東宝30CMシリーズ 「メカゴジラ（1974版）」

​JAPAN RELEASE: DECEMBER 2011

​DIAMOND RE-ISSUE: NOVEMBER 2013

​SERIES: TOHO 30CM SERIES

​MATERIAL: SOFT VINYL

​FROM: “GODZILLA VS. MECHAGODZILLA”, 1974

ゴジラ対メカゴジラ

​HEIGHT: 12.5 INCHES / 31.75 CM (ADD .75 INCHES WITH BASE)

​WIDTH: 6.5 INCHES / 16.51 CM (WITHOUT BASE)

LENGTH: 9.5 INCHES / 24.13 CM (TOES TO TAIL, WITHOUT BASE)

​ARTICULATION: NECK, SHOULDERS, RIGHT ELBOW, WRISTS, HIPS, FEET.

​REVIEW AND PHOTOS: JOHN STANOWSKI

Mechagodzilla first reared his shiny head in an attempt to boost slumping ticket sales in the film “Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla” in 1974. The movie succeeded in generating more money, but not by much. The sequel, “Terror of Mechagodzilla” was the last Godzilla movie until the series was rebooted in 1984. But enough of the somber death-of-a-series talk. The series went out with a bang with a double dose of one of the franchise’s more memorable foes!

Mechagodzilla first got the X-Plus vinyl treatment in December of 2011. Being a limited run, as with all X-Plus offerings, this figure became scarce and collectors watched it’s price tag go up and up.

Enter Diamond Distributors, the folks who stock most of the comic shops in the U.S. and Canada. They struck a deal with Toho which would license X-Plus to manufacture reissues of old favorites for distribution in North America. To learn more, see my post on the Diamond North American Reissues.

The first wave of X-Plus / Diamond Reissues were announced earlier this year and preorders were taken back in April of 2013. After a long wait, Godzilla 1954 and Mechagodzilla 1974 have finally arrived in the hands of eager collectors!

This review covers the X-Plus Toho 30cm Series Mechagodzilla 1974 Diamond North American Reissue, which should be almost identical to the original release.

​I have to admit, I wasn’t overly excited about my preorder finally coming through. X-Plus has blasted us with Mechagodzilla this year with a 25cm MG ’74, then a 25cm MG ’75. And then they did it yet again with another 25cm ’74 ‘base’ version! With that mecha-saturation, and the somewhat flat production photos of the 30cm version making it appear ‘simple’, I almost considered backing out of preorder.

I am so, so glad I didn’t. I LOVE THIS THING!

Though I have to admit that it still seems kind of ‘simple’ compared to the 25cm versions. These smaller figures seem more dynamic in the texture department. As you know, X-Plus strives to mimic the actual suit used in the movie rather than a stylized or idealized version. Like Ultraman, Mechagodzilla has a lot of smooth surfaces where the suit just loved to crinkle up with cracks and creases. The sculpt of this 30cm version does have them, but no where near as much as the shorter Large Monster Series versions. It’s this lack of crease detail that makes it seem simple to me. It just seems more “clean cut”. I’m beginning to think that, perhaps, the 25’s actually have too many creases and that this 30cm has it right.

It also seems to be thinner than the 25cm barrels of cosmic fun. Despite these shortcomings, there’s an aura about this sculpt that… I don’t know, seems solid and strong. And it just looks freakin’ amazing on the shelf with my other 30s.

​The head boasts a rotating neck joint, hinged jaw for both open and closed poses and yellow, plastic eyes with great texture detail and light refraction. Though, again, it’s seem simpler than the heads on the 25’s with smoother details on top of the snout and on the sides of the neck. A nice touch is a hinged door on the chest which you can open to reveal an energy beam emitter. The door works well and stays shut when asked. I would probably still recommend not messing with it too, too much.

OH, GROAN. IT’S A BASE
One unusual aspect of this figure is the addition of a separate earthy-styled base required for the figure to stand properly. Hmm. Not diggin’ that. Myself, I’d rather the tail swooped down to touch the floor which would allow the figure to stand securely on its own.

I’ve seen photos from other collectors demonstrating that it is possible for the figure to stand on its own, but I imagine that would be a teetering, precarious arrangement. Either way, it’s out of the question for me as my figure has demonstrated zero ability to stand on its own without the base. I do, however, have a solution for those of you who would like to go base-free. Scroll down to the “Footprint” section to learn more.

​Seam lines simply are not a factor on this figure because of it’s robot anatomy. And since the tail and body are one piece (with no assembly required) there’s nothing to see in the rear.

​X-Plus vinyls are in the ‘statue’ category and usually don’t have articulation. That is, unless it’s a robot where moving joints don’t look at all out of place. The 30cm Mechagodzilla has multiple moveable parts and joints. There’s rotation available in the neck, shoulders, hands, hips and feet. The right elbow rotates also but the left elbow doesn’t seem to. There is also a hinged jaw and the chest door opens to reveal MG’s beam weapon. You may need to employ the ankle joints in order to get the figure to stand properly on its base.

The pose is neither overly exciting nor boring. The feet are spread out enough to create a sense of movement without the over-the-top stance which the 25cm version has. The arms are bent at 90 degree angles. And, of course, the available articulation points give you room to modify the pose. The tail gently moves to the left.

​The X-Plus Mechagodzilla 1974 is covered in a base of dark silver with just a touch of gloss. It has darker silver airbrushed in as shadows. Overall, the figure’s appearance may be too dark… but I like it! The MG logo on both arms and the missile launchers inside the mouth are in a dirty red (nice!). The “ears” are done in a more metallic red and the smaller circles within are darkened (something the 25cm versions didn’t have room for). There are traces of red and pale blue highlights airbrushed here and there which are so subtle you have to consciously look for them. Like it!

​The X-Plus 30cm Series Mechagodzilla 1974 is a little on the tall side. Though it seems a perfect scale match with this 30cm Series Godzilla 1954 (also part of the first wave of Diamond North American reissues), Mechagodzilla is a tad taller than all of the other Gojis in the line. And he gets even taller (about three quarters of an inch) if you place him on his base.

​Despite being on the tall side, Mechagodzilla still has to look up to the X-Plus 30cm Series Hedorah, as do most other figures.

Sorry, Kiryu. You may be sleeker and more advanced, but this 1970s barrel-chested retro space robot seems to be bigger than you! Actually both figures are 12.5 inches tall. Kiryu is actually a tad shorter if you measure by the top of their “skulls”, but it’s that fin on the top of Kiryu’s head that’s reaching up to the 12.5 inch mark. Also, heads on Showa suits seem to be larger in proportion to the rest of their bodies than the Heisei and Millennium suits and I think in this case that’s making MG ’74 seem even larger.

For those who have yet to get their very first X-Plus 30cm figure and need a better sense of size besides reading numbers… Here’s the MG reissue beside a DVD, an iPhone and a Chogokin Mechagodzilla 1975. Yeah, looks like the X-Plus MG can kick that iPhone’s ass.

