Post # 8 - Giant Godzilla 43 inch Action Figure by Jakks Pacific

With Warner Bros. and Legendary Picture's "Godzilla" movie set to make its way onto the big screen in May of this year, it was only appropriate that we also see a toy line to accompany it.  While that might mean that we end up seeing a tidal wave of overly produced Godzilla toys on the shelves soon, I can assure that the figure I'm taking a look at today might possibly be an exception.  I say this not only based on the figure's coolness but also because of it's sheer size!  I knew this figure was on it's way to stores, so when I made my way down to my local Toys 'R' Us and saw it in person for the very first time, I was surprised and transfixed.  The toy and it's packaging was massive.  So massive in fact that the shelf could only fully support one, while the other remained in a partial balancing act on the shelf's edge.

To help you better understand the size of this guy, let me first tell you that Godzilla stands over 24 inches tall!  With his added tail that does require some very minor assembly, he sits at 43 inches from head to tail!

I love this toy but after I got him out of the box, I was already looking around trying to calculate all the empty spaces in my house.  He hasn't found a permanent place yet, but some of that is due to my fear of my cats thinking he's a new playmate.  Anyways...

Lets break it down and start with the figure's packaging...

Packaging - The packaging is pretty simple.  It's basically a cardboard box with some added graphics to highlight all of the toy's marketable qualities while loosely promoting the upcoming Godzilla movie.  It's not bad for a toy this size as the open space allows kids and erm, adults to get a up and close look a what the figure has to offer.  I could interject a point here about a clear plastic window on the front being helpful for storage or keeping the toy mint in condition, but at this size there's just not much you can do for the packaging.

I think the packaging does a good job at marketing the toy from the shelf.  It's eye-catching with variations of red and orange.  I think the packaging was simple but effective in terms of marketing, but as far as collectibility or attractiveness goes it's sort of meh.  It's the kind of packaging which winds up in the trash, which is fine I suppose since this toy would be tough to find storage space for anyhow.

The packaging isn't the greatest, but it's not the worst.  Pretty run of the mill.

Packaging Score - 2 out of 5

Sculpting - The sculpting does a pretty good job at capturing the jagged and craggy look of lizard or reptile skin.  Another cool quality about the texture of the skin is the subtle variations of smooth and scaly.  

At this point I have yet to see what Godzilla will look like in the upcoming picture, but I love that this toy seems to strike a balance of a classic and modern look.  It looks more reptile than dinosaur, yet it still does a great job at finding some resemblance to the Godzilla we fell in love with from the 1954 original.

The figure is primarily made from a harder plastic, with exception to the cretaceous looking fins along his back.  They're made from a vinyl/rubbery material piece that appears to be glued into a carved out section in his back.  It's not that noticeable and I don't believe that it will deteriorate easily.  In fact, one of my largest complaints is that the entirety of the figure was not produced using this vinyl/rubber material.  It would of really enhanced the overall lure, playability and fun in my opinion.

Another particular area that I find somewhat bothersome is along the tops of the legs near the body.  In order to allow the leg to swivel back and forth without any issues, they left the surface smooth.  It sort of breaks up the look of the creature's skin.  I'd like to say it's not noticeable, but it is.  At least to me.  A break from aesthetic consistency tends to make toys, especially ones at this scale look cheap by taking shortcuts, and while I believe that this was an easier and less costly solution, I maintain that an alternative could have been sought.

Sculpting Score - 2.5 out of 5

Paint - The paint job is simple and not overwhelmed with any wide range of detail.  At this scale it would come at a heavy price to offer an advanced paint scheme, so I'm pretty comfortable with what we received.  Lest we forget that this is a toy geared more towards children and preteens.  

The base of the body is coated in a black that has a slight hue of a blue.  It's not a flat or overly glossy paint, but it works just enough to highlight the texture of the skin.

The chest along with small areas of the head and neck are coated in a shade of light brown.  I think it works as it helps portray a hint of realism.  No person, creature, or animal has the same complexion from head to toe, so I was welcome this addition.

The eyes are painted in a yellow, which is fine enough and works well for it's purpose.  The tongue is painted a solid hue of red with no variations.  The teeth are painted a solid white, and not as cleanly as I would have hoped for.  The attention to detail was a tad bit sloppy and leaves you feeling about as satisfied as a cheap dinosaur toy from your local dollar store.

Overall, my not entirely wowed by the paint job, but once again I feel the need to overlook it based on the intended demographic of this toy.  It's fair but nothing to shout to the world about.

Paint Score - 2 out of 5

Accessories - Unless you consider the tail which requires only a small amount of assembly, there are no included accessories.  This sort of toy carries its own and doesn't really need any accessories in order to have value.

If there was an accessory what would I liked to have seen?  Perhaps a foldout city diorama for Godzilla to destroy.  I had even thought about the inclusion of tiny people for Godzilla to chase after in terror, but then I realized that this toy was intended for ages 3+ and by adding small parts you could potentially take away more than half of your market.  So then a diorama would of been nice.

Since there was no included accessories, I am going to give this category a bye.

Accessories Score - __ out of __

Articulation - Godzilla comes with a decent amount of articulation, and to be fair the real Godzilla's mobility was never great either.  The jaw opens and closes, allowing you to horrify or maim the occupants of your toy box.  The head full swivels but looks odd if you do it too much.  Try to remember that Godzilla is a reptilian creature, not an owl.  The arms can move forward and backwards, but his arms cannot move above about chest level.  The hands can rotate at the wrist, which is nice for picking up fearful civilians for Godzilla to feed on.  

 The legs can move forward and backward which helps him readjust and balance on variety of surfaces.  The feet can rotate which could maybe be useful but I can't think of when.  The start of the long tail must be pushed in and rotated to stay locked in place.  However that does not mean you are allowed to rotate the tail.  If you were to rotate it, you would simply unlock the tail, cause it to disconnect from the body.  The middle of the tail comes with "tail swinging action".  In its simplest form, this means that the tail can move left and right on a hinge.  Its a rather short distance, and not exactly what its cracked up to be.  The articulation is finally capped off with two small quarter sections in the tail that are able to fully rotate.

The articulation is fine for its intent and purposes.  Its good enough to allow any child, preteen, (clears throat) or adult... to be able to enjoy this toy.

Articulation Score - 2.5 out of 5

Conclusion - While there are many ways I can think of improving this figure, I'm still incredibly excited to own it.  I think majority of that excitement is based upon the size of this figure.  It is massive and cool.  If the figure had been made from a vinyl/rubber material I might not have been so obsessed with the unimpressive paint job.  However, based upon the intended demographic for this toy, it's hard to judge it by the same standards as an adult collector toy.  In the course of evaluating this toy I tried to think of how this product could be improved in ways that was still fitting for its genre.  Even in recognizing that it wasn't a high dollar/highly detailed action figure than an adult collector might own, I still saw ways that I thought it could have been improved even for a child.

The overall score I have given this figure is reflective of what I think people of all ages would average as a whole.  The figure does have some things that could be improved, but without that being said, in no way do I regret purchasing it.  It has been an absolute blast to own and a toy I intend to hold on to for a very long time.  If I can find the space...

Overall Score 2.25 out of 5

Post # 7 - Regular Show Mordecai and Rigby by Jazwares on YouTube

As an example of the wide range of genres that I may review, I wanted to share with you a video in which I took a closer look at Mordecai and Rigby from the Cartoon Network show, Regular Show.  Please feel free to make comments, like and subscribe.

Post # 6 - S.H. Figuarts Mighty Morphin Red Power Ranger by Bandai Tamashii Nations

In our previous review we covered the Green Ranger from Mighty Morphin Power Rangers.  I thought it would be only fitting as a follow up, to review one of his teammates, the Red Ranger.

Lets not waste any time getting down to it and jump right on in first with the packaging.

