Rodan's Right Wing

I've mentioned before that Shogun Warriors was something of a foundational toy line for me. While I was far too young to fully appreciate the toys at the time, I absolutely loved the ones I had. I had no clue who Dragun or Poseidon were, but those little Shogun Warriors figures went on more adventures than I could ever count.

Towering over them all, however, were Shogun Warriors Godzilla and Rodan. These enormous toys seemed practically to scale with my other action figures, and to a little kid they felt absolutely gigantic.

Admittedly, this is one of those memories that pops into my head several times a year and probably means a lot more to me than it would to most people.

Most people know that the Shogun Warriors toys were based on molds originally produced by Bandai/Popy in Japan. Godzilla and Rodan were released under the "World's Greatest Monsters" sub-line as an expansion of the series. Godzilla was a modified version of an existing Japanese release, but Rodan was an original creation made specifically for the American line. Between that and the toy's rather fragile construction, an original Rodan commands a small fortune today.

Back then, though...

He was just my giant Rodan.

Rodan stood about 13½ inches tall with an incredible 38-inch wingspan.

Yes...

His wingspan was roughly my height.

His big play feature was those massive flapping wings. You'd grip him by the holes in his back—almost like holding a bowling ball—and shake him up and down to make his wings flap.

I'm sure that was a very pleasant breeze for everyone else in the house during summer vacation.

Unfortunately, that wing mechanism relied on rubber bands inside the body that were known to break over time. Even worse, those huge rigid plastic wings had a tendency to crack under their own weight.

Mine did.

Rodan's right wing developed a crack that ran about three-quarters of the way down from the base.

I refused to give up on him.

Rodan received the finest medical care a small child with very little understanding of engineering—and parents who believed in do-it-yourself repairs whether they were good at them or not—could possibly provide.

Electrical tape.

Duct tape.

Super glue.

Lots of super glue.

Did the repairs hold?

Not for long...

...but they held long enough.

DAMMIT, RODAN! I'M NOT GIVING UP ON YOU!

Unfortunately...

My parents did.

During our move from Statesboro, Georgia, to Jonesboro, Georgia...

Rodan disappeared.

Where does a giant bird toy go?

Into the trash while the kid isn't looking.

In the chaos of moving, the mighty Rodan was ultimately defeated by two exhausted parents trying to pack a house.

Time, of course, moved on.

I accumulated other Rodan toys over the years, but I never forgot that one.

Then, around 2019, while walking around Toylanta taking pictures of various toys for the site, I spotted one.

A dealer had a complete Shogun Warriors Rodan still in the box, laid out so you could see every piece.

I just stood there for a while.

It felt like visiting an old friend.

Naturally, pictures of it ended up on my social media.

Not long afterward, my mom called.

She asked if I still had "that Rodan toy."

I reminded her that they had thrown it away.

Naturally, she immediately threw my dad under the bus before asking why I hadn't just bought the one I'd photographed.

I told her it was around $1,500.

She thought I'd said $15.

After a few rounds of what basically became Who's on First?, she finally realized what I'd actually said.

The noise she made sounded like a cross between Scooby-Doo and the brakes on a worn-out 1987 Ford Taurus.

Later that year, Godzilla: King of the Monsters hit theaters, along with a whole assortment of new kaiju toys.

She ended up getting me the large Rodan figure for Christmas.

These days, an original Shogun Warriors Rodan is even more expensive than it was back then. Thankfully, Super7 released a wonderful reproduction as part of their ReAction line, which the Mrs. got me for Christmas one year.

That Rodan now sits alongside the matching Shogun Warriors Godzilla reproduction in a special place in my heart.

No duct tape required.

Kaiju Ranger Red Rodan [Godzilla VS Mighty Morphin Power Rangers]

This year, the stars have really aligned. For whatever reason, Zone Base’s 10th year feels like the universe decided, “yeah, let’s just give this guy everything he likes.”

Case in point: these new Playmates Toys figures based on Godzilla vs. Mighty Morphin Power Rangers.

