Figure Review: X-Plus Toho Large Monsters Series King Caesar

"When the red moon sets, and the sun rises in the West, two monsters will appear to save the people."

King Caesar is just one of those monsters, who alongside Godzilla, battled the mechanical terror from space, MechaGodzilla, in the 1974 film Godzilla vs. MechaGodzilla. In the film, King Caesar is the guardian monster of the Azumi Royal family on Okinawa. This figure is based on his original 1974 design. 

The X-Plus Toho Large Monsters Series King Caesar stands a little over nine inches. It is sculpted out of soft vinyl as all other figures in this line are. Thankfully its tail is short, allowing one with limited shelf space to pose him easily facing outward. The sculpt for this figure is really well done. It is a vast improvement over Bandai's older King Caesar figure. This one is a lot more movie accurate when it comes to appearance and paint scheme. 

The detail on his fur is spot on. Each little crevice has shade to it, mimicking Caesar's 'fluffiness' as I'd like to call it. His scales are meticulously sculpted as well.

The thing I always find myself admiring the most about X-Plus figures are that the heads are really well sculpted! Growing up, I bought a lot of Bandai's vinyl figures, and the sculpts for them vary, and every time I look at the head, the teeth are never sculpted individually, and are molded in a chunk of vinyl that makes up part of the inner mouth. What I love about the way X-Plus does the heads on their figures is that the teeth themselves are sculpted individually. King Caesar is no exception. Also, another attention to detail is his eyes. The eyes are like gems. They're semi-translucent and have spiraling rings that make up the iris and pupil. On previous King Caesar figures, this detail has been lacking and a black pupil is used instead. 

King Caesar has very limited articulation. It is mostly a vinyl statue, which I appreciate about most X-Plus figures. The only points of articulation, as far as I know, are in his legs. It is there only to give the figure some stability. Also, one thing to note, King Caesar is a heavier figure than other figures. I've notices that his lower body is sculpted with a lot thicker vinyl, giving him a lower center of gravity, and thus giving him better balance. Since he does not have a long tail like Godzilla or Gigan to rest the remaining stress on, this is a great move on X-Plus' part. Since King Caesar is the only figure that I have from them that has this, I am unsure if other figures such as Ultraman, Jet Jaguar, or the like are sculpted in such a way. Whether it was intentional or not, it really helps the figure stand on its two feet without toppling back or forth. 

When scaled with other figures in X-Plus' Large Monster lineup, it stands in very well with the likes of Godzilla and MechaGodzilla. I find, personally, that he goes well with June's X-Plus Godzilla 1975 figure. Also, with last year's MechaGodzilla 1974 too, as seen below!

In conclusion, I believe that X-Plus has really outdone themselves with King Caesar. The detail is fantastic, the sculpt is spot on, and everything about it just screams movie accurate! In my honest opinion, I feel that this is one of their greatest figures right up there with another personal favorite, Gigan. Whether you love or hate King Caesar, this is one great figure to have in your collection! I suggest anyone who is a fan of X-Plus or the original Godzilla vs. MechaGodzilla to pick this guy up!