Figure Review: X-Plus Yuji Sakai 30cm Godzilla 1991 Hokkaido Landing

The second installment of the Yuji Sakai master line from X-Plus features the actual in-universe successor of their Godzilla 1989 figure from last year—the 1991 Godzilla, or more generically known as the version from “Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah”.  Both figures are based on resin kits sculpted by the master sculptor himself.  Being only two years apart, both versions of Godzilla look pretty similar in film and in figure form.  But a closer look reveals that the ’91 Godzilla is in a league all by himself.  

Inspiration:  

As mentioned previously, this figure is based on the Godzilla from “Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah”.  It really isn’t a magnificent film, but it is rather unique in the way it dives into the Toho universe and Godzilla legend using time traveling and weird cyborgs to push the story.  What is magnificent is how the monster king is portrayed throughout the movie—at least when he finally shows up in his true form.  This is one of the most angry, merciless and powerful versions of Godzilla ever on screen.  Unstoppable doesn’t even truly begin to define Godzilla in this film.  Whereas defeating the other kaiju opponent usually satisfies Godzilla’s appetite for destruction, this guy just starts his rampage after body slamming King Ghidorah into a battered corpse.   The characters make comments about how much more of an asshole this particular Godzilla is (and how he’s much larger too) compared to the old one they knew.  So do Yuji Sakai and X-Plus meet the bar?

Sculpt:

To put it mildly—hell yes.  The 1991 seems to be a pretty hard version of Godzilla to truly nail in vinyl form—and perhaps that’s where the advantage lies in taking molds from resin kits—but holy crap did they hit it out of the park with him.  He looks like a still shot straight out of the movie.  It looks like the exact suit but the pose captures him in a very predatory, aggressive stance and it really brings the character to life on a shelf.  Everything looks solid from his stocky legs, the natural looking curves to his body, the powerful looking chest and neck, the spines are perfect and the face is just 100% 1991 Godzilla at his best, including the little Mohawk style of the ridges on his dome.  I love the subtle features like how you can see the skeletal structure under the skin in his claws and the death stare the brow creates.  And whereas the pose for the ’89 has drawn a mixed reaction from collectors, this figure is a huge hit already and has so much presence.  Also, a huge improvement is the individually sculpted teeth.  They look much better than the single mold used on the ’89.  The coolest thing?  This figure looks amazing in every angle.  Good luck picking your favorite way to display him.

Paint:

Pretty much exactly how it should be. The charcoal color of Godzilla’s skin and the more ivory looking shade of the spines were done with great care.  His claws look life-like.  The eyes are breathtaking and truly capture the almost shark-like, soul-less blackness of them.  It has the suit accurate brownish/reddish figment in there, but the black really dominates the pupils and it looks so evil in the dark much like the film version.  I have seen people who own the actual resin kit do a bit more with the coloration of the teeth, but the ones on this figure look phenomenal to me.  

Presence:

What do I mean by presence?  Well have you ever had a well-made figure but it just didn’t display well?  Like even though the paint was good and the sculpt was solid, it just seemed rather forgettable or simply fell into the background of your collection?  

This guy looks fantastic on a shelf.  As a figure of one of the most badass Godzilla incarnations, it exudes the attitude of the Big Guy on screen.  He has that stalking posture to him and he looks like he’s looking down a defeated rival with absolute malice in his heart.  That and his dangerously long tail beautifully capture the fluid motion in statue form in a way that many feel the ’89 version missed the mark a bit (although there are plenty of fans of the midstep pose of ’89, but my opinion falls with those who feel that it’s overall awkward looking on a shelf). The downside to these resin kits being turned vinyl is the shrinkage, however, and although it is labeled as a 30cm scale figure, he is more truly 27cm.  And unfortunately, when displayed with other 30cm figures he just doesn’t look like he belongs.  The 3 extra centimeters really make a big difference.  But when displayed on his own or with 25cm X-Plus figures (or even his ’89 counterpart) he dominates the shelf.  When you look at him you can just hear the words “Just look at that thing--It’s not going to be friendly to us!”

Another thing worth noting about this badass is that, as far as I remember growing up, the closed-mouth Godzilla figures were always heavily sought after. They were rare and for a lot of fans, like myself, add an extra layer of personality for these figures. With this, not only do we get a spot-on portrayal of an incredible suit. But we also get it in a very neat style. The snarl or grimace of this sculpt make it one of the coolest looking face sculpts in vinyl form.

Misc notes:

• Whereas most figures or statues need brightness and light to look properly displayed, it is noteworthy how cool looking this figure looks in the shadows.  They really accentuate the aggressive edges of the design and the persona of the character.  Look at how the eyes glisten in just a tiny bit of light.  Awesome stuff and that’s a testament to how accurate this sculpt is because he looks lifelike.  But he looks incredible in a bright display as well, of course.  
• It comes with a rather bland stand to balance the tail out since the resin kits were made with the tails up in the air and were supported with a little keg.  
• The film features Godzilla for the first time being  100 meters tall and also is the only film that shows what he looked like pre-mutation.
• Unlike previous encounters with King Ghidorah (in the Showa series), this Godzilla didn’t really seem phased by the lightning attacks nor was he physically overpowered by the larger dragon.  In the 60’s, Godzilla usually spent most of his time with Ghidorah being sent flying into things.  

Overall, I'd say this figure is an easy 5 out of 5.  The only nitpick is that he isn't a true 30cm figure and he can get dwarfed but some of the bigger ones.  But as a figure being judged on it's own, it's hands down one of the best Godzilla vinyls ever made--and it is a bar that X-Plus continually seems to be trying to meet because their products are getting better and better.  But considering the source material and the likeness, this has to be in the conversation for best X-Plus Godzilla ever made. 

Size Comparison:

X-Plus 30cm Godzilla 2014, Sakai 30cm '91, and Dunk 27cm '84