Now you just know that we here at CDX (me and Sanjeev in particular) love the Destroy All Monsters Battlezone series from Far East Monsters. Well, if you've been hesitant to pick them up, now may be the time as they, along with their other products, are on sale for the holidays.

Available at Far East Monsters.com.

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!

Last November, I dropped a review of Far East Monsters' Destroy All Monsters Battlezone Godzilla statue. Oh, there's more...

Last November, I dropped a review of Far East Monsters' Destroy All Monsters Battlezone Godzilla statue. It was a hot item, but almost immediately, folks were clamouring for the next entry into the series. Well, we know the next monster's identity: none other than Gojira's nemesis, King Ghidorah.

But you knew that already! ;)

Well, Bill from Far East Monsters has hooked us up with even more pics showcasing not only the villain from the film, but also the next statue in the series: Rodan and Mothra larva! Of course, the sculpt clearly isn't finalized, so the final product may look different, but check out how incredible this diorama is shaping up.

This is going to kill, folks! King Ghidorah should be out very soon (by SDCC?), but there's no announced release date yet for Rodan/Mothra. If the pace set by Godzilla and King Ghidorah means anything, then I'd say hopefully by early 2009. As these guys get released, you can count on video reviews on CDX to show off the lights and sounds as the diorama grows...

This may be a bit after the fact, but we wanted to post pictures of Far East Monsters' Wizard World Chicago con exclusive DAM Battlezone Godzilla from last month. No, it wasn't the same offing as the Wizard World Philadelphia exclusive. Check it out below!

Look...he's got a rock! The Philly exclusive is obviously quite sold out...and there was only 50 of these Chi-town joints, so ya better move quick if you didn't score one at the con.

And if that wasn't enough...Needcoffee.com is running an independent contest where all you have to do is sign up online for a chance to win a DAM Battlezone Godzilla. Can't go wrong with that! Click here for the contest, which ends July 16th, and stay locked to CollectionDX for the latest buzz from Far East Monsters!

Far East Monsters sends a picture of their upcoming King Ghidorah piece, coming in June

Far East Monsters sends a picture of their upcoming King Ghidorah piece, coming in June. This image is only a prototype - the energy blast from King Ghidorah will be more translucent in the final piece.

ALSO

Far East Monsters will have an exclusive Godzilla for sale at Wizard World Philadelphia - very limited edition.

http://www.wizardworld.com/philly-fareastupdate.html

The first major release from Far East Monsters, Ltd. and the first in an exciting new light-n-sound statue series from the 1968 film, Destroy All Monsters...it's Godzilla!!

Okay, whipped up into a righteous Godzilla frenzy? Perfect!

Folks, it's my pleasure to bring you some exciting news for all the Godzilla fans out there! Yes, there's new product out there to sate your kaiju lust...and it's not the same old thing. But before I get too ahead of myself, I want to talk about Far East Monsters, Ltd. This hot new kaiju collectibles company is based in Cleveland, OH. That's right: in the US...not Japan. How big is this news?

Well, let's see. Bandai America seems to be releasing new Godzilla figures right now. That's cool...but they're not even mentioned on their website. Who knows how long BA will support these toys. And as for the toys, themselves, does the market really need more small-scale $10 Godzilla figures? And what does the near future have in store for the fantastically bloated "vinyl scene"? Will Marusan, M1, and Marmit continue to release quality vintage-style kaiju toys when the bottom falls out of the designer toy market?

I certainly hope so. But with no new Godzilla films planned for production, these may prove trying times for the Godzilla nut! But that's where Bill Kerner and Tom Tvrdik of Far East Monsters step in! With seemingly no regard to the state of the "market", these intrepid designers are presenting us with their vision of what fun, high-quality kaiju collectibles are possible!

I first learned of these guys spending valuable hours at work searching for Godzilla stuff on eBay(!). I ran across their Mecha King Ghidorah floor puzzle. Click that link...I'll wait. Yes, it's a ginormous Mecha King Ghidorah puzzle...complete with the future jerks' flying saucer/time machine. Are you kidding me!? Who has the hutzpah make a product like this??? Like I said, these guys are bold!

I went on to learn more about this company...and fate (and Josh) put me in touch with the man, himself: Bill Kerner. Bill and Tom met at a company they worked for designing Godzilla-related merchandise. When the company decided they didn't want to pursue the license anymore, they got the idea to start their own company and pool their passion for radioactive lizards (not to mention their 20+ combined years of product development, design, and production experience!). They put together their pitch to Toho...and the license was granted!

The first high-end item from Far East Monsters is this first entry into the "Destroy All Monsters Battlezone Series": Godzilla! As the name implies, this is Soshingeki-Goji, Godzilla 1968 from Destroy All Monsters.

Brilliant box graphics!

The figure of Godzilla stands just about 5-1/2" from the "ground"...plus another almost 2" with the base. There's no articulation in this piece, but what you get is a stunning paint job with brilliantly rendered weathering. The dry-brushing used in the paint application adds the perfect contrast to pull out Tom's sculpt. Just check out the texture on the skin:

The detail paint apps on the head are pretty much flawless as well. Nothing to complain about here. Even the base is nicely done in a very natural looking scene--great for stomping 3-headed dragons! When taken as a whole, the look of the piece is beautifully faithful to the film that inspired its creation.

Okay, so I've talked about the quality of this Godzilla statue a bit. Words, of course, don't do it nearly as much justice as pictures. But there's much more to this item than a pretty paint job. First of all, Bill and Tom have set out to make unique collectibles--stuff we haven't seen before. This statue doesn't just look gorgeous...it comes to life! At the touch of a discreet button, a crystal-clear roar-n-stomp sound clip lifted directly from the movie cranks out of the base. And if that wasn't enough, a blue glow emits from inside his mouth and from the fins on his back! (the three required LR44 batteries are included, ya hobos!)

Again, a picture's worth a thousand words...but I'm thinking a little video couldn't hurt either! ;)

And if that wasn't enough, check out Far East's own YouTube promo vid of this item!

Lastly, as I mentioned before, this piece is part of a "Series". That's right: there will be more. A total of eight of these statues will be produced, comprising all eleven kaiju from the film. The bases of each statue will fit together to produce a complete diorama of the apocalyptic final battle in Destroy All Monsters! Yup, it's gonna be hot!

And the next monster in the series? None other than King Ghidorah! Watch for it in '08!

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!