Bigger....better....blow molded..

So maybe the standard size Marusan Godzilla is not your thing. Maybe you preferred the big Bullmark toy seen in Godzilla vs. Hedorah. Well, not to worry, there is a big blow molded bootleg of that one too.

I got this toy at around the same time I got the other one and it's discovery (to me, at least) happened in nearly the same way; it was in the Super7 issue, not noted as being blow molded and I just happened to see it by accident, while searching for more information about the Marusan one, actually. In fact, I found a completed auction for this very toy that ended with no bids and I thought I had missed out. But fortunately, it was re-listed shortly afterwards and I bought it.

This guy is 12.5" tall and articulated at the hips and shoulders only. The legs are a little loose, but not as bad as my Marusan one and the arms hold their positions perfectly. The only problem with the condition of this one is that a lot of paint has chipped off over the years. The eyes in particular are completely missing. I briefly thought about repainting them, but quickly decided against it.

This version is made out of light orange poly for the main body with a darker orange for the arms and legs, but there exists another version that is all dark orange. Interestingly, this guy differs from the original scuplt (check out JoshB's review of the B-Club re-issue here) in that the fins on the back have been shortened and rounded off.

I've done plenty of reviews in the past about cheap blow molded robots so it may surprise you to read that I never really thought about actually seeking out just toys that were blow molded, regardless of genre. I never really gave much thought to blow molded kaiju or monsters or hero characters and vehicles. But there's a lot more out there than I had ever realized. I've already added Red King and a couple of Ultramen to my collection of Japanese blow molded knockoffs and I've heard that there is even a Baragon as well. And of course, the very rare Supersol kaiju toys from Argentina, a country where nearly every toy is blow molded, are on my shopping list as well. Hopefully these guys are just the beginning!

What better way to honor a classic than to buy its cheap knockoffs?

The very first Godzilla vinyl was produced in 1966 by Marusan and was inspired at least in part by the earlier Aurora model kit. After Marusan released this toy, it would later be re-released by Bullmark, Bandai, M1, Super7 (giant sized version) and Marusan again, naturally with many mold and color variations.

But somewhere along the way, I'm not sure when, a bootleg version was made that was not vinyl at all, but in fact, good old fashioned blow molded plastic. So you know I needed one.

When I first saw this toy, I had no idea that it was blow molded. It was listed (along with nearly every other Godzilla toy out there) in the October 2004 issue of Super7 magazine celebrating the big Gs 50th birthday. This toy, and two color variations (red and tan) were simply listed at "bootlegs". Since nearly all of the other toys in the lineups were vinyl, I had always just assumed they were too.

I only found out that it was blow molded when I saw it while doing a general search for blow molded toys. Seeing as how I didn't own the original vinyl (only the giant sized Super7 version), I decided I had to have it. I mean, not only would it be much cheaper than trying to get an original, but it would actually fit in better with all the rest of my cheap knockoff crap.

As I said, I don't own the original, so I can't really make a side by side comparison, but I'd imagine that this one is slightly shorter. This version stands 8.5 inches tall. Cast in light blue with dark blue and green spray, along with with silver and black for the eyes.

There are four points of articulation (hips and shoulders) but unfortunately mine is VERY loose at the joints. Holding it by the head and slowly swinging it like a pendulum will actually cause the limbs to slide back and forth as gravity pulls them down and the arms cannot be properly positioned outwards while in a regular standing pose. They will simply fall to the side.

Still, it has all the ugly but charming attributes you would expect from a blow molded knockoff... atrocious seam lines, excessive flash and no weight at all. I have no packaging for it nor have I ever seen any, but I assume it probably came in a bag with a cheap, generic header card. Now I just need to get the other versions. Which is strange because I do not collect color variations of vinyl. So why do I want color variations of blow molds based on vinyls? As usual, I think it's best to think too much about it and just go with the flow.

An unusual, but appealing vinyl from M1.

This figure is another one of those toys that when I first saw it, I thought it was stupid. "A shirtless guy with Godzilla legs? What's the point?" But a few years in the hobby and I've come to understand the appeal of the more unusual things like this. And fortunately, unlike when I fell into this trap with other toys, I didn't have to pay a premium to correct my mistake. In fact, I think I got this and two other vinyls for about $50 a couple months back.

As you might guess, this toy depicts legendary actor Haruo Nakajima as he may have appeared half suited up on the set of the original Godzilla movie in 1954. At 9" tall and 6 points of articulation (waist, tail, hips and shoulders), the figure, like most vinyls, is basically a display piece. Especially considering the subject matter. I can't imagine anyone really playing with this. I mean, what are you gonna do, re-enact the coffee break the guy took? And in case you're wondering, the watch on his wrist appears to be set to five o'clock. I'm not sure if that means he's just beginning or just ending a day's worth of shooting.

As we've come to expect from M1, the sculpt, paint apps and vinyl thickness on this toy are all top notch. There are at least a couple different versions of this sculpt. This blue "Irasawa" version, and brown and green event exclusives. For the initial release, Mr. Nakajima was available to sign autographs. (Thanks as usual to Club Tokyo for the info.) In fact, one of the reasons I finally broke down and bought mine was because he was supposed to be making an appearance at a Godzilla festival in San Francisco around August, I think. So I was thinking of getting mine signed, too. But unfortunately, the event had to be canceled. Ah, well. I'm not a big autograph collector anyway. It just seemed like a good opportunity to enhance a toy I was already planning on buying anyway.

For me, this is the last nail in the coffin of Chinese vinyl.

I'll cut right to the chase. When dealing with a glow in the dark soft vinyl toy, there's really only 3 things to be concerned with. Sculpt, paint and glow power. And while some may say 2 out of 3 ain't bad, 1 out of 3 is. And unfortunately, that's the case here.

Excellent sculpt.

If you're a fan of Hedorah, there's a good chance you would really like the sculpt of this toy, unless you want articulation. This is simply a 7" vinyl, static posed statue, but it looks pretty nice, especially if you like the base with the name on it.

Sloppy paintjob.

Unfortunately, the paint job on it leaves something to be desired. In some places (like the eyes and the buildings), it's pretty good, but in other spots, it's like they just stopped trying entirely. The back (pictured above) looks atrocious to me. And much like the I Was A Teenage Werewolf 12" figure from B.F.F.F. International last year, there are spots where they tried to add depth, but shouldn't have even bothered because it just looks worse than if they'd just left it alone. Which brings me to the worst part of the toy...

Dismal glow!

Look at that. Isn't that pathetic? The picture above shows this toy getting completely pwned by a glow Namegon from B-Club. I know that Chinese vinyl has a bad reputation in terms of glow power compared to the more superior Japanese vinyl, but c'mon! Especially when you consider the promotional photos that got me interested in this thing in the first place. I mean, there must have been some serious adjustments made to those pictures to make it look like it glows that bright. NOT EVEN CLOSE.

This was one of the more disappointing toys I've gotten in a while. Especially when you consider that it comes in an unnecessary box that serves only to increase the shipping cost. This toy retails for about $50, but with shipping it ended up being closer to $85. A good old fashioned bag and header would have been just fine, thank you.

The back of the box shows some other figures from the line. I have the Mothra, which I like despite it's weak glow because it just has such an awesome sculpt, but rest assured, I will not be getting any more of these. In fact, I have every intention of selling this one before too long. Hopefully I can at least break even.

Ever since I watched Godzilla: Final Wars on DVD, I fell in love with Goutengo, the savior of mankind. When I saw this toy at my local hobby store at discounted price, I fell in love more than before. Can this love turn to hate…?

Ever since I watched Godzilla: Final Wars on DVD, I fell in love with Goutengo, the savior of mankind. When I saw this toy at my local hobby store at discounted price, I fell in love more than before. Can this love turn to hate…?

This Goutengo (Kaitei Gunkan Gotengo) is taken from the Godzilla: Final Wars movie. I think it’s the strongest ship in the movie. It defeats Manda easily.

