Godzilla (Astronaut Version) [Godzilla Scramble]

@robfromzonebase Godzilla (Jet Jaguar Version) [Godzilla Scramble] #zonebase #godzilla #godzillascramble #kaiju #blindbox ♬ Noroi No Syananana - SEIKIMA-II

It's time to crack open another kaiju egg from Godzilla Scramble, and ho boy, this one's pretty great!

It's Jet Jaguar!

*edit* It's not. Up until after writing this thought it was Jet Jaguar until reading the box at Target and learning it was an astronaut. So, the rest of this post was written when I thought it was supposed to be Jet Jaguar. I'm laughing at my mistake and absolutely not rewriting this as I find it hilarious now.

Well, Godzilla colored as Jet Jaguar... which looks outstanding as a slightly derivative take on the Jet Jaguar look on Godzilla.

For example, instead of being silver or grey as you'd go in expecting, Bandai used a wonderful slightly translucent silver color that's almost more of a shade of white and quite pretty.

Then they gave him blue armbands similar to the ones classic Jet Jaguar sports, along with a set of red ones around Godzilla's thighs that kinda invoke the red coloring on Jet Jaguar while still being unique, but slick-looking.

His chest features a computer readout and logo, leaving the bulk of Godzilla in that wonderful base color.

It's really pretty, and the whole deco screams art vinyl more than blind-box Egg Monster toy.

Infinite Lance Gigan [Godziburst]

@robfromzonebase Infinite Spear Gigan [Godziburst] #zonebase #godzilla #godziburst #kaiju #monsters ♬ MELANCHOLIA - KNIFE BRIDE

Gigan is basically Toho taking something completely batshit crazy and making it super awesome.

Originally in the Showa era, he looked like something out of a hallucination. A mixture of chicken, robot, and dragon... with hook hands and a saw in his belly.

Then this ridiculous thing absolutely kicked the shit out of Godzilla.

Gigan is a force to be reckoned with!

After some off appearances in Zone Fighter and various other media, Gigan returned in the insanely awesome Godzilla: Final Wars in 2004. Now upgraded with a sleeker body and FREAKING CHAINSAWS!

Gigan later got another upgrade in TV Magazine in 2007 with Armed Gigan, now sporting armor, a dual-hooked hand, and another hand with DUAL GATTLING GUNS!

Basically, how much more dangerous can they make Gigan?

Hold Toho's beer. Any day now they'll make him a politician.

Then he'll endanger EVERYONE'S LIVES!

There have been other Gigan developments like Gigan Rex, but I'll stop there because it's the ones I've been talking about that influence today's post the most.

A Godziburst figure of Gigan, reimagined as...

INFINITE LANCE GIGAN!

Actually, this is a repaint of a prior Godziburst Gigan figure from Japan named Gatling Gigan, which combined the look of Final Wars Gigan with the Gatling guns from Armed Gigan in a wonderful black and green deco.

Infinite Lance Gigan is a repaint and remold of that Gigan, with a MUCH larger right Gatling gun arm and now including a lance that can plug into his left arm's Gatling gun.

Because why not?

Infinite Lance Gigan also sports a new red and gold deco that looks amazing and is pretty similar to Gigan Rex, whom I feel is the inspiration for the new colors.

This is a damn fine figure of Gigan on its own as well. There's several points of articulation, and the smaller scale just makes him so satisfying. Like other Godziburst toys, you can mix and match his parts to make the freak even freakier.

And honestly, what more could you want from Gigan?

I clearly adore this toy and Gigan in general. His appearance in Final Wars has always been one of my go-to awesome moments in Godzilla movies.

Final Wars gets a bit of a bad name for being so... nuts, but I love it.

Admittedly, having an appreciation of Japanese cyberpunk helps, as the film is absolutely in the vein of movies like Zeiram, The Guyver, and Mechanical Violator HaKaider while somehow still being a love letter to Godzilla and the works of Toho.

Infinite Lance Gigan is definitely the monster spirit of “kill everything,” and I just want to hug it.

Godzilla (Ice Cream with Sprinkles) [Godzilla Scramble]

@robfromzonebase Godzilla (ice cream with sprinkles) [Godzilla Scramble] #zonebase #godzilla #godzillascramble #blindbox #kaiju ♬ Halloween - Siouxsie And The Banshees

It's well past time that I've started talking about the Godzilla Scramble toys here on the Base.

