Toybox REVIEW: S.H. MonsterArts Godzilla [2024] Evolved Ver.

Release Date: October 2024

RRP: 14,300 yen

2024 was big year for the King of Monsters on both sides of the globe, with Godzilla Minus One riding an Academy Award-winning high whilst Legendary Entertainment's MonsterVerse continued on with its next big screen instalment – Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire. Two very different films, but together showing off just how tonally varied a Godzilla film can be. During The New Empire, Godzilla absorbs the energy of the kaiju Tiamat to take on a new evolved form ready for the oncoming threat of Skar King. After releasing low-price point re-release versions of Godzilla and Kong to kick off their range of figures from the film, S.H. MonsterArts [2024] Evolved Ver. is the first newly sculpted release from Bandai Tamashii Nations – a Tamashii web exclusive release that in typical MonsterArts fashion boasts a noticeably high price tag.

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.

Toybox REVIEW: S.H. MonsterArts Godzilla [1972]

Release Date: February 2024

RRP: 11000 yen

With the Showa era of Godzilla films all reaching their 50th anniversaries over the last few years it's been a particularly good time for the S.H. MonsterArts line. After years of mostly ignoring it, Bandai Tamashii Nations have been marking these milestones with long-awaited releases of classic characters, starting with Godzilla vs Hedorah before moving forward into both Godzilla vs Gigan and Godzilla vs Megalon. 2023 was particularly special as it saw the release of S.H. MonsterArts Gigan, but what good is one of Godzilla's most iconic foes if we don't have the proper Godzilla to go along with him? Hence the release of S.H. MonsterArts Godzilla [1972], the third version of Godzilla to be released from the Showa era (following on from 1954 and 1964) and the first from Godzilla's fully established time as a heroic kaiju.

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: Tamashii Nation 2022 Reveals

This weekend saw the Bandai Tamashii Nations 2022 event take place in Tokyo, and as usual it was an exciting few days of brand-new reveals to look forward to over the coming years. 2022 saw big moments such as the grand return of One Piece S.H. Figuarts, the continuation of the Super Sentai range, Metal Heroes gain new life in the Chogokin line, a strong return for S.H. MonsterArts as well as the usual impressive displays from the likes of Kamen Rider, Gundam, Ultraman, Macross and more. So today I'm looking back on my five favourite reveals from the event, all of which I simply can't wait to preorder…providing these aren't more examples of figures that revealed and immediately end up in Bandai purgatory that is.

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!

Series REVIEW: Zone Fighter

At the height of Japan's second monster boom, declining theatre attendance saw Toho look toward bringing their particular brand of superhero/monster tokusatsu to television - inspired by Tsuburaya Productions' revival of the Ultra Series through The Return of Ultraman and Ultraman Ace. With the popular Godzilla franchise at their disposal naturally these plans would somehow involve the King of Monsters, but although Godzilla himself was effectively a superhero by this point a different kind of hero to be the face of the series. The result was 1973's Ryusei Ningen Zone (Meteor Man Zone), copyrighted in the US as and perhaps best known as Zone Fighter. The second of Toho's superhero shows after the previous year's Rainbowman, Zone Fighter curiously combined elements of both kyodai (giant) and henshin (transforming) heroes. The series ran for a total of 26 episodes, however due a combination of low ratings and financial woes caused by the 1973 oil crisis no further episodes were produced and the series was left without a conclusive ending.

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.  

First Impressions: Godzilla Singular Point

Despite it not being an anniversary year, 2021 is looking to be a big year for Godzilla. As well as finally facing off against King Kong in American Monsterverse sequel Godzilla vs Kong, over in Japan the King of Monsters is also starring in a brand new anime series. Godzilla Singular Point is a co-production between studios Bones (Fullmetal Alchemist, Eureka Seven, Mob Psycho 100) and Orange (Land of the Lustrous, Beastars), and has been licensed by Neflix much like the Godzilla anime movie trilogy produced by Toho and Polygon in 2017-18. While the series began airing in Japan at the beginning of April, Netflix's preferred binge-model for the rest of the world means that its official intentional release is still unknown outside of "some time later in the year".

Movie REVIEW: Shinkansen Henkei Robo Shinkalion the Movie: The Swiftly ALFA-X that came from the Future

Japan loves trains, and Japan loves giant robots. So it’s not really a surprise to hear that Japan LOVED Shinkansen Henkei Robo Shinkalion, the 2018 anime series that combined the two in one glorious love-letter for Japan’s railroad system. Touches like adding Vocaloid megastar Hatsune Miku as a supporting character and having a Neon Genesis Evangelion tribute episode only furthered attention toward the show. After the 76-episode series concluded it was announced that it would be continuing on in a feature length movie, and at the end of 2019 Shinkanesen Henkei Robo Shinkalion the Movie: The Swiftly ALFA-X that came from the Future (“Mirai Kara Kita Shinsoku no ALFA-X”) was released in Japanese cinemas.

