Photoshop artist Trenddi Alexis assembled his work titled “Godzilla: The Destroyer of Worlds” which features the X-Plus Gigantic Series Godzilla 2001 vinyl figure. See it get assembled in the timelapse video below. (The timelapse starts one minute into the video.) And visit his DeviantArt page at http://trenzillaxdesigns.deviantart.com/.

​By John Stanowski Originally posted January 24th, 2014​ on Kaiju Addicts. 

Is your X-Plus Large Monster Series Ebirah vinyl figure just laying there on the shelf in a lifeless lobster pose? Get a rock and read on!

Let’s face it: the X-Plus Ebirah doesn’t have great shelf presence. It just lies low on all fours (eights?). Granted, his body didn’t offer many options for the sculptor to create a dynamic pose. But that doesn’t mean your vinyl sea monster needs to hang low, making a big dip in your X-Plus shelf skyline.

Using a rock to give Ebirah a boost puts him in a better position to face the X-Plus Godzilla 1966. And it looks cool, too.

Choose your rock wisely. The sloped rock pictured here is a perfect size and shape. Plus it has some ridges which allow Ebirah’s smaller legs to grab on to.

If you’re worried about having something so heavy high up and potentially over heads, just look for a lighter rock. Metamorphic and especially sedimentary rocks are much lighter. Consider a piece of coral. That would be super light and fit the sea monster theme.

If you find yourself in a place where you can go rock shopping, but don’t happen to have your Ebirah figure with you, just remember a softball-sized rock will do the trick.

You can pose your Ebirah at different elevations simply by pushing him further up the rock. If he wants to slide back, support his tail with the wall, another figure or another, smaller rock.

And remember: the arms on the X-Plus Ebirah are poseable. They could be angled downward to hug the rock or raised even higher to engage Godzilla.

GOTCHA: Tilting Ebirah up so that some of his weight rests on his soft vinyl tail may bend it over time. It seems pretty sturdy to me, but you might have to consider this. To counter it, you could always… get another rock, and place it above his tail for more support.

​By John Stanowski Originally posted January 19th, 2014​ on Kaiju Addicts. 

​One of Collector Ryu Hayabusa’s favored techniques is dark and dynamic. I love them because his use of Photoshop filters strips a bit of the real world away from the images leaving only the important bits: the shape of Godzilla’s features and adds a wispy, painterly touch that can better be appreciated if you click on them to view their larger versions. Well, that’s what I think about them anyway. I’m glad he allowed me to share them with you. (All Photos ©, Ryu Hayabusa.)

By John Stanowski Originally posted January 18, 2014​ on Kaiju Addicts.

​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 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.

The 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.

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.

There 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.

​The 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!

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.

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.)

​It’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.

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.

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.

​Photos copyrighted by Rich Eso.

By John Stanowski Originally posted January 16th, 2014 on Kaiju Addicts.

大怪獣シリーズ ウルトラマン編 「宇宙忍者 バルタン星人（REBORN）」

​JAPAN RELEASE: AUGUST 2010

​JAPAN REISSUE: 2012

​SERIES: LARGE MONSTER SERIES

MATERIAL: SOFT VINYL

FROM: “ULTRAMAN” EPISODE 2, “SHOOT THE INVADER”, 1966
ウルトラマン

​HEIGHT: 9 INCHES / 22.8 CM

​WIDTH: 5 INCHES / 12.7 CM

​ARTICULATION: ARM, WRISTS, ANKLES

​REVIEW AND PHOTOS: JOHN STANOWSKI

Alien Baltan (or Baltan Seijin, also sometimes referred to as ‘Baltan 1’ in toy circles) is one of the most popular and beloved of Ultraman‘s foes. He’s shown up numerous times with many suit upgrades in multiple Ultraman series. He’s even shown up in the original “Ultraman” twice, the second time with one such suit change. But our guy here is the original, as seen in the very second episode of “Ultraman” titled “Shoot The Invader!”

Baltan, and 2.3 billion of his arthropod buddies, escaped from their dead world by miniaturizing themselves and fitting into one spaceship to find a new home. After scoping out Mars and realizing it was loaded with Spacium (their own version of Kryptonite), they came to Earth. Originally, they only wanted to swipe some scientific equipment from 1960s Japan which somehow was a perfect match for their super-advanced interstellar craft. But they soon realized that Earth wasn’t just a nice place to visit and that they would like to live there. Unfortunately for them, Earth had Ultraman and the Science Patrol to greet them.

This character is the very first alien to battle Ultraman here on Earth. Yes, Ultraman’s first foe, Bemular, was from another planet, but he was a kaiju. Baltan is a seijin, or alien. Baltan is also known for his ability to change his size, create multiple copies of himself to confuse enemies and also for his famous laugh which was borrowed from the 1963 film “Matango” (マタンゴ), or as we know it better in the West: “Attack Of The Mushroom People“.

X-Plus has made numerous Baltan figures (some of which you can see here). This review features the 2012 re-issue of the original 2010 Large Monster Series Space Ninja Alien Baltan (Reborn).

