NECA 24" GODZILLA 2014 (aka: MODERN GODZILLA) | Figure Review

Just when I thought NECA couldn't improve on their 2014 Godzilla figure, they made it BIGGER!

I absolutely knew that I had to have this figure, especially given the price of it. Upon release it was only about $60. I really thought it was going to be about $100 with how big it was and it's other special feature.
Needless to say, my expectations for this figure were high. But did it live up to the-YES! It did. 

Everything I loved about the 12" figure is magnified with the 24" figure. 
(To clarify, the measurements are from head to tail.)

Godzilla has a beautifully sculpted head that looks great from any angle and with the mouth open or closed.
It is pretty surprising that the teeth issue from the last figure has carried over to this larger sized figure where you'd think sculpting smaller teeth wouldn't be an issue. 

Because of it's larger size, more of the finer details of this Godzilla stand out. Godzilla's scales, hands, chest and feet all look amazing. Even his gills are more pronounced. 

The paint is more or less carried over from the 12" figure, it even carries over the blue paint wash. To be perfectly honest this stands out even more on this figure and I find it distracting. Especially since it only covers half of the legs. 
I gotta say, if this figure didn't have the wash and was just a solid charcoal grey color, it'd be chef's kiss perfect.

My previous views on the dorsal fins still apply here. They look great, but I feel like they could use more texturing to them. That and the tips of the fins look distractingly round. They could have been a little more pointy.

Upon getting this figure out of the box, the fins will be curved due to the way it was packaged. A simple fix with a hair dryer. 

Also keep in mind that this figure has some weight to it. Always handle your figures with care. 

Godzilla's articulation remains more or less the same as the 12" figure, but with one major exception.
The tail.

Not only does it look great but it has an astounding 12 points of fantastic movement.

Remember that special feature I mentioned? Well if you insert 3 LR44 batteries into the pictured area in the tail and press a certain button cleverly disguised as a fin, this figure can let out a mighty roar!

I cant demonstrate it here since I don't do video reviews, but believe me when I say, the roar sounds amazing. Unfortunately, the roar on mine doesn't seem to work anymore and that makes me very sad. 

But even with the odd paint, rounded fin tips and a non working roar, I still feel comfortable in making this bold claim:
This is hands down, my favorite NECA Godzilla figure.

If there is one thing that makes me the most salty about NECA losing the Godzilla license, its the lost potential of seeing more 24" figures. I can't find the picture but I specifically remember seeing a post on Twitter where NECA expressed interest in making a 24 inch 1954 figure, which I'm pretty sure would have sold like amiibo's in 2014!
Also imagine a Shin Godzilla figure in the same scale! 

As long as I am a collector of Godzilla figures, this one will always be a prominent display piece of mine! I could gush about this figure all day honestly, it obviously gets a high recommendation from me.

Till next time, I have been your host Gryphon

and thank you for joining me here in my lair.

So long...

I hope you have enjoyed reading this and if you would like to see more from The Gryphon's Lair, be sure to give my Facebook page a 'LIKE' to see updates and other related stuff. 

Thanks for reading!

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NECA GODZILLA 1984 | Figure Review

I've been waiting to talk about this one for a long time. Y'all should know by now that 'The Return of Godzilla' is one of my favorite Godzilla movies and it features one of my favorite designs for Godzilla. So needless to say, my expectations for the NECA figure were pretty high. I could almost ignore the fact that it was being marketed as "Godzilla 1985" instead of 1984.

However, the first reveal of the figure left a huge sour taste in a lot of peoples mouths including my own. The face is what made it dead on arrival. Sometime after the reveal, NECA showed another prototype with a brand new head that looked so much better.
Now anyone who collects toys knows the feeling of thinking initial pictures of the figure in question may look iffy, but actually having the figure in hand dispels those worries immediately.
Unfortunately, that was not the case here...

Before I go ripping into this figure, I will give it some credit it does deserve.

The overall detail on this figure is pretty good.

True to their work, NECA did improve the figures head greatly. Unlike the prototype, you can look at this head from any angle and know right away it's the 84Goji head.
The inside of the mouth looks great too. I especially love the nicely sculpted, evenly painted teeth.

The skin detail and color is absolutely on point. The blue wash over the charcoal black body really helps the figure stand out and accentuates the finer details nicely. 

HOWEVER...
This figure has a few design choices that I just cant get behind.

Looking at this figure head on, from the knees up, it looks like a great representation of the 84Goji.
If you go below the knees, that's where the problems start. Godzilla's calves look like they need a bit more fat in order to be proportionate with the thighs. 

Then there's the feet, WAY too small for this Godzilla. Even the claws are disproportionate. The claws on the left foot are fine enough, but what is with the oversized nail on the right foot? How did that slip by?

84Goji has a very distinct Dorsal Fin pattern and if there is one thing that can make or break a Godzilla figure in my opinion, it's the fins. The fins on this figure are absolutely pitiful. 

