Godzilla: King of the Monsters – S.H. MonsterArts Godzilla – Toyark Photo Shoot

This week, Godzilla: King of the Monsters opens in theaters, bringing together Godzilla and some of his most iconic friends and foes of the past. The new film is a follow up to the 2014 Godzilla movie, and follows the legendary kaiju as he battles numerous emerging Titans that look to retake their place as the rulers of the planet. As with any new Godzilla film, Bandai and Tamashii Nations have fans covered, as they have plans for Godzilla, Mothra, Rodan and King Ghidorah in the S.H. MonsterArts line up. Today, thanks to Bluefin for sending over the figure, I am happy to share a photo gallery and review for the new Godzilla 2019 figure!

Also, to celebrate the release of both the figure and the movie, we’re teaming up with Bluefin for a giveaway. Below, you can enter to win a brand new Godzilla: King of the Monsters – S.H. MonsterArts Godzilla Figure! Be sure to follow our S.H. MonsterArts landing page to keep up with all of our coverage.

Toyark X Bluefin Brands MonsterArts Godzilla Giveaway

Godzilla: King of the Monsters – S.H. MonsterArts Godzilla

Pros

• Excellent overall sculpt
• Great articulation
• Clean paint work
• Can recreate the 1st poster with the new neck articulation
• Atomic Blast effect piece included
• Swap out lower jaw to connect Atomic Blast

Cons

• Some torso joints are a bit too tight

Overall
The Godzilla figure is packed in a collector friendly window box. The packaging design features a great shot of the figure on the front, and Monsterverse branding throughout. There’s a large window, giving you a clear look at the figure and the accessories. The back of the box has some product shots of the figure, which highlight the new articulation. Godzilla is packed in a plastic clamshell tray. The figure includes an Atomic Blast effects piece, and a swap out lower jaw designed to hold the Atomic Blast in place.

No assembly is required, and Godzilla is ready for action as soon as he’s out of the box. Sculpt work on the figure is excellent, with intricate detail work on the various scales used on his body. The newly designed dorsal fins carry the look of the lizard-like scales, and have surprisingly sharp edges for a figure of this size. The head sculpt is handled nicely, with great attention to detail, even though the design has a smaller head than past Godzilla’s. The figure has a very hard plastic feel to it, though it is fairly light weight. Paint work overall, is a bit on the minimal side. There’s a very light wash over the whole figure to add some depth to the sculpt. But, where more detailed paint application was required, Bandai did a solid job here. The eyes are sharp, and there’s clean separation between areas like the gums and teeth, as well as clean lines where claws meet the fingers or toes. Godzilla, in general, is a very monochromatic figure, and it’s the little pops of color that bring it all together.

Articulation is great, especially in the neck and legs, where special attention was paid to the range of motion the figure required. You can point the head pretty much strait up, which allows you to recreate the original poster for the movie. The added benefit of that extra leeway is more natural looking poses overall. The range of motion in the legs makes walking poses easier to pull off. There are multiple cuts for articulation in the torso area, but I had a harder time getting those to have any real lateral movement. Even after heating the joints up, things felt too tight to twist, and I was’t sure how much force the joints could take. That doesn’t really affect the posing that much, thankfully, and Godzilla was still able to achieve the poses I wanted.

You can see a few comparison photos with the NECA Godzilla 2019 figure (NECA’s is on the left side of your screen). Overall, they’re surprisingly similar in height and detail. The MonsterArts version is a bit more slender in the neck area, definitely lighter in weight, has a darker skin tone, a bit less paint overall, and more articulation (especially in the neck).

This is my first Godzilla in the MonsterArts line, so I can’t speak to how it compares to their previous releases. That said, this was a joy to handle and photograph (as any Godzilla should be). If you’re already collecting S.H. MonsterArts, then this is an absolute must buy. The sculpt, detailing ,and strong quality control make for a strong overall release.

Check out a few photos below, and then the full photo gallery after that.