With San Diego Comic Con 2025 upon us, so is a new S.H. MonsterArts Godzilla event exclusive!
Details
Godzilla 2023 is a mix of the 3D files and sculptor Yuji Sakai’s own additions (as noted here in this interview) and the result makes for a very cool looking figure. Godzilla’s face looks especially sinister here. There’s just something unsettling about the expression and it makes me think of the same expression Godzilla had when he was chasing the boat in Godzilla Minus One. The real standout here are the scales. Deep grooves into the figure combined with the sculpt work which really makes it look like a heavier figure than it really is. The backplates are the highlight though. They look really cool and are also REALLY sharp so be careful when handling the figure!
Articulation
Godzilla’s head can move up and down, but not very much. He can’t look straight up. He can look down but not very far. The arms and legs are the usual fare - Godzilla can bend at the elbows (although not fully extendable because of the elbow bone spike design) and the hands arms, and legs can all rotate 360 degrees. The toes can move up and down (for the reason why, check out the interview link above). Godzilla’s chest can move side to side slightly. Godzilla’s torso, if you move it too far, can pop off but can easily be popped back on. The tail is articulated almost down to the tip, and it holds its pose. Be careful when you move the tail around as the section near the end or it will pop off and, like the torso, can be popped back on with no problem.
Accessories
Godzilla comes with a beam, and it looks really cool. The sculpt reminds me of one of the early beams from years back as it has a bit of a spiral sculpt around the beam. The stand is the basic stand with the base plate and flexible joint with the hole in the top to insert the beam into. The color looks ok as I would have preferred a bit more of a white paint blend fade into the translucent blue color. It still looks awesome, though.
Paint
The paint is the real star of the show here, especially the clear backplates that have this swirling electric bluish paint effect, which looks really cool. Going down the back from the back of the head to the end of the tail, the white paint mixes in very well with the blue backplates. Inside Godzilla’s mouth is a lighter shade of blue, especially on the tongue. The white paint on the teeth looks great and on the lower jaw, there’s almost a mix of metallic paint on the teeth and on the lower jaw. This no doubt is to add to the beam effect. For the body, brown paint is mixed in to give the sculpt texture and it works really well, especially with the chest and claws. Finally, the eyes are painted perfectly here. Just an eclectic blue spot of paint for each pupil with no paint runoff. It really adds to Godzilla’s evil look.
Overall
This is a pretty great release and I’m very happy with it overall. I’m a big fan of the design and how great the backplates look.
***NOTE: This figure is currently a SDCC exclusive so if you’re at the show, you can pick it up at the Godzilla Booth (#3345) and the Tamashii Booth (#3329). It MAY also be available at the Tamashii Nations Store New York, post SDCC 2025 event locations, and Premium Bandai USA website, along with other official events***
**Below are bonus images of the figure.**
Rating:  |
|
