MechaGodzilla 1974 [ReAction/Godzilla Monster Island]

I've made my fondness for the Showa MechaGodzilla known several times on the site. It's hard not to love those classic old school sci fi looks combined with the characters savagery. Today I want to specifically take a look and appreciate this ReAction figure of him I got recently in a blind box. I've been a fan of Super7 and their ReAction figures since they were introduced. That old Kenner Star Wars figure design is a form factor I'll always love. When applied to the Godzilla characters, they come out as really well done kaiju figures that are fun to collect.

I know certain folks take issue with ReAction. They either don't like the price (understandable), somehow magically take issue with anything popular (cringe), or it might just not be their thing (fair enough). I buy a good deal of designer toys, so something like a $20 blind box doesn't phase me. Sure, I'd love a lower price, but there's an old saying. If you want to play, you've got to pay. I just try to make good decisions so the occasional splurge doesn't hurt too much. Not to mention, not many designer toys are available at places like Target or Walmart. So the selection Super7 has at local retail is appreciated. The selection of designer gatcha at more boutique stores will can make that $15 I paid for this box feel a lot more reasonable. Super7 has a lot more expensive items out there to be sure.

Hopefully my tangent didn't come off pretentious or assholish, but maybe I should talk about the figure now. If this was a Facebook post, I would have followed that with a 'lol'. This is the same MechaGodzilla mold Super7 has used a few times already in various ReAction series. It's a great sculpt, so I don't mind. Each edition has it's differences to make them all cool and unique. For this pretty great Godzilla Monster Island blind box series they've made him look pretty good. I know I say this often, but I always mean it. This feels like a more premium figure than it is. The paint applications look great. My wife has called MechaGodzilla 'tin foil guy' in the past, and in a lot of those cases it's a fair description.

I may love them, but the silver on some of the toys does lack a little in visual pop. Not here, Mecha G looks sharp in a very chrome color with nicely done dark greys. The blood red details and yellow eyes contrast very well against it. The sculpt is very detailed giving these fantastic colors a nice base to show off. A lot of kaiju toys don't feature a ton of articulation (some do, I know) and these ReAction ones are pretty similar to the Bandai sofubi ones I generally buy. Mecha G's head turns, arms move at the shoulders, and legs swivel at the thigh. It's just enough for a toy this size. This is a fantastic little figure and I plan to pick up a few more from this series when I see them. Nice things are nice.

MechaGodzilla [Monster Egg Series Godzilla]

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

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

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.

Godzilla Collection from Kidrobot Out Now!

Godzilla officially kicked off the 65^th anniversary earlier this month, but if you ask him about retirement, you’re likely to get blasted with radioactive flames – because Godzilla is having busiest year ever. After making a historic debut at San Diego Comic Con this year, Toho Studios has partnered with Kidrobot to introduce an atomic-sized Godzilla capsule that celebrates the King of the Monsters 65^th year on our planet. 

The atomic-sized Godzilla capsule includes two 8-inch art figures, one plush, one flat-billed hat, a bomber jacket, and a festive Godzilla City-Destroyer holiday sweater, all in celebration of the iconic lizard’s 65^th birthday. 

AVAILABLE NOW! 

Special Thanks to Rogers & Cowan for providing Zone Base readers with this news!

Godzilla: The City Mechanized for Battle

Man this one looks like the action gets dialed up a few levels, but as much as I dig the new Mecha Godzilla, I feel like this one should be Zone Fighter or something else. Either way I'm looking forward to this one popping up on Netflix.