Kong makes his second appearance in the S.H. MonsterArts line and it’s nice to see him again! Now, let’s dig into this release!
Details
Kong’s sculpt isn’t taken from the digital files as Godzilla is, but instead is a new sculpt by an animal sculptor named Shinzen Takeuchi, so it’s a little stylized while keeping the best it can to be screen accurate. The sculpt is awesome. The fur is sculpted expertly and it’s extremely detailed and the chest scar looks great. If there’s one thing I’m not crazy about it’s the “relaxed” face. While the work is awesome and the eyes look great, Kong’s expression just makes him look bored. I like the included angry face better. It’s more dynamic and I feel that it’ll be the one most people choose when they put this figure on display.
Articulation
Kong is very poseable with a wide range of articulation. The hands and feet can both move in the usual 360 degrees but what’s cool is how the legs and arms have more articulated parts for more poses. Kongs head can rotate 360 degrees but doesn’t move side to side so he’s rather limited there. His chest can move up and down and side to side, but when you’re posing him that way, do take note to be careful because moving the hip area is a little fragile. The tongue on the roaring head is articulated too (meaning you can lift it up and down with a pair of tweezers). The head(s) can move in a 360 degree motion and up and down a little. What’s really cool is that the middle of the feet is articulated to allow for better posing which can make for some great shots if you’re into toy photography. I did some experimenting with poses but couldn’t quite get the “all fours” pose down. Thankfully, the https://shma-articulationseries.com/ page sent over these handy instructions to get the pose just right.
Accessories
Where the set really shines is with the accessories. Kong has an axe, four different types of hands, and 2 heads (one angry and one relaxed). The axe, however, is the real centerpiece of the accessories. There have been replacement hands, etc. before but an axe? That’s pretty awesome! The axe handle is smoothed out and it actually has a good bit of weight to it. I like the detail on the wrapping and the paint fade from brown to light brown on the lower part of the handle (bone). The paint on the backplate could have been a tad better because the paint doesn’t go to the edge. It does look cool however with the metallic silver over the dark blue color. As far as the rest of the accessories go, the hands are pretty cool and supply a variety of different expressions when attached. They’re easy to pop on and off as well, which is nice. Kong comes packaged with the relaxed head attached (which I’m also including that as an accessory), and the angry expression head - which looks way cooler, but if there’s a nitpick, it’d be that I think that the eyes should be more crazy looking. I think it’d help portray a more dynamic face. For the hands, you have flat open hands, knuckle hands, tight fist and grip hands. With the grip hands, you have to open them up slightly and put the axe in there if you open the hand up.
Paint
Kong has various shades of brown and bits of whitish wash across his body, which makes for some nice detail. The black paint used for his face is especially nice and the paint job on the eyes is just immaculate. The brown “slash wound” blends nicely with the dark brown on the chest. The mouth looks great with the rose colored paint job in there with no problems. The teeth on the angry head have a couple of blemishes, but you’d kinda have to look to spot them. The feet and hands are a dark brown, which look great.
Overall
It’s nice to see Kong return to the line after so long (here’s hoping Kong 62 makes an appearance in the future). I enjoyed just how fully loaded the figure is with the axe and extra head and hands, and just how many poses can be pulled out of him. Definitely recommended for newcomers and collectors!
**Below are a number of bonus images of the figure.**
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Addendum: Kong 2021 -Exclusive Edition-
With a new “damaged” chest piece and new accessories, Kong from Godzilla vs. Kong is back for his third release (original glossy sculpt and re-release-less glossy) as an Event Exclusive.
Details
It’s largely the same figure with the exception of the mold having much more gloss on it than the previous releases and more damage markings on the chest to symbolize Godzilla giving Kong a brutal beat down near the end of the film. I like that Tamashii added this little feature.
Articulation
Refer to the previous review for articulation impressions and instructions.
Accessories
Now this is why this set exists! The new Kong head sculpt looks fantastic, and like the others can be popped off and on due do it being on a ball joint. There are five new hand effects parts for this set, three right hand and two left hand, and it seems like the only holdovers from the last set are the ones where Kong can hold the Tomahawk and the closed fists. They look great and it’s nice to see that more effort was put in to make the set more of a must have.
The Axe (labeled as a “Tomahawk” now in the instructions) comes with its own attachable effects part. It looks cool, but can be kind of a pain to apply. What you have to do is separate the part into two pieces, then lay the Tomahawk on top of one side, and then snap the other piece onto the Tomahawk so it snaps together. It looks really cool when it’s all set together.
The three small HEAV’s that come with this set remind me of the helicopters that came with Godzilla Junior a few years ago. The jets on the side have 360-degree articulation, which is a nice bonus. They attach via the holes in the bottom onto the plastic pegs on the three wired stand accessory. The wires are bendable so you can pose them how you like. I really like effects parts like this and wish that more releases would come with things like this. Imagine how cool it’d be to get even the most standard Godzilla release with jet accessories in this manner.
Finally, the coolest accessory is the MechaGodzilla head. It looks pretty great and I love the detail on the neck. What’s nice to see is the laser at the center of the mouth, which was missing from MechaGodzilla’s release. It IS possible to remove the head from the neck piece as the head is placed on there via ball joint. You can then take the head and put it on the MechaGodzilla release so you can at least have a head with the laser. Using a putty called Bluetack will allow you to do this effectively. While it’s a “quick fix” for some, maybe another MG will be released at some point in the future with a head with laser and effect part.
Paint
The paint on Kong is a mixed bag. While the chest looks great with its dark red/brown “Godzilla scars”, there are these reddish-brown splotches on the body meant to emphasize the battle damage. They’re randomly placed and hard to notice unless you go in for a closer look, and they don’t really add anything to the figure. The paint on the faces is ok, and a little muddled here and there which isn’t a big deal. I do like how the Tomahawk handle has more detail this time around. The blade itself has a brighter blue paint color, too. I like it better by comparison to the first release.
Overall
This is a pretty cool release and, in some respects, is what the first release should have been if it could have included the HEAV’s at least. BUT, you’d have fewer options with the hand accessories. The amount of diorama options for this set is staggering to say the least. If you have the first set, you’d have even more options for some great diorama shots!
As for how to buy this set, currently it is set for purchase at San Diego Comic Con 2022. Click here for instructions on how to get it!
**Below are a number of bonus images for the figure.**
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