LIKENESS
Sculpt-wise, this figure is an insanely accurate representation of the suit used in the 1966 episode. Not only is it a deadringer for the “real” thing as a whole, it’s finer details, up close, are remarkably authentic.

​Every single detail on Baltan’s lobstery, insectoid face has made it onto the figure. I’m talking about tiny details you never even even got a good look at when watching the show. See those grooves on the forehead? There’s 10 of them on either side. This is precisely how many there are on the suit! Crazy! X-Plus does not disappoint!

EYES
Baltan’s buggy eyes are made of clear plastic molded in orange. While smooth on the outside, they have a bumpy, insectoid texture on the inside. I think this is just incredible attention to detail.

The sculpt of Baltan’s claws are freakishly accurate, even down to the subtle bumpy texture. While reviewing the episode, I paused the DVD on a close-up of the claw and compared it to the X-Plus figure and I was pleasantly surprised at the level the sculptor went to reproduce it. On the TV I saw that the inside edge of the top pincer was fairly straight, while the lower pincer had more of a curve on the front half. The X-Plus sculpt mimicks that precisely!

As for that row of rectangular indents: there are nine… exactly how many there were on the suit.

INNIE OR OUTIE?
This row of indents occurs only on one side of each claw; the other side being simply smooth. These claws are removeable and both fit on either arm. I shot all of the photos for this review with the indents on the inside, but it would be just as accurate to switch them and have the indents face outward.

All of the scenes featuring Baltan at human-size had the indents on the outside. However, when they shot the scenes of Baltan on the miniature set to battle Ultraman, the indents were on the inside. Perhaps the indents were meant to switch sides when Baltan increases his size, but I’m thinking that someone on set simply wasn’t paying attention and let suit actor put the claws on the wrong hands.

On the shelf, I’m keeping the indents on the outside of the claws, and have them rotated slightly inward to more mimic the posture of the suit as it was seen inside the science building in the episode.

There are joints above the biceps which are worked into the sculpt very well. My figure will allow me to rotate the left arm at this point. The right doesn’t want to budge and I don’t plan to force it to find out if it does the same. The ankles rotate but the seams are well hidden because they occur at the top of Baltan’s “boots”. The right foot is a bit loose possibly because of the wiring installed for this 2012 Ric Boy light gimmick release. The giant claws can rotate easily at the wrist and can also be removed. This joint is a curious design with the wrist being just a simple cylinder that slides into the claws with no “suction cup” flange to hold them in place. They’re long enough, though, that I wouldn’t worry about the claws falling off. The only joint that does bother me the waist. Though it could be said that this joint is worked into the sculpt, it still ‘sticks out’ to me but is nowhere near a deal breaker.

Baltan stands in an uneventful pose showing neither action nor personality. He may not look like he’s about to do battle with Ultraman, but it’s just fine for display. It could be said that Baltan was often in this pose while stalking the Science Patrol as they investigated in the science building .

Baltan has a dark blue base color with light blue highlights and markings. They did an especially good job on these triangular patterns as they were applied on totally smooth surfaces with no “lines” in the sculpt to stay inside of. No doubt, stencils were used. The colors here look great!

The claws are a semi glossy silver which have dark brown “drips” falling from the wrists. These brown lines are the least impressive aspect of the paint job since they are crude representations of what was seen on the suit. They also exude a “by hand” quality. Bright tan areas and hard plastic eyes molded in orange steal some of the attention away from the bright claws. Overall, if it weren’t for the sloppy brown lines on the claws, I’d give this paint job and A+.

At first glance the X-Plus Baltan looks to be a good match for the Ultraman figures… that is, if they’re crouching. (Above: X-Plus Ultraman C-Type Specium Pose).

Size comparisons with standing Ultraman figures is another story. As usual, the Large Monster Series kaiju don’t have the same reach as the Ultramen do. At first, Baltan seems to be just a little shorter than the X-Plus Ultraman A-Type Standing Pose (above), but if you attempt to line them up at the shoulders, you can see these guys just aren’t in scale with each other.

​However, Baltan is a great match with other Large Monster Series Ultra kaiju. It lines up perfectly with other X-Plus Reborn figures: Gomora, Bemular and Red King.

It’s obvious the X-Plus Baltan does not take up a lot of space on the shelf, especially if you don’t use the included clear stand and base (seen below). If you don’t, you may need to apply some putty under the front of his feet. This figure has weak ankle joints and leans slightly forward. Even if you’re able to balance him on his own, it would be a precarious thing to do without some extra support.

The original 2010 Ric Boy release came with an extra set of arms which were bent at the elbows for an alternative look. (See photos below close up photo.). The 2012 Re-issue Ric Boy (seen above and below) did not come with the extra arms but instead offered a light gimmick.

LEDs behind the buggy eyes run down through the body and accept power from the batteries in the base via a port under the right foot. The included base holds two LR 44 batteries and a plug rising out of the top. A switch on the side of the base controls the power. I need to mention that the base is made of thin plastic and not very sturdy. And, as often happens, the figure doesn’t stand completely straight while the heel is impaled with this plug. You might want to consider using the clear plastic arm, which also attaches to the base, to keep your figure from leaning.