Packaging - The packaging is decorated in the same manner as the Green Ranger.  The figure is visible behind a clear window display on the front, alongside a very nice profile shot of the figure.  The bottom of the front showcases the anniversary logo proudly exclaiming, "celebrating 20 (twenty) years."

The sides of the packaging again show the Red Ranger name, anniversary logo and new profile shot.  The back of the packaging highlights the figure's molding, range of pose-ability, and use of the included weapon accessories and interchangeable hands.

The packaging stays consistent across the entire series of MMPR figures.  It's compact and stylish, giving most collectors exactly what they need.

Packaging Score -  3 out of 5

Sculpting - The Red Ranger figure primarily re-uses the same mold as the Green Ranger with exception to the helmet, arms and added shield.

This figure too stands at a height just under the 6 inch mark, and is equally amazing as the Green Ranger in every respectable fashion.

The sculpt for the helmet again hits the mark as it does a terrific job mimicking its real life counterpart.  Fine details such as the Tyrannosaurus' nostrils are not neglected, but instead given the attention they deserve.  The jagged teeth along the visor are sculpted adequately with sharp clearly defined edges.  The swooping bridge of the T-Rex's nose, and eyes are also well defined.  I am also amazed by their ability to accurately recreate the proportions and shape of the helmet.

The gloves and boots simulate a vinyl like material through the thick curvy creases in the sculpt.  The cuff of each glove is sacrificed along the inner arms in lieu of articulation.  It creates a small blemish for the figures overall aesthetics.  I maintain that there had to be an alternative solution to this, instead of cutting out a portion of the glove.  However, as we will cover later, the articulation for this figure is wonderful.

There is no qualm in terms of the musculature or anatomy of the figure.  I think the re-use of the Green Ranger's body mold was fine as I can't honestly recall any Power Ranger being bigger than the next with exception to the female members of the team.

My very last issue with the sculpting is the odd circular marks that show up along the buttocks and upper back of the figure.  Were these not avoidable in any way?  It just seems odd to me.  What purpose do they serve?

In comparison to the Green Ranger figure, you'll see that there is a significant difference in how I scored this figure's sculpting.  Without additional parts like the Dragon Shield and arm cuffs, blemishes seem more obvious and fail to generate as much of a wow factor.

Sculpting Score - 3.5 out of 5

Paint - The paint application is clear and concise.  It is comprised of red, white, and silver.  It's simple but efficient.  While that may not sound like a compliment, it is.  There are more than a handful of toy companies who fail to adequately paint small details, often times resulting in over-spray, smear or mis-alignment.  This figure has no problem avoiding those mistakes.  Instead, the laborious effort to create such a flawless paint job that compliments the sculpt-work does not go unnoticed. 

The high gloss red on the helmet pops as it is a perfect contrast to the flat look of the red used on the suit.  This subtle but well executed feature helps highlight the intended difference in materials, between plastic/fiberglass helmet and Lycra suit.  My only desired change for the suit would be for the use of a metallic flake to re-create that shiny-sort-of-ish look.  I think that would help better convey the look of a Lycra material.

The whites of the suit seem to look a little brighter than the ones used on the hands and feet.  Although if I'm going to be completely honest, I'm fine with this.  If you look closely at any given fight scene in an episode, you can begin to see just how common dirty gloves and boots were.  They never completely maintained a clean and pristine suit.  How could they anyways?  Fights always just seemed to happen in a rock quarry or some other weird desolate area.  I can't eat and stay clean let alone fight off an alien monster.

The paint accomplishes what is necessary but oddly leaves me wanting more for the suit. 

Paint Score - 3.5 out of 5

Accessories - The Red Ranger comes with a wide array of weapon accessories (probably more than I remember from the show).  All of them are sculpted in exquisite detail.  In terms of weapons we get the: Power Sword, Thunder Slinger and Blade Blaster.

The Red Ranger also comes with a holster mounted on his hip.  The belt is not detachable but it is independent from the figure.  He comes with a fantastic looking morpher buckle on the front.  The level of detail at that scale is astounding.

