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.

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?

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.

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 1954 Translucent Edition [Godzilla Monster Series 5"]

I'm a sucker for translucent toys and have been clamoring for a X-Ray version of Godzilla or King Kong in the newer figures I've been getting. Bandai must have been reading my dream journal as they made this specifically cool Translucent Edition of the Godzilla 1954 we spoke about a little while back. Part of the Godzilla Monster Series 5" line I've been recently enjoying, it was a real treat to find this under the tree Christmas morning. The Mrs likes to spoil me and knew I'd love this 'cool sparkly one'. She was right and today we'll be taking a look at it. At it's base, it's from the same mold as the Godzilla 1954 toy, so I'll be focusing on the specifics of this version.

What's different is instead of the grayish green we're used to, Godzilla is colored in a neat smoky grey translucent plastic with some great looking glitter in the mix. Being a vinyl toy, the translucency isn't as transparent as something like a Microman and comes out as a rather soft color. It's really pleasant. The glitter adds to the look nicely and adds some visual texture. They painted the eyes, which I find great. It's something simple that adds a lot. Without the glitter the toy could have made a cool black and white edition of the figure, but with it... it just pops. This feels like a much more premium figure than it's standard edition counterpart.

Mechagodzilla 1974 [Godzilla Monster Series 5"]

It has been too long since I've taken a look at Bandai's fun 5" soft vinyl figures from their Godzilla Monster Series line. I get these from my local Target (because some of us live in a society) and had been on the look out for more as the lines stocked in the 'collectors' section can be short stocked at times. Unless it's those Parks and Rec ReAction figures that'll be there after the nuclear apocalypse. My wife had pointed out that they had the 'tin foil guy' leading to the happy discovery of a Mechagodzilla sitting on the shelf waiting for my purchase. This is a great little toy of the 1974 version of Mechagodzilla as he appeared in Godzilla vs Mechagodzilla. This 5" series is a less expensive set of figures that are perfectly adequate, but don't have the number of paint apps as larger, pricier figures.

This works out ok for the Showa Mechagodzilla as thanks to his design... he doesn't need a lot of colors to be accurate. Articulation is pretty limited on this one compared to a regular Godzilla. Arms move at the shoulders, and swivel at the waist. I have other sofubi with this amount of movement so it's not a negative for me. I can see others taking issue however. His sculpt is really great and pretty screen accurate. I've always liked Mechagodzilla quite a bit and the original incarnation is a ton of fun. He's from that same era that gave us Henshin Cyborg and Microman so there's a similar aesthetic. For the low cost ($10 at Target) this is a solid figure and man I just love anything Bandai makes. The smaller size is welcome as it can be stored easy or have plenty of room on a busy kaiju toy shelf. Just great all the way around.

Godzilla 1954 [Godzilla Monster Series 5"]

While I've certainly enjoyed Playmates kaiju offerings, Bandai's sofubi returning to US shelves is reason to celebrate around here. Godzilla Monster Series is a wonderful line of kaiju toys in a form factor that I vastly prefer and the 5" scale is absolutely perfect. These figures can really take up some room (the tails alone... ) and no detail is lost at the slightly smaller size. Not to mention... I like smaller toys. They're priced fairly too, I've been seeing them from $12 to $15 at retail. 

Some online stores are charging more, so choose where you buy these wisely. Of course the older, larger figures were only $10 a few years ago... "sigh". This is classic Godzilla as he appeared in the original 1954 movie. It's 5 inches tall with 5 points of articulation in the shoulders, hips, and tail. The colors are great. I've always loved that darker, muted shade of green. Sculpting is really well done with appreciated attention to detail. It's always great to see a Bandai Godzilla figure on a shelf and I'm elated for their return after a long absence. Nature is healing.

