Top 4 best and worst Godzilla suits

[Dr. Nishiyama]

^ Exactly.

The BattoGoji ('92) wasn't too bad, but everything after was kind of hit and miss. The '94 costume seemed like a good medium between the '92 and '93 suits. Not too fat, but not nearly as bad ass looking as the '89 and '91 designs.

Did anybody else miss the smaller eyes he had from in '89'/'91? They were almost too big on the '93 suit, IMO.

I miss the smaller eyes (and also how dark they were). I also thought they were too big on the '93 suit as well, but more so on the one in Space Godzilla. Although I did like how they glowed when the '94 suit was made into the burning suit in Destoroyah.

[Inferno Rodan]

I'm actually not terribly fond of the '91 suit, at least in comparison to some of the later Heisei ones. It's got a ridiculous balloon chest that sticks out so much it's almost comical. The later refinements took some of the size off the chest and added it to the legs, which resulted in a more balanced design, IMO.

[Bentley]

Another form my top:

1985 Goji- Excellent melding between the classic showa look and the suit to come.

Another from my bottom:

GojivsMGII- Godzilla is one fat bastard.

[Goji]

There is nothing "balanced" about the post '92 Heisei costumes. They go from very fat, to less flabby around the waist in '94, yet all 3 costumes retained the flabby legs that started in '92.

I totally get the "balloon chest" complaint, but after five years on TK, IR is the only person I've ever seen complain about it. *shrugs*. The positives far outweigh the negatives, as far as I'm concerned.

[Ethan]

The 1964 suit is the best in the series.I have no complaints about the 1954, 1984 and 2001 suits either. The 1991 costume is pretty awesome too, no doubt Kawakita's greatest achievment. It's also supplemented very well by the prop head. And call me a The Return of Godzilla fanboy, but the Cybot Godzilla actually works.

I'll be on the minority here, but I don't care much for the 1962 Godzilla. For a film where the KoM is meant to be an antagonist he surely doesn't look any less cartoony than the King Kong he's fighting. He suffers from the "looks great on profile, not so much in front" syndrome. Likewise I can't understand what went wrong with the Heisei suits after 1991. The Godzilla vs. Mothra suit fares very well, but the head prop is suddenly emotionless and phony looking. It really goes downhill from there, by 1994 the face movements had become basic.

[CatfaceFourtoes]

Best
1.The original suit. In some shots from a low angle the suit is very believable as some towering beast looking down on the humans. The fins are full of jagged and chaotic goodness, and only sway a bit with the monster's movements, lending credence to the idea that they are tough structures anchored into the flesh of the monster.

2.Godzilla vs Mothra suit. The suit actors movements in the suit are expressed very well, and the head prop swings around just enough to give the impression of a violently whipping neck during some actions. I like the teeth and the appearance of a wagging upper lip. It reminds me of a bit of a Kodiak bear's mannerisms. The fins are a bit sparse, with only the central ones standing out, but the central plates are large and impressive, and bend well when the suit falls down or rolls end over end.

3.Godzilla Returns. What can I say, it was my first exposure to Godzilla, and the creature was built like a tank. I also like that it's head did not get super tiny like in some of the later suits from the 1990's. The spines were large and bony, and were more uniform when compared to some of the earlier suits.

4.Godzilla Final Wars- Because it reconciled G2k's more draconic design with the Showa and Heisei suits. Sure, the mouth looks a bit big for the head's width, but it still works better than GMK's mouth with its unnaturally square appearance and that hanging flesh at the back of the jaw that looks out of place.

Worst.
1.Son of Godzilla.
It looks more like a mutated frog than a dinosaur.
2.Godzilla vs Hedorah.
Godzilla looks more like some amorphous blob trying to assume the form of Godzilla. It has a weird salamander like face too.

3.I think this one was from Godzilla vs Gigan, I'm not sure. I do remember what I hated about it though. The dorsal spines looked like inflatable pillows or flotation devices. it just looked awful.

4.GMK. For coming close but in the end failing to do what the Godzilla vs Mothra suit did with less. I mean, imagine if Godzilla '64 had eyes with the animatronic detail of GMK's but without the whiteness, with a face able to make expressions.

[Rody]

2.Godzilla vs Hedorah.
Godzilla looks more like some amorphous blob trying to assume the form of Godzilla. It has a weird salamander like face too.

3.I think this one was from Godzilla vs Gigan, I'm not sure. I do remember what I hated about it though. The dorsal spines looked like inflatable pillows or flotation devices. it just looked awful.

Those are the exact same suit, Soshingecki-Goji. It was used in Destroy All Monsters, All Monsters Attack, Godzilla vs. Hedorah, and Godzilla vs. Gigan.

[zilla103192]

Best
-Bio-Goji
This is my ideal Godzilla. I adore this suit. It just ...clicks with me. I love the face, and the spines. they just work. The proportions are great too.

-Sokogeki-Goji
This was a close call. There is literally a hairlines difference between Bio and Sokogeki. I really like the posture, the face, and the spines. I have no clue why, but I really like the large feet on this suit too.

-Shodai-Goji
The original. It just works. They couldn't of done a better job for the first. It is an icon. I really dig the proportions. I like the Y shaped head piece alot, I wish that more suits used these. But I don't care for it on the '64 suit, probably because of the yellow tint.

-King-Goji
I like the VERY dinosaurian look of this suit. And I REALLY like the one main line of plates going down his back. It's a nice change of pace from the typical 3. But I wouldn't want that on all the suits.

honorable mentions
okay... going to catch hell for it. But I actually like the Musukugoji suit. Otherwise known as

I have know idea why, but I do. So shut up!

