Need Godzilla information help

Discussion in 'Whatever' started by moodydoom, Jul 20, 2020.

  1. moodydoom

    moodydoom Addicted

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    Need Godzilla information help
    So, my son is turning 4 next month, and he has become obsessed with Godzilla of late. I honestly don't know how. Apart from my kaiju toys (none of which are a Godzilla) his only exposure has been a t-shirt his uncle wore and looking through my S7 Mook once or twice. He hassled me into finally sitting down this weekend to watch the first Toho film. Nevermind it was black and white, nevermind it was subtitled. He's in.

    So the thing is, i need to find him a decent Godzilla toy for his birthday, or ideally a series I can build on by purchasing Godzilla, King Ghidora, King Kong, and Mothra. He loves them all. I wanted to get him something that will last, hopefully a very long time, and really want to avoid the modern route (neca etc.)

    Of course, no chance i wanna blow $100 on a godzilla for a four year old.

    Am hoping the SkullBrain trust - who are way more versed on Godzilla than I am - can point me in the direction of a good line of classic godzilla toys that might not break the bank.

    Also, you should note, he's partial to blue godzilla's after seeing the '66 striped leg Marusan Godzilla in my Mook. He's picky as a mother fucker.
     
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  2. rattanicus

    rattanicus Mini Boss

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    Need Godzilla information help
    Bandai Creation is probably your only & best choice! Affordable, and the main characters are all there in the line. Something like Neca would not be good for a kid anyway, they're heavy and definitely not as durable or as easily posable as a Bandai vinyl. Go for the lines made before the ones they've recently released though. The new line has a lot of hard plastic, not as fun as the all vinyl ones.
     
  3. Roger

    Roger Vintage

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    Walgreens has been carrying series of Bandai Godzilla trading figures, they're 4" vinyls appropriate for young kids. I bet if you hit up three or four stores you'd have at least ten characters to give him instantly.

    Here's a video showing what they're like, I've seen at least two different series:



    You can find the larger Bandai Creation ones rattanicus mentioned at Walmart. Playmates repurposed the toys for their current line and the paint jobs aren't as good but I'm sure he'll like the figures, they're big and fun.
     
  4. toothaction

    toothaction Team Tsubu Staff Member

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    Need Godzilla information help
    Is he past the 'chocking hazard' phase? You might want to consider tracking down the old (early aughts) Bullmark Legends gacha series from Iwakura [岩倉ブルマーク伝説]:
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    3.5" shrink-downs of a whole mess of Toho sofvi classics. Time was they could be had for $3-5 each.

    Four-years-old, you say? That's about when the UHF frequencies first brought Ultraman to my attention. May I suggest that it would be irresponsible of you to not grab the new dirt-cheap Blus and host daily afternoon screenings for him?
     
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  5. Mr. Humphreys

    Mr. Humphreys Mini Boss

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    Need Godzilla information help
    Not sure if your son is technical about his Godzillas or if he just wants a big toy? My very first Godzilla was a Dormei Goji. They are made in China, but they are HUGE. An added plus is that the head, arms, legs, and tail all articulate. Described as 15 inches tall doesn't give you a good sense of how big they are (see pics below), especially with his long trailing tail. They aren't vinyl, but are described as made with hard rubber (not squishy at all, very solid). They have a seam line down the middle, so I'm guessing they are produced by molds. I've seen them start at $35-ish on Ebay (search using "dormei godzilla" ), sometimes even lower. I still have mine (red and brown version), and I still love him. He's a massive toy, compared to your standard sized vinyl figures. He's definitely not a choking hazard, and very durable for play.

    Here he is sitting on top of a plotter, next to a standard size vintage Bullmark Geronimon, and a large banana for scale comparison
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    Keeping Mr. Humphreys company, back in the day...
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    Battle with a giant size vintage Bandai Cobraman
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    Close up -- you can see the mold line on his head, neck, and chest...
    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited: Jul 20, 2020
  6. Russblue11

    Russblue11 S7 Royalty

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    I second these. Pretty easy to find, large assortment of monsters to choose from, easy to carry around, and accurate sculpts to segue into larger vinyls when he’s older.
     
  7. Roger

    Roger Vintage

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    Where can one find Iwakura Bullmark Legends for decent prices these days, though?
     
  8. ultrakaiju

    ultrakaiju Die-Cast Staff Member

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    Need Godzilla information help
    Yeah, that's sort of what I was thinking. You can sometimes luck into one or another on Mandarake, but it actually takes a lot of dedicated hunting (speaking from experience) to try and collect them; when it used to be you can snag them in a set even for a good price. It's doable, and I completely love the suggestion from David for these, but not as easy as it once was. And I think just for accessibility to give some fun toys to build from for his son, going the Bandai route is much easier. I'd even suggest looking to ebay for some of the 80s figures, where you might actually be able to get a nice price on a grouping, or the Yamakatsu fellas. They are probably also more recognisable to a fairly young child who's just started to see a couple films. Bonus points (for the old ones) for being built to last.
     
  9. deafmetal

    deafmetal Comment King

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    Need Godzilla information help
    You son has excellent taste. ;) If you ever want a '66 classic goji for him, just hit me up and we can work something out. I have an inexpensive reissue with striped legs that I could offer up.

    For a modern series that are easy to collect, I think Roger and Rei have the best suggestions so far. I have also seen those available at Target stores.
     
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  10. toothaction

    toothaction Team Tsubu Staff Member

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    @Roger @ultrakaiju Holy cow, I had no idea what time and the market had done to these little 300¥ wonders...
     
  11. ultrakaiju

    ultrakaiju Die-Cast Staff Member

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    Need Godzilla information help
    Sad but true. Interestingly, the market seems to have even swung out for the Ultra ones, which were all but ignored for so many years. Many missed opportunities to build an army when I had the chance to.
     

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