Review - Godzilla Minus One (Metallic) (Movie Monster Series)

The newest purebred Japanese Godzilla nightmare, Godzilla: Minus One, has been an incredible international success, and, at the time of writing, has just hit the high seas of internet piracy. Hooray! And, just in time, I've gotten the Godzilla Store Japan exclusive metallic Minus One figure, fresh from the scalpers. The standard, as well as various other editions have just hit the U.S. Godzilla Store, but not this guy - and, just looking at it, I can already tell he's going to be extremely sought after. 

This figure is just incredible - maybe one of the best MMS figures ever made. The running's tough, but this guy really is flawless. I have to assume Bandai used the CG model itself as a direct reference, it's so one-to-one accurate. The sheer amount of gritty detail scarring this bulky figure - heavy, cascading scales, warped leather skin, bony, jagged spines - is stunning, and the unique paint deco does an amazing job emphasizing the already very intricate sculpt. For being such a comparatively small part of the hulking monster, his furious face looks especially great; with lots of tiny details, and a perfect likeness. Killer profile with those gigantic jutting spines, too. It's a perfect translation of an already iconic design. 

My only real complaint is the hands; Minus One has very scrawny, emaciated claws, but the figure has simplified them into weird cupped paws - almost like he doesn't have a thumb. I'd understand if it was a sculpting limitation, but the later Heat Ray variant of Minus One pulled them off fine - not to mention the Godzilla: The Ride figure, to which this design is directly related. Nevertheless, it's barely a noticeable issue in the first place, as they look pretty natural to Godzilla's pose. 

Godzilla moves at both shoulders and hips - I think they could've managed a head or tail swivel, but it's par the course. The aforementioned pose is nice, somewhere between a fearsome roar, and a massive stomp - pretty much the usual MMS Godzilla stance, but it's got some good motion to it, and looks very regal. The massive, unmoving weight of Minus One works to the limited articulation's advantage. 

Covered in a shiny metallic gloss, the metallic variant's got a nearly lifelike effect, as if his rugged skin is covered in steaming hot oceanic waters. Unfortunately, I believe the standard figure's sprayed highlights have been omitted, but you really don't notice since the gloss more than makes up for it anyway.  He may look mostly silver in photos because of just how reflective he is, but in person, he's an appropriate greyish-brown. There isn't much other paint to speak of, but his tiny little golden eyes, and very sharp, individually painted teeth are so well done. The mouth could've been a bit less vibrant, but it's a nice splash of color that adds some charm to the deco. Zero slop or poor work to speak of - the paint job may be altogether straightforward, but it really is beautiful, and infinitely elevates the already very slick figure. 

I think this is the must-have Minus One figure; sure, he's not as poseable, or elaborate as S.H. Monsterarts or Super7s offerings, and sure, the aftermarket on standard Minus One merch is already nuts, let alone exclusives; but, if you've gotta get one, go for the metallic variant. It's a really incredible figure that feels just as subtle, yet awesome as the film itself.

Review - Godzilla 1992 (Movie Monster Series)

Any Godzilla fan of a certain age... or, level of unhealthy obsession... will have at least a passing familiarity with Bandai's Movie Monster toy line, featuring tons upon tons of unique kaiju spanning just about every bit of media imaginable; from a figure representing an original 1954 concept art design, to a set based on Universal Japan's Godzilla: The Ride, to whatever the hell these unholy Chibi creatures are. More or less beginning in 1983 and going through many scales, name changes and eras, 2001's Movie Monster Series is the line's longest running incarnation, continuing to this day with new releases for Godzilla Minus One and Godzilla X Kong. 

While I've never really watched the strange televised kaiju hypnosis known as Godzilla Island, the legendary MMS as we know it today started with 1997's Godzilla Island Monster tie-in toy line; featuring reissued, as well as newly created sculpts, as literally seen in the show - which used modified Bandai figures as the monsters themselves, Thomas the Tank style. It's a trip. 

