Let's Look At: SH MONSTERARTS GODZILLA (1995) 70th ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL VER.

We're back here again, I see. 
The last time I dealt with an SHMA Burning Godzilla figure, I didn't have the best experience. You could say I was practically begging for a figure like this as a replacement. 

First things first: articulation is the same, the right leg isn't stiff, it stays together nicely and the tail doesn't fall off if I so much as look at it the wrong way. This figure is pretty solid overall. Parts of the tail will still pop off while I'm moving it, but it's nothing I'm going to blow up over. 

The 1995 sculpt has been used for several SHMA figures, it was a good sculpt then and it continues to impress now. 

The head on this mold has always looked great, but I can't help but notice that the head on this figure looks a tad asymmetrical. His right cheek looks over flared when you look at him straight ahead and I find that more distracting then slightly misaligned eyes. Or at least I thought they were, because some moments they look like they're both facing the same way, and others, they look wonky. I never thought my own toys would try to gaslight me...
Also, in 'Godzilla vs. Destoroyah', the whites in Godzilla's eyes are red, but the figure decided to make them black. It may not be accurate, but I think it looks pretty cool.

The standard Godzilla colors are applied well and that makes me happy as I really didn't like the "Oops! All Orange" approach when it came to the fins of the Ultimate Burning Version, only the fins that were actually orange in the movie are orange here and they are once again made from translucent plastic and look great. 

I could be wrong, but it looks like bits of this figure are made of orange translucent plastic with black paint applied over it. 
And those burning patches look good and for this figure, we got a layer of gold paint to make them look lit up. 

What's going on here though?

This Burning Godzilla comes with quite a few accessories. 

Of course you've got your standard open claw hands.

And something that is a rarity for SHMA Godzilla figures, an atomic breath effect part with a stand and blast effect base.
Now, I like this breath effect, but it just doesn't have the same feel as the original Spiral Heat Ray effect part.

Luckily, I happen to own one that that was included in the original SHMA Fire Rodan set. Now that's amazing! 
But, if you're looking to pick up the upcoming Godzilla 2000 figure, this figure's breath effect would go perfectly with that. 

And if for whatever reason, the blast effect base isn't working for you, you get a really cool larger base with multiple peg holes and a red "Godzilla 70th Anniversary" logo on it.

All in all, if you don't already have a Burning Godzilla figure, now would be the time to pick up this one. Is it perfect? No, but I think it's pretty close, it met the expectations that I needed it to and I can ignore the little imperfections and enjoy the entire thing just fine. 
It should pair nicely with that new Decisive Battle Destoroyah figure. Though personally, I'm in no hurry to replace my Destoroyah figure. 
Why don't I have a picture with them together? Unfortunately, my Destoroyah figure is in storage at the moment. Perhaps someday you'll read this and this last paragraph wont be here, because that will have changed. 

Till next time, I have been your host Gryphon 
and thank you for joining me here in my lair. 
So long...

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HIYA'S KONGS | Figure Reviews

When Hiya Toys put their foot in the ring of producing high quality, articulated MonsterVerse figures, their initial figures showed much promise, but came with their own share of shortcomings.
Their first GvK Godzilla figure was overall well received by collectors, aside from distracting exposed joints on the jaw and the neck pieces. Hiya would take note of these shortcomings and release another Godzilla figure (this time based on the KOTM design) and since then, every consecutive Godzilla figure has been an absolute banger!

As for Kong, that's a whole different can'o worms...

When Hiya's first Kong figure was teased, I wasn't very optimistic about it. The sculpt didn't look exactly like the film model, but still I braved through the initial craze of these figures and managed to find one at my local comic book store along with the new Mothra figure.

And when I opened up the Kong figure and started handling and examining it, I didn't hate it, but I had a hard time believing that this was supposed to be the same character from Godzilla vs. Kong. The body looks too much like a body builder as opposed to the more broad, stocky body in the movie, this figure's body looks more like the 'Skull Island' Kong's body. (Don't worry, we'll get to him later...)
I'm also not a fan of the exposed joints on the wrists and crotch. 
I did like the paint work on the figure though. 

The head sculpt is decent enough, but I have to tilt my head at the size of the neck. Specifically how it doesn't fill in the back of the head and looks awkward, it does allow Kong to look up, but why would they not add an extra joint at the shoulders?

While we're on the subject of articulation, it's pretty standard for a Kong figure and if you work it right, you can get some unique poses, but it still feels limited and tight in some areas. I wasn't expecting a hyper articulated figure like SH MonsterArts, but I feel like we could do better than this. 

As Hiya continued to release and tease figures, we would eventually get a remade GvK Godzilla figure that fixes the issues the initial release had.
Did they do that with Kong?
No. They didn't.

