Besides the typical Godzilla, if there is one figure that was extremely common in this line, it is Trendmaster's 3” scale Mecha-King Ghidorah. Not only could this figure be squired in various two packs, but was also found in both versions of the 40th anniversary sets, the 40th anniversary repaint set and could also be found packaged in both large and small versions of the Battle in New York City play sets. Thus, it seemed everyone had this toy back in the day.
And, going back memory road once more, was also my first exposure to the character. For years, up until about 1997 when I was only nine, I believed the toy was just an offshoot. An original creation by the company until I found pictures of the actual movie incarnation on Barry's Temple of Godzilla during my first adventures of internet surfing. Just about a year later, the film was released by Tristar on VHS and the rest is history.
So how does this figure stand out...?
Details
Like the regular Ghidorah figure, Mecha-King Ghidorah's three heads can all be removed. The tails need attached and the wings are glued in place. The sculpt detail on the flesh is just as well done as the completely organic version of the monster while the mechanical parts are nice and smooth. The wings are patterned like solar panels and feel nice to the touch. While the teeth on the organic heads are nice and pronounced, the inner mouth of the mechanical head seems a bit dull.
The wings are made of a softer, more flimsy material feeling almost like rubber.
I feel it should be noted that while Mecha-King Ghidorah scales decently with the rest of the three inch line, the Godzilla that it is packaged with, alongside the city and military accessories in the Battle of New York City play sets, are way too large to scale with it. The cyborg isn't even up to Godzilla's neck in this play set.
Articulation
Mecha-King Ghidorah's three heads can all rotate and be removed.
Accessories
Once more, depending on how you squire this figure you would get a trading card along with it. The info on the card detailing its history is pretty spot on, but the card does go on to list the cyborg as having a “Super Missile” in its mouth. As we know, the cyborg did not display any such weapon in the film.
Paint
Going over both paint schemes for the cyborg, I'll start with the basic. The organic parts are given the same dull, gold color as the regular version. The mechanical parts a silver color and the interior parts of the wings are bronze. The insides of the organic jaws are red with the teeth sharing the same, creamish color as the claws on the feet. The eyes are red except for the green eyes of the robotic head. The robotic head could really use some better paint, at least on the interior of the jaws. Strangely, the collars at the base of the organic heads, along with the metallic tips of the tail, remain unpainted and actually take away from the figure's look once you notice it.
The special repaint color scheme changes Ghidorah's iconic gold color to jet black. The mechanical parts are now given a blue hue, contrasting the black very nicely. The red eyes on the organic heads really stand out now, but the green eyes of the cybernetic head are barely noticeable now. Strangely, the claws on the feet are now unpainted and remain black while the mechanical tail tips are now properly painted. The solar panel wings are now also repainted black.
Overall
I'm fairly sure that I had at least a half a dozen of these figures growing up. I'm not sure why Trendmasters made their Mecha-King Ghidorah the most common and easy figure to acquire besides their three inch Godzilla, but they did. It's not a bad figure by any means, and if it had just a little bit more paint detail, it could have been the best. The special color repaint is also exceptionally well done and I really wish we would have gotten a jet black, regular Ghidorah to go with it.
**Below are several bonus images, including some alternate views and size comparisons.**
Rating:  |
|
