東宝大怪獣シリーズ 「バラゴン（1965年版） 立ちポーズ」 少年リック限定版

​JAPAN RELEASE: AUGUST 2013

​SERIES: LARGE MONSTER SERIES (25CM)

​MATERIAL: SOFT VINYL

FROM: “FRANKENSTEIN CONQUERS THE WORLD”, 1965
フランケンシュタイン対地底怪獣バラゴン

​HEIGHT: 9.5 INCHES / 24.13 CM

​WIDTH: 7.75 INCHES / 19.68 CM

​LENGTH: ABOUT 15 INCHES / 38 CM

​ARTICULATION: BOTH ARMS AND LEGS, NECK.

​REVIEW AND PHOTOS: JOHN STANOWSKI

​The recently released X-Plus Baragon 1965 (Large Monster Series) vinyl figure features the first appearance of this subterranean kaiju. But it is not the first appearance in the line! In a very curious move, X-Plus has released another version/pose of a kaiju already added to the same line previously. Not that I’m complaining! The first Baragon from the X-Plus Large Monster Series came out in August 2011 and features the monster on all fours. It has since become a rarity and very highly sought after by collectors. This new figure gives us latecomers another chance to add this kaiju to our collections. (Note: X-Plus also created a second version of a pre-released character: the Mechagodzilla 1974. They just don’t do this with Godzilla figures, though they have done it with Ultraman Figures.)

Oh, and by the way, this figure is friggin’ awesome.

I’m not a super huge Baragon fan, but from what I can tell, they got the head of this guy exactly right. Hell, all of it looks right. The whole thing is an outstanding likeness.

​Every detail of this figure shines! Baragon has multiple textures. A tiled square pattern adorns his chest and runs all the way down the underside of the tail to the tip. The rough texture on the arms and legs are brilliant. A fine speckled pattern crowns the tops of the head. And the back ridges have a fine ‘combed’ pattern on them which run all the way down to the tail! Incredible attention to detail on this thing!

The arms and legs are not glued and are free to move, but they do have their place. Most of these joints are sculpted to be in a certain position. There are little clues in the texture of the skin which show you precisely where they should be. The only time you really want to mess with these is to make sure both feet are flat on the ground. When I pulled my Baragon out of the box, his right leg needed adjusting for him to stand properly. The head at the base of the neck can also be rotated but you’ll find that that joint moreso than the others has its place.

As for panty lines: all of these joints do have visible seams, but they’re not very noticeable from most angles… except for the neck. This joint isn’t meant to move and it would have been great if they had glued it and filled in the line. But even without that, the seam is well hidden in the sculpt. The tail joint is a good fit and it looks better from the top.

It’s a great pose which looks good from practically every angle. I think his left side is his best though. One detail to note is that his left foot is actually bent so that his heel is off the ground like he’s walking. Nice touch!

​The paint job is incredible and a nice change from the offerings of late. The body has a base coat of brown. The ears and back ridges are a light brown, almost tan. I’m wondering if maybe it’s a bit too light.

But as for attention to detail when flicking the brush over this guy: amazing! The light brown was added to the back ridges with precision. This is even more noticeable on the tail where the ridges get smaller and smaller, thinner and thinner. And the paint is still spot on!

Plenty of subtle highlights are scattered over the brown areas. (This is how they should have painted Skydon!)

The eyes look so good you almost feel as though you’re being watched by the figure. The teeth are a dirty reddish, brown and are glossy. The horn is translucent and fades from a brown to a bone color. (I suspect the entire head is translucent under all that opaque paint.)

This is one of my favorite X-Plus paint jobs so far this year.

The X-Plus Baragon vinyl figure is actually a tad larger than both Godzilla 1968 and Godzilla 1966. Not only is he up on height, his bulk makes him even larger. Ironic since the “real” Baragon probably only comes up to Godzilla’s knee. Still, it’s not too much of a size difference. It still fits in well with other figures in the Large Monster Series.

​Consider this figure with the same demands as a Godzilla. From horn to tail, it’s almost 15 inches long! The feet are a few inches inward than the horn so a good bit of that length can be sticking over the edge of the shelf. Baragon’s tail makes a slight turn to his left while his body turns to his right.

The X-Plus Baragon Ric Boy version brings an impressive set of exclusive features in one box. Not only does it come with an extra set of “alert” ears, but the horn lights as well!

A black box ‘dongle’ with on/off switch plugs into the rear of the left leg. Plug it in, switch it on and the horn glows. A possible downside is that the LED used is a tad too bright. The brown to bone coloring of the horn disappears when turned on and become mostly white. The LED is also too close to the horn itself as there is a hotspot ring visible. What is nice though is that it’s bright enough to illuminate Baragon’s nose below.

The ears on the Ric Boy version pop right off and can be switched for the extra pair. I’ve found they need some coaxing to make a good, tight fit. You find while switching the ears that the head is really very soft; much softer than the rest of the body. The back of the head actually collapses a little when inserting new ears.

The head is so squooshy that you could, if you were so inclined, squeeze the front neck and the back neck to make Baragon’s mouth open wide. I imagine you wouldn’t want to do this very often because of the wires inside and the possibility of cracking some paint.

​Baragon comes in the standard Large Monster Series window box. He’s kept in place with a single wire tie around his body, and another around his tail. The remaining bits are taped in.

​By John Stanowski Originally posted September 4th, 2013​ on Kaiju Addicts.

東宝大怪獣シリーズ 「キングシーサー（1974年版） ゴジラ対メカゴジラ」 少年リック限定版

​JAPAN RELEASE: JULY 2013

​NORTH AMERICAN (DIAMOND) REISSUE: CANCELLED

​JAPAN REISSUE: APRIL 2019

​SERIES: LARGE MONSTER SERIES

​MATERIAL: SOFT VINYL

FROM: “GODZILLA VS. MECHAGODZILLA”, 1974 ​ゴジラ対メカゴジラ

​HEIGHT: (EARS DOWN) 9 INCHES / 22.86 CM

​WIDTH: 5 INCHES / 12.7 CM

LENGTH: (HANDS TO TAIL) 8.25 INCHES / 20.95 CM

​ARTICULATION: ARMS, HIPS, ANKLES.

