X-Plus must love it when a new Godzilla suit with a rare or unique characteristic comes out because they can pump figures out and they know as long as their quality of work stays high then they will clean-up. The Millennium series in general was very kind to the garage kit manufacturer--four figures of Godzilla himself out of only 6 films.
Based on the film "Godzilla X Mothra X MechaGodzilla: Tokyo SOS" (or some other wordy title that sounds like that), Godzilla 2003 is a unique design for the king of the monsters. Upon first glance he is easily recognizable from being in this particular film. I'll get into more of the specific characteristics in a bit but as a whole I think this figure should be really appreciated. Whether you love the film or hate, or dig the suit or not, it is a very well-made figure. That cannot be argued.
And I can say that because I'm not particularly fond of the movies or the suit. It's weird because the suit has traits I really like. The spines are awesome, I love the teeth, the way the eye seem to glow, and his feet. But the way Godzilla was portrayed was so passive and lackluster that the suit never looked fluid to me--never appeared fluid or majestic to me. Maybe because the film felt like it was more about Kiryu or because the film felt like it was just made out of obligation and not with the same charm and spirit as the classics. I don't just mean Ifukube's magical run with the Showa films either, but aside from GMK, none of the Millennium films feel like they were made with any attitude or intention to take anything to a new level.
But, X-Plus made sure they came correct with this figure.
Much like the 1999 suit, Godzilla has very jagged spines but this time they are back to their traditional bone color. He's also got the spikier scale texture like it as well, but mixed with the oldschool Godzilla hide. His face looks more bird-like with the flatter head and longer, thinner snout and jawline. And the easiest way to tell him apart? The huge scar on his chest.
In the film's predecessor, Kiryu nails Godzilla with this super weapon. Godzilla somehow survives but he retreats to lick his wound--and it's pretty gnarly. He comes back in Tokyo SOS with a very large scar, which I'm sure made the decision easy for X-Plus which film of the two-film story to make the figure from. It isn't often that Godzilla figures come with any sort of physical on-screen damage nor does it ever carry over from film-to-film. So, in that sense, this makes this Godzilla figures one of the more interesting in X-Plus' lineup.
The pose is different as well. Godzilla is looking up, probably at Mothra flying overhead, and looks like he wants to blast her with his radioactive fire. For fans of the films, the pose reminds me of the shot in the prequel to this film where Godzilla is roaring and absorbing the electricity from the sky.
He's slimmer than most of the other Godzilla designs and he does look a little meager on a shelf at times but he's an excellent addition to the series and I am thrilled to have him as part of my collection. I just ordered Kiryu to go along with him and I think the two of them will go along great together--much like Anguirus and Godzilla '55 or Godzilla '68, Anguirus '68 and Gigan. These wonderful figures really make you take pride in the way you display them.
To summarize, I really don't have any complaints with this product. As you can see the sculpt looks fantastic. The ridges and grooves in his skin look straight out of a movie. I love the texture of the spines and the hints of decay on his teeth. The paint is very neatly done. It's all applicated where it should be--no smears or blotches. The colors pop! The craftsmanship here is the typical X-Plus high quality. This Godzilla is definitely worthy of a 5-star rating.
Size Comparison:
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| X-Plus 30cm Godzilla '89, Godzilla 2014, 2003, and Godzilla '54 |
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