{"id":21513,"date":"2012-10-16T03:05:21","date_gmt":"2012-10-16T08:05:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=21513"},"modified":"2012-10-16T14:23:02","modified_gmt":"2012-10-16T19:23:03","slug":"vault-review-s-h-monsterarts-king-ghidorah-14-pics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=21513","title":{"rendered":"Vault Review: S.H. MonsterArts
King Ghidorah (14 pics!)"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/a>King Ghidorah is one of my most anticipated figures in the MonsterArts line. But having mine stuck in customs for a week had me chewing my fingernails to the bone. I compulsivelyy checked the tracking number, hoping he had passed through! Thankfully, the long wait is over!<\/p>\n

Before I get into this review I wanted to talk to all you MonsterArts\/Figuarts fans.\u00a0 Most of you probably already know that Tamashii Nations and Bluefin had a booth at New York Comic Con last weekend, and they made a few great reveals with Destroyah, King Kong, and the Red MMPR. \u00a0Adam Newman, Bandai of Japan\u2019s US rep was also there, and he gave an interview<\/a> with the folks over at TokuNation.<\/p>\n

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One of the more interesting subjects Adam brings up is the difficulty Bandai of Japan is having trying to figure out just how many US sales they truly have.\u00a0 Apparently certain Japanese online retailers are reporting that all of their sales are from Japanese customers only.\u00a0 This false data is making it difficult for Bandai to gauge US interest in their adult collector products.\u00a0 One issue specifically mentioned was the difficulty in predicting which Japanese Sentai characters and non-Godzilla MonsterArts would appeal to US fans.\u00a0 Adam also hinted that accurate US sales data would also make it easier to pursue non-Japanese characters like Lord Zedd.<\/p>\n

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I have to admit, until this video, I was ignorant on these issues.\u00a0 I had no idea that Bandai of Japan was pursuing an active relationship with its US customers.\u00a0 I also didn\u2019t realize I was unintentionally skewing the data by ordering from my favorite Japanese online retailers.\u00a0 But now that I do know these things, my buying habits are definitely going to change.\u00a0 Bandai\/Tamashii\u2019s distributer in the US is Bluefin.\u00a0 Not only do they supply stores like Toys R Us and Diamond Direct, but they also sell directly to US customers through their Amazon.com page.\u00a0 The products they sell are released a few weeks later than their Japanese counterparts, but that\u2019s a small price to pay for a more focused idea on what we truly want to buy.\u00a0 Especially if that means an SH Figuarts Lord Zedd!<\/p>\n

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Speaking of ordering things from Bluefin, I truly wish that trend would have started with King Ghidorah!\u00a0 I knew he was going to be a big figure, but I thought Bandai would have him partly disassembled to save space.\u00a0 How wrong I was.\u00a0 Ghidorah comes fully assembled, and it seems like they built the box around him so that none of his glory was hampered by mere packaging constraints.\u00a0 If you haven\u2019t committed on buying this figure yet, I suggest you pick up the US release.\u00a0 The free shipping you\u2019ll get from Amazon is worth it.<\/p>\n

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Ghidorah is the seventh figure in the SH MonsterArts line, and he really just proves once again that this line will probably be the ultimate Godzilla toy line.\u00a0 I\u2019m not saying there aren\u2019t problems in the line, even Ghidorah has a couple that I\u2019ll get into.\u00a0 But I am saying that I\u2019ve never seen another Godzilla line this well sculpted, articulated, and in scale with itself.<\/p>\n

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Every time I look at this figure I\u2019m still amazed at how big he is.\u00a0 Standing straight up he\u2019s nine and a half inches.\u00a0 From the tip of his nose to the tip of his tail he\u2019s twenty one inches, and his wingspan is nineteen inches across.\u00a0 This figure is massive, yet the bulk of his body is still about the size of Godzilla\u2019s.<\/p>\n