Gamera 1995 (Bandai/Movie Monster Series)

Gamera is the Guardian of Earth, savior of children, protector of humanity... and completely ridiculous. He's a giant turtle with tusks that breathes fire and has jet engines that light up when he draws his arms and legs inside his shell. None of that is anywhere as crazy sounding as his roar. Ever been super emotional and stub your toe? It kinda sounds like the noise you'll make. His adventures usually revolve around rescuing some kids whom somehow found themselves in danger from some other giant monster or space aliens who specifically kidnapped them and have a giant monster. Despite how silly it sounds (and is)... Gamera is completely bad ass. His fights with other monsters are absolutely BRUTAL beat downs full of carnage.

In 1995, Gamera got a much grittier reboot with a new series of films that took away all the corniness of the older movies and gave the world the hardcore Gamera he always was. Gamera: Guardian of the Universe and it's sequels were amazing kaiju movies that I fondly watched after classes in college. They revitalized the big turtle and even though newer appearances (like the recent Netflix series) have returned him closer to his more friendly roots, nobody has forgotten how hardcore he is since. This soft vinyl of Gamera represents his appearance in Gamera: Guardian of the Universe. It's a newer figure, released around 2020 (I think) by Bandai (the best) in their Monster Movie Series. It was a Christmas gift from my wife who somehow tolerates all my nonsense. Gamera fits in wonderfully with my other Bandai kaiju and represents the character very well. His sculpt practically mirrors his on screen appearance and while articulation is the standard amount for a toy like this... it feels like all he needs. This is a great figure of our protector and I'm proud to call it mine. 

Picks up a Train and fucks up Town

It was just the other day I was talking about Godzilla Singular Point. Specifically, a toy from that series of Godzilla Terrestris. Today, we're taking a look at the next stage of Godzilla's evolution from that series in toy form. This is Godzilla Ultima. You may have noticed while looking at him... that's closer to what you expect. Despite a few obvious design differences for variety... that's undoubtedly Godzilla. Godzilla looks a little more like a crocodile in this form and... that's ok. I've never seen a dinosaur, but I've seen a crocodile. The dinosaurs I see on TV are not the most scientifically accurate and to be honest... the science is constantly changing so... who knows really what they looked like? But I do know what a crocodile looks like and it's a natural fit for a more animalistic version of Godzilla.

It's not unfair to compare Godzilla from Singular Point to Shin Godzilla. There's probably a lot of influence there. Between the monstrosity and the various evolutions, his atomic breath is pretty similar too. Godzilla Ultima is 100 meters tall. That's pretty big. However this Godzilla does have his differences. Each form has different crazy abilities and Ultima is practically indestructible. In fact, Godzilla in Singular Point is immortal. You may eventually kill him, but he will come back. Fuck around and find out squared.

This toy of this particular Godzilla is pretty damned neat as well. The colors and sculpted detail look great. So great that it's almost hard to beleive this isn't a more premium priced toy. He's only 12 dollars like the others. Godzilla Ultima has your standard amount of articulation for a kaiju toy of this type. Tail, head, and arms swivel while the legs move at his hip. The tail is dramatically posed, but also pretty big, so you'll be adjusting those legs to stand him up. Fortunatley most modern Godzilla's tend to have heavier hind quarters which results in a bigger center of gravity. Just a little adjusting and he shouldn't fall too easily. This is a great figure and I love looking at it. It's really great just how far Playmates has came along with these figures.

Blue skinned and Bloody shielded

Godzilla Terrestris is the third form Godzilla takes in the Netflix series Godzilla: Singular Point. Like in Shin Godzilla, the monster takes multiple forms as the story line progrerssises. The there is four forms alltogehrt, with this one nearing a more traditional look and uses a mix of the roar from Godzilla 1984 and the Millinium series. Today we'll be taking a look at the new Playmates figure of this particular Godzilla. I've had it a few weeks now (as noted in a prior Weekly Update), but have been obviously busy with the Pumpkin Spiced Mayhem.

