Wastelnd: Review - Godzilla 1968 (Movie Monster Series)

1968 saw the release of the ninth Godzilla flick, the classic Destroy All Monsters; a monster-mash soaked in camp retro-futurism featuring nearly every old-school Toho Kaiju - from classic creatures such as King Ghidorah and Mothra, to freak-out hippie weirdos like Varan or Gorosaurus. While it's not all that exciting of a picture - despite what's written on the tin - it's still a memorable, seminal installment in the Godzilla series, even if most only remember the (admittedly, spectacular) effects scenes.

As with various starring monsters, Godzilla saw a fresh redesign for the film, referred to by fans as "SoshingekiGoji"; the seventh unique Godzilla, going on to become the longest used Godzilla suit in the series' history - featured in four consecutive films, tattered and visibly falling apart by his final appearance in 1972's Godzilla Vs Gigan. Naturally, Destroy All Monster's Godzilla became one of the most prolific versions of the character, and for many, still stands tall as "the" Godzilla - very fitting, considering it was the final suit worn by original Godzilla actor, Haruo Nakajima.

'68's MMS reign of terror began with 2005's Godzilla 50th Anniversary Memorial Box, a celebratory set of 20 MMS figures featuring loads of cool characters and unique incarnations spanning Godzilla's storied history - definitely one of the coolest things to ever come out of the Movie Monster Series. Like most Showa-era Godzillas included in the set, the Memorial Box '68 featured a unique greenish color scheme, replicating how the suits often appeared across older media. A year later, in 2006, '68 was given a mainline re-release, with a new, slightly more accurate charcoal deco - which is the version I'll be incessantly praising here today.

Let's cut to the chase - Godzilla '68 is pretty much a perfect figure. His sculpt is totally 1:1 with the original suit, by MMS standards; perfectly capturing the classic incarnation, from the wrinkled, heavy body, to the crooked shape of his jaw, to that iconic Nakajima roar - it's all there. Even the whip of his tail totally reminds me of the spry performances true to the '68 version. There's a couple oddities to the sculpt eagle-eyed fans might notice, but by and large, '68's an all-around A lister.

Though only featuring four points of articulation, that iconic pose really carries. A head, or (intentional) tail swivel would've been neat, but I'm not complaining. He feels very alive.

Paint wise, '68's still winning; His cutesy googly eyes and pink. gummy maw of needle teeth are very cleanly applied, with a dark, bone grey spray across his plush spines and little claws, as well as lightly highlighting his knees and chest. There's even a bit of spray around his left eye area, reminding me of the battle damage seen in Godzilla Vs Hedorah - though, it's most likely a happy accident. His softly faded spines look particularly nice - not to mention, again, that super sharp face. It's even nicer upon closer inspection.

'68 is easily one of the all-time best MMS figures, and definitely a must-have for any fan of the Showa Godzilla era. As with most figures from the collection, The Memorial Box version's pretty hard to land, though the '06 reissue's always been one of those middle-of-the-road figures as far as rarity goes; I got mine mint at the same convention where I met Godzilla stars Haruo Nakajima and Akira Takarada, weirdly enough.

Beyond these earlier versions, in 2007, a totally new - and, well... inferior - '68 was featured in Bandai Creations' American MMS equivalent, later being carried into MMS proper with 2015's "Movie Monster Series EX" lineup. It's been the most common version for years, on both coasts, but I've never liked it much at all - far too exaggerated and wonky for even the sometimes froggy '68 design.

Just recently, the original figure was reissued with some very subtle modifications, this time representing the monster as seen in 1971's Godzilla Vs Hedorah - more or less. The sculpt's about... 0.1% different, not at all replicating the violently battered '71 Godzilla you might expect; instead serving as an alternative, or better yet, more accessible option for new fans to pair with the many modern-day MMS Hedorahs.

I'd say you're best off going with the '06 version - it really is flawless - but there's plenty of options, and, for what it's worth, that '71 ain't too shabby. Just... maybe avoid the Bandai Creations / MMS EX take. Ugly. Either way, G'68 is truly a classic.