​REVIEW AND PHOTOS: JOHN STANOWSKI

​The sleeping, dog-eared monster King Caesar (Seesar, Shisa), protector of the Azumi Family in Okinawa wakes from his hibernation once again in the form of an X-Plus Giant Monster Series vinyl figure. And wow, did they get this guy right. Sorry to repeat myself again, but it really does look like it stepped right out of the movie! This is what X-Plus is all about!

This figure was originally released in Japan in July 2013. It was available as both a Standard and Ric Exclusive (which came with a mini statue). A North American (Diamond) Reissue was scheduled but later cancelled. A Japanese reissue (April 2019) was offered with no Standard version available. The Ric-only reissue offers light-up eyes.

This review features the original release.

Here’s the part we saw through most of the movie. The head of King Caesar framed in his rocky hibernation chamber. Moving on from the great resemblance, you’ll notice the eyes are a burning orange and must have been molded in plastic. Just below their shiny surface are a series of finely detailed concentric circles. Most of the teeth are individually sculpted. Curiously, though, the front bottom row is not. Hardly something to complain about considering the stellar job X-Plus did everywhere else on this figure.

How do you translate long tufts of knotted fur into vinyl? X-Plus found a way! Each of the long rows of fur falling from Caesar’s mane are detached from the rest of the figure giving them more dimension. There are also six extra tufts of hair glued on to the arms and legs as separate pieces. Awesome job! (I suspect the ‘crown’ over Caesar’s eyes is also a separate glued piece).

The armor-plated scales are very well done. They look accurate and the bottoms raise away from the rest of the body with precision. Some scales actually slightly overlap the ones below it.

As for moving joints, The X-Plus King Caesar has more than a few: both shoulders, legs and feet. Neither of these are likely meant to be moved. The arms don’t have much range to even bother with. The joints at the hips and the ankles are molded to fit snugly in their predetermined position. But you may have to wiggle these to make sure Caesar stands properly.

As for seams: there are quite a few around the mane but are hidden good enough. The seams where the legs meet the body, though, are another story. This is the lowest point for an otherwise fantastic figure. These seams are obvious, distracting and just overall heinous. Traditional vinyl collectors accept this is as just part of the nature of vinyls. But what drew me to X-Plus was the amazing realistic looks these figures have. Seeing these gaping lines at the tops of the legs are a turn off. Thankfully they not visible when the figure is rotated to one side a bit.

​Most biped X-Plus figures without long tails usually have some balance issues either immediately or down the road.  Some collectors have found that they need to rotate King Caesar’s feet outward to give the figure balance. The feet on my figure are most forward and it stands fine. Either way, it is easy to topple with a poke at the head. And I suspect the summer heat could, if allowed to, soften up the feet enough to make poor Caesar lean forward and take a tumble.

The pose of the X-Plus King Caesar has him facing his enemy and poised for action. The “personality” of Caesar is perfectly captured here. They did as a good a job on the pose as they did with the sculpt. Combined, the two make for one hell of an excellent figure. The only thing wrong with this picture are the ears which should be upright while in battle mode. The standard edition has droopy ears, something they really only did while KC was sleeping.

​Awesome paint job! The hair has airbrushed gradients that span dark brown to tan. There are no ‘shadows’ per se (darker colors in the inner grooves of the hairs) but the graduated colors more than make up for that. As for the scales: they pretty much captured a difficult color pretty well. The scales on the suit were a sort of dark brown with a tinge of a purpleish red and the paint on the figure follows suit.

The X-Plus King Caesar vinyl figure is about nine inches tall and fits in very well with other members of the Large Monster Series.

Believe it or not, the X-Plus King Caesar vinyl is almost as long (nose to tail is 8.25 inches) as it is high. Still, as with most biped X-Plus figures, KC doesn’t demand a lot of space on the shelf at all.

The X-Plus King Caesar Ric Boy Edition comes with a few exclusives. A miniature of the King Caesar statue (which actually might have gotten more screen time than Caesar did himself in the movie) is in the box. It’s a great likeness but it doesn’t contribute as much to the figure as the extra set of upright ears!

​The ears pop right in and out with just a tug. The figure may have to be warmed up a little in colder climates to make the switch. Both sets of ears have tiny clues in the sculpt as to where they were intended to be adjusted to.

​The X-Plus King Caesar vinyl figure comes in the standard Large Monster Series no frills window box. The figure is held in the plastic shell with a single wire tie.

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

​大怪獣シリーズ ジャイアント 「スカイドン」

​JAPAN RELEASE: MARCH 2013

​SERIES: TOHO 30CM SERIES

MATERIAL: SOFT VINYL

​FROM: “ULTRAMAN”, EPISODE 34 “PRESENT FROM THE SKY”, 1967
ウルトラマン, メガトン怪獣

​HEIGHT: 7.25 INCHES / 18.41 CM

​WIDTH: ABOUT 7.5 INCHES (FOOT TO FOOT) / ABOUT 19.05 CM

​LENGTH: (HEAD TO TAIL) ABOUT 15.5 INCHES / 39.37 CM

​ARTICULATION: NONE

​REVIEW AND PHOTOS: JOHN STANOWSKI

THE HEAD
The head is overall a good likeness though I feel it has overly smooth texturing below the eyes. The entire piece is made of a translucent material which allows the lights from the Ric Boy Exclusive version to shine through. Opaque paint hides the light from emitting anywhere except the eyes. Unfortunately, on my figure, there are pinpoints of light visible is some of the cracks in the sculpt. And though light doesn’t emit from the four horns, their semi-translucent quality gives the figure a nice touch.

Overall, the sculpt is a mostly faithful representation of Skydon. All of Skydon’s features are there and are ‘mostly’ in the right place. Multiple textures make this figure visually interesting. There are brick-like armor plates on the back, rough skin on the sides and legs. There is also the combed line texture on the belly left over from when this suit originally belonged to Gamakujira, the pearl-eating kaiju.

