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:

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BANDAI X HIYA: GODZILLA EVOLVED | Figure Review

As time has passed, I've grown quite disillusioned with the MonsterVerse offerings from Bandai's SH MonsterArts line. Between the prices, repaints, lack of innovation, improvements and screen accuracy, I just don't see much point in adding their 'Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire' figures to my collection. Their Shimo just didn't do it for me, the new Kong's were just the same old song and dance as before and Skar King just looked so unimpressive to me. 

Meanwhile, Hiya Toys continues to offer stellar MonsterVerse figures at only a fraction of the price (global slap-fighting aside.) They have their own share of issues, but when comparing the majority of their figures with the competition, plus them making more figures besides the popular ones i.e. MUTO, Skull Crawlers, Scylla (which is coming soon) and their recently announced Behemoth and Tiamat, there's no doubt in my mind who the winners in this contest are. 
I should probably review more Hiya figures, shouldn't I?

That's not to say Bandai hasn't made ANY good MonsterVerse figures. I still really love their 2019 Godzilla, Rodan and 2021 Mechagodzilla figures. I even really like their 2019 Mothra figure. Granted, that may only be because I have a talented, artist friend who was nice enough to paint it to look closer to her actual colors. (Thanks Trista!)
When it comes to my collecting goals, I've set one that involves having SH MonsterArts figures of every main Godzilla design from the films. So naturally, their Godzilla Evolved figure was gonna be on that list. But Hiya Toys also had one as part of their 'Exquisite Basic' figure line and I was also gonna get that one so I could have a complete set of figures for the GxK cast.
So that means I'm gonna look at both in one go!

SH MONSTERARTS

HIYA TOYS

On first glance alone both figures look really good. Each are roughly the same size and their sculpt and detail look very nice. Even though the Hiya figure has a lot more bulk to it, I feel both figures capture the physique of this Barbenheimer-zilla incredibly well. 

When it comes to aspects that one does better than the others, I'd have to say Hiya's figure has better skin texture overall, while Bandai's figure excels in detail on the dorsal fins. But while Hiya exceeds on the skin texture, the areas around the shoulders can be a little sharp and rough on the fingers to handle, so be careful.
Hiya's fins are good, but Bandai's fins are made of translucent plastic which adds to the overall presentation of the fins all the way from the top of the head, to the larger back fins and running down the tail to the thagomizer.

In terms of paint, both are looking really good. Each figure has their fair share of tan dry brushing to compliment the dark grey skin. Hiya has the edge when it comes to overall body paint compared to Bandai's, especially where the underbelly and tail is concerned. 
But Bandai once again receives points for their dorsal fins. While both figures fins are appropriately PANK, the translucent fins once again shine here (pun absolutely intended) but what ultimately wins Bandai the point for the fins is the area where it looks like the fins literally burst out from the back. Bandai's fins look more appropriately blended in, where as Hiya's don't look bad, but you can see in some area's where the paint looks rushed. 

One area where Bandai does falter, is the claws. MonsterVerse Godzilla's claws have kept an overall solid black color on both the hands and feet. The Bandai hands have a more bone color to them and the feet have a weird looking tan shading towards the back. It sticks out to me so much that every time I see it I wanna take a sharpie and fix it! That's something I don't have to do with Hiya's claws that keep consistency and film accuracy. 

As for the elbow spike, Hiya's is fully painted but I also really like how Bandai's is a more muted color.

You may be wondering: "You really haven't talked about the heads of the figures, you usually start off with that, this isn't like you. What gives?" Well, you remember my philosophy that a head design can make or break a figure? This is especially true with SHMA MonsterVerse figures. Consider this saving the best for last.

Anyways, both Bandai and Hiya's heads are pretty good. Bandai's head is nicely detailed and the teeth look mostly alright, but the paint on my figure really bleeds over the gums in some areas and the spikes on the back of the neck aren't as pink on they should be. Hiya's head paint is much more neat and consistent. Once again, the more detailed sculpt really shines here. Both figures can't seem to escape the awkward teeth sculpt, but at least Hiya's keeps a consistent color. 

Both Godzilla figures have roughly the same points of articulation overall, but with their own unique differences.

The heads and necks can be made to look left/right and tilt side to side. Bandai's can look very far down but barley up at all, while Hiya's can look up pretty well but barely down at all. The sculpt of the figures and the joints used have a hand in these limitations and Hiya really needs to update their neck joint to have extra segments instead of just one long double sided ball joint. The mouth on Hiya's can open appropriately wide for a nice roaring pose and even has a posable tongue. Unfortunately, Bandai's mouth can't open as much as you would like, it can't even close all the way. 

Arms can rotate and move in/out at the shoulder. The arms bend and rotate at the elbow, Bandai also includes an extra bit of rotation near the shoulder. Finally, the hands can rotate and bend at the wrist

When it comes to body movement, Bandai comes with a mid piece that I usually love on SH MonsterArts figures, but it feels like the movement on this figure is somewhat lacking, I can't get hardly any rotation. It can tilt side to side and forward/backward, especially forward. Hiya does have rotation at the waist and can also move forward/backward and tilt side to side. One unique feature on the Hiya figure is the largest dorsal fin is attached to the back on a free moving ball joint. This helps to avoid fin gap to an extent and can be adjusted for moving the body upwards.