It probably goes without saying that I really like the blue coloring. It doesn't look like a traditional Godzilla, obviously, but makes for a cool looking monster (that comes later). Godzilla is more of a mythical creature in Singular Point and that comes into play with the design. To me it looks like a cross between a dragon and the Godzilla 1998/Zilla design. It's a neat look overall. My wife outright didn't think it wasn't Godzilla when I picked it up at Target. That's how different looking these earlier forms are. I'm in the middle of liking that and not liking that. I do think it's neat looking, while also wishing it was a little more traditional. It's not a deal breaker either way.

You may have noticed the paint apps end towards the end of the tail. They just do. It's screen accurate, but a little blunt in the way it stops. It looks like there should be a transition there as it changes tone. The Bandai figures do the same way. That's really my only complaint with the toy/design. That red on teal looks so great, it just feels liek a book slamming close when it stops. I like to think of it as a visualization of the sheild he creates from his own blood. I don't know why more recent versions of Godzilla uses blood so much... but I kinda dig it.

Like your standard kaiju toy, Godzilla have articulation in the arms and legs with swivels in the head, and tail. The legs movement is more for stabilization as is the tail's pose. He does have some tiny arms compared to that bulky body. This of course is part of the overall design and not a shortcoming of the toy. It's actually a REALLY good representation of Godzilla's on screen appearance in the Terrestris form. I've noted before about my admiration for these Playmates Godzilla toys and readers might remember the gradual improvement the line has made since it's shaky initial waves in 2020. The Singular Point designs may not be your cup of tea and that's fair. I really like the dragon like appearance and love that bright blue. This is a pretty big and bulky toy that nails the character's look for only $12. I can't even buy lunch for that anymore.

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.

Blobkin Glows in the Dark... and in my Heart

My brand new Boglin came in today! The Mrs. had pre-ordered this guy for me way earlier in the year and I've been waiting anxiously ever since. I haven't made my admiration for Boglins a secret around this place and actually holding Blobkin in my hands feels like a trophy after the past few months. If he looks familiar, Blobkin is one of the original gang with a new toy. Originally one of the Halloween Boglins, Blobkin came with a trick or treat bag! That's a pretty rad extra, now the Halloween series is called Dark Lord Boglins and includes new member Crazy Clown. They're slowly showing up at standard retail and I hope to get some more. I really wish they'd revisit the Mini Bloglins keshi from back in the day. Dang, if only they'd bring those back!

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.

Godzilla Burns While Jet Jaguar Isn't King Kong

I happily found Playmates new Burning Godzilla and Jet Jaguar figures while at Target last Saturday. These are part of the 6.5" Godzilla line that was previously exclusive to Walmart. I've been a pretty big cheerleader for Playmates Godzilla toys and happy to see more. Playmates has seemingly improved their work on this line as these are soft vinyl figures closer in detail to a Bandai figure as opposed to the hard vinyl ones from earlier releases. At first glance, I honestly assumed they were Bandai reissues. A big step up from that Shin Godzilla.

Burning Godzilla represents the big guy as he appeared in Godzilla vs Destoroyah. Jet Jaguar is Toho's attempt at an Ultraman like superhero of their own before going with Zone Fighter. Jet Jaguar doesn't get much love here in the states, so I was pretty happy to get this toy. Hopefully this part of Playmates Godzilla line continues as I'd love more stuff like this at my local stores for pretty reasonable prices.

ToyLanta 2021

After last years covid-19 induced cancellation, ToyLanta returns for 2021 in a new location! I'm really looking forward to the great toy show and have been preparing myself for it for awhile now. I've got my backpack ready with an ample supply of sanitizer and face masks. This year will be a different kind of con for me. Instead of staying all weekend like normally, I'll be going for just a few hours each day. Not that I don't want to do the whole weekend. Even with the covid numbers dropping as much as they have, we're not out of the woods yet. I'm just trying to be as safe as I can. Hopefully next year I'll be able to do the whole weekend, I'm just thankful to have this experience this year even as limited as it'll be for my own safety.

If you're coming to the show, the annual Transformers panel hosted by Dusty and myself is on Sunday at 2PM. Normally we do this on Saturday, but I don't make the schedule. If any of you are there, feel free to say hi! I'll be periodically updating my Instagram from the con over the weekend. Keep checking for new pictures from the show. Or hey, maybe give me a follow so it'll be on your feed. I tend to post multiple pictures in a post, so be prepared to swipe through a lot.

FRIDAY: After an interesting backroads ride to the new location that included crossing the local haunted bridge, I arrived at the con around 7pm.  While getting my badge Buddy walked up to say hi. He then took myself and another dude (sorry I forgot your name dude) down to the Goo-Con showcase room. The room will be having all sorts of demonstrations on customizing and other toy related creations. I really liked the custom molded figure heads that go with a dying resin demonstration. It was neat.

Buddy went to find some food and I explored a little. One thing I learned fast was to switch from a cloth mask to a paper mask. I get hot fast and thought I was going to pass out for a second. Toylanta's new home features a much larger con space. So I didn't have time to check out the entirety of the dealers room preview before it closed for the Lobby Swap Party. I did price a few Rocklords though as that's my focal point this year. I've been kicking myself for not picking them up at the last show and don't plan on making that mistake again. Tomorrow I'm bringing plenty cash and buying some rock robits dammit. There was a surprising amount of M.A.S.K and Dino Riders. Good prices too.

One dealer did have some hand knitted Star Wars characters and I grabbed the last Grogu for the Mrs. The Lobby Swap Party was as usual a hodgepodge of folks with random stuff for sale/trade. I was very surprised to see a good amount of Starcom stuff. I ran into a guy with a boxed Mighty Max Skull Mountain. We chatted for awhile and admired the art on said box. Good times.

Another guy had a decent amount of Transformers and Super Sentai. I was interested in a Cohrada vs Saberback set. He wanted 30 for it, not bad, but passed. I already have them. *shrug* With Kingdom making beast modes cool again, I hope someone younger gets to have the same fun I did all those years ago with them. That's the best kind of joy, a mixture of discovery and amazement.

There was a good number of Shogun Warriors around, leading to a lot of accidental fist misfires. Just awesome anarchy of the most random kind. I ran into Jimmy and his wife. Talked with them a bit before heading home. For some reason the drive took FOREVER, but thankfully the Mrs had pizza and buffalo wings waiting. I was starving.

SATURDAY: The Mrs came with me today to the show. We got there just before 1pm and man there was a lot more people there today than Friday. After looking around I soon discovered most of the Rock Lords I had priced were already gone.

Dammit.

One guy did have 2 Granites though, so at least I got one Rock Lord this time. If I see anymore tomorrow they're coming home with me. Dammit. I was seeing a good bit of Gobots in questionable shape. Sunday's bringing of 'everything must go' may have them priced well enough to buy. There was a fairly priced Diaclone Multiforce that just may find itself my property as well. Almost bought a Creepy for $20 before I noticed the one missing claw. There was a random Deathsaurus missing partners and weapons on a booth that I was happy to see there.

There was a Lego guy with tons of custom mini figures in one dealers room. Got the Mrs some Mandolorian and some great Master of the Universe figures. He had a movie He-Man left that I may end up getting as well.  It had an extra big sword as it should.

The Kaiju Attack table had a good selection as usual and I got some vintage sofubi Ultraman monsters. Probably getting more tomorrow. Ended up in some conversation with him as well. That guy has been at the show the past few years and I'm glad to see him each time. There was a good bit of tokusatsu toys around the tables this year. Not just stuff that's popular in America either.