​X-Plus’ attention to detail shines for fashioning most of this figure from the actual Skydon suit. The eyes on the Skydon suit were ridiculously out of allignment with each other as his right eye was much higher than his left. The figure recreates this.

However, X-Plus dropped the ball on the tail which is larger than it should be. And to make matters worse, the two spikey horns on the tail seem to be twice as tall as they should be.

The Ric Boy exclusive version of this figure has a removeable head and that features gives you an obvious seam line which runs around the “neck”. From above, this line is only somewhat disguised into the sculpt as it conforms to the shape of the first row of armor plates on the back. The seam is move obvious from below but, thankfully, you don’t really get to seem him from the angle most of the time.

The tail seam is the same as the head. It’s somewhat cloaked on the top by conforming to a row of armor plates and is more visible from below.

The only other seam I can detect runs laterally along both sides above the first row of plates, just above the side spikes. This seam is mostly invisible having been filled at the factory. However, on the figure I have, they “missed a spot” leaving behind what looks like a crack in the body. The seams on the legs are really invisible and you’d have to look really close to find evidence of them.

​The pose of the X-Plus Skydon vinyl figure is pretty standard stuff. And that’s fine with me. Skydon was a lazy kaiju and basically was seen as pictured here, or flat on the ground taking a nap.

​There really isn’t much of a paint job here on this figure. The teeth are a stark, toy white which probably is appropriate for an early Ultraman monster. The inside of the mouth and the “lipstick” area were painted in a desaturated color that’s sits somewhere between red and pink, but being neither. I like it.

Though not part of the paint scheme, the translucent parts are part of the coloring. The four horns on the head are a bronze color and change appearance depending on the light. The eyes themselves are clear, with black pupils painted on. Inside the domes of clear plastic is a colored material giving the eyes an overall yellowish appearance.

As for the rest of the body from the neck to the tail… It’s brown. Just brown. No highlights, tones, shades, etc. Just brown. There does seem to be some attempt at darker shades here and there, but you need to close out the rest of the world, meditate and super focus on them just in order to see them. So, basically, they’re just not there. And it’s a big blob of brown.

But because this figure has so many deep textures, light plays on it very, very well giving it a ridiculously good amount of highlights. It looks especially good in the sun (though I wouldn’t recommend keeping it there!)

​If you like your figures large, then Skydon delivers. He fits in well with the X-Plus 30cm Godzilla figures and is borderline difficult to manage with one hand because of his bulk. As for scaling with the Ultraman figures: he’s really too big for that. They may look okay next to each other on the shelf (see photo below under Ric Boy heading), but scale freaks will likely be disappointed overall.

A good match for the X-Plus 30cm Series Anguirus 1968.

When sized with another quadroped from the smaller line (Gabora), Skydon is significantly larger. Scale freaks will want to keep their Giant Series figures on a different shelf.

From the front, Giant Series Skydon seems to fit in well with this gang of mostly non-Giant Ultra kaiju.

(Left to Right: Gyango – rear, Gomora, Skydon, Red King, Bemular and Gabora. Only Gyango and Skydon are from the Giant Series.)

​As with all four-legged figures, Skydon has extra space requirements. His tail goes straight back but is short. His extra Giant Series size though makes him more difficult to place on a standard shelf.

​The X-Plus Skydon Ric Boy exclusive version vinyl figure has a light gimmick allowing his yellow eyes to shine just like they did in the television series. Above he is seen beside the X-Plus Ultraman C-Type Standing figure, also with light gimmick.

To get the magic to work you’ll have to pull off the head, flick the switch and push it back in. Groan. The figures already comes ready to go with two LR 44 batteries already installed. You’ll have to be careful though as the inner workings of the head comes in two pieces. The vinyl head is precariously glued onto another plastic piece which the switch anchors onto. These two pieces promptly divorced and came away from each other the first time I removed the head. Luckily it all went back together again for me with no problems. You can try to avoid this yourself by heating the parts with a hair dryer. Probably more so than you would need to add the tail.

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

​東宝大怪獣シリーズ 「クモンガ（1967年版） 怪獣島の決戦 ゴジラの息子」 少年リック限定版

​JAPAN RELEASE: JULY 2013

​JAPAN REISSUE: JULY 2016 (WONDER FESTIVAL SON OF GODZILLA SET)

​DIAMOND REISSUE: EXPECTED JANUARY 2019

​SERIES: TOHO 30CM SERIES

​MATERIAL: SOFT VINYL

FROM: “SON OF GODZILLA”, 1967
怪獣島の決戦 ゴジラの息子

HEIGHT: ABOUT 3.75 INCHES / 9.52 CM

​WIDTH: (LEGSPAN) ABOUT 20.25 INCHES (FOOT TO FOOT) / ABOUT 51.43 CM

​LENGTH: (FRONT LEGS TO ABDOMEN) ABOUT 13 INCHES / 33 CM

​REVIEW AND PHOTOS: JOHN STANOWSKI

Kumonga is one of my favorite things from the movie “Son of Godzilla” and the X-Plus vinyl figure is easily one of my favorite figures. It was originally released in July of 2013 and was re-issued as part of a “Son of Godzilla Set” for Summer Wonder Festival in July of 2016.

I was tempted to say ‘Really, now, how hard would it be to match the sculpt to a giant spider?’ But after reviewing scenes from the movie I immediately saw distinct details that give Kumonga’s form personality. And I actually recognized these details readily because I had spent so much time with the figure for this review. So, if you ask me, X-Plus did an amazing job of capturing this kaiju in the sculpt. It really does look like it stepped crawled right out of the movie!

If I had to find something to complain about, it would be the stubby spikes scattered over Kumonga’s long appendages. In the movie, the giant spider had large thorn-like hairs which were translated to the vinyl as spikey triangles. Granted, it’s not that easy to reproduce this feature in vinyl, and even if they could it would make for a painful handling experience. So, to me, what we got in the end is close enough.

