Shimo (Godzilla X Kong/2 pack version)

Following up on the Godzilla from the Godzilla vs Shimo 2 pack we looked at earlier this month is Shimo. Like Evolved Godzilla, Shimo is a variation of the standard retail release with an alternate paint deco. Shimo is an interesting looking ice monster who caused the last ice age 11,700 years ago. Avoiding spoilers for those who haven't seen the movie as of this writing, she's an antagonist alongside The Skar King and quite a threat. Like many others, I thought her design was really cool (no pun intended). The blue crystals against the white skin is a much different set of colors than what normally gets used for kaiju.

An ancient frost dragon type monster just makes great example of why Monsterverse is so fun. In this action figure, Shimo is fairly faithful to her onscreen appearance. A quadruped, Shimo's legs move at the hips. Her head and tail also rotate and move around as you'd expect from a toy like this. Her mouth can open which allows the blast effect to be plugged in for the FROST BITE BLAST. It's a fun toy and to make her fighting against the Evolved Godzilla complete, there's some additional included cardboard scenery (not pictured). Playschool makes great toys and this 2 pack is a lot of fun.... as is everything about Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire.

Weekly Update: 4/15/24

It's time to start a new week on Zone Base! I had a great weekend and hope you did too! Did some shopping with the Mrs and enjoyed a great date night Saturday night. Sunday saw the first time grilling this year and boy was it good! Target still didn't have Origins Wheeljack, but I managed to pick up a Flame Toys Bumblebee kit on sale as well as some more Star Wars Doorables and an Epic Hero Grogu! I stopped by Michaels to check out the upcoming Nevermore Collection. It's still getting set up, but looks like a fun little display for Halfway to Halloween! I've got a fun week in store for you all! Thank you for continuing to read Zone Base. Please share the site with your friends and Mutual High Fives everyone!

Evolved Godzilla (Godzilla X Kong/2 pack version)

I've been singing the praises of Playmates Godzilla and Kong line since they launched and for good reason. These are great toys of classic characters. Evolved Godzilla is from the newest movie, Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire and this version is specifically from the Godzilla vs Shimo 2 pack. The 2 pack is exclusive to Walmart (I believe) and features the two figures with variant decos and scenery for them to fight in. Godzilla is in his Evolved form as you've seen countless times for the marketing for the movie. It's a cool new look that comes with extra abilities that I can't tell you about yet as of this writing I haven't seen the movie yet. I will have by the time you read this and will likely be raving about it non-stop. But as of now, not yet. The wait is killing me... I love this stuff.

Godzilla is pretty much the same figure as his standard release, however with a slightly different deco. The regular version is a darker green, while this is a brighter shade with some teals thrown in. I'm sure it's meant to represent the lighting in a fight scene between Shimo and him, but even on it's own looks cool. A regular complaint I've seen about this Evolved form is the pinks in his dorsal fins. Personally I don't get it, as we all thought it looked cool in Shin Godzilla. That and I appreciate the new look. I like the Monsterverse version of Godzilla, but admit it doesn't always translate well into toys and such. This new form seemingly does pretty well. This is a pretty decent action figure of him with a fair amount of articulation... or about as much so you'd expect. Shoulders, legs, tail,and head move in the standard fashion for Godzilla toys. Also like toys before, his mouth opens and the included Atomic Breath blast effect and plug in. This is a great toy to stomp around and make 'skreeonk' sounds until someone tells you to be quiet. Between Minus One in December and Godzilla X Kong in March... it's an amazing time for Godzilla fans. I'm taking in as many monster toys as I can and this 2 pack was a great set of figures in cool colors (I got the Kong one too). I love it, now if you'll excuse me, I'm getting to work on my aftermarket bus accessory packs for Godzilla toys. To pick up and putting back down.

