Review - Gamera 1965 (Movie Monster Series)

In the holiest year of 1999, Bandai released the mythical item known only as the storied Gamera Memorial Box; an incredible set of seven MMS figures representing Gamera's Showa era, some scaled down from Bandai's previous 8" figure series, some brand new - such as our super-special birthday boy Gamera, here. It's really a holy grail item for any Kaiju nerd - especially MMS collectors - and I'm mad lucky to have found the set complete, and nearly new. Hooray for me. 

Now if only I could snag the Godzilla Memorial Box. A man can dream, though...

According to the box, Gamera is based on his original 1965 design; and though it definitely captures the jank-horror of that particular Gamera, I think it most resembles his sharper Gamera Vs Barugon appearance. Not that there's a huge difference. He's an awesome translation of the iconically wonky and wacky design, with loads of small texture and detail across the figure. I especially love his very expressive likeness, and weathered, shingled shell. 

There is a certain softness to the sculpt - it's not necessarily a raw, one-to-one likeness, with a sort of cartoony simplification going on - but I think it's appropriate, and more than pulls off Showa Gamera's always determined, heroic character. It's a fairly common style with MMS figures of this era. 

At six points of articulation, he's a bit more posable than most MMS figures; given, one is a largely useless neck joint, but points for trying. As the Showa series set in, Gamera's suits always had a bit of a... rigor mortis issue, with his limbs jutting awkwardly out of his shell - luckily, the sculpt on this figure gives him some great personality without totally losing the suit's jank, and can emulate the portrayal in the first film great. You can get a lot of fun poses out of this dude - even the epic Gamera Pain Dance, seen in Gamera Vs. Guiron (see below).

His soft blue-grey deco does a good job replicating his look in the original film, without fully committing to a monochromatic color scheme - it's original Gamera, while also bright, and colorful, in series tradition. Kind of wish they'd done a stark black and white variant, too, though. The angry, frenzied expression of his eyes especially calls back to Gamera's earlier appearances, before he truly transitioned into the hero of the children - which, we'll come back to. I would've liked if they were angled down, so as to better match the suit, but that's extra. The small detailing on his teeth and eyes are very sharp and clean, and the sprayed highlights across his body really bring out the sculpt.

While the paint is largely very high quality for MMS, I've noticed small production errors, such as random stray paint or spotty spray applications, can be very common with this particular figure. Just something to look out for - maybe Gammy's got a flesh wound. If I had to complain, I think the technicolor, cartoony aesthetic will turn some people off - technically speaking, this Gamera should be just about all solid black - but I enjoy the toyetic look and I think it only accentuates the vibe of these figures as a set.

Gamera does the Pain Dance!

In 2005, Gamera was rereleased alone as part of the main MMS line with an all new greenish deco, more closely resembling the monster's later Showa era appearances - right down to his disgustingly jaundiced, spaced-out googly eyes. It's the 1965 sculpt in a new coat, to be certain, but this is the true friend to all children. Manchildren included. I absolutely love his unique retro look, perfectly capturing the classic kaiju in all his doofy glory; it's a great match to the actual suits and props themselves, particularly the puppet used occaisonally in the cinematic masterpiece known as Gamera: Super Monster. 

The only real difference between the '98 and '05 figures, outside of the specifics of the paint work itself, is the articulation - but don't get too excited. That useless neck swivel I mentioned before...? Yeah, glue sealed here. Huh. Never will I understand the ways of Bandai.

Despite being a mainseries release, redeco Gamera has become a touch harder to come by than his goth Memorial Box cousin - though, that could be down to the fact 2005 was right around when MMS was temporarily winding down, and Gammy's already a bit of an obscure character to begin with. My real guess is that more dedicated fans bought the box set for the sake of exclusivity, and "collecting them all", rather than springing for one individual figure years later - that, to some, probably didn't even look as good as the original. All depends on what you're after; the Memorial Box Gammy generally looks and feels nicer, with a much more presentable, flashy paint job, while the MMS aims more to replicate the Gamera you really know and love. Very good use of a reissue - one's pretty, one's accurate. 

