Loon's Other Garbage (Burning Godzilla Custom (1/16/2023)

[Loon]

Hi all,

Since I've been diversifying the types of toys I buy outside of transformers and animals, I decided I'd start a new thread to chronicle the plastic waste I collect that aren't dinosaur toys...mostly. For this first post, I'd like to share the youngest area of my collection, my Kaiju figures.

 I have loved Godzilla and giant monsters since I was a kid, but as I grew older, that love faded. I would still pick up a figure every few years, and saw the movies when I could. Going to see Shin Godzilla is a particularly fond memory, since it was bonding moment for my sister and I as we proceeded to scour the internet for a good figure of that design. Things got heated again since I've been marathoning Tokusatsu stuff for the past few months (mostly Godzilla movies and other Kaiju stuff) after a friend recommended I give KOTM another shot. My family's even got in on the act, watching many of the movies with me (my dad went to go see Godzilla against Mechagodzilla with me for Godzilla Day, and a few days later, my brother and I went to see a screening of the Hesei Gamera Trilogy. So, with all this exposure to Japanese monsters, I couldn't resist getting some figures of my favorites... Sounds quaint, but then, thanks to @brettnj, I gained access to Japanese shops. My wallet didn't stand a chance...

I tried to tackle this shelf like my other displays, but clearly, that approach ain't working. So, while, I wanted to have a nice, leveled display organized by eras, I have a slightly sloppy set-up.

As if dinosaur figure tails weren't bad enough, now I have to contend with these big fat ones that drag on the floor. Great. Don't even get me started in those ridiculous wings.

So, yeah, this is a work in progress. The shelf's pretty close to the ceiling, so I'd like to add some light to make things more visible. Also, I'll probably have to make some room somehow, because there are so many more figures I'd like to get. But, hey, it's a start.

[Over9K]

Shelf looks good so far!

I too just got that Mezco Toys Mothra/Shobijin set as well as both of the Destroy All Monster sets, Mezco is really killing it on the Showa Toho Kaiju. The way they flocked the Mothra really makes the figure stand out amongst all the vinyl.

I'm just a little jealous of that Bandai 66/67 Gamera, I need to pick one of those up.

[Loon]

Shelf looks good so far!

I too just got that Mezco Toys Mothra/Shobijin set as well as both of the Destroy All Monster sets, Mezco is really killing it on the Showa Toho Kaiju. The way they flocked the Mothra really makes the figure stand out amongst all the vinyl.

I'm just a little jealous of that Bandai 66/67 Gamera, I need to pick one of those up.

Thank you! I've been tempted by the Mezco sets, especially for those monsters that Bandai doesn't seem to be interested in, aka Anguirus. But, I've heard some scuffle about quality control issues that's put me off those. The Mothra set is great, though, so maybe I'll check them out (especially since they seem to be on deep discount right now).

That Showa Gamera is great, though unfortunately, my cleaning it lead to the glue seal on the neck coming undone, but it stays in well enough. I actually think the one Bandai released by itself in 2006 (I think?) is a lot nicer looking, but I wanted to get the other Showa monsters from the Memorial box, so he'll do well enough.

[Gwangi]

That's a great collection. I love kaiju and have a few of them around but I don't actually collect them. If I were to collect anything else though, that's what it would be. I love your Mothra with the twins and your Gamera figures. Thanks for sharing!

[Loon]

That's a great collection. I love kaiju and have a few of them around but I don't actually collect them. If I were to collect anything else though, that's what it would be. I love your Mothra with the twins and your Gamera figures. Thanks for sharing!

Thanks! Unfortunately, I lack that kind of self-restraint. Once I get into something, it's all downhill honestly.

[Faelrin]

Don't know why I never realized there are Gamera figures out there. I know he's not as popular as the big G himself, but he always had a soft spot in my heart growing up (even though I ever only watched the one film, with those dragon looking things).

Anyways great display of some real classics, and some recent ones, like that Shin one I see. I never got to watch the film, but I did see clips of it on youtube recently. I don't think there's been a Godzilla film with that level of terror and horror in quite a while, and not just for humanity either. Quite the refreshing take on the series as well too.

