lets try to bring this forum back to fun and good times and share some nostalgia. i know others here will have crazier and more interesting stories than i do, but im a boardie who likes to see pictures and read the stories that come with them.


Bullmark Repro Mikuras standard size (purchased in june of 2006)



I can admit i started the toy collecting by way of western vinyl- my first vinyl toy being 2D from gorillaz, got knocked on the floor and his head snapped off and i had to superglue it. about that time i got bummed with the quality of western ware, sold some custom MadLs and liquidated the rest of my western vinyl.

I was drawn into this game by the ever controversial "Kaiju For Grow Ups" by wonderwall, and it was Koziks Ika Gilas. I knew about japanese monsters and always thought they were cool, but never knew about the toy world. Back then i thought that the wonderwall figures were so expensive, as i was used to the western pricing and cheap stuff but scrambled some money together for the mikuras. i was stunned by the skullbrain community and really nervous to post, as after i found my mikuras i posted in the wanted section a listing for more repros (looking to spend 30 dollars on each ) and got shot down pretty hard.then i did my research and learned quality over quantity, and its just been steady fun (for me at least) being a part of these boards, reading mostly instead of writing.

then from that point on i was hooked, as most know the feeling. and after 5 years of being in this "game" of buying, selling out of need or want, this guy has stuck with me.

lets see what your first kaiju was!

The story: Brilliant idea for a thread. I was thinking of a great way to start a kaiju highlighting one, and this is perfect. I can't say that this was my first kaiju, but this is the figure that I picked up that really brought me back in to the fold so to speak, and ignited the hobby for me outside of just enjoying them as toys. So, please welcome, the very underappreciated Bandai '66Gamera:


(stock photo from chimply kaiju, since mine is back in Canada)

The appeal: The figure is crude, mass-mass-produced, and really not everyone's thing - I can totally get that. But for me, this guy still holds a huge appeal to me, and will forever have special place in any collection I have. Even if I have to sell off all my vintage and desirable figures, I would still hold on to this guy. He embodies so much of a great toy for me.

Analysis: The sculpting is very detailed, but also looks very rough, and not overly realistic. The wrinkled skin, the textured surface, his scaled shell - so many great things to enjoy about him. He looks more like a toy version of the actual Gamera costume, rather that a sculpted representation of what Gamera might actually look like, and this is the kind of things I love. After all, I am attracted to the character from the movies we all know, not some hyper-conceptual embodiment. I am in love with the military green-grey vinyl used, and the choice of gold for paint accents really sets him off. The vinyl is nice and soft, and without a doubt this guy is designed for playing with. He is in a great action pose, do either battle out some other kaiju, or just stand tall terrorizing other toys. at the same time, his arms are still inefficiently outstretched and he carries the rigid awkwardness of all these toys from childhood. He is fun, clunky, and monstrous. In short, there is not one thing I would change about this figure.

The defense: Yeah, yeah. I know, this figure is totally lame right? Well you can keep your hyped Nags and limited run Anrakus. I am not attacking anyone or the makers of these toys; people just need to chill out and appreciate all forms of the hobby. Elitism is for the birds. The truth is that at some point we all love these things because of toys, because they remind us of playthings of our youth. Bandai did a lot to bring kaiju to an entire new generation in the 80s and is still going strong with the basis of what their target is. So, Gamera, I salute you. Thanks for all the great memories, and where you have brought me today.

Saw this guy on the Super7 site years ago and had to have it. I love the over the top super-evil vibe. It being a figure that nobody cared about also helped me get it for a fair price. Next came dempagon and the rest is history.


Kaijin Docross, Blue Flamers ver.

great fig.

Thanks for always being around to set us straight Oli I admire your dedication of constantly being on top of things. I admit that it sure isn't too easy to find a thread when you are deliberately searching for one you know exists, and by random, well, it's nigh impossible. I do like the idea of this thread though.

Acutally, I knew an older thread existed but it indeed took me a while to find it. My Google-fu is weak.

yeah your link is a great read, i couldnt find it for the life of me, but i was also mildly lazy. ive got to watch myself from now on!

the two threads are different enough to warrant a separation. this one isn't about the "turning point" per se, but more about the nostalgia of the first kaiju toy from childhood that you remember and want to recreate as an adult.

I vaguely remember playing with some Ultraman monsters in my childhood, but can't remember which ones they were. I wish my parents kept all of my childhood toys.

Fisher Price adventure series (late 70's early 80's) - i really loved all the space and deep-sea stuff that FP did . . . .
i kept these safe over the years because of them being androids and clear green i think.

Probably one of the reasons i love clear vinyl nowadays


Fisher Price (X-Ray) by The Moog Image Dump, on Flickr

^^those are seriously amazing. I never saw them before.

woah - serious flashback! Had forgotten all about these!

I remember having the alien pilot bottom left among others
http://www.fpclub.org/adventurefigures.html

those are so radd! thanks for the link ian. I'd love some of those male astronauts.

Wow. I had completely forgotten about those as well. The only ones I remember having for sure, were a male astronaut and the male supersonic pilot.

^^^ My brothers and i must of had nearly all the Fisher Price space toys . . . .
vehicles for the figures included the space shuttle, a scout ship and a lunar buggy


Fisher Price Astronauts by The Moog Image Dump, on Flickr

Wow Moog now thats nostalgia!

ha ha, yeah
. . . to think of all the great stuff i had when i was a kid that either went in the bin, got lost, broken or swapped !!

I, too, started with western vinyl. I first got into Toy2R Blind Boxes, then moved into some Kozik stuff. My first Kaiju was either the Hawaii edition Ooze Bat, or this Voodoo Brain. I purchased both at Ultra Pop in Louisville, KY.