By John Stanowski Originally posted January 12th, 2014​ on Kaiju Addicts.

​夏 東宝30CMシリーズ 「サンダ＆ガイラ」

​JAPAN KIT RELEASE: 2007

​JAPAN FIGURE RELEASE: 2008

​JAPAN WONDER FEST RE-ISSUE: 2011

​DIAMOND REISSUE: 2014

​SERIES: TOHO 30CM SERIES

​MATERIAL: SOFT VINYL

FROM: “THE WAR OF THE GARGANTUAS”, 1966
フランケンシュタインの怪獣 サンダ対ガイラ

​HEIGHT: (SANDA) 12 INCHES / 30.4 CM, (GAIRA) 10.5 INCHES / 26.6 CM

​ARTICULATION: SHOULDERS, WRISTS, KNEES, ANKLES

​REVIEW AND PHOTOS: JOHN STANOWSKI

DISCLAIMER: When I was five years old I got angry every time these guys came on TV. One reason was that they weren’t Godzilla and they were taking up Godzilla’s slot on Creature Double Feature. Another reason was they weren’t even proper monsters; just “regular guys in leaf suits” as my five-year-old self called them. Because of this, I’m no Gargantua expert. I only recently started appreciating the movie and now think that it is one of the best―even though it still doesn’t have Godzilla in it. I’m not sure how qualified I am to do a review on these figures. I may not have the same sensibilities you longtime Gargantua lovers do, but I’ll do my best.

A sequel to “Frankenstein Conquers The World” (1965), “War of the Gargantuas” (1966) features a double dose of mayhem. Apparently, Frankenstein had survived his fall into the fiery earth and continued to grow in size while hiding in the mountains. At some point some of his live cells broke away and traveled down the river to the sea where they, naturally, grew into a watery clone in the completely and utterly plausible way in which anyone would expect.

After growing nearly as tall as his brother, Gaira discovers a taste for humans and ventures out of the sea in search of more. This leads him, of course, back to the mountains where the Japanese Defense Force nearly kill him with masers and an electrified lake. (Take a good look. This is probably the only time you’ll see the army so effective against a kaiju!) The army’s deathblow was interrupted by the surprise arrival of Sanda, the original Frankenstein. He saves the life of his younger “brother” and nurses him back to health, only to discover that being an older brother isn’t so easy.

Sanda and Gaira were first put out by X-Plus as vinyl kits back in 2007 and have since enjoyed three more incarnations. The latest is a two-figure set licenced for North America and circulated by Diamond Comic Distributors. This set was released early in January of 2014. The original Japanese releases are very hard to come by and have the appropriate higher price tags. If you ever wanted the X-Plus Gargantuas, the time to get them is right now.

​Both figures come bundled in a standard X-Plus 30cm Series Box: plain cardboard with art on the front. This set is the Diamond re-issue. You can identify it by the “PX Previews Exclusive” logo on the front.

Both figures are wrapped loosely in plastic and kept in place by a single wire twist tie each.

THEY STAND FINE
Once you free your Gargantuas from the box, you should adjust some limbs. Knees and ankles were twisted out of position so that they would fit into the package better. Also, Gaira’s arms were pushed down to his belly. Be sure to raise them up as they’re an important part of his balance. Consult the photos here in this review and tweak the joints until both figures are able to stand on their own. If you lightly poke a figure and it wobbles too much, you have more tweaking to do. It’s completely possible to get both of them into a fairly balanced and sturdy stance.

LIKENESS
To my untrained Gargantua eye, these figures are awesome representations of the suits. To doublecheck, I revisited the movie last night with both of these guys on my lap. I must have hit the pause button 50 times to compare the figures to what was on the screen. I really couldn’t find anything wrong with the sculpts except for one thing: both of their torsos seem really wide when viewed from the front or back. Sorry if I got that wrong, but it bugged me enough to want to mention it.

FACES: I’m really impressed with both faces. To me, not only did they get all of the features down, they also seem to capture each creature’s personality. I may just be imagining it, but Sanda seems wiser while Gaira looks a touch childlike and primitive.

TEXTURE: I realize how difficult it must be to represent hair, fur or leafy bodysuits in a sculpt but I think the sculptor did a great job on these figures. Gaira is particularly impressive.

​Both figures have moveable joints at the shoulders, wrists, below the knees and the ankles. Gaira has an extra joint on the left elbow. Every one of these joints has a special place they want or need to be. Correctly positioning the joints in the legs will ensure that your figures stand well on their own and don’t topple over. The hands are the only joints where you have a little freedom to tweak.

These joints are somewhat well hidden on the Sanda figure which was sculpted to have material drape over and hide them. Gaira isn’t as lucky and these joints are a bit more visible.

On both figures, the head and shoulders are molded onto one piece, the bottom of which is a jagged line which zig-zags up and down over the top of the body. Also on both, these glued seams are not an overly perfect match. If you’re picky like I am and want to find something to complain about, look here closely. Thankfully this mismatch isn’t nearly as obvious from the front as it is the back.

