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Friday 26 February 2016

Collect For Yourself!

Written by Arlo Hansen

This is a topic I have been wanting to write about for a long time, but I never seemed to have the right motivation to do so. Lately, however, after seeing so many people complain and whine about S.H. MonsterArts and NECA, I think it as good of a time as ever to finally bring it up.

Ask yourself this question: Why do you collect?

Sometimes it may be an easy question to answer. At other times it may be pretty hard. I started collecting when I was nine years old because I just wanted Godzilla toys. It is as simple as that! Over the years my preferences of what I collect certainly have changed. However, even though I gravitate towards figures that tend to be more movie accurate and less stylized, I do not go out of my way to bash on other people because they like what I don't like. Unfortunately that is what I have been seeing lately whenever I enter a forum or Facebook group. Adults engaging in heated arguments about what toy is better. When you look at such an argument unfold with an outside perspective, it is incredibly embarrassing for both parties. They make figure collectors look bad. With that being said, everyone is entitled to their opinions. People should have their own thoughts about things for better or worse and share them civilly. However, a line must be drawn somewhere. Collectors who are fans of the same franchise should not tell another collector that they are stupid for buying a particular item they don't like. No. That is utterly disrespectful and only makes you, the accuser look bad. Do not be a Zoidberg!


Newsflash, people. No one likes dealing with pointless petty arguments about toys! We are collectors. We are going to prefer different things that aren't necessarily your cup of tea. Instead of fighting about it, embrace it! Think about it. That is what makes collecting Kaiju figures so great. There is practically something for everyone!

Original Figure Review - X-Plus Toho 30cm Series Godzilla 2014 Roaring Ver.


"Dog goes woof, cat goes meow.
Bird goes tweet, and mouse goes squeak.
Cow goes moo. Frog goes croak, and the elephant goes toot.
Ducks say quack and fish go blub, and the seal goes OW OW OW.
But there's one sound that no one knows...
WHAT DOES THE GODZILLA SAY?"

...SKREEEEEEEEEEEEOOONNNKK!


X-Plus has hit us once more with their chunky 30cm tall Godzilla 2014 vinyl figure with some notable changes. This figure was a RIC/Bandai Premium Web Shop exclusive, only made available domestically in Japan. If you are lucky to come across one at this time, the best method of acquiring it would be through a middle man. In my case I went through Jamie Davis of ToySPLOSION Japanese Toy and Figure Services on Facebook when I preordered mine back in November 2015. He is a SUPER nice guy, easy to talk to, and provides awesome service. He's the best! 

So, how does this figure stack up on its own and with its predecessor? Let us take a look!

DiegoDoom Reviews the X-Plus Toho 30cm Series Anguirus 1968 Diamond Select Reissue


DiegoDoom Reviews the X-Plus Toho 30cm Series Yuji Sakai Modeling Collection Godzilla 2001


Wednesday 24 February 2016

S.H. Figuarts Ultraman Hayata and Alien Baltan

Ultraman is coming to S.H. Figuarts!



Celebrating 50 years of the Ultraman franchise, Bandai is introducing Ultraman and Alien Baltan to the highly popular S.H. Figuarts action figure series this July and August! The upcoming a brand new screen accurate sculpts, separate from their stylized Ultra-Act counterparts, with improved joints and details. Between July and August we will be seeing three notable releases.


This coming July, we will be seeing the release of two Ultraman Hayata figures. The first is the S.H. Figuarts Ultraman 50th Anniversary Edition which includes the figure itself plus additional accessories including damaged buildings, optional hand parts, energy shield, specium ray effect, and Alien Baltan's spacecraft, and Tamashii Stage Act. 4 stand. It will be a general release, going up for preorder in March. Retail price is 8,640 JPY.


The other Ultraman Hayata is a normal standard release without the additional accessories except for the optional hands, specium ray effect, and energy shield. It too is slated to release in July and go up for preorder in March. It is priced at 5,616 JPY.


Slated for an August 2016 release is the long awaited first appearance design of Alien Baltan. This figure was at one time set to release in the Ultra-Act line, but has since moved over to S.H. Figuarts. Other than the figure itself, it does not seem Alien Baltan will come with any additional accessories. It will go up for preorder in March along with Ultraman Hayata and is priced at around 5,940 JPY.