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Like the previous six kaiju, Ghidorah has great sculpting.\u00a0 A lot of it is easy to overlook because of the monotony of his golden color, but I keep discovering new bits the more I pose and play with him.\u00a0 His heads are probably the most detailed.\u00a0 You have the different texturing of his spiraled horns, eyebrows and chin whiskers, smooth eyes and teeth, and molded tongues and palates.<\/p>\n

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The majority of Ghidorah\u2019s body is covered in short scales.\u00a0 The scales are hard and jagged, which actually makes the texture of his body sharp to the touch.\u00a0 You definitely feel it on your fingers when you\u2019re trying to pry one of his ball joints back in place.\u00a0 Even the spikes at the end of his cactus-like tail have a bit of a poke to them.\u00a0 Continue to page 2…<\/a><\/p>\n

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To my surprise, Ghidorah\u2019s wings are actually two pieces.\u00a0 The scaly parts are made of a softer plastic, while the larger leathery bits are a harder plastic with very little give.\u00a0 They sculpting really does a great job of tricking they eye into thinking they\u2019re soft, but you\u2019ll definitely want to be careful with them.\u00a0 Especially pay close attention to the tips, which may snap off if he takes a dive off the shelf.<\/p>\n

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There really aren\u2019t a lot of paint apps on this figure.\u00a0 Aside from his red mouth and white teeth, the only other bit of variation is his eyes.\u00a0 Everything else is gold, as far as the eye can see.\u00a0 I\u2019m of two minds about this.\u00a0 On one hand, this is how the character looked in the movie and various other media.\u00a0 On the other hand, the overload of gold really drowns out the sculpt.\u00a0 It even gave me issues while taking photos because the camera was having a hard time focusing on specific details.\u00a0 A bit of an alternate gold colored wash would have really helped in a few of the more detailed areas.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

I\u2019m not absolutely certain on this, but I think that KG is the most articulated figure I own.\u00a0 Like the other MonsterArts figures, the majority of his articulation is made up of ball joints.\u00a0 Each segment of tails are made up of double ball joints, giving him thirty four joints per tail.\u00a0 His necks are the same with twenty joints in each.\u00a0 Each head also has a ball jointed jaw and a tongue with a tiny (and limited) ball joint.\u00a0 Ghidorah\u2019s chest is also ball jointed, although mine\u2019s doesn\u2019t really want to move.\u00a0 His knees, shins, and ankles are also double balls.\u00a0 I think his hips may be also, but they seem to be a bit limited by the sculpt (like the first Godzilla\u2019s).<\/p>\n

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KG\u2019s wings are the only articulated bits that aren\u2019t ball joints.\u00a0 Instead, Bandai went with a double hinge joint.\u00a0 One hinge allows the wings to move forward and back, while the hinge it\u2019s attached to allow the wings to move up and down a bit.\u00a0 These joints are definitely different from what we\u2019re used to seeing on MonsterArts figures, and I\u2019ve heard stories about breakages.\u00a0 I\u2019m not sure how weak these joints are, but personally I haven\u2019t had any issues.\u00a0 One thing you do want to keep in mind when posing is that the wing and the base of the wing are two separate pieces that move together as one.\u00a0 Some of the breaks I\u2019ve seen online are between these two pieces, not the joint.\u00a0 So when moving the wings, make sure you\u2019re moving the base piece (green arrow), and not the wing piece (red arrow).<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Ghidorah comes with three beam effects pieces for accessories.\u00a0 I was pleasantly surprised that each beam had its own unique sculpt.\u00a0 Unfortunately the way they were designed to work with the figure is far from perfect.\u00a0 One of the big differences with these beams is that they were designed to be held up by clips, while previous effects parts could be plugged into the stand\u2019s arm.\u00a0 Getting all three to juggle properly with the figure isn\u2019t impossible, but it can be frustrating.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Another annoyance is that all three pieces have to share the same base.\u00a0 Even with the extensions this limits the poses Ghidorah can make if you want all three heads firing a beam.\u00a0 Maybe Bandai was trying to keep costs under a certain amount, but I don\u2019t think two more clear stands would have dissuaded anyone\u2019s resolve to buy this figure.<\/p>\n

