The impact that Shin Godzilla had on the Godzilla franchise has been massive and few aspects of the franchise has benefited from this impact more than the merchandising. Godzilla's second form, known affectionately as Kamata-Kun, has been a runaway hit with collectors with companies putting out multiple interpretations of this version of Godzilla. Today we will be looking at the newest and possibly best version of Kamata-Kun yet, the Art Spirits Elite Hyper Solid Series Godzilla Second Form!
Before we begin the review I want to give a big thank you to Aiko Shoji for sending this figure in for a review!
Details
Let's start with the sculpt which is made from ABS and PVC and is over 10 inches long. It's hard to show in photographs, but I believe this piece was molded from clear materials as the fins, back, and even head appear to be translucent when exposed to light. This makes the fins and mouth of the figure really eye catching. This piece is tremendously well sculpted with floppy front limbs, wrinkles, bones sticking up from the hips, and vessels along the underbelly and tail. The figure is sculpted in a mid stride pose which gives the piece a sense of life and energy that wouldn't be possible in a static pose. This pose also contributes to my favorite aspect of the sculpt with the head and neck leaning to the left causing the gills on the neck to close shut on the left and open on the right. A small negative here is the presence of some obvious mold lines. One runs along the bottom of the figure, but because of the pose is very well hidden. However, the legs appear to be separate pieces that were put into the main body mold. The left leg isn't very noticeable, but the right one is.
Articulation
There are no points of articulation on Godzilla. It's a single solid piece meant for display purposes.
Accessories
Additionally, this figure comes with an accessory! A small plaque with the name Shin Godzilla written in red Japanese characters on a black board. This base for this plaque is sculpted to look like a pile of rubble left over from Godzilla's rampage. The effect is quite cool and I definitely plan to display it right alongside the figure!
Paint
Now on to the paint. The paint here is also really well done! I already mentioned the translucent fins and the paint on them is subtle enough to add color but allow light to shine through. The body is covered in a rich blend of dark green, brown and red. The back of the figure has a nice deep red wash over it that allows the translucent material to still shine. The eyes have the best paint work of the whole figure with a dull white eyeball, black pupil, and little shots of blood across the eyeballs. The weakest part of the paint work comes with the teeth which are fine for the most part but at one point on the top row the paint starts below the point where the teeth meet the mouth, leaving the base of the teeth the same color as the skin. Finally the entire figure is covered in this beautiful wash that gives Godzilla a wet look. It reflects light from all angles and adds so much life to the figure!
Overall
To conclude, Art Spirits has produced a terrific representation of one of the most memorable incarnations of Godzilla! It has its flaws and I do feel like the painting on the teeth and the seams could be improved. Perhaps these are issues that only my copy has. The price of 129.99 seems a little steep, however I can't imagine that there will be a better figure of this Godzilla design in the future, especially at this price point. This figure comes recommended especially if you're a fan of Shin Godzilla! 4 out of 5 stars!
**Below are several bonus images of the figure.**
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