Ok, enough about the movie, on with the toy.

Goutengo came with the usual box with styrofoam protecting it. First impression you have that it’s heavy though the box doesn’t say chogokin at all.

It comes with a display stand that you need to assemble and the Goutengo itself. The Goutengo measures about 18cm long. It has a fair amount of detail.

The rivet panel lines are there, but because it’s black, it’s kind of hard to see. The upper part is made form die cast while the lower part is made from ABS. The bridge also made from ABS. The front drill and the fin is made from rubber. While most of the body is black, some of the red part is well painted..

The bad thing is it has no action feature. You can move it’s fins and rotate the drill, but that’s it. No sound, light or action feature. It is just meant to sit pretty on your desk or your cabinet. Maybe I’m expecting to much from a 25$ toy?

It may not be fun but with the price point I had (10$), I’m glad I bought him. After all, your vinyl Godzilla needs something to fight, right?

Maybe "he mother never love him", but tons of fans do and they longed for this release for years..

I just realized something.

I haven't seen the movie that Jet Jaguar is from ("Godzilla vs. Megalon") since I was a little kid. I really need to reacquaint myself with this one. Besides Godzilla himself, I think Jet Jaguar might have been the one character from all those old kaiju films that really stood out to me. And watching this awesome German trailer doesn't hurt either..

Anyway, this toy. The first thing that comes to mind about it is that it's long overdue. M1 first released a standard size Jet Jaguar in 2000, but for some reason waited all this time to release a movie accurate color scheme.

However, now that it's out, they've gone and released it twice. Or at least I think so. Initially, the figure came out in December of 2008 and the one reviewed here was released just a couple weeks ago. But my specimen looks to have a grayer body than the previous one, which seems to have a more bluish tint to it. I'm not sure if it's just lighting/camera differences that cause that or if they are really two distinct colors. Either way, if they are different, it's not by much and either one would be fantastic.

Jet Jaguar is based on the original giant sized Bullmark figure, but stands only 9.5" tall. According to Club Tokyo, Bullmark never made a standard size Jet Jaguar sofubi, making it all the more unusual that M1 would keep people waiting so long for this!

There are only 5 points of articulation here (hips, shoulders and neck) but that's really all we expect from a vinyl. Though we don't expect great articulation from a vinyl, we DO expect a great paint job from M1 and rest assured, they'd don't disappoint. However, it's not a perfect job. If I wanted to be really picky, I could point out a couple of spots where there's some color where it shouldn't be. But you know I'm not that type of collector. Especially when they did such a detailed job on the arrow that points to his crotch (and what's up with that anyway?!?!)

Jet Jaguar comes bagged with a header card and a two-sided backing board that is also apparently an homage to the vintage Bullmark. Honestly, I'm not sure how I feel about the backing board style of packaging vinyls. I've got a few, mostly from Max Toy Co, but part of me wishes I didn't have more extra packaging to store away. I haven't really made up my mind about it. I guess I'll just have to buy some more until a decision is reached, eh?

card front

card back

This is the third Jet Jaguar vinyl in my collection and I finally feel like I have one worthy of the character. I already had the Marmit Vinyl Paradise one that I scored from Sanjeev at the 2006 Summit and also the Bandai Movie Monsters version, which, while it's really cool, is just not my style as we previously discussed. Now I just need a really cool Megalon to go with it!

Three heads are better than one, even if one of them is a prosthetic robot head.

Bandai's Mecha-King Ghidorah is another entry into the Movie Monster line of Soft Vinyl toys. These things are horribly addicting.

Mecha-King Ghidorah is a cybernetic kaiju that is the resurrected corpse of the classic King Ghidorah, from the 23rd century. Mecha King Ghidorah is sent back in time to fight Godzilla.

This all happens in 1991's Godzilla VS Kingghidorah (ゴジラVSキングギドラ), the 18th Godzilla film, third in the Hesei Series. The movie is one of my least favorite Godzilla movies, in fact the whole Hesei series doesnt do much for me. However - this is MECHA King Ghidorah, and anything with mecha in it is pretty damn cool.