Kumonga’s set of eight eyes are multi-textured and mimic the (real) thing well. The eyes themselves are semi-translucent plastic domes tinted purple or blue. And under the dome is a bubbly texture creating the insectoid compound-eye look. Nice job!

Nice texturing on the body helps to make up for the lack of any highlights in the paint job.

The X-Plus Kumonga is posed on an incline so that the front half of its body is higher than the rear. Both the standard and Ric Boy versions of this figure comes with a base to help him keep that posture. Pictured here is the base that comes with the Ric Boy exclusive version. It’s larger than the standard base and comes with a Kamacuras entombed in Kumonga’s webby spray.

​The Ric Boy exclusive base is, in a word, awesome, and, in a way, gives you two kaiju for the price of one (or for the extra price of a Ric Boy). The detail on the giant mantis is sharp, maybe too detailed for something under a coating of goop, but I’m not complaining!

​Kumonga is virtually seamless! There are some faint lines here and there around a leg or mandible but this spider’s segmented limbs are covered in ringed lines anyway. The only out-of-place seam is under the spider’s abdomen (the large bulb at the end of his body). There, a round line follows the outer curve of that section. This is curious. It would seem to me that the entire back abdomen section would be molded as one piece but I suspect Kumonga’s entire top half is all one piece, and the bottom half another single piece. Strange choice but they must have had their reasons. Either way, there are no awkward joints or seams killing the look of the great vinyl figure.

​The Pose is Meh
With eight prickly treebranch arms you’d think there are a lot of choices to pick from when deciding how to pose this vinyl. In the end, though, what we got is just standard in a cheap rubber-spider sort of way. Okay, the pose is neutral and let’s it fit in the box well. Plus I understand that any interesting pose would likely melt away as gravity would pull down against the spider’s soft legs. Under these circumstances I think X-Plus did a good job. I was surprised to see that Kumonga’s body does not lie flat against the shelf but actually tilts upward. Not bad. But I wouldn’t have minded having a leg on each side retracted a bit more, pushing its spider knees over it’s current three and a quarter inch height.

​Kumonga is covered in a flat, one-shade off black and airbrushed with yellow markings. The feathering from the sprayed yellow attempts to mimic the combing of the yellow hairs mixing with the black hairs on the original beast, and it does a good job of creating that illusion. But that’s it; pretty standard stuff.

I wouldn’t have minded seeing some highlights (or shading) to mix up the black a bit. It might also have been nice to get some sandy, dirt splotches sponged into the top side dimples on Kumonga’s back to mimic the dirt he just crawled out of.

On a positive note, Kumonga’s dark exoskeleton has decent texturing on the sculpt off which the light plays, creating real highlights.

Fitting in with the ‘Family’
The X-Plus Large Monster Series Kumonga 1967 vinyl at first seems large when placed with other 25cm series figures but is, as far as I know, in scale with them. I have no other 1967 figures so I placed Kumonga here with the next best thing: his Destroy All Monsters buddies, Godzilla 1968 and Anguirus 1968. Yes, Kumonga looks big beside them. But he’s supposed to be big!

​Sizing up to the 30’s
The nice thing about Kumonga’s large size is that it fits in well with the 30cm series figures as well. Here he’s posed with the 30cm series Godzilla 1968 and though the scale may be off, they still look great together.

​Size Comparison with other Huge Figures

The final inevitable size comparison would be with Biollante. Both of these figures are in the Large Monster Series and are supposed to be in scale with each other. As for Mothra Imago, Kumonga has pretty much the same width as her wingspan.

Real World Comparisons

One the left is a fully grown adult cat of average size which is a tad larger than this huge vinyl spider. And for those of you who do not have a fully grown adult cat of average size handy, the photo on the right shows the X-Plus Kumonga atop a soda can which should give you a good idea of its girth.

Talk about shelf hogs! The X-Plus Giant Monster Series Kumonga vinyl figure has a ‘legspan’ of a whopping 20 and a quarter inches! This guy is gonna own the shelf! If you are planning to display him on a standard width shelf (like a bookcase), you’ll have to devote most of it to Kumonga. There’s room left for two more biped figures with short tails such as Mechagodzilla, King Seesar or maybe even a Gigan.

Kumonga is about 13 inches from the tip of his front legs to his butt. On a standard shelf, his front pincers may hang over the edge. The standard base adds nothing to this figure’s space requirements. And the Ric Boy exclusive base, though larger, can still occupy the space already claimed by this figure’s outstretched legs.

It is ironic that such a large figure which demands so much space is not even 4 inches tall. Unless you’re creative with some sort of support mechanism to hoist your Kumonga higher, your kaiju skyline is going to get a new dip.

The X-Plus Kumonga comes in a box similar to Mothra Imago and several of the Rodan figures. It’s plain white with black printing. Inside your vinyl kaiju spider lies nested in a plastic shell retrained by a single wire tie. Below the figure rests the base, also held in place with another wire tie.

A Word of Warning
Be careful when trying to pull your untied wire out from around the base. While I was removing my base, the untied, yet still twisted end of the wire didn’t want to come out of the hole in the plastic shell. I pulled a little too hard and, without realizing it, the wire was pressed hard against one of the small spikes on Kamacuras’ back and I wound up nicking it. A spot of glue will save mine, but a little more patience would have saved me the trouble.

Below is a fan video I found on YouTube which has tons of scenes featuring Kumonga. I’ve embedded it here so that you can review it, pause it, and compare it to the photos above.

By John Stanowski Originally posted August 5th, 2013 on Kaiju Addicts.