Weekly Update 4/1/24

Empire of Old weekend was quite the adventure. I've made my thoughts on the movies known in the past two posts, but my birthday and Easter were pretty great! The Mrs absolutely spoiled me on my birthday as did my Mother and Brother. I got all sorts of toys and cool stuff. Too much to list here. Ate some great food, probably too much... but I'll get back on the wagon Monday. Just had a cheat weekend instead of a weekly cheat day. It was a special occasion! Well, I'll keep this weeks update short and thank all of you for reading Zone Base! There's a fun week of content coming for your eyeballs. Please don't forget to share the site with your friends, and Mutual High Fives all around!

Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire

Empire of Old weekend saw not just yesterdays movie, but a viewing of Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire Easter Sunday (today) morning. I've been chomping at the bit for this one despite the heaping of kaiju love I've been getting lately. Since the movie just came out, I'll avoid spoilers, but it's obvious this was awesome. The Monsterverse movies are basically modern Showa era (and a touch Heisei) with big Hollywood budgets. One of the biggest gripes when watching Godzilla movies is waiting for the human scenes to end so we can get to the monsters. Monsterverse is almost all monster mayhem and it's wonderful. Godzilla and Kong (with some friends) team up to take on The Skar King and Shimo (with some friends). GxK an insane mixture of giant monsters and cool visuals. It's hard to cram 2 hours of awesome into a short post... freaking badass.

Frozen Monday

Light 'em up, a new week is starting up! Not just any week, the first special event week of the year on Zone Base! Toylanta is this week and with it comes my annual con report MEGA-POST! Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire also comes out in the US this weekend. Of course I'll be waiting to see it until next weekend with Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire on my birthday Empire of Old double feature. I'm excited, two big weekends in a row!

I'm going to be exhausted.

This was a fun weekend. I got some rest and enjoyed some great food. My cheat meal for the week was some pizza on Saturday and the wife made low sodium tacos Sunday! Speaking of Saturday and Godzilla X Kong, I stopped by Circle K with hopes to find their GxK tie in stuffs! The breakfast sandwich was sold out and the candy bar was nowhere to be found. However they did have the slushies! No special cups either, but I went in with low expectations from a gas station movie tie in. Godzilla Blast is a cherry slush, while Kong Crush was blue raspberry. It was a delightful experience drinking the two, even if the store under delivered on product. I drank the two with straws crossed in an X. Because they're teaming up.

That was a lot of sugar.

I did get a few things. As it's been the past few weeks, Toylanta and my birthday are coming up. So I didn't want to buy myself much. However, I did pick up the GxK Suko and Doug 2 pack. The set has been tricky to get as everyone wants a Doug, and so did I! Not to be outdone, my Mom stopped by for dinner Sunday bringing gifts. Some odd TMNT figures she found at a thrift store. As well as MOTU Origins Mossman, Earthspark Spin Changers Bumblebee, and some Transformers Classic Hero team figures that she had picked up on clearance. I've already got a Mossman, but don't mind having another. I wasn't counting on buying that Bumblebee, but am suprised with how fun he is. Delightfully Super Robot for a modern toy. The Classic Heros? Delightful.

Well, time to finish my coffee and this episode of AEW Collision on my DVR. I've got some chores to do as well as get ready for the convention. The con bag needs to be prepared and I've got to find a way to survive the short week before Toylanta! It's only a 4 day work week, but will feel like FOREVER. Speaking of fun, have you tried the new Cold Foam Creamer from International Delight? Wonderful. Making lattes at home has never been easier. Well, we've got one heck of a week in store. These special events on the site are a blast. Thank you so much for reading Zone Base. This would be a great week to share the site with your friends, I mean dude... Toylanta! Mutal high fives everyone!

Kong with B.E.A.S.T Glove (Godzilla X Kong/Playmates)

Kong is back for another Monsterverse adventure with Godzilla in the upcoming Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire. This new action figure by Playmates represents Kong from the new film with his new gadget, the B.E.A.S.T GLOVE. Short for Bio Enhanced Anatomech Seismic Thunder, the B.E.A.S.T GLOVE was built by Monarch is a gadget that gives the King of Skull Island extra powerful punches. Strong enough to shatter a meteor! Or at least that's what Gojipedia says- as of this writing the movie won't be out for awhile. He does have it in the trailers and seemingly all the new toys, so I'm guessing Kong is packing his kaiju sized Power Glove for a good bit in the movie. Not sure what else it does, part of me likes to think he can keep up with his steps, heart rate, Spotify, and other phone apps like I do with my Galaxy Watch.

