POP! Movies Godzilla

Funko POP! Movies Godzilla #239

Extras:	None
Type: Company: Release: Height: Reissue:	Figure Funko 2015 15 centimeters No
Source:	Godzilla

Review

Funko has carved a solid niche for themselves through releasing super deformed vinyl "POP!" figures. As the name might imply, the toys cover a minefield of pop culture, tackling sources as varied as The Wizard of Oz to Friday the 13th. Given the breadth of franchises covered, it's probably no surprise that the company ended up setting their sights on Godzilla. In fact, they have released a total of five Godzilla figures in this line... all of which are repaints of this toy. In the case of this review, I'm going to tackle the original, green version. This release offers a sturdy, kid friendly toy with some nice details, but a little too super deformed for my taste and with some odd paint choices made.

Front View

Details

Before diving into details, I should mention that this toy has been on my desk at work for almost a year. It took quite awhile of staring him in the face before realizing I should probably review the figure. As a result, excuse some of the photos which have my work desk in the background.

That said, let's dive into the review: this toy, packaging wise, is credited to the original King of the Monsters from Godzilla (1954). I'd say it looks more like the Heisei series, but given that it's got four toes and doesn't have the jagged spikes of most of the Millennium versions, a 1954 Godzilla is as good as any to credit it as.

Now one of the reasons I really like this toy, believe it or not, is thanks to his ability to grip things. As seen in the image to the right, he will often hold a pen in the office, and we scored a Godzilla sized foam rubber hand he usually brandishes as well. As a result to his holding ability, though, the toy is a bit of an office celebrity and is often incorporated into pranks (which usually means the defacing of a coworker's desk).

My personal experience aside, the design of the figure is detailed, if a little flawed in terms of its representation. One thing to praise is the high detail of the scales, which adds some nice texture to the figure. Given the size of this toy, which measures at 6 inches in height, the scales are large enough to be smooth to the touch as well. My main beef with the design, though... is that I just don't think it looks all that much like Godzilla in the face. Rather, it reminds me of a gremlin-like creature. Most of this is due to the eyes, though, which is a stylized choice for this line. Furthermore, looking at other figures that are part of POP! Movies, the same complaint could be had for many of them and their respective inspirations, so the point is probably moot for collectors of the line.

Accessories

There are no accessories to be found with this release.

Articulation

While the arms might look like they could offer some movement, sadly this toy features no articulation.

Paint

Side View

Paint wise, this figure is very simple. It's main body is covered in solid green color, likely related to the color of the mold. The spines on the toy are a slightly shiny silver. The paint is applied in a way that the base has a more green-to-silver gradient, giving it a bit of variety to the color scheme that an otherwise all silver dorsal fin wouldn't have given. The claws on the figure, both hands and feet, are an "eggnog" white (let's see how this comment dates this review when it's not the holiday period). The coloring of the claws is generally well done, a little on the boring side in execution but clean without any spill over to an unintended part of the toy.

This leads to the face of the figure, which in terms of the paint job there is the most to talk about. First to note are the all black eyes. For those unfamiliar with the line, this might feel like an odd creative choice for Godzilla. However, one of the trademarks of the POP! toys are the all black eyes. In fact, very few figures in the line don't have them, with only a few exceptions like Pennywise from IT and Regan from The Exorcist.

Drifting down to the mouth, the toy displays one of its major drawbacks. To be blunt, the coloring on the mouth is a wreck. The teeth are a solid "eggnog" white like the claws, but the transition from gums to teeth isn't as clean. Furthermore, the red on the gums is really distracting. It's a bright red and far too eye catching. The red paint is also a little messy, looking almost like the Joker from Batman got a hold of Godzilla. Promotional images of the toy show a much less vibrant shade of red, and really it looks far better than the final product.

Now it should be mentioned that there are five different versions of this same toy... and that the red gums are only an issue on the green, retail version. The other variants are the same mold, same packaging, same number, but different paint jobs. This was done to make some exclusives for both retailers and conventions. The total number variants include the regular green version being reviewed here, a gray version (New York Comic Con Exclusive), a glow in the dark version (New York Comic Con Exclusive), an atomic breath version (PX Previews Exclusive), and a burning Godzilla version (GTS Exclusive). Being that all other versions are limited, they command higher dollar prices than this one here.

Overall

I've gotten a lot of mileage out of this toy and it's grown on me. It doesn't merit a strong recommendation in my opinion, despite my personal attachment to it, but if one is a Godzilla fan and a fan of the releases by Funko then picking this up is a no brainier as it does a decent job of adapting the King of the Monsters for the line. That said, if someone is choosing between all the various color variants, I would advise going for the gray version if cost is not an issue. The gums looks much more natural on that figure, while the color is more in tune with how he looked in the film.

Rating: