Tuesday, December 30, 2025

Review - Anguirus 1968 (2024 Version) (Movie Monster Series)


2024's DREAM5 box set brought a fun array of previously unseen, or otherwise outdated kaiju to the modern MMS line; Anguirus '68 falling into the latter category, having first seen an MMS release in 1997 - itself, using a sculpt dating all the way back to 1984 - which saw regular reuse up until as recently as 2005. Pretty crazy. A mere 20 years later, Godzilla's oldest adversary finally saw a well-deserved, full-on redux with the DREAM5 set, hitting mainline MMS a year later. 

I initially felt the new Angy was a waste of a spot, seeing the older, Y2K figure as a solid good enough - boy, was I wrong; the new Anguirus is an MMS masterpiece, really proving Bandai's ability to nail a scuzzy Showa sculpt when they really want to - in my opinion, the nicest figure of the DREAM5 set, a modern "must-have" for any classic Godzilla nerd. Hell, any Godzilla nerd, really.

Anguirus perfectly captures not only the unique '68 likeness, but the rugged feel of the suit itself; its excellently tactile grit really bringing the figure to life, from his sharp, spiny carapice, to heavy, gnarled scales. The figure is so rich in detail, even the "white space" between his spines is appropriately textured - just stellar.

Something about it all reminds me of the suit's later... more waterlogged appearances, specifically as seen in 1972's Godzilla Vs. Gigan - easily his finest hour, if you ask me.

Angy features a solid five points of articulation - including a rare tail swivel. Neat. His lively tail and dragging back legs can aid in some vaguely dynamic poses... but, generally, what you see is what you get. Still, that alone is better than usual for present day MMS, no? Particularly useful or not, I'll always take more articulation over less, and this guy delivers.

With a sort of dusty, desaturated color scheme (that was for some reason kinda tricky to capture on camera?), Anguirus takes a grey-brown base, with warm tan horns, white teeth, very well detailed brown-on-white eyes, grey claws, and a bony off-white carapace. Very cleanly done, great variety of color - again, well above the modern day MMS standard. I especially love those mean little peepers. Killer.

That said, a little nitpick - I totally miss the wicked golden carapace present on the original Anguirus figures! Not sure how screen-accurate it really was, or anything, but what a cool, toyetic look, y'know? Oh well. Speaking of the original figure...

So, as mentioned before, the original original MMS Angy dates all the way back to 1984, as part of Bandai's 8" Godzilla Collection. Jeepers. Best I can offer is the previously reviewed 200x 6" edition; one of the earliest scaled-down reissues of the figure, and probably the best.

There's really no contest between the 200X, and 2025 Anguiri - and, I mean that in the best of ways; the original figure has always been one of my favorites, and, now, Bandai's improved upon themselves ten-fold. Both are unique, snappy takes on the character, with their own distinct charms - the original carrying that flashy, old-skool Bandai style, while the redux more deliberately, dedicatedly aims for screen-accuracy, beautifully capturing the feel of a vintage kaiju via sofubi vinyl. More attuned to modern collector's tastes, I think most fans will gravitate towards the 2024 version - but hey, don't sleep on the classics.

Maybe my favorite of the DREAM5 collection - and, again, certainly the "nicest" - Angy is a wicked cool and well done figure; an excellent, fresh take, certain to become a common sight among MMS collections. Definitely a must-have if you're into classic Godzilla and foes. 
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Saturday, December 6, 2025

Review - Godzilla 2004 (Movie Monster Series)


The then "grand finale" to Godzilla as a franchise - and, to this day, the last Godzilla picture created using traditional suit effects - 2004's Godzilla: Final Wars is certainly among the series' most controversial, yet iconic installments - beyond it's many faults, an infinitely memorable explosion of Kaiju madness, redefining many classic characters for the modern age, while dutifully sending off the storied and celebrated King of the Monsters... least, for a good ten years, or so.

Bandai's Godzilla 2004 was first released beside the film in the 8" scale - along with various redecos, such as the monochromatic HMV exclusive - before seeing a 6" reissue the following year. We'll be looking at the 6" version. 

Godzilla is wicked dynamic - sharply detailed - and all around, just a real banger of a figure. It's hard to say much, when a sculpt is so spot-on - perfectly capturing Godzilla's iconic Final Wars likeness. I especially admire how they've captured the design's uniquely slim, compact build. One of the quintessential MMS Godzillas - Simple, effective, but also sort of beautiful, and really fun. 

With a solid, striking base pose, Godzilla features five points of articulation; though he's mostly tied to that base stance, he's reasonably agile, and, again, fun. I always dig elbow swivels, let alone neck - adds lots of personality, which I find the figure is very rich in.

Molded in a lighter grey, Godzilla's spines are sprayed vibrant white, with bright yellow claws, bone teeth, a bold red tongue, and fiery orange-on-black eyes. I love it's snappy, toyetic style, really appealing to that "sofubi" sensibility; though, it's obviously not typically screen accurate, and I do wonder how a darker take might look. 

In 2006, American Bandai counterpart, Bandai Creations, released their own take on G'04 as part of a Final Wars themed wave of figures. To keep things brief, as we'll dig deeper in his dedicated review; while there are certain nuances to the design I find the BC figure captures more effectively than the MMS... the MMS is just better. Still, a cool alternative. 

In 2023, an updated version of the MMS G'04 was released, featuring an ever so slightly different, or otherwise, modified sculpt; most identifiable by its purple, rather than red, tongue. It's hard to explain exactly what's different between the two, without having both in-hand; but, I'd definitely say the original is the one worth hunting - of course, they're nearly the same, so it doesn't make a huge difference, but something about the initial version just looks that much nicer.

Godzilla 2004 is one of the best MMS figures - a total must-have. Though finding the original 2005 version specifically can be tricky, he's, thankfully, pretty common - I remember nabbing mine mint at Spooky Empire 2014, the same convention where I met the original Godzilla himself. Crazy, right? Plus, for what it's worth, much of my praise can be said of the more readily available 2023 redux, as well. Definitely among my all-time favorites - the star of the Final Wars rogues gallery!

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