東宝30CMシリーズ「ゴジラ（2001版） ゴジラ・モスラ・キングギドラ 大怪獣総攻撃」

​JAPAN RELEASE: LATE 2011

​DIAMOND RE-ISSUE: JANUARY 2014

​SERIES: TOHO 30CM SERIES

MATERIAL: SOFT VINYL

​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: 11.5 INCHES / 29.21 CM

​WIDTH: ABOUT 9.25 INCHES (FOOT TO FOOT) / ABOUT 23.49 CM

​LENGTH: ABOUT 19 INCHES / 48.26 CM

​ARTICULATION: LEGS CAN ROTATE, BUT SHOULDN’T

​REVIEW AND PHOTOS: JOHN STANOWSKI

The established Millennium Godzilla suit design took a vacation for Director Shūsuke Kaneko’s (Gamera ’90s trilogy) “Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack” also known as “GMK”. For this one-shot continuity, a new design was created with fierce crocodilian features, souless white eyes and a few extra pounds. X-Plus first released their interpretation of this love-him-or-hate-him kaiju in late 2011. This vinyl has a few issues, but in the end is just as badass as the (real) thing.

Note: this figure was re-issued for the North American market with the help of Diamond Distributors/Previews in late 2013/early 2014 and all but sold out. Still, the aftermarket (Ebay, etc.) may make this figure easier to find for a short while.

This review is for the Original Release which has slight difference in paint scheme.

NOTE: I just realized (Feb. 2014) that the fins on my GMK figure (the one in all of these photos) were glued on upside down. So, if you think something looks strange, there is. Fortunately (not for me) this seems to be an isolated case.

​THE HEAD
I think they got the head dead on. At first I thought it was too fat from the front but after reviewing photos I saw that it’s pretty much dead on. (Because of this I also noticed that the head on the 25cm version is actually too skinny!)

Once again, we have individually sculpted teeth. If you look closely you find the odd smaller tooth poking out out of row — amazing attention to detail. The large GMK fangs look great!

SPINES
While the dorsal spines on this figure certainly capture the unique personality of the ones found on the (real) GMK Godzilla, they also seem to come up a little short. To me they seem smaller, softer and rounder. The 25cm figure seems to win out over the 30cm in spine accuracy. Thing is, it’s so hard to tell. While reviewing the movie I did see shots where both figures looked right at some point.

As I mentioned in my review for the 25cm version, the 2001 Godzilla has a myriad of patterns and textures over its body and, again, they are faithfully represented in the 30cm series sculpt.

Many collectors prefer the sculpt on the 25cm version over the 30. I thought so, too. But after spending so much time studying the 30 for this review, I’m beginning to wonder. While it may be true that the 30 is too fat, I’m beginning to think that the 25 is also too thin. I used an in-camera trick in the photo above to make it appear that both figures are the same size. What do you think? Chime in in the comments below.

​The seams on the arms are less noticeable on this vinyl than on most X-Plus Godzilla’s I’ve seen. Particularly impressive is the seam running around the base of the neck which is totally cloaked. (I didn’t even realize there was one there until I recently looked at the unfinished production photos.)

What may be of concern to some collectors are the doll-like joints occurring where the legs meet the body. Combined with his wide leg stance, they are even more obvious. This feature was on the actual suit but looked more like creases in the skin. Here, they look like… well, doll joints.

There is a 1.25-inch indented “line” that’s just as fat as it is deep at the top of the spines on the back of the neck. This feature was also on the original suit but it seems stronger on the figure than it should, probably because this is actually an intersection where 3 different pieces of vinyl meet.

The X-Plus 30cm Series Godzilla 2001 stands powerfully in mid-roar with arms tucked back and head lurched forward focused on his foe or next target. Every bit of GMK positional personality is captured in this figure. However, though the wide leg stance is typcial of GMK, I’m just not that fond of it. Luckily this is minimized when viewed from an angle which is probably the only way this guy is going to fit on most shelves. (Click on the photo above for a larger view.)

​The legs can rotate, but they shouldn’t. They know where they belong and you should make sure that’s where they are. You know you have it right when the flat areas below the feet are flush with the ground. If you rotate the legs forward to make him lean more than he already is, the feet will start to slant inward and won’t be flat.

​The skin color used on this vinyl figure is another thing that bugs me. Instead of the usual Godzilla Off-Black we have something a shade or two lighter. I think it’s too light. And it’s even more noticeable when the figure is on the shelf between two other X-Plus Godzilla’s which have the proper color.

There is very slight highlighting on the tops of the feet and sides of the tail. And there are obvious highlights brushed over the chest. One thing I like about the actual suit is that there were lighter colors in the cracks between the tiles of skin in this area. If you are into customizing the paint jobs on your X-Plus figures, this may an area to tackle. It would look awesome.

The claws radiate from a dirty tan to an off white and look great as per usual. The inside of the mouth is a very dark red and doesn’t look anywhere near as toyish as some of the others. The highlights on the spines were sprayed on well and they did a fantastic job of taking these colors all the way down to the end of the tail is super subtle increments. The highlights on the stubby spines which run down the tail on many an X-Plus Godzilla figure could learn a thing or two from this guy.

DIAMOND RE-ISSUE
The re-issue of this figure (licensed only for North America and distributed by Diamond Comics) has some differences in paint scheme. Judging by photos, it seems the Diamond Re-issue, thankfully, is clothed in a darker shade of black much more in sync with other Godzilla releases. The claws have less feathering and more defined “crack” lines. Finally, most collectors have reported a sloppy paint job on the mouth. The red used for the gums, expertly applied on the original release, spill out over the “lips” on the re-issue. I would not let that stop you from getting one of these. The originals seem long gone, and after all, it does have a better looking skin color.

​The X-Plus 30cm Godzilla 2001 vinyl figure fits right in with his 30cm Millennium Series buddies and other 30cm figures as well. Though not evident in the photo above, his eyeline is lower than the others but this is due to his forward leaning attack/intimidation pose.

Fans of director Shusuke Kaneko will be glad to know that the X-Plus Godzilla 2001 sizes – and interacts – well with the X-Plus Gamera 1996.

​Above we see how the 30cm GMK compares in size with the 25cm version. For those of you who have never had a 30cm X-Plus vinyl in front of you, the shot with the soda can will give you a good idea of it’s size.

This figure is about 19 inches (48.26 cm) from the nose to the tip of the tail! And it’s still just under 16 inches (40.64 cm) from toes to tail (you can allow the head to protrude over the edge of the shelf). Since the tail goes straight back and has no space-saving curves, you’re not going to be able to fit this guy facing forward on any standard shelf. It has to be a side or angled view for this figure. (Which is just fine with me as I’m not fond of the frontal appearance of this legs.)