​Even with its base, the X-Plus 30cm Series Mechagodzilla 1974 doesn’t ask for extra room on the shelf. You can thank the shorter tail.

​GO BASE-FREE WITH THE TAIL LEAN
Mechagodzilla is already on the tall side. And the included base pushes it up higher by another three quarters of an inch. If this bugs you, then don’t use the base! Mechagodzilla’s tail does not touch the floor, but it is the perfect height for resting on the tail of a nearby Godzilla. In the photo above, my Mechagodzilla is getting support by way of a Godzilla 1984 tail. It works great and the figure is surprisingly stable. And it now looks more in line with the other figures.

Scroll up to see this ‘tail lean’ in action in the first three photos of the Size Comparison section.

​The X-Plus Toho 30cm Series Mechagodzilla 1974 Diamond North American Reissue comes in the same box as its 2011 predecessor. The only difference is the “Previews Exclusive” logo printed on the box art. This should serve as a guide for aftermarket figure hunters trying to identify items found on Ebay and other sites.

Another difference is that the warning labels on the back of the box are printed in English. Finally we get to see what all those kanji and hiragana were going on about! (Click the photo above for a larger view which you can read.) The brief instructions found inside the box are also printed in English.

​Despite the need for a base, the potential to receive a warped figure and the barrage of other Mechagodzilla figures offered this year, the X-Plus Mechagodzilla North American Diamond Release — or the original 2011 Japanese release — is pretty badass indeed. It’s a great likeness and it will break up the monotony of dark skin on your 30cm shelf. Get it! Get it noooow!

By John Stanowski Originally posted November 28th, 2013​ on Kaiju Addicts. 

​Today was Box Day for me, but my elation soon deflated after I liberated my new Toho 30cm Series X-Plus Mechagodzilla Diamond Reissue from its box. The entire figure was deformed and sort of curved toward one side. Mechagodzilla is supposed to look badass, yet here he is leaning over in an apparent druken stupor after a night of too much sake.

I had heard complaints of “leaning problems” from other collectors. And now, I was seeing it in person. Needless to say I was somewhat annoyed, especially considering the big price tag on this figure.

The base gave a clue as to what the main problem was. I placed the figure’s left foot directly into the footprint left for it. As you can see, the figure’s right leg and foot were squooshed inward and the right foot was totally missing the mark. This is what must be causing the “lean”.

Moving my eyes up to the right leg hip joint, my suspicions were confirmed. There lie a gap wide enough to drive a Maser Truck through! Here is another angle.

The head (shown above) and torso were also leaning to the figure’s left side.

WHAT HAPPENED?

Since everything which was amiss was pushed toward the left side, it seems pretty clear that this soft vinyl figure “melted” into the plastic shell it was tied into for shipping. And it’s happened to enough of these Mechagodzilla reissues to generate some chatter online. Collector James Martinez took a double hit with this problem when he opened his recently shipped X-Plus Godzilla 1962 and Kiryu (which you can see below). They both had bent fins which were pushed out of place by the packaging.

THE FIX

Okay, enough complaining! How do we fix it?

I learned a while ago (from the X-Plus addicts at the X-Plus Kaiju Collectors Facebook Group) that simply blasting the figure with hot air from a hair dryer would fix most problems. I also heard that there’s some kind of mystical molecular memory which is supposed to kick in and return your warped figures back into their original shapes much like blowing up a pool float.

I gave it a try. The figure became soft enough to allow reshaping, but it didn’t move back into position on its own. I squeezed and pulled the figure a little in all directions to help make it forget it’s previously warped position and then used the base as a guide for where the feet should be. I then let it cool and, voila!

​My X-Plus Mechagodzilla now stands straight, tall and proud!

And, as you can see, the feet now stand properly in the footprints left for them in the base. Plus, the gap at the right leg hip closed right up.

Since the cocked head didn’t have anything like the base to help keep it in its corrected pose, I just heated it up, and held it straight while I ran it under cold water. Bam, fixed!

So, before considering sending your warped Mechagodzilla Diamond Reissue back for a replacement, give this a try!

EXTRA: THE KAIJU EASY BAKE OVEN
X-Plus Collector Dan Mason said, “When reshaping an entire figure instead of just one area, I get a box that’s about the right size for the figure, cut a hole for the blowdryer on the side and cut a smaller vent hole next to it. Point that blowdryer into the box for a while and soon the whole figure will be warm and ready for reshaping.”

By John Stanowski Originally posted November 26th, 2013​ on Kaiju Addicts. 

KaijuCast Controller, Kyle Yount was recently in Osaka, Japan where lies X-Plus headquarters. Kyle got a tour and a great interview with Gee Okamoto and Kazuma Matsubara which he has just posted on the KaijuCast YouTube Channel. Watch the video to learn about the history of X-Plus, what “RIC” means, where’s King Ghidorah and more!

By John Stanowski Originally posted November 15th, 2013​ on Kaiju Addicts.

​東宝30CMシリーズ 「３式機龍（2003版）」
STANDARD VERSION

​JAPAN RELEASE: OCTOBER 2013

​JAPAN RMC RELEASE: SUMMER 2014

​JAPAN WONDERFEST REISSUE: SUMMER 2014

​NORTH AMERICAN (DIAMOND) REISSUE: SEPTEMBER 2016

​SERIES: TOHO 30CM SERIES

​MATERIAL: SOFT VINYL

FROM: “GODZILLA X MOTHRA X MECHAGODZILLA: TOKYO SOS”, 2003
ゴジラ×モスラ×メカゴジラ SOS

​HEIGHT: 12.5 INCHES / 31.75 CM

​WIDTH: 7.25 INCHES / 18.4 CM (TOE TO TOE)

​LENGTH: 13.75 INCHES / 34.9 CM (TOES TO TAIL)

​ARTICULATION: SHOULDERS, LEFT ELBOW, WRISTS. (BOTH ELBOWS ON RIC BOY VERSION.)

​REVIEW AND PHOTOS: JOHN STANOWSKI

​The third incarnation of Mechagodzilla, Kiryu (Machine Dragon), is a shiny, giant mecha built around the original Godzilla’s bones which first appeared in “Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla” (2002) and again in “Godzilla x Mothra x Mechagodzilla: Tokyo SOS” (2003). A while back, X-Plus released the 2002 version of Kiryu as a Real Master Series resin statue which was pricey and fragile. I used to daydream of a re-release of this figure in vinyl. And then, just as I had started to forget, X-Plus came through and announced a vinyl release of the 2003 version!

This release wound up being delayed and the usual month long stretch of anticipation was doubled. But now (cue heavenly-sounding chorus), the X-Plus Kiryu 2003 has finally arrived.

NOTE: This review is for the standard version of the new X-Plus Kiryu 2003 Vinyl Figure. While I do like the backpack and arm gear on the Ric Boy exclusive version, I was under the impression that it was not detachable. And since I had to choose one, I chose the standard version because that’s how we see Kiryu most of the time and my personal preference. See Rich Eso’s video review to see that version (link below).

