I mentioned his body proportions are strange, and really, I think that's pretty obvious to any fan with a solid familiarity with the character; so, I'll let the photos speak for themselves on that one. Ignoring finer issues with the body, I wish the figure had a more lurched stance; though it's ostentatious pose works coolly in-and-of itself, the monster onscreen almost always stood with a forward hunch - it may sound like a small difference, on paper, but it's one I feel could've massively improved the overall look and better sold the character.
Well, enough nitty-gritty - let's move along. Ghiddy comes in at only two points of articulation; that being, both legs. No wing, head, or tail movement here - though, as we'll see as we come to the bootleg, at least
some of that poseability seemingly should've been possible.
Ghidorah is coated in a warm, shiny gold; well capturing the light, and giving the figure a nice, sort of premium physical feel. His heads feature very sharply done black-on-red eyes - with teeny-tiny little golden spaces, giving them a cute shine - a red tongue (where applicable), and a dusty brown mane. I definitely think more sprayed shadows could've improved the figure's overall appearance, particularly in the wings; effective paint detailing could
somewhat make up for their smooth sculpt. All in all, though, it's all there, it's all clean, and it looks pretty wicked.
In the end... it's a tough figure to talk about. In some ways, I feel I've been to hard on the poor guy - but then, you just
know MMS is most certainly capable of better. Still, it's best to appreciate what's here, rather than what could be; and I think for what it lacks in detail, and overall accuracy, the figure succeeds in portraying the character, which is, ultimately, the most important aspect of a figure. Maybe it's just because I've wanted a Showa Ghidorah for so long, but I think he's pretty cool - plus, he looks really nice with his bros.
Cashing in on the hype, bootleg Ghidorahs - surprisingly, specifically replicating the elusive Phantom Color variant - soon sprung up; a pretty unique, and collector-minded pick for a bootleg, considering it's limited official release. I actually very much regretted not going for the Phantom version, as many of the figure's issues are, I feel, overruled by that creative deco - so, paired with being a bootleg lover - and a
sub $20 price tag - I was all over this strange lil' release.
Phantom Ghidorah feels about the same to the touch as any other MMS; though, compared to Ghidorah himself, he's a lot lighter, and more malleable, seeing as he isn't covered in that golden paint layer. It's worth noting, the bootleg is extremely susceptible to warping; if the
official toy already has these issues, just imagine how bad it can be with the Teemu edition. My figure was not only flattened, but shifted heavily to the left, causing his right leg to pop out easily. Should you track one of these down, this almost certainly
will affect your figure, one way or another. As such - plus, since he's a K-O, not some special box-set guy - I went a bit more extreme with my wing/neck modifications; I think it looks really sick - though it might be all a
little overextended, it gives you an idea of what you'd like to go for, should you modify your Ghiddy as well.
The figure's sculpt is pretty much 1:1 with the real deal; the only significant difference being its randomized heads, presumably differing figure-by-figure. This time around, Ghiddy features
six points of articulation -
plus, both wings... though, they're only really capable of loosely flapping around their sockets. In short - anything glue-sealed on the official figure is now free, and posable. As simple as it is, the ability to move each head, as well as his tail -
all glue sealed on the official figure - offers
so much life to the ostentatious, but still very static figure. You can even spin around his tails to emulate his flying pose.
I can understand sealing pieces of the figure which would warp the vinyl if articulated, such as the wings, and tail - but why glue the heads? Though I think most would've preferred a joint at the base of each neck, Ghidorah's mindless mania is pretty effectively captured just by twisting his little heads all crazy-like - such a clear missed opportunity. Very weird.
The real attraction here is Ghidorah's funky deco, which was, as previously mentioned, based on an early, unused design - hence, the whole "
Phantom" thing. The bootleg does a pretty darn solid job replicating and matching the official figure's complex paint job, including fairly specific intricacies such as his soft gold chest; though, there are clear problem areas, such as the wings - which aren't
quite as smoothly faded as the real-deal - and the heads - most obviously, their gloppy, pupilless eyes. There's a
bit of further slop, including some stray paint strewn across certain parts of the figure, but for what it is, the paint job is overall
very nicely done. In spite of it's
expected limitations, it's all very colorful, and fun! It's a really fantastic deco, and I'm happy to say the bootleg conveys its appeal just as well as the MMS.
The great King Ghidorah; finally gracing us with his otherworldly presence, in mass-produced, merchandised form. The big-bad he is, any fan worth their salt will likely be going after this guy; and, though I've pretty thoroughly illustrated my nitpicks concerning the figure, I'd still recommend it as a very cool, satisfying take on the classic Kaiju.
That being said, considering Bandai's hyperactive output these days, I wouldn't be too surprised if something like a "Ghidorah 1972", or otherwise "2.0" edition, is just around the corner; on one hand, it took 'em
this long to do
a Showa Ghidorah... but, on the other, he's a pretty important monster, and if weirdos like
Cybot Godzilla can inexplicably get
something of a 2.0 just about a year after release, why can't Ghiddy, too?
Wishful thinking. Either way, if you ask me, I'd most suggest hunting down the (official) Phantom Color version; though the standard will soon be
very widely available, with its inevitable mass market rerelease, the Phantom makes up for the figure's shortcomings in a very exciting way that's sure to get any dedicated Showa nerd going.
King, or Phantom, whichever demonic space-diety you choose, let us rejoice in his cackling, gravity-beaming, three-headed glory...
Check out my previous MMS reviews:
%20copy.png)