I’ve talked about the bag clips before, but now that there are actual figures of these designs? It’s a little mind-blowing.

Like I said before, I haven’t even read the comics yet. I’m tempted, but I’ve been holding off. Still, as a fan of this stuff, this hits some very specific part of my brain I can’t quite explain.

Pure euphoria?
Yeah… something like that.

I’ve always had a huge soft spot for Rodan, going all the way back to my old Shogun Warriors toy as a kid. So seeing him reimagined as a Ranger—and of course as the Red Ranger—is just incredible.

And it works.

The design is such a perfect blend. The Rodan-inspired helmet is full-on monster and packed with character. The scaled body armor looks natural, and those wings coming off his back just sell the whole thing.

This feels like something that should have always existed.

Alright, let’s talk accessories so I’m not just saying “this is awesome” over and over again… even though it is.

He comes with the Red Ranger’s Power Sword and the Blade Blaster, which can be displayed in both blaster and blade modes. There’s also a display stand shaped like his Morpher Medallion, embossed with the Rodan symbol that Toho uses for the classic character.

That detail is so cool. I tried to show it off in the photos—and I was probably more impressed by it than any reasonable person should be.

I… love this thing.

Like, seriously love it.

This isn’t a constructive post.
It’s me fawning over a toy.

Ralph X Rodan [TMNT X Godzilla]

So, if anything, the slightly random nature of the TMNT X Godzilla toys is part of the magic. Clearly there was going to be a Rodan, and since Raphael wears red, they’re a match. However, as a fan, I can’t just let it be that simple. See, Raphael (cool, but rude) has that infamous fiery temper. The Rodans not only died in a volcano in their debut movie, but Fire Rodan was introduced in Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II, complete with the Uranium Heat Beam ability. The MonsterVerse Rodan was discovered in a volcano as well. See? Spiciness is implied… it works.

The merging of Rodan and Raphael also looks absolutely awesome. Admittedly, combining monsters and mutants is already a winning combination, but all of these designs have been great so far. I didn’t mention it in Mikey X King Ghidorah, but these figures have an excellent amount of articulation in addition to the detailed sculpting and strong coloring. Playmates makes awesome toys, and that’s on full display here.

I’ve always had a soft spot for Rodan thanks to that Shogun Warriors version I played with until it literally fell apart. And even though Michelangelo is my favorite turtle, there have been times when Raphael has taken that spot. Sometimes, when life gets hard and you’re mad at the world, you can relate.

I love how the wings are incorporated, and I really enjoy his trademark sai being enhanced with that fiery Uranium Heat Beam energy. This one really nails the concept and is sitting somewhere special in my heart.

What's New Kaiju?

I've made no secret of my love for the Playmates Godzilla line. It's a fun series of relatively cheap kaiju figures found easily at my local big box stores (formerly exclusive to Walmart, but now available at others). The figures are sometimes re-releases of Bandai figures, or brand new toys that admittedly can be hit or miss. Though they've been mostly hit after the initial batches. Pretty good, actually.

Recently new listings of upcoming toys have been making their way through various kaiju groups. This is pure joy as the new toys are fan favorites and like I said, never Playmates figures have been pretty good. From the list of figures, I'm sure the Jet Jaguar is a re-release of the one from earlier this year. However the rest are all brand new and I'm freaking stoked. Rodan, Mecha King Ghidorah, and original King Kong are the ones I'm most excited for. Though the others aren't too shabby either.

I'd gladly credit whomever found the listing once I find out myself.

The Singular Point Of Godzilla

Godzilla : Singular Point debuted on Netflix here in the states this weekend after what felt like forever. The prior Godzilla anime trilogy on Netflix was hard to enjoy. Sure there was good stuff, but by part three I was done. Singular Point, however, has been more enjoyable so far (I'm about halfway through). 

