As part of the merchandising blitz for the 2023 movie Godzilla Minus One, the Tamashii Nations division of Bandai brought the design into the S.H. MonsterArts line with Yuji Sakai once again taking charge in the creation of the figure. Thanks to the incredible success of the movie and the resulting popularity of the design, Tamashii Nations has reissued the figure and done two variants of it, one in black and white and one with the monster’s dorsal fins turning blue and its atomic heat ray effect piece (first run productions of this specific version that were released only in Japan even had a small J7W1 Shinden model as seen in the movie, along with the atomic breath that came with the version released at San Diego Comic Con). Bandai would re-issue the main figure in early 2025.
Details
The sculpt is excellent with excellent skin detail to show the monster’s scales resembling radiation scars, as well as the scar on its face from the mine blast in the movie. The main concern is the dorsal fins, in that they should have put a bit more material and mass to strengthen them. The way they look right now, being so thin, makes one think that they can easily break. The eyes do have some misalignment, although it is hidden unless one carefully looks directly at the face of the figure.
Articulation
The articulation for the figure allows it to replicate a good amount of the action as seen in the movie. The main points of articulation are the arms, hands, and legs with lesser articulation in the toes, head, neck, tail, and upper chest. The tail is mostly stable but a little loose in its attachment to the body.
Accessories
No accessories.
Paint
The paint is a mix of different shades of brown with lighter sections to indicate the scars the monster received from the Operation Crossroads atomic bomb test. The paint for the lower teeth is fine, but the upper teeth are less well defined in terms of paint. For the eyes, the color is in a mix of hazel with a black iris in the center.
Overall
The figure is a good representation of Godzilla as he looked in the movie Godzilla Minus One. Still, it is somewhat pricey considering that it did not come with any extras. Later reissues of the figure are reported to have made improvements to the paint and the alignment of the eyes.
**Below are bonus images of the figure.**
Rating:  |
|