As a toy, Kong is great. Retaining most of the features that made his prior figure from Godzilla vs Kong so good. All the articulation and heft from that prior widely regarded figure returns with a new sculpt and includes a mini BIO-MIMIC HEAV, a small aircraft Monarch gets around in. Missing is the hunk of flesh that could be removed for battle damage and his Ancestral Battle-Axe. Thanks to the bio on the back of his packaging, I'd like to think there was plans to include the axe at some point. Maybe a future version will include it.  The prior figure was popular not only with kaiju fans, but several other fandoms. I recall many Masters of the Universe groups having fun with him and including it in their ranks of warriors. I'm pretty sure this new figure will as well. Like the prior figure, this Kong will probably be available in multiple variations. This is the standard release and there's also a VS 2-pack with Skar King available in a different paint deco available. Playmates makes really good toys and they've been knocking it out of the park with their Godzilla and Kong figures. This is just another great example of that.

A Monday is You!

A new week has begun on Planet Zone and a bunch of fun content coming your way! How was everyone's weekend? Mine was good. Enjoyed some rest and grocery store sushi while watching 1000lbs Sisters and paranormal TV. We did our weekly shopping which lead to a few toy pick ups. Gamer Edition Optimus Prime was found at Target. Walmart had the GXK Kong vs Skar King 2 pack and some neat Hollow Earth crystal blind packs (also from GxK). I bought one on a whim and got Skar King!

We later stopped at Five Below for a Squishmallow drop and I got the entire set of GXK Jada Metalfigs. I had been slowly getting them from Walmart, but discovered the Five Below sets were not keychains. So I bought all 4. Not sure why there is or isn't a keychain attached depending on store, weird. Also picked up a Super Mario Bros bag clip figure blind bag from the new series and got Bullet Bill! The Mrs earlier in the week picked up the rest of the Transformers Jada Metalfig mini figures and some neat mini TF plush toys for me. Somehow I managed to bring lots of fun stuff. Even picked up a neat monster survival guide book from Five Below.

Well, enough about that, let's get this week started! I've got a fun week in store for all of you. Thank you so much for reading Zone Base. If you like what I'm doing, thanks! Don't worry, I'm not asking for money (that's gross isn't it?). All I ask is that you share the site with your friends. Zone Base isn't about capitalizing on others, just enjoying cool stuff. If you know anyone that might like the cool stuff I talk about, then hey... let them in on it. Mutal high fives all around!

Monday's are Impossible

Oh dammit, it's already Monday. This weekend flew by just as I was getting used to it. I don't have much to report other than some weekly shopping and house work. Well, we watched 1000lbs Sisters. Not sure how many episodes this season has left, but it's been a doozy. Started watching MOTU Revolution as well, love it. I'll be sure to finish it up soon. I was initially apprehensive about a Kevin Smith He-Man cartoon, but he actually made a good show! There's also a new Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire trailer out today, let's take a look!

Man it looks great! My viewing will be delayed though. The movie actually comes out Toylanta weekend. HOWEVER, the following weekend is my birthday and the release of Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire. I'm going celebrate the Empire of old by watching both! 

Man, it's gonna be one hell of a week. Toylanta, Ghostbusters, Godzilla and Kong, and my birthday! Getting old is exciting! Not to mention Easter is the following Sunday! Dang! While I didn't get any Transformers this weekend, I did bring home toys related to this post! I picked up Vintage Collection Fright Features Winston (Target seems to just have one at a time) and Frozen Empire Fright Features Gary! The Mrs suprised me with a Jada Metalfig Godzilla from the new movie and I picked up Shimu from the same line later. These are mini figures similar to the Transformers or TMNT ones sold at Five Below. I really like them. Not to be outdone was a vs 2 pack of Evolution Godzilla vs Shimu which I think is Walmart exclusive. Speaking of TMNT, my Mom suprised me with a plush Leonardo!

January is almost over and Transform Squadron is running a little behind. It was actually a little busy this month and I'm also experimenting with a new recording set up. So, sorry for the delay, but it's coming eventually! I may not have a new podcast this week, but I do have a fun week planned. Thanks to everyone for reading Zone Base. If you like what I'm doing, thanks! Please share the site with your friends and let's all have great week! Mutual High Fives everyone!

Monsters of Monsters

 

Official pictures of some upcoming Playmates Godzilla toys were recently released and I wanted to talk about them a little. Top left is a new Shin Godzilla that looks like a big improvement over the last version Playmates put out in the lines first wave. If anything, it's a nice way to see the improvement of the line from then to now. It really looks good. To his right is Kong as he appeared in Skull Island. Seemingly another use of the Kong figure from the Godzilla vs Kong series that flies off shelves. It's a great toy and comes with the chain weapon used against the giant skull crawler at the end of the movie and one of those classic helicopters.

Bottom left is Godzilla from 2019's King of the Monsters. Specifically in his 'burning' form. I never get tired of Burning Godzilla toys and this one has a great looking new sculpt and a tank. They never come with a bus though. I mean, he could pick it up and put it back down. It really does look great and I hope several variations in different decos come from it. Let's go old-school Playmates, give me translucent glow in the dark Godzilla with a bus. Last but not least to his right is Godzilla's third form from Singular Point known as Terrestris Godzilla. Representing a more juvenile version prior to maturity he's not fully erect and hunched over. Really, it's that sharp color scheme that draws me to this toy. It's a cool design, sure, but that blue!

I'm always ready for more Godzilla and have been a steady fan of the Playmates toys. The new releases coming down the pipe are just exciting. There's nothing like getting one and just being in awe of it for the first time. I'm really looking forward to seeing these at my local stores. Playmates has really been putting out a solid line of Toho Kaiju. Here's looking forward to figuring out how to stick them on a shelf with others. Those tails can really get in the way.

Giant MechaGodzilla (Godzilla vs Kong)

 

I feel like I've been championing the Playmates Godzilla toys since they've been released. To be fair, I was initially critical like others. Some of those early photos weren't promising. I acknowledged the lines faults and have watched it improve as time went along. That's how toy lines work, the initial figures are usually a little rough and things get smoother out as the team finds it's groove. This is the Giant sized MechaGodzilla from their Godzilla vs Kong line. It was one of the Christmas gifts from the Mrs. and I'm quite fond of it.

While Kiryu is my favorite version of MechaGodzilla, this newer Monsterverse version sure is neat. I like how it looks like a robot skeleton. Kiryu is made from skeletal remains of the original Godzilla who's ghost is in there, while this Mechagodzilla is initially controlled by the skull of Ghidorah before being possessed by Ghidorah's consciousness. Mechagodzilla's can be pretty spooky. Good.

This is the giant version of Mechagodzilla. It stands 11" tall, while the standard one is 6". I wished I would have measured it from nose to tail, because that seems a little longer. Like most kaiju toys, he doesn't have a lot of articulation. Head, shoulders, legs, hands, feet, and some tail swivel. Most is pretty standard stuff for a sofubi or these sofubi inspired action figures. The hands though are pretty neat, they swivel at the wrists as well as open and close. This allows him to pick up a bus and throw it back down as well.

King Kong's Ghost Adventures

It's probably no suprise to any of you that I enjoy watching paranormal TV shows. I think I've talked about that before here. Saturday night I fell asleep in the living room with paranormal shows on in the background. This happens quite often, I'll wake up shortly after and find my way to the bedroom. Well Saturday night, the Mrs. and I were watching TV and she feel asleep on the couch and I soon did the same in my chair. We're here today to talk about the dream I had... it's a weird one. I may need help.