Singular Point manages to be both frantic and in no hurry. The story revolves around two different groups performing different investigations. They are brought together by the ongoing chaos that's just fun to watch. The show is funny and weird and kind of gives me SSSS Gridman vibes. I'm surprised by how much that I like  Rodan. Going by all the lead up material, I wasn't completely sold. 

Like everything else, Singular Point isn't for everybody. Your experience may vary, and that's ok. It kind of feels like a Millennium era story. Which would be the ideal era for a Godzilla anime to take place from. It's hard not to love the Otaki Factory. I want to hang out with them.

Let's Survive Another Week

It's Monday and you know what that means? GHIDORAH IS ATTACKING THE CITY! It's a new week here on Planet Zone where everyday is an adventure! Speaking of adventure, hope everyone enjoyed the Tales from the Beast Hunters. It finally wrapped up Friday with chapter 24, but don't worry, I've got another Transformers story on the way with daily updates! There's a new Not As Brightly Lit for some Halloween fun in summer ready for your ear buds! Thank you for continuing to support Zone Base, I've got a fun week in mind! As always, please share with your friends!

Godbeast Wave 37

SHOP NOW!

My main man The Godbeast has done it again with this new batch! Check out the awesome super robot and kaiju love in this wave! Not to mention, how sharp does those clear colors look on Kabuto Mushi and Nemesis? I've ordered the Radon figure (anybody surprised) and suggest you jump on these if you want any. They're limited run, independently produced and once a batch is gone, it's gone.

Zone Base CD- Shogun Tornados

Listen Here

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

Generations of The King

It's a damn shame the Dreamcast had such a short life.

Godzilla King of the Monsters

As usual, due to my work schedule and honest time preference these days, my early tickets had been purchased for a peaceful Sunday morning showing. I won't mince words and I'm not going to spoil anything either. This was a love letter to Godzilla fans. An outright big budget kaiju throwdown by Hollywood that managed to be so authentic and fan serving that I'm almost concerned that I'm still asleep and won't be at the movie until later.

A straight shot of pure adrenaline is the bloodline in a movie full of monster madness with Monarch going full G-Force trying to keep up with all the madness. You had bad guys vs good guys and holy crap Ghidorah in his most threatening appearance maybe ever.

The monsters were on point with little things that went with each one making them more like living beings than special effects. Rodan felt so pure with his burning wings and slightly self serving behavior. Mothra is a giant breathe of wholesome and goodness. Godzilla seems like an old soldier who's going to keep fighting until there's nothing left to give. Ghidorah was a force of nature and omg each head had it's own personality. God(zilla), I loved that.

I want to send the movie crew a thank you letter for this movie. I loved it so very much and have been on cloud 9 since leaving the theater. Looking forward to Kong vs Godzilla next year, but getting a copy of this movie feels even further away. Pure exhilaration.

Godzilla Store Invasion!

2019 Toho x Kinokuniya
GODZILLA STORE INVASION
A Godzilla Pop Up Shop

With the highly anticipated release of GODZILLA: KING OF THE MONSTERS on May 31^st, several Kinokuniya stores across the nation have come together to bring the Godzilla Store to you to provide you the best in Godzilla merchandise! At Godzilla Store Pop Up Shops, you can find an abundance of unique visual books, a whopping 12 of the Godzilla “B SIDE LABEL” stickers, various Godzilla T-shirts including the coveted TOMODACHI shirt featuring Godzilla and Jet Jaguar, a Second-Form Shin Godzilla Cable Bite, several Godzilla straps, and so much more! These unique and one-of-a-kind items can be found nowhere else outside of Japan’s Godzilla Store in Tokyo. GODZILLA STORE INVASION will be available at these Kinokuniya locations starting from May 18^th to June 30^th.

New Jersey

New Jersey

Mitsuwa Marketplace
595 River Road
Edgewater, NJ 07020

Illinois

Chicago
Mitsuwa Marketplace
100 E. Algonquin Road
Arlington Heights, IL 60005

Washington

Seattle
Uwajimaya Village
525 South Weller Street
Seattle, WA 98104

California

San Francisco
Japan Center
1281 Webster Street
San Francisco, CA 94115

Los Angeles
Little Tokyo
123 Astronaut E. S. Onizuka Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012

Texas

Austin
6929 Airport Blvd.
Suite 121
Austin, TX 78752

Carrollton
Carrollton Town Center
2540 Old Denton Road
Suite 114
Carrollton, TX 75006

*Thanks to Rogers & Cowan for providing Zone Base with this news*

Godzilla Destroys the Internet!

Godzilla Destroys the Internet!

King of Monsters Roars onto the Web to Establish Global Dominance with First Official Website Godzilla.com

Enter the Only Godzilla Portal for Official Exclusive News, Events, Complete Filmography, Rare Videos, New Merchandise and First Official Monsterpedia

May 14, 2019 (Los Angeles) – Feel the rumble as one of the most iconic monsters stomps its way online with the global launch of the first-ever official Godzilla website from Japanese entertainment studio Toho Co., in time for the highly anticipated film, Godzilla: King of the Monsters releasing on May 31.

Commemorating the 65th anniversary of its screen debut in 1954, Toho is connecting Godzilla fans around the world of all ages through exciting content from more than 30 films, comics, art, apparel, toys, encompassing the entire Godzilla universe.

“We’re thrilled to unleash a world of content around our most beloved Godzilla,” said Keiji Ota, CGO (Chief Godzilla Officer) at Toho.  “Fans have been longing for a universe that celebrates the all-mighty king of monsters and Godzilla.com delivers the most exciting news and stories about upcoming events, new merchandise and special releases as we commemorate the 65th anniversary of Godzilla.”

One of the most exciting features is the first official Godzilla Monsterpedia, unveiling everything fans have ever wanted to know about monsters (or kaiju) in the Godzilla Universe!  Monsters such as King Ghidorah, the three-headed monster and Godzilla’s biggest rival; Mothra, the guardian god of its maternal island; and MechaGodzilla, the giant battle robot modeled on Godzilla are featured. The battles among them and with humans are one of the highlights of the Godzilla movies. The more fans get to know about the kaiju, the more they can enjoy the exciting world of Godzilla.

Godzilla.com will be continuously updated as a source of news for upcoming Godzilla films including movie trailers and key art, events, fan content, new product news, and all future announcements.  It will also be a resource for Godzilla’s complete filmography including rare videos, wallpaper and much more destructive content including updates on epic Godzilla toys, apparel and lifestyle products.

Godzilla first appeared in Toho’s “Godzilla” (1954), a classic monster movie widely regarded as a masterpiece. The work launched a monster franchise that expanded over 64 years with more than 30 films. Over time, the franchise itself has evolved, as Godzilla and other creatures appearing in Godzilla films have become a metaphor for social commentary in the real world. The characters are no longer mere entertainment icons but embody emotions and social problems of the times. Godzilla has become a globally recognized icon, finding its way into worldwide pop culture and influencing many creative minds.

About Toho:

Toho Company, Limited, is a Japanese entertainment studio focused on the development, production, exhibition, and distribution of powerful content for motion pictures, television and theater. Founded in 1932, it remains a prominent force in bringing brands and original storytelling with versatile talents to audiences worldwide. Its subsidiaries include Toho Cinemas, the highest grossing exhibition company in Japan


*special thanks to Rogers & Cowan for providing Zone Base with this news*

Godzilla: King of Monsters new trailer

Dang, this looks wonderful.

Shogun Warriors Godzilla

Shogun Warriors were just before my time, though not for my older brother. While I had a few of the small die cast figures that had found their way to discount stores, my brother had a few of the awesome big ass Shogun Warriors. Godzilla and Rodan were part of that and I doubt I need to tell you the impact they had on me. Rodan stayed with me for years after my brother moved onto other things like boom boxes and recording songs off the radio. Literally the same Debbie Gibson song like fifty times...

