Ah, my
favorite of the three rare Trendmasters kaiju. Varan
was originally released in 1995, like Baragon and
Megalon, at the end of the Godzilla Wars
line. It is the pure definition of rare and can
be a major pain to track down. It was released again
in 1996 as part of the Doom Island series…
in Hong Kong. Trendmasters ended the line before
it could reach the States. I got one on E-bay for
a nasty price, but I just adore this figure so much.
It was worth it for me, but don't buy one
until you've read the review and seen the
pictures!
Standing at about five inches, Varan's right
arm doesn't move like the others, but instead
at the elbow and goes up and down. The other arm
moves at the same joint, but instead left and right,
allowing Varan to be posed in more different styles
than traditional Trendmasters figures. The legs
can also be moved and so can half of the tail. Shockingly,
the head of Varan can't be moved, making it
one of the few that can't rotate its head.
Moving straight to this design, it takes Varan
and enhances it. It still has the spines, but much
more. He now has three spines on each arm and leg,
more spines on the sides of his face, and his claws
are simply nasty looking. This is a kaiju that looks
like it could go up against Godzilla and put his
regeneration to the test.
This particular review is also of the sound issue
of the figure from the Godzilla Wars line
(not sure if a non-sound version was ever released).
Unfortunately, while the design does kick a lot
of hind end, the sound doesn't. It's
the same screech used for their Battra, which just
feel wrong. Why not a killer sound like Baragon's?
Although this could be intentional since both characters,
the Showa versions, share the same roar and it might
have been odd to have them released side-by-side.
The face here looks like Varan, but more animalistic.
This Varan's design doesn't scream “bad
to the bone”, but so does its face. With its
teeth exposed and black, doll-like eyes, Trendmasters
really pulled the stops here, design wise.
Now that isn't to say it doesn't have
flaws. The color scheme looks pretty cool with the
purple and redish-color blending nicely. What does
hurt this release is the lack of detailing and texturing.
While Baragon, and especially Megalon, had detailing,
Varan only has some texturing on his back and chest.
The rest of his body is smooth entirely and the
mouth itself could use some more details between
the teeth, especially when you compare it to Baragon's
jaws.
In the end, I can honestly declare Varan is easily
my favorite redesign by the company. It keeps the
original and just builds on it, and I love it. The
figure itself, however, could use some more work,
work that I doubt will ever be done what with Trendmasters
gone. It's a nice figure that I can recommend
only if you really want to blow as much as it goes.
Rating:  |
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