Also on both figures, the lower teeth, lip and chin are a separate glued piece. On Gaira, this is well hidden, but not so much on Sanda.

​Both figures have a pose which faithfully captures the personality of each Gargantua.

​Sanda’s pose shows he’s ready to rumble, yet knows restraint thus proving the older brother is wiser.

​Gaira’s pose shows his immaturity; that or his acceptance that he’s the smaller guy. His arms are raised to protect himself from his non-people eating bully of a brother, yet he seems ready to kick some ass if pushed too far.

Sanda’s body has a base coat of a medium brown with a myriad of tan highlights and darker brown shadows. All of these colors are much more visible in person and I’m afraid my photos don’t do them justice. The finger nails are a glossy brown which is a nice touch for a toy, but they’re a bit too glossy to be realistic.

The much less impressive Gaira is covered in mostly one shade of green with sparse darker green shadows and just a scant touch of light brown here and there.

The brightest color on Sanda is on his hair and parts of his shoulders. His face is a dull, unsaturated brown which looks pretty good to me. The transition in the paint from hair to face is done well. But for some crazy reason, the ears share color with the hair, not the face… lazy and disappointing. The teeth are very well done. And, the eyes are very impressive in that they’re so small yet somehow they managed to add whites and pupils.

Gaira disappoints again with a face that is far too dark. It looks like this time they tried to make the ears closer in hue to the face rather than the hair, but the attempt is barely noticeable. Teeth here are also well done and the reddish inner lip feathers nicely into the green of the face. Again, the eyes are really good seeing as how they’re so tiny. Even more impressive is that they managed to fit in some color around the pupils unlike Sanda.

In movie reality, the Gargantuas aren’t nearly as tall as Godzilla. Yet, these figures look perfect beside other figures in the Toho 30cm Series like the X-Plus Godzilla 1964 seen above. If anything, they’re actually a little larger than the others. And, of course, they’re absolutely taller than the X-Plus Baragon 1965 (right) and other figures in the Large Monster Series.

MASER, HASHA!
Finally, an X-Plus figure damn near in scale with the Revoltech Type 66 Maser Cannon! If I remember correctly, Gaira’s foot was just larger than a car. The tank pulling the 66 is much larger than a car so this looks like a perfect match!

Usually, discussion of a figure’s footprint, or the shelf space it takes up, isn’t warranted when it comes to biped figures, especially those without tails. They just don’t take up a lot of space. But Sanda and Gaia are a two-figure set and many, if not most, collectors will want to display them together. As a unit, including the space inbetween them, they could take up the same amount of space as two 30cm Series Godzillas. Here are four ideas on Gargantua arrangements which take up slightly different spaces.

​FINDING MORE BALANCE
It’s usually a precarious arrangement when you let biped figures stand on their own two feet without support. Though, I have to say I am amazed at how well both Gargantuas stand without any aid. They look as if they are top heavy, yet they just laugh at my little test pokes.

However, There’s no reason why you shouldn’t invest in a little insurance for the long-term shelf arrangement. You may not have noticed but the figures in all four of the photos above are touching each other. This is further enhancing their already pretty solid balance so accidental bumps into the shelf should be of less concern. Just get them both arranged around about how you’d like and then, while making sure both feet are flat on the shelf, slowly push one figure toward the other until they touch. Take care not to have one slightly pushing the other. The rough texture on both make it easier for them to “lock” together. Now they’re working as a team!

​By John Stanowski Originally posted January 12th, 2014​ on Kaiju Addicts.

東宝大怪獣リーズ 「ガイガン」

​JAPAN RELEASE: MARCH 2012

​SERIES: LARGE MONSTERS SERIES

​MATERIAL: SOFT VINYL

FROM: “GODZILLA VS. GIGAN”, 1972
ゴジラ対ガイガン

​HEIGHT: 10 INCHES / 25.4 CM

​WIDTH: 5.75 INCHES / 14.6 CM

​LENGTH: ABOUT 11 INCHES / 27.9 CM

​ARTICULATION: SHOULDERS, HIPS

​REVIEW AND PHOTOS: JOHN STANOWSKI

X-Plus made a few Gigans. There is a 30cm Series Gigan in vinyl, a variant with “nighttime” paint scheme, a polystone version and, in 2012, a Large Monster Series (25cm) version. This review is for the latter.

LIKENESS
Green, rubbery skin, gold scales, winged fins, hooks and pincers! There’s so much to see on this kaiju and I think this figure got pretty much every detail spot on. It’s a winner!

​THE VISOR
Gigan’s cyclops visor, as well as the bead above it, is molded in clear, red-tinted plastic. It’s smooth on the outside and has a bubble pattern texture on the inside which shows through to the front. This is a technique X-Plus was to use again on Kumonga. It’s a great effect and it looks awesome.

TEETH
Gigan has a short row of individually sculpted teeth on either side of his beak which aren’t visible at many angles, further obscured by the side “pincers”. But they’re a nice touch to discover while handing the figure.

