Although Neca’s Godzilla 2019 is a cool looking figure, it just goes to show that a little lack of quality control can have a bit of a undesired effect on a figure.
Details
For the design, Godzilla does look pretty cool and was made from the actual 3D model from the film. The back plates are not as deadly as the previous Godzilla 2014 version but they still are somewhat sharp so be careful when handling the figure. The sculpt itself has some good weight to it and I like the attention to detail on the scales on the figure. It's also nice that the feet got fixed for this version as the figure looks more menacing.
Articulation
All the usual things are here with Godzilla being able to bend the arm of the elbows, the hands moving at 360°, the head can move from side to side and actually you can make it go 360° if you so desire. The jaw can move up and down and can open just enough to see the tongue. The tail is something that you have to do the hair dryer trick for (putting the hair dryer close to the ball joint at max heat for about 30 seconds before you pop it in). There's an instruction sheet that comes with the figure that says to dip it in warm water for 20 seconds but I didn't find that to be very helpful. Once you pop the tail on, it should stay on and has a nice range of articulation. The feet can move the usual 360° and the figure can have the legs move 360 degrees. Godzilla can also do the splits slightly. The legs also bend at the knees and at the waist (360° rotation), which is great for dynamic poses.
Accessories
For accessories, Godzilla doesn't come with any. A beam effect would have been cool but NECA decided not to go that route this time.
Paint
For the paint, Godzilla is in a nice greenish sort of wash over the body and it's more prominent in the chest area and not so prominent on the arms, so it almost looks like he's wearing a sleeveless vest. The paint applied to the toenails is mostly well done with a couple blemishes here and there, but you really have to try and find them. The painted fingernails do look really nice. The inside of the mouth, that's a nice rose-colored sort of paint job in the tongue looks great as well. The teeth are done pretty well with no sort of blemishes or mist paint applications. The biggest problem and this is what changes the figure entirely: the paint with the eyes. They are so sloppily done that it takes the character from looking menacing to straight up goofy. One eye is looking downwards almost like it's racked with guilt and the other eye on the other side makes the figure look like it's unsure of itself. It's amazing how much personality can be brought to a figure which is supposed to be menacing just by moving the pupils around and giving it an almost comedic effect.
Overall
Overall, NECA's Godzilla 2019 is a great figure for the collection, especially when combined with the other two monsters in this line for the Monsterverse, Mothra and Rodan. If you're a fan of the character, definitely pick this one up - just hope that you got a better paint job on the eyes than I did!
**Below are a number of bonus images, including some close-up shots of the body and eyes.**
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Addendum: Godzilla 2019 V2 12" Head to Tail
NECA’s Godzilla 2019 Version 2 is a repaint of the first with release with a beam and splash effect-and it looks pretty cool! Since those are the differences, I’ll just concentrate on those for this review addendum.
Accessories
Two effects parts are included here in the form of a beam effect and a blast effect. The blast effect is pretty cool looking with its mix of blue and white translucent paint. The effect itself has a indentation in the middle to act like a balance for the beam (primarily blue with a white tip). It works OK and with the beam itself I had to do a little bit of adjusting when putting the beam in Godzilla’s mouth to get the proper effect. Godzilla’s jaw didn’t as open as wide as it should to fit the beam but as you can see in the photos, in the end, it all worked out fine.
Paint
This figure SHINES in the paint department. The cool electric blue paint mixed with white give the figure this almost other worldly look to it. The backplates look great and I love how they fade into the paint on the legs with white lines spilling out down the thigh area. The eyes look awesome and the paint is applied nicely here and along the jaw and throat area to simulate the light from the beam accessory.
Overall
I like this release quite a bit and I’m a sucker for the electric blue paint job on this release-especially the backplates. It’s a great figure to pick up if you like more of an “action piece” or if you’re just a fan of the line!
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Addendum 2: Godzilla 2019 V3 12" Head to Tail
Godzilla Version 3 (or Burning Godzilla - although the name is just “Godzilla”) on the box is the second repaint of Godzilla figure for the 2019 film and since I love most of the more crazier figure designs and this one is a real treat!
Design
The red translucent mold really makes the figure here (same mold as the previous two releases). Just look how cool it is when held up to the sun! I like how I can see the internal “bones” in the figure too.
Paint
The paint is the biggest focus on the figure and for the most part, it’s applied well enough. There are spots where there’s TOO much paint in the lower backplate area. The mix of orange and yellow I really like and the “seams” paint looks really cool as well. The orange eyes and teeth give the figure a pretty sinister look which I like. Opening the mouth does make it lose some of that effect however because of the white tongue and the orange paint in the mouth. It looks weird and doesn’t fit. The mix of black paint into the red mold really adds detail and it looks even better mixed in with the orange and yellow paint areas.
Overall
In case you didn’t know by now, I have a soft spot for the crazier figures like this. I’d love to recommend it but it’s an exclusive figure for Target stores in the US and some of them sell out VERY quickly. You can always buy one at an inflated price on Ebay and Amazon (currently $58 for a $23 figure) though!
If you can get your hands on it, it’s a great figure. I just hope that the Godzilla Target exclusivity is pulled back a little bit and more fans can get these figures so that they don’t have to turn to Ebay etc so quickly after the figure is released.
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