Godzilla 2014 brought the mega-monster back to the limelight after a long, meandering decade of silence with a kaiju-size Hollywood blitz; complete with - what else? - loads, and loads of merchandise; from fun kiddie stuff, such as the amazing two foot tall Jakks Godzilla '14, to NECA and SH Monsterarts' awesome articulated figures - who can forget that incredible 12" Godzilla - to, naturally, Godzilla-lifer Bandai's grand array of G'14 junk; destruction playsets, chibis, gashapon, eggs... the list goes on.
While the Movie Monster Series had been dormant since 2009, stateside, a similar sofubi vinyl series produced by Bandai Creations chugged along, producing a good variety of unique figures inspired by, but certainly distinguishable from their MMS equivalents - for better, or for worse. Any western fan who grew up in the 2000s most certainly had one or two of BC's figures, and, as time goes on, I find myself missing the sometimes wonky, sometimes killer little sub-series. As G'14 sparked life into the comatose MMS, returning with a fresh new G'14 lineup, it also marked the end of BC's reign of arguable terror; their spin on the titular monster marking their final vinyl release, leaving further plans, including a Shin Godzilla, on the cutting room floor.
As usual, I'll mention that I don't normally care to get into a figure's packaging; be it tagged, or cardbacked, it just feels a bit irrelevant, especially concerning this particular series. Still, for the sake of conversation... here we are. Pictured above, G'14 came in a film stylized box, using the movie's typical merchandise design; I was never a huge fan of the look - especially that overused, jolly Goji render - but, it is what it is. I definitely prefer BC's more inspired boxes. Though it's hard to tell, thanks to my box clearly having been sat on by none other than the big G himself, Godzilla is strapped to a sort of upward angled cardboard base, giving the packaged figure a neat displayed look.
G'14 is massive. and mountainous, roaring in a striking unique sculpted pose resembling his triumphant rise after decapitating the MUTO. It's an iconic, and very appropriate pose for the imposing incarnation of the character; huge, and brutal. Though his articulation is somewhat limited by said pose - more of a statue than traditional action figure - at four points of articulation, it's par-the-course, and regardless is carried by that absolute quality sculpt. The best MMS figures bring great energy, personality, and sculpting to the forefront, and that's certainly true of BC's G'14.
The figure is carved in excellent detail; all varieties of scales and scutes shingling his heavy, bear-like build, textured by intricate wrinkles, grooves and leathery grain. It really is above at least the BC standard, close to a full-on "art toy" eye for detail.
Many BC figures featured conspicuously curved, or otherwise shortened tails, so as to better fit the box; though sometimes jarring, I've never particularly minded this choice - especially as it's done here, adding to the dynamic pose, and, naturally, saving some shelf space. The tail is glue sealed in three separate segments, though these breaks were used as articulation on the figure's 12" reissue - we'll get there.
Molded in a dark slate brown, the figure's vinyl has a nice sheen to it; somehow attractively capturing the light, giving it this almost tactile reptilian gloss. Off the bat, that alone gives him such a sleek appearance. A mossy tan highlights his underbelly, reaching all the way to the tip of his twisted tail, with cleanly painted white teeth, a deep red tongue, and feirce yellow eyes - which, as one might notice are missing their pupils... though, it ain't a bad look for the big guy, eh? I imagine it should've been easy enough to paste a couple dots in those peepers - somehow, the even smaller MMS did it - but, I really don't care; looks cooler, more demonic, and stylized this way. Brings out his inner GMK.
Comparing it to the MMS one-on-one... yeah, there's no contest. The MMS, while very nostalgic, and I suppose not
terrible, just never hit the same as the
beautifully done BC - one looks flat out 3-D printed, the other looks dedicatedly thought out and designed.
To got into specifics; First and foremost, the MMS is significantly smaller, taking a rather stock, standard pose. The BC's wicked sculpt just blows it out of the water, truly bringing the character to life - not to mention, scaling ever-so-slightly better with
the MMS MUTO. In it's credit, I actually think the MMS' sculpt is more screen accurate than the BC, if only by a small margin; the BC appears
slightly exaggerated, while the MMS very accurately captures his true proportions - tiny head, and all. They're both equally articulated, neither exactly what I'd describe as "poseable", but the BC at least looks great regardless.
The BC is overall much darker than the MMS, giving him a nice, murky color scheme. I will say, I think it could've been still a bit darker - particularly, that sandy underbelly highlight - but, meh. Only little details I think the MMS has over the BC in the paint territory are the figure's cool fiery orange eyes - complete with, y'know, pupils - and the subtle red paint emphasizing his slasher-smile jaws.
Final verdict - the MMS, while seemingly more accurate, is significantly held back by the figure's odd paint work, and uninteresting design; the BC just looks so much better in practically every way.
Godzilla '14 saw two reissues of sorts; the first, and most interesting, is
the New York Comic Con exclusive atomic blast redeco, giving the figure an overall darker color scheme and shiny metallic blue spines -
complete in a very attractive window box, framed by the burning remains of San Fransico. I'd love to own one of these, if not just for it's obscurity, than for the wicked overall presentation - definitely the best version available. Second, came something of a rescale -
the 12" G'14; largely similar, albeit with added articulation in the head, and, as mentioned before, throughout the tail - plus... pupils! They said it couldn't be done.
Unfortunately, that was about it for the little guy; effectively the grand finale for Bandai Creations, the final unique vinyl Godzilla the off-shoot series would ever release. BC's G'14 is one of their finest figures, and an excellent note to end on, emphasizing the inspired detail and creativity that made BC's best takes so exciting.
Unfortunately, despite being
very easy to come by for a period, it's perhaps overwhelming commonality, paired with it's release near the end of the series' lifespan, seem to have led to it going a bit under the radar - not exactly
rare, or expensive, but certainly growingly uncommon, as time has gone on. Well worth the hunt, whether you're a dedicated G'14 fan, or just dig the character in general, it's a real sweet little figure, and definitely the best MMS-type GarethGoji available.
Check out my previous MMS reviews:
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