SCALES
The golden scales that run across Gigan’s belly, back and tail are rendered impressively on this figure. It must have been a monotonous task for the sculptor to make every single scale and to take so much care as to give each and every one of them depth. Now THAT’S X-Plus for ya!

SAW
The “chest saw”, one of Gigan’s key weapons and distinguishing characteristics looks great on this figure. The spikes look particularly impressive from the side as they recede behind the previously mentioned scales.

FINS
The back fins look amazing and true to the suit. I have to say, though, that the “ribs” seem a tad thicker than they should be, and the foldy, wrinkly texture between them seem a bit overdone. The suit did have these wrinkles… just not so many of them. But without nitpicking, the back fins look remarkably like the “real thing”, especially with the crazy-accurate paint job they have.

There are highly visible, doll-like seams at the shoulders and hips, but just like on robotic figures, these make sense. The actual Gigan suit did have “seams” of it’s own in these areas and was part of the design. So no complains there. But there are a couple of real nasty lines which are not inspired by the suit. The neck is a separate piece and a seam can be seen running along the base of it. Because of the gold scale texture in this area, this line is deep and dark. A similar crack can be see where the tail meets the body, also visible because of the scales. Though not glaring, they are still visible enough to make me notice and wish they weren’t there. The only other seam worth mentioned is one between the head and the neck. It’s worked into the sculpt really well and visible only from above. Overall, this figure doesn’t do a very good job of hiding some of its lines. It’s not too good, yet not too bad. And considering how great this figure looks (I like it better than the 30cm sculpt), I wouldn’t let them dissuade you from hunting this one down and adding it to your collection.

Gigan sways his stance ever so slightly to his right. I noticed this for the first time in almost a year while taking this photo. So, the pose is mostly standard yet with a touch of character. And, since the arms are moveable at the shoulders, you’re able to tweak the pose significantly.

THE GREEN & THE GOLD
Gigan’s green is flat and subdued. Again, just the way I like it. It’s looks like a good match to the suit and make the figure more realistic and less toy-like. The scales are gold and only slightly glossy. And because the texture is so deep at the underside of each scale, shadows abound making the whole area come to life with realism.

THE FINS
The rear fins have a ton of paint detail over the “over-sculpted” surface. They are an off, dark yellow with browns radiating out from the back. I’m pleased to report that it is almost scary how well X-Plus completely and accurately reproduced the colors here. A+.

THE SILVER
Finally, the silver bits: beak, claws and chest “blades” are a clean, bright silver. I was originally going to write that these areas were too bright and because of that, seemed a bit toy-like. But every Gigan photo I look to for reference just proves that X-Plus did a great job a matching this color. They may still seem to be too bright under the lights of a photography set-up, but on the shelf I think the color is spot on. I just wish they took the time to add some grunge and grit as they seem overly “clean”.

THE VISOR
Okay, so the visor is a plastic piece and not painted. But it is a part of the color scheme. It’s molded in a sort of watermelon red which seems to get deeper on both sides, in the “corners”. Lots of reflection and refraction add lots of visual interest here.

SIZEWISE, IT FITS RIGHT IN
At ten inches, the X-Plus Gigan fits right in with other figures from the Large Monster Series. (Pictured left to right: King Caesar, Godzilla 1968, Gigan, Mechagodzilla 1975 and landing stage Hedorah.)

Gigan’s tail is shorter than a 25cm Godzilla’s tail and this immediately makes it easier to fit this guy on the shelf. Because the tail slightly curves to the figure’s right, I display mine on an angle facing the left. This leaves room on the left (from your view) to have another figure fit in beside him. I like to keep the arm closer to the edge of the shelf down low, and the arm further away raised up. This way you see everything and obscure nothing.

​The Ric Boy Exclusive version of this figure came with a light-up eye gimmick. I don’t have it, so I can’t show you. But I can tell you that it pre-dates the current light gimmick arrangement which includes a battery pack “dongle” which plugs into the figure. The Ric Boy Gigan requires you to pop the head off in order to flick a switch to activate the visor light.

I’m not a big fan of having a black box stuck in a figure’s leg, but having to pop the head off is far worse. I have the 25cm Ric Boy crawling Baragon and Giant Series Skydon which both require popping off the head. Needless to say I pretty much never play with the light feature on these.

I postioned these in a way reminiscent of the scene in Godzilla vs. Gigan where Gigan stands watching Godzilla get laserbeamed by the tower, unaware that Anguirus is sneaking up from the side.

​By John Stanowski Originally posted January 1st, 2014​ on Kaiju Addicts. 

​大映30CMシリーズ 「ガメラ（1999年版）」

​JAPAN RELEASE: DECEMBER 2013

​SERIES: 30CM SERIES

​MATERIAL: SOFT VINYL

FROM: “GAMERA 3: THE REVENGE OF IRIS”, 1999
ガメラ3 邪神〈イリス〉覚醒

​HEIGHT: 12.25 INCHES / 31.11 CM

​WIDTH: 10 INCHES / 25.4 CM

​LENGTH (NOSE TO TAIL): 14 INCHES / 35.5 CM

​ARTICULATION: NONE

​REVIEW AND PHOTOS: JOHN STANOWSKI

​With the recent release of X-Plus’ 30cm Series Gamera 1999 we now have all three Heisei turtles represented. And I think it’s safe to say that this is easily the most impressive of the bunch.