In my dream I had become very interested in a lost King Kong film production. The movie had begun filming, but never finished and had become lost media over time. All that was available was a picture of the King Kong costume in a warehouse door. I couldn't shake the idea that the warehouse looked super familiar. Sure enough, it turned out to be nearby. So I printed out the picture and headed there. 

The picture matched up perfectly with the warehouse. So while I was taking pictures for a post a old man walked up and asked what I was doing. After talking for a bit, it turns out he knew a lot about the production. He actually was working in the area at the time. The production was moved shortly after there was a murder in the back alley.

DUN DUN DDDDUUUUNNNNNNN

Details were scarce, but a guy was chased down the alley and shot to death. Ever since, every night you could hear the gun shots in that alley. Needless to say I came back that night to see if I could hear them. As I walked down the alley, gunshots rang out. It was scary, holy crap. I had info on this lost King Kong movie with a ghost story to boot! Then... then... I heard the hosts of The Dead Files talking as I awoke really needing to pee. Dammit.

Going Ape This Week

Nothing warrants a trip back in time like a Monday! It's going to be a weird week. Tuesday I get my second vaccination shot and will be feeling like crap afterwards! There's a new episode of Not As Brightly Lit available for your taste of pumpkin spice in spring. We're halfway to Halloween, but everyday is Halloween on Zone Base! Speaking of the spooky season, it's the first week of May and you know what that means? Spooky Summer will be starting soon! After Memorial Day weekend, summer starts and the scary party will begin on Zone Base! If this is your first summer as a reader, that means spooky clips and posts all through summer leading up the the big Zone Base Halloween Celebration! Which will technically still be summer since that starts in early August! Two months of Spooky Summer, three months of Halloween. FIVE WHOLE MONTHS OF SPOOKY SHIT. It's a pretty good time. Thanks for reading Zone Base and please share with your friends!

Godzilla vs Kong

After waiting an eternity, Godzilla vs Kong was finally released last Wednesday. Thanks to covid-19 adding a few more delays, the movie was released to theaters and streaming via HBO Max. That's how I watched it, at home with some takeout from a steakhouse Saturday night. I'd love to have watched it on release day, but as I've said before here- my work schedule makes watching movies hard during the week. Not to mention I had just got my internet back after a EF-4 tornado went through my town last week. After all the delays, a few more days didn't seem that bad.

I loved this movie. Which you probably guessed already. I've been very happy with the Monsterverse's use of Kong and Godzilla and the world they gave them to play in. Ultimately this movie was the planned culmination of the series. So depending on how the pendulum swings it could be the last movie or the start of a new phase. Considering how successful it's been so far, hopefully they'll let them fight for a few more movies.

Speaking of success, the movie is pulling the kind of box office you'd expect in a big budget Hollywood blockbuster before covid-19 changed everything. That's pretty amazing. While the toys have been selling steadily at my local Walmarts, they were completely cleared out Saturday morning. Considering the extra stock they put out a few days more and that's awesome. Finding a Mechagodzilla might prove to be a challenge. If that's due to a successful movie making people want monsters toys, then I'm happy to share in the selection.

Kong's Going To Whoop Your Ass

One of the Christmas gifts from my Mom was the Giant Kong figure by Playmates. Seeing how a certain trailer is pretty popular right now, it seems like a good time to talk about this toy. As you could guess this Kong as he appears in the upcoming movie. It's been 48 years since his last adventure in Skull Island and he's grown up quite a bit since then.

In case the 'giant' part of Giant Kong wasn't very clear, this isn't the standard figure. It's a much larger toy. The standard Kong figure has a bit more articulation and accessories, this is a big ass monkey your going to stomp around while yelling. The figure is 11 inches tall and looks really great. His head swivels as does his feet. There's basic shoulder and upper leg articulation. I'm sure he can hold something in his right hand if you put something there. This guy has a lot in common with the last Giant Kong by Playmates, but still just enough to make him different.