Godzilla Scramble is a cool blind-box gacha line by Bandai utilizing their Godzilla Monster Egg toys in fun color variations. Series 1 is out now, and I've gotten a few of them and want to get them all!

These are great.

The color variations remind me of art vinyl sofubi and various pop art pieces, while I just love transforming egg toys. Not to mention, Bandai.

You say Bandai, I'm in.

Today we're looking at the Ice Cream Godzilla, or as I insist on calling him, Ice Cream with Sprinkles, because he has sprinkles and I love that extra detail.

Despite not normally liking sprinkles on my ice cream.

I initially thought he was supposed to be a cupcake thanks to those sprinkles, which is probably why I focus on them so much.

I'm neurodivergent. Work with me.

The mold used is the standard Godzilla from the Egg Monsters series, and I've talked about that a few times before here, so pardon me while I focus on the spectacular deco today.

Now, it's easy to just glance at this toy and write him off as just pink with sprinkles painted on his chest.

Which, frankly, would have still been awesome.

However, there are little swirls of colors floating around that add to the look and frankly just look nice. Godzilla is basically a living nuclear reaction, so he's going to melt that ice cream, and that's what happened to some of those sprinkles.

Those little swirls of color...

We've all made that mistake of adding sprinkles to our ice cream only to regret biting into the little shards of hard asshole particles floating around. Some people like the added texture. I prefer to enjoy my food.

My point is, those sprinkles tend to leave little swirls of color in your ice cream, and those little swirls of color look fabulous on this design.

Not to be left out is the slightly darker and metallic shade of pink used on his dorsal fins. I've seen multiple kaiju fans refer to those as sploots, which kinda fits on an ice cream-themed kaiju.

It just occurred to me that egg mode looks kinda like a scoop of ice cream.

That's probably unintentional, but I'm going with it.

The other color versions in Godzilla Scramble are fun too, and I plan to go more into those in time. This is a fun little blind-box series to collect that's pretty creative with some of the color versions and right up my egg-robot-loving alley.

I do hope future series utilize more monsters from Toho's catalog. Bandai has made plenty of them into Egg Monsters, so it's probably a safe bet.

Formula Type 3 Kiryu [Godziburst]

@robfromzonebase Formula Type 3 Kiryu [Godziburst] #zonebase #godzilla #godziburst #kaiju #monsters ♬ SPECTRAL__WITNESS - ZANKYO://ERROR

One of the many things that draws me to Godziburst is the wild colors they put the kaiju in. It's not a new idea, sofubi and other toys have been doing it forever, but it's still awesome and I love seeing it. When it comes to MechaGodzilla, I can't get enough. When it's Kiryu, that goes quadruple billion.

Like many other kaiju fans, Kiryu strikes an emotional chord with me that's stuck all these years. He's also freaking awesome looking, so when they put him in alternate colors, it's usually pretty great. That's the case with Formula Type 3 Kiryu from Godziburst.

Admittedly, he's got a more muted color scheme than some of the other figures in the initial US wave. He's black gunmetal and blue with gold armor, which is intended to invoke racing imagery.

Personally, I can't look at him without thinking about 90s movies like Zeiram, Mechanical Violator Hakaider, or The Guyver.

I suppose the armor could also be compared to the Gold Ranger from Power Rangers Zeo or King Ranger from Chouriki Sentai Ohranger. Pick your poison.

Kiryu is a wonderfully articulated figure, like most of the Godziburst gang. His armor can be used in a variety of ways or combined with armor from other Godziburst figures to come up with something unique. It's a fun little modular system that encourages you to experiment with the figures and see what ridiculous combinations you can come up with.

Though his armor does present the only problem I actually have with this toy.

Not the armor itself, but... getting it to connect to Kiryu.

You see, these toys are made from a softer plastic that I find really satisfying, but that also makes Kiryu's armor connection nearly impossible to use. You'll notice in the post video that there's a plug that's just not connected. It kept falling out. It was frustrating, but it didn't ruin the toy for me. I really just wanted the Kiryu figure, and I wasn't too fussed about the armor.

Though I suppose I should try plugging that armor into some of the other Godziburst figures just to see if the problem is with Kiryu or the armor itself.

Man, how many times have I said "armor" today?