​I have to admit I was surprised to see Gamera 1999 with such a small head. It didn’t look that way in the movie, did it? Yeah, it did. It’s just a lot more obvious on the figure with no fire and smoke and shadows from the film getting in the way. (This is why I’m worried about upcoming Godzilla 2014 figures with super obvious elephant feet.) Well, small head aside, this is one amazing vinyl!

Not only is this figure a good likeness, it’s pretty big! It stands significantly taller than the Gamera 1995 and especially the Gamera 1996. And without a crouched pose like the other two have to varying degrees, the 1999 figure looks… grand.

One thing I really love about the Gamera figures are the shells. They’re so un-Godzilla-like and shake up the status quo on the X-Plus shelves. The shell on the Gamera 1999 figure is especially impressive. I’m not talking about the sculpt but the suit itself. This time around those armor plates get more jaggy and radiate outward making for a more menacing appearance. And, yes, the sculpt captures that. It’s a shame the wall gets to see it more than I do.

As for non-glued joints, there’s quite a few. There’s one above both knees. (They can rotate, but really shouldn’t.) And, curiously, there are two, TWO, on each arm. One above the elbow and one above the bicep. These seams are worked into the texture of the skin, but I tend to still notice the lines above the biceps. (Grrr).

The head pops off easily at the base of the neck, though I’m not quite sure why you would want to do that.

As for glued pieces, the top half of the body which includes the front, shoulders and top half of the shell are a separate piece. The center plate on the chest is also a separate piece. On the Ric Boy exclusive version of this, this area is battle damaged so the factory probably had used the same body for both and just added on the appropriate center piece. The front half of each foot is also a separate piece; be careful when plopping him down on the table.

​Once again, the pose is pretty standard and I like it that way. Thankfully, this Gamera figure isn’t hunched over like the 1996 version and stands even taller than the 1995 version.

Like the other two Heisei Gameras in the X-Plus catalog, Gamera 1999 is covered in a base coat of black, a dull greenish brown on the chest and dark green on the shell. There are no highlights brushed on the main body (sniff), but the shell is a mix of dark and even darker greens and looks great.

The mouth is a glossy off red, maybe a touch too glossy and the eyes are a sort of light, lime green with black pupils. These eyes are piercing and really stand out!

And a really nice touch is that every claw on both the hands and feet, as well as the spikes protruding from the forearms and shins are made of translucent material that have been touched up with graduated shades of black, brownish tan and finally almost clear at the tips.

​Left to right: X-Plus Gamera 1995, 1999 and 1996. Funny how the bodies kept getting bigger while the heads got smaller. The 1999 vinyl is noticeably taller than its two predecessors. I don’t know if that’s accurate or not but they look good enough together. If you have all three and you’re not anal about displaying them “in order” the photo above might be a nice set-up for your shelf.

The 1999ers! Gamera 1999 and Godzilla 1999 were released in the same month, line up in height, and make quite a pair!

Gamera 1999 is 14 inches long from nose to tail, but only 12 inches from toes to tail. It’s easier to fit on the shelf than a Godzilla, but you’ll still have to place him at an angle unless you’ve got the room. Make sure you have the headroom for this guy, too. He’s over 12 inches tall.

The Ric Boy Exclusive version of this figure comes with battle damage. It has a small hole in the center of his chest and another in center of his shell from where Iris impaled him in the movie. (Though in the movie, this hole was much bigger.) The figure’s right hand… isn’t there. Instead there is a bloody stump from where Gamera burned it off in order to free himself from Iris. Brave turtle! This version is further detailed with green Gamera blood at the site of all injuries.

And as a bonus, this figure comes with an extra piece. An attachable “Plasma Fist” (the thing that what finally done in ol’ Iris) is made of translucent material and highlighted with firey yellows and reds.

I did not get the Ric Boy version so I don’t have any photos of it to share with you. 

The X-Plus Gamera 1999 vinyl comes in the standard 30cm series blind box with art on the front. Inside the main body and a tail piece are wired in to a plastic shell.

ASSEMBLY
The tail connection on Gamera is triangular and this usually requires a little more effort to attach than with round tails since twisting is required to make sure the tail end flange doesn’t buckle. But, I had no trouble attaching it because, again, I used Rich Eso’s “Squishy Soft” method of not just softening the “butt”, but REALLY softening it up (while keeping the tail cool). It popped right in.

I already said it: the X-Plus Gamera 1999 vinyl figure is easily the most grand of the Heisei figures. The detail, height, pose are all fantastic. If you don’t have a favorite, I suggest hunting this one down!

I’m a tad disappointed, though, that there will always be another version of this guy out there that I don’t have. Unlike other Ric Boy exclusive versions, this one doesn’t come with something extra to add to it. The entire Ric Boy is basically a variant. So choose wisely!

