Tuesday, July 14, 2026

Demon Robot Park: How Will Our Love Survive?

Tonight, the lads and I - that is, the night shift janitorial crew of 71 studios, and I, their enslaver - enjoyed a trio of incredible motion pictures; Demon Days Live, Robots, and the South Park movie. Pretty good variety of naughty nightmares.

The Janitorial Crew enjoying
this month's "payment"!

2-D and Murdoc puppets
Demon Days Live is a classic - my only complaints? One. Needed the Looney Tunes + Murdoc and 2-D intro. Such a horrific omission... but, at least the Puppet lads show up once or twice. I like when the bald audience member waves to the boys. Two. They should've edited in the actual Dennis Hopper bit. His performance absolutely steals the show. 

Nevertheless, DDL is so iconic - especially to us Y2K babies, who've seen it many a time on VH1 -  with dope visual direction, such wicked musicianship, and just this filthy hazy vibe to die for. It really is The Gorillaz "Thing". The only Gorillaz concert film I feel comes close, artistically, is probably The Now Now Boiler Room. 

Vienna and the Beanstalk

Blue Sky's Robots, of course, is one of the most important movies. Ever. Next to Oliver and Company, The Nightmare Before Christmas, and Barbie Princess and the Pauper, it was among my earliest faves - I owned all the toys, from the Burger King BigWeld, to the Robot City playset - drew all the characters - studied all the behind-the-scenes materials - I could go on. I wouldn't be shocked if it's boldly pro-art message really ingrained itself into my nerdy creative brain... changed everythang.

Well, that and the Peter Pan Peanut Butter contracted Salmonella!

The Varan Molester Himself.
South Park was funny - I've barely seen the series, at all, so my buddies were hype to get me initiated. The most I know are the toys, and Towlie. Ya wanna get hiiigh? I do. Unfortunately, I had some 71 business to attend to about halfway through - namely, firing lead cel painter, Pharr Ting, for inappropriate behaviors involving a Varan The Unbelievable MMS action figure (pictured, above, being inspected for - gulp - DNA evidence via blacklight). So, I kinda missed the schmeat of the flick. Good times, though, good times. I'd like to watch it again.

Speaking of screenings, a complete showing of the March 2024 MidLife - FATE workprint for the Sheikhs went swimmingly.


As such, crucial funds toward the current work-in-progress sequence - which was a track called Isotope - have been secured; with the little caveat of a new song being used in Isotope's place. In the words of Prince Saif - roughly translated, of course - "[Isotope] Sounds Too Much Like Drake." Naturally, I instantly bent to the will of my financial investors. But what of the new song...?

Miraculously, as I adjourned from the following tea party, I struck musical inspiration...

I made my way to the treacherous, hobo-littered crackden known as studio 71; only to once again encounter the Queen of Chaos herself, haunting it's sinister gates - Hexadecimal. 

The Cat!

Yes, Hex has lovingly annoyed me hearty crew for quite some while; quacking... following us inside... barking some more. It's mostly my fault - I keep feeding her. And housing her. And giving her cuddles - all while choking and wheezing from my horrific feline allergies. C'est la vie; forbidden love. Also, a really good Neon Indian song.

It's sad I can't exactly keep her; but, like Queen Hex herself - and all orange cats before her - she's Chaos. What can I say; I'm the "Bob" to her "Hex". She's off to go infect the web. Or should I say, infect Me... with Rabies!

Besides - it's all a diversion... from the real enemy. My Dog... "Mega-Bite"...

A pink night atop the 71 Parking Structure
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Monday, May 11, 2026

And If You Freeze-Frame

Pictured: The 71 Cafeteria

Another lovely night in the hallowed halls of 71... Project: ALF on the bigscreen, with Crydamoure blasting thru the overhead. Eating PB&Js provided by the 71 cafeteria staff. Working on space animations - really trippy stuff, floating thru astral planes in a really cool parallax effect. I'm not surprised I've found a way to work space into my movie. It's always been my second favorite setting... after, yknow, purgatory. 

Additional nightmarish astronomical objects by repeat collaborator "Ghost Kitchen"! Cool, eh? 


Ghost ain't on the song, but we did a spacey animated video years back - which, artistically, is sort of the first breath of what's become MidLife - so, I knew I had to use some of his stuff when I recently got a look at his original game works. 