[Loon]

@Faelrin Gamera's weird, but I do love him. The old school movies tend to be pretty cheesy, but I have a high tolerance for that stuff in monster movies. If you ever actually want to watch a good example of the series, any of the Hesei movies are great (kind of the opposite of Godzilla in that case). Even Gamera: The Brave is pretty fun as a kids film.

Also, thank you! I'm drawn to the classic movies and those designs mostly due to exposure. The 90s and 2000s Godzilla stuff, especially the latter, are nostalgic, but I don't find that I enjoy most of those movies or designs anywhere near as much. I'm a fan of the schlock, what can I say? Shin Godzilla on the other hand, is an all time favorite movie from this series. Like you said, it's a breath of fresh air compared to the sometimes stale Kaiju genre. I still need to watch the anime movies and show, so maybe I'll grow to like those designs as well, but we'll see.

[Fembrogon]

You're off to a great start, by the looks of it! You've already got a good number of the most classic Godzilla & Gamera monsters represented. I envy you a bit on the Mezco Mothra set; I waited on that one and it proved to be the set which couldn't afford waiting!
The other sets are great, though; any quality control issues I've heard of are minor. The DAM sets have also been on sale several times recently, so if you're hesitating now, keep your eyes peeled and you might catch them at a more agreeable price again.

Bandai has been striking lots of home-runs with the Movie Monsters Series lately; it's honestly been proving dangerous, haha! Their recent Gamera figures in particular have been stellar. I'm hoping maybe we'll see new releases for the Showa films and The Brave sometime soon, especially with a new project finally on the horizon.

I'm curious: what's the big Godzilla 2001 in the back? It looks like the size of an 8", but I know that's not the regular vinyl Bandai released of it.

[Loon]

@Fembrogon The Mothra set was a bit of a stretch for me, too. I think you have to be a real big fan of her whole deal to make it worthwhile, because, yeesh, $70 for 3 figures... I may pick up some of the DAM stuff depending on how much money I get for my birthday, because really want an Anguirus and Minilla.

That new Gamera series(?) is so exciting and, like you, I hope it means some figures of some of the non-90s designs, as much as love that series. I'd kill for a new Toto; the old version has such nice paint, but really beefs it on the head sculpt.

That figures is the Bandai "Kaiju Out of the Laws" or Bangaichi Godziham-Kun and Godzilla. It's my only Premium Bandai figure, so it was pretty expensive but I love this design and the whole message of that movie so much that I had to get it. The goofy Hamtaro head is a nice bonus since I have a few memories of watching the English dub as a kid.

[Fembrogon]

Ah, yes, the Premium series. I got the two Gargantuas back when the series was new, then quickly noped out when they started climbing even higher in price.
That Godzilla does look terrific, though! I'm overdue to watch GMK again, but it's one of my favorites too.

[Loon]

Ok, before I go to Little Tokyo this weekend (and hopefully come back with something cool), I wanted to share a couple of things that came in my last big packages from Japan which haven't been shown yet.

Hyper Gamera: Gamera '99 and Iris

These Bandai "Hyper Gamera" figures of Gamera '99 and Iris are both fantastically detailed and honestly give the larger vinyl figures a run for their money.

I believe these are candy toys since they come apart and are relatively small. They are also barely painted, which works more for Gamera than Iris, who really needs that silver in my opinion.


Still, I like them as fun little figures of two great designs and they make me want a good big 1999 Gamera to go with my MMS Iris.


Godzilla and Radon (1965)

This one's my personal favorite, this finger puppet. I just love how silly this thing is, it really embodies what I enjoy about the Showa era.

The determined look on their faces is so funny. I love a good cartoon bird and often find Rodan, despite being a pterosaur, gets a lot of those characteristics.