Plasma SpaceGodzilla [Godziburst]

@robfromzonebase Plasma Space Godzilla [Godziburst] #zonebase #godzilla #godziburst #kaiju #monsters ♬ VENGEANT - Uz:ME

I was overjoyed when Bandai announced they would begin selling Godziburst toys here in the States. The toys have been available in Japan since last year, but thanks to various issues, certain imports are a little more affordable than others. Thankfully, they're now as close as my local GameStop and Target, both of which are only a short drive away.

Godziburst is a fun new expression of Toho's classic kaiju as small action figures in fun colors with unique add-on armor. The armor can be used on other kaiju as well as combined with each other, and the kaiju themselves have parts that can be swapped around, allowing you to create all sorts of custom designs. They're also super cheap, with a base price of $9.99 at Target and GameStop, putting them in roughly the same category as Transformers Cyberverse. Fun, imaginative, and affordable. What's not to love?

Clearly, these are right up my alley, and you can expect to see me talking about them a lot here on the site. I mean... they're literally made of Zone Base DNA.

To my knowledge, there isn't an ongoing fiction behind Godziburst, which is something I'd love to be wrong about. If you've read something about one and know otherwise, please let me know. I don't have a Patreon or ads, so I don't mind being corrected. Currently, the closest thing to any fiction I've seen is this blurb on the back of the packaging:

"GODZIBURST, the place where battles no one has ever seen unfold..."

That tells me Godziburst is a physical place of some sort, and I love the idea that there's possibly an entire town. There's a mayor of Godziburst. There's apparently a Walmart. Honestly, the basis of the line just being monsters fighting is pretty much on par for anything Godzilla.

Here's a pink and teal Godzilla with enormous cannons beating a completely translucent Gigan with weed whackers until his brains hang out of his ears.

Honestly, I was joking when I wrote that last bit... but it's also completely on brand for Godziburst, and now I want those toys.

The first toy we're looking at is Plasma SpaceGodzilla because... I like SpaceGodzilla.

Plasma SpaceGodzilla is colored in a brilliant purple that's much brighter than he's normally colored in, with vibrant gold and... a pretty pearl color on his feet. He's got pretty feets!

Painted-on lightning detail is a recurring theme with these Godziburst toys, and they've done it particularly cleverly with this one. In the post video, I have his accessories attached, so you can't see this, but his left shoulder crystal is unpainted. This is obviously for budget reasons, and the shoulder lightning covers it anyway. However, the right one is painted with that vibrant gold, and the lightning detail spreads out from it, giving a little visual story to the deco that I love so very much.

OMG, this line is awesome.

SpaceGodzilla is actually fairly articulated, and that's something that has stood out to me. Godziburst toys have a surprisingly decent range of movement for small, inexpensive figures. SpaceGodzilla's accessories are these large energy lightning effects that attach to his shoulder crystals, making for a much more dramatic-looking monster.

With that lightning spreading across his chest, he's clearly radiating all that energy and preparing to strike. This is a rather dramatic amount of energy to radiate off of someone, clearly giving him the look of a big attack that's about to happen. It looks great.

SpaceGodzilla is an absolute pleasure and the ideal introduction to what will be ongoing Godziburst coverage here on the site. Not only is he pure kaiju bliss, but he's also one of the more simple figures in the assortment, allowing me to introduce the line without writing an entire novel as a post.

DOUBLE TROUBLE!

In case my abundant excitement wasn't clear, I am overjoyed with Godziburst. These little monster toys are awesome.

If I were on stage, I'd drop the mic... assuming I didn't pay for it. Because microphones are expensive...

UNLIKE GODZIBURST TOYS!

This Was Supposed to Be About Xevious

I'm admittedly on a bit of an Atari 7800 bender lately. You'll have to excuse me. I like the system and tend to ride it out wild hairs.

Xevious has actually been on my mind quite a bit over the past few months. I've been really enjoying Shadow Labyrinth (which reminds me... I need to get back to playing it), and since that game not only features Namco characters but actually takes place in the Xevious universe, it's gotten me thinking about it again.

While I've probably spent more time with the NES version than any other release, it's impossible to ignore the Atari 7800 port. It was one of the system's big launch titles, thanks once again to Atari's close relationship with Namco. Atari even published the arcade version here in the United States.

For years, I honestly assumed Namco had programmed the 7800 version themselves.