I'm curious how these shots might look with actual 3-D glasses...
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Thursday, May 7, 2026

The Max Virus

Lately, I've been watching a lot of strange 80's pop sci-fi... Flight of the Navigator, Short Circuit, and - here's a good one - the old-skool Max Headroom series. I grew up oddly surrounded by Max stuff - folders... posters... horrifying Halloween masks - my film MidLife's even got quite a bit of Headroom-biting going on; so, I figured I ought to dig in to the source material.

The pilot, directed by live-action Super Mario Brothers visionaries Rocky Morton and Annabel Jankel, was wicked; essentially following heroic journalist Edison Carter's discovery and takedown of the deadly hyper-advertisements "Blipverts" being pushed by the all-powerful Network 23, inadvertently spawning the supernatural digital doppelganger Max Headroom - a deranged corporate reflection of Carter's altruism - as he fights for the truth. 

I adore the freakout nightmare that is the '93 Mario movie, and its unique brand of strange, saturated cyberpunk is just as present, if not even moreso, in "20 Minutes Into The Future". Creepy, tense... sardonic, parodical... surreal, in that tough, 80's sense. Insanely cool.

Methinks I just really like the directors' style.

The actual series is a bit less artistically biting, less wholly subversive, but still very distinct in its smoky post-apocalyptic urban hellscape. I caught the first episode - a sort of rounded-down redux of the pilot - an episode about a war being falsified via television, and one about dreams fatally extracted and sold to an HBO-esque subscription service. Trippy stuff, but I'm not sure it reaches the pilot's potential. 

Finally, I dozed thru "The Best Of Max Headroom", some kind of Japanese LaserDisc comp of The Max Headroom Show. Not the one I just mentioned - this, like, other one. It's sort if Space Ghost was a bit more vaporwave, and evilly obsessed with golf. Funny, zany, Max-y madness, it's just what you'd expect as the talking head verbally assaults ancient unknown guests (and Sting!) and mugs like the Looney Toon he is - though, I can't deny the distinct ALF's Hit Talk Show vibes. Even if you don't know that show, its title alone should explain that away. Still, the style carries. Iconic!

The Max Virus awaits... C-C-C-Catch the wave!

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Friday, April 24, 2026

Gamera Dreaming

Ah, Wastelnd...

I've been off, adventuring!

Tonight, I'm listening to Mac Demarco's Five Easy Hot Dogs. Reminds me of the future. I just rewatched the cinematic classic Gamera Vs Guiron, and, most likely, will be doing a bit of drawing before I slug off to bed. After a step outside.

Peaceful, y'know? 

Film wise, I've just about finished an additional tiny piece for a sequence that, really, should've been done months ago... but, who's counting? I've also officially started work on an entirely new scene; a real trip-out. It'll be somewhat comprised of animations for a previously planned sequence, but, by and large, it's an exercise in loose, off-the-cuff... ish visual creativity. 

Let's just say, it's began with a resurrection.

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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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Saturday, November 29, 2025

Review: King Ghidorah 1964 + Phantom Color King Ghidorah (Movie Monster Series / Bootleg)

The psychotic, planet-killing Showa-era King Ghidorah is among the most famous classic Godzilla kaiju; the King of the Monsters' true arch nemesis. Though an iconic, beloved version of the character, the original Ghidorah had been quietly excluded from Bandai's Movie Monster Series for years; barring the related 8" Godzilla Collection Ghidorah - himself, last released all the way back in 1989.

That is, until 2024, with the release of "Phantom Color" Ghidorah 1964; a unique deco spin based on an unused design seen most prominently in his debut film's poster. Soon later, Ghidorah proper was revealed as the star of the DREAM5 collection; a box set featuring five fan-polled wish list characters. 
    
Tonight, we'll be looking at both the DREAM5 release, as well as a bootleg Phantom Color variant - cool, huh?


So, first and foremost - fixing the wings. For those unaware, most Ghidorahs seem to be... well, "flattened"; their heads and wings smushed together, very unlike the promotional image. Though the DREAM5 box somewhat combats this - a small cardboard wedge placed between the wings - I think it's ultimately a deeper issue with how the figure itself was designed. Or something. Either way, fans across the globe joined forces to solve The Ghidorah Problem; concocting techniques varying from spreading the toy out beneath heavy school textbooks, threading stiff plastic wires through the heads and wings, and even - perhaps most disturbingly - stuffing the damn thing full of stiff tin-foil. I promise you, I actually saw someone do that to poor Ghid-O. 

