They have been making Godzilla figures
since the early 80s and just not the figures from that decade but also the
90s that are extremely rare and extremely expensive. If you have started a
Godzilla collection and need a couple figures to complete it you know what
I mean. It is rough because of the prices but hopefully Bandai will use
their American line effectively. Go to Club
Tokyo to find out more about Bandai's action figures they have made
through out the years.
Bandai has become one of my favorite
action figure companies and I believe if they have the right lines, like
the Ultimate Muscle figures and especially the Godzilla line will have
Bandai in the spotlight for a long time to come! This set I am about
review was expensive but well worth the price and I thank the Lord that I
was able to get it. It has always been my dream to have these very
monsters and Bandai made it possible! Now on to the great set I am about
to review, The Gamera Memorial Box Set! First of all, the monsters in the
box set are from seven of those films. The monsters are as follows: Gamera
from Gamera the Invincible,
Barugon from Gamera vs.
Barugon, Gyaos from Gamera
vs. Gyaos, Viras from Gamera
vs. Viras, Guiron from Gamera
vs. Guiron, Jaiger from Gamera
vs. Monster X, and Zigra from Gamera
vs. Zigra. That's the list of films theses monsters where in and here
is how I rate the figures - I hope you enjoy it!
Packaging - ***1/2
The Gamera Memorial Box Set has a great box. On the front is a large picture
of the giant fire breathing turtle himself and mini pictures of the films
and monsters - I'll get to that in a few. It shows the names and box title
mostly in Japanese and very little English and the prototypes of the figures
inside. The figures inside are carefully packed in small plastic bags
and I thought this was a great idea. The box itself is sturdy and the lid
slides off to take out the figures and whether you leave them in the box or
not the box looks great being displayed. Since this was an exclusive over in
Japan it is in mostly in Japanese but I would have liked it in both
languages but I do think the box looks great nonetheless!
Sculpting - ****
Bandai originally made these seven monstrosities many years ago at a
larger scale. The box set is simply a re-release of the same figures with
different paint schemes and a smaller scale of between six and nine inches
but they did change some of the molds and for the better as they are
sculpted more perfectly than before in my opinion. These monsters in the
GMBS look just like their counterparts in the films. The figures are made
out of soft vinyl. Bandai put all the necessary details on the figures. Like
Jaiger, she is sculpted so good like her warts on her body and the bottoms
of her feet. Another great detail is the prints on Guiron's paws. Gamera's
shell is shaped exactly like the real monster. Barugon's tongue is seen in
his mouth and instead of fins like the original had the new Zigra has feet
which in the film he stood up but you couldn't see his feet but you new they
were there so its an "secret" added feature in my book. I could go
on all night about it! I like figures in scale with each other and these
figs do a good job at it. Outstanding work by Bandai!
Paint - ***1/2
The paint schemes are more satisfying than the originals. The creatures'
figure and toe nails, teeth, and horns are painted nicely. I only noticed
one small spot on a figure that wasn't painted. There is one thing I'm
confused about and its Barugon's color. The original was a brownish-red and
the Memorial version is of a yellowish-gold color. I really have no clue why
his body is colored the way it is and it looks cool but the color does look
like the movie. I like how Bandai paints the finger and toe nails. Jaiger's
horn and tusk color looks really attractive compared to the metallic looking
original. An excellent painting on the part of Bandai!
Articulation - **1/2
The figures only have a simple amount of articulation like arms, legs, and
heads but if these figure would have had a ten or more points I don't think
I would have been satisfied because in the films the monsters didn't move a
whole lot and thus it makes the figures more realistic.
Accessories - ***
The monsters only come with the traditional Japanese tags which are attached
through the backs of the figures. I give it three stars because these are
big in Japan and if these weren't included I wouldn't have been a happy
customer. Even though the tags are completely in Japanese I still love the
tags because of the great pictures of the promo art of the films. Of course
some people may not like the look of a tag on a great looking figure but I
think it looks good and it always reminds me how special these figures are!
Value - ***1/2
I bought Mine in the fall of 2001 from Extreme
Collectables and I paid 74.95 for the box set which is well worth it.
Sure its a high price but your getting all seven monsters in the original
Gamera films. Most of the original Bandai Godzilla and Gamera figures cost
that amount just for one. If you are big fan of Gamera like I am then this
is the set to have because of the realistic looking figures and great
looking box and not to mention this was limited special edition. You'll feel
proud to own it!
Overall - ****
The set will cost around sixty to eighty dollars but The box set however is
very rare and very hard to find. Extreme Collectables only had three at the
time and they have been out of stock for quite some time now. Like I said
you get seven monsters that are sculpted great and they all look awesome
near each other. The box looks great on the shelf. The figures and their box
are a welcome addition to your collection. To me it's a fair price because
it's imported, it was released in 1999, and it's no longer in production.
Its truly a great set to own!
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