Much like last week's Ikari Warriors post, I decided to do a little digging.

Nope.

It was actually developed by General Computer Corporation—the same folks responsible for Ms. Pac-Man.

For some reason, I'd always assumed the 7800 version was adapted from a home computer release. Thinking about it, that's a feeling I get from a lot of Atari 7800 games. They're obviously console games, but they have this unmistakable home computer vibe to them.

I know that probably sounds a little ridiculous.

But consider Atari during the 1980s. They weren't just a console company—they were heavily invested in home computers. The Atari XEGS was essentially a repackaged computer, and the 5200 itself evolved from Atari's 8-bit computer architecture.

Really, a lot of the line between home computers and game consoles was blurrier than people remember.

The ColecoVision and Sega SG-1000 were close enough in hardware that software often jumped between them with relatively little effort. Some consoles even had optional computer expansion kits.

Honestly, I think that idea deserved a bigger push.

If manufacturers had done more to market consoles as an affordable stepping stone into home computing, I think a lot more working-class families would have adopted computers much earlier.

Of course...

That probably would've upset the same gatekeepers who spent the '90s telling everyone they were idiots for using AOL because it made getting online too easy.

Oh yeah, Xevious is pretty good.

Psycho [Super GoBots]

The Super GoBots subline was a step up for GoBots—larger, a little fancier, and a bit more ambitious than the standard releases. Psycho showed up in the first series in 1984.

Like a lot of GoBots, his mold has a story.

Originally released as Psychoroid in the ScaleRobo DX line (part of Machine Robo), he ties directly into the anime Space Adventure Cobra. His vehicle mode is Cobra’s car, the Psychoroid, and if you look inside the cockpit, you’ll spot tiny figures of Cobra and Lady Armaroid.

It’s a small detail, but it’s the kind of thing that makes these toys feel like artifacts from another timeline.

The original Machine Robo version also had a launching missile, which was removed for the GoBots release—probably for safety, maybe for cost, likely both.

Psycho himself is a great example of how far out robot toy design could get in the 80s. Machine Robo in particular had a habit of doing things a little differently—like using parts of the vehicle as the robot’s head. Bug Bite had a similar thing going on before becoming an expected repaint of Bumblebee.

Those more android-like limbs almost feel like they wandered out of an H. R. Giger sketch instead of a traditional super robot design. It’s a look that leans harder into “alien machine” than “hero robot,” and honestly, it reminds me of some of the live-action Transformers designs where the whole point was to make them feel less human and more other.

There’s always that conversation—“what if GoBots had beaten Transformers?”
If that had happened, those movie designs might’ve looked a lot more like this. Which fits the aesthetic.

The Psychoroid itself is a “future car,” complete with the very on-the-nose Future Car stickers, and it looks fantastic. It’s unmistakably a 70s/80s sci-fi design—because it is—and that’s part of the charm. Mine has some paint scuffing, but overall it’s in great shape for a 40-year-old toy. 

I picked this one up from a dealer at Toylanta this year—the same guy I ended up talking to for a while—and aside from the wear, it’s a really solid copy. Nothing’s broken, joints are mostly tight, and that matters with this one. Psycho has a bit of a reputation for fragile parts.

Transformation is straightforward. The car splits and folds in on itself to form the body, with the head right in the center, and the limbs folding out from the ends. It results in a sturdy, very classic robot mode that feels good in hand.

He’s a mix of die-cast metal and ABS plastic, which is always a bit of a gamble with older toys—especially when chrome is involved—but this one’s held up nicely.

I’ve been after a Psycho for a while, passing on copies that were overpriced, broken, or both. It’s nice to finally have one that hits that sweet spot.

Burning Godzilla [Godzilla Monster Series 5"]

November 2025 is clearly the month of Burning Godzilla. With the 30th anniversary of Godzilla vs. Destoroyah in December, the all-new Fest Godzilla II: Shinjuku Burning released earlier this month, and, well... I got a bunch of related toys recently and decided to cover them in November. Godzilla Day and all — it made sense.

Today we're looking at the Burning Godzilla 5" counterpart to the Destoroyah I talked about last week. As I reiterate every time I talk about a toy from this line, I've really grown to love the Godzilla Monster Series 5" figures. I repeat it for two reasons. One, it's true. Two, this is the internet — you've got to repeat yourself constantly.

