Figure Review - X-Plus Toho 30cm Series Godzilla 2004

Godzilla's 50 year career on the silver screen ended with a bang in December 2004 with Toho's “final” entry into the beloved series, Godzilla: Final Wars, directed by famed Japanese action movie director, Ryuhei Kitamura. The film was met by mixed to negative reviews by fans due to its overtly human drama, weak characters, shoddy dialogue, and lack of presence by the titular daikaiju, but a lot of the monsters that were in the film such as Gigan, Manda, and Rodan had incredible redesigns. Godzilla is no exception to the rule.

The X-Plus Toho 30cm Series Godzilla 2004 was released at the end of May 2013. The figure stands approximately 11 inches tall, similar in size as April's X-Plus Toho 30cm Series Godzilla 1984 figure. In my opinion, this has to be one of X-Plus' more detailed Godzilla figures. The skin is faithfully recreated, and the overall sculpt is just fantastic. There is a notable flaw that I've noticed, but we'll get to that in a little bit.

My favorite aspect about this figure is the head sculpt. What can I say? It's brilliant. Everything is in proportion. The teeth are finely sculpted and quite sharp when compared to previous Godzilla figures. Also the appearance is more natural with Godzilla's mouth painted in a darker purplish color, which does not take away from the rest of the sculpt. It really makes the teeth stand out more, which I find pretty pleasant. The eyes, like on the actual suit, are hidden away under most lighting due to Godzilla's tick brows, but when looked upon close enough, there is great amount of detail in them. The pupil is surrounded by a star-like shape of yellow, then surrounded by a reddish-orange hue. Like a lot of collectors have stated in other reviews, it's hard to appreciate the detail of this through the naked eye and must look at it through photography to really get the sense of the detail that has gone into this figure.

The rest of the sculpt is pretty great. What makes this Godzilla figure stand out amongst the rest in my opinion is the fact that it was sculpted in an action pose. It reminds me of how he looked in the scene during is battle with Anguirus, Rodan, and King Caesar at the foot of Mt. Fuji, and spun around after leaping over the three monsters. This figure seems to also be painted in a darker shade of charcoal black compared to the previous Godzilla 1984 figure. The darker color helps the figure stand out a lot more.

My only complaint in regards to this figure is nothing major, but it's worth noting. The dorsal plates on the figure start lower on the back than on the original suit. The dorsal plates are supposed to start at the base of the neck rather than right on his back. The sculpt misses this margin only by a hair, but I am not bothered by this at all. Regardless, it's a fantastic sculpt.

I must admit, Godzilla: Final Wars may not be the greatest Godzilla film, nor my favorite, but it features one of the best designs of the Big G. It has a healthy blend of bulk and sleekness to be powerful, fast, and intimidating. This figure is really becoming a favorite of mine. Everything about it is just great! I only hope that the rumors for a 30cm Gigan 2004 are true in the long run so I can have something to go with this fantastic figure!