I had honestly figured this would be a repaint of the prior Giant Kong toy with some paint differences and maybe a new head. I was wrong, even though the figure has the same basic stature and articulation as the last one. This is a newer, beefier Kong with a big beard. In story he's bigger and older now (he was pretty young in Skull Island, they made a point to say that) so he's got to be more battle hardened looking. He's been whooping all sorts of ass in the past 48 years and now he's ready to kick that suddenly evil Godzilla's ass. *cough* 

It's a pretty good Kong toy. I've been a steady fan of these Playmates Godzilla and Kong toys as readers know. They're pretty fun and don't cost very much. It's hard to complain about that. Somebody will, but not me. This Kong costs around $20 and is exclusive to Walmart here in the states (not sure for other countries). This is a good King Kong toy. I can't say enough good about it, so let's watch that trailer again!

I Don't Say He's Got To Go

I've not been covering Playmates Godzilla vs Kong toys here much for no particular reason. So I thought I'd do something about that as I have some and plan on buying more. With the movie's release date changed again (I fucking swear...) it seams like a good time. 

I've talked about Playmates general Godzilla line here before and have been pretty positive about it. This isn't the same line, it's literally an action figure line. Not soft or hard vinyl, action figures similar to the Godzilla toys Trendmasters produced in the 90's. I can only hope these guys get Cyborg Armor too. That'd be freaking amazing. *cough*

As you can probably guess the line has multiple versions of Godzilla and Kong in it. There's also a few other kaiju from the Monsterverse thrown in for good measure. Today I'm talking about the Godzilla with Heat Ray figure. I first typed 'hat' instead of ;'heat' and now I really want to see Godzilla with a hat ray.

This figure is from the standard assortment (there's a giant/mega size class as well) and might be the same mold as the Godzilla with Radio Tower figure. I don't have that one yet, but it looks like it is. The difference would be the paint job and included accessory. 

This figure has a much darker skin with super nice looking translucent blue back plates. He comes with a 'heat ray' burst of flames meant to represent his atomic breath. The 'heat ray' part is the same colored plastic as the back plates, which looks nice. Clearly Godzilla is charging up that blast. 

His mouth is articulated to open or close. Obviously when inserting the 'heat ray' piece, you'll need it open. It doesn't just prop up in there either. There's a little ball joint that inserts into his upper mouth. Usually these companies bullshit that kinda of thing, so I found the insertion point pretty nice. 

The figures in the standard range have removable battle damage similar to older Jurassic Park toys. Just a satisfying chunk of meat that can get ripped off exposing the gore underneath. The chunk is a rubbery piece that snaps into place pretty well and doesn't fall off easily. Godzilla is reasonably articulated. Head swivels, half the tail is on a ball joint (has to be snapped on after opening package). Legs move at his hips and arms on shoulders for tearing high tension wires down.

No matter who makes the figure, you can only expect so much articulation on a Godzilla toy. Anything over that is a plus. It's a good figure, I can't really find any faults with it. For all the negativity I've seen in kaiju groups on the Playmates Godzilla toys, I've been steadily enjoying them. Each his own I suppose. The line is exclusive to Walmart here in the states. I kinda love it.

Transform Squadron 23- War For Walmart

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Rob’s back for this August of 2020 edition talking about Siege on Netflix, and toys he wants at Walmart. Transformers, GIJOE, He-Man, and kaiju are all discussed as well as the incoming Halloween season. Also sneezing cats!

A Weekend Has Passed, Sadly

I'd act like I did very much this weekend... but I didn't. I did watch Siege on Netflix Friday (and finished it Monday) and enjoyed it quite a bit. I talk about it more in this months episode of Transform Squadron (which I also recorded Monday), but in short, I liked it. Really looking forward to the Earthrise season, but no clue when that'll be.

