Before becoming the tallest Godzilla in the history of the franchise, this version of Godzilla Earth is how he briefly appeared during sequences of the first Anime Godzilla movie. Using 3D data from the film and with its creation overseen by staff of Polygon Pictures, this "limited first edition" figure brings the king of the monsters to life from animation to figure form.
Details
As the figure used 3D data from the movie, Godzilla Earth's body is as close to accurate to its on-screen counterpart as it can be. Every piece of its body is finely detailed, from the fiber-like markings across its abdomen to the tip of its pointed tail. The spines adoring the back of the figure are surprisingly sharp to the touch! While there are one or two areas where the spines meet the skin that appear haphazardly glued on, the rest of the leaf-shaped spikes mesh incredibly well with the rest of the figure. Godzilla Earth also has the showings of its trademark beard, though because this is the younger, smaller form, the "beard" is more like a small series of bumps beneath the chin.
Articulation
Compared to other entries in the S.H.MonsterArts line up, the way Godzilla Earth's body is segmented into articulated parts seems unique... for better or worse. Most monsters use rounded parts for their tails to allow for some flexibility in articulation. Here, due to the way the parts is designed, Godzilla Earth's tail can only lift an inch off the ground at the tip, if that. However, to compenstate, the tail has an incredible range of motion when curved from side to side, being able to turn the tail into a C shape and hold this pose with extreme ease. If you hang the tail over an edge, it can also be pointed nearly straight down even at the base!
Sadly, the rest of the body kind of pales in comparison to the tail, which definitely has the most amount of flexibility. While the legs can do the splits and are capable of rotating about 90 degrees forward and back in their sockets, from the knees down, there's barely any leeway with movement. The lower legs have almost nonexistent articulation, so they can never be made to stand truly straight and will always have a bend to them. While the feet can be adjusted up or down at a slight angle, they can barely be moved from side to side. There are also some rather unsightly gaps in the leg sockets even when standing in a more neutral pose, which appear much more noticeable than most other figures in this series.
The arms can be made to flap about 90 degrees, and can be rotated forward or backward with a fair amount of freedom at the shoulder sockets. The lower part of the arms can only flex about 45 degrees, and the hands can wiggle from side or side or up and down. One of the issues I ran into was less with the articulation, but with the shoulder pieces on both arms. There are shoulder "pads" that have a tendency to dislocate from their position and awkwardly slide around while trying to position the arms. If you're not careful, the pads can slip into the gaps of the shoulders, making for a rather miserable experience trying to pull them out so they can properly cover the upper arms.
Godzilla Earth's upper body can crunch forward and back a bit, but its ability to swivel from side to side is extremely limited. While the neck and head can be made so he can look down to the ground, he cannot lift his head to look straight up but instead just directly forward. Both the neck piece and head can turn from side to side about 45 degrees, while his jaw can open and close about 45 degrees. Strangely, his mouth cannot completely close, it will always keep just barely ajar so that his tongue is still visible.
Accessories
With this limited edition release comes a special card of Godzilla's initial concept design by Hiroyuki Seshita, one of the Anime Godzilla movie directors. Otherwise, no other accessories are included.
Paint
Godzilla Earth is coated in a very dark green paint, with some more noticeably light green touches applied to the knees and the tips of the spines. Depending on the environment the figure is displayed, the paint application is very difficult to discern, which makes it difficult to appreciate some of the highlights on the body if not placed under some kind of light source. It almost appears as charcoal black as Godzilla (Birth Version)! Other than the dark green covering the body, the eyes are a beady, glossy black, and the tongue is a strange metallic orange.
Overall
While the figure is extremely accurate in terms of sculpt, some points are lost due to the poor articulation with the arms and waist, and for the darker color scheme. I would honestly suggest going for the 2018 Godzilla Earth release as opposed to this one, if only for the follow up release's more vibrant paint job and accessories. Still, if you are able to find this Godzilla figure for a reasonable price and are a fan of the design, it may still be worth your while, if only for the fantastic sculpt and the crazy flexibility of the tail.
**Below are several bonus images of the figure.**
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