But we did get a figure for the "Skull Island" Kong, and this one, to me, is a debatably worse figure.

Let's start with what I like about it: The head looks pretty good, the fur detail and paint looks alright, the arms and legs move pretty decently (despite the fact that the left arm always pops off when ever I try to move it) and the tree accessory is pretty cool.

The problem with this figure and what kills it for me is the body. Ironically, these 2 Kong figures have each others bodies. Skull Island Kong doesn't have a dad bod! Unfortunately, that one detail distracts me from all the other positive aspects about this figure

I even took both Kong's, separated their upper/lower halves, swapped them with each other and that looked sort of better. But due to their inherent sculpt, it's still not a permanent fix. 

But even that's not even the real worst part of the figure. The worst part of this figure is...

What in the shrunken, Hank Hill, ugly ass is this?!
2/5 Thanks, I hate it. 

If any figure from Hiya needs a redo or a 2.0 version, this one does yesterday. 

Now listen, if you happen to like both of these figures, then please don't take this as me trying to tell you that you shouldn't. Maybe you think these figures are amazing, and that is valid.
But in my opinion, both of these figures may make decent gorilla figures or a proxy for King Kong, but they are far from great MonsterVerse Kong figures.

Which brings us to now. Hiya Toys has a new Kong figure on the market, based on his GxK appearance, minus the B.E.A.S.T. Glove. The initial promo pictures looked really good and promising, but would this figure actually prove to be good once collectors got their hands on i-YES!

This figure looks AMAZING! I finally feel like I'm actually looking at the MonsterVerse Kong in figure from. The proportions look right, and the sculpt and detail is on point!

Look at this head sculpt that puts the other Hiya and even the MonsterArts Kong's to shame! It's not just the details on the face, the eyes give this figure so much life. 
Also, the neck is sized appropriately and it looks great from all angles. See? That wasn't so hard.

The body is perfectly sculpted, truly fitting the physique of a king. I love how the fur looks, the coloring is nice and I kind of appreciate how it's not overly greyed like some other GvK Kong figures. The chest has some battle scars on it which looks cool and the back has a big gash on it from being hit by Godzilla's atomic breath.

Hiya's previous Kong figures had some decent articulation, but this Kong has great articulation.

Kong's head can look all the way up, left/right and rotate at the neck. 

The arms can move in/out and rotate at the shoulder, we have a double bend and two points of rotation at the elbow, and the hands can bend and rotate at the wrist.

Kong's torso has a wonderful middle piece that can let him lean forward/backward and tilt side to side. The body can also rotate above and below the waist.

The legs can move forward/backward, make a full rotation and move in/out at the hip. There's rotation at the thigh, a nice bend at the knee and the feet can rotate and pivot.
However, here's a point of contention. While I've praised this figure a bunch, one unfortunate hurdle is that it isn't always the best at standing up. Kong has some weight to him so that doesn't exactly help.

You may have to do some work and a lot of micro adjusting, but with practice you can get some pretty cool poses!

Most of Kong's accessories should be familiar at this point.

Along with the holding hands attached in box, we also have knuckle walking hands, closed fists and open hands. 

The right open hand not only has nicely applied scars on the palm but the back is coated in a purple-ish coat to give it a frost bitten look.
This isn't a complaint against the figure as a whole, but I would've liked if we had a hand without the frost bite effect.

Out of the box, Kong has a neutral expression face, and you also get a growling and roaring face, complete with titanium tooth. But is it just me or do the upper teeth on the roaring head look smaller than they should be?

And finally, Kong comes with his trusty battle axe. 
This is one of, if not, the best battle axes to come with a Kong figure. The handle and blade are made of a soft translucent plastic which gives it a nice glow effect with the right lighting.
While Kong's hands are fairly soft, I'd still recommend using a hair dryer on the hands to soften them and get the axe into them much easier. 

Seeing This Kong next to a Hiya Toys Godzilla 2019 fills me with so much delight.
I'll compare it to Godzilla Evolved when I get my hands on the B.E.A.S.T. Glove figure which I am very much looking forward to. 

Do I need to say anymore? I love this figure!
Unlike Hiya's previous Kong's striking out, this GxK Kong is a solid home run. Everyone else has said it and now I'm saying it. Even with the shortcomings I mentioned, they're very minor in comparison.
I look forward to obtaining the B.E.A.S.T. Glove Kong. 

