It shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone who has read my prior reviews when I say that I am and have been a big fan of Hiya Toys and their Exquisite Basic Series line of figures based on the MonsterVerse incarnations of Godzilla, Kong, King Ghidorah, and many others. My appreciation for these figures has been shared by the fandom at large as well and after making a fantastic entrance with their MonsterVerse figures, it wasn't long before many fans myself included, began to wonder if or when Hiya would acquire the rights to the iconic Toho versions of Godzilla and his brethren. After much speculation, Hiya indeed announce their acquisition of the Toho License and that their first non-MonsterVerse figure of Godzilla would be based on the King of the Monsters's iconic design from the 1991 film Godzilla Vs. King Ghidorah and there would be both standard and atomic breath versions of him, the latter of which will be the topic of this review. Will their first Toho Exquisite Basic Series figure release be as impressive as their first MonsterVerse figure? Let's go right into it and find out!
Details
The sculpting on this figure is less detailed when compared with past Hiya figures, but this is due to the actual design of this Godzilla incarnation and not a drop in sculpting quality. The texture of Godzilla's skin is perfectly replicated here with the sides of the main body and legs sharing the same texture, while the front body and chest are sculpted to appear like scales. Even the smaller details are captured here with Godzilla retaining the multiple rows of teeth and even featuring sculpting details on the roof of Godzilla's mouth! There is a small hole that breaks up this sculpt in the mouth but that is where the included atomic breath piece is attached to the figure. Speaking of which, the atomic breath piece is also very well sculpted too. It is a brand new sculpt and is not a repackaging of any prior MonsterVerse Godzilla releases. The sculpt features multiple points, raised surfaces, and ends in a flared point, all of which serves to add a sense of motion to this piece that makes it very eye catching! Perhaps my favorite detail of the entire figure are the iconic blue "charging" fins that run along Godzilla's back and tail! While there appears to be some paint at work here particularly with the bone white tips of the fins, the majority of the effect of making them appear as if they were glowing blue is achieved by making or casting them in a blue translucent manner. This is wonderfully done and is my own personal favorite highlight of the entire figure!
Articulation
This is where the figure truly shines! To say the figure is incredibly well articulated would be a Godzilla sized understatement. This figure features a whopping 24 points of articulation in the tail ALONE! You can use these joints to twist and turn Godzilla's tail in any direction or angle all from the base of the tail to the very tip! The articulation across the rest of the figure is equivalent with Hiya’s prior MonsterVerse Godzilla figures so you can expect the same fantastic range of articulation in Godzilla's legs, torso, arms, and neck as well. One other aspect of this figure's articulation that I found particularly awesome is the range in the neck. If you wanted to have Godzilla blasting his atomic breath up in the air, the joints in the neck are strong enough to allow you to attach the atomic breath piece into the mouth and replicate this pose! The neck does lean slightly forward once you've taken your hands away, but it's not very noticeable. It's also remarkable that this figure is able to accomplish this feat without the use of an alternative head exclusively designed to hold the breath effect in place or an alternative neck piece to achieve Godzilla looking upwards as all prior Hiya MonsterVerse Godzilla figures required.
Accessories
This release only comes with 3 accessories and they include the titular atomic breath effect part as well as an additional pair of hands. The atomic breath effect looks fantastic as previously mentioned and is a standout. The two pairs of hands allow Godzilla to display his hands in a standard open handed manner while the second pair is sculpted with the fingers not quite closed but definitely closer to each other and in a more reptilian or animalistic manner as opposed to the almost human like pose of the first pair of hands. While I like both sets I do find the second pair to be more appealing and is therefore my default set of hands for this figure.
Paint
This particular era of Godzilla's history featured a design which is both iconic and one of the more color muted incarnations of the character and this figure appropriately features a more simple paint style to reflect this. While the paint details may be fewer in this release, they are all very well done, and it's the smaller details like Godzilla's eyes and teeth which truly make the paint job stand out.
Overall
I must confess that my initial reaction to this figure's announcement was dampened somewhat due to the great range of representation that this particular Godzilla design has received in recent years. This is a design which has been already covered by multiple companies such as Bandai, S.H. MonsterArts, NECA, Super7, and so many others. After so many great releases, I was curious if not concerned to see if Hiya would be able to leave as lasting an impact with their first Toho Godzilla as they had with their first MonsterVerse figure. I'm happy to report that Hiya has once again knocked it out of the park and exceeded my expectations! This figure was a fantastic way for Hiya to come out swinging with the classic Toho Godzilla license and is one that I strongly recommend to all collectors. Regardless of if this is your very first or simply the latest addition to your Hiya Godzilla collection, you cannot go wrong with this release!
**Below are bonus images of the figure.**
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