I don’t believe I’ve covered a Heisei era Godzilla in this series here on the site yet. However, in some aspects, there’s not much new when it comes to this figure. It’s got the same articulation you expect from this style of Godzilla toy: legs move at the hips, arms swivel at the upper bicep, and the tail swivels... because you have to attach it after opening the box. I don’t think that actually counts as a joint, but movement is movement. Of course, these aren’t the type of figures you buy for articulation.

To quote Billy Bob Thornton from the classic movie Sling Blade, “No sir, I don’t reckon.” Then he said uh huh a million times and ate a shit ton of mustard. These types of figures make great representations of classic screen monsters — and that’s exactly what this figure is.

Seriously, why did he eat so much mustard?

The sculpting on Godzilla is really great. It might just be another Godzilla to some folks, but for fans, the differences are crystal clear. Godzilla looks a great deal like the MogeGoji suit used at the time. Of course, he’s in the traditional Godzilla colors except for the burning detail that makes Burning Godzilla stand out. Don’t ask me why a slowly dying Godzilla looks so great, but dammit — it looks amazing.

All that radioactive dermatitis looks beautiful despite probably hurting like hell. A wonderful mix of coppery reds and oranges extends to his spinal plates so perfectly. The nuclear meltdown inside has even tinted Godzilla’s eyes to match. Every cloud has a silver lining, apparently — because, you know, he’s dying here. But it’s so pretty. His internal pain has resulted in beautifully red and orange eyes that just look so good.

No wonder Godzilla is so angry — here he is in pain, and I’m telling him how great he looks. Sorry, big guy. I’d give you a hug but... well, you’d step on me. Clearly I don’t have anything bad to say about this toy. It’s a wonderful depiction of a memorable version of Godzilla that thankfully doesn’t cost much. How can I find any fault in that?

Destoroyah [Godzilla Monster Series 5"]

Godzilla vs. Destoroyah is turning 30 this year, and in case last week’s Burning Godzilla Egg Monster post wasn’t a clear indicator, we’re spending some time observing it. This is also totally by coincidence, because I got some toys related to that movie a few weeks ago and am just now getting around to talking about them.

Regardless, it’s an AWESOME movie that came out my senior year of high school and felt so much more dangerous and edgy at the time than it actually is. I was 17 and it was the 90s, bear with me.

This Destoroyah is from Bandai’s 5-inch Godzilla Monster Series vinyl figures, which I’ve become a fan of over the past year. Just the right size and just the right price. And yes, I know the regular-sized Bandai vinyls were $9 a few years ago. It sucks. We’re all pissed about it. Moving on.

This is a great little figure of Destoroyah. Like, the sculpting is really great. I’ve always liked his design, and it’s really appreciated here. Destoroyah is a kaiju that began life as a colony of Precambrian crustaceans exposed to the undersea conditions created when the Oxygen Destroyer detonated in 1954. They mutated and evolved into the monster we have today.

So yes — a bunch of sea bugs got super-powered into a giant death demon because of the nuclear anti-oxygen murder bomb from the first movie. Shit happens. It’s crazy.

For what’s essentially a cheaper toy, Destoroyah looks freaking amazing. His sculpting is excellent and brings out all that nuclear-powered evil. Unfortunately there’s not much articulation to speak of — you can twist the tail and adjust the wings a bit. However, you don’t buy these figures to do the fucking Iron Man pose in your detolf. You buy them because you love these monsters and just want them around. Put him next to your movie collection or by the PlayStation... or in that detolf. He'll look great.

Speaking of, that red really pops. The color looks amazing, and those giant wings? Perfect. I love this design. It’s just pure horror in rubber suit form. I’ve always felt like Gigatron from Car Robots / Megatron from Robots in Disguise (2001) borrowed from his look. If only there was a red version. Honestly, I can’t say anything bad about this. I freaking love it.

Burning Godzilla [Egg Monsters Godzilla]

30 years ago, in 1995, Toho released Godzilla vs. Destoroyah, closing out the Heisei era and marking the end of that series’ Godzilla. Even three decades later, Burning Godzilla is still burned into everyone’s memory. His internal nuclear reactor-like heart was approaching a full meltdown — once it hit 1,200°C, it would trigger a thermonuclear explosion capable of melting the Earth down to its core. And on top of all that: a new monster enters the scene — Destoroyah! Due to his meltdown state, Godzilla spent the movie covered in glowing, burning patches as he neared critical mass. Needless to say, it looked extremely cool.