This soft vinyl toy features moveable legs and wings. The three heads are nicely detailed, but do not move. The toy is sold with a hanger and a card.

The toy is molded in gold vinyl with silver and red paint applications. He's an imposing figure, but like all vinyl figures, it doesn't do much.

JustinB thinks Mecha-King Ghidora is the best thing ever.

Amazon.jp

We've all seen this one around, but I never actually owned one until now.

This little Godzilla vinyl was released in 1985 by Imperial and for my money is one of the worst looking Godzilla toys out there. Yet I know some people love it since it was readily available, cheap and most everyone had one at some time or another.

But not me. Nope, I never saw this thing until I was an adult collector and already familiar with the much better toys by M1, Marmit and even Bandai.

So, why did I buy it now then? Well, the same reason I buy a lot of crap. It was cheap. It was from the same seller I was buying something else from (the Imperial Kong to be specific) so I could combine shipping. And it had the tag.

Yes, the tag. The tag is probably the best thing about this toy. It's got a nice picture of Godzilla...that actually looks like Godzilla. And it says "King of the Monsters", like the old US posters.

This Godzilla is just 6" tall and is articulated at the hips and shoulders. The vinyl is very soft and squishy. Just like the King Kong, Imperial made two sizes of this toy, the other being larger, a foot tall or more. I'm not sure since I don't have that one yet. Interestingly, both Godzilla and King Kong were sold separately, but also together in a box, along with Dracula and Frankenstein, in a set called "Clash of the Movie Monsters". This has also been bootlegged, with alternate color schemes showing up in dollar stores recently.

Round 2 for Far East Monsters' Destroy All Monsters Battlezone Series: Godzilla's arch nemesis, King Ghidorah! Look within to see if we have another winner...

All right, sorry, you're just gonna have to get used to it: I'm going to start every one of these DAM Battlezone Series reviews with that Youtube clip! It's just too cool not to watch before checking out these guys!

Anyway, by now, you've heard of Far East Monsters. It's a new collectibles company based in Cleveland, OH, that're putting out all-new kaiju merchandise. And hey, with a new Godzilla film barely a rumor on the internets, I'm just happy to be getting any new domestic Godzilla at all!

Bill Kerner and Tom Tvrdik of Far East Monsters have teamed up to bring us the "Destroy All Monsters" Battlezone Series of light & sound statues. The first from this series was none other than Godzilla, himself, and if you haven't checked out that review, do so now! This, I command!!

Standing against Soshingeki-Goji (G'68) is King Ghidorah, the famous three-headed golden dragon and all-around kaiju-jerk. In Destroy All Monsters, King Ghidorah was controlled by the Kilaaks, yet another group of aliens bent on Earth domination. It took the combined forces of Godzilla, Mothra (in her larval state), Rodan, Gorosaurus, Angilas, Baragon, Manda, Kumonga, Miniya, and even Varan(!?), to stop him! Quite the kaiju Battle Royale!

Now, one of the first things you'll notice about this piece is that it costs over 50% more than Godzilla (a hike from $45 to $70). Is it worth it? Well, look at what you get! Godzilla was about 5-1/2" off his base...King Ghidorah towers over 7"! And when you attach the separate PVC wings, the figure becomes even MORE impressive! ("We're gonna need a bigger shelf.")

This is a massive statue! And with the lights and sounds, it's totally worth it as a companion piece to Godzilla, or all by itself.

The quality on this piece is just as you'd expect if you already have Godzilla. While none of the dry-brushing used on Godzilla is present on this model of Ghidorah, the gold-toned paint is perfect. As you can tell from the pics, the metallic sheen is more than enough to bring out the detail in the sculpt. Other features like the eyes, teeth, and lips are sharp and flawless.

Besides the figure looking great on your shelf, it's equipped with mysterious Kilaak technology that plays King Ghidorah's three-toned roar, along with sound effects of his electrical energy breath taken directly from the film! Further, yellow LEDs in two of the heads (center and right) light up in time with the electrical sounds. A lightning bolt-shaped translucent plastic piece coming from the right head's mouth pipes the light from the LED in a cool effect that does a fantastic job of replicating Ghidorah's blasts.