I think my simple solution's best, and, hopefully, will help fans properly re-position their figure. It's easy; just tie the wings to the heads with a rubber band, or hair-tie - apply heat, and time - boom! I find it's best to stretch the wings and necks out as much as possible, without damaging the vinyl, or the wings' glue seals; it might look a little extreme, at first, but the toy will settle to a more natural position more closely resembling the promotional image (see below!).

Did I tie the figure together in the most scatterbrained, sloppy manner possible? Yes. Is it a bit bonkers ridiculous this is even necessary? Yes. Not much more to add. 


With a broad, majestic wingspan, Ghidorah '68 is an immediately striking, attractive figure, with an awesome presence; albiet, a figure that - I hate to say it - doesn't quite hold up to the ideal MMS standard. It's not a bad sculpt; more than effectively capturing that general "Showa Ghidorah" - just one that's a bit obviously flawed. Compare it to similar figures such as one of his onscreen rivals, Godzilla '68 - himself, a really amazing example of MMS' screen accuracy - or, really, any past MMS Ghidorah, and the issues are apparent.

Though I overall like the figure, Ghiddy's sculpt is simply not to the usual level one would expect; feeling more akin to a  stylized late 90's MMS, or one of the better Bandai Creations figures, than what you'd expect of MMS proper. Though a wicked centerpiece, and a pretty satisfactory representation of Monster Zero, his totally untextured wings, odd body proportions, and sort of gummy finer detailing - peep them thicc horns - are hard not to pick up on.

Ghiddy's not the first of the post-2014 lineup to have this particular "blurry" aesthetic - hell, the DREAM5 MechaG he's packed with has very similar issues. Just look at figures such as the MUTO, or Megalon. It's nothing new, but it's all the more apparent, and even disappointing, on such a long-awaited key character.

...And yet, I still think the effort's clearly there, and overall, he's pretty sweet. Because he's, again, been such a highly coved MMS over the years, I figure he's worthy of a hyper-specific analysis; so, from the top down... 

I've seen many fans scrutinize the likeness of the heads, but, I'm a lot more forgiving. It's, again, all too blurry, and do I think there's something off around his brow, and eyes, but overall, I think they totally got his artfully carved, demon puppet-y look down, in soft, sofubi fashion. Nicely decorated, from crescent crown to forked tongue, and maniacally evil. 

While I would've preferred a flatter, flimsier approach to the wings - something like the older Ghidorah '91 -  their fancy concave curvature is really grand, and I love their breadth when properly positioned. Sadly, though, the wings' lack of detail is garish, and obvious - probably the most blatant miss of the whole toy. Just compare it to Gigan's beautifully sculpted sails.  The figure's further varieties of shingled scales, reptilian ribbing, and decorated odds-and-ends are, luckily, all nicely done - really emphasized by that golden deco - it's just a shame such a significant part of the monster was, shall we say, "Half-Assed".

I mentioned his body proportions are strange, and really, I think that's pretty obvious to any fan with a solid familiarity with the character; so, I'll let the photos speak for themselves on that one. Ignoring finer issues with the body, I wish the figure had a more lurched stance; though it's ostentatious pose works coolly in-and-of itself, the monster onscreen almost always stood with a forward hunch - it may sound like a small difference, on paper, but it's one I feel could've massively improved the overall look and better sold the character. 

Well, enough nitty-gritty - let's move along. Ghiddy comes in at only two points of articulation; that being, both legs. No wing, head, or tail movement here - though, as we'll see as we come to the bootleg, at least some of that poseability seemingly should've been possible.

Ghidorah is coated in a warm, shiny gold; well capturing the light, and giving the figure a nice, sort of premium physical feel. His heads feature very sharply done black-on-red eyes - with teeny-tiny little golden spaces, giving them a cute shine - a red tongue (where applicable), and a dusty brown mane. I definitely think more sprayed shadows could've improved the figure's overall appearance, particularly in the wings; effective paint detailing could somewhat make up for their smooth sculpt. All in all, though, it's all there, it's all clean, and it looks pretty wicked.