Favourites from Tamashii Nations 2016

Last weekend Bandai Tamashii Nations held their annual Tamashii Nations event, and as usual it was packed full of new items from the likes of S.H. Figuarts, S.H. MonsterArts, S.I.C., Super Robot Chogokin, Soul of Chogokin, Hi-Metal R and more. As usual a lot of these items will probably never see release (I’m personally still waiting on the Kikaider REBOOT Figuart from 2014) but it’s always fun to speculate what could be coming soon. Here are my five personal highlights from the event, based on the items which were available for photography and not on display for attendees only.

And as usual, there was absolutely no sign of Kamen Rider Kiva at the event. Because why break tradition?

Toybox REVIEW: S.H. MonsterArts Godzilla [1954]

Once upon a time the S.H. MonsterArts line looked to be the perfect answer to articulated kaiju toys, offering a variety of monsters from Godzilla's long and illustrious history with the usual high standard of Bandai Tamashii Nations toys. However more recently it seems like the line may have fallen into more difficult times, not only predominantly taken up with web exclusive releases but also toys of Godzilla himself - leaving many other popular monsters sadly unrepresented. However the truth is there are still plenty of Godzilla costumes left to do, and it is only now that Bandai are getting to possibly the most important of them all. The original 1954 Godzilla finally joins the line as its latest mass release figure, just in time to coincide with the release of the Shin Godzilla movie in Japanese theatres.

Toybox REVIEW: S.H. MonsterArts Gigan [2004]

With the brand new Godzilla film from Legendary Pictures hitting cinemas this very month, the world is in a bit of a Godzilla frenzy right now. So it couldn't be a better time for me to get my first experience of Bandai Tamashii Nations' S.H. MonsterArts line, which has been providing high quality, articulated versions of Godzilla's finest kaiju (along with a few Western creatures) for a few years now. However my first purchase isn't the big G himself, but my all-time favourite Godzilla monster - Gigan. After Revoltech released a great figure of the Showa version back in 2011, Bandai have gone bigger and released the 2004 Millennium era version of the character which made it's appearance in the final Japanese Godzilla film to date - Godzilla: Final Wars.

Toybox REVIEW: Revoltech SFX Gigan

With Bandai's announcement of their own highly articulated Godzilla figure line and Kaiyodo's reveal that they can't do Godzilla, MechaGodzilla or King Ghidorah figures, the future might be looking grim for any more kaiju to appear in the Revoltech SFX line. Some that had been planned (Jet Jaguar) have been scrapped and others (larvae Mothra) are in limbo. Before we lament what could have been from a line that really is still only finding its feet, let's have a look at its latest instalment. It also happens to be my favourite kaiju, the cyborg space chicken that is Gigan.

The figure is based upon the Showa era Gigan (so that one that appeared in Godzilla vs Gigan and Godzilla vs Megalon) and while I feel a lot more could have been done with the Millennium redesign of the character (changeable blade/chainsaw hands etc.) it's not worth complaining about. Any Gigan is a good one. As usual the sculpt is of fantastic quality with a lot of detailing - from the wrinkly green skin to the scaly golden chest. There are revolver joints everywhere for a maximum range of poseability (even the mouth has one) and the pincers at the side of Gigan's mouth can also open and close. Much like Anguiras, Gigan's tail is bendable to give it a much more organic feel when posing - and while it isn't quite as effective as Anguiras', it certainly beats a sectioned tail divided by joints. Gigan has a pretty good height - just a tad taller than Anguiras (who's hunched over anyway) and about as tall as Gamera IF you're using the rocket legs on him.

Gigan also includes a few building diorama pieces (something that is now expected from the line if you ask me) and in this case its 3 separate power plant pieces. The added extra is that the tall tower piece of the plant can be removed with a bent and broken piece if you prefer your Gigan to do that little more damage.

While this may be the last we see Godzilla-wise from the line (at this stage its too early to tell) that shouldn't deter people away from Gigan. He is without a doubt the best Kaiyodo have done with kaiju so far and this blessing is also its curse - because it suggests that they'd finally cracked it when it came to these monsters.

Toybox REVIEW: Revoltech SFX Anguirus

Next in Revoltech's sci-fi line and rounding off Godzilla's BFF club is the very first Godzilla foe, who would then go on to become the big G's most trusted ally - yes, it's none other than Anguirus.

Rather than be based on his first appearance in 1955's Godzilla Raids Again (all the other Toho kaiju in the line so far have been based on their original films), Anguirus is based on the design from his second appearance, 1968's Destroy All Monsters. This is not only evident by the overall design of the figure, but also from the packaging and the inclusion of the Moonlight SY-3 spaceship from said film. The spaceship also includes a 'launch' stand, made with a similar effect to Gamera's rocket booster stand.

