Originally released in December 2014, this reissue of King Ghidorah 1968 from X-Plus is not only the first X-Plus vinyl statue review here on Toho Kingdom but also a stellar release all around. Part of the "Toho Daikaiju Series", sometimes noted as "Toho Large Monsters Series", this release is a brilliant sculpt of one of my favorite monsters in the Godzilla franchise.
Details
Modeled after the King Ghidorah design from Destroy All Monsters (1968), the sculpt is meant to be "suit accurate", aside from a couple of liberties taken here and there. By that it's meant to emulate the actual suit used during filming. For example, in the Back View photo, you can see the slit in which the suit actor would climb inside the suit.
The heads and tails are bent at the appropriate areas to simulate where a wire might have been used to move said neck and tails for performance while filming. The position of the heads also gives the statue a dynamic flavor. The left head snakes out with its mouth open, ready to strike. The middle head glares down with a menancing gaze. Finally, the right head has a more nuetral forward stare. The end result is that each is doing something different and plays into the chaotic nature of the character.
The wings are separated in the box and in order to attach them, the instruction booklet suggests (and this is what I had to do in order to attach them) using a hair dryer to soften the areas so that the wings can attach securely. They're quite large and VERY delicate, due the their being made from ABS plastic, so be careful when handling them. After attaching them, there will be a minor gap between the wing and the base of the body. However, it's not very noticeable, unless one is looking for it, although if the gap seems too large it's probably because the wings were not attached all the way... which was my problem the first time.
The pose itself is really interesting because it seems like it's meant to show King Ghidorah in a dramatic pose with the left foot slightly off center as if he is about to take a step forward. The scales on this statue REALLY stand out and are just beautiful. With the combined weight of the three-headed monster, which is three pounds, feel great to the touch too. The horns on the heads are also a little delicate so be careful when handling. The mane on the necks also look really cool. I do wonder what it would look like if they thinned out some of the vinyl and made it more "fur like" like it is in the films but that seems like it would run the risk of getting broken during shipping.
One final note on the design, is that the statue even has the folds of the suit and seams (which you don't really notice unless you look for them) emulated in the sculpt. Awesome level of detail! King Ghidorah stands approx 18 inches from foot to wing tip and the wing span is just over 24 inches. This is a pretty big figure!
Articulation
Being a statue, King Ghidorah has no articulation.
Accessories
This release comes with no accessories.
Paint
The paint on the three-headed monster is pretty cool and I haven't found any blemishes or mistakes whatsoever. The eyes are painted red with a black pupil. The teeth are all individually painted gold and the mouth and tongues have a nice, and perfectly painted rose-ish red color to them. The manes are a mix of brown and gold. I'm not sure why the mix and at first I thought it was a paint blemish but after inspecting all three manes, it seems to be intentional. The toes have a cool fade of black and gold which looks outstanding!
For the body, King Ghidorah is somewhat of a dulled dirty gold here. There is good attention to detail even in this, as there is a slight range to the spectrum. This is appreciated as it would have been all too easy to paint it a solid color that would have looked off. As an added benefit, the colors also contrast nicely with the more golden wings.
Overall
While it's a pricey statue running over $400, it's clearly aimed at hardcore collectors. It's a thing of beauty and photos really don't do it justice. I've always heard that X-plus statues can be a VERY expensive addition and now I can see why. The level of love and care that has gone into this statue is astounding and it was a real joy to review. It's a glorious representation of King Ghidorah and if you have the means, I very highly recommend purchasing him while you can. The figure can be found on a number of online stores as well, although sometimes with different names like "Godzilla Vs. King Ghidorah Kaiju Ghidorah 18" Figure", "'TOHO Kaiju' King Ghidorah Vinyl Figure" and "Godzilla 8" Toho Kaiju Figure - Ghidorah".
**Additionally, I've taken a few artistic photos of King Ghidorah and have included them here to show off not only how great he looks on camera but also a small portion of just how much creativity can be inspired from shooting photos of him. Some of these images use color filters for added effect, such as this stunning version of the three-heads. These images that do use a filter are noted below. Also, for the curious, I've included shots of King Ghidorah in the box (here is the front of the box itself as well) and the instruction booklet.**
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