Today we’re looking at the Egg Monsters toy of that incarnation. Originally released in 2014, Bandai reissued it last November alongside several others. I had already gotten the rest of that wave, but I just found Burning Godzilla recently at Target. He must’ve been hiding in the back or something.

As you’d expect, Burning Godzilla uses the same mold as the standard Egg Monster Godzilla — which is fine, because it’s a great toy. The new deco is what sets it apart. The figure is mostly cast in translucent orange with dark green painted over it. The green is so dark it almost reads as black, and the orange shining through gives the whole thing a more sinister presence. Between the translucent plastic and the glowing lava look, I kept thinking of Rock Lords — this could practically be one.

Bandai really nailed this one. Burning Godzilla has always been one of the most visually striking forms of the King of the Monsters, even if it's depicting his death. Combine that with my love of transforming egg toys and this becomes a stellar release. Awesome job as usual, Bandai.

edit- I wasn't aware of the new Godzilla Fest short, Shinjuku Burning Godzilla when I wrote this. This post was written a week ago and sometimes the universe is just really neat.

South Claw [Gobots/Monster Gobots]

Usually when I talk about a Transformers Combiner, I make a point to talk about the concessions made for the combiner mode. With Gobots... that's not really the case. South Claw forms the left arm of Monsterous, but aside from the connector peg, you'd probably never know. South Claw is also known as Weird Wing in Machine Men and Death Claw/Number Three in Machine Robo. It's also worth noting that Monsterous is also known as Puzzler Fiends in Machine Men and Devil Satan 6 in Machine Robo. Also worth noting, I love the names in Gobots/Machine Men/Machine Robo. He's pretty much the same toy in each line, I think the only notable change is the wings are a lighter grey in Gobots.

South Claw is a Monster Gobot member of the Renegades who turns into a pretty gnarly flying kaiju monster. One fun thing about Monster Gobots is just how far out their designs are. South Claw is this weird cycloptic freak who looks like something Samus Aran would battle. Like most Gobots, he's reasonably articulated for a toy of his time... actually, maybe a little bit more. His forearms have a nice swivel and his wings can be posed in robot mode to give him an extra devilish look. Transformation is pretty easy as he mostly folds in half with parts re-arranged. I really like the purple/pink he's cast in.

I got this South Claw (it's a play on south paw) at ToyLanta 2024 from a hipster couple who regularly run a pretty decent booth. They sold him for a really low price because, as you can probably tell, he's got a chewed up foot/claw. Either someone's dog or feral cousin got a hold of it. Outside of that, the toy is in decent shape. A little paint wear and dings here and there. It's to be expected when paying a few bucks for an almost 40 year old toy. Maybe I'll find a junker to swap out parts with... or just have a South Claw with a fucked up foot. Sometimes these little dings give older toys extra charm. South Claw is a pretty good Gobot on his own and part of a pretty cool combiner team. His weird looks give him extra character and those colors make him look out of this world.

Upside-Down Glow Demogorgan [Stranger Things/Bandai]

Zombie Boy Will Byers was just heading home after playing some Dungeons & Dragons with his friends one night when he was kidnapped by the Demogorgan and taken to the Upside-Down. Stranger Things is one of my favorite TV shows and with it's final season drawing near, now feels like the perfect time to look at more of the various toys I've acquired since it premiered. You all know how much I love my sofubi and nobody does it better than Bandai.

This Demogorgan figure is part of a Stranger Things series from Bandai that came out a few years ago. It's 7" tall with excellent sculpting and paint with articulation in the shoulders. Did you take notice of the figures name? Yes, there was a regular and glow in the dark version... that's the one we're looking at right now! The glow is a specifically spooky blue color that I wish shown up better in my pictures (I tried) that really invokes the visage of those Upside-Down scenes. Bandai really nailed it with this figure. They normally do, but this time they went a step above. Hey... has anyone seen Barb?

Beware of the Terror House!

