Small Monsters. Big Characters.
Godzilla is no stranger when it comes to superdeformed toys. The Big G's personality has translated well to many a Japanese toy designed to capture his attitude rather than an accurate portrayal of his physical appearance. These kind of toys were hardly seen produced or marketed by western toy companies but Diamond Select Toys is seeking to change that with their Godzilla Vinimates Figures. The Vinimates series has been an ongoing line from Diamond for several years now and has included many licensed properties such as Marvel, The Muppets, and The X-Files.
Their entry into the Godzilla franchise consists of three releases. Godzilla 1954, Godzilla 1999, and MechaGodzilla 1974 and all three are done in an exaggerated and cartoonish style that is applied equally among the figures.
Details
I am really digging the designs for the figures. They look charmingly cartoonish in way that isn't mocking or cheapish. The closest comparative I have personally is with my Funko Pop Godzilla and I have to say out of the two designs I prefer Diamond's choices. I like that although the three figures share the same stance and pose I can tell the Godzilla designs are what drove the sculpting or designing of these figures rather than taking the same designs and forcing them into a preset figure.
Articulation
All three figures only have one point of articulation and that's in the neck. Godzilla 1954 and 1999 tail's come as separate pieces (MechaGodzilla's short tail makes the figure a complete whole) and are attached to a ball joint however the tails are really stuck on the joint and don't seem to be able to rotate. They were also rather difficult to attach. 1954's went on with a hard push but I had to break out the hairdryer to warm up 1999's tail before I could get it on. I would have appreciated some shoulder articulation as well but I recognize that these figures are an example of form over function so I'm going to focus on their style and paint applications.
Accessories
None.
Paint
The paint jobs look fantastic on all three of them! Godzilla 1954 is appropriately gray and subdued. MechaGodzilla is done in a nice silver with yellow eyes and even his "MG" arm stamps are replicated here! My personal favorite of them is Godzilla 1999. The green skin and vivid purple spines really make the figure pop in a very appealing way.
Overall
Over all I am very impressed with all three figures! These are a lot of fun to pick up and handle and I think they would really stand out on a collectors shelf next to your standard Bandai figures. I also think they would make terrific work desk decorations. The only thing I would look out for is to make sure the paint looks good in the box as my 1999 figure had some of his claw paint smudge off on the inside of the box.
**Below are a number of bonus images, including alternate views for each figure, and some of Godzilla 1999 in its box.**
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Addendum: Mechagodzilla 1974 (Shadow Version)
By: Chris Mirjahangir
As an addendum to this release, here’s a quick review of another version called “MechaGodzilla 1974 (Shadow Version)”, a figure exclusive to Halloween ComicFest 2019. For this review, I’ll call it “Shadow MechaGodzilla”.
Articulation
The only bit of articulation on Shadow MechaGodzilla is the head, which can move 360 degrees which is a bummer. The tail and arms do LOOK like they have articulation because of the grooves in the mold which is kinda confusing.
Paint
This is the whole reason to buy or why you bought the figure and it looks AWESOME. Reviewing this figure in October when the Halloween spirit is high is an added bonus because it fits right in with Halloween decorations. The black color mold with the silver outlined paint looks great! The paint application on the silver isn’t 100% however as there are a few blemishes here and there but I didn’t find it to be distracting. For the rest of the paint, the gold eyes give Shadow MechaGodzilla a real mysterious look which I really like. The “MG” paint on the arms looks great against the black of the mold and the red and yellow paint in their respective places look great too.
Overall
I obviously liked this figure a lot and it’s a cool repaint. I do wish that it had more articulation though. That aside, it’s a worthy addition to your collection!
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