Original Figure Review - Sideshow Collectibles Knifehead Statue

Written by Arlo Hansen

I have had Sideshow Collectibles' Knifehead statue since last September, but I am just now getting around to reviewing it. No, it was not procrastination that has prevented me from sharing my reflections on this piece. I've contemplated for months whether or not to review this and the other Pacific Rim statues I have. I was not keen on doing anymore figure reviews on video, because it was just not my sort of thing. However, since I am going through a little bit of a dry spell, I thought this would be the appropriate time to review them. So far I only have three of the four released statues: Knifehead, Gipsy Danger and Slattern. I will pick up Striker Eureka eventually, but with me currently out of a job, I will just have to be patient for a little while longer.

Knifehead was the first of the Pacific Rim statues that Sideshow Collectibles released. The statues were sculpted with assistance and guidance by designers who actually worked on Pacific Rim (2013) including director, Guillermo Del Toro. In the movie, Knifehead was a Category III Kaiju that was the first to demonstrate intelligence in battle. It successfully killed one of Gipsy Danger's pilots, Yancy Becket, before being killed by a lone Raleigh Becket before he struggles to get the Jaeger back to the Alaskan shore. Since the film came out, Knifehead has become one of the few Kaiju to really stand out. Of all the Kaiju in the film, Knifehead has received the most figure treatments from tiny Gashapon figures from Kaiyodo, deluxe action figures from NECA, and an upcoming Large Monsters Series vinyl figure from X-Plus. However, by far one of the more impressive pieces of Knifehead released so far has to be this Sideshow statue. Let's take a closer look! 

Original Figure Review - Medicom Real Action Heroes NEO Evangelion 13

Written by Arlo Hansen

I have been a huge fan of the Evangelion franchise for at least the past seven or so years. What intrigued me was its complex story, characters and use of religious and psychological symbolism. As soon as I was finished watching the original anime series, I then discovered the Rebuild of Evangelion films, which is a partial retelling of the original story with new characters and elements thrown in. Things remained mostly familiar within the movies Evangelion 1.11 You Are (Not) Alone (2007) and Evangelion 2.22 You Can (Not) Advance. However, by Evangelion 3.33 You Can (Not) Redo (2012) things changed a great deal - SPOILER ALERT - there was a 14 year time skip between the second and third film, new characters, new organizations, new EVAs, and new questions that will hopefully be answered in the fourth/final film whenever it releases. One of the definite highlights of the film was the battle between the upgraded Evangelion Unit 02 and Evangelion 13 in Terminal Dogma, which bears a striking resemblence to Unit 01 (with some notable differences). For a long time I've collected the smaller Revoltech action figures for the EVAs, so I was venturing into brand new territory in regards to the Medicom RAH NEO Evangelion 13 action figure.

Truth be told, this was an impulse purchase. I was feeling rather blue this past Valentines Day as I am alone. I decided to buy myself something I've been eyeing for a while as a means to lift my spirits. That little something was this figure, which costed me a little over $400 USD. So, was it worth the price and my emotional state at the time? Let's take a look! 

Original Figure Review - X-Plus Gigantic Series Yuji Sakai Modeling Collection Godzilla 1999

Written by Arlo Hansen

Whew! How long has it been since my last figure review? A couple months? Well, I am back with an all new original figure review of the X-Plus Gigantic Series Yuji Sakai Modeling Collection Godzilla 1999 vinyl figure. I intend to do several more reviews over the coming weeks of items I've had for a little while, but not yet have reviewed. That is besides the point right now, because now we are going to take a look at this hunk of soft vinyl. I know I am pretty late with this review since many collectors have already done their reviews on this figure when it first released last year. However, I don't care. Better late than never, right?

So, without any further ado, let us get started!

NEW Shin Gojira Trailer [Review]

What a way to start (or end) the day, am I right? Toho drops a brand new trailer for Shin Gojira (internationally titled Godzilla Resurgence), the first domestic Godzilla film since 2004's Godzilla: Final Wars. Today I will be doing something I have not done before: a trailer review. It'll be an analysis of what we saw and some of my own thoughts an opinions on certain aspects of it. So without further ado, let us begin...

If you haven't watched the trailer yet, do so now!

X-Plus Toho 30cm MechaGodzilla 1975 & Gigantic Series Godzilla 1962

Along with the Large Monsters Series Leatherback, X-Plus also teases us with a couple of other upcoming figure releases such as their Toho 30cm Series MechaGodzilla 1975 and Gigantic Series Godzilla 1962 at the 2016 Spring Miyazawa Model Exhibition.

UPDATE: The 30cm MechaGodzilla 1975 is slated for a June 2016 release date. 

Photo Source: Dengeki Hobby Web

X-Plus Large Monsters Series Leatherback

WHOOOAAA!!!

