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Thursday 21 May 2015

Our S.H. MonsterArts Wish List


Written by Arlo Hansen

2015 has been a very lacking year for most collectors when it comes to the popular S.H. MonsterArts line from Bandai Tamashii Nations. Other than a couple of figures, (Gamera 1996 and Mecha King Ghidorah,) the line has been announcing a series of repaints and reissues starting with Godzilla 2000 Millennium Special Color Edition coming out later this month in Japan, Godzilla (2014) Spit Fire Ver. in July, a reissue of Godzilla 1995 (Birth Ver.) in August, and the newly announced Godzilla 1964 (Appearance Ver.) in October.

To those new to collecting and just getting into the S.H. MonsterArts line, these string of repaints and reissues is a godsend. However, to many veteran collectors, it is a dreadful experience and they yearn for something brand new and different. I am somewhere in the middle of these two groups. Sure the idea of repaints and reissues is quite boring, but it is interesting to see different takes on colorations for certain sculpts (I happen to like the appearance version of Godzilla 1964!) 

However, I firmly believe that we'll be seeing repaints forever. This year feels like a hiatus for the MonsterArts line, and that in 2016 we'll be seeing many more brand NEW releases to coincide with Toho's upcoming Japanese Godzilla reboot. With that in mind, I have no doubts that we'll be treated to some neat figures next year. Question is, however, what will we be getting? There is no way of telling for sure at this point in time, but I have put together this list of some figures that I hope will be included into the line within the next year or beyond. 

S.H. MonsterArts Godzilla 1964 [Appearance Ver.] Coming October 2015

Bandai Tamashii Nations have unveiled the NEXT S.H. MonsterArts figure - Godzilla 1964 [Appearance Ver.] The figure is meant to represent Godzilla as he made his appearance in Toho's 1964 Kaiju outing, Mothra vs. Godzilla.

The sculpt is exactly the same as the Godzilla '64 figure released back in summer 2013. The only differences are the paint work, and the addition of an atomic breath accessory and stand.

It's slated for an October release in Japan (November in North America,) and it's retailed at 7,344 Yen (approx. $60.00).









Tuesday 19 May 2015

NECA Flying Otachi Revealed & Available for Preorder!

NECA have unveiled their Flying Otachi action figure. The figure has additional detail, an alternate tongue accessory, and a display stand that can also hold onto a Jaeger as if Otachi is carrying it up into the sky. The battle damaged tail stub can be removed so that the full tail from the standard figure, released earlier this year, could be attached. The retail price for it is $64.99, and it is now available for preorder at BigBadToyStore.



Tuesday 5 May 2015

X-Plus Destoroyah Spotted!

An unpainted prototype for the X-Plus Toho Large Monsters Series Destoroyah (Final Form) has been spotted! Not sure what convention this photo was taken at (UPDATE: Photo was taken at Japan Amazing Model Expo in Osaka,) but heck, the sculpt looks amazing. I plan to add this one to the collection. Hopefully that will lead X-Plus to produce - oh, I don't know - a Large Monsters Series Burning Godzilla to accompany it. Time will tell.



My Top 5 Favorite S.H. MonsterArts Figures (So Far...)


Written by Arlo Hansen

Since I wrote an article on Our Top 5 Favorite X-Plus Figures (So Far...) article the other day, it's fair enough to do one for my favorite MonsterArts figures as well.

Bandai Tamashii Nations' S.H. MonsterArts figure series is what essentially got me back into the hobby of figure collecting. For a few years (2008 to 2011) I was on a collecting hiatus. Why? Because, at the time, I was unaware of any new Godzilla figures that were within my price range. During that time I settled with what I already had and began a very small collection of Revoltech Evangelion figures. Other than that, Godzilla was at the back of my mind. When Bandai announced the S.H. MonsterArts series and unveiled their first two releases, Godzilla (1994) and MechaGodzilla (1993), I knew I was hooked. I made it a point to collect every single MonsterArts figure - though the recent Alien and Predator figures put a wedge in that goal since - forgive my bluntness - they sucked! Regardless, I continue to collect every Godzilla-related MonsterArts figure that Bandai puts out, and until they end the line, I don't think I'll stop!

So, let us get to our list shall we?

Monday 4 May 2015

My Top 5 Favorite X-Plus Figures (So Far...)

A small portion of my X-Plus collection from November 2014

Written by Arlo Hansen

There is no doubt in my mind that vinyl figures of all shapes and sizes have been a staple for a large number of toy collectors for decades. For me personally, my first introduction to the wonderful world of vinyl toys were Bandai's Godzilla figures. I bought my very first figure in 2001 and never looked back! Over the years, Bandai's Movie Monsters Series figure line has dwindled down. From that point, I started looking elsewhere to satisfy my vinyl addiction. For years (2008 to 2011) I was on a collecting hiatus, that is until Bandai began their S.H. MonsterArts series of figures. However, while those figures are really neat, they did not give me the same nostalgic feeling that I used to have years prior when collecting Bandai's vinyl figures.

In late spring of 2012, my eyes began glancing over towards a series of highly detailed and incredibly sculpted vinyl figures from a company called X-Plus. They were quite expensive, and at the time I did not have the money to dive right in and buy the figures I really wanted. However, I gave it a shot with a single figure (which is a part of my list below,) that reignited that old butterfly sensation in my stomach I used to get when I received a brand new figure in the mail when I was a child. It thwarted me on a path that would rebuild my collection as well as empty my wallet!

Below is a list of my top five favorite X-Plus figures between mid-2012 and right now. Take note that I do not own every figure, and the ones in my list are from my personal collection. The list is in no particular order.

Without further ado, let's get started!