And now feast your eyes upon Mechagodzilla 3… a.k.a. Formula 3 Machine Dragon… a.k.a. Kiryu.

​For some reason, the X-Plus Kiryu box does not come with the usual 30cm box art and instead looks like a re-issue or Wonderfest box. Note that this is the box for a Standard version figure. The box for a Ric Boy version will have a thin, black sticker attached below the title on the front. Inside, Kiryu is tucked into a plastic shell and held in place with several wires. If you’re not a box keeper, don’t forget to pull out the extra Drill Hand taped into the middle of the shell!

Well, this is new. Instead of the usual hole in which a tail need be inserted, the Kiryu figure has a “nodule” (or a super scientific term would be “nubby”) which needs to be pressed into a hole at the end of the tail. In this case, I actually like it. Works good. I would suggest heating the hole in the tail (just the ridges inside the hole; not the whole end of the tail). It worked best for me when I heated it just a little. I suspect that if it were overly warm and squooshy (another scientific term) that it might work against you since the ridges wouldn’t have a pressing need to spring back into place. Just support the body, push and twist. X-plus reviewer, Rich Eso, suggests grabbing the tail end by running two or three fingers inbetween the tail’s spines when doing this.

​The biggest thing that worried me about a vinyl version of Kiryu was whether or not X-Plus would do a good job on all of the machine details. Sure, they’ve done several Showa era Mechagodzillas before, but that guy didn’t have the smooth symmetry that Mechagodzilla 2 and 3 had. It turns out that there was NOTHING to worry about.

Every panel, shield, groove, pipe, piston and bolt is captured amazingly well in the X-Plus sculpt and brilliantly duplicated in soft vinyl. And since this figure is based on a robot, it must have been easier for X-Plus to make more pieces that usual — but without the lines! It’s hard to tell what was molded together and what was glued on. The eyes are molded in clear, yellow plastic with a line texture on the inside. Another fantastic touch is the individually molded black cable on the sides of the head and also at each hip. There are SIXTY-SEVEN little mini-dorsal plates on the tail alone!

Throughout the body, tucked under the openings at the joints in the shiny armor is the black, fibroid innards with incredible line detail.

Even the bottoms of the feet and tail are busy with detail! This is the X-Plus advantage!

The standard version of the X-Plus Kiryu figure comes with an alternate Drill Hand, the weapon which finally ended the fight with Godzilla in the movie. I found it interesting that a standard edition was given an extra feature; that’s usually something only the Ric Boy versions get. (See below for Ric Boy version details.)

While I’m on the subject of hands: they’re very soft, squooshy and thin. If you pop the right hand off and look inside, you’ll see just how thin they are. Also a good time for me to mention one gotcha about this figure. The right hand is really loose and could simply fall off if brushed. (In fact the hand was detached on my figure when I first unboxed it.) When handling or moving your Kiryu keep this in mind lest ye drop and misplace a hand.

RE-ATTACHING THE RIGHT HAND
The super thinness and squooshyness of the right hand makes it difficult to insert back into the forearm; it just crumbles under the pressure. When I had to re-attach the right hand I first placed it in the refrigerator for five minutes to let it get stiff. I then heated the front of the forearm and brought them together.

​There is no need to discuss seams since lines fit right in to the robot motif.

As usual, the tail is a separate piece and is further comprised of three parts. Each of these are not glued and have wiggle room, but they are not meant to be twisted or rotated. The body/tail joint is a perfect, flush fit. However, on my figure, it tends to pull away from the body on the bottom of the joint when standing on its own.

Kiryu has a pretty standard pose, but it’s mostly a good one. He stands tall and straight with his feet level (no stepping motion). It seems to have its “shoulders back and chest out” and looks sturdy and formidable. Click on the photo above for a larger, hi-res view (as with all other photos on this page).

The only disappointment with the standard figure is the default position of the arms. When relaxed they seem to be in a typing pose. When raised at the shoulder they look like a knitting or a getting-a-manicure pose. Either way, it’s not very kaiju-like. A far cry from the arm positions shown in the early production photos.

​Kiryu has articulation in the shoulders and hands. And, though stiff at first, the right elbow also rotates.

THE LEFT ELBOW
I’ve noticed that my figure will allow me to rotate the left elbow. It doesn’t do this without complaining, and every time I do it I wonder if I’m about to break it. It seems X-Plus didn’t want you to rotate this joint for some reason. And I suspect they did this by making the joint inside shaped like a square. I don’t know this for sure, and I’m not about to pull it off to find out. But when I wrestle with the left forearm and rotate it, it fights back, but it does move. And after about 90 degrees it suddenly finds a new “place” it like to be. That’s what made me think of the square joint. Just to be clear: the black elbow piece does NOT move. It is GLUED to the bottom of the upper arm. If you attempt to rotate the left arm on your STANDARD Kiryu, press and hold the elbow to minimize pressure on the glue seal. Doing this doesn’t really accomplish much except making the arm straighter. I’ve decided to stop messing with it and just leave it in it’s standard position.

Ignore all of this if you have the Ric Boy version which has elbows that move freely in any direction.

​The X-Plus Kiryu vinyl is covered in a base coat of glossy silver that’s just right. It’s not overly shiny (like the S.H. Monsterarts Kiryu) and the light loves to play off its surface with lots of speculars. They also did a fantastic job of airbrushing soft, super-subtle shadows with an ever so slight darker silver which, combined with the speculars make this figure look AWESOME.

The ‘fiber’ surfaces lurking beneath Kiryu’s armor at all of his joints (waist, thighs, knees, tail segments, etc.) were given a lot of loving attention. After being covered with a base coat of black, all of the elevated fibers and lines in the sculpt were brushed over with a dark silver to create a visual texture on top of the one in the sculpt. OUTSTANDING!

The figure also has a few extra colorful details such as markings and emblems. The “warpaint” arrows on both cheeks are overly hand-rendered and splotchy unlike the perfect red triangles on his arms and knees and the MFS-3 logo on his chest.

​I started this X-Plus review site to try to help spread the word on this great line of vinyl figures, not to complain or point out flaws. But another reason I started this site was to provide the kind of information I was seeking when I first discovered these figures. And since this figure has a hefty price tag, I feel the need to go on a little mini rant about the lack of quality my figure seems to have received on the assembly line.

The jaw on my Kiryu figure leans to one side and is very obvious when viewing it from the front. I tried to nudge it back into position but it’s been glued in and wants to stay where it is. Same deal with the neck. The factory folk glued the bottom of the neck in on a slight angle and his head kind of tilts to his left. On the bright side, both of these are not noticeable from the side view. Also on my figure, the three doors which lead to the Triple Masers buried in the chest is one piece… and was glued on crooked enough to bug me. But the left shoulder is the worst offender. Over the left upper arm is a dome shaped shoulder piece… and it was glued on crooked. Now this is one flaw that’s highly visible.