Along with the weapons, comes 4 additional pairs of hands that are weapon specific and helpful for re-creating certain poses or gestures.

Accessories Score - 3.5 out of 5

Articulation -  The articulation doesn't offer anything different than the Green Ranger.  The neck is ball jointed on both ends.  This allows the head to move around in a wide range direction, as well as turn and rotate at the end near the body.  The shoulders are ball jointed with an added hinge.  The sleeve around the shoulder joint hides most of it but can get in the way from time to time.  The only way to remedy that is by turning this sleeve piece, so it aligns more appropriately to your desired pose.  Unlike the Green Ranger, we get more upward movement from the upwards primarily because of the absence of a shield along the chest.  The elbows are double jointed, which is extremely helpful, however it is also the cause for the gap in the cuff of the glove.  As previously mentioned, I love the articulation but would have like to have seen this accomplished without hurting the sculpt.  The wrist is ball jointed with a hinge.  The upper and lower torso is ball jointed, helping accomplish more aggressive poses.  The figure can lean more backwards as opposed to forwards.  The hips are ball jointed with a hinge, which leads into a ball joint in the thigh.  The thigh is also capable of a rotation.  The knees are wonderfully double jointed.  The ankles are double ball jointed with a hinge, which allows you to rotate the foot and pivot it very well.  Finally drawing the articulation to a complete, the toes are articulated with a hinge, giving you an amazing potential for stances.

 S.H. Figuarts absolutely kills it every time in the articulation department and this is definitely not an exception.  When you can find a toy company that offers amazing sculpting, coupled with even better articulation, then you're in for a real treat.

Articulation Score - 4.5 out of 5

Conclusion - While I do believe that the Green Ranger has overall more to offer, the Red Ranger in essence is the same figure.  It poses its minor drawbacks primarily based on its simple costume or suit.  However, the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers are childhood icons, and the team just wouldn't be complete without it's leader, the Red Ranger.

The areas in which this figure excels allows me to easily overlook any drawbacks.  Can you do the same?

Overall Score - 3.6 out of 5

Post #5 - Way Cool Reviews on YouTube

Today I thought that it would be beneficial to introduce you to my YouTube channel, "WayCoolNewsNetwork".  It's a great way for those who instead prefer to see and hear my reactions to a particular figure or collectible.  Plus it also gives a closer in depth look at areas like articulation or pose-ability of a figure.

As a sample of what my channel has to offer, please take a look at my review of the Marvel Select Venom figure by Diamond Select Toys; and if you're interested in more video reviews be sure to subscribe.

Post #4 - S.H. Figuarts Mighty Morphin Green Power Ranger by Bandai Tamashii Nations

The release of this figure was perfectly timed on account of this year being the 20th anniversary of the original Mighty Morphin Power Rangers series.

And while many of us in the west are more familiar with this particular character as Tommy, the Green Ranger, this figure is also serves as a representation of the Dragon Ranger from the Japanese show, Kyoryu Sentai Zyuranger.  

The American release is largely similar to that of the Japanese version.  The only differences being some minor changes in the packaging, as well as the omission of two accessories that many MMPR fans would find irrelevant since they were never used in the American show.

Being that this particular figure was intended for the American market, the front of the packaging dawns the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers logo along with an added exclamation of celebrating twenty years!

Packaging - The front, side and back also showcase a few posed images of the figure as well as some brief info about the design, options and accessories.  It's befitting of the usual style packaging from a S.H. Figuarts release.  Compact but clean.  It definitely does the job.

Packaging Score - 3 out of 5

Sculpting - Out of the packaging, the figure stands at a height just shy of 6", a standard scale of most Figuarts releases.

The figure is absolutely stunning in almost every respectable fashion.