And finally...to put it all into perspective...the real joy of this series of statues: the diorama begins to take shape!!

Yup. I can't tell you how long I've been waiting for this one! Ever since I picked up Godzilla, I've been waiting to add his nemesis and begin constructing the final battle scene from DAM. Y'see, these statues aren't just standalone light & sound trinkets. There will be a total of eight pieces, whose bases interlock to form a diorama depicting the insane rumble that takes place at the end of the film. I can't wait until they're all available, but at least for now, I've got something to occupy Godzilla's paws!

No, literally! Again, if you're familiar with the Godzilla statue in this series, you know that he's sculpted in a rather actiony pose. He's sorta rearing backwards with his head looking up, and his right paw appears to be grasping something. Well, now Mister McGrabbyMonster's got something to square off against!

When you've got the two statues lined up, Godzilla's out-stretched right paw is actually in the process of holding King Ghidorah's left head at bay!

Meanwhile, Ghidorah's center head is giving Godzilla a stern talking-to.

I have my own theory about the third (right head) that's firing the electrical bolt... But we're just gonna have to wait until the next part of the diorama comes out to see where that bolt's headed! ;)

Well, that's pretty much all I've got about this piece. I'd be amiss, however, if I let you go without enjoying some HD vid of this guy! Enjoy the turnaround view of this statue, my light banter, and an earful of those roars! Be sure to pay attention to the way the Ghidorah and Godzilla statues interact--this textual review does the lights and sounds little justice...but the video simply kills!

Enjoy!

Get your Far East Monsters "Destroy All Monsters" Battlezone King Ghidorah here today!

King Geedorah would be proud. ;)

Finally, I would like to take a moment to mention something that goes beyond this passion for Japanese robots and monsters we all share. Bill and Tom obviously started Far East Monsters because of their love for this hobby...but they are also working to provide for Tom's son, Tommy, who is autistic. Among their goals is to raise awareness about this disorder that affects so many children. Please check out Tommy's Page for more information. Thanks!

Bagged with a header card, this figure set doesn’t have an official name, but it’s essentially the ‘Y-MSF Godzilla 67’ with infant Minya, clear spine Guranma store exclusive.’ A perfectly jumbled name for figures of the, hands-down, most repugnant Godzilla suits ever made.

Y-MSF came onto the Godzilla vinyl scene in 2004, becoming notable for releasing relatively unpopular characters such as Varan, Minya and Gabara. Most notable of their initial releases was a 6-inch scale Hedorah, released right at the beginning of the still strong Hedorah vinyl craze. While Y-MSF themselves only released unpainted figures, the Japanese toy store Guranma, through an exclusive deal, released painted versions that were also sold exclusively by the U.S. web-site Temptingtoys.net. Before closing in 2007, Guranma released a lot of variants: Glow-in-the-dark and clear vinyl, metallic paintjobs (Which proved unpopular) and standard figures with clear components, the latter of which I’m reviewing today.

Bagged with a header card, this figure set doesn’t have an official name, but it’s essentially the ‘Y-MSF Godzilla 67’ with infant Minya, clear spine Guranma store exclusive.’ A perfectly jumbled name for figures of the, hands-down, most repugnant Godzilla suits ever made.

Godzilla and Minya both hail from the 1967 feature film, ‘Son of Godzilla’ If you hadn’t already guessed, Minya is Godzilla’s bratty, pug-ugly son, who’s regularly showered with malice by fans. It’s a fairly solid entry in the series and, despite the child-friendly tone, has some rather eerie moments, especially the ending, which is uncharacteristically melancholy. Minya has 2 forms in the film as an infant; a bulbous wire-controlled puppet, and as a toddler; portrayed by a suitmation actor.

