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! 

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

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

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/

Original Figure Review - Hasbro Signature Series Cloverfield Monster Action Figure

With 10 Cloverfield Lane (2016), the long awaited sequel (or "blood relative," whatever the means) to Cloverfield (2008), releasing less than a couple of months from now, I feel that it is appropriate to take a look at the mysterious giant monster from the 2008 film. Hasbro's Cloverfield Monster action figure is not new. It has been around since January 2009 and was severely limited upon its release. Whatever figures are available to buy nowadays are highly priced due to its current rarity. Fortunately I've had this one from the very start. Get ready, and pump out Michael Giacchino's ROAR on the speakers, folks. I am going to finally review this puppy!

Steven's Toy Reviews: NECA Alien Series 6 Alien Isolation Xenomorph Review

Original Figure Review - NECA Classic Godzilla Series - Godzilla 1954

 

"Let us call this creature, Godzilla. Named after the legend of Odo Island."

And we are back with our first written review in MONTHS! I was originally supposed to do this review (in video format) back in September, but I ended up being busy with other things. However, even as time passed on, I was still keen on reviewing this figure. So without further ado, let us take a look at NECA's Classic Godzilla Series Godzilla 1954 action figure!