Figure Review - S.H. MonsterArts Godzilla 1964

Hurrah! This is the Kaiju Planet's 400th Post!

It's a long time coming, but in late July, Tamashii Nations released the first ever figure in the S.H. MonsterArts line that is from the classical Showa era of Godzilla films. The S.H. MonsterArts Godzilla 1964 from the film, Mothra vs. Godzilla (or also known as Godzilla vs. The Thing stateside) is a very fitting start to a potential line of figures from the classic series of Godzilla films! 

Sculpted by Yuji Sakai, the S.H. MonsterArts Godzilla 1964 comes off with a great amount of detail and attention to sculpt. It manages to perfectly replicate the suit from Mothra vs. Godzilla quite nicely in regards to the level of detail as well as coloration. It's got a nice blends of dark grays and highlights of grayish-greens in the chest and knees. 

The figure stands a little over five inches tall. It comes as one of the smaller MonsterArts figures (not counting Fire Rodan, Little Godzilla, Godzilla Junior, or the Destoroyah Evolution Set). Reason for that is that Tamashii Nations wishes to create more Showa-based figures in the future that will ultimately be based on the new scale that Godzilla 1964 has set. It's a means to differentiate it from all of the Heisei-based figures released up to now. 

From the side, you really notice the changes they've made to the sculpt of the figure based on previous monster figures in this line. The issue that has made most fans cringe is the gap between the dorsal plates on its upper and lower body. This gap, however, is not a big issue for me and since the figure does look quite stunning in person, I overlooked it. It's not like I'll be sitting here staring at Godzilla's side all day! 

One of the most notable innovations on the articulation for this figure is the new hip-joint system. Due to the issues regarding to the large gap in last November's Godzilla 1995 figure, Tamashii Nations developed this new waist joint to prevent similar gaps appearing in an otherwise flawless sculpt. This joint is what made some collectors question this figure for they believed it to be an eye-sore. For an articulated figure, I don't mind gaps or whatnot. It's nice to see that Tamashii Nations is trying to give us a figure that focusses on both sculpt and great articulation. Fortunately with this figure, the new hip/waist joint works like a charm! 

The tail for this figure when compared to the previous Godzilla 1994 and 1995 figures is a lot shorter, but by God, is it far more impressive in regards to articulation. Each tail segment is articulated as per usual, but the articulation goes up until the last two or three tail segments. That is a big step in the right direction when you look at the tails for the previous two Godzilla figures. 

The only thing I question about this figure are the feet. I'm going to get this out of the way, it's hard (and impossible) to get this figure in a decent pose with its heels flat on the ground. There are not any joints in the ankles, on the the feet themselves. With this, one has to pose Godzilla 1964 on its toes in order to pose him decently. I wouldn't mind the feet joints if there was a decent ankle joint. That is essentially my only complaint about this, otherwise, great figure. 

So, what are my final thoughts on the S.H. MonsterArts Godzilla 1964? I like it. I can safely admit that this will definitely be one of my personal favorites. Besides the very minor issues and slightly smaller scale, it is one of the better figures in this line. I do hope that Tamashii Nations will include more Showa Kaiju into the S.H. MonsterArts line. After almost two years, it's overdue! Hopefully in 2014, we'll see a lot more out of this line.

I recommend Godzilla fans to get this figure! It's a neat one to have in your collection.