I almost bought a Cassetteman before realizing it was a bootleg and the dealer was non-the wiser. Shame, but I felt it best not to inform the guy. Didn't want to risk the potential argument. One guy tried to sell me some rather poor shape Battle Beasts for $20 each. I guess he liked extra nope on his hell no burger. I visited the creators room and watched Buddy give a lesson on air brushing. Considering he's been a successful artist for a really long time, that's something special. Hopefully those hoping to learn took notes.

We left close to 5 and headed home. The drive home was much better than last night even with a stop at Circle K. Taco Mac was Doordashed soon after getting home.  It was really good. I've never had a taco from there.

SUNDAY: I got to the con around 12PM for the last day of the show. My panel was at 2, so I had a little time to look around. Ran into Marten and chatted with him for a few minutes before heading into the con area. After a quick stop in the restroom to put some eye drops in (allergy season) I ventured into the dealers room and laid eyes on a glass box I didn't see before.

Inside it was various robot figures and a very familiar blue and gray bot. The robots tag said 'unknown Japanese Transformer $5'. I realized it was a Convertors SDF-1 and bought it. A tour around the room led me to the booth that had the Granite I bought Saturday.

It was Sunday, so folks were making deals. I eyed the robots and just couldn't pull the trigger on any. They had a Scorp in great shape for $20. I decided to think on it and soon found myself at a booth looking at bagged figures pinned to a corkboard. I picked out a Loco for pretty cheap in seemingly great condition and then noticed a Scorp in another bag also looking pretty good for $8. I took them over to the dealer and they cut me a deal without even asking. $15 total mofo.

I headed downstairs as it was closer to 2PM at this point and that's where the panel room was. Looking around the downstairs dealers rooms landed me back at the Lego table where I found another Grogu mini figure for the Mrs. She stayed home today and I wanted to get her something.

The same guy also was selling emulation portable systems and I got a Gameboy looking device prelaoded with a lot of NES games. Mixed in with the selection was a bunch of unlicensed games. Hello bootleg Mario games! I then ventured over to the retro gaming room and played some Collecovision before chatting it up with the guy who ran the room.  A quick run to the restroom and I went to the panel room to get ready.

I figured the panel would be a ghost town since it was on Sunday and with the pandemic attendance was weird this year. Good number of people, not many as usual, and not as many guests either. Totally understandable. Generally my panel is on Saturday when the bulk of the folks are there, Sunday is a short day with most people heading out.

I was surprised to see a small group of people come in, including some teens who happily had just bought some Cybertron toys. We had a great conversation and the time just flew by.  Before I knew it the panel was over and I decided to take one more walk around before heading home.

Everything was closing and I took a minute to watch the dealers pack up. It's a nice way to mentally end the convention I guess.  Headed home to a home cooked pot roast dinner. It had been a chilly weekend, so that was the perfect meal.

Another Final War For Godzilla

Playmates Godzilla toy line matches the definition of kaiju in that it is a strange beast. You've got a mix of Bandai soft vinyl released through the brand as well as hard vinyl original creations by Playmates. Add in the newer Kong vs Godzilla movie action figure line and you've got a weird mixture of toy types hanging on your Walmart shelves.

I've said before how the hard vinyl figures are visually similar to the soft ones. Aside from varying sculpt quality, you might not notice the difference when they're next to each other. I've chalked it up to a mixture of whatever deal they have with Bandai and Playmates own facilities for the differences in the lines. Admittedly I'm being a nerd about this, but when you collect these things, it tends to be a sticking point. 

I've grown quite fond of the Playmates figures regardless and even find the random sculpt issues pretty funny. It's fun to point out something and just say Playmates. It's just their thing. Then they go and release a soft vinyl figure on their own and we're back to square one. However instead of focusing on that for too much longer, I'm just going to relish in the fact that they made a pretty decent one. 

A little while ago, I talked about Playmates Shin Godzilla figure. This particular toy was subject to a lot of poo pooing in various kaiju groups. Fair enough, despite growing on me, he definitely isn't for everyone. I don't know what the plan was at Playmates, but they swapped him out in newer shipments with a new Final Wars Godzilla figure. A soft vinyl one to boot! I've seen various discussion on the source of the mold and some have speculated it's a laser scan recreation of a Bandai figure. Maybe. There's a little rounding of the edges. 