In 2023, to coincide with Gamera's grand return, Bandai - after 20+ years - surprised us with an entirely new Showa Gamera sculpt, once again replicating the original 1965 design. I don't own him - so what do I know - but based off what I've seen, in some ways, it really closely resembles the suit - but in others, I just think the likeness is way off. The '65 Gamera, in my mind, never looked quite so... frumpy - he's closer to the weirder, sillier post-Barugon suits, though even then, its not a great match. While I dig the very fine detail on the newer figure - I think he largely still looks nice, it's definitely old school Gamera and the effort's there - I really think the 1999 version just has a lot more life to it.

While he's not necessarily an all-timer, Gamera is definitely one of my personal favorite figures in the MMS line, perfectly representing everybody's favorite wacky flying supermonster. He's just fun! If you're gonna get one Showa Gamera figure, I say you're best off hunting down the green MMS rerelease - he may be a bit harder to pin down than the Box or 2023 versions, but for a big fan, he's well worth the search, and by far the best representation of classic Gamera in the series.
Long live Gamera. 

Buyer's Remorse - The Target Twins

Target finally came through!

I've been more-or-less after the first releases in two brand spankin' new Godzilla toy lines for a few months now; Godzilla Monster Series' Godzilla 1954, and the Godzilla Action Figure Series' Godzilla 2004, respectively. Both produced by Godzilla's oldest and truest merchandising home-slice, Bandai, I wasn't really sure if I'd bother forking over the money for these dudes online - neither one is particularly unique in my vast, hoarder-esque galleria of Godzilla garbage - but, you know how it goes, you see 'em on the shelf, you can't resist.

Thus, the title of our new blog-post-series. I often post about my newest hauls across the web on all reaches of dusty, userless imageboards, but I figure I really may as well spam 'em here, too - even if the photos aren't to the usual Wastelnd standard. Sad!

The ShodaiGoji Family

I love the new Bandai USA Movie Monster Series dudes - they're much smaller than I expected, and I seriously love that! I hope they get broad with their figure choices; I'd love a Godzilla '74, GMK, G2K, Gigan, Hedorah. They'll scale great with a lot of the already existing MMS Ghidorahs, too - how about an in-scale Minilla?

I'll tell you what, despite being a 20+ year old sculpt, he's still a hell of a lot better than the weird Bandai Creations G'54 that inexplicably is still plastered all over both of these guy's box art. Why do they keep parading that strange sculpt around? I almost understand the vinyl, but the action figure, too? Maybe it's about nostalgia at this point, like if Imperial Godzilla were on all the packaging. Even then, it isn't even the oldest BC '54 resculpt, coming out in '09, when their first attempt was in '02. Weird.

Also, I'm psyched that they actually got his pupils right for once! They never do the wall-eyed, doofy sort of style the suit itself had anymore, not since the 1998 release AFAIK. Big points. 

I had low expectations for these action figures, based off Jakks Pacific's pretty wonky Godzilla stuff, but G'04 is pretty sick! Very fun to just pose, and play with. He doesn't feel particularly nice, but he's also not quite as hollow and fragile as Jakks.G'04 also comes with a cool replacement jaw featuring his iconic, transparent blue atomic blast, made of a nice, sturdy rubber material; though, sadly, his standard jaw really has next to no motion, so you're forced to use the accessory if you want a roaring pose. Leaves him with a sorta cute, tongue hanging out little blep. First figure in the series, still workin' out the kinks.

Is this a replacement, or substitute for something like S.H. Monsterarts? No, but... maybe. Depends on what you're here for. There was a time SHMA was basically the only Godzilla action figure line - If teenager me had fun little dudes like these readily available, I just might've skipped out on a few SHMAs. They'll obviously never be AS fancy, or even all that functionally comparable to the SHMA line, but they're still cool for poseable little dudes at a semi-fair price. $20 is definitely pushing it, when NECA was (and is) only about $10 more, but I'm nevertheless excited for more monsters in this series. I'm not very interested in his companion releases, Kiryu, but I'll probably snag the upcoming Minus One if I see him, and I'd adore more Showa stuff. THAT would be a game changer. They'll certainly please those who want something a touch more creative than MMS, and more affordable than.. y'know, any other Godzilla action figure.

Tune in next time for another... Buyer's Remorse! Or maybe I'll finish one of those MMS reviews I've been sitting on. We'll see.