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

​Kyle Yount from the KaijuCast interviews Diamond Distributors for details on the X-Plus vinyl figure re-issues coming to North America. Diamond says they will be releasing two figures every three months and seem to be committed for two years! And after that…. well, just watch the video!

By John Stanowski Originally posted July 24th, 2013​ on Kaiju Addicts.

大怪獣シリーズ 大映特撮編 「ガメラ（1966年版） 大怪獣決闘 ガメラ対バルゴン」 少年リック限定版

​JAPAN RELEASE: JUNE 2013

​SERIES: LARGE MONSTER SERIES

MATERIAL: SOFT VINYL

FROM: “GAMERA VS. BARUGON”, 1966
大怪獣決闘 ガメラ対バルゴン

​HEIGHT: 7.75 INCHES / 19.68 CM

​WIDTH: ABOUT 6 INCHES (FOOT TO FOOT) / ABOUT 15.24 CM

​LENGTH: (NOSE TO TAIL) ABOUT 12 INCHES / 30.48 CM

​ARTICULATION: ARMS AND LEGS CAN ROTATE IN SOCKETS BUT NOT MEANT TO

​REVIEW AND PHOTOS: JOHN STANOWSKI

After releasing Large Monster Series Figures of foes Barugon and Gyaos, X-Plus finally makes the big turtle available. The figure is based on the 1966 version and good thing too as that was arguably the best looking suit of the bunch.

I’m not an overly avid Showa Gamera fan, so when it came to writing about the accuracy of the X-Plus Gamera 1966 vinyl figure, I had to consult the movie. After comparing detail after detail, I can safely say that I think this figure is ridiculously accurate.

The teeth are large and rounded but this is just to reflect the suit. A nice touch is that the tongue is not molded into the bottom of the jaw and is, instead, suspended above it.

Most of the fingers are individually sculpted.

There is a lot of interesting texturing on this figure. Swirly patterns adorn the head, the front shell is checkered and the back shell …

The back shell is awesome! It looks like each and every plate was individually cascaded onto the back for a really accurate representation of the suit. Each plate individually hovers over the other like long finger nails. (This really makes me wonder how they pull this out of the mold!) Looks great!

One slight problem with the Gamera 1966 is that the center of the belly is dented inward. It’s looks kind of like an invisible log is pressing up against him. It’s a bit hard to capture this in a photo, but if you look at the Side View pose below you can see it a little.

The arms and legs have round connections and while it’s possible to rotate them, you’ll likely look to the sculpt as a guide to where they should be. You may also have to tweak the rotation of his legs to make sure his feet are flat on the shelf.

​Well, yes, there are seams around everything that’s sticking out of the shell. Obviously this is the sacrifice needed for a figure which can have it’s limbs interchanged. It’s a shame for buyers of the Standard Version though.

Nice pose! I’m just glad they didn’t sculpt him to stand straight up. I mean, the figure has enough of that Showa goofiness we all love already. Instead, Gamera 1966 leans forward almost eager to grapple with Barugon. A nice touch is that the tail does not touch the ground and is suspended in the air above it.

One thing that concerns me is that Gamera is standing at a 45-degree angle. His short tail does little to counter the pull of gravity on his outstretched head and arms. His legs are pretty much the only thing keeping him balanced. The problem with this is that his right leg is a step back. This is the same footwork on the X-Plus 30cm Varan which, it’s reported, tends to fall down when the summer heat softens his feet. Well, today’s 95-degree high here in Philadelphia proved this problem does exist. I gave the figure a gentle poke and it fell forward. (I just read from the X-Plus Kaiju Collectors Club on Facebook that one collector couldn’t even get him to stand right out of the box.)

RIC BOY EXTRAS
The Ric Boy Exclusive Version of this release comes with an additional head, tail and limbs to allow you to put the Gamera 1966 into a crawling pose.

A problem you may encounter when making the switch: the belly becomes jelly when devoid of limbs, especially if you’ve heated it to make it easier to work with. When pressing a new limb into a socket, the bottom half of the shell easily collapses in on itself. It helped me to insert a finger inside to press the belly outward when adding pieces. If your fingers are too large, try using a sturdy pen in one hole to press the belly outward when pushing a limb into another hole. Another tip: when doing the lower body, add the tail first; there isn’t much wiggle room if the feet are in place.

The paint job is boring.
Besides the eyes, mouth and claws, the X-Plus Gamera 1966 is all one shade of black There are no highlights, brushing, dusting — whatever you want to call it. Very often X-Plus will at least use a very slightly lighter black to brush over the higher areas of the skin wrinkles. And I think, maybe, they did that here but it’s so slight and in so few areas it doesn’t even register to the eyes. The good news that liight and shadow do play off the myriad of textures in the sculpt.

​LOOKS GOOD WITH THE 30s
I usually keep my 25’s and 30’s separate from each other but if you do choose to combine them, the Gamera 1966 seems to display well with its larger incarnations.

​LOOKS GREAT WITH THE 25s
Naturally the Gamera 1966 Vinyl Figure fits in well with its other Giant Monster Series cousins. I love the fact that Gamera’s shoulders line up perfectly with the others. He’s in scale, baby!

STANDING POSE
The standard version and pose only takes up 12 inches from nose to tail. Plus, since Gamera is leaning forward to much, a good bit of those 12 inches could be hanging over the edge of the shelf. (If your figure is having balancing issues then you don’t want to do this!) Gamera 1966 doesn’t demand a lot of room in the standing pose.

​RIC BOY CRAWLING POSE
Sorry, I forgot to measure this guy while he was in the crawling pose. However, the Ric Boy web site states that Gamera is 36.5cm (14.37 inches) while in turtle mode. I’ve known the Ric Boy site to get dimensions off from time to time so I can’t confirm that but it can’t be far off. The only thing to keep in mind when placing a Gamera 1966 in crawling mode on the shelf is that your kaiju skyline is going to take a hit. Gamera is really low while in this pose. Hopefully you’ll have a figure you can display behind him to fill the gap.