Finally, after attaching the tail on my figure I noticed right away that it swoops down LOWER than the plane the feet are meant to stand on. Either that, or, the lower legs were glued to the knees improperly. Bottom line, when I place my figure on the shelf, the tail pushes the figure up slightly so that its heels are off the ground. This force also pulls slightly at the tail joint and there’s a sliver of a gap on the bottom.

All of these problems were on the particular figure that I received. That’s no guarantee that if you get this figure that yours will be the same way. Reviewer Rich Eso has reported that his Ric Boy version is perfect. I still felt the need to mention these problems to alert you that should you go after this figure you’d be playing a game of X-Plus Roulette. I also want to point out that, despite all of these flaws, this figure is still AMAZING and if I had the chance to buy it again, I would.

BENT FINS
Collector James Martinez originally posted these photos of his new Kiryu figure at the X-Plus Kaiju Collectors Facebook Page showing how numerous fins were significantly curved out of shape. Luckily, for me, my figure did not have this problem anywhere near to this extent. But while I was untying the wires in the back of the plastic shell which the figure ships in, I could see what happened to James’ figure. The fins were touching the shell as there wasn’t enough room left for them. Still, not bad though for a figure with over 60 small, thin fins on the back and tail. I’m just glad they were able to make this figure in vinyl.

It all worked out in the end for James, though. He heated them with a hair dryer and nudged them back into their intended shape.

At 12.5 inches the X-Plus Kiryu vinyl figure fits in perfectly with most of the rest of the Toho 30cm Series. Most importantly, it looks great next to its foe, the X-Plus Godzilla 2003 which was released three and half years ago. It was a long wait, but these two are finally ready to tango! (And for those of you who missed out on the original release of Godzilla 2003, you’ll be glad to know that it was re-issued late December 2013 / early January 2014 as a Ric Boy with light-up fins. It’s also going to become available again as a standard re-issue in North America in 2014.)

If you have yet to get your first 30cm Series X-Plus figure, knowing that it’s 12.5 inches helps but doesn’t really illustrate its size. The photo on the left shows the Kiryu vinyl beside a DVD and iPhone for a sense of scale. And on the right a photo for those collectors who think their S.H. Monsterarts Kiryu is enough Kiryu for one collection.

It’s 13.75 inches long yet isn’t much of a hog on the shelf. Placed at an angle, the tail easily slips behind its nearest neighbor.

​The X-Plus Kiryu Ric Boy version comes with the Back Unit and Arm Units. The Back Unit does come off as a separate piece. The Arm Units, however, are glued into place. This version also has freely-moving elbows for easier articulation. See Rich Eso’s video review for more information. (Link below!)

By John Stanowski Originally posted November 11th, 2013​ on Kaiju Addicts.

​東宝30CMシリーズ スペースゴジラ（1994版）

​JAPAN RELEASE: OCTOBER 2013

​NORTH AMERICAN RE-ISSUE (DIAMOND): JULY 2016

​SERIES: TOHO 30CM SERIES

​MATERIAL: SOFT VINYL

FROM: “GODZILLA VS. SPACE GODZILLA”, 1994
ゴジラ VS スペースゴジラ

​HEIGHT: 14 INCHES / 35.5 CM (TO TOP OF SHOULDER CRYSTALS)

​WIDTH: 8.5 INCHES / 21.5 CM (AT THE SHOULDERS)

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

ARTICULATION: NONE

​REVIEW AND PHOTOS: JOHN STANOWSKI

​Godzilla vs. Space Godzilla (1994) wasn’t a shining point in the movie franchise but it did provide an interesting foe. Who better to battle Godzilla than a copy of himself? Sure we got a taste of that with 1974’s Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla but that just turned out to be a poser or sorts. Space Godzilla is the real deal. And while he may not be the most imaginative kaiju, he still managed to have a distinctive look which is (mostly) faithfully reproduced in this new vinyl figure by X-Plus.

One of the first things I hear from other collectors is: ‘he’s fat’. But is it really? Well… sort of, yeah. It’s actually difficult to get a good look at the details on Space Godzilla in the movie with all of the smoke and energy weapons fire, but I did get good peeks here and there. The figure seems to be too wide from the front. And its thunder thighs from the side view offend authenticity even more. I’m left wondering what visual sources the sculptor used as reference. Is it possible he had good, clear views of the suit from production photographs? Could it be that SG just appeared to be thinner because the wide angle lens on their film camera on the set squeezed the image inward ever so slightly? Who knows? It looks like the X-Plus Space Godzilla is on the chunky side.

Here’s a side by side comparison. They do seem to be equally chubby. But note the groove across the belly on the figure. This groove is not there on the movie still which makes me think the suit actor is hunching forward making him look fatter. What do you think?

OTHER DETAILS
The dorsal crystals on the back are thicker than they are on the suit. They’re also ‘spread out’ more. In the movie, they were closer together more like standard Godzilla fins. Usually, details like this bother me. But everything else about this figure is so awesome that I find myself look on the positive side. I love this thing!

There are a lot of nice textures on this figure. Most notable are all of the tendon-like grooves than line his front section from throat to groin. The sculpt where the body starts to blend with the shoulder crystals looks awesome.

​I’m particularly fond of the head on this figure. It just looks great from all angles! Every one of those tiny teeth are individually sculpted.

The dorsal fins on Space Godzilla are comprised of crystals. For these, X-Plus used a very translucent, almost clear, material. These would be perfect for lighting with LED lights, but even the Ric Boy exclusive verion’s light gimmick only extended to the shoulder crystals and head “crown”. Why, then, did they use this material? Even though they don’t light up, they do allow some light from the room to pass through them. You can also see some crystal-like refraction from inside them.

While this material is a nice touch as far as adding a new ‘texture’ to the figure, their fragile nature worries me. These fins are very thin, squooshy and bendable. If you ask me, they seem kind of cheap-looking since they clearly look like plastic and have hardly any paint applied except for near their bases where they are individually glued into the back.

The material used for the shoulder crystals is different and looks much nicer. I wished they used the same stuff on the fins.

One nice touch, though, is that the crystal fins on the tail piece use the same material as on the back. This would have been a good chance for X-Plus to save money and just mold them in vinyl and paint them white like they did on the crystals at the tip of the tail which does look different. Instead they took the extra steps to keep up appearances.

One final note on these: While reviewing this figure I found a scratch on one shoulder crystal and another on a dorsal crystal. I don’t know if this happened in the factory or if I’m the guilty party. But it’s clear that they scratch easily.

​As far as I can see there are eleven different pieces (not including the head crown and individual dorsal crystals) and a myriad of seams to go with them. In standard viewing conditions only one sticks out and that runs around the neck just below the head. The neck, shoulder crystals, shoulders and upper chest comprise one piece. The seams where the arms are glued in are visible but are occur at natural creases in the suit. The feet, I suspect, are separate pieces but the seams are filled in well. (Don’t slam him down on the table!)

Viewed from behind there is a visible seam around the back piece to which individual dorsal crystal (made of another material) are glued. There is an unsightly intersection of seams where the back piece meets the shoulders which is not a problem from most display angles. The tail joint seam is acceptable on the left side but is, however, not flush on the right side and has a visible “step”. The strip on the back which holds the spines doesn’t quite make it all the way down to meet the tail so there is a small gap there.

