Wastelnd: Review - Gamera 1999 (Movie Monster Series)

The final installment in the celebrated Heisei Gamera trilogy, Gamera 3: Revenge of Iris follows the titular turtle's ongoing genocide, slaughtering the vampiric Gyaos threatening mankind; culminating in a gory battle against the supernatural Iris, a malformed, otherworldly Gyaos bent on revenge, endowed by the hatred of a young girl who's parents were inadvertently killed in Gamera's wake.

Totally distinct from its preceding heroic incarnations, Gamera's sinister 1999 design is one of my favorites, and perhaps his most iconic; fierce with angst, dripping with cool, turn-of-the-century edge, directly inspiring every Gamera to follow.

The first MMS Gamera '99, along with a theater exclusive variant, was released alongside the film; featuring a sort of unfitting vibrant color scheme I've never been a real fan of - though, that redeco's pretty killer. It was reissued featuring slightly better paint in 2001, though still rocking that golden Hulkmania tank-top, and again, in 2006, where the figure finally saw a very dedicated paint job - which is the version we'll be looking at, today. That same year, the figure was also included as part of the Gamera Tribute box, a collection including Gamera '65, Gamera '99, and the newest addition to the team, Gamera the Brave's "Toto", all featuring a unique weathered metallic look.

Gamera '99 is a rock solid take on the monstrous god; vividly detailed, and perfectly accurate, lumbering and ominous with a nightmarish likeness. It's cavernous textures are finely sculpted; warped elephantine skin, grooved armor chest, smooth, sandstone shell - I especially dig its angular plated design, looming over his hunched body as it leads into his tail. Though taking a very straight, not particularly exciting pose - with a similarly standard five points of articulation - G'99 himself was never that limber of a Kaiju, so, it works. Simple, but effective, and nicely high quality.

Cast in dusty black, a desaturated turquoise covers his Samurai shell, with a shiny bronze-gold chest, yellowed teeth, elbow and leg claws, tannish brown nails, and glimmering emerald eyes. Dark, and bleak, it's an excellent look; cleanly applied, with solid detail, such as the aged brown grooves defining his extra claws. I really love those rhinestone eyes. Ahem.

In 2022, a new take on the incarnation was released; notably different in its roaring pose, though featuring a sort of odd sculpt, and almost completely lacking in articulation - with only one point... tail. Bit useless - why even bother? As I'm sure you can guess, I definitely prefer the original figure - I don't think it needed a second take at all, seemingly superior in just about every way, and certainly not dated. Adding to this, the original's never been rare, easily obtainable for about $30~; heck, I'm pretty sure I found mine at a flea market. Unless you particularly like the 2022 edition, likely for it's more action oriented sculpt, there's not much making it more desirable than the perfectly accessible y2k versions. If you ask me, the clear winner's the '06 version, by far.

Gamera '99's a very sweet figure; again, not the most exciting, but at the same time, hitting all the marks, and with flying colors - even going above the standard with it's excellent paint work. It's a great pick for any fan of Gamera 3, perfectly representing the regal horror of the friend to all children.