Released
back in 2002, this was one of several chess pieces
issued as part of the "Godzilla Origins"
line by X-Plus. This particular one is based on
Rodan from his debut 1956 film.
X-Plus has done a great job with most of their
Godzilla releases and the chess piece line in particular.
Of the ones released, the Rodan piece is arguably
one of the most impressive. The detail here is extraordinary,
especially in the chest with the spikes and also
the folds in the wings. The feet also look stellar,
with excellent care placed into the detail. The
head looks a little odd when viewed from the side
due to the overly simple eyes, but appears dead-on
when looking directly at the character in regards
to representing his movie self.
As for the coloring, its great as well. Rodan is
mostly all brown, but X-Plus has used many different
shades and tones to make the character visually
appealing. The coloring in the chest is especially
well done, with faint white highlighting used to
draw attention to the detail there.
Unlike some of the other chess pieces, X-Plus has
done a good job all around, including the back of
the figure. The bumpy center of the back of the
figure, to separate the body from the wings, is
a nice touch. The tail also looks amazing as it
extends slightly from the body. Coloring is also
consistent on the back, especially around the body
where details are highlighted.
The collectible is a light resin that comes with
two pieces. The main piece is Rodan itself while
the second is the stand. Sadly, the metal pole on
the stand is pretty obvious, and something more
subtle probably would have been better. Still, its
a minor point. As expected with a chess piece, there
is no movement to be found in this collectible.
Its pose, with Rodan's wings spread as it looks
like he is ready to land, is one of the best I have
seen for a Rodan model. The length of the figure
is also very impressive, although like others in
this line it makes the chess piece pretty poor for
actually playing chess with.
Overall, this is probably the stand out entry in
the chess line, with the only real blemish being
the paint job on the eyes. Highly recommended.
Rating:  |
|