​By John Stanowski Originally posted December 18th, 2013​ on Kaiju Addicts. 

​東宝30CMシリーズ 「ゴジラ（1999版）」

​JAPAN RELEASE: DECEMBER 2013

​NORTH AMERICAN REISSUE: JANUARY 2017

​SERIES: TOHO 30CM SERIES

​MATERIAL: SOFT VINYL

FROM: “GODZILLA 2000: MILLENNIUM”, 1999
ゴジラ2000 ミレニアム

HEIGHT: 12 INCHES / 30.4 CM

WIDTH: 8.75 INCHES / 22.2 CM

​LENGTH (NOSE TO TAIL): 18 INCHES / 45.7 CM

​ARTICULATION: NONE

​REVIEW AND PHOTOS: JOHN STANOWSKI

The Godzilla Heisei era ended in 1995 with “Godzilla vs. Destroyah” to make way for a Hollywood attempt at the franchise. Shortly after, Toho Damage Control quickly sprung into action to release “Godzilla 2000: Millennium” (1999) to put things right. Okay, it’s more likely they were trying to cash in on the then recent notoriety of the Centropolis production butcherd though it was. Monster maker Shinichi Wakasa designed a new suit for a new millennium based off original concept work from Yuji Sakai. And thus a new Godzilla was born!

Enter the X-Plus Godzilla 1999 figure, already a vinyl fan favorite!

Just released earlier this month, the X-Plus Toho 30cm Series Godzilla 1999 is a knockout! It’s a great likeness and captures the nuances of the new design very well. I have no problem saying that the sculpt is fantastic and is probably the essential representation for collectors who like it hyper-real (no stylization).

It’s also a nice size. I was so afraid this figure was going to be another shorty like the Godzilla 1984 and 2004. Nope. If anything, this thing is just a tiny touch on the tall side.

​I was a bit alienated when I first saw this new Godzilla suit design back in 2000. It’s pointy head (which some say is inspired by the 1962 suit) and it’s insanely spikey dorsal spines were just too much of a departure for me. Over time, though, I grew to love this look. I mean, check out those fins! I would have to say that if any Godzilla suit was able to be proclaimed a work of art, it’s this one. And the X-Plus figure nails it!

One thing to note on this figure is its especially deep skin texture. I’m not sure if it’s accurate, even after having watching the movie again last week, but it looks awesome. It sometimes looks as if the figure has a slight under-bite. And the fact the head is tilted upward doesn’t help.

This is praise for both the suit and the figure: this design is so dynamic! The shape of the head, mouth, eyebrows and fins just seem to jet out lines to the front and behind. Tell me you don’t get a sense of sweeping motion from the photo of it above.

THE HEAD
Perfect! The teeth are individually sculpted (as per usual with X-Plus figures) and his three pairs of “fangs” located in the front, middle of the side and near the rear are well represented. You can’t see it from the side, but the teeth and gums are slightly seated below the “lip” and there is a super fine line of detail there. This level of attention just blows me away.

One curious thing about the sculpt though, is the figure’s left eye (seen above on the right). I’m not quite sure what’s going on here but it seems sunken in more than the other eye. Plus, the higher the angle from which you look at it, the more it “disappears” under the hood-like brow. I didn’t even notice this curious flaw until collector/reviewer Samson West brought it up. It’s not visible from the sides, nor from the front when your line of sight is pretty low. This bothers me, but it’s not a dealbreaker.

The tail comes in two pieces and both of them fit on seamlessly, except for a slight line at the top of the tail where it meets the body. Legs are attached to the body without glue seals (just like GMK) but, surprisingly, there aren’t really any visible seams but rather creases which seem to be part of the sculpt. There’s a noticeable filled seam on the neck right under the jaw which, thankfully, isn’t visible most of the time. And there are two glue seals right above each bicep. Curiously, the seam on its right arm was filled well, yet its left arm has a sort of rubberband indent around it where a visible line does interrupt the tree bark texture running over the skin. A series of short spikes in the sculpt cover the seams which run down the back on both side of the piece which holds the fins. All in all, not too bad!

​Once again, a pretty standard pose, and once again, me likey! Well, mostly. The legs are spread in a wide stance and I don’t recall seeing this pose in the movie. Though I have seen behind-the-scenes photos where suit actor Tsutomu “Tom” Kitagawa had the legs spread like that.

Either way, it makes for a dynamic figure. Everything about it involves triangles radiating outward from his stance, his claws, his triangular head and fins. This figure seems to emit a feel of swooping motion even when it’s just standing there. This suit is the Nike Swoosh of Godzillas. (Did that make any sense?)

I often wonder if the sculptors for X-Plus base the poses on specific scenes. In the case of this figure, I noticed that if you place it on a table and stand in front of it, it looks just like the scene when Goji was getting scanned by Orga for peeks at his Generator G’s.

The X-Plus Godzilla 1999 vinyl figure is painted with a dark black with a lighter asphalt brushed over a few areas, mostly the thighs and chest. There is also a super subtle dark silver applied on the spikey textures on either side of the back fins. And that’s it.