Saturday after getting home from work we went to Walmart to look for a few things. Considering we get our groceries delivered, it's just oddball things we go out for. I was hoping to find some new Masters of the Universe stuff, but alas, sadly it wasn't there. I don't know if it hadn't been stocked yet or if it had been cleared out. Considering the pictures in MOTU groups of dudes clearing out entire shelves in one visit, I'll never know.

It's mostly angering when I see the entire box of minis in the carts, that's what I want the most. Ghostbuster are still cleared out still, so I'm hoping a restock will allow me to get that Ray and Winston I need. Same bunch of Netflix Transformers on the pegs, leading me to hope the eventual clearance of Megatron and Sideswipe will be in my favor. We decided to go to the other Walmart 10 minutes away and while there I got Kong from the new Godzilla vs Kong line by Playmates.

Movie isn't due out until May, but they had a full shelf of toys. Not bad either, $10 for a standard figure. These aren't vinyl either, but outright action figures and I honesty like that. They make me think of TMNT figures in construction. They have battle damage similar Jurassic Park toys where a chunk of meat can be torn from the monsters in battle. Kong comes with a caveman style battle axe made from one of Godzilla's tail plates. That's awesome. Sadly neither Walmarts had Star Wars Mission Fleet figures, so I see a Target visit in my future. I do like those a bit.

Afterwards we went to Rack Room Shoes since we had a coupon and there was a sale on top of their normal BOGO deal. Got a sweet pair of new Reebok since they've been on my mind lately. I've noticed Reebok bags and socks at Walmart for back to school and keep wondering if other Reebok products will start showing at the store. A discount line or stuff like basketball shorts. I'd love something like $20 Reebok classics in a million colors.

That was pretty much it. We had Olive Garden take out for dinner and mostly chilled around the house the rest of the weekend. I had plans of doing some work on my room, but not doing anything for once since spring sure was nice. Had plans to grill out Sunday which became ordering pizza from Hungry Howie's as my Mom stopped by for a little bit.

Did some preliminary Halloween planning. We got a notebook to write all of our plans down while watching shopping videos of folks showing what they've found at their stores. I've been eyeing early leaks at upcoming Spirit Halloween stuff, and I love their theme this year. That'll be a post later this week along with that Mission Fleet one I forgot to do last week.

Kongfrontation On Skull Island

I told you all I'd get the larger Playmates Godzilla and Kong figures, didn't I? Actually they were given to me by way of Easter present from my wife. Kong here, shares a lot of similarities with his standard figure as far as joints go. In this deluxe figure his fists now swivel, but his head doesn't seem to be on a ball joint.

That's not too bad though as the standard figure had more of an in thought expression on his face, while the deluxe is roaring in anger. The swivel on his neck feels more natural, as folks tend to look straight forward when they're pissed off. While I doubt this was on purpose, it sure works out well. I also noticed this figure has a beard, while the prior doesn't. Rumor has it Kong has a beard in the upcoming Kong vs Godzilla movie, so perhaps this is a sneak peak of an upcoming mold. His left had could hold a weapon if you're inclined to stick something in there.

The toy is much bigger as well. I've seen folks say it was around 9", which doesn't seem wrong. I haven't measured him and was guessing he was around a foot. He's displayed with one hand held high in package, so that could gave me that impression. Like the smaller figures he has a hard solid body with solid rubbery appendages. Other monster collectors have informed me they're a hard vinyl. Which sounds right.

It's a pleasant toy in hand. He has a nice heft and stands a little more balanced than the smaller figure. The extra size and weight must have a better center of gravity. While much smaller than the jumbos of Shogun Warriors, I feel a strong similarity of hand feel with these toys. The Godzilla and Rodan my brother and I owned may be long gone, but I can still feel them as if I just put them down a few minutes ago. It's a similar feel and that's a nice thing. Modern jumbos aren't always as big as older ones, but similarity is everything in some cases.

Zone Base CD- Shogun Tornados

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Rob talks about his Shogun Warrior Rodan after a late night tornado jogged the memory.