Now, I finally got mine. First off, the
box for this figure is truly amazing. The mugshot of Godzilla is very
menacing and the cracks of orange magma-like rock really contrast
well with the figure inside. There was one immediate issue that I
faced with when taking this figure out of the box... It fell apart!
Yep. It fell apart. The left foot fell, and sections of the tail
detached as I picked it up out of its plastic molding. However, that
was not a big deal. I boiled some water to soften up the ball joints
and sockets and inserted the former into the latter. It was fixed.
I was caught off guard on how tall this
figure really is. Roughly seven inches tall. He is definitely bigger
– or a better way to say, taller – than the previous Godzilla
figure in this line. However, I believe that is mostly due to the
extra mid-section articulation. If that section weren't there, it'd
be the same exact height as the first Godzilla figure. The detail,
when looking at this figure in person, is really well done! There are
numerous points on the body that are sculpted in translucent plastic
such as his burning blotches, dorsal plates, and thighs. There are a
few blotches that are painted in glossy paint though, but those
sections are miniscule, but well done. While I do appreciate that the
painting on this figure is very suit accurate, even the bone white
paint on the spines on the neck and tail, I do wish that it were
painted in a dirtier shade of white or gray to match that in the
movie. Regardless it isn't a big issue and adds to the figure's
magnificent level of detail.
Articulation is a vast improvement over
the previous Godzilla figure. Let's start from the head down. The jaw
joint is on a more hinged-joint system rather than a ball joint,
allowing the jaw to move only up and down and slightly side to side
(but not to the extent of the previous Godzilla figure).
Now we move down to the neck. I am
certainly happy with how the neck articulation on this figure came
out. It is split into three sections rather than two like on the last
figure. The extra section allows Godzilla to look directly down and
up without compromising the sculpt or revealing gaps. This is one of
the features that I highly appreciated on this figure. The neck is
now able to move up and down, left and right naturally and without
too much force.
Then there are the arms. I was
intrigued that this figure is given extra articulation under the
shoulders. It allows the arms to be posed forward and back. We now
move down to the mid section. Now this is where it gets fun.
The torso and lower half of the body
are separated with this added mid-section which the last Godzilla
figure did not have (and was one of the reasons for its stiffness and
lack of articulation). It allows the figure to lunge forward, rear
back, and veer side to side. It also adds to the figure's overall
height, boosting it to seven inches rather than six inches.
The legs and thigh articulation is
another improvement on the figure over the previous Godzilla. The legs can be
bent a great deal forward. However, one gleaming flaw with this
feature is that it leaves a gaping gap in the figure where you can
see inside it and through to the other leg joint. Good thing though
that this can be hidden after a bit of readjusting.
Finally there is the tail. This is
where I am somewhat disappointed. The prototype images depicted the
tail joints to be a lot more dynamic and articulated than those on
the first Godzilla figure. But they're essentially reused parts from
the said Godzilla figure. There is little pose-ability with it, and
remains one of he disappointing aspects of the figure.
Accessories with the S.H. MonsterArts
Godzilla 1995 are interesting. This is the first figure in the line
that is not packed with a beam effect. However, if one wishes to
display this figure with a beam accessory, one can easily utilize the
Red Spiral Beam Effect accessory that was packed in with July's S.H.
MonsterArts Fire Rodan. The only accessories that are packed with
this figure are two ULT Maser Tanks, which are limited First Release
exclusives. Also there are a pair of alternate hands with more
stretched out claws. I must admit, I was disappointed that there were
only two Maser tanks included. I expected that there would be three
each much like the Godzilla Effects Pack released last year.
Overall, the S.H. MonsterArts Godzilla
1995 is a well sculpted and detailed figure. Its articulation is a
vast improvement over the previous Godzilla figure's in various
aspects. While accessories are a bit lacking, that can be easily
overlooked for the S.H. MonsterArts Godzilla 1995 is one neat entry
into this toy line. My personal score for it is a 4/5.