Visually, these figures look pretty great. The infant Minya, 3” tall and 2.5” long, looks just as roly-poly and bizarre as he did in the film and is perfectly in scale with his dad. The texture of the skin, the vacant expression and the, obviously supported by wire, arms are dead-on. The open mouth is a nice touch as well and makes it look like Minya’s in the midst of making one of his bizarre, “Wah-waaahn” sounds. It features no articulation, but doesn’t need any as it can stand solidly on its legs, arms reaching out in front, or crawling on all fours. Also, Minya can steadily rest ‘gripping’ onto Godzilla’s tail, as well as on Godzilla’s shoulders, like a piggyback ride. The interaction between the figures was definitely thought out and works well.

The main drawbacks are the paintjob and the trademarks. Infant Minya’s cast in dark, forest-green, hard vinyl with gray eyes. The green seems to consume the sculpting detail as well as the paint of the eyes, and makes it look muddy. I have to mention that the standard releases features Minya in a more movie-accurate lighter gray and tan, which probably benefits the sculpt. The trademarks are typical and sculpted into the figure, but there’s a lot of text and it covers the entire belly.

Though Minya’s an enjoyable figure to have, Godzilla’s the obvious star of the show. The costume design is very rare in toy form and looks completely movie-accurate here, down to the last hilariously ugly detail. What’s distinctive about the design is the huge head, high angled brow line, heavy eyelids and almost pig-like nostrils. The strange thing is that the face really does look parental to me…

…Don’t know what kind of Freudian land mine I just stepped on, but moving on!

Standing just under 7” tall and 6” long, its cast in soft green vinyl with gray highlights, with painted details for the mouth and eyes. The inside of the mouth is a little too rose colored for my tastes, but works fine. The eyes catch light well, which adds a sense of life. The exclusive aspect of the figure is the translucent blue spines. This is actually a separately cast piece which fits flush into Godzilla’s back and creates a look as if Godzilla’s charging up for a blast of atomic fire. The section won’t come loose but it can be easily removed. The curves at the edges of the spines lack the rocky detail of their centers, which makes them look soft and jelly-like, which is strange and due to the translucent blue vinyl. All in all though, it’s a very nice effect and immediately adds a distinctive quality to the figure. Godzilla’s articulated at the tail, arms and le-

Uh…

Hmm…

Fail.

Welp. You can’t move the legs. You WOULD’VE been able to move the legs had there been the appropriate amount of vinyl to set it within the joint, but tragically and hilariously there isn’t. The legs will pop out when you move them more than 45 degrees. It really doesn’t ruin the toy for me, but maybe you’re part of the subculture that poses all of their figures delivering flying kicks and this is a deal breaker (I really hope that subculture exists.)

This is the first Y-MSF figure I’ve owned and I’m not disappointed. The infant Minya looks perfect, though I wish it was lighter colored, and the Godzilla 67’ is a wonderful representation, even better than the Bandai 50th Anniversary Memorial Box version in my opinion. Sure you can’t move Godzilla’s legs, but the main play value lies in the interaction between Godzilla and Minya, which is a definite success. I’m not sure how much this originally sold for but I was able to get it for $18 before shipping from Kaiju-Taro.com, which I think is a great if not perfect price. Temptingtoys.net still sells the standard version of the sculpts for $50 after shipping from both their site and eBay. Although Y-MSF’s figures are made in limited runs ranging from 30-500 pieces, unless you’re dying for Godzilla 67’ and Minya, I wouldn’t say they’re worth the retail price. The quality is about on par with 6-inch Bandai kaiju and I think the price should reflect that. That being said, this is a good set, especially sculpt-wise, and I’ve heard Y-MSF improves their figures with each subsequent release. Even though there are rumors of them quitting Godzilla toy production, they’ve announced on their site many new figures, including Gorosaurus and Biollante!

If you’re interested in getting the Y-MSF Godzilla 67’ with infant Minya, clear spine Guranma store exclusive, they may show up again at Kaiju-Taro.com, otherwise I would check eBay or Yahoo Japan. To check out the standard release, along with other Y-MSF Godzilla kaiju, go to Temptingtoys.net.