I didn’t notice this at first but as I scrutinized the figure for this review, I realized that most of the black areas are just black. Other than the few areas mentioned, there are no other highlights. And I am disappointed by this. Now, this base black coat is semi-glossy which gives the figure a bit of a wet look. Because of this, light plays off the paint and deep textures in the sculpt to create a lot of light and specular highlights. But, personally, I really, really would rather have had more paint highlights brushed onto this figure. Sigh.

FINS
The fins on the back of the figure are made of translucent material molded in a purple-ish/magenta-ish color and have black sprayed around the “roots”. The fins on the tail, however, are made of the same vinyl as the rest of the figure. They are painted a dark purple and they don’t quite match the fins on the back. The extent of this difference depends on how the figure is lit. Light from the room can illuminate the fins and make them a brighter color. Yet even when tucked away on the shelf and against a wall, the fins still don’t match up but the difference is less noticeable.

I sampled colors from both sets of fins and added the circles to make it clearer how the colors differ. This is only a rough demonstration though because, again, the back fins seem to change color depending on where the figure is placed.

Even though it’s mildly entertaining to see the fins illuminate when placed in front of a light, I’d rather the figure was more accurate. His fins were not made of crystals and did not let light pass through them in the movie. X-Plus was trying to save time and money by using the same translucent fin material used on the Ric Boy Exclusive light-up version on the standard. Boo.

EYES
Around the black pupils are corneas which seem more tan than yellow. And beyond those are whites best described as smokey. There really isn’t very much contrast in the eyes to make them look like… eyes. From many angles it’s difficult to even see the pupils and instead you get a sort of GMKish look, or a found-dead-in-the-river/zombie kind of look. It may not seem so in the photo above since this is such a close view, but in normal viewing conditions, the detail in the eyes are often hard to make out.

The 1999ers! Gamera 1999 and Godzilla 1999 were released in the same month, line up in height, and make quite a pair!

The X-Plus Godzilla 1999 is just a hair taller than the Godzilla 2003. But it seems even larger when you consider the mass and girth of it’s neck and body.

THE MILLENNIALS
Godzilla 1999/2000, Godzilla 2001 and 2003. If this is your favorite era to collect, you’ll be glad to know they scale well with each other. Sorry, I forgot to include the 2004!

​Godzilla 1964, 1999 and 1992 come from different eras, but they still line up in the height department.

Another Godzilla figure means another long tail. The figure is 18 inches long from the tip of the nose to the end of the tail. Subtract two inches if you let the nose hang over the edge of the shelf. The tail moves back away from the body in almost a straight line until 1/3 from the end it curls upward and to its right. This figure would fit better on the shelf if it were facing right. If you have a larger space to display him, then lucky you, you’re gonna need it!

The Ric Boy Exclusive version of this figure came with a light-up fin gimmick plus something extra no one was expecting: a light emission from the mouth depicting Goji gurgling up an atomic loogie! AND, DAMN, IT LOOKS GOOD!

Collectors, myself included, were worried about how X-Plus was going to be able to make purple/magenta fins glow orange when the light gimmick was turned on. Looks like they managed to do a fine job of it.

I can’t comment much on these features since I haven’t seen one in person. I was getting sick of the whole light-up fin thing so I ordered the standard version. I had NO IDEA the fins would look as cool as they do in the photo above. And that mouth light… I’m… such a…. fool.

Special thanks to “Ryu Hayabusa” for the use of his photo!

​The X-Plus Godzilla 1999 vinyl comes in the standard 30cm series blind box with awesome art on the front. Inside the main body and two tail pieces are wired in to a plastic shell.

ASSEMBLY
As already mentioned, the tail comes in two pieces. I would recommend attaching the larger piece to the body first and adding the rest of the tail last. If you’re going to need to do some twisting, the shorter the tail, the better.

I can usually tell if I’m going to have trouble inserting a tail when I first see it. It seems every other figure I get gives me trouble. In the case of this figure, the tail has a huge ‘flange’ (the part that hooks inside the body). Before I would have winced at this, but after having seen Rich Eso’s video on how to connect X-Plus tails, I wasn’t expecting to relive my Space Godzilla and Hedorah tail nightmares.

In his video, Rich says to heat the body with a hair dryer (not the tail), until it was “squishy soft”. Up until now I had gone as far as ‘just’ soft. This time I heated up Godzilla’s butt until it was as soft as rubber. And just to make sure I had zero trouble, I had earlier cooled the tail off in the refrigerator. When assembly time came, it literally popped right in. After that, attaching the second part of the tail was even easier. From now on…. squishy soft for me. Thanks, Rich!

​Though I’m not happy with the dorsal fins being made of translucent material, the lack of highlights and the overly shiny black skin, the X-Plus Toho 30cm Series Godzilla 1999 is still a fantastic likeness and one of the best vinyl figures to come out in 2013. Get it! Doooo eeet!

By John Stanowski Originally posted December 13th, 2013​ on Kaiju Addicts.