DIAMOND SELECT 1974 GODZILLA VINYL BANK - Figure Review

It's like it was made for this. =)

Diamond Select is a Company known for making a wide variety of products. From Action Figures, Statues, Busts, Banks and various Kitchen wares like Bottle Openers, Pizza Cutters and Ice Cube Trays.

And now they've got their own Godzilla-themed line. The most popular items from it, I think, are by far the Banks. I have had mixed opinions as far as this line goes. On the one hand they have a great 1989 Godzilla Bank and a very well made King Ghidorah bust. But on the other hand, they have a sub-par Burning Godzilla Bank and they haven't really done the best representations of Mechagodzilla, in my opinion. But at least I can rest peacefully knowing that at least they did good justice to one of my favorite Godzilla designs.

I think this bank is a well made figure and and a great representation of the 70's Godzilla. Ever since it was teased I liked how it looked, but from the moment I found it at my local comic book store I was astounded. It has that great, dynamic bear-like pose Godzilla is known for and I also like how his tail is pointing upwards, allowing me to save valuable shelf space.

The color matches the traditional charcoal grey skin tone the Big G  is known for, and I really love how the skin texture came out looking. The dorsal fins are also well done, however I think the ones on the top of his head and neck, as well as the tail could be a little more pronounced and better painted.

One thing that kinda bugs me about this figure though is how the bottom of the mouth has the gums painted along with the teeth but the top part isn't. And the lower jaw is clearly a separate piece that was added to the figure later, so there really should have been time to paint the upper inside of the mouth.

Now of course this is a bank meant to store coins in and the slot is located on the back of the right shoulder. Now, I have to be honest, I don't use these banks to do that (I actually use a Cheetos can) mainly because I don't like having to shake them out of the limbs which are glued on making them impossible to remove. I use these as large scale figures. And remember this is just my personal opinion, if you do use these for coin storage then great, more power to ya.

To get your coins out, simply pull the head off and now you have yourself a weird looking Headless Godzilla. This may make for some interesting mods.

Here he is next to his big brother.

And here he is compared to another large scale figure.

So despite a minor hiccup, I still like this figure very much. Definitely look for this bank at your local Comic Book Store if nowhere else. 


Till next time I have been your host Gryphon and I hope you have enjoyed your time here in my lair. So long!

Top 5 SH MonsterArts figures I'd like to see.

My Humble Collection.

Bandai Tamashii Nation's 'SH MonsterArts' line has been wildy popular over the past few years making highly detailed and articulated figured based on Godzilla and his Kaiju co-stars. But there are some figures that to this point have been left out of the line, so these are the Monsters I would most like to see introduced as figures in this fantastic toy line.

Before I reveal my main picks, here are some honorable mentions.

Honorable Mentions:

MEGALON

One of the most uniquely designed monsters and a popular monster in the Godzilla fighting games.

ANGUIRUS

Godzilla's most trusted ally. Plus the brand could use more Showa love.



Now for the main event!

#5

SANDA & GAIRA

The Gargantuas have never had much exposure when it comes to figures, at least not fully detailed ones. The closest we've gotten were from X-Plus, but those figures aren't articulated and SH MonsterArts are all about articulation. I think they'd be a fine addition to the line.

#4

KING CAESAR

While not one of Godzilla's most recurring allys he certainly was a mermorable monster and an integral part in defeated the dreaded Mechagodzilla. And as a neat accessory, it should come with a small scale model of the King Caesar statue from the original 'Godzilla Vs. Mechagodzilla'.

#3

JET JAGUAR

Do I need to say anything else? In fact, with all the Ultraman figures that have been made I'm surprised we still haven't gotten a Jet Jaguar figure yet. Maybe/hopefully someday.

#2

GODZILLA'S SKELETON

Now this is something I've thought about for a long time. In several of the Godzilla films, you can see scale models of Godzilla's Skeleton on shelves along with other cool looking figures (making me super jelly). And that got me thinking: "Why is there not a figure of Godzilla's Skeleton?".  I think it would be a marvelous collection piece to add to any Godzilla fans shelf. It would be just like having a Dinosaur Skeleton in a museum, a posable one at that! Doesn't that sound awesome? 
And just for the sake of homage, it should come with an Oxygen Destroyer accessory.

#1

THE MUTO'S

There are have been a few Muto figures out there but none of them have any real articulation. Also there's the fact that the legs are always colored red, when in the actual film, the legs are mix of black and grey. They only light up red when the creatures are getting ready to use there electromagnetic stomp attack. 
Some nice Godzilla 2014 figures have been made, they just need Muto's to go with them. Ever since seeing the severed head of one with the Spit Fire 2014 figure, it just makes me want them even more. 
It would also be cool if both the Male and the Female came in one pack just like the Destoroyah Evolution Set from 2013.

Till next time I have been your host Gryphon and I hope you have enjoyed your time here in my lair. So long!

Top 5 Godzilla figures I'd like to see from NECA.

NECA has made some great figures from their various lines from Pacific Rim to Predator and Planet of the Apes. And of course, Godzilla.
It's unknown which figures are coming out next, so I thought just for fun, I'd make a list of figures that I think would be excellent additions to the line.
For this list I will only be going for the different incarnations of Godzilla, as NECA only has the rights to Godzilla and no other monsters from the film series (at least not yet), and every version will be referred to by suit name.

But first...

