • Banpresto
      • HIYA >
        • HIYA Monsterverse
        • HIYA Godzilla/Toho
      • NECA >
        • NECA Godzilla/Kong
        • NECA Pacific Rim
      • Medicom Toys >
        • Medicom Toys Part One
        • Medicom Toys Part Two
        • Medicom Toys Part Three
        • Medicom Toys Part Four
        • Medicom Toys Other Figure Lines
      • Kaiyodo/Revoltech
      • Diamond Select Toys
      • Funko/Jakks/Others
      • Playmates Toys
      • Art Spirits
      • Mezco Toyz
    • Movie Database >
      • Toho Godzilla Movies
      • Toho Monster Movies
      • Legendary Monsterverse Movies
      • Gamera/Daiei Movies
      • U.S. Monster Movies
      • International Monster Movies
      • Monster Suits
    • Comic/Book Database >
      • Comicbook Database
      • Book Database
  • Marketplace
  • Kaiju Addicts