King Ghidorah
Review by Sanjeev
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!
Comments
17 comments postedI've said it before, but these things are absolutely beautiful. I can't wait until the next release.
"This must be settled the way nature intended....with a vicious, bloody fight!"
Onyx Blackman
Principal, Flatpoint High
because, as we established in our podcast, Mothra luvs trains. "Oh SHINKANSEN, you're SO HOT!"
Wow, 8 times 50 $ equal 400 $ Quite a n investment, but I'm sure they are going to be a centerpiece of your Godzilla collection.
Ghidorah turned out really well. Except I had to re-glue one of his heads back on. Did anyone else find that one of Ghidorah's wings was a little loose?
I'm sorry,I love DAM,but these figures are WAY too expensive for what you get. What makes it worth that amount of money when you can get a Bandai for 20 bucks? Hell,you can get a Showa era Godzilla for 6 bucks at KB. Yeah,they don't have the light and sound effects that you'll use one time only,and the paint's not as nice,but I think I'll live.
Espescially when you consider that the main selling point of these is a diorama which will never be completed. Come on now,how long of a wait was there between #1 and #2?
And now GC8Monkey is saying there's QC issues.
That being said,I do think autisim is a worthy cause,so hopefully they'll be able to raise awareness with this.
I couldn't disagree more. These are VERY reasonably priced. If you wanna talk about overpriced, talk about this. And to compare these to Bandais is ridiculous. The quality difference is light years apart. It's not even close. As for your assertion that the line will "never be completed", well.. sounds to me like you're just a cynic. Goji and King Ghidorah were both released within a year of each other. I'd be more than happy to get two per year of these things. Remember when SOCs were coming out only once or twice a year? And Far East Monsters is a much, MUCH smaller company. Have a little faith.. ;)
Oh and for the QC issues, I certainly had none. And Far East Monsters offers replacements for any defective items anyway. Just contact them.
"This must be settled the way nature intended....with a vicious, bloody fight!"
Onyx Blackman
Principal, Flatpoint High
Maybe I am just being cynical,but I'm not the only person in the Godzilla fanbase who's certain this company's going to fold before they finish the line.
Hey, maybe they will, maybe they won't. But if you don't buy them because you think they won't be finished, well, then you're just contributing to their demise and it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. It's much more important to me to support a product I like than to be able to stand there at the end of the day and say "I told you so" if they fail. Therefore, I will continue to buy them and if they tank halfway through.. so be it.
"This must be settled the way nature intended....with a vicious, bloody fight!"
Onyx Blackman
Principal, Flatpoint High
Well, first off, I tend to doubt that each subsequent piece will be $50. That may end up being the average price for each one, but I'm not so sure. The next few pieces will have one or two less-popular monsters on them, and they probably won't have lighting effects (seeing as how only really Godzilla and King Ghidorah have energy breath). I'd imagine they would just have sound effects and would be priced accordingly (remember, Godzilla is only $45USD).
As for the QC issue, mine was perfect. The wings took a little elbow grease to get in there, but they're absolutely solid. The heads are fine, too. Still, if there were any issues like what you're describing, I'd have no problem gluing any broken points. If there were significant paint flaws (where the fix would be more time-consuming), I'd just contact Far East Monsters. They're a two-person operation and super-friendly. I'm sure they'll work with you to resolve the problem.
But as for these pieces' "value", I think these are vastly more "worth it" than cheapie Bandai vinyls. No disrespect to collectors of Bandai vinyls, but there's simply no comparison. Period.
About two pieces of this diorama come out per year...that gives me plenty of time to save up for each one. When it comes to the Bandai vinyls, you need to track down the 1968 versions of Godzilla, King Ghidorah, Rodan, Mothra (larva), Gorosaurus, Kumonga, Baragon, Manda, Varan, Miniya, and Anguilas. Yeah...good luck, pal. Oh, I'm sure they'd be cheaper overall...but does a Bandai Kumonga or Varan even exist??? Would they be in-scale with one another?
Bandai figures are just that: figures. Hey, I like free-standing articulated figures (if they're high-quality), but here's where we get into apples and oranges. You just can't compare a bunch of Bandai figures to a complete sculpted diorama of quite arguably the greatest kaiju film battle of all time...especially when that diorama features authentic lights and sounds from the movies (and, yes, I press that button at least once a day when I get home from work!).