AN HONORABLE MENTION:

ShoshingekiGoji 1968-1972

(Destroy All Monsters, All Monsters Attack, Godzilla Vs. Hedorah & Godzilla Vs. Gigan)

Now for my picks!

#5

MegaroGoji 1973-1975

(Godzilla Vs. Megalon, Godzilla Vs. Mechagodzilla & Terror of Mechagodzilla)

#4

MusoGoji 1964

(Mothra Vs. Godzilla & Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster)

 #3

 SokogekiGoji (2001)

(Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidoarh: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack)

#2

MireGojira (1999-2000)

(Godzilla 2000: Millennium & Godzilla Vs. Megaguirus)

#1

FinalGoji (2004)

(Godzilla: Final Wars)

Till next time, I have been your host Gryphon and I hope you've enjoyed your time here in my lair.
So long...

SH MONSTERARTS GODZILLA (2014) SPIT FIRE VER. - Figure Review

With Bandai Tamashii Nations SH MonsterArts line a huge success when it came to highly detailed and articulated Godzilla figures, it seemed only natural one of the figures should be the latest incarnation of the Big G from the 2014 film. Then later on 2 variants of the figure were stated to come out. One of them was an orange colored version based on a poster for Godzilla 2014, but that version can only be bought through ordering an exclusive special edition Blu-ray set directly from Japan. It's still available, but be prepared to pay a HIGH price for it.
The other variant however would come with the dorsal fins painted blue to simulate Godzilla powering up his Atomic Ray, as well as an Atomic Ray effect piece that wasn't included with the original figure. Upon hearing this news, I new I had to have this figure!

Parts of this figure have been stylized but apart from some minor changes, this is an incredible representation of the 2014 Godzilla with some good articulation, especially in the Legs and Tail. The dorsal fins are made from a translucent blue plastic and have incredible detailing. Even though the fins only had a partial glow to them in the film, these fins are completely lit as well as portions of his back. To me, this represents Godzilla unleashing the full force of his atomic energy and becoming a true alpha predator.

When the original figure was first released in October 2014 it came with a few minor hiccups. Mainly in the eyes. One eye faced forward while the other gazed down giving it a derpy expression. Luckily the eye issues have been fixed with this release, as seen in the above photo. 

 And now for the accessories.

First is the Atomic Breath piece, looking very similar to the way it does in the film. When attached to the accompanying stand and base it can be inserted into his mouth and the image of Godzilla firing his breath is complete and can make for some incredible scenes.
One thing to keep in mind is that the atomic breath is a bit thin and could be easily snapped, so be careful when handling it.

Next is the extra hand that holds the severed head of the Female MUTO. Another good piece. The head is weathered and contains a lot of detail, it makes me really want MUTO figures to go along with Godzilla. 

Simply remove the other hand from the Spit Fire or regular version of SHMA Godzilla 2014 and replace it with the MUTO hand and volia, Godzilla stands in victory!

Time for some figure comparisons.

 Had to get a beam battle!

I can say without a shadow of a doubt that if you must get an SH MonsterArts of the 2014 Godzilla, get this one! Seriously, I know SH MonsterArts figures can be expensive (This one costs about $70) but trust me, its worth every penny. Till next time, I've been your host Gryphon and I hope you've enjoyed your time here in my lair.
So long...

NECA GODZILLA 1954 - Figure Review

Seriously, what happened?

When it comes to afforadable/not too expensive and good looking Godzilla figures to add to my collection my go-to option was Bandai Creations. But now they have begun to slow down a bit and keep resorting to re-releasing the same figures over and over again (Seriously, how many times do I have to see King Caesar and 'First Godzilla' on TRU shelves?).
And then, with the advent of the 2014 film, NECA came in and filled the void. Featuring more detailed and even articulated figures. And 7 figures later a lot of them have been discontinued and the future of this line is not known at this point. And I hope it does continue after this very impressive piece right here! 

I am serious, this is not only one of the best figures I've seen from NECA, but one of the best GODZILLA figures thus far! The amount of detail and accuracy on this figure is something to marvel at. From his head, arms, body, legs, tail and dorsal fins, it looks as though the original King of the Monsters has leapt off the original 1954 film.

My favorite part of this figure by far is the head. I love the sculpt of it and how they captured the detail in the eyes, teeth and even the ears. I'm still gushing over it right now.

Also the dorsal fins look great. The shapes are accurate and the paint looks good despite a few small hiccups.

As far as articulation, this figure has a very standard range of articulation when it comes to the neck, arms and legs. His head can't look up very far, but does look down very far. 

He can bend at the waist, so you can have him stand up straight, but that will cause 2 of the dorsal fins to overlap with each other.

 Like this.

And he can bend pretty far forward but when he does it leaves a very large gap between the 2 fins.

The Tail continues the trend of having the different articulated joints and a piece made of rubber with a bendy wire inside making a few articulation possibilities possible. 

Standing at around 6 1/2 Inches, the 1954 Godzilla stands well against the other NECA figures in the line. Even if not entirely size accurate (Especially against the 2014 figure).

And it looks good next to SH MonsterArts figures.

And here it is compared to the Bandai Creations 'First Godzilla' and I think it's pretty obvious which one is better.

So there ya have what I think is an awesome figure and one of the best representations of the original 1954 Godzilla. A MUST BUY! Head to your local Toy's R Us or find it online.

Till next time, I've been your host Gryphon and I hope you've enjoyed your time here in my lair.
So long...