Legs can move in/out and forward/backward at the hip, but only Hiya's can make a full rotation. The knees can bend and the feet can rotate and pivot. 

Finally, the tails on both figures are multi-segmented and can be posed freely. The win for tail articulation easily goes to Bandai and the curvature you can achieve and hold is insane!

For accessories, both figures come with alternate hand parts.

Bandai's are more open and aggressive posed hands, and Hiya's are closed fists. 

To me, both figures have their own pros and cons, but I very much love them both. I wanna say I may prefer the Hiya figure overall, but the SH MonsterArts figure definitely shines on it's own. But again, it shouldn't be $120+!
I can't really give a definite opinion as to which one you should purchase over the other. There is no wrong way to collect your Godziller figures, but I hope my review has at least helped you make the decision best for you.

And yes, I'm aware of the "2.0 Heat Ray" figure that was recently announced. Frankly, I'm fine having both a basic and heat ray Godzilla Evolved. Only time will tell if any of the improvements will be worth the wait.

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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SH MONSTERARTS ANGUIRUS 1972 | Figure Review

Between personal life shenanigans and real world global slap fighting going on, it's been a while since I've been able to do a figure review. Stuff keeps getting delayed and climbing in price, leaving many collectors feeling frustrated. 
Thankfully, Bandai has been able to put out new product without much difficulty as far as I can tell. Including the subject of todays review.

While Anguirus may not be among Toho's Big 5 Kaiju, he's more than a big favorite among the fandom often being cited as being Godzilla's best buddy, so an SH MonsterArts figure for him was long overdue, along with more Showa monsters in general. (Give us our 50th Anniversary Megalon and King Ceasar figures, Bandai!) But now with the figure in hand I can say he looks really good! The entire body looks proportionately right and he is appropriately spikey.

While the longer legs look weird it is suit accurate, that's just what you get for trying to stuff a two-legged Japanese man into a four-legged monster suit and expecting it to look natural.

Anguirus has a nicely sculpted head, with very nice looking spikes and teeth. Paint work on the head, especially the eyes looks great. There's not a lot of paint bleed or splotching going on. The head and the neck can be made to look up/down, left/right and each joint can rotate. 
The mouth can open, but not as wide as you might hope. Because of the ball joint used, the lower jaw will snap off of it if you try to open the mouth wider then it can.

Anguirus' body is covered in a nicely sculpted, scaley, skin texture and is mostly colored brown save for the spikes. This is different from his film appearances which appeared to have a mix of browns and greys for the suit, or whatever was going on with the suit during 'Godzilla Vs. Gigan.' Despite being labeled as 'Anguirus 1972', it appears to be a more general, all purpose Showa Anguirus, which I don't mind at all. 

The main event of the figure is, undoubtedly, his spikey carapace. 
Holy Mothra, is thing a pokey hazard! But despite the potential threat to your finger tips, this carapace looks amazing and the colors of the spikes look very natural.
The carapace itself is attached via a ring around the body which makes it wobbly like a real shell. And the ring shape, blends into the body nicely.

Luckily, the carapace doesn't hinder the body movement much. He can bend pretty far forward, tilt side to side and rotate at the waist.
Front legs can rotate and move in and out at the shoulder, rotate and bend at the elbow, and the feet can rotate and bend at the wrists.
The hind legs have much of the same rotation along with an extra bend on the feet. You can have Anguirus stand on all fours or as much on them as you can, or the hind legs can be positioned into a crawling pose.

If you want opportunities for even more dynamic poses, Anguirus can also stand upright! This reminds of when I'd play some Destroy All Monsters Melee.

GODZILLA 90'S!

VS. ANGUIRUS

MONSTERS...FIGHT!

And yes, you can remove the carapace and have Anguirus without it, but i have to ask: Why would you want a naked Angy?

Lastly, the tail looks really good with some nicely applied spikes. It has the signature multiple segments you'd expect an SH MonsterArts tail to have and it can hold its position.


This nearly $120-$140 figure comes with no accessories.
kind of...

On the flaps of the box, you'll find speech bubbles just like the ones seen in 'Godzilla Vs. Gigan' for when Godzilla and Anguirus speak to each other. I guess if you wanted to cut them out and put them on makeshift stands, you could. But I'd rather not damage the box used for sometimes necessary figure storage. I'd probably either scan the flaps and cut them out or just make my own, it wouldn't be that hard.

Other than that, I really don't know what else you could give Anguirus in terms of accessories. Maybe a battle damaged head from when he ran right into Gigan's buzzsaw?
The point I'm trying to make is, there is no real reason this figure should have been over $100, let alone over $70!

I would say this is a fantastic figure! Definitely worth adding to your SH MonsterArts collection, I just wish it cost A LOT less than it did, even if I got it at a slightly lower price from where I bought it.
So now we got a Gigan, Godzilla and now Anguirus from the 1972 film, all that's left to complete the set is Ghidorah. I'm sure that figure will look great and hopefully wont be too expensi-HAHAHAAHHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!

nope.

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

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Thanks!