Name
 Battra Larva: S.H. MonsterArts
Version Source
 Godzilla vs. Mothra
Company: Bandai / Tamashi Nations
Extras: Mothra Larva
  Order
Classification: Figure Reissue: No
Release: 2014 Height: 18 centimeters
Comments
Chris Mirjahangir

Battra's second appearance in the S.H. MonsterArts line has him in his larva form. Bundled with Mothra in her larva form, these two were sold as a set as a web exclusive. How is this figure? Let's find out!

Side View
Design wise, Battra sure is a sight to behold. The figure just looks mean with its many legs, spikes, and fly-like eyes. The translucent yellow horn on top of the head stretches down behind the eye and in the right like it looks really cool as do those awesome red eyes. Battra has some weight to him and has a nice feel to the figure. It's a nice sturdy plastic and with all the spikes on the body, you'd think that they would be sharp to the touch as is the norm for most figures in this line but they're not which actually is quite refreshing.

For accessories, Battra comes with no accessories which is a shame. It would have been cool to have eyebeam and horn effects. Well... no accessories unless one counts the Mothra Larva, which is bundled with it.

Bottom View
The paint on Battra is really strange. On my figure, what should be yellow is a deep orange and yet, when you take a picture of it, most cameras, due to the white balance function, will adjust the orange to yellow thus making it film accurate. In the photos I took, my white balance was such that the orange comes through so you can see what you might actually be buying as opposed to seeing a photo where the orange parts are yellow and when you get the figure, you think that the paint was messed up. It was my initial reaction anyway and I still can't think of a reason why it just wasn't painted yellow to begin with. For the rest of the paint, it's spotty but is good overall. The blending from black to dark yellow on the legs looks really cool and I like how great the paint looks on the stinger. Great job there. The paint application on the rest of the figure looks like it was quickly painted with tons of portions where paint should be is left untouched. It's a shame because had the figure had been correctly painted, it really would have pushed it on over to the awesome level.

Tail View
For articulation, Battra's head can move up and down and also be locked in both those positions due to a feature on the neck that allows you to lock the head in place. The mouth can open and the little mandible surrounding it can be moved back and forth. The upper legs can rotate in a circular pattern and so can the lower legs. The lower legs are a tiny bit different. They have the same range of motion but the "claw" or "nail" piece can rotate independently. I'm not sure what purpose this serves but it's an interesting option.

The back part of the figure is the most interesting. All of the sections are independent of each other and have just enough articulation to get some cool poses which I like. The stinger at the end of the figure rotates 360 degrees. I don't know why it does this. Tamashii probably figures "why not?" and added it.

Overall, confusing paint color and so-so paint application aside, Battra is a pretty cool figure. The sectioned leg area on the back of the figure is pretty cool and feels interesting to the touch. Hold the figure in the palm of your hand and you'll see what I mean. This is also a figure that screams "I'm photogenic!" with the translucent horn and awesome red eyes. He comes packaged with Mothra Larva and is no doubt a HUGE part of the price. Recommended.
Rating: Star Rating