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 1994 (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 more or less 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. 

This particular Godzilla is based on his appearance in 1994's Godzilla Vs SpaceGodzilla, and was originally released in a larger scale as part of Bandai's Godzilla Collection, coinciding with the film. 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 this very same design, if that's what you're after. You gotta start somewhere, and this guy's one of my favorites for nostalgia alone. It's a classic Godzilla collectible in it's own right, 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 of it's own right, I think he's a must-have for anybody's Movie Monster Series collection. 

Review - Daft Punk Discovery Helmets Ornament Set

What better time to review a couple of Christmas decorations than January?

Isn't it wild that Daft Punk's been dead for three-ish years, now? Well, kinda. For a group that's officially called it quits, Daft sure keeps chugging along. They just released a drumless edition of 2013's Random Access Memories... for some reason... as well as an extended version featuring all kinds of wicked unheard demos and alternate cuts, such as the grand finale single, Infinity Repeating. The band's "over", sure, but one cant help but feel it's yet to truly end when there's still so much new content to be enjoyed - even if it happens to be... drumless? I can't complain.

Call it cool, call it sell-out behavior - all I know is, naturally, the temporarily dormant Daft Punk merch machine is back up and running, and I love me some funny French robots. Most of the new offerings are your run of the mill sweatshop classics - printed tees, a bag or two, we've seen it all before. One band's merch page is every band's merch page. However, there's at least one item that'll definitely catch any collector's eye - the Discovery helmet ornaments set. 

Daft's made three varieties of these ornaments over the years, based on their various helmet designs; 2014's classic RAM set, 2016's white and gold Grammy performance set, and 2017's neon Discovery set, which was reissued for this holiday season. 

Daft's Discovery getup was revolutionary for the band, introducing the silver and gold cybernetic personas we immediately associate with the band today. Though Discovery's costume designs have been phased out in favor of the more iconic, basic look introduced with the following album Human After All, the Discovery look is definitely my favorite of the bunch - and certainly the most complicated; both helmets lined with dozens of flashing neon lights, pixellated screens and psychedelic rainbows. They're seen all throughout Discovery's related media, from single covers to action figures, and totally represent the hyper-futurefunk album. I think they're put to their best use in the haunting alternative music video to Something About Us. 

The ornaments come packaged in a slick black box, the Daft Punk logo in white across it's face with their seal of quality and further legal crap hidden on it's back. It's nothing flashy, but matches the usual Daft aesthetic and looks co next to the robots themselves. Collector friendly, too! Both Punks are secured by thick Styrofoam and tissue paper, and can be easily stored back inside after opening. You love to see it.

Getting on to it, these guys are, simply, sick. Each and every little detail matches the real duo, right down to Thomas' groovy smile and Guy-Man's rows on rows of LEDs. A small bump on the top of their heads loosely secures a thin decorated metal base to their strings, which are color coded to silver and gold respectively. Cool little detail. While this does mean their strings are easily removable, they don't look so hot with hollow little spouts poking out of their skulls. I'd leave them in ornament mode.

Their paint decos are clean, with no slop whatsoever. Both ornaments are mirror reflective, with a matte, but still shiny finish to their visor screens and a touch of glitter over their holly-jolly red text. Just as sleek as the real helmets.

At about four inches tall, these guys may not immediately look very big onscreen, but they're just over the size of your average ornament - not too huge, but still perfectly eye catching. They're not as heavy as I expected, being hollow, but aren't fragile at all. 

At about $50 retail as of 2023, they're a bit expensive; though, in past years, they've gone up to the hundreds on eBay. I think their current price is more or less fair, only $5 more than their original 2018 price, though it's definitely still a little inflated for exclusivity's sake. For fifty bucks, it would've been nice if they were fitted with actual miniature light effects. 

Nevertheless, I think they're simple, effective, and most importantly, unique - what can I say, I got a thing for weird holiday stuff. They're an eye catching addition to my Daft Punk collection and I'd love to see more takes on the concept; how about the neon red Alive 2007 helmets, or the chrome TRON: Legacy look? 