[Loon]

Well, I didn't go to Little Tokyo, that's been pushed back to later this month. In the meantime, I finally watched Pacific Rim about a week ago and, man, am I kicking myself for missing out on that movie when it first came out. Mostly because it's a great, fun movie and also because all the figures are crazy expensive now. Luckily, DST is coming out with a new G Danger, but so far no word on any Kaiju and I needed one for her to battle on my shelf. Since DST doesn't seem to care for essentially half the franchise, I had to get a Kaiju from NECA's line.

I loved Otachi and Leatherback, but they're hard to find and expensive. Luckily, I found someone selling Knifehead here for a steal and picked it up today.

I only ever bought a first series G Danger back in the day, so researching this line before I bought this was a surprise. I had no idea they released so many other figures and even updated Knifehead with a large size and more articulation (aka this figure). I love the goblin shark inspired design and the fact that it reminds me so much of Guiron, my favorite Gamera enemy. The battle damage paint (which I usually hate) is not bad and fairly accurate to the first fight scene. Now, I just need to clean this thing before my Jaeger shows up.

[Dusty Wren]

I am so glad to hear that you enjoyed Pacific Rim, Loon. PR is near and dear to my heart. Saw it in theaters all those years ago, and it was one of those times where everyone in the theater was feeling it and cheering and having a good time. I still routinely watch it when I'm having a bad week and need a pickup.

I've never collected the figures, though, since as you said, they're expensive and hard to get ahold of. That was the case even around the time the movie came out, unfortunately. The merchandising for PR never seemed to take off the way it did for other scifi franchises. Congrats on the Knifehead, it looks fantastic.

[Loon]

@Dusty Wren It does seem like a pick-me-up type of movie. It's not heavy in the slightest. I'm excited to watch it again sometime. Hopefully, Diamond Select changes their tune and G Danger is successful enough to warrant some new figures from that movie.

[Loon]

The past two years have seen my collection grow exponentially. It's not always been for the better and next year, I plan on drastically cutting back on spending. But, this past month... Between my birthday, Christmas, and a bit of a bonus, my room is now under siege.


Yeah, it's pretty freaking insane, I'll be the first to admit it. I'm going to be busy for the next while organizing this and finding space for all these toys. Luckily, I don't plan on getting much in the way of new stuff, so I'll be able to take my time with these guys. Look forward to pictures and posts about these in the near future, as well as a display update.

[Loon]

In hindsight, last year was a bad year for my collection. Not because I didn't get a lot of great stuff, but because I bought way too much. This year I'm massively scaling back, but before that, I had to get the huge haul from the last couple of months on the shelf. Obviously, this represents a major lack of self-control and responsibility, but it sure is pretty.











Let me know what you think and if you see anything you'd like to get a closer look at.

[Loon]

A couple of weeks ago I saw a video covering Spiral Studios' gorgeous burning Godzilla statue and something in me just snapped. Even if KOTM as a whole is a bit iffy, I love that scene and decided I wanted to replicate it.

I got this really horribly painted MMS bootleg off AliExpress for about $3 shipped and removed all the paint using thinner.

The entire thing was molded in red and that worked great for me because I wanted to stuff it will LEDs to recreates the nuclear glow between his scales.

I think the final paint job, while far from professional and a bit blobby in some spots, turned out decent. It also come out a lot cheaper than having to buy any of the older burning Godzilla figures from a few years ago.





I initially wanted to add flaming Mothra wings like the statue, but have yet to come up with a good way to make those. Maybe I'll update this later and add those, but for now, I'm pretty happy with it.

The LEDs won't show up well under direct light, but they're stunning in the dark.


I made sure to have a lot of lights under the dorsal plates.




I also cut out the eyes and stuffed the head full of LEDs to make his eyes glow and distinguish them more from the rest of the glowing parts.



Here's a look at my sketchy lighting set-up. Since it's still soft vinyl, I was able to stick the fairy lights in almost every major extremity.

[Halichoeres]

I'm not familiar with the source material, but if you were going for a Godzilla-shaped pile of embers, you nailed it!

[Loon]

@Halichoeres that's basically the idea, thank you!

[Pyeah]

Ooooooh, I love it! The idea is really great, I'd really like to try that, too. Awesome!


Cheerio!!