I’m not complaining as most seams are out of view under normal viewing conditions.

Nothing fancy here. The X-Plus Space Godzilla is posed into a simple stance with even feet and claws reaching slightly forward. Not that that’s a bad thing since that’s how he appears in most of the movie. His head does seem to lean forward slightly like he’s unfearfully staring down Godzilla. A+, X-Plus!

(Click on the photo above for a high resolution view, as with all other images on this page!)

X-Plus did a great job on Space Godzilla’s bluish black skin color. The end result has only a tinge of unsaturated blue. It comes off looking realistic and very un-toy-like. There really aren’t any differing shades of the blue in the form of highlights or shadows. But there are super dark reds brushed in on the legs, thighs and sides of the tail.

A sort of blood red is brushed over the higher elevations in the texture of the throat, chest and (groin?). It doesn’t clash with the bluish black and just looks good, good, good. If you look closer you’ll find some extra effort put into placing red in veinish, lavaflowish cracks around the shoulders under the crystals. And even subtler red is brushed along the bottom of the tail. Not bad attention to detail for an area you hardly see! Great job!

The eyes are comprised of large black pupils are surrounded by a ring of firey orange which in turn floats on red ‘whites’. You can only appreciate the details here if you look closely. From a distance the eyes just look dark with a slight touch of orange. The mouth is a deep, dark red with off-white teeth. The tusks and claws are white with redish, purpleish color fanning out from the cuticles. The toes are a super glossy pearl white, and a little too bright and shiny in my opinion.

The head crown is molded in a clear, gold material. The dorsal crystals are mostly unpainted translucent plastic. While it gives off a crystal ‘vibe’ in contrast to the rest of the figure, they all seem ‘cheap’. The rest of the smaller ridges running down the tail are painted a glossy, pearl white with tinges of red.

The X-Plus Space Godzilla is noticeably taller than the X-Plus Godzilla 1992 (closest thing I have to a ’94). Some say that Space Godzilla was taller than Goji in the movie, but this seems to be pushing it. I reviewed the movie again and there were two scenes where the two monsters went nose to nose. In the first scene, Space Godzilla was, indeed, taller than Goji, but not by as much as seen in the photo above. In the next scene they were somehow mysteriously level with each other and appeared to be the same height. In the end it’s overly obvious that Space Godzilla is definitely larger than most other figures in the Toho 30cm Series.

Here’s a size comparison with the X-Plus Godzilla 2004. Would you believe both figures are in the Toho 30cm Series?

And for those collectors who have yet to get their first X-Plus vinyl, here’s the new Space Godzilla amid an array of common household items. (Common to most Godzilla fans, anyway.)

To sums things up: it’s big.

SHELF HOG

Big figures are always a challenge when trying to find space on the shelf for display. And the X-Plus Space Godzilla isn’t going to make things any easier for you. It’s 18 inches long from nose to the backmost curve of the tail. But for the shelf we only need concern ourselves with the distance from the toes to the tail and that still requires a whopping 15 and a half inches! To make matters worse, the tail curves and then swings forward again. This makes it difficult to get another figure close to Space Godzilla’s right side. Well, I’ll leave this problem with you to handle. This is the price we pay for big figures!

The Ric Boy exclusive version of this figure comes with a light gimmick. Nested deep inside the figure lay wires and LED lights which make the shoulder crystals and head ‘crown’ glow.

The shoulder crystals look awesome when lit. The frosty, translucent material used diffuses gentle illumination perfectly and they look great with and without the light. The problem is the light is way on the faint side. You’ll need to carry your new Space Godzilla into the shadows or turn off the light to fully appreciate them.

The golden, crystal crown atop Space Godzilla’s head, on the other hand, glares like a hyperactive lighthouse. In my opinion, it’s too bright.

LIGHT LEAKS

And then there’s this: pinpoints of light speckled over the shoulders creep out unexpectedly through the paint. It would appear that the shoulder crystals, shoulders, neck and chest are all one piece made from the same translucent vinyl. The bluish black paint over the skin was intended to conceal the light emanating from within, except in the crystal area. But on my figure, the paint runs thin in some of the cracks and crevices in Space Godzilla’s textured skin.

(The light leaks don’t photograph easily. In the photo above I used a very long exposure so that the leaks would show up. The result above is very close to what it looks like to the eye.)

While this is obviously a mistake or lack of quality control, in a way it does look kind of cool, even if it isn’t accurate. In the end, I’m not really complaining because I know that I will rarely use the light gimmick, if at all. I’m just happy enough to have this awesome, huge hunk of Space Godzilla awesomeness.

The X-Plus Space Godzilla box is huge! It’s 16.5 inches tall and 16 inches wide. If you order this guy through the mail, expect an even bigger shipping box! As usual, the figure inside lays wire tied into a plastic shell with plastic sheeting covering most of the sensitive parts and extremities. The tail comes in two pieces.

ATTACHING THE TAIL

If you’ve ever wondered where Godzilla’s butt is… Alright, enough of that. Pictured above is the main tail joint and I have to say this was one of the toughest assembly jobs I ever encountered. I usually heat the butt end of the figure with a hair dryer until the vinyl is very soft and squooshy. With the tail still firm, I then hook one side of the flange into the hole and then squeeze, push and twist until it’s attached. As you can see by the none-round shape of the hole, twisting had limited effect. After three attempts I got it in. Hopefully you’ll have an easier time that I did.

The tail comes in two pieces which, in my case I assembled together first. I’d like to suggest to you that you attach the main tail piece to the body first if you’re a twister like me. The tail’s curved shape when assembled got in the way for me.

​The X-Plus is a huge, hunk of awesomeness. Its larger-than-usual size gives it a lot of presence on the shelf and its extra weight just feels good when holding it. When you get this figure, you’ll feel like you got something really cool. The paint job is awesome, especially since there is so much that could have gone wrong. But they did it right! The mixture of materials used on the figure gives it an interesting look. My only problem with it is that the dorsal crystals seem really cheap and flimsy. I’d be crying tears of joy if only they were made of the same material as the shoulder crystals. And, once again, I’m overly impressed with the head and face.

By John Stanowski Originally posted November 6th, 2013​ on Kaiju Addicts.

Illustrator and X-Plus fanatic Ryan Bullard demonstrates the strong aroma of vinyl which fills the room when opening a new Godzilla figure for the first time. The catch phrase “Fresh Vinyl” was popularized by collector and reviewer Rich Eso. This is something collectors actually anticipate and is as true a sign of Box Day as pine is for Christmas! You can see more of Ryan’s work at idiotwindblowin.blogspot.com/.

By John Stanowski Originally posted October 31st, 2013​ on Kaiju Addicts.