The head-sculpt delivers an amazingly stunning likeness to it's on-screen counterpart.  The helmet offers a fully sculpted design that doesn't seem to overlook or dismiss any element.  Every little nook and cranny, isn't just painted but sculpted - well too, I might add!  This absolutely crucial attention to detail plays a huge role in the overall success of this figure.

 The Dragon Shield is completely independent from the figure's body.  While I have seen some images of the figure with the shield removed, I wouldn't recommend attempt this as it is not the figure's intent.  

Those who have tackled this venture almost are always sure to add how painstaking of a process it was. 

The arm bands are not removable, and so even if you were to successfully remove the shield, you would only be able to do a partial transfer to another figure.

Sculpting Score - 4.5 out of 5

Paint - The paint detail on the helmet is immaculate.  It's hard to find any real blemishes.  The only issue that I have observed is the shade of green chosen for the figure.  It's just a little too blue in my opinion.  It's very subtle, but when compared to images of the Green Ranger the difference is clear.  

With that being said, the glossy finish applied to the helmet helps provide a material differential between the helmet and suit.

 Like the helmet, the dragon shield was skillfully re-created with sculpted detail.  The metallic gold paint is perfect.  It's not too light or dark.  It achieves a happy medium, while additionally offering a subtle metallic flake.  

The metallic gold is re-used along the cuffs of the gloves…power morpher and tops of the boots.

One small gripe that I have is with the small circle on the buttocks.  Surely, there has to be a reason as to why they chose to leave behind such an obvious blemish.  I mean, right? 

Paint Score - 4 out of 5

Accessories - A detachable sheath for the dragon dagger accessory is included, leaving the option of displaying it with or without up to you.

The dragon dagger itself is nicely detailed.  The paint-work is very sharp, re-utilizing the green, gold and black from the suit. 

The sword of darkness is an accessory that fans of the Power Rangers series would recall during Tommy's introduction as the EVIL green ranger.  The red gem, rather than being just painted on is composed of a translucent plastic.  The red tassel is made from plastic.  In certain sword related poses it can look a little awkward as it reaches out defying gravity…

 Additionally, the Green Ranger includes five pairs of interchangeable hands.  For this many hands, I was slightly disappointed by the lack of variety in hand position.  There's just not enough justifiable difference from one pair to the next.  

But if we wanted to take a look at it from a positive perspective…one pair that I was particularly excited to see was the Dragon Dagger Flute playing hands….Without them, the iconic pose of the Green Ranger calling the Dragonzord just would not have been possible.

Now let's see just how well this figure stacks up in the articulation department..

Accessories Score - 3.5 out of 5

Articulation - The head operates on a ball joint allowing it get a lot of movement, up and down left and right.  A lot of that also has to do with the neck also operating on a ball joint, so we get a lot of movement on both ends.  The shoulders are ball jointed with a hinge.  The extra collar added around the shoulder joint does a nice job at covering up the joint.  The dragon shield does come into play when trying to extend the arms upwards, causing a bit of hindrance.  The elbow is doubled jointed.  This joint kind of ruined the aesthetics in the arm in my opinion by breaking up the gold trim across the inner arm.  The wrist has a hinged ball joint.  The upper and lower torso is ball jointed, which provides a decent range of motion.  It tends to lean back better than it does forward.  The hips have a hinged/ball joint for leg repositioning with a ball joint into the thigh.  The thigh can also swivel as well.  The knees are doubled jointed but leave behind some rather unsightly gap between the upper and lower leg.  The ankles are double ball jointed with a hinge, which allows it to also swivel really well.  And we finish off with a hinge for some toe articulation.

Articulation Score - 4.5 out of 5

Conclusion - Overall, what can I say?  This figure absolutely rocks.  As a longtime fan of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers this is the figure I've been waiting for… And yeah, sure I had a few minor gripes along the way but more often than not there's always room for improvement.

This figure by far exceeded by expectations in every way.  So if you're sitting out there on the fence about this one, STOP IT… do yourself a favor and pick this one up.  I don't get it to say it often but this is one you won't want to miss out on.

Overall Score - 3.9 out of 5