Toybox REVIEW: HIYA Exquisite Basic Series Kong (B.E.A.S.T. Glove Ver.)

Release Date: September 2025

RRP: $51

For the longest time Bandai ruled the roost when it came to high-end articulated kaiju figures, but in recent years they've found a real competitor in the form in China-based company HIYA. While initially their primary focus seemed to be tackling characters from Legendary Entertainment's Monsterverse films, recent years have also seen them also move into the Heisei and Millennium eras of Toho's Godzilla backcatalogue as well. For kaiju fans "Bandai vs HIYA" is often a constant source of debate, but HIYA definitely took the win when it comes of their handling of Kong in Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire. After releasing a standard version of Kong in the S.H. MonsterArts line prior to the release of the film, Bandai later decided that if fans wanted a movie-accurate head and the B.E.A.S.T. Glove Kong wields in its climax to go with it, they'd also have to buy (the expensive Tamashii web exclusive) Shimo and Skar King to go with it. HIYA on the other hand went for the much more sensible and consumer-friendly route, releasing the Exquisite Basic Series Kong (B.E.A.S.T. Glove Ver.) as an entirely separate release to the standard version. This is HIYA's fourth version of the gorilla Titan, following on from versions based on Godzilla vs. Kong and Kong: Skull Island  as well as the aforementioned standard New Empire one.

HIYA's Basic Exquisite Series Kong comes in fairly basic packaging, the front of which features a nice big image the figure against a desert backdrop - representing the scene where Kong reencountered (and subsequently fought) Godzilla in the film. Accompanying it are the Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire movie logo, a character-specific Kong banner and the expected HIYA, Toho, Legendary and MonsterVerse logos. The sides of the box simply feature that "Kong" banner once again against the same desert backdrop, and then finally the back of the box is even simpler - primarily taken up by HIYA's company information and general retail information. Inside the figure and accessories are neatly stored on a moulded plastic tray, with a small leaflet also tucked away that explains the B.E.A.S.T. Glove armour features and how to swap the parts.

Straight out of the box it isn't hard to see how HIYA have quickly risen to the top of the game when it comes to articulated kaiju figures. The figure is an incredible representation of how Kong looks in the film, and loaded with all sorts of moulded detail to make it more vivid and lifelike. In addition to all the moulded fur running across the whole body, the chest and face also have a course texture that matches that of an actual gorilla. More movie-specific details include the numerous scars running down Kong's chest - a reminder of his past battles which definitely stand out all the more when viewing the figure up close. Kong's default head sculpt sports a solemn expression that's well detailed, but the standout parts are undoubtedly the eyes. Though small, they use clear plastic to give them a glass-like look that feels truly lifelike. Of course all of this was also present on their previous version of The New Empire Kong, with the main new feature here being the addition of the B.E.A.S.T. Glove. Almost immediately it's clear how much more detailed this is that Bandai's MonsterArts offering, with HIYA's details and colouring considerably closer to how it appears in the film. The Glove even features moveable pieces - the three plates running across the top can lift up, and the front has a section that can be pulled outward and over the hand. Another nice touch is that moving the elbow has the gear-like pieces reinforcing it rotate alongside it. Size-wise HIYA labels the Exquisite Basic like as non-scale figures, but the line is roughly around six to seven inches. They're slightly larger than their S.H. MonsterArts counterparts, but can still fit comfortably alongside them with some careful posing.

Sculpt isn't the only area Kong impresses in either, as HIYA have plenty to show off when it comes to articulation as well. The Exquisite Basic Series is HIYA's main line when it comes to poseable monsters, and like S.H. MonsterArts this is achieved via all the parts being mostly held together by ball joints. Overall Kong features;

- Ball jointed head, neck, shoulders, wrists, hips and ankles

- Butterfly joint shoulders

- Double hinge elbows and knees

Overall it's an excellent spread of articulation, although it's worth noting some joints might need a bit of working before they can move to their maximum potential. Straight out of the box my Kong was very stiff, but eased up over time. That said - some areas, like the torso and elbows for example, remained quite stiff even now. The right arm also feels a little more restricted because of the B.E.A.S.T. Glove, which is to be somewhat to be expected. Despite having double hinge movement the elbows and knees don't have a huge amount of bend before other parts of the sculpt start getting in the way (the knees particularly), but it's enough to get the job done. While the ankles can technically pivot, again the sculpt gets in the way so it feels more like they simply rotate. Getting used to the feet is crucial to posing the figure well simply because of how top-heavy he is. Other parts of the figures move like a dream though - the head/neck articulation on the figure is fantastic, and the shoulders move beautifully as well. He does take a little bit of getting used to, but Kong is capable of all manner of great poses - be they relaxed or fighting. 

Kong comes with what one might usually consider a fairly basic selection of accessories, but for a kaiju figure it's actually quite impressive. First up are two alternate heads - a snarling face with gritted teeth and then a full open-mouthed roaring head. Both heads have the same incredible level of detailing as the default one, but with the teeth on show also reveal the grey fake tooth he received in the film. They are however let slightly down by the fact that these are exactly the same heads that came with HIYA's standard version of Kong from The New Empire. But while it would have been nice to have some newly sculpted heads unique to this release, as a single release the three show off Kong's range of emotions quite well. The heads are also incredibly easy to swap, popping on and off the neck joint with ease. The second half of the accessories are the hands, which consists of three additional pairs to compliment the default fists. Among them are open, walking and accessory-holding hands. While this Kong doesn't come with any accessories of his own, that latter pair are included so that he can wield the axe from any of HIYA's other Kong figures should you so desire. The poses themselves are matching but naturally the hands themselves are not, with all of the right hands sporting the additional B.E.A.S.T. Glove sculpting. The hands themselves are great, but they are an absolute nightmare to switch. The closed fists are fine, but on all the other pairs the socket is too small to pop onto the ball joint with ease. Heating the hands up a bit helps, but it still requires an uncomfortable amount of force to get them to stay on. So overall a basic, but definitely respectable selection. It is a shame that HIYA didn't include the axe with this release as well, but at the same time I understand the desire to make the standard version somewhat unique as well.

HIYA Exquisite Basic Series Kong (B.E.A.S.T. Glove Ver.) is my first foray into the world of HIYA Toys and I am beyond impressed at how they can deliver a figure that's of comparable quality (if not better) than the S.H. MonsterArts line at a fraction of the price. Some joint stiffness aside it's a fantastic figure loaded with detail and when it comes to posing it's sturdy enough that it never feels like you may suddenly break it (with the exception of those blasted wrist joints). For those who didn't buy the standard version it's a shame that it doesn't come with the axe to make it a more "complete" release, and for those who did it's equally a shame that this doesn't have its own distinct face sculpts to make it more of a unique release. But despite some minor gripes, this figure still stands out as king of the Kongs.