​東宝30㎝シリーズ 「アンギラス2代目」
塗装済完成品

​JAPAN ORIGINAL RELEASE: 2009

​JAPAN RE-ISSUE: 2012

​DIAMOND RE-ISSUE: JANUARY 2016

​SERIES: TOHO 30CM SERIES

​MATERIAL: SOFT VINYL

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

​HEIGHT: 7 INCHES / 17.75 CM

​WIDTH: (LEGS) 6.5 INCHES / 16.5 CM

​LENGTH: 20.5 INCHES / 52 CM

​ARTICULATION: SOME IN THE TAIL

​REVIEW AND PHOTOS: JOHN STANOWSKI

One of the very first of the modern X-Plus lines, this figure came out way back in 2009. Needless to say, he’s rare and expensive. It was reissued, I think, in 2012. But that didn’t help the availability and cost on this figure much. There is a very good chance that it will be reissued yet again for release in North America through Diamond Distributors. Nothing has been said on this yet, but it’s a real possibility. 

Wow. Would you look at that? Let’s just pause and look at this thing….

Wow.

Not only is it a great likeness of Anguirus from 1968’s “Destroy All Monsters”, but it’s so… un-toy-like. This thing is sharp! The spikes on the head and back are finely sculpted and quite pointy! The spikes on the tail can be outright dangerous. Like it!

Even though you typically can’t see this figure up close like in this photo, it’s nice to know there’s a whole other level of detail there. Look at all the texture on each spike.

Now THIS is high quality. Each of these tail spikes is individually sculpted and there’s no crude “meniscus” from a substandard sculpt. These spikes look like they actually grew out of the tail.

There’s very good texture detail all over the body. I want to thank whoever sculpted this and paid so much attention to each segment, bump and scale.

The base of the neck and the top of all four legs is a non-glue-seal joint. They can be moved but you’d be hardpressed to find a reason to.

The seam around the neck is very well hidden as it blends in with the segmented folds in the skin. The leg seams are also well hidden as they’re all close matches and additionally obscured by the spiny back plate. It’s not until you look at the belly from below that Baby Wetsy Doll seams can be seen. But that’s okay, most of the time they’ll only be visible to the top of the shelf.

The tail connects to the body nearly seamlessly. And get this: it’s actually FIVE separate pieces, all moveable. This movement gets easier the further away from the main body you move where the tail ceases to be somewhat elliptical and becomes more round. I don’t see any reason to rotate any of these, although the joint between the second and third segment may be useful when trying to coax Anguirus into a confined space on the shelf. Just a word of warning: this joint has become a little loose on my vinyl since I discovered it.

But wait, there’s more. There is a glue seam below each knee, below the left heel and yet another on the lower jaw. I had to look for them in order to find them, so they are well hidden. I’m only mentioning this so you’ll avoid any impacts on the rear legs. (Not that you would be so rough with an X-Plus. But just in case…)

Standard stuff here and I wouldn’t have it any other way. This is how we most commonly see Anguirus so: good show, X-Plus!

Starting from the most obvious, the X-Plus Anguirus is covered in a dark, dull brown base coat which I like a lot. The spines are a sort of dark “cream” color and most of them are gradated with darker shades closer to the body. They did a (mostly) great job feathering this creamy tan into the body. The top of the back plate is a gray which is lighter than the body brown is. It is only here that I could find some sloppiness in the paint. But it still looks good.

The teeth are dark white, or tan. The red in the mouth is a dark shade and doesn’t look toyish. Bravo! The eyes are painted and look good. They’re also coated with a gloss to give them a bit of a… gloss.

Now for the bad news. On my figure the arms and legs were quite obviously painted at a different station than the body at the factory. There is an obvious paint mismatch where the warmer, kind of yellowish brown legs meet the darker, duller brown on the body. You can see this most clearly in the Size Comparison photos below. This paint mismatch is just a natural variation that occurs at the factory and won’t necessarily be the case on your figure, or the figure you plan to get.

The paint scheme on the X-Plus Toho 30cm Series Anguirus almost matches the one on the Large Monster Series version. The three biggest differences are that the brown is duller and darker on the 30, the back plate is a gray as opposed to the 25’s brown and the eyes are darker on the 30.

​Above: The X-Plus Anguirus Toho 30cm series vinyl figure is on the left and the 25cm Large Monster Series on the right.

It was hard for me to detect much of a size difference between these two on most of the comparison photos I’ve seen elsewhere on the web. And this also happened with most of the photos I took myself. But I managed to shoot two that make the difference in size quite clear.

Here the 30cm Anguirus is beside his good buddy, the X-Plus 30cm Series Godzilla 1968. They’re a good match. (Keep in mind, though, that the Godzilla ’68 is noticeably shorter than other Godzilla’s in the line.)

What a space hog! The 30cm Series Anguirus is over 20 inches long thanks to that tail of his. If you had trouble fitting your 30cm Godzillas on the shelf, wait till you get a load of this guy! The tail does curve to the figure’s right which helps out a little when it comes to squeezing it in between other figures on a crowded shelf.

Awesome likeness, sculpt, paint job, details… everything. All I can say is if you get a chance, “get this guy”.

By John Stanowski Originally posted October 15th, 2013​ on Kaiju Addicts.

​「ゴジラ（1964年版）モスラ対ゴジラ」

​東宝30CMシリーズ 「ゴジラ（1964版）発光VER.」 少年リック限定商品

​JAPAN ORIGINAL RELEASE: 2010

​JAPAN RE-ISSUE RELEASE: JUNE 2013

​NORTH AMERICA RE-ISSUE: APRIL 2013

​SERIES: TOHO 30CM SERIES

​MATERIAL: SOFT VINYL

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

​HEIGHT: 12 INCHES / 30.48 CM

​WIDTH: 7.25 INCHES / 18.41 CM

​LENGTH: 16.5 INCHES / 41.91 CM

​REVIEW AND PHOTOS: JOHN STANOWSKI

​The 1964 Godzilla suit is a fan favorite and the X-Plus vinyl figure is equally revered. This is a highlight of many a collection.

ORIGINAL LATE 2010 JAPAN RELEASE
The X-Plus Toho 30cm Series Godzilla 1964 was one of the earlier figures to come out and it’s a winner all around. The standard version of the figure has an open mouth and a Ric Boy exclusive version came with an alternate lower jaw for a closed mouth.

JUNE 2013 JAPAN RE-ISSUE
Only a Ric Boy version of this re-issue was offered and it came with a closed mouth and a light gimmick that allows you to light the back fins. This re-issue was very well received. So much so that those figures that still remain in the aftermarket, after only two or three months, already have insane price tags on them.

NORTH AMERICAN DIAMOND RE-ISSUE
This figure will be a North American Diamond Re-issue and is a part of Diamond’s third wave of releases. The window for pre-orders closed last November, but you still may have time to ask your local comic shop about it, or find it online. They are expected to ship March 2014.

These re-issues will go FAST. If you haven’t pre-ordered one, you might be out of luck. If you want one, you should scope the web immediately when they’re released and be prepared to pounce!