Look at that. X-Plus has unveiled their prototype for their upcoming Large Monsters Series Leatherback figure. It was teased a while back that X-Plus would be tackling Knifehead and Leatherback, and now we are seeing one of the two promised figures.

Personally it looks absolutely amazing. The pose alone makes it very intimidating and powerful. No word yet when it'll be released exactly, but it is definitely slated for within this year. I am certainly adding this ferocious beast to my collection!

UPDATE: Based on the title card along with the figure, it seemed that Leatherback was slated for a May 2016 release. However, a blue pen mark over the date may suggest it has been pushed back to at least July... Looks like it'll be a busy month since a majority of my preorders this year release in that month. Must prepare thy wallet!

Photo Source: Dengeki Hobby Web

Fresh Vinyl Reviews: X-Plus Toho 30cm Series Godzilla 1954 Gripping Train [RIC Exclusive]

Where are the reviews?!

Hey, guys! Arlo here.

March has certainly been a VERY slow month for me, and I do apologize. I recently left my job and currently unemployed for the time being. Don't worry, I have another job potentially lined up for me next month. However, as a result I have slowed down with my collecting for the time being, which has put my figure reviews on hiatus for a while. I am also working on selling a bunch of figures that I have no more room for in my collection as a means to rebuild my figure collecting budget to pay off upcoming purchases. With that being said, I will still try to whip up a couple of reviews for figures I still have not gotten to yet like the Medicom Real Action Heroes Neo EVA 13 and the X-Plus Gigantic Series Yuji Sakai Modeling Collection Godzilla 1999. I hope to do reviews for both of them starting later this week.

Beyond that I have nothing else new coming in to review until later this summer. So, what do I plan to do for The Kaiju Planet until then? I will continue to share figure reviews from our friends like Steven McCarthy of Steven's Toy Reviews, DiegoDoom, and Rich Eso of Fresh Vinyl Reviews. As for original content, I will be doing various write-ups focusing on toy collecting as a whole, retrospectives on certain figure lines, movie reviews and occasional "re-reviews" where I take a look at some older figures I have reviewed and see whether my opinion on it has changed or not.

Again, apologies for the lack of activity this month. As of April, going forward, I hope to put more effort into providing you guys with new material!

Godzilla vs. Kong: My Thoughts

Written by Arlo Hansen

This article is several months late, but please humor me...

Last October, the Internet was set ablaze with the astonishing news that movie monster giants, Godzilla and King Kong, will once again clash in an epic crossover in 2020's Godzilla vs. Kong. The possibility of King Kong intertwining with Godzilla was foreshadowed several weeks earlier when news broke out that Legendary Pictures, currently partnered with Universal Studios, will release Kong: Skull Island (2017) alongside Warner Bros., which was rather shocking. Almost everyone knew that Legendary and Warner Bros. are still partnered for the currently untitled Godzilla sequel set for 2018, so the chances of a crossover were significantly increased. Then sure enough, BAM! Confirmation in the form of a sudden press release from Legendary Pictures.

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

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

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

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!

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

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

Steven Reviews the S.H. MonsterArts King Ghidorah Special Color Ver.

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!

The Best Kaiju Films for General Audiences

Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All Out Attack (2001)

I am not going to lie, the notion of watching movies that feature men dressed in monster suits, stomping through a miniature city and battling other men dressed as monsters, is not an easy pill to swallow for most general moviegoers nowadays who are being constantly being spoiled by big budgeted blockbuster movies that are riddled with tons of CG effects and fast-paced choreographed action scenes. I am not saying that's a bad thing, but it is not bad to take a step back and enjoy something put together practically rather than digitally for a change. That is why I love many of the classic Japanese giant monster (daikaiju) movies. They are crafted utilizing practical effects rather than CGI, and have a sense of physical realism. It might look cheesy sometimes, but there is no denying that it's entertaining as hell!

Today, I wish to put together a list of some of my personal favorite Kaiju films to show newcomers to the genre and the wonderful world of tokusatsu effects! For this list I have taken the level of special effects (tokusatsu), story, and characters into consideration.

S.H. MonsterArts Godzilla [2001]

Bandai has officially pulled the veil off of their latest addition to the S.H. MonsterArts collectible action figure line, Godzilla [2001] from the popular film Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All Out Attack (2001). This is their first *totally brand new sculpt for the series since Gamera [1996] which was released in January/February 2015. Godzilla [2001] is a web exclusive release, coming out in June in Japan, and July in North America via Bluefin Distribution. Preorders open on Friday, January 22nd.

Who else is excited for this particular release? Do you think we'll see more from the GMK roster? Share your thoughts and opinions in the comments section below!

Images From: http://p-bandai.jp/item/item-1000101805/