But, wait! There's more...



Also releasing in July are a couple Tamashii Act Building sets! They are not just limited to the S.H. Figuarts Ultraman figures, but also will work great with other figure lines like Robot Spirits, S.H. MonsterArts, and more. There are two different sets being release. One normal set and one damaged set. They are priced at 2,700 JPY per set.

Celebrate 50 years of Ultraman right by buying these sets. I know I will!

Photo Source: Bandai Tamashii Nations

Friday 19 February 2016

S.H. MonsterArts Godzilla [1954]

HOT off the presses!

Completely out of left field, Bandai unveils the S.H. MonsterArts Godzilla 1954! It is sculpted by Yuji Sakai and features a monochrome paint job. It is slated for a general release in July, and will be distributed to North American vendors in August via Bluefin Distribution. A price has not been announced yet.

I am personally excited as this figure will be released coinciding with the theatrical release of Godzilla Resurgence (2016).

What do you guys think of the upcoming MonsterArts Godzilla 1954? Share your thoughts in the comments section below!




Photo Source: Bandai Tamashii Nations

Thursday 18 February 2016

Original Figure Review - NECA Pacific Rim 7" Figure Series Striker Eureka [Ultimate Edition]


Ever since NECA gave us a brand new sculpt for their Knifehead figure [Battle Damaged Knifehead/Deluxe Knifehead] back in early 2014, they have been steadily coming around producing brand new sculpts for their older Series 1 and 2 figures. Gipsy Danger received a brand new sculpt with the Hong Kong Brawl Edition, released late 2014 [with multiple variations following,] and as of this summer it too will receive the "Ultimate Edition" treatment. Right now, however, we are blessed to have got an updated 7-inch Striker Eureka. A couple years ago, I reviewed the original figure and gave it a thumbs up... I take ALL that back! Because, ever since then it has been the most problematic Jaeger figure that I've ever bought from NECA! I've went through three figures since that review and all of them had broke, and I barely handled them roughly. So I am hoping that NECA's second attempt at a 7-inch Striker figure comes out good.

Other than its sculpt and detailing, is this figure an improvement over what came before?

Let us take a look at it now!

Monday 15 February 2016

NECA Pacific Rim Ultra Deluxe Hardship Officially Announced

Straight from NECA:

From the epic Pacific Rim movie, our next boxed, ultra-deluxe kaiju action figure is Hardship!

This deadly kaiju was one of the earliest to come through the breach, and was ultimately defeated by Romeo Blue. At over 8” tall and over 6” wide, Hardship is massive. This movie-accurate figure utilizes new tooling, features over 30 points of articulation, and is to scale with our Jaeger action figures.

Read more...

Hardship is slated to be released June 2016.




Photo Source: NECA

Sunday 14 February 2016

NECA Classic Godzilla Series Godzilla 2001 & Ultimate Gipsy Danger specs

NECA was unable to showcase their prototype for their next Godzilla figure, but that did not stop them from sharing it via Twitter! The next addition of their Classic Godzilla line is none other that Godzilla 2001. I know, right? Just after Bandai announced their MonsterArts Godzilla 2001? It is just a crazy coincidence. Still, there is no denying that after their Godzilla 1954, NECA has been stepping up their game in regards to sculpt. Take note of the appropriately proportioned dorsal plates and longer tail length.

NECA's Godzilla 2001 will go up for preorder towards the end of the month. No release date and price have been given at this moment.

Photo Source: NECA via Twitter

Along with that, NECA also shared specs on their Ultimate Gipsy Danger figure. The sculpt will be the same as their Hong Kong Brawl Gipsy Danger, but with one notable change. The Reactor Core will now feature an LED light-up effect! WOW! Right?! It will also come with multiple option hand parts, a chain sword, a reactor blast effect part, and a pair of plasma cannons, one for each arm. The light-up gimmick is what sold me on this one. Even though I have like a gazillion Gipsys already, this is pretty much the definite one to go for. Ultimate Gipsy Danger and the Ultra Deluxe Hardship are expected to go up for preorder very soon.