I'm mostly aware of Takeshi Kitano from Most Extreme Elimination Challenge, a funny dub job of the show Takeshi's Castle that was on in my early 20's. I still watch it regularly and it introduced me to Takeshi Kitano. Who's been in so many things... it's hard to list them all. It's no wonder why Bandai asked him to help sell their line of handheld LCD games in 1982, he's a big star. This one in particular is perfect for a spooky night with a horror marathon on in the background. Or something creepy to do in between handing out candy to kids on Halloween night.  Known here as Terror House and in Japan as Akuryo no Yakata, the game has some pretty great spooky graphics. I kinda want to play it right now.

originally posted 9/27/23

Godzilla 2023 (Odo Island) [Godzilla Monster Series 5"]

Bandai's 5" sofubi line continues to pump out banger after banger with the Odo Island version of Godzilla from Minus One. Godzilla Minus One being such an amazing movie, it's to no surprises that more toys of him would be desirable. I remember sitting in that theater after finally finding a local showtime (that was oddly difficult), drinking my Pepsi Zero Sugar and marveling out loud when Godzilla first appeared on Odo Island.

At this stage he hadn't mutated to the super beast we all know, and was more of a local creature the natives had to deal with. I was super impressed with the way he looked. Normally younger Godzilla's are kinda cute or more similar to dinosaurs. Since Shin Godzilla, however, they're depicted more monstrous and frightening. This is one freaky looking thing that would scare the absolute shit out of anyone who saw it.

That's awesome.

This just might be the best sculpted monster from the 5" series that I've seen. At least so far. After becoming aware of him in the winter, I had just recently found the toy at my local Target. I paid $12, though it looks to be a little more online depending on the store. Just try to find the best price. Articulation isn't something you normally buy a sofubi for, but I feel he's got a fair amount for the 5" series. Arms and legs. Despite being in basic colors, they feel impactful and look sharp.

There's a lot of detail in the sculpt that stands out even if it isn't highlighted. This is nice. I'm admittedly smitten with Bandai and have a general love for all things Godzilla... and hell. Have a generally positive outlook on everything I post about here. That's because I buy these toys and do this site for fun. It'd be pretty stupid to waste my time here on things I don't like. This, however, is something I'm genuinely smitten with. Minus One is just pure euphoria and frankly something I get pretty emotional about. A good figure of an important moment?

Outstanding.

Hedorah 2004 [Godzilla Collection/Blind Box]

Bandai's various blind box lines are pure love, especially when it comes to something like Godzilla and all his various cast mates. It's been awhile since I've seen this particular series at retail, maybe 2020. Fortunately, during a recent Popmart shopping trip with her friend, my wife found some and surprised me. I believe it's the same series as the ones I was buying in 2020, just in a different box. Luckily I pulled a monster that I couldn't find back then, Hedorah! Or as my wife calls it, that gross booger looking thing.

She's not wrong, the Smog Monster just looks like what it is... a pile of grossness. This figure represents it as it appeared in Godzilla Final Wars. I really liked that movie despite feeling exhausted after watching it each time. That's not a movie, it's a full throttle manic fever dream. Hedorah is about 3" tall with two points of articulation in the shoulders. It's very well painted and looks pretty close to screen accuracy. It's a simple blind box gatcha figue, but a pretty great one. Bandai just makes good stuff, you know.

Boulder [Rock Lords]

Boulder, the 'Leader of the Good Superhuman Rocks' seemed like a great toy to look at today as we head into ToyLanta weekend. I got this one at last years show in great condition for $25. Not bad! For whatever reason, I tend to focus on Rock Lords and Gobots at the convention and have the best time finding them. Boulder is the leader of the good guy Rock Lords and pretty cool looking too. This one is in pretty nice shape, though came missing his Power Sword... which is actually a laser gun. From what I gather, there was some mix-up in the early stages of the line and various weapons got mixed up.

So you get mismatched names on packaging with what the toy actually has. Sort of like Magmar's 'Ax-Rifle' that's really just a club. It's worth pointing out that the 'Power Sword' is called the 'Justice Laser Gun' in the Japanese release. Boulder comes with a Power Sword here, but BattleRock is using his Justice Laser Gun there. Damn, I love the Japanese names.