In the end... it's a tough figure to talk about. In some ways, I feel I've been to hard on the poor guy - but then, you just know MMS is most certainly capable of better. Still, it's best to appreciate what's here, rather than what could be; and I think for what it lacks in detail, and overall accuracy, the figure succeeds in portraying the character, which is, ultimately, the most important aspect of a figure. Maybe it's just because I've wanted a Showa Ghidorah for so long, but I think he's pretty cool - plus, he looks really nice with his bros. 


Cashing in on the hype, bootleg Ghidorahs - surprisingly, specifically replicating the elusive Phantom Color variant - soon sprung up; a pretty unique, and collector-minded pick for a bootleg, considering it's limited official release. I actually very much regretted not going for the Phantom version, as many of the figure's issues are, I feel, overruled by that creative deco - so, paired with being a bootleg lover - and a sub $20 price tag - I was all over this strange lil' release.

Phantom Ghidorah feels about the same to the touch as any other MMS; though, compared to Ghidorah himself, he's a lot lighter, and more malleable, seeing as he isn't covered in that golden paint layer. It's worth noting, the bootleg is extremely susceptible to warping; if the official toy already has these issues, just imagine how bad it can be with the Teemu edition. My figure was not only flattened, but shifted heavily to the left, causing his right leg to pop out easily. Should you track one of these down, this almost certainly will affect your figure, one way or another. As such - plus, since he's a K-O, not some special box-set guy - I went a bit more extreme with my wing/neck modifications; I think it looks really sick - though it might be all a little overextended, it gives you an idea of what you'd like to go for, should you modify your Ghiddy as well.


The figure's sculpt is pretty much 1:1 with the real deal; the only significant difference being its randomized heads, presumably differing figure-by-figure. This time around, Ghiddy features six points of articulation - plus, both wings... though, they're only really capable of loosely flapping around their sockets. In short - anything glue-sealed on the official figure is now free, and posable. As simple as it is, the ability to move each head, as well as his tail - all glue sealed on the official figure - offers so much life to the ostentatious, but still very static figure. You can even spin around his tails to emulate his flying pose.

I can understand sealing pieces of the figure which would warp the vinyl if articulated, such as the wings, and tail - but why glue the heads? Though I think most would've preferred a joint at the base of each neck, Ghidorah's mindless mania is pretty effectively captured just by twisting his little heads all crazy-like - such a clear missed opportunity. Very weird. 

The real attraction here is Ghidorah's funky deco, which was, as previously mentioned, based on an early, unused design - hence, the whole "Phantom" thing. The bootleg does a pretty darn solid job replicating and matching the official figure's complex paint job, including fairly specific intricacies such as his soft gold chest; though, there are clear problem areas, such as the wings - which aren't quite as smoothly faded as the real-deal - and the heads - most obviously, their gloppy, pupilless eyes. There's a bit of further slop, including some stray paint strewn across certain parts of the figure, but for what it is, the paint job is overall very nicely done. In spite of it's expected limitations, it's all very colorful, and fun! It's a really fantastic deco, and I'm happy to say the bootleg conveys its appeal just as well as the MMS.


The great King Ghidorah; finally gracing us with his otherworldly presence, in mass-produced, merchandised form. The big-bad he is, any fan worth their salt will likely be going after this guy; and, though I've pretty thoroughly illustrated my nitpicks concerning the figure, I'd still recommend it as a very cool, satisfying take on the classic Kaiju.

That being said, considering Bandai's hyperactive output these days, I wouldn't be too surprised if something like a "Ghidorah 1972", or otherwise "2.0" edition, is just around the corner; on one hand, it took 'em this long to do a Showa Ghidorah... but, on the other, he's a pretty important monster, and if weirdos like Cybot Godzilla can inexplicably get something of a 2.0 just about a year after release, why can't Ghiddy, too? 

Wishful thinking. Either way, if you ask me, I'd most suggest hunting down the (official) Phantom Color version; though the standard will soon be widely available, with its inevitable mass market rerelease, the Phantom makes up for the figure's shortcomings in a very exciting way that's sure to get any dedicated Showa nerd going. 

King, or Phantom, whichever demonic space-diety you choose, let us rejoice in his cackling, gravity-beaming, three-headed glory... 


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