For a long time I thought this particular Godzilla was more-or-less based on his appearance in 1994's Godzilla Vs SpaceGodzilla, based on the photo on his tag, though he was actually first released in a larger scale as part of Bandai's Godzilla Collection as the 1992 incarnation. The figure seems to have represented every Godzilla between '92, and '94 at some point - In any case, its Heisei Godzilla. Many fans agree this is one of, if not the most iconic looks for the creature; his snarling, feline face and massive dark stature really leave an exciting impression. He's been the face of the series for decades, for good reason. The figure definitely captures that look, but - with all due respect - it's showing its age. With a very retro, stylized sculpt, its rigid and perhaps lacking in the accuracy MMS eventually came to achieve. 

However, that's not necessarily a bad thing; there's a certain charm to this guy. It ain't the rubber suit itself leaping off the screen, but it does remind me of more inspired collector figures such as Mondo or Medicom; proudly toyetic and eye catching. It's far from a weak sculpt, featuring it's share of well done details, only a simple one - but, simple can be effective, and I think that's true here.

Godzillas got six points of articulation, though it's about as limited as the sculpt itself. You can get some basic poses out of him, but nothing all that cinematic - Godzilla's arms are floaty and expressionless, and his Big Fat Thighs don't get a lot of range against his fupa. Nevertheless, I really enjoy figures with a certain level of "staticness"; a dynamic model is one thing, but sometimes there's something so appealing about a basic, straightforward... toy, y'know? Bandai's figures almost universally share this simplicity, to varying degrees of success, and while it's not always exciting, per se, I think it gives plenty of room for effective sculpts and, of course, a kid's (or elderly collector's) imagination. 

Godzilla features a unique shiny deco with silver teeth and claws, golden eyes and metallic blue spines, charging up his iconic atomic breath. There's not a ton of paint work to speak of, and it varies from sharp to noticeably undersprayed, such as the mostly black spines. Regardless, it adds a lot of draw to this particular figure, it pops. Stands out against the sea of goth black and white Godzillas. 

Beyond what I've already said, the figures got some annoying quirks. The thick legs are warped outward due the sheer fatness of Godzilla's paunch, giving him a wobbly, overweight stance. Lay off the Twinkies. You can hide it pretty well by leaving him in a walking pose, or by re-positioning the vinyl itself. More noticeably is the pretty poorly done solid block of upper teeth - it sort of disappears from a distance, but it really doesn't look great upon close inspection. The bottom rows are nice and sharp, if only they cut the top the same. I also wish his pupils were less walleyed, too - looks neat in some visual sense, but really doesn't capture the fierce look of the actual design. No dealbreakers, but certainly things to be aware of. 

The figure was later once again reissued in 2001 with reworked paint, softer vinyl, and a few extra inches in height, overall looking closer to Godzilla's actual onscreen appearance despite the still somewhat dated sculpt. 

I think the softer vinyl does a much better job accentuating the finer details, and it also happens to fix his unfortunate chafing issues. The paint work is much cleaner, but also inherently less interesting; it's the true classic look, but nothing too special. I like the frosted grey spines and once again shiny golden eyes. I'd say this is definitely the nicer looking variant, and probably the one most fans would prefer - but it all depends on your personal taste as a collector. Me, I'd take the wacky candy color variant. 

I have been tough on this figure, but it only shows just how far the MMS series has come; nowadays, Bandai releases amazingly accurate figures almost regularly - including better versions of nearly the same design. You gotta start somewhere, and this guy's one of my favorites for nostalgia alone. It's a classic Godzilla collectible, and looks really cool in spite, and because of its faults - I enjoy how it's sort of the perfect in-between stage between Bandai's older, more rough sculpts, and their more attractive modern ones. The first of the series, and an iconic incarnation in it's own right, I think he's a must-have for anybody's Movie Monster Series collection.