Hedorah

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.

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.

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…

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.