Toybox REVIEW: S.H. MonsterArts Jet Jaguar [1973]

Release Date: June 2024

RRP: 11,000 yen

They might have taken their sweet time getting there, but now that Bandai Tamashii Nations is fully embracing the Showa era in the S.H. MonsterArts line they are finally tackling some firm fan favourites. After the 1972 double hitter of Gigan and Godzilla, it’s now time for them to turn their attention toward the following year and the 50th anniversary of Godzilla vs. Megalon. But the titular villain will have to wait a little while longer, because before then it's the turn of the film's real MVP. S.H. MonsterArts Jet Jaguar [1973] finally brings the original version of Godzilla's mechanical ally to the line, following the Godzilla: Singular Point version of the character back in 2022. The figure is a Tamashii web exclusive, and the first designated release from Godzilla vs. Megalon.

Top 5: Toys I'm Looking Forward to in 2024

It feels a bit strange to be writing a top five post about what toys I'm looking forward to in 2024 when I feel like I've hit a bit of a crossroads with toy collecting. While I can't see me giving up the hobby entirely any time soon, I'm definitely looking at curbing it a bit going forwards - Hasbro lines largely don't seem to hit the same for me any more, and overall I'm just beginning to get a bit overwhelmed by the quantity I've picked up in decade or so I've been into the hobby proper. But nevertheless there will always be new toy releases that excite me, and even though my preorder list feels much smaller than it did this time last year there's some really great stuff lined up for 2024!

Some honourable mentions:

- Haslab Deathsaurus - I know people across the world have already started to receive him so he's technically a 2023 release, but the UK's have been held back until February so I've got a little while longer to wait before I get my hands on him.

- S.H. Figuarts Luffy and Nami (Dawn of Adventure) - 2023 was the year I finally got hit by the One Piece bug, and while I did pick up the new Raid on Onigashima Luffy to tide me over in the meantime (a fun little figure!) I've got a long way to go before I'm up to date with the series (currently sitting on episode 240 at the time of writing). These however? I'll take them all please and thank you. The only reason they didn't make the actual list is because they don't have a release date yet, but with One Piece celebrating its 25th anniversary next year I'm fairly confident they aren't too far away.

So without further ado, onto the list!

TOP 5: S.H. MonsterArts I'd Like to See

It's time for another My Shiny Toy Robots top five list and this time we're getting kaiju-sized and entering the world of S.H. MonsterArts! Since the line debuted back in 2011 Bandai Tamashii Nations have arguably led the way when it comes to high-end articulated Godzilla (and a few other franchises, but mainly Godzilla) figures, but it hasn't always been smooth-sailing for the line. Expensive figures that only get more expensive on the aftermarket, endless repaints and a focus seemingly only on Godzilla suit variants, there's so much potential Bandai have left untapped. So without further ado, here are the five characters I want most to join my (admittedly rather small) collection of S.H. MonsterArts figures!

Anime REVIEW: Godzilla Singular Point

Godzilla Singular Point is available in streaming form on Netflix

It's hard to believe that despite being a franchise spanning over 65 years at this point, there's never been a fully-fledged Godzilla anime series. We've had a couple of American cartoon series over the years and a trilogy of CGI animated films from Toho and Polygon in 2017-18, but in 2021 did the King of the Monsters properly jump into television anime with Godzilla Singular Point. A co-production between acclaimed studios Bones and Orange, Singular Point is a "Netflix Original" series that released weekly in Japan between April and June before all 13 episodes dropped worldwide on the 24th June. The series was written by Toho Enjoh, an award-winning Japanese author specialising in science and speculative fiction.