Godzilla 1964 is the first in the S.H. MonsterArts line, a "high end" lines of figures intended for the more hardcore collector/stop motion animation enthusiasts, from the Showa series and also the smallest Godzilla in the line (NOT counting Godzilla Junior here). How does he stack up? Read on.
In terms of design, since the reveal of the figure, Godzilla 1964 has been the most controversial figure to date due to the size and the "triangle articulation" on the hips, and the gap between the upper and lower dorsal plates on the back of the figure which can been seen in the side view. As seen in this photo from site contributor Michal Shipman, the dorsal plate issue is solvable with some finagling. The "triangle articulation" while odd looking does have a function which I'll get to later in the review. It is odd looking, sure, but once you have the figure in your hands, you don't notice it.
The size of the figure is smaller than the other Godzilla's in the MonsterArts and is meant to match the size of Godzilla as he was in the 1964 film. This didn't bode well with some fans who feel that the size should be bigger. To be honest, I'm not sure where I stand on this issue. It'd be nice if the figure was a little bigger (he's only 5 ½ inches tall) but I get what Tamashii nations is going for (although, adjusted for size based off the height of Godzilla in the film he would only be 3 inches tall. The solution seems to be rather than having a dinky figure in this line, they upped the height-this is my guess anyway.) With that said, onto the figure!
Godzilla 1964 has a very interesting feel to him. It's rough to the touch and you can almost feel some of the finish ribbing off on your hands. He's hollow in the torso yet has a bit of weight in the mid section for articulations' sake. I like the heft it gives this figure. He's great looking as well and is a beautiful rendition of a classic version of Godzilla.
For the paint job, Bandai and Tamashi Nations did a very nice job with the dark charcoal grey skin and grey/black back plates adding to the nostalgia of the piece. There are vibrant bursts of green on his chest and knee caps which look great in contrast with his dark yellowish claws on his foot. Godzilla 1964's signature "eyebrows" are here as well and they look great. What really stands out to me is the level of accuracy with the eyes. They're painted, but covered with a piece of translucent plastic to emulate how the eyes looked on the suit. It's a fantastic touch!
Godzilla 1964 has quite a bit in the way of articulation. As noted above, the "triangle articulation" on the hips is the result of trying to increase character moveability, as they make Godzilla's legs more pose able in an outward position which seems to help if you want to move him forward or backwards. As usual, Godzilla's mouth opens and closes and his head can rotate from side to side (although it leaves a gap in the neck depending on how far you go). The joints in the legs and arms CAN move but maybe it's just my figure but I feel like they're going to break if I move them too much because they're so stiff. If you move the figure too much, he'll pop apart. I've had both the torso come off and the same with the tail. It's not that big of a deal since you can just pop the pieces back into place. The tail has some REALLY nice articulation and it goes to the second to last section of the tail. It's really well done.
There are NO accessories with Godzilla 1964 at all and this seems to be an ongoing theme with the newer entries in the S.H. MonsterArts line which is rather disappointing. The incubator with Mothra's egg from the film for example would have been a cool accessory to include but nope, it's just the box and Godzilla 1964 inside. To be fair, the box itself looks nice, with a close up shot of the suit the toy is based on; the box can be viewed to the right, and thanks goes to contributor Andrew Nguyen for the snap shot!
Now, I would like to close this review with a bang, and what better way than with a stellar articulation walkthrough from site contributor Michal Shipman:
Overall, I like Godzilla 1964. It is a little weird for me to see him so small when next to Burning Godzilla. Like I stated earlier, I'm on the fence with the size issue. I can see both sides of the argument. This does not deter from the sculpt being top notch and it's a must if you're a fan of the Showa series or the design in general since this version of Godzilla is considered to be iconic. I really hope that we see more from the Showa series in the future!
