One must admire the original concept for this figure. It's based off the King of the Monsters as he appeared back in the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) video game Godzilla: Monster of Monsters from way back in 1988. The release is a loving adaptation of the concept, especially the packaging. Sadly the figure cuts a major corner: it's a modified Godzilla 1985 toy.
Details
Just like NECA's Classic Burning Godzilla 1995 12" figure, this is an "adjusted" repaint or a previous mold being sold as a different character. What NECA has done is they've taken the existing Classic Godzilla 1985 12" mold and altered it in two ways. This includes slapping a new back plate section on while they repainted it to pass it off as the Godzilla from the game.
The Godzilla used in the game has always been modeled after the Godzilla that appeared in Mothra vs. Godzilla (1964). Furthermore, the red eyes that this figure has were actually orange in game and didn't even appear in the US version. They made their appearance in the game in the Japanese version's title screen. However, the Godzilla seen in the game did have overly long toenails... and while that was an awkward quality for the figure when he represented himself from The Return of Godzilla (1984), it actually fits for this release.
Accessories
Normally I wouldn't count the box that that figure that it came in as an accessory but since it can double as a display case, I feel I should include it as an accessory. It's obvious that someone on the NECA team had a lot of passion behind this concept, and it's never more clearly realized than the packaging.
The front of the box is meant to simulate the look of the original NES box art and it does so brilliantly. The back of the box shows off the figure with captioned screenshots and with the graphics, it looks really cool. The front of the box has a flap that opens up to reveal the figure. The attention to detail here is welcome, including the power and life meter along with the current level in the corner. The left panel shows off more graphics from the game, in this case the Earth map from the first world of the game.
As a side note, anytime I tried to take a photo of the box, I got a lot of glare. Thankfully, I asked NECA to send some images over, so they provided the wonderful pictures seen to the left to show off the packaging in all it's glory.
Articulation
This is the same mold as the Classic Godzilla 1985 12", with the exception of the dorsal fins which offer no new articulation. Because of this, the the articulation is identical to the earlier release. This means the legs, feet and arms can all rotate at 360 degrees. The arms can also move side-to-side and there is slight articulation to be found in the elbows.
There is a joint behind the knee that makes it seem like it could bend, but alas, no such luck. The jaw on the figure can open and close, and the head and neck can move 360 degrees along with up and down slightly. The tail is a combo of articulated joints and half rubber that is fitted with a wire to achieve movement there and different poses. On the plus side, it seems a more bendable wire was used this time. It wasn't something I had to wrench into a pose like the Godzilla 1985 figure.
Paint
The paint is what really makes this figure for me. I love the pixilated look and the various colors of blue/green make the figure really stand out. The red eyes mixed with the black pupil looks really cool and I love how black paint is added on the face to add definitions. The teeth are white and while they look nice, aren't free from blemishes. The tongue has a nice pinkish paint job on it while the inner part of the mouth is a darker read color. Outside of a red paint blotch on the head, it's an overall solid job. Even the toenails looks good!
Overall
Outside of the great looking paint job and the really cool box, I'm disappointed that NECA churned out another figure and tried to pass it off as separate character in the figure line. Even the toe nails of varying sizes that plagued the Godzilla 1985 figure issue wasn't addressed. All that aside, it's nice to see a different and more "out there" figure from NECA. I just wish that an original mold went into it's creation.
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