Photo Source: NECA via Twitter

Toy Fair 2016 - NECA Ultimate Gipsy Danger, X-Plus Godzillas, & More!

Toy Fair is currently underway in New York right now, and we were treated to some very new unveils!

From NECA, nothing majorly new was shown. A new Godzilla prototype was to be revealed, but NECA didn't get Toho's permission in time (more on that in the next post!) However, we were treated to views of NECA's Pacific Rim Ultra Deluxe Mutavore and Hardship Kaiju figures and their Ultimate Striker Eureka, which was recently released. There is also another Gipsy Danger as well. Do not be fooled, the sculpt may be the exact same as previous NECA offerings, but this is in fact NECA's next figure in their Ultimate line of Jaegers. More info in an upcoming post, but both Ultimate Gipsy Danger and Hardship are expected to go up for preorder very soon!

Photo Source: Ultrazilla via Facebook









From Bluefin Distribution, along with the displaying of the upcoming S.H. MonsterArts Godzilla [2001] there was also one other giant monster, the X-Plus Toho Large Monsters Series Biollante. For those unaware, Bluefin Distribution has the rights to release reissues of X-Plus figures from the Toho Large Monsters Series [25cm scaled]. The only ones they have shown off so far have been Biollante and King Ghidorah 1968. However, apparently they have access to more sculpts from the line. No release date nor price have been announced for Biollante yet.

Photo Source: ToyArk.com




Then finally from Diamond Select, we are treated to a series of upcoming X-Plus Toho 30cm Series reissues. Displayed we see the 30cm Gigan 1972 and Gigan 2004, along with new unveils of North American reissues for the 30cm Godzilla 1984 (with a closed mouth this time,) the Yuji Sakai Modeling Collection Godzilla 1989, and Godzilla 2004 figures. All look very awesome! No price and release date have been given yet for the Godzilla reissues. Both Gigans, however, are currently available for preorder.

Photo Source: Vampire Robots via Facebook







Sunday 7 February 2016

More Pics of X-Plus Gigantic Series Yuji Sakai Modeling Collection Godzilla 1954

More images of recently unveiled Gigantic Series Godzilla 1954 by master monster sculptor, Yuji Sakai! It will stand around 18-20 inches tall and slated for an early summer 2016 release date. I am so excited for this figure!


Image Source: Unknown

Winter Wonderfest 2016 Report

As of right now, Winter Wonderfest 2016 is at full steam in Japan. We have scoured the web for whatever is new in the Kaiju realm and here is what we've found:

Images courtesy of Jamie Davis via Facebook.

X-Plus - Nothing new Kaiju related was shown at X-Plus' table except for the event exclusive reissue of the Toho Large Monsters Series Megalon and Gigan 1972 set along with the TLMS Godzilla 1973 and Jet Jaguar... Perhaps implying a future RIC Boy reissue?


Also from X-Plus, via Yuji Sakai, we are also getting a new addition to the Gigantic Series line in the form of the Yuji Sakai Modeling Collection Godzilla 1954. It's been claimed that this figure will be around 18 inches tall. Be sure to look out for it later this year! I know I will be.

Update: The Gigantic Series Yuji Sakai Modeling Collection Godzilla 1954 is slated for an early summer 2016 release.


Kaiyodo - Aside from the already released Revoltech figures from the Gamera series that Kaiyodo has released years ago, there is also a placard that teases an imminent release of figures from Gamera 3: Revenge of Irys. So a Revoltech Gamera 1999 and Irys may be on the way pretty soon!


Max Factory - A couple years ago, Max Factory teased a plastic model kit for Gipsy Danger as well as an implication of more Jaegers to come. Well, they unveiled their sculpt for Cherno Alpha, which will include light-up features! No word yet regarding the release of their Pacific Rim Jaeger plastic model kits. But the tension builds and even though I am not into building models, these might be an exception!


Bandai Tamashii Nations - Other than the S.H. MonsterArts Godzilla [2001] displayed at Yuji Sakai's table, there is not a lot new shown at Wonderfest. However, the next addition to the Ultra-Act x S.H. Figuarts Manga Ultraman line has been unveiled: Ultraman Suit ver. 7.2. It is slated for August 2016.


We will keep you updated as new information presents itself!