It shouldn’t take you long to conclude that the X-Plus Godzilla 1964 is a fantastic likeness. The sculpt (almost) completely captures the shape of the suit. Even the attitude of Godzilla is captured perfectly. I do think, though, that the sculptor may have taken a liberty in making the legs a little thicker than they should be, and placing them a little closer in the crotch than the actual suit had them. What do you think?

(Pictured on the left is the original 2010 Japan standard release with open mouth. On the right is the 2013 Japan Re-issue with closed mouth. They are identical.)

All of Godzilla’s 1964 trademarks are present and well done, most notably his long, individually sculpted fingers, his alligator-ish feet and even the position of his tail which was constantly jerked up into the air by wire in the movie.

X-Plus got the head right! (Although for some reason I don’t think my photos show it.) His flat yet puffy snout is reproduced perfectly as are his smooth eyebrow… things. The eyes are dead on and so are the unique shape and length of his individually sculpted teeth.

​One detail that bugs me is the over prominence of the throat seam. The bottom jaw is a separate piece that’s glued in for all versions except the 2010 Ric Boy. It has a noticeable line arcing over the throat. The path this line follows does indeed mimic a feature on the suit, but it was no where near this visible.

Those of you who acquire the 2013 re-issue won’t be able to enjoy the mouth full of individual teeth. But check out the fangs on the closed mouth version!

​There are glue seals at the ankles, knees, wrists and, as usual, the entire back piece. Most of these aren’t terribly noticeable with the exception of the very top of the back piece behind the neck. The tail joint is an okay fit, but could be more snug on both figures.

As I mentioned already, the most significant seam on this guy is on the front of the neck.

​The pose is awesome. It looks to me like it was taken from the scene in the movie when Godzilla appraoched the grounded Mothra right after she exhausted all of her strength and went to lay with her egg. I love the way Godzilla’s head is tilted downward and his eyes are tucked up to look forward. Again, the position of the tail is typical for this suit. Some collectors question whether the tail should have been positioned the way it is. And I’ve often encountered confusion about why its curved like that. I admit I did the same thing when I first saw it myself. But now I’m glad they did it that way. It’s reminiscent of the movie and breaks the pattern of most other Godzilla tails on the X-Plus shelf.

​The paint job on the X-Plus Godzilla ’64 vinyl figure is a winner. As usual Goji has a base coat of asphalt black but with lots of highlights. Brownish (tan?) areas are airbrushed onto his chest, knees and snout. A sort of off green runs along the underside of the tail and looks great… except where it suddenly just stops with no feathering or attempt at transition where the tail meets the body. The claws look amazing! The eyelids are a dark, dull army green. And, as mentioned earlier, the eyes are painted with perfection. The eyes and the teeth are topped off with a glossy coating.

The X-Plus Godzilla 1964 vinyl fits right in with most of his Toho 30cm series buddies. Pictured here: Godzilla 1954, 1955, 1962 and 1964.

​The Godzilla 1964 vinyl figure is about sixteen and a half inches long. The tail goes straight back with very little curving side to side. One feature of this figure which may affect its shelf placement is the downward curve of its tail. The tip of this tail is basically a third leg and it allows the figure to stand. Without it, Godzilla would lean backward. I’ve found that this tip often falls over the back edge of the shelf, so you’ll have to pull this guy a little closer to the front to prevent this.

The June 2013 Japan release comes with translucent dorsal fins loaded with vivid blue LED lights. The light is brightest near the base of the spines and doesn’t quite reach to the tips, but it’s impressive nonetheless. The lights are controlled from an external black box which holds the switch and a pair of LR44 batteries (the same kind you use for laser pointers). The box has a connector that looks like a phono jack which plugs into the rear of the left leg.

By John Stanowski Originally posted September 16th, 2013 on Kaiju Addicts.

東宝30CMシリーズ 「ゴジラ（1962年版）
キングコング対ゴジラ」

​JAPAN ORIGINAL RELEASE: DECEMBER 2010

​JAPAN RE-ISSUE: OCTOBER 2013

​DIAMOND RE-ISSUE: SEPTEMBER 2014

​SERIES: TOHO 30CM SERIES

​MATERIAL: SOFT VINYL

FROM: “KING KONG VS. GODZILLA”, 1962
キングコング対ゴジラ

​HEIGHT: 12 INCHES / 30.48 CM

​WIDTH: 9.5 INCHES / 24.13 CM

​LENGTH: 18.5 INCHES / 46.99 CM

​ARTICULATION: NONE

​REVIEW AND PHOTOS: JOHN STANOWSKI

In 1962’s “King Kong vs. Godzilla”, the big guy breaks free from his iceberg prison with a whole new look. And X-Plus did an amazing job of capturing that look in this vinyl figure released back in 2010. It’s big and wide and long and has a lot of “presence”. But there’s not much here not to like.

It’s getting really hard for me to review these things. I’ve run out of ways to say they’re “awesome”, “identical”, “dead-ringers” and that they “look like they stepped right out of the movie”. So please choose your own adjective or phrase from this list.

Okay, sorry, I can’t stop myself: this thing looks like it stepped right out the movie! Everything about it, the body, head, fins, eyes, color… they all literally mirror the suit!

X-Plus even got that goofy front head view accurate.

I sat down in front of “King Kong vs. Godzilla” with my X-Plus Godzilla 1962 on my lap to compare details for this review. And I found that these fins are insanely accurate. Not only were the ‘look’ of the fins captured, but most every spike on every fin is very close to how it was on the suit. Now that’s a bit OCD if you ask me but that’s precisely the reason why I love X-Plus.

The tree bark texture on the skin is especially deep on this figure and the light plays off it to interesting effect. This gives the figure even more of a high quality feel.

My only complaint is that most of the fingers are not individually sculpted. Hardly a dealbreaker though for this guy!

This figure comes with the tail as a separate piece which must be inserted as per usual with X-Plus Godzilla vinyls. And the tail joint is a near perfect fit; one of the best I’ve seen so far.

As for glue seals, we have them around each elbow but they are mostly invisible. A bit more noticeable are the seams around the ankles. This area also looks to be a potential weak joint considering how flat his feet are. Don’t go slamming this guy down on the table or anything like that. The only other seam I can find is behind the head where the top of the back piece which holds the fins can be detected. I really like how there are no joints at the knees for a change!

You can see for yourself from the photo above that the pose is fantastic. Every angle is so dynamic that you almost get the impression that he’s really moving.

Godzilla’s whole body is arching and forms a “c” or “u” with his upper torso twisting toward his left. His tail also curves into the same direction like he’s claiming a plot of land. This is a nice change from the mostly face front poses we’ve been getting with more recent releases. This figure looks great on the shelf facing in either direction.

The X-Plus Godzilla 1962 has a base coat of the standard light charcoal black plus a whole lot of highlights. The upper elevations of the deep skin texture is brushed with an ever so slightly lighter black. Brownish highlights can be found on the upper chest, knees, tops of the feet and on the sides of the tail. The bottom of the tail is a subtly lighter black.