Boulder turns into a rock, of course. Specifically Tungsten, while is Japanese counterpart Kimberlite. Both Rock Lords and Armorizers make a point to define what type of stone the characters turn into and I love that. The whole thing is ridiculous as is, but that fact that they're that specific is just *chef's kiss*. In robot mode (are they specifically robots?), Boulder is pleasantly articulated for a toy of his era. Arms move at the shoulder and elbow and there's knee movement. The head looks like it swivels, but I've never tried it. Transformation is a simple folding up up the parts resulting in a specifically shiny rock. It's a pretty color that I'd love to see more often. Rock Lords are really neat and Boulder is very cool. He's definitely meant to be the hero of the crew with his looks and styling. That's a rock fact.

Godzilla 2023 [Godzilla Monster Series 5"]

I happily found this Minus One version of Godzilla from the awesome Godzilla Monster Series 5" line by Bandai at a Miniso while shopping with the Mrs. I haven't gotten any toy of Godzilla as he appeared in Minus One yet, so I was ecstatic. Godzilla is like the other figures in this range, a smaller sofubi. One thing about his appearance in the movie that I've always liked was the extra pointy design.

That detail is carried over well here as is painted on scar tissue. I find his chonky sculpt extremely pleasant and the overall toy very satisfying. Godzilla 2023 has less articulation than the other figures in this range. Only his arms and tail move. I'm not entirely sure of the reason for this, but can speculate his larger body probably ate at the toys design budget. Each joint is a separate piece and you can probably see the seam in his wait where the figure is assembled. With figures like this, the articulation isn't a focal point, so I wasn't bothered. It's nice to finally have a toy of what feels like Godzillas proudest moment in the theaters. Minus One is probably the one Godzilla movie not hailed as a silly monster movie by snooty critics and I can't help but to be proud of that.

Godzilla [Monster Egg Series Godzilla]

I don't know who was saying he had to go, because it wasn't me. Today we'll be looking at Godzilla in Monster Egg Series form! Out of the 4 in this 2024 reissue set (the Gigan from 2014 isn't available at this time) Godzilla is the star. Not just because he's the main character of the films... but he's also the best of the batch! Thanks to the transformation he's got quit a bit of articulation compared to the others. The head and tail are jointed, twice in the tail! Arms and legs can move... there's even twists in the ankles!

Bandai is the best at this sort of thing and they proved it with Godzilla. Unlike most egg toys, he retains his traditional proportions. Transformation is easy and everything folds up neatly into place. Egg form is truly monstrous (as it should be) and this is one truly well done toy. Go Go Godzilla!

MechaGodzilla [Monster Egg Series Godzilla]

There's something magical about classic MechaGodzilla. Sure, more modern takes are extra awesome looking and super badass... but there's no denying the classic sci fi charm and style of his era. You can laugh at his rainbow colored beams all you want... but he did draw blood. Those fights with Godzilla were specifically gory and it was this version that did the damage. While we're talking about his far out looks and hardcore fighting... let's look at his egg monsters toy. Like any Bandai transforming egg, he's well done.

Minimal articulation, but that's common for this type of toy. He looks pretty great in both modes. Robot mode looks pretty spot on, maybe a little extra round, but that's another side effect of this type of toy. You expect it. Egg form looks like some sort of crazy bomb G-Force devised to stop these monsters and run off the evil space aliens. Or since this MechaGodzilla is from space and working for those evil space aliens... maybe it's something they made for us! I haven't mention yet that this series is a reissue set and they were originally released in 2014. It's super cool Bandai did this and had it at Target. The Mrs saw them and knew they'd make perfect stocking stuffers because of that. So many  people are complaining about the price of eggs these days, but these ones are priceless to me.

Mothra [Monster Egg Series Godzilla]

I love kaiju and transforming egg toys and by God, Bandai makes the best of both worlds. Hailing from the Monster Egg Series Godzilla toys the Mrs. gave me at Christmas is this super rad. Mothra usually appears in either larva or adult form, so this toy features both! That was a super neat surprise when I opened up Mothra's package. The larva actually combines with the moth's underside and the egg shells form around the two creating a neat egg. The same egg shells are Mothra's wings and the entire thing is super cool and creative. Admittedly, I'm not a great photographer, so Bandai's site offers some better looks at the toy. I mean damn, I have her sitting on the lid from a Yankee Candle. A lesser company would have just made a moth that transformed into an egg, but Bandai is just the best. Just the best. I like the toy, btw.

Mothra, o Mothra
Through thy magical life energy
Accept the prayers of thy humble servants
Arise and
Show us your magic power