King Ghidorah, 3 heads are better than 1

It's hard to see the hype for the upcoming Godzilla: King of Monsters without getting excited, though the past few days my focus has been mostly on Ghidorah. There's badass and then there's King Ghidorah level badass. Depending on the movie, Ghidorah's orgin's change, though I'm mostly fond of his space alien roots from the Showa era. There's something special to a monster from outer space who's based on a hybrid of the Hydra and Orochi who's purpose is to destroy.

Godzilla 2 King of Monsters new trailer

MMMMMMMMMMMMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANNNNNNNNNNNNNN

Godzilla: King of Monsters trailer

Kong: Skull Island

The movie Toho would have made.

I don't think I'm spoiling in this post, but just incase I am, this post may contain spoilers. So there, I gave you more warning than Wikipedia.

I had been anticipating Kong: Skull Island for awhile now and with Toylanta being held on opening weekend, I had to wait a week to watch it. So last night the wife and I saw it and OMG it was great. The movie is part of Legendary Pictures Monsterverse, which so far is just Kong and Godzilla (the Legendary Pictures version), though Pacific Rim would fit right on it. It's a Legendary Pictures film series, and as I'll get to in a few sentences, fits pretty well into the ongoing story. For the record, I wish Legendary made the Transformers and Power Rangers movie.

As a long time kaiju fan, this is the King Kong movie I've wanted for a long time. I would say the King Kong movie I've always wanted, but the Toho Kong movies (King Kong vs Godzilla, and King Kong Escapes) are in the same vein. So I'll say the movie I've wanted for a very long time, because Kong as a super hero doesn't get explored often. Though, Legendary is doing it's part to contribute to that cause.

The movie is wonderful. Taking place as Vietnam is wrapping up, we see a military group of helicopter pilots provide escort for a Monarch expedition into the largely known Skull Island for testing. The testing (which includes explosions) upsets the wildlife and drives Kong out to defend his land. The surviving military and Monarch  members find their way to the pick up point for rescue and along the way discover the giant (and dangerous) wildlife Skull Island has to offer. Separated into two crews, one discovers a long lost fighter pilot and villagers were they learn about Kong and the dangerous monsters living in Skull Islands hollow core. The other crew, hellbent on revenge for the loss of their comrades get into various skirmishes with that not so friendly wildlife.

The movie establishes Kong as one of the guardians of Earth, like Godzilla. It's beautifully filmed, paying homage to Apocalypse Now, and featuring some extremely gorgeous visuals. The scenes of the villagers place of worship and Kong in the sunset are particularly impressive. It's only weak points are easy to ignore for the most part. Some of the scenes are edited in a way that seems a little clip show like. This is a common complaint I've had with a lot of recent movies, so I think it may be the result of a newer editing trend that may just not working so great with me.

While several newer movies this editing style doesn't gel so well for me, making movies seem like a series of scenes or clips and not so much like a flowing narrative. Fortunately Kong's moments like that are much fewer than other recent movies that I've found moments like this few and not so distracting. Other complaints could be found in some of the human characters seemed two dimensional. Which, in all honesty is a common complaint in most big budget movies as well as pretty common in kaiju movies. So the movies lesser parts were easy to overlook in greater sum of awesomeness.

I said above Pacific Rim would fit easily into Monsterverse, and this movie opens that door even more. The Pan Pacific Defense Corps was created in response to the 2014 kaiju attack that took the military weeks to stop. The M.U.T.O attack, which took a long time to end was in Godzilla 2014. The resulting kaiju attacks came from a portal in the Pacific Ocean. Skull Island, which is home to many giant monsters (I'm not spoiling the entirety of it) and even is hollow, providing monsters in the center of the earth a way to come to the surface. Skull Island just happens to be in the Pacific Ocean.

So, OMG IT WOULD BE SO AWESOME IF GYPSY DANGER TEAMED UP WITH KONG AND GODZILLA AND....wait...

Hey, what if we got a Legendary Pictures version of Jet Jaguar?