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When I was young, I was a huge Godzilla fan. There was nothing better than giant monsters destroying cities. Even today, I still love watching those cheesy movies and their modern remakes. That\u2019s why I\u2019m excited every time Revoltech releases one of these characters. <\/p>\n
A few weeks ago, we took a look at Baragon<\/a> and today I’m looking at figure #6 in Revoltech\u2019s Sci-Fi line: Gamera, Guardian of the Universe.<\/p>\n I didn\u2019t discover Gamera when I was young. I didn\u2019t even know there was a giant turtle that protected the Earth until one day, while flipping through the cable channels, I came upon an episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000. This was my first exposure<\/a> to Gamera, which might explain why I don\u2019t have the reverence for the giant turtle that I do of the giant lizard. Comparatively, I\u2019ve always felt the old Gamera movies looked more fake than the Godzilla films. (Yes, I do realize that’s ridiculous.) But still, Gamera is Japan\u2019s other monster, so I felt compelled to buy him. <\/p>\n One reason I was prone to buying this figure is because of his look. This Gamera is based on his 1995 movie appearance, Gamera: Guardian of the Universe. Like Godzilla 2000, the studio took the opportunity to update Gamera\u2019s look from the cheesy rubber suits to a more realistic and dangerous design. I have to admit, I\u2019m glad Kaiyodo went with this design first. The sculptor, Matsumura Shinobu, did a terrific job not only on the figures design functionality but on the overall look. There are details that you\u2019d expect on any giant turtle figure: a hard shell with multiple layers of plate, wrinkly looking turtle skin, and rows of tiny individually sculpted little teeth. All these things look great, but it\u2019s the smaller, more accurate details that amaze me: the little spiny ridge between his eyes, the sculpted detail on the roof of his mouth, and the sculpted line work on the bottom of his feet. You can\u2019t look at this figure and see an area without details.<\/p>\n Gamera uses the classic Revoltech joints. His jaw, shoulders, elbows, waist (yes, there is a waist in there), thighs, knees, and ankles are all Revolver joints. His tail is segmented, like a finger, and contains three Revolver joints. Gamera\u2019s forearms have a cut joint half way up, allowing them to swivel. This was an interesting choice, but it allows for his hands to be changed out for alternates easily. The wrists are hinge joints on both sets of hands. Continue to Page 2…<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The most interesting part about his articulation is his neck and waist area. The neck is a double revolver joint which allows for an added range of movement. Strangely enough, it doesn\u2019t connect to his body, but to his shell. To hide this joint, there is a piece of neck skin that is attached to the head and fits loosely over the joint like a sleeve to gives him a realistic turtle neck.<\/p>\n The underside of Gamera\u2019s shell is a piece of soft plastic that covers the waist joint, and what I\u2019ll refer to as the shell joint. Gamera basically has three parts to his body: head, shell, and body. His waist joint allows him to crouch forward with his lower body. Meanwhile there is a revolver joint connecting his upper body to the shell, the shell joint. This allows his upper body to stay stable and attached to its shell, while letting the rest of him move around. This creates the very realistic illusion that he and his shell are one piece, just like a real turtle. That\u2019s some nice engineering. With all those joints, Gamera has a huge range of movement, but, because of his hard shell, there are still limitations. This is a good thing, since this keeps most of his poses looking natural.<\/p>\n Gamera\u2019s accessories are mostly comprised of alternate body parts. He comes with an extra pair of closed fists and an alternate lower torso piece for flying action. If you’re not familiar with Gamera, he\u2019s not just a giant turtle, he\u2019s a giant flying turtle. Whether cruising around Japan or through space, Gamera uses rocket-like propulsion that comes out of his leg holes.<\/p>\n![](\"newsimages\/spacer.png\"){kind=spacer}
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