The only really iffy point is those eyes. I don't mind them as it's different and reminds me of older dinosaur toys. Final Wars may not be everyone's favorite movie, but folks tend to like the movies designs and they find their way to toy form often. Especially with Godzilla, it's a pretty defining look for the gorilla whale. 

It's a pretty good figure of Godzilla regardless of all that nerd stuff I just said. You've got the standard amount of articulation for a figure like this. Shoulders, legs, neck, with a little bit of tail. Don't be gross. 

For me he hit's all the points and like I said, I kinda like the cludgy Playmates vinyl toys. I don't know why either. If you don't like the eyes, I'm sure you could probably fix it with a little paint. I've seen some pretty good fixes on other Playmates toys recently. 

I'm keeping mine stock though.

Random Transformer Memory

While packing this weekend, I decided to repack a good deal of my Transformers. Several had been in banker boxes and condensing the mass of them seemed like a great idea. Instead of 4 small size boxes, one big box. Not to mention, several were starting to come apart from various moves and such. While I was mostly just transferring ziploc freezer bags full of robots from one box to another, occasionally I'd take a second to look over the toys.

Memories of this Armada Optimus Prime, or that G2 Megatron pop up instantly when looking at the toy. That's pretty normal, but occasionally there's the 'oh yeah' toy like Heinrad or pink and purple bootleg Transmetal Optimus Primal that I haven't thought about often. Then there's the ones I forgot I owned all together, like various Spychanger repaints.

I think the funniest is all the candy toys, capsule toys, and sofubi from Beast Wars I'd come across. They were plentiful during beast era and even more so for a few years after. I remember those old BotCons racking up on them for not a lot of money. I bought a display pack of BW II Kabaya kits once for 5$ and then had my friend hold my Pepsi Blue while making the pack fit in my backpack.

I was already explaining what they were to him and then had to explain what Pepsi Blue was. Of course by that point the soda had done turned warm and when he took the sip I offered it tasted horrible. I don't know what happened to that guy. We were friends for a while before he seemingly vanished off the face of the earth. I wonder if he still doesn't trust my opinion of beverages?

Shin Godzilla's Pretty Gnarly

The other day I found Godzilla 2016/Shin Godzilla from the Playmates Godzilla and Kong line. I had been looking for this guy as his face sculpt has been in multiple memes in kaiju groups. Despite the many jokes... in person it ain't so bad. Silly, sure, but a little better paint detail could fix that. Really it's a pretty decent sculpt full of Shin's gnarly features.

Like the prior Playmates toys, Shin is a hard vinyl toy. He feels more like an action figure than a sofubi, but fits right on in next to my Bandai Creations toys. I prefer sofubi toys for my kaiju, so this is welcome. You really can't complain about walking into your local Walmart and buying a Godzilla for $12. Unless you're an asshole.

Shin is in his 4th form from the movie as it's the 'adult' version of the character and most recognizable. Sure, he's a gnarly mutant, but still looks like Godzilla. My last toy of him was the 2nd 'baby' form from Bandai's 65th Anniversary boxed series (I really need to get the rest of those) and before that was Necca's Atomic Blast figure. He's not my favorite incarnation, but I sure do like him. Know that song 'Life is a Highway'? Love it.

Shin's  got some decent articulation. His head and little grubby arms move as do his legs and tail. He actually has ankle swivels, which help stabilize the toy when standing. The tail is segmented in 2 parts and can move around a touch. Not enough to point the second head in his tail at anything (it's a weird movie), but you can adjust him enough to not fall over. You'd think with the bulk of his design in the legs and tail he'd have a more stable center of gravity. It's not really much to complain about and despite initially wanting this toy due to silliness, I've found myself liking it quite a bit.