Kaiju Figure Fan Reviews

[RedZillaKing]

I'm surprised this doesn't exist already.. I was thinking that it would be a good idea to have a thread where fans can review their favorite kaiju figures (old and new). I see a lot of excellent figures in people's collections, and it would be cool to see some of those spotlighted here.

Anyhow, tomorrow I'm gonna review Kaiju Hyohon Red King 2.0 and the Marmit Monster Heaven Mosu Goji ( Green Lucky Bag).

If anyone wants to contribute reviews for their figures feel free of course! Let's just stick to figures, though.

[ZillaMaster91]

I do brief 'Kaiju Toy Reviews' on my blog, Kaiju Planet (http://kaijuplanet.blogspot.com/) whenever I get a new figure.
When I get my next figure (X-Plus 25cm Gigan) then I'll post my review of it both there and here.

[Legion1979]

I originally posted this at Club Tokyo in 2008...

Everyone knows the original Bandai Baragon, right? It was one of the most popular (and certainly the most infamous) of all of Bandai's original 8" Toho kaiju. This figure was released in 1992, though I'm not sure exactly when. I got mine in the middle of that year so it's safe to assume the figure was a late winter/early spring release, which was common with Bandai figures during the Hesei era, when Godzilla's popularity in Japan was at it's peak.



At the time the Baragon was definitely one of the best Bandai Toho figures released up to that point, and no doubt one of the best Baragon figures released period. Aside from a somewhat smaller tail, the figure really is an almost exact likeness of it's screen counterpart. This is especially impressive when one considers how inaccurate some other Bandai toys were during this period, such as Gigan, Angilas, the 1991 King Ghidora and Megalon. The facial sculpt is full of terrific detail, the skin textures are painstakingly reproduced and even the baggy rubbery inner thighs of the monster costume are faithfully rendered. This was the kind of attention to detail that's much more commonly seen in the Bandai toys produced today. For 1992 it was really something else.



This Baragon comes from an era where almost every Bandai figure was bathed in metallic paint. Yet the gold sprays on the back, nails, ears and head actually look very classy, especially when combined with the little spot of metallic blue paint on the belly.

Also worth noting is the tag, which was the very last tag in the "Godzilla Collection" to feature the Destroy all Monsters photo and perforated lower section that was common in all Bandai up until then. Baragon - interestingly - was the only individually tagged Showa-era monster to see release in 1992.



Aside from slapping a new head on the figure and releasing it as Noronga in the Ultraman line, the Bandai Baragon was never re-released. It didn't show up in the 1995 Memorial Box nor was it scaled down for the Godzilla Island/Toho Kaiju series in the late 90s. And it turned out to be one of the earliest of the 1990s Bandai toys to see an incredible increase in demand after Bandai discontinued most of the line in the middle of the decade. Subsequently it was not uncommon to see prices for the figure sometimes reach as high as $200 and higher during the time when new collectors were getting into the hobby thanks to G-Fan and the various conventions that started popping up in this country.



These days demand for the toy - and 1990s Bandai toys as a whole - has fallen off a great deal. It's possible these days to find the figure for $100 or less, even ones with attached tags. Regardless, the toy is still acknowledged as one of Bandai's very best and is essential for anyone serious about the earlier days of the line.

[Godzilla 2000]

I do video reviews on youtube. A lot, in fact. lol.

My channel name is "UltramanCronos."

[RedZillaKing]

For those that don't know... the link to his review channel is in his signature.

So yeah... pretty much what Legion just did. Thanks for contributing.

[Rody]

I'm liking this.

Here's a thought: could we also REQUEST reviews?

[RedZillaKing]

I don't see why not. My reviews will be limited to the few figures that I collect but there are guys on here who own a ridiculous amount of figures, and would likely be happy to show them off.

[Cimmerian Dragon]

I do video reviews on youtube. A lot, in fact. lol.

My channel name is "UltramanCronos."

I was watching your reviews long before I joined this site. I enjoy seeing which figs you choose to spotlight almost as much as the reviews themselves.

[Godzilla 2000]

I do video reviews on youtube. A lot, in fact. lol.

My channel name is "UltramanCronos."

I was watching your reviews long before I joined this site. I enjoy seeing which figs you choose to spotlight almost as much as the reviews themselves.

