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.
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