The rest of the heisei suits 91-95 are also up there.

Worst
-Mosu-Goji
I really don't like this suit. I know it's a fan favorite. But I just think it looks ugly. The big cheek bones, the huge yellow brow, the flat body. It's just... no.

-Megaro-Goji
Just way too cute for my tastes... way to damn cute.

-Daisen-Goji
The face is way to round. reminds me of cookie monster.

-1984-Goji
Not a BAD suit... but I just don't care for it. The head looks a bit to big for my tastes, and the eyes are to large.

[Legion1979]

Just gonna list them.

Best
1964
1989
1968
1995

Worst
1955
1967
1984
1999

[CatfaceFourtoes]

Revision of my list:
Best
1.The original suit. In some shots from a low angle the suit is very believable as some towering beast looking down on the humans. The fins are full of jagged and chaotic goodness, and only sway a bit with the monster's movements, lending credence to the idea that they are tough structures anchored into the flesh of the monster.

2.Godzilla vs Mothra suit. The suit actors movements in the suit are expressed very well, and the head prop swings around just enough to give the impression of a violently whipping neck during some actions. I like the teeth and the appearance of a wagging upper lip. It reminds me of a bit of a Kodiak bear's mannerisms. The fins are a bit sparse, with only the central ones standing out, but the central plates are large and impressive, and bend well when the suit falls down or rolls end over end.

3.Godzilla Returns. What can I say, it was my first exposure to Godzilla, and the creature was built like a tank. I also like that it's head did not get super tiny like in some of the later suits from the 1990's. The spines were large and bony, and were more uniform when compared to some of the earlier suits.

4.Godzilla Final Wars- Because it reconciled G2k's more draconic design with the Showa and Heisei suits. Sure, the mouth looks a bit big for the head's width, but it still works better than GMK's mouth with its unnaturally square appearance and that hanging flesh at the back of the jaw that looks out of place.

Worst.
1.Son of Godzilla.
It looks more like a mutated frog than a dinosaur.
2.Godzilla vs Hedorah.
Godzilla looks more like some amorphous blob trying to assume the form of Godzilla. It has a weird salamander like face too.
The dorsal spines looked like inflatable pillows or flotation devices. it just looked awful.
3.Cybot Godzilla from Godzilla Returns. It had no mammalian cast to the face, and the teeth looked too thin, like toothpicks.
4.GMK. For coming close but in the end failing to do what the Godzilla vs Mothra suit did with less. I mean, imagine if Godzilla '64 had eyes with the animatronic detail of GMK's but without the whiteness, with a face able to make expressions.

[Goji]

..You could have just used the edit button.

[CatfaceFourtoes]

Oh, so sorry.
On a pertinent note. I never saw the heisei suits so much as fat, but having exaggerated musculature in the leg area that they could not get to coordinate with the suit actor's movements. The way the suits looked with that flaw looked to me no fatter than a rhinoceros. You can clearly see the muscular definition in the upper legs of the suit. Not the usual case with an animal that is "fat".

[Rody]

^ It's not just the legs. Later on, around '93 & '94, the body took on a very bloated appearance.

[CatfaceFourtoes]

Meh, the suits had detail and muscular definition, a lot more so than many of the Showa films. They were just too big and bulky for the suit actors to easily translate their movements through. Godzilla vs Space Godzilla's Godzilla suit had bettter represented musculature in the legs than the suit from Godzilla vs King Ghidorah, which had the thigh area wobbling with each step the monster took. talk about looking "fat". Compare that to Godzilla walking along the beach in GvsSG. The actor was actually able to extend the monster's legs into more than just the usual Heisei baby steps.

[Rody]

Those are good points; but I still think the suits were excessively bulky.

[Goji]

Meh, as far as I'm concerned, the '91 land suit still looks better (more menacing, better teeth and eyes) than the '94 suit. I've never noticed this "excessive jigging" that the '91 suit supposedly suffers from. I'll have to keep an eye out for it next time.

[Ethan]

1991 Godzilla looks like he's done a lot of exercise. 1994 is on steroids.

[Biogoji89]

The Good:

1. Godzilla 1968/69/71/72

2. Godzilla 1974/75

3. Godzilla 1992

4. Godzilla GMK

The Bad:

1. Godzilla 1967

2. Godzilla 1993

3. Godzilla 1989 (I really dont like the way it looks. At certain angles it's outright hideous)

4. Godzilla 1955

Well I think 1989 is best but that's my opinion.
Well here's mine!
Good:
1.Godzilla 1989/91
2.Godzilla 73/74/75
3.Godzilla 1984(Some reason it looks cool to me.)
4.Godzilla 1955
Bad:
1.1967
2.1954
3.2000
4.2001

[Gyaos]

Wow Im actually surprised as to how many people have the 1954 suit on their list.

[CatfaceFourtoes]

Is it really that surprising? The shape of the monster is relatively well defined, they even attempted the illusion of musculature in the upper leg of the suit. I like how the arms were held to the torso of it. It made the creature look more saurian than some of the later Showa suits. The overhanging neck bobs just enough to give the illusion of life to the head as the monster ambles along in some matted shots.

The hands seemed to be held in a certain posture as well, giving them that restricted flexibility that most dinosaurs that walk on two legs have today. When put in the right lighting and darkness, it looks like some big creature, not an actor in a suit.