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...

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