Put my kaiju-life story under a spoiler tab because it got... long.
Spoiler:
I've been fascinated with giant reptilian monsters since before I can remember - I was that kid who spoke only in unsolicited dinosaur facts. One of my earliest memories is of watching a clip of Godzilla '98 over and over at a trade show I was at with my dad and being gripped by the idea of a massive creature destroying a city. Actually seeing the film in its entirety was also probably the first time I experienced disappointment at the hands of a film, haha! I didn't like the humans and was rooting for GINO all the way through, only to be gutted when he and his offspring were killed. Luckily, the toys for the film were great and numerous and I developed a strong affinity for Godzilla (albeit a version the vast majority of fans despise).
I didn't engage with kaiju films again until I saw a trailer for Pacific Rim and was awed by the idea and visuals. I went on to see the movie and enjoy it beyond words; it remains my favourite kaiju film to this day. I started collecting the NECA Pacific Rim figures at this point and started lurking on these forums to stay up to date with those releases.
I was hyped for Godzilla '14, but it disappointed me in much the same way as Godzilla '98 (too much boring human drama, not enough monster fun - though I concede that what little we get of Godzilla in '14 far surpasses whatever they were going for in '98). Nevertheless, I love Legendary's thicc Godzilla design and also liked that Godzilla was in more of a hero role (I'm a sap and prefer him as a good guy, fight me). I picked up the NECA 24-inch figure of '14 Godzilla and eventually got MonsterArts' Spitfire release too.
I've spent the last few years building a small collection of MonsterArts Godzillas and have begun slowly making my way through the Japanese films (including '54, GMK, Shin Godzilla and the anime).
And that brings us to now! I'm currently in the stranglehold of hype for KOTM. Everyone around me is sick of hearing about it, but I can't stop, haha! Also on the verge of jumping into collecting the Deforeal line. I shouldn't... but I'm tempted.
Outside of kaiju stuff, I'm a Star Wars fan (I collect the Black Series line, certain Hot Toys and Darth Maul and Bossk merch), a Pokémon fan and a Monster Hunter fan. I also occasionally dabble in writing fiction and non-fiction.
I didn't engage with kaiju films again until I saw a trailer for Pacific Rim and was awed by the idea and visuals. I went on to see the movie and enjoy it beyond words; it remains my favourite kaiju film to this day. I started collecting the NECA Pacific Rim figures at this point and started lurking on these forums to stay up to date with those releases.
I was hyped for Godzilla '14, but it disappointed me in much the same way as Godzilla '98 (too much boring human drama, not enough monster fun - though I concede that what little we get of Godzilla in '14 far surpasses whatever they were going for in '98). Nevertheless, I love Legendary's thicc Godzilla design and also liked that Godzilla was in more of a hero role (I'm a sap and prefer him as a good guy, fight me). I picked up the NECA 24-inch figure of '14 Godzilla and eventually got MonsterArts' Spitfire release too.
I've spent the last few years building a small collection of MonsterArts Godzillas and have begun slowly making my way through the Japanese films (including '54, GMK, Shin Godzilla and the anime).
And that brings us to now! I'm currently in the stranglehold of hype for KOTM. Everyone around me is sick of hearing about it, but I can't stop, haha! Also on the verge of jumping into collecting the Deforeal line. I shouldn't... but I'm tempted.
Outside of kaiju stuff, I'm a Star Wars fan (I collect the Black Series line, certain Hot Toys and Darth Maul and Bossk merch), a Pokémon fan and a Monster Hunter fan. I also occasionally dabble in writing fiction and non-fiction.