The fins are painted very well all the way down to the tip. The teeth are very off white and they did an excellent job of coloring the inside of the mouth around every single tooth. The eyes look just like they did in the movie. The whites seem to have just a tinge of yellow and a clear gloss covers both orbs giving them a wet look. The claws on both the hands and feet look like they’ve hardly been touched by the painter.

The X-Plus Godzilla 1962 vinyl scales perfectly with the majority of the other figures in the 30cm series. Pictured here: Godzilla 1954, 1955, 1962 and 1964.

At about 18.5 inches long, this figure requires some extra space. The good thing is, though, that the arched pose I mentioned earlier makes it easier to fit this guy on a shelf than most other X-Plus Godzillas. When it’s placed facing the left, the tail obediently curves back toward the wall allowing another figure to fit in beside him. If you want him to face right (also a great, great angle to view it) then it will need more room. Because of space restrictions and an overpopulated 30cm shelf, I have mine facing almost forward with his tail hugging the wall. I’m not at all happy with that as I really don’t like his view from the front. This goes for the figure and the suit itself. Hopefully someday I’ll find more room and be able to show him off properly.

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

​大怪獣シリーズ 大映特撮編 「バイラス ガメラ対宇宙怪獣バイラス」 少年リック限定版

​JAPAN RELEASE: AUGUST 2013

​SERIES: LARGE MONSTER SERIES

​MATERIAL: SOFT VINYL

​FROM: “GAMERA VS. VIRAS”, 1968
ガメラ対宇宙怪獣バイラス

​HEIGHT: 16 INCHES / 40.64 CM

​WIDTH: 10.5 INCHES / 26.67 CM

​ARTICULATION: NECK, WAIST

​REVIEW AND PHOTOS: JOHN STANOWSKI

The third of Showa Gamera’s foes, Viras, is finally unleashed. Though a part of the smaller Large Monster Series line, Viras is tallest vinyl figure to walk out of the X-Plus factory.

​It’s hard for me to tell how faithful the new X-Plus Viras vinyl is to the original. I was never really big on Showa Gamera movies except when I was a kid. And even with that, the only things I remember from back then are images of a spinning Gamera in flight, and Viras. Having to rely on photos and a viewing of “Gamera vs. Viras”, I’d have to say the vinyl comes pretty damn close. All the details are there. They’re in the right places and are in scale relative to itself.

The overall sculpt is a striking resemblance that not only captures the look of the suit, but the subtle ways the suit carried itself. The chisled angles of the face are dead on with the possible exception that the eyes are too dark. The head… spike… things are shaped perfectly as are the tips of the lower tentacles.

TEXTURE
The X-Plus Viras is multi-textured. Under an array of elephant trunk-like grooves is a subtle bumpiness that makes this figure visually interesting. However, X-Plus definitely went a little overboard with it. They have the pattern right, there’s just too much of it. The Viras in the movie was a lot smoother than this figure, especially from the neck down. Not that I see them all, but the last time I saw this sort of skin textures going too deep was on the 25cm Ultra kaiju Gomora Reborn. It makes for a nicer figure, but the tradeoff is accuracy.

Okay, let’s get this out of the way. You’ve probably already noticed the heinous seam around Viras’ neck. It’s there because part of the Ric Boy exclusive version is an interchangeable second head. Okay, that makes sense. But that seam! Groan. I would GLADLY send my spare head back to X-Plus if they would glue seal this joint and fill it in. See the pic at the bottom to see how much better it would look without the necklace.

There are seams where all of the tentacles meet the body just below the neck. Though they are glued and covered over with paint, they’re still obvious if you look closely. The rear tentacle has an obnoxious seam that looks like a flap. This is intentional as this was part of the actual Viras suit and was visible in the movie.

The waist can be rotated but I don’t see any benefit to doing this, though it may need to be adjusted. When I took mine out of the box I found that the legs weren’t inserted all the way. The neck can be rotated only slightly because of it’s elliptical shape.

X-Plus had a few poses to choose from since this six-tentacled kaiju did have some moves. They chose the standard standing pose and is the way we see Viras most of the time while he stood in his cage onboard his spaceship. The mood/feel/personality of Viras’ tentacles and posture in the movie are captured very well in the figure.

BALANCE
Viras stands on his own two feet and is also supported by the front and rear tentacles. As for the former, I found that it hung down too low and didn’t allow Viras to keep his feet flat on the ground. I just gave it a squeeze and it stands fine now.

The X-Plus Viras vinyl figure has a good looking paint job, and an interesting one too. It looks like it was first given a base coat of a dull purple and was then gone over with a light blue, almost teal color. This second color fills in many of the cracks in the texture of the skin, and yet only ‘clouds’ over the rest. It’s hard to describe but it look really good. The paint job overall is semi-glossy and almost seems iridescent. It also seems a bit darker than it should be.

The beak is a glossy silver and, if you can see that close, the eyes are full of detail with arteries fanning out around black pupils with firey orange irises (no pun intended).

Viras is huge and seems to dwarf the X-Plus Gamera 1966. At first they didn’t look to be in scale with each other. Yes, Viras was much taller than Gamera… but this much? I revisited the movie and I’m still not sure. It’s hard to tell as Viras was often squishing and squooshing around Gamera during the fight. Ultimately, I’ve come to feel that, yes, they are mostly in scale with each other. It’s just that the Viras figure is standing tall, and Gamera is slouching.

​So, yeah, look at this. Viras is from the smaller Large Monster Series line and yet is taller than the two tallest figures I have from the 30cm series (Godzilla monochrome 1954 and Hedorah). He’s taller than Biollante. The only figure that comes close to Viras’ height is Mothra Imago, and she’s held up high on a pole!

​Even with tentacles off in every direction, Viras still takes up about the same space a other biped figures. Also, conveniently, the two tentacles that spread out the farthest are in the front and make it easy for other figures to fit behind them. But forget all of that. It’s Viras’ height you need to contend with. At 16 inches, the only shelf this vinyl fits on is the top one.

The Ric Boy version of the X-Plus Viras vinyl comes with a second head. It sports all three head tentacles retracted into a giant spear perfect for impaling boulders and giant turtles. But it may also be capable of doing some damage to vinyl collectors. (You should probably keep this one away from the kids.) This alternate head also features an open beak and derpy eyes looking toward the left. The joint for the head is elliptical and can be a little more challenging to switch than with rounder ones.

​But, wait! That’s not all! The Ric Boy version also comes with a miniature “bumblebee” spaceship. The detail and quality of this item is fantastic except for some flash line artifacts on each of the radar dish thingys. Also some of the antennae feed horns are bent, but can be somewhat coaxed into being straight again. As for paint: good show! The concentric circles of black and yellow are perfectly “in the lines”. The dishes, landing gear and ring are colored in a metallic blue. A+!

​The X-Plus Viras comes in a plain, white, blind box just like the ones for Kumonga, Mothra Imago and the Rodan figures. Viras is wired into the plastic shell with two ties.

​Here’s a Photoshopped example of how perfect Viras could have looked without that ugly seam running around his neck.

​By John Stanowski Originally posted September 7th, 2013​ on Kaiju Addicts.