Wastelnd: Review - Gigan Rex (Movie Monster Series)

Introduced in 2022's Godzilla Vs Gigan Rex short film, Gigan Rex is a pretty radical departure from the usual interstellar robo-chicken; the ruthless commander of an invading gang of mindless alien clones known as the Gigan Miles - hey, that's me! While the Miles resemble the more traditional blue-on-gold, scythe handed, chainsaw bellied Gigan, Rex takes on a totally new, red-on-silver look, trading in his scythes for whips, and his chainsaw for a trippy eyeball-beam-thingie planted in his chest. Brutal.

Released with the film, Rex was introduced to MMS as a Godzilla Store Exclusive alongside the film's unique Godzilla, Gemstone Godzilla - or, of course, Godzilla Junior, if you're "In The Know". Being a very obscure, fan-centric short film, I was really surprised to see these sort of one-off incarnations receive proper MMS releases; so, obviously, I jumped right on them.

Rex' outer shell is smooth and synthetic, carved by intricate alien musculature. The interesting fleshy, yet mechanical innards contrasting his sleek red skin are especially well detailed, and sharp. Simple as it may look, it really is a great sculpt; I have to wonder if the CG model itself was used for the figure in some capacity, as MMS figures such as Shin Godzilla have done before. Rotund, penguin-y, yet imposing and unreal, it's pretty much exactly as the monster appears onscreen.

Cast in a sort of translucent soft maroon, Rex' paint is just as simple, sleek, and effective, though lacking in some places. Very shiny metallic golds and silvers define his cybernetic parts, with a cool reflective pink across his tiny little visor. It's all very cleanly done, with some cool attention to detail, such as the silver on the underside of his tail spear. Unfortunately, his inner wings are unpainted, as are various sections of his tail - hardly noticeable, but worth mentioning. Overall, I think his paint work is pretty much on the money, and well matches the creature's very surreal look - albeit, with the usual modern Bandai limitations.

Rex is a very unique curiosity of an MMS figure, and definitely stands out beside his wacky mecha-chicken lineage. While it's not the greatest figure - there's not a whole lot of bells and whistles to him - I think if you're a fan of the design, it's pretty much a perfect representation, as far as mass market vinyl goes. Though bootlegs are fairly common - including some really cool Gigan Miles redecos - I imagine the figure will only become more rare as time goes on, being such a specific incarnation; that being said, just a few months ago, Gemstone's version of Megalon from the short film's followup was added to the toy line - so hey, you never know.

I for one welcome our new penguin overlords.