Review - KidRobot Gorillaz Phase Two 2-D (CMYK Edition)

KidRobot's Gorillaz figures are some of the best the band's ever made, particularly the sets based on the Demon Days/"Phase Two" artwork. The group's used them more than once in official music videos, just about every rabid fan owns one, and the scalpers have gone wild. The true mark of a quality toy.

As I mentioned in my Murdoc review, each figure came in a really well designed (and collector friendly!) box featuring all sorts of character specific art. The figure's great, sure, but I think he's really only half the package - pun somewhat intended. The box is just as much of a display piece itself, to the point where you might even want to leave 2-D sealed. But where's the fun in that?

Taking after the illustration on the figure's box, 2-D's sculpt is pretty much perfect; using many elements of the earlier Phase One figure, with a harsher, blockier spin that really reflects Gorillaz' evolving art style. In some small ways this throws off the likeness, but it's nevertheless an awesome take, and in my opinion, the face's angular depth is a very striking translation of 2-D's then simplistic design. I love the bulging black eyes, his thin, noodly body, clown-size shoes, hunched back, jagged hair, busted overbite - he's the spitting image of the drugged out, half-gothic 2-D of 2005. I also dig his appropriately vacant expression; it's an intense glare, or a cool toothless grin. The hair's flat, bulky shape and sculpted detail really capture the original illustrations, as well as those massive Hewlett hands. Love 'em. It's awesome in every way.

2-D's caught mid-performance, complete with a standing microphone accessory. It comes in three separate pieces - top microphone half, middle metal bar, and the base. Sadly, it barely stays together, slipping apart at the slightest touch. Nine out of ten times you see this guy on the second market, you're only getting that top half. 2-D's right hand grips the microphone while the other hangs open, so besides the accesory's flimsy construction, you shouldn't have any problem losing pieces on display. Just breathe carefully. 

Standing at about 8"s, he's right in scale with the rest of the crew, but notably smaller than the preceeding KidRobots and later SuperPlastic series. Though Gorillaz certainly has a thing for scaling up the crew, I think this scale strikes somewhere perfectly in the middle. It's catchy, y'know? 2-D is a towering zombie of a man, so having him slouch just above the your average action figure works really well; and furthermore, he's just easier to display and move around at this size. Speaking of... 

Also unlike the majority of Gorillaz figures, 2-D has a couple points of articulation; specifically, both shoulders. It's limited, but you can manage some cool poses with and without the mic stand. Also worth noting is the storied secret third point of articulation; as with Murdoc, 2-D has a tendency to lose his head - literally - so, assuming your figure's shambled apart the way mine have, you can manage some limited swivel movement out of 2-D's neck. Nothing much, but it's cool for photos.

That said, these figure's build quality is somewhere between expectedly high end, and strangely flimsy. There's often a pretty big crossover between the two in the world of "art toys". He's mostly very sturdy, but pieces tend to be very loosely assembled, and while he's not exactly "breakable" or fragile, the figure's a bit touchy. It's probably something to do with Hewlett's already abstract designs, the figures somewhat limited production, and, of course, their age. As already mentioned, the microphone is pretty jank, 2-D's head topples off very easily, and I've seen some with disconnected torsos entirely. Time does not work wonders on glue. These build issues are very fixable, as these parts typically pop right back in, but it is what it is.

The paint work is excellent, with virtually no slop or missed lines. He looks fantastic - almost like a digital model, in the right lighting. I really love the dark blue spray giving some depth to his polygonal hair. It's only real issue are the seemingly misplaced eyebrow decos; as you can see in the photos, the sculpted detials seem to suggest they should be painted right along his massive honkin' caveman brow, but, for some strange reason, they were placed at an angle just slightly above. I've never seen a 2-D without this issue, which leads me to think it must've been some odd creative choice - hell, even the Phase One figure sort of has this problem. It doesn't break the deal, but it can look a bit weird. Nevertheless, while it's not a terribly complex paint job, it's cleanness and eye catching simplitity makes for a proper artistic figure. 

The CMYK 2-D is one of Gorillaz' best collectibles, and a total must-have - provided, you're either very lucky, or willing to fork out what eBay's asking. In my opinion, even those inflated prices are more or less worth it, especially if you're a big fan; though he's comparatively small, and has some QC issues, it's still a real stunning and cool take on good old Mr. Pot.