​Comes in the standard Large Monster Series window box with the fancier Gamera series design. If you get the Ric Boy version then you’re gonna have a lot of wires to untie!

Even though I’m not an über Showa Gamera fan, I’m really glad I got this guy! Even though he tends to tumble, he is a deadringer for the suit in the movie, has a lot of impressive details and fits in well with both scales!

You might also like: X-Plus Gamera 1996 Vinyl Figure Review
You might also like: X-Plus Daiei 30cm Series Gamera 1995 Vinyl Figure Review

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

東宝大怪獣シリーズ 「ゴジラ（1975年版） メカゴジラの逆襲」 少年リック限定版

​JAPAN RELEASE: JUNE 2013

​SERIES: LARGE MONSTER SERIES

​MATERIAL: SOFT VINYL

FROM: “TERROR OF MECHAGODZILLA”, RELEASED IN JAPAN AS “COUNTERATTACK OF MECHAGODZILLA”, 1975
メカゴジラの逆襲

​HEIGHT: 8.75 INCHES / 22.22 CM

​WIDTH: ABOUT 6.75 INCHES (FOOT TO FOOT, NOT INCLUDING TAIL) / ABOUT 17.14 CM

​LENGTH: ABOUT 13 INCHES / 33 CM

​ARTICULATION: LEFT SHOULDER

​REVIEW AND PHOTOS: JOHN STANOWSKI

​The final Godzilla design from the Showa-era gets the X-Plus treatment. This review is for the Ric Boy version which includes additional an extra arm and Mechagodzilla head. The rest of the review still applies to the more common Standard Version of this release.

One of the highlights of this figure is its intricate surface. The combed Godzilla “tree bark” texture is VERY finely detailed and looks incredible. This one feature alone makes this a stellar X-Plus figure.

Fingers are not individually sculpted. Meh.

UPPER LIP
Ever since the first teaser photos of this figure appeared, collectors have been expressing concern that the upper lip is not accurate. In the movie, the upper lip typically curved upward in the center revealing the front teeth. But on this sculpt, it seems the lip definitely makes a detour from the actual suit. Not a dealbreaker for me, but many collectors have already modified their figures to correct them.

TEETH
Whoa, look at the teeth! Beautiful, individually sculpted needle-like incisors wrap around the upper and lower jaws. It’s a shame that the upper row is hidden under the lip making it necessary to look up into the mouth to even see them. Now THIS is why I collect X-Plus!

RIC BOY EXTRAS
The Ric Boy Exclusive Version of this release comes with 2 additional pieces: a Mechagodzilla head and a specially shaped left arm with which to hold it allowing you to re-enact a scene from the movie “Terror of Mechagodzilla”. I don’t usually dish out the extra money to get the special exclusive versions, but this figure is definitely one of the exceptions!

The extra Mechagodzilla head looks fantastic the same as the heads on the recently released full Mechagodzilla 1974 and Mechagodzilla 1975 figures. But if you don’t own either of those, read on. The head has fantastic detail with individual bolts, weapons in the mouth (which has a hinged jaw) and yellow, plastic eye pieces. It’s interesting to note that though the jaws were hinged on both of the full figures, the mouth could never actually stay closed. The bodyless head from this release has a jaw which really closes up and stays that way.

​The left arm can be rotated at the bicep. This is possible because the Ric Boy version has an extra arm which is better suited to hold the severed Mechagodzilla head. But even without this extra arm, the standard version allows you to rotate the standard arm.

​There are usually seams on the arms of X-Plus Godzilla figures but they’re glued and meant to be hidden. The left arm on this figure, though, does have a slightly noticeable line running around the bicep. This arm is meant to be removed and switched with the extra arm which can hold Mechagodzilla’s head.

Often you can see line around the tail joint on many X-Plus Godzilla figures. One this one, though, the joint is much closer to the body and thus more hidden from the rear. The tradeoff though is the there is a triangular seam visible from the front under the groin area.

​From the front, the right arm seems a bit awkward to me. It’s almost like he’s waving or dancing. But, as you can see, all other angles are interesting and dynamic. Click on the photo above for a larger view.

The standard Godzilla black on this figure has been highlighted with a dusting of a slightly lighter color over most of finely textured skin which looks unbelievably awesome. The inside of the mouth is painted in a deep, dark red and it seems like the teeth have been given a glossy coating making them shine in the light. Collectors at the X-Plus Kaiju Collectors’ Club on Facebook have mentioned that the dorsal fins should actually be more silver than they appear on this figure. Again, I’m not an expert on details like this but I thought I’d still pass that info along.

Sizewise, the X-Plus 25cm Godzilla 1975 fits in perfectly with his other incarnations.

Okay. What? Really?
The X-Plus Godzilla 1975 is almost a whole head shorter than the Mechagodzilla 1975. These figures were released only three months apart. Didn’t X-Plus think collectors would pair them up? Some collectors have told me that Godzilla is shorter because he’s hunched or that Mechagodzilla actually was a lot taller in the movie. I plan to watch the movie again to find out what’s going on here.

NOTE: There is no size comparison photo with the Coke can this time around as I didn’t have a photo to place beside it. If you are a new collector and would want to see something that would give you an idea of this figure’s real size, please take a look at the Godzilla 1966 Review as they are roughly the same height.

This figure’s tail makes a hard turn to its right making it easier to display it on the shelf facing your right. Being 13 inches long, it’s possible to make this figure face full front on a standard shelf.

This figure comes in the standard Giant Monster Series style window box. The main figure comes in two pieces, each wire tied into a plastic shell. You’ll need to attach the tail to the body using a hairdryer or boiling water to soften the flange at the opening. The tail “hole” on this figure is smaller than usual and is tucked in deeper behind the legs. The end of the tail is elliptical except for the top which is flatter. This, and the smaller hole, made it a tad harder for me to assemble.

By John Stanowski Originally posted July 9th, 2013​ on Kaiju Addicts.