Also, I'm not sure where you're getting the idea that the diorama will never get completed. That would definitely suck, but I've heard no indication of that. Their standard releases have been coming out on-schedule and they regularly have show exclusives (colorway variants) that sell out quick on a regular basis. They may be a bit out of the price range of the average Bandai vinyl collector who are used to paying around $15 for a figure (who, I assume, are the naysayers), but I think they're priced fine for the collector market used to paying around $80 for a high-end M1, Marmit, or Marusan vinyl.
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Sanjeev
That's exactly the problem,though.
If you're going to be spending that amount of money,why wouldn't you just buy an M1,Marusan,or Marmit figure,and not a Ghidorah with a weird clear laser beam sticking out of his mouth?
Could be because those companies don't typically make realistic sculpts, could be some people don't like vinyl, could be the appeal of having the special effects, the appeal of the interaction of the pieces, etc.. I'm sure plenty of people buy both but I love these in part because it's not just the same old thing.
"This must be settled the way nature intended....with a vicious, bloody fight!"
Onyx Blackman
Principal, Flatpoint High
Don't get me wrong, I have enough love for M1, Marusan, and Marmit to melt your face off! ;)
The thing is, these statues, to me, are a whole different kind of product. I already have kaiju vinyls of ALL of the monsters from DAM (except for Kumonga and larval Mothra), and I love 'em to death, but again, it's totally apples and oranges. Sure, I could take all of those vinyls and arrange them in a battle scene simulating the final fight in DAM, and hell, I could even play with them, make 'em fight, and have a good ol' time!
But that's still a completely different (and vastly more expensive!) experience than these Battlezone statues. Ya obviously don't "play" with these statues, but when arranged, they represent a super-realistic snapshot of that final battle that you could never simulate with vinyl figures. Their sculpts interact marvelously as the monsters are in mid-fight...and the painted "ground" they're standing on goes a long way to make the whole scene truly look *alive*!
When I was little, I would check out Hobby Japan in my local comic book store and I'd always dream of painting up a super-realistic diorama like in those pages. This is like that...without the work or required talent! ;P
...
Now, what would make these things perfect, in my opinion, is if they released a base (like a tray) that held all eight statues in place together (remember, there are no mechanisms to join the statues together--they just sit there, next to each other). Ideally, I'd also like some sort of feature in this base that would activate ALL the statues' light/sound features at once. That would KILL!!
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Sanjeev
Wow! I stirred up the Hornet's nest.
First of all there were no QC issues with my Ghidorah. I am just picky. One of the heads was not glued on as well as I would have liked so I removed it and re-glued it. Second, one wing was a bit loose. It wasn't like it was falling out or anything. My idea of a QC issue would be faulty electronics or paint missing. Neither of these were present.
Also,If I remember correctly the wait between the first two releases was caused by an unforseen injury which delayed the completion of Ghidorah. Someone can correct me if I am wrong.
As for value. I agree with Sanjeev. You really can't compare these to Bandai's vinyl Godzillas.
When you see these in person they are without a doubt the best Godzilla collectables available right now for the price.
Well on another board I frequent,someone's saying this company might be going out of business. Maybe he's jumping the gun,but in these rough times it's got to be tough to be a small business of any kind.
http://fareastmonsters.com/
I can't confirm it, but I believe it. Sanjeev said one of the guys left and he's not heard from them in awhile. I hope it's not true, but it hasn't looked good. Although in a way, if they are all done, I'm almost glad it would be before the 3rd release and not after. The two existing pieces still display fine by themselves. Adding a 3rd, and no others, would look really awkward. So even if it turns out to be true and you were right to say the line wouldn't be finished, I still have no regrets in getting the first two (and would still buy a 3rd if it were released!)
"This must be settled the way nature intended....with a vicious, bloody fight!"
Onyx Blackman
Principal, Flatpoint High
Confirmed by G-Fan magazine,FEM is closed.
All I can do is pray someone picks up the remainder of the line, or FEM gets back together if the economy were to ever improve. After seeing the prototype of Rodan and Mothra, it is that much harder to accept the lines demise. I now have to KNOW what King Ghidorah was aiming at with that electrical bolt!!!
Grandzinga....