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 including updates and other related stuff:

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HIYA TOYS EXQUSITE BASIC SHIMO | Figure Review

Tamashii Nation's claim of using data from the movies to make the MonsterVerse SH MonsterArts figures has been called into question in recent years. Their Shimo figure appears to be based on previous concept art and not the final design. Common sense would dictate that once the film comes out they'd have the film accurate design to use for future figures, but if their many Kong releases are any indication, that's not happening anytime soon. There is absolutely a market and demand for "concept" figures, I think it's really a matter of time and place as well as a collector's own desires. And my desires didn't include that Shimo figure, I personally wasn't a fan of the sculpt.
So if you, like me, want an articulated, movie accurate Shimo figure, Hiya Toys has your back. 

With my usual sources for these figures unable to deliver because of stupid, real world shenanigans, I was able to finally obtain it along with my Hiya Toys Godzilla Evolved figure from Kowkis Toy. I'm not being paid to say this, but if you need to get your Hiya Toys Godziller fix, consider giving them a try. 
Now, let's finally take a look at this elegant lizard lady!

I was immediately impressed by how good this figure looks!

The entire figure has an impressive amount of detail in it's sculpt, the scales and skin texture look so much like how a real lizards skin would look. Although some areas, particularly the tail, are more smooth than the rest of the body. However that doesn't take away from the overall look too much. Even her claws look very lizard like. 
Shimo's white body is painted well and blended with what looks like some darker brownish-red paint, and the overall paint is really glossy and shiny which I love. 

Shimo has an impressive head sculpt. Her eyes are tiny but very noticeable and nicely painted. The details inside of the mouth look very good, I have a feeling the teeth may vary from figure to figure. As it stands, my figure's teeth don't look too bad, though some could use some extra white paint. 

And now let's talk about those spikes. While not made of translucent plastic, they are still painted with a nice bending of blues and given a nice glittery shine to it. Shimo's back even has some blue shading to it, giving a glow effect for the spikes which looks really cool!

From head to thagomizer, the spikes look great and make no mistake, they are varying degrees of sharp! You could probably use this figure as an effective makeshift flail mace to fend off intruders. 

Shimo features a wide range of articulation and possibility! 

Her head and neck joint can look down, left/right and her head can rotate at the neck and the neck can rotate at the body.
She can't really look upwards because of the spikes on the back of the neck, but if you rotate the neck joint to where the spikes are off to the side, you can kinda get Shimo to look upwards.
The mouth can open and the tongue moves up and down. 

Her fore limbs can rotate and move in/out, rotate at the bicep, we have a nice bend at the elbow, rotate at the forearm and her hands can rotate and bend at the wrists.
Also. Shimo has articulated fingers! They can rotate and bend forward and her "thumbs" come with an extra bend. 
So yes, you can make her give you the bird. If that doesn't already make this figure a 10/10, what will?

Shimo's body has a middle piece very similar to some SH MonsterArts Godzilla figures which allow her to bend forward/backward and curve her body left/right slightly. 
If you look on the back, you'll notice 2 grooves which allow the spikes to move into and account for the body movement.
Also, her body segments can rotate. However, I would not advice doing this too much as the body may rub against the some of the spikes and damage the paint. 

The Hind legs can move forward/backward and make a full rotation at the waist. Her knees can bend, the legs can rotate at the knee, there's a bit of extra rotation between the lower leg and the feet are attached via rounded joints which give them nearly unlimited range of movement and pivot. The toes on the hind legs can't move. 

Finally, the tail is made of many segments which can hold a curve really well. It can't pull off any major curves like Godzilla can, but that's OK. 

The amount of poses this figure can pull off with the articulation is outstanding!
Can she stand upright? Yes, it's possible and if you can pose her just right, she can stand up without any needed support. Just be wary as Shimo's body is quite heavy and could still fall over. 

Shimo comes with no accessories. Not surprising, but you know there'll probably be a "Frost Bite Blast" variant released later on.
Also, try saying "Frost Bite Blast" 5 times in a row quickly...

I've seen conflicting opinions regarding the scale of the figure, and make no mistake, Shimo is a big girl. Personally, I think she scales very well with Godzilla Evolved.
As for Kong, I'll have to wait until I can get the new figure (most likely from Kowkis) and we'll have to wait and see with Hiya's Skar King.

My final verdict? Hiya Toys Shimo is AWESOME! Hiya Toys has knocked it out of the park again, making probably one of their best figures to date! (I say that now, but I got a feeling about that Heisei Ghidorah figure...) I cannot recommend this figure enough, it will no doubt be a great centerpiece to your collection. 
This only makes me more eager to pair it up with the rest of the MonsterVerse figures.
Male MUTO announcement, when?!

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 including updates and other related stuff:

https://www.facebook.com/TheGryphonsLair/

I’m also on Bluesky now if you want to follow me there:

@thegryphonslair814.bsky.social

Thanks!