​東宝大怪獣リーズ 「ヘドラ（上陸期）」

​JAPAN RELEASE: DECEMBER 2011

​JAPAN SOFT VERSION REISSUE: MAY 2018

​NORTH AMERICAN (DIAMOND) REISSUE: JULY 2018

​SERIES: LARGE MONSTER SERIES

​MATERIAL: SOFT VINYL

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

​HEIGHT: 8.25 INCHES / 20.95 CM

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

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

​ARTICULATION: SHOULDERS

​REVIEW AND PHOTOS: JOHN STANOWSKI

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

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

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

It’s a great likeness. There aren’t very many scenes of Hedorah in this stage, but what you do get to see this figure matches up with fantastically. And looking closer, every drip, drape and piece of goop seems to have gotten adequate attention from the sculptor. The head, being the only feature that really isn’t a droopy mess is faithfully reproduced and instantly recognizable. And the eyes are as creepy as ever!

The X-Plus 25cm series Hedorah is mostly smooth but does some fine rough detail here and there. And, once again, this figure attempts to reproduce the actual suit and this is overly evident in this case with the presence of what basically amounts to a loincloth between his legs (this detail would have been removed immediately by a sculptor making a stylized version).

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

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

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

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

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

​Hedorah fits in nicely with his other kaiju buddies in the same scale. True, he’s shorter but that’s because he’s hunching forward.

​The Large Monster Series Hedorah is only about half as tall as his 30cm brother (sister?). And when not gulping down plumes of toxic smoke, Hedorah really likes Coke. That’s not saying much for all you junk food junkies out there.

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

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

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

​大怪獣シリーズ ジャイアント ギャンゴ

​JAPAN RELEASE: AUGUST 2011

​SERIES: TOHO 30CM SERIES

​MATERIAL: SOFT VINYL

​FROM: “ULTRAMAN”, EPISODE 11 “THE RASCAL FROM OUTER SPACE”, 1966
ウルトラマン 宇宙から来た暴れん坊

​HEIGHT: 11 INCHES / 27.94 CM

​WIDTH: 6 INCHES (FRONT ARMSPAN) / 15.24 CM

LENGTH: ABOUT 13.75 INCHES / 34.92 CM

​ARTICULATION: NONE

​REVIEW AND PHOTOS: JOHN STANOWSKI

Gyango is probably one of the most recognized ultra kaijus from the orginal Ultraman series, no doubt in part to his appearance as a silhouette during the show’s opening sequence. X-Plus created a great likeness in this entry into the Giant Series.

Probably one of the more ‘interesting’ ultra kaijus, Gyango is a hodge podge of parts sprung from the imagination of a two-bit gangster coupled with the power of a mysterious rock from outer space. Made from the remains of the Bemular suit, the very first kaiju to appear in Ultraman, Gyango sported an unusual array of features including metallic clamp hands, winding antennae ears and a splash of tribal-like shapes down his belly.

The X-Plus Giant Series Gyango is an awesome likeness. It’s broad range of features and textures are faithfully represented from diamond-shaped scales to spikey areas on his back. The only thing that bothers me sightly is that the right arm is a bit too “rounded”. The right arm, however, almost gives you the impression that there is a suit actor’s arm in there with subtle bends and bulges.

​The head is very well done with a mouthful of individually sculpted teeth. The ears are amazing; where other figure lines would skimp out on the finer detail, X-Plus individually sculpted every single spoke. (This is why we collect X-Plus!) On a side-note: the ears are made of a very soft squishy material.

​It’s no secret that X-Plus sculpts their figures based on the actual suits rather than idealized or stylized versions. And Gyango is a perfect example of this as a silver zipper runs down the back and neck. The colorful totem pole shapes were added with a thin layer of material no doubt to act as a guide for the painters. Where these shapes occur over the belly a bit of the scale detail is lost.

​There are two seams very well hidden around the middle of the head and base of the neck which are virutally invisible. The arms look like they may rotate at the shoulder but I’m afraid to try and force them to find out. They look best where they are anyway. The feet rotate at the ankles and you may need to tweak these in order to get the figure to stand properly balanced. The Ric Boy version of this figure comes with 2 sets of ears and so it may be possible to remove or rotate them on the standard version, but again, I’m afraid to try as they are so soft and may be glued. Finally, if you want to nitpick, the ears and hand “claws” have subtle flange lines on them from the mold, something I would expect to see only on a plastic model kit. Overall, though, good show!

The pose is typical of Gyango and looks best from a front angle. The side and rear views are unexciting.

The base coating of brown is pretty standard and uneventful without any shading or highlights. The front neck and chest were well down with desaturated totem pole colors of which Gyango may be most known for. The inside of his red mouth is surround with a pink lower lip and a dull metallic blue upper lip and snout. The feet are a dull silver which have a sandy tan paint texuring. There is also silver on the claws and ears (which is particularly shiny on the ears.) Nice job!

At 11 inches tall, the X-Plus Gyango scales somewhere in its own range. It’s taller than the Large Monster Series yet shorter than the 30cm series Godzilla figures. If you’re a collector who buys from multiple vinyl figure makers, then the discrepancy of scale likely doesn’t bother you in the least. But X-Plus obsessive scale freaks like myself and (Hi, Ryan!) may be a little disappointed.

But there is good news…

The Giant Series Gyango is a perfect match for the X-Plus Ultraman vinyls! Gyango is taller than Ultraman (seen here beside the X-Plus Ultraman C-Type Standing figure) and he should be! What matters the most is that the shoulders on Gyango and Ultraman are level with each other, just as were likely the shoulders of the actors who wore the suits.

​The figure comes nested in a plastic shell and wrapped in a blind box that’s twice as large as it needs to be. A single tie keeps the figure in place.

The X-Plus Giant Series Gyango is an awesome addition to the collection of any Ultraman fan and I am overly pleased to finally add him to my shelves. He was a bit hard to find but the search was worth it!

By John Stanowski Originally posted June 17th, 2013​ on Kaiju Addicts.