Wrong size, inconsistent color and NECA didn't even bother sculpting an outer row. 

Not much to say about the tail, it's just alright.

At least this Godzilla's articulation is still up to par.

His head can rotate, look down, very high up and tilt side to side. Godzilla's mouth can't open very wide in a standard position, but if you have him look up all the way then his mouth can open up even more and it looks like he's letting out a mighty roar.

 Arms move in/out and rotate at the shoulder. The extra bicep rotation from the 1994 figure has been done away with. Elbows can bend and rotate. Hands can rotate/pivot at the wrist. Curiously, this is one of the few NECA Godzilla figures that don't include hinge jointed hands.

The waist can rotate, lean forward and side to side.

Legs can rotate at the hip and can sorta move in/out. Knees can bend and rotate. Feet can rotate and pivot.

The tail joints can all rotate, bend, hold their pose and the bendy wire piece does it's thing...

No accessories. 

As it stands now, this is my least favorite NECA Godzilla figure. It could have been so much better, but this is a case of hitting second base and then tripping hard before even beginning to go home. This was only the third NECA figure released and it really made me worried about future figures coming out. But then the 1954 figure came out and all was forgiven. 

There was a part of me that hoped beyond hope that NECA would take criticisms of this figure to heart and at some point in the future, go back and retool their 84Goji figure and make it better than ever.

Well they would re-release the 84 figure...just not how we were expecting...

VIDEO GAME APPEARANCE GODZILLA

In a move that I don't think anyone saw coming, NECA announced a figure based on Godzilla's look from the 1988 video game released for the Famicom as simply 'Gojira' and the NES in 1989 as "Godzilla: Monster of Monsters!"
It's a pretty good game, not perfect but still fairly enjoyable.

And right away reactions to this were mixed, for the obvious reason that the figure was a modified/repainted 84 figure.

In the game, the sprite used for Godzilla more closely resembles the 1964 MosuGoji design. 

It's even more mind boggling now that we finally do have a NECA 1964 Godzilla, the figure stands out like a sore thumb. The problem with the legs is still present which doesn't help matters.

But to play devil's advocate, This figure does have it's own charm to it that I can't help but like.

The colors on this figure are great. The different blue shades with the addition of pixel like squares applied to the body resemble the games sprite very well.

Of course the Dorsal Fins are changed to the more exaggerated design from the game and they look great as well. 

I guess the other unique thing about this figure is the box which features the same box art as the video game. The flap shows the grid map of the Earth level and the inside of the box features an image of the Earth level and can be pulled out as a display background.

On it's own, the figure is not bad and well worth adding to your collection. 
But oh, how I would love to see this figure redone using the 1964 sculpt. On the chance that any custom figure makers are reading this, that is my challenge to you.

2020 REISSUE

As with most of NECA's Godzilla figures, the 1984 figure would see a reissue with new packaging featuring the poster of the movie the figure was from. 
But this was a special case, NECA revealed the reissue of their 1984 Godzilla would have an improved sculpt. I was already gonna get the reissue purely for the box, but this just made it all the more sweeter. 
But is the overall figure better? The answer is yes and no.

One of the more obvious changes is with the paint. The body of the figure now has a more solid, dark grey color. I like the color very much. I did notice that the cheeks have random black splotches on them, it does look a little distracting.
The claws are also a different color. 

The overall sculpt is more or less the same as the first release and the new paint may help some of the finer details the figure stand out more.

The Dorsal Fins are where this figure improves on the sculpt from the original. They are sculpted with some great details, painted nicely, pretty much the right size and you can see a small row of outer fins this time!

The improvements we get would be more than enough to make this a solid 8/10 figure, but unfortunately, the second biggest flaw with the original figure remains. The legs.

If you must have a NECA 1984 Godzilla, go for the poster box reissue. It may not be perfect, but it's practically the best we have in terms of an articulated 84 figure.
That being said, I hope the moment comes when Bandai announces an SH MonsterArts Godzilla 1984. You best believe I'll hit the preorder button without question. 

Till next time, I have been your host Gryphon

and thank you for joining me here in my lair.

So long...

I hope you have enjoyed reading this and if you would like to see more from The Gryphon's Lair, be sure to give my Facebook page a 'LIKE' to see updates and other related stuff. 

Thanks for reading!

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NECA GODZILLA 1994 & BURNING GODZILLA 1995 | Figure Review

1994 - "GODZILLA VS. SPACEGODZILLA"

NECA had their foot in the door for articulated Godzilla figures and they weren't about to stop with just a figure for the 2014 film. Now they were going to dip into the classic films. Unfortunately, per their contract with Toho, only 'Godzilla' figures were allowed to be made. No Ghidorah's, no Mothra's, only the Big G himself. I was ok with that as NECA offered a less expensive alternative to the SH MonsterArts figures that I couldn't afford to save up for at the time and their teases of a 1994 and a 1984 Godzilla figure had me hyped.

