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! 

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 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

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

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.

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!

"10 Cloverfield Lane" Official Trailer

Surprise! Cloverfield (2008) is finally getting a sequel.

10 Cloverfield Lane, releasing in theaters on March 11th is directed by Dan Trachtenberg (Portal: No Escape), produced by J.J. Abrams and stars Mary Elizabeth Winstead, John Gallagher, Jr. and John Goodman. The film's production began back in 2014 and has been kept entirely under wraps, going by the decoy title Valencia (aka The Cellar).