Love it or hate it, the 1998 GODZILLA remake has proven to be an essential part of the franchise. Without it, it is very well we may have never gotten the millennium era and it is very hard to say what the series would have turned out like without it. It’s an interesting “what if” scenario to think about. However, it did happen. And there were a lot of merchandise for it. When people think of 1998 GODZILLA toys, they generally think of the Trendmasters line. Some fans (including myself) have wished that a company like Bandai would release a standard vinyl figure of this creature. Chances are, it will never happen. Thankfully, there is a figure that is often looked over that can fill the void a little bit. That figure is the Yutaka Real Hero Series Godzilla.
Details
This figure stands at the short stature of four inches. Thus, it is undersized compared to your typical vinyl figures. However, this monster is generally depicted as being shorter than most kaiju so this size seems to fit when standing amongst its Japanese kaiju cousins. It also scales very well with Revoltech figures and Bandai’s Ultra 500 figure line (the kaiju anyway, the heroes are a bit too tall). While it would be nice to have a more traditionally sized figure, this is what will have to do for now..
For a smaller figure, it is sculpted pretty nicely. There’s a decent amount of detail throughout it with nice texture lines and scales. Even its spines, while smooth, have various tips and edges branching out.
Accessories
Godzilla comes with no accessories.
Articulation
The figure doesn’t have all that much articulation, with only its arms and legs able to rotate. Its tail, while a separate piece, isn’t suppose to rotate but it can be muscled to do so.
Paint
The paint job could be a bit better, but for a figure this small (and cheap), it’s hard to complain. The base color is a dull grayish brown. The eyes are cleanly painted an orange color and it has a lighter shade of a creamy color on its chest running down its stomach. The back and spines are a very nice metallic blue and the best looking part of the figure. While not film accurate at all, this blue gives it the appearance that it’s about to fire a blast of atomic fire (something it actually doesn’t have the power to do in the film). This blue continues down its tail before fading at the tip. The paint could have been better with some highlights here and there, shading, and painted claws, but what we got isn’t that bad. It may not be accurate, but it could have been a lot worse.
Overall
In the end, if you want a figure of Godzilla ’98 (or Zilla, GINO, or whatever other name you want to call this iteration of the character) that isn’t Trendmasters and can fill a gap in your vinyl collection, this is your guy. He generally goes for $20-$25 now days and is packaged in a blister card. I do prefer Trendmasters figures over this, but it doesn’t stand out nearly as much as a Trendmasters one when put with Bandai’s line.
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