For my
first "non-toy" collectible review, I'm
going with a possibly contraversial one. Bootlegs
and knock-offs are something a lot of fans are passionate
about one way or another. On one hand, for many
years bootlegs of Godzilla VHS tapes were the only
way to see the Big G's 90's adventures, and if you
don't care about value, there are bootlegs of various
Godzilla toys in varying quality available. On the
other hand, opponents of such items claim they decrease
the value of geniune collectibles, and can prevent
actual licensed items from coming to market.
This particular item is interesting because unlike
most other Godzilla knock-offs, this was actually
legally released and available in retail stores....though
I suspect Toho knew nothing about it. Or perhaps
I'm just seeing a resemblance where there truly
isn't one, and "Flamezilla" is an entirely
original creation.
Ahem.
I found this on the shelves of Spencer's Gifts
about 2 years ago, in the back of the store, past
the fluffy handcuffs and pasta shaped like genitals.
It's about 9 inches high (the lamp, you degenerates,
not the genital pasta), with a 7 inch long light
coming from the mouth. The first thing I noticed
about "Flamezilla" is that, especially
for a knock-off, it bares a great resemblance to
the 1990's Godzilla, even moreso than some official
Godzilla products I've seen. I seriously have no
idea how this came to market without a lawsuit.
Anyway, Godz-....err....FLAMEzilla is depicted rising
up from the sea and firing an atomic blast into
the air. Much like Godzilla's breath, the bulb is
colored blue, so the lamp looks pretty cool even
when turned off.
I must complain, however, that when turned on the
"lightning" effect inside the bulb turns
it a rather pinkish-purple color. Then again, this
clearly is NOT "Godzilla" so, why would
I quibble about coloring? Purple's fine!
"Flamezilla" comes in a colorful cardboard
box. The front of the box pictures the lamp, turned
on, with the phrases "Terror Beyond Imagination!"
"He Breathes FIRE" and "From The
Depths of the SEA", showing soldiers firing
at Flamezilla while a crowd of (oddly all caucasian)
people run from him. The back of the box states
"Oh no....there goes Tokyo!! Up from the depths
of the ocean floor, the great beast FLAMEZILLA is
awoken from his slumber. Pity the folly of mankind
as the flaming behemoth wreaks havoc and mayhem
upon the hapless city. Don't walk...RUN for your
life!"
All in all, this was a neat little find. Though
it won't light up a room, it looks cool enough when
turned on, or even turned off. I can't really fault
it for being a knock-off, as as far as I know, no
one's released an official Godzilla lamp stateside,
and after all, this isn't "Godzilla" we're
talking about, it's "Flamezilla". If you're
interested in tracking one down, I see him frequently
on eBay. It originally retailed for $29.99 which
I feel is a reasonable price. The only faults I
can find with the product are the color the bulb
turns when lit up, and I can't help but wish for
some sort of audio functions as well...hell, 99%
of the toy dinosaurs out there steal Godzilla's
roar, why not this too? Minor complaints aside,
it's a cool collectable.
Rating:  |
|