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Godzilla\u2019s thrown down with nearly every kaiju on the block, but King Ghidorah is by far his most recognizable foe.\u00a0 I\u2019ll fully admit that the figure isn\u2019t perfect, but his monstrous size, sculpted detail, and nearly endless articulation make him damned near close to it.\u00a0 This figure is a great addition to the MonsterArts and Sci-Fi Revoltech lineups, and I\u2019m already excited to pick him up again in his Mecha form.<\/p>\n

-Vault<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

King Ghidorah is one of my most anticipated figures in the MonsterArts line. But having mine stuck in customs for a week had me chewing my fingernails to the bone. I compulsivelyy checked the tracking number, hoping he had passed through! Thankfully, the long wait is over!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":21514,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"_themeisle_gutenberg_block_has_review":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_options":[]},"categories":[34,10],"tags":[1493,1607,543,1454,1475,1276],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.itsalltrue.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/10\/kghiTN.jpg?fit=50%2C50&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pObc6-5AZ","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":21608,"url":"https:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=21608","url_meta":{"origin":21513,"position":0},"title":"Tamashii Nations 2012 Armchair Coverage","date":"October 26, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"While convention season is pretty much over stateside, Japan had a big one up its sleeve with Tamashii Nations 2012!\u00a0 Bandai of Japan has been garnering a large portion of my collecting interest over the last couple years, and the 2013 reveals make it blatantly apparent that my wallet doesn't\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Event Coverage"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.itsalltrue.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/10\/tamf3.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":27919,"url":"https:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=27919","url_meta":{"origin":21513,"position":1},"title":"Bluefin Reveals S.H. MonsterArts Godzilla 2014","date":"May 16, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"","rel":"","context":"In "Film & TV"","img":{"alt_text":"marts1","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.itsalltrue.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/marts1.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":15825,"url":"https:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=15825","url_meta":{"origin":21513,"position":2},"title":"Vault Review: S.H. MonsterArts’ Mechagodzilla 2","date":"December 9, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Just a couple weeks after Bandai\u2019s Godzilla release, the second figure in the SH MonsterArts line is already here.\u00a0 I\u2019m glad I didn\u2019t have to wait too long.\u00a0 My Godzilla was getting bored just beating up all of my Revoltechs.\u00a0 Now he has a challenge. For his first incarnation in\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Reviews"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.itsalltrue.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/mgod01.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":17769,"url":"https:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=17769","url_meta":{"origin":21513,"position":3},"title":"Tamashii Features 2012 Galleries","date":"March 31, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Tamashii Features is Bandai\u2019s own personal toy show, showcasing the new projects and properties that they will be releasing in the following year. Our man in Japan, Robert Baldwin, took some time to check out all that Bandai had to offer.\u00a0 All I can say is my wallet was definitely\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Event Coverage"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":20580,"url":"https:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=20580","url_meta":{"origin":21513,"position":4},"title":"Vault Review: S.H. MonsterArts Little Godzilla","date":"August 28, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"I\u2019m following up our Reviewapalooza II week with a figure from one of my favorite toy lines, Bandai of Japan's S.H. MonsterArts.\u00a0 I never expected the line be so extensive that I'd get a Little Godzilla figure.\u00a0 But I\u2019m certainly glad they made him, even if he isn\u2019t entirely perfect.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Reviews"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.itsalltrue.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/lilg1.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":23341,"url":"https:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=23341","url_meta":{"origin":21513,"position":5},"title":"Vault Review: S.H. MonsterArts Garuda & Mechagodzilla Effects Parts","date":"May 2, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"With the SH Monsterarts Destoroyah released and King Kong almost here, I thought I\u2019d take a quick look at one of the early items in the line.\u00a0 The Mechagodzilla effects parts and Garuda aircraft have easily become my favorite bonus set so far, even at its inflated price. Bluefin has\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Reviews"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.itsalltrue.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/05\/mgef01.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21513"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=21513"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21513\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":21533,"href":"https:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21513\/revisions\/21533"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/21514"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=21513"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=21513"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=21513"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}