Figure Review: X-Plus Toho Series 30cm Godzilla 1964

Photobombed

For collectors, it can be overwhelming to keep up with all the different Godzilla designs.  His look changes from film-to-film and this was never more drastic than the Showa era.  At least the with Hesei and Millennium series, with the exception of a couple films, his general appearance was strongly more consistent.  But the Showa series saw change after change and if it wasn't for his iconic spines, he could downright look unrecognizable compared to when he first appeared.

But as different as they were, the Showa series gave us many of the most beloved suits.  And for X-Plus, that's great business.  

To many people, Godzilla 1964 is the epitome of golden-age daikaiju Godzilla suits. The high task of being the best looking Godzilla suit often falls to this one for many of the long-time fans. And X-Plus made sure to make a strong reproduction.  

From the 1964 monster classic "Mothra vs Godzilla", this figure depicts Godzilla at perhaps his most sinister. This is the first time Godzilla starred with another popular Japanese monster named Mothra.  She and Godzilla are great foes who then become friends but then fight again. It's this whole on-again-off-again relationship that just doesn't even try to be anything but inconsistent.  Once again, Godzilla is the villain in the film and even without his pointy ears or fangs he still very much looks the part. 

It's that Resting Bitch Face

X-Plus depicts Godzilla '64 in a walking motion (that's pretty dynamic for Godzilla vinyls) as he slowly advances towards his prey. The tail is in a unique position as it is slanted downward for him to balance out but apparently his tail was positioned like this a lot in the film so I suppose it is accurate. His claws are very sharp even in action figure form so be careful handling him and keep him away from very small children. You can see how his features are getting softer through the years as the sharp, jagged spines are now fluffier and more symmetrical and the feet only have three toes now with no extra talon.

I just have to make note of how painstakingly unstoppable Godzilla was in this film.  From the moment he arrives he is being attacked, shot, bombed, electrocuted and then has to fight monsters on top of it.  And even though eventually the good guys save the day, ti's not due to anybody or anything overpowering Godzilla.  The only solution to stopping this guy is to temporary trap him or subdue him.  And this Godzilla knew he was the sh*t.  Forgive the term, but if there was a mean Showa Godzilla who had swagger it was definitely this guy.    

His skin and spines have all the extra little details that X-Plus is known for. His texture is perfect and it is complimented well by the varying shades of grey and blue and brown thrown onto the figure. The colors bounce off each other beautifully and I like the how the brown makes it look like he just got himself out of the dirt.  His mouth and teeth are painted well as usual for X-Plus standards and the figure's eyes and face truly have that menacing appearance that is in the film.

He's a healthy 30cm tall (12 inches) and he is definitely shows more detail than the 25cm does. This figure looks phenomenal on the shelf and is very photogenic. Because of the way the tail doesn't touch the ground until the tip, he needs a rather deep shelf to rest on.  But any fan of the suit will adore this figure.  Even fans who aren't crazy with the 1964 design (or the film--which just sounds absurd) have to respect the presence this one has.  This is classic---this is like Sean Connery 007 golden-age style kick-ass.

This is a figure that is indeed worthy of a perfect 5-star rating.  Great sculpt, wonderful paint application, very nice, neutral sculpt.  The tail is a bit odd, but not a flaw of the figure.  5/5.

Size Comparison:

30cm '54, 30cm '64, and 30cm 2003

As before, 30cm 1954 and 30cm 1964

And the Box: