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Saturday 2 March 2013

Figure Review - S.H. MonsterArts Destoroyah (Perfect Form)

Descending from the sky, a demonic entity bent of the destruction of all life. It's.... DESTOROYAH!

Yes, my S.H. MonsterArts Destoroyah arrived to the post office last night, and after waking up this morning, I raced down there to pick it up. Prior to getting this figure, I was a bit 'gun shy' with figures with big wings. Since the King Ghidorah fiasco back in September/October, I was unsure whether I should get this figure. Or at least immediately. I took a chance and reserved one ahead of time just for the heck of it. Good golly, I do not regret that choice!


Let's start this review by examining the box. Destoroyah's box is not as big as King Ghidorah's, which is great if you have spacing issues as I do. It is, however, very wide, due to the figure's massive wingspan.


The top of the box is pretty neat. It has the typical name plate, but the box is carved in such a way that it resembles Destoroyah's head. I found that pretty neat.


On the back, there is the typical information about the monster, and sculptor, as well as the usual promo pictures with Godzilla's head ominously in the background.


The bottom of the box resembles that of King Ghidorah's with S.H. MonsterArts branded in red, with the monster's name below. I guess this is a trend with figures with big boxes! Destoroyah comes in two pieces. First you have the main body, then the tail. Assembling the two parts is simple. Just snap the ball joint into its respective socket. Finally, you'll have the complete figure.


Man, I was blown away when I finally took this figure out of the box. It is ENORMOUS. At least enormous in regards to the rest of the S.H. MonsterArts line. By far, Destoroyah is the largest figure. The detailing is simply amazing and articulation is a certain improvement over a peculiar three headed space dragon, which I'll get to later. The figure stands close to eight inches, or ten with its wings propped all the way up.


The detailing on the head alone is just beautiful. The jaw is obviously articulated. The horn is molded in a translucent plastic allowing light to pass through it and make it seem as if it is glowing. The only downside is the eyes. I get that they're molded in orange plastic, and that the intent was that when light hits them, they brighten up. Similar to the eyes on the figure of MechaGodzilla. However, considering that the figure painted darker, and there is nothing brighter beneath the eyes, it fails to give off that effect. Regardless, it's still good.



One of the things that certainly makes Destoroyah stand out from all the other figures previously released in this line is the fact that its fingers are articulated. Each claw is on a ball joint and can be opened and closed as seen above.


Both of Destoroyah's shoulders are on a ball joint, which allows fluid and sturdy movement of the arms and wings. Unlike King Ghidorah, the wings on Destoroyah are on a ball joint, which is indeed a blessing. This allows one to move and pose the wings with ease without potentially breaking them.


Half way up the wings, there is another joint. This allows the wing to be propped up or folded down. The membranes on the wings are also adjustable in order to cover any gaps caused my the movement of the wing and joint. This was a really smart move on Tamashii Nations' part for I've seen figures from other companies in the past that fail in this area.


Like all S.H. MonsterArts figures, the legs are articulated. From the thigh to the knee, then to the heel, there are articulation. However, I found the movement in the legs (as well as the arms) to be somewhat limited. But, I still have to fiddle around with this figure more and see if it'll break in. Right now, I have no complaints.


The tail on Destoroyah is fully articulated with joint segments throughout. Apparently, the claw at the end of the tail moves. While this is a neat feature, moving the tiny claws is tough and I hesitate to play with it for I am afraid that it may break if I do.


The MonsterArts line is notable for scaling their figures accurately to one another. I was a bit suspicious about Destoroyah, because early promo images shown it to be around the same size as Godzilla (1994). However, that was perhaps the prototype. The final figure, here, is a lot taller, and bulkier. It stands well above Godzilla (1995), scaling properly with their movie counterparts. Godzilla Junior is also tiny when compared to Destoroyah side to side. 


And, depending on how you pose them, Destoroyah is just as tall as King Ghidorah, and a lot more massive!


All in all, I was pleasantly surprised at how great of a figure Destoroyah is. Nothing went wrong, there are no mistakes in its sculpt nor painting, all the joints move as they should, and nothing has fallen off. I am very happy with this figure and it is definitely up there as one of the bests in this line with SpaceGodzilla. Destoroyah receives a full 5/5 score from me. I met my expectations and more. I highly suggest that you get this figure if you're a fan of the series or the toy line itself. It's worth having in a collection.


2 comments:

  1. Thank goodness for the ball joint! Looks like they borrowed the same engineering concept from Rodan's wings, but with much improvement for Destoroyah. Do the claws seem frail?

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    Replies
    1. Not really, but to preserve the firmness of the finger joints I hesitate to move them too much.

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