As is the norm with Revoltech figures, Anguirus has a fair amount of poseability - there are revolver joints in his neck, shoulders, elbows, hands, hips, knees and feet. The jaw can also be moved via a hinge joint. What is most notable about Anguirus however is his tail - rather than make it out of segments connected by joints at various intervals (like Gamera's), Anguirus' tail is one whole piece made out of soft plastic which can be bent into specific poses. While this still doesn't mean it has a huge amount of poseability, it's still looks far more natural and is a step up from Gamera's. Anguirus' spines are made from soft plastic so they are quite flexible and unlikely to break if a little pressure is put on them. They are still however particularly pointy - a point I found out first hand when resting my hand on them trying to plug in the left arm and leg (which came unplugged in the box in order to fit the figure in the tray)!

It's quite disappointing that Anguirus only comes with a spaceship while the other Toho kaiju have received some pretty neat dioramas, but the figure itself is far from disappointing. Now that Godzilla's core crew of allies have all been represented in figure form, its time for Kaiyodo to bring on the antagonist monsters and hopefully, one day the big G himself.

Toybox REVIEW: Revoltech SFX Rodan

....or Radon if you'd prefer. Yes, the latest in Kaiyodo's SFX (or if you're like me, Kaiju excellence) line is the star of his own 1956 movie and all around Godzilla chum. After my review of Revoltech's Mothra figure, I had to wonder what the super-articulate line could do with a giant pteranodon. I mean, much like Mothra surely the articulation would amount to head, legs and flappy wings?

Well to start I have to say this guy is a lot bigger than I was expecting. What he doesn't have in height he sure makes up for in wingspan (I didn't take a picture, but I'm looking at him now and his wingspan is just over 18 DVD cases in length....note to self: adopt that as a unit of measurement). The wings are also made out of rubbery plastic, making them a lot more light and flexible while attempting to recreate that wing-like feel. Each wing has a tiny hand attached, which is also articulated. For the rest of the body there is articulation in the feet, legs, knees, waist, neck, head and jaw.

Like Mothra, Rodan comes with a stand that's a cut above the basic clear/black ones that come with the Yamaguchi line - this time is a building (that can be transformed into a crumbling building by twisting it in the centre). Rodan can stand atop the building via inserting a rod where no rod has gone before, or the giant monster can be posed stomping through the roof (this pose involves removing the foot and pushing it into a peg hole inside the building - something that is extremely fiddly and I've not managed to actually do yet). An additional extra is a mini mid-flight Rodan, which can be attached to the mini-stand provided.

With HobbyLinkJapan's prices on Revoltech's getting cheaper, fans are starting to get a lot more for their money - and while much like Mothra I wouldn't call Rodan an essential purchase, he's certainly got a lot of character in him. He's poseable, makes a great display piece and is great for any kaiju/giant dinosaur fan. Revoltech have made great figures of the flying Kaiju, so it'll be interesting how they handle biped monsters Anguirus and Gigan - both of whom have figures due out in the coming months.

Toybox REVIEW: Revoltech SFX Mothra

Mothra seems like an odd yet expected monster to receive a figure in the Revoltech SFX line. As the line seems to have a big thing for kaiju, adding arguably the second biggest creature after Godzilla himself is no surprise. But on the other hand, how much articulation can you give a giant moth? Before we get onto that I’d like to take a moment to discuss the packaging – which itself is a work of beauty. Much like Gamera’s, and I’d imagine the rest of the line too, it’s a beautifully designed box which unless you speak a lick of Japanese offers nothing more than a few pretty pictures. Still, its worth noting and as far as boxes go definitely a keeper.

When it comes to the question posed, as expected the answer is indeed very little. Not that Kaiyodo haven’t tried, but it remains that Mothra’s only points of articulation are his head, abdomen, wings, mouth and (tiny) legs. Nevertheless, this is still one of the most articulated Mothra figures to date and a great representation of the monster. Colourful wings, bright blue eyes – it’s all there.

The lack of articulation is made up by the brilliant diorama included with the figure. Recreating the iconic scene from Mothra’s 1961 debut, the figure includes a miniature destroyed Tokyo tower stand, complete with Mothra’s hatched cocoon. The figure itself can be displayed flying over the destroyed tower or alternatively emerging from its cocoon (the hole in which the revoltech joint is connected can be plugged up if not in use). It’s an extremely nice addition and something that really sets the figure apart from any other Mothra toys that have been produced.

In the end, for a kaiju fan this is a necessary purchase – I mean come on, it’s Mothra. But for the casual collector it’s nothing spectacular. That’s not particularly a knock against it, as it was never really going to be a knock out from the start. But from a line that has already brought us Baragon, Gamera and Gyaos and soon to give us Moguera, Anguiras, Rodan and (rumoured) Gigan, Mothra is more than deserving of her place.