You can blame Mark Nagata for this one. When I met him this summer out in San Francisco, I saw this guy in his desk. He was absolutely beautiful, maybe one of the nicest Hedorah sculpts I had ever seen.

You can blame Mark Nagata for this one. When I met him this summer out in San Francisco, I saw this guy in his desk. He was absolutely beautiful, maybe one of the nicest Hedorah sculpts I had ever seen. It was molded in translucent orange vinyl, stood about 8" tall, was reasonably articulated (arms, head) and included a cool little smokestack accessory. There were four versions of this toy released: BB Version, Green Eye Version, Pink, and Pink Eye version.

Hedorah has quickly become one of my favorite classic kaiju, and really the only modern vinyls I have bought lately have been of this character. Can one have too many Hedorah? I know for sure I can't. Toho needs to get its act together and bring this monster back. A lot of Godzilla fans say Godzilla VS Hedorah is the worst Goji flick but I can't get enough of it.

Hedorah has a neat feature that is really drawing me into the world of "Artistic" kaiju vinyl - when you smack the head it activates two blinking lights (one in each eye). It makes a really stunning effect, and adds some value to the vinyl.

I don't seem to remember Hedorah ever being red...

The thing about Japanese vinyl is that usually the takes on the character bear little or no resemblance to the character on screen. Sure, it kind of looks like the smog monster, but it's more of a cartoony take on it. This gets even worse when you start venturing into smaller run vinyls that are mixed with the designer toy scene. I wouldn't say that this toy is a designer toy, but it has a lot to do with the current movement. This is one of many colorways of this sculpt released by vinyl toy maker CCP as part of its "Artistic Monster" series.

This red version was released alongside a red Godzilla as part of the Burning Godzilla VS Hedora set, sold originally at the 2005 summer Wonderfest. The production run was limited to 300 pieces. CCP also released other different colors of this design including black and even a pink version for music retailer HMV.

Hedorah is 30cm long and made out of soft vinyl. It has a neat feature that is really drawing me into the world of "Artistic" kaiju vinyl - when you smack the head it activates two blinking lights (one in each eye). It makes a really stunning effect, and adds some value to the vinyl.l

Here's a surprise. Unlike most other Bandai Creation vinyl kaiju, this Hedorah is a significantly different toy the the regular Japanese Bandai release.

Normally I don't bother with these Bandai Creation Godzilla vinyls. Don't get me wrong, they're a great value and it's awesome to see Japanese soft vinyl kaiju available cheaply here on US shores. But the fact is that I happen to live in an area where some stores carry the original Japanese versions for not much more money. The US and Japanese releases are quite similar, but the Japanese ones tend to be better quality, in my opinion. But when I stopped at a KB Toys last weekend and saw Hedorah on their shelves, I could immediately tell that the Bandai Creation version was VASTLY different from it's Japanese counterpart.

At first, my impression of it was that it was much, much worse than the other, but I gotta tell you, I've really warmed up to it since. It's got a more massive frame that makes it stand out more than the Japanese version, and it's significantly taller too. I like how the arms point straight down too. Somehow it reminds me more of the old school vinyl style, while still retaining a movie accurate sculpt.

Another minor advantage that it has is that the tail curls back around to the front. This would make it easier to display in a group since it's less likely that another vinyl behind it will have to stand on it's tail.

It does, however, have one really bad flaw. The seam that connects the top and bottom parts of the toy is really unsightly. And it's really quite pointless too, because the toy has exactly ZERO points of articulation. So there's a big ugly seam and you can't even turn it there anyway.

Still, this is a great deal. A decent Hedorah vinyl for about $10 and easy to get. Besides KB Toys, I've also seen this line of toys sold at Toys R Us and even CVS. Maybe soon you won't be able to go anywhere without feeding your habit!! HAHA!

Until further notice, this is my favorite Godzilla vinyl.

Despite the almost innumerable amount of kaiju characters released as vinyl toys over the years, I've been a bit disappointed with the Godzillas out there. There are more versions than I could care to count, but none ever really spoke to me. I always wanted one that had the vintage Bullmark style and represented the Godzilla I grew up with, the ones from the early 1970s. Well, it's not perfect, but so far this Marmit Vinyl Paradise release of Godzilla from "Godzilla vs. Hedorah" is my favorite.

The face sculpt on this one really seemed to capture the ferocious yet somewhat comic expression that endeared Godzilla to so many kids my age at that time. The mouth is shaped in such a way that you're not sure if he's smiling or scowling. And the eyes are focused straight ahead with determined ferocity.

I think this vinyl tends to look MUCH better from the side rather than straight on. The body looks a little too wide to me at the base, although not too bad.

Godzilla holds Hedorah's eyes in his hands. I really like this idea, but where Marmit drops the ball a bit, in my opinion, is that they basically use the same silver paint spray for both the eyes and Godzilla's claws and scales. I think a bit more detail would have been nice. Also, it would have been cool if the individual teeth were painted.

Godzilla stands 10" tall and comes packaged in a bag with a header card. It features 5 points of articulation (shoulders, hips and tail). Unfortunately, you cannot turn the head however. But overall, it's still the best Godzilla I've come across.

Maybe it is those weepy eyes, maybe it is the ecological threat that it represents, but Hedorah is clearly my favorite Kaiju baddy.

What is it about Hedorah toys and why can I not stop buying them? No other Kaiju does to me what Hedorah does

Maybe it is those weepy eyes, maybe it is the ecological threat that it represents, but Hedorah is clearly my favorite Kaiju baddy. I found this guy on sale at the Super7 store and grabbed him up right away.

The toy is called "candy case" because there is a little plug in the bottom that you can remove and fill with candy! Just like in the old days (if you grew up in Japan in the 70s).

My particular Hedorah is cast in pink vinyl and has green spray whit yellow eyes. This toy was issued in 8 different color schemes. The toy is about 6" tall and has 2 points or articulation (the arms).

Candy case Hedorah comes bagged with a header card.

Hedorah comes from the 1971 movie Godzilla vs Hedorah, but you may know him as the Smog Monster in the movie Godzilla vs the Smog Monster.

Hedorah ヘドラ (or Hedrah) is one of my favorite Godzilla villains. He comes from the 1971 movie Godzilla vs Hedorah, but you may know him as the Smog Monster in the movie Godzilla vs the Smog Monster. He would not be seen again until a brief appearance in 2004’s Godzilla Final Wars.

This is a pretty basic vinyl from the Movie Monsters line by Bandai. It stands about 6” tall and is only articulated at the arms. Hedorah has a beautiful sculpt but tends to lean forward a little bit.

Hedorah comes loose with a swing tag.