Thanks, though lately I've noticed just how long-winded they are. I tend to ramble about something longer than I probably;y should (my GMK Ghidorah review was 19 minutes long for christ's sake), so I'm gonna try and cut down on that.




Speaking of reviews, tomorrow I'll be posting my video on Bandai's Adult Battra. =O

[Cimmerian Dragon]

Sweet, it's among my favorite Bandai releases.

I'm sure that one guy who left comments asking you to review Battra on every video you posted for a while will be pleased, too.

[RedZillaKing]

http://m1168.photobucket.com/albumview/ ... w.jpg.html

Okay! I'll kick off my first review with what could be my favorite vinyl figure ever: Kaiju Hyohon Red King 2.0! Now if you haven't heard of the Kaiju Hyohon subline, they're figures made by Bandai that tend to have high quality sculpts but less articulation. Aside from Red here they have made a number of other Ultra Monsters including Dodongo, Zetton, and Baltan. These figures also tend to be larger than their standard counterparts by .5-a full inch.

http://m1168.photobucket.com/albumview/ ... w.jpg.html

Packaging: Red King came in a somewhat bland box that opens to reveal the figure inside. Pretty cool-especially for MOC collectors. Nothing too flashy, though it does include a pamphlet with some behind the scenes info and a cool painting of the beast facing off with Ultraman. A photo on the inside shows the inner workings of Red King's head.

http://m1168.photobucket.com/albumview/ ... w.jpg.html

Sculpt: this sculpt is definitely a step up from the standard Bandai Red King. There's a lot of very fine detail work on the head and hands. Not to mention all the bar like grooves on Red's body. The overall form is very reminiscent of the suit... right down to the area where the zipper would be.

http://m1168.photobucket.com/albumview/ ... w.jpg.html

Paint: This is the area where I had the most problems. There is paint slop on the head, particularly on the eyes and mouth. And it honestly looks like he's wearing lipstick on the left side of his mouth. As for the rest of the body, he's molded in turquoise and painted yellow over it. Very simple, but it works. Overall, the figure looks great.

Size: at 7.3 inches (18.5 cm) he fits in anywhere. He's large enough to be in scale with the Ultra Hero Series and is a great size for Ultra Act figures.

http://m1168.photobucket.com/albumview/ ... w.jpg.html

Articulation: Not a whole lot but that's not what this line is going for. There are swivel joints at the shoulders and tail.

Overall: I love this figure. And I have to recommend it to any Red King fan (or kaiju fan in general). Its not TOO rare so you should be able to track one down with a little effort.

*** 1/2 /*****

[Rody]

No pictures?

EDIT: sorry, I missed the WIP (Work In Progress) at the top. Ignore me.

[RedZillaKing]

Yeah I noted at the top that its a work in progress. Uploading images now.

[Jomei]

I want that Redking. It looks pretty cool, though I've heard they sold poorly (?).

[RedZillaKing]

Okay pics are up but only as links. Any generous soul care to clue me in on how to actually post images from photobucket? Teah a man to fish yadda yadda.

Thanks in advance.

[Rody]

Right click on the image, click "view image", and post the link under the image link option.

Red King looks sweet, by the way. I think I've seen a few of these listed on Hobby Search before (RK, Zetton, Dodongo, Baltan), and was disheartened to see there were so few.
Does anyone know if there were more figures than just these four?

[GodzillaXGomoraFight]

Right click on the image, click "view image", and post the link under the image link option.

Red King looks sweet, by the way. I think I've seen a few of these listed on Hobby Search before (RK, Zetton, Dodongo, Baltan), and was disheartened to see there were so few.
Does anyone know if there were more figures than just these four?

No, the line got discontinued by the time Ultra-Act came out. I was planning to buy Red King and Zetton off a wholesale site, but I ended up getting locked into a purchase with an eBay seller over the Bandai versions before I found out about the line a day later. I might put a review up someday when I have the time. I tried to ask people to request reviews, but nothing of that sort ever showed up. I need to put up a collection update though because its already been a year since I posted my collection on youtube.

[Godzilla 2000]

viewtopic.php?p=341205#p341205

MonsterArts Goji text review.

[Cimmerian Dragon]

Text? TEXT?

You expect me to read?

[godzilla898]

Text? TEXT?

You expect me to read?

What are you doing right now? Judging by your post count and lack of a ban, you do a lot of it.