Let me start off by saying that this is a really good Godzilla figure, but I don't know if I'd call it a great representation of it's film appearance. 

The overall sculpt looks great and from certain angles the body has the right proportions. It's when you look at him head on that things might start to look iffy.
I think the head looks just a bit too narrow. It probably could've used another centimeter of fat, just so it doesn't look like Godzilla's had his head in a vice.
That being said, the head is very nicely detailed. The teeth's lack of paint is awful though. 

The tail is something I have conflicting opinions on. When I look at it, it feels like it's the appropriate length but other times it doesn't look that way. 
It also might be that I'm used to seeing the Heisei Godzilla have a super long tail. It also could have been thicker. 

What I will not complain about with this figure are the Dorsal Fins. They look wonderful and the paint ain't to shabby either. They're also made of rubber so you wont have to worry about hurting yourself while handling the figure. 

Godzilla's body overall looks good, the skin texture feels a bit smoother than most figures but that's ok.
Besides giving us good sculpts and sculpts and articulation, NECA's other gimmick with their figures would be a unique color wash on most of their Godzilla's.
For the 1994 figure, we have a greenish blue tint on top of the usual charcoal black skin color. It sorta reminds me of the box art for Sony's VHS covers for the Heisei films. I'm not sure we needed it on the claws though...

Godzilla's articulation is as follows:

Godzilla's head can look up a bit and rotate at the neck. The Neck can also rotate, tilt up/down and side to side.

Arms rotate and move in/out at the shoulder, bend and rotate at the elbow and the biceps also have an extra joint for rotation, I don't know why.
The hands rotate at the wrist and you can kinda bend them. But one thing this Godzilla has that the 2014 figure didn't have was a joint in the hand allowing it to open and close. This would become a standard feature on pretty much all of NECA's Godzilla figures going forward.

The body can rotate, tilt side to side and forward at the waist.

Legs can rotate at the hip and can sorta move in/out. Knees can bend and rotate. Feet can rotate and pivot.

The tail joints can all rotate, but the movement may not be as fluid as most other figures. The rest of the tail consists of the infamous bendy wire piece, but it does hold a pose nicely. 

When all's said and done, I do really like this figure. It showed what NECA could do with their Classic Godzilla collection and it left most fans eager for more.

1995 BURNING GODZILLA - "GODZILLA VS. DESTOROYAH"

When you have a Heisei Godzilla figure, it should be no surprise that a Burning Godzilla figure will be added to the line up at some point. 

There wont be much to this section as the Burning figure is the exact same as the 1994 figure. There are a few obvious differences that I will talk about.

First the orange fire patches.

The main patches do match the film, although I believe NECA may have taken a few creative liberties with the sides of the figure, but that's not my problem with them. The problem for me is that their color feels too dull. Even with the brightest lighting you can muster in a room, they simply don't look bright enough. I also think it could have used more paint to give it a more fiery appearance.

They are however made of a translucent material, so if you can get creative with your lighting you can make them glow to look closer to the appropriate color. 

Same with the tips on the Dorsal Fins.

The only other differences are the eye color and the body has a more bluish wash to it.

Honestly, I don't really recommend getting this figure unless you really love Burning Godzilla fan or if you want to obtain the poster box version for your collection. 

A BONUS!

But if you thought NECA was done using this mold for their releases, I got two words for ya: Loot Crate.

Loot Crate for those who don't know is a monthly subscription box containing all kinds of pop culture gifts and goodies. They also had a premium or 'DX' box you could subscribe to.

For their March 2017 box, NECA had a special treat, an exclusive 'Reactor Glow Godzilla' figure you could only get through this box.  

Now I don't subscribe to Loot Crate so I thought there was no way in hell I would ever get one. I figured once it hit ebay, the prices would be ridiculous and those that were decently priced would be scooped up quick.
But as luck would have it, I managed to find one at a Half Price Books store for under $20, now that's a score!

Not much to say about this one either. It's the Burning mold, but green. Also the patches have slightly different patterns. 

I don't know if this is a constant with other figures, but on mine, the head doesn't have as much wash as the rest of the body and I really like how it looks. 

As it's name would suggest, this figure does in fact glow in the dark. If it doesn't appear to at first, just place the figure next to a lamp or open window, let it sit for a few minutes and then it should glow pretty well. 

I really like the Reactor Glow Godzilla, it's a pretty neat addition the NECA's Godzilla line. If you try to search for it today, you'll most likely be looking at a price tag close to $200, so recommending this figure is pretty tough. 

I would say only the super serious collectors should try and pursue it, but I guess if you have scratch to burn or you can find a good deal on this figure like I did, than go for it.
And enjoy your bragging rights. I know I am.

Till next time, I have been your host Gryphon

and thank you for joining me here in my lair.

So long...

I hope you have enjoyed reading this and if you would like to see more from The Gryphon's Lair, be sure to give my Facebook page a 'LIKE' to see updates and other related stuff. 

Thanks for reading!

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