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S.H. MonsterArts Godzilla 89


With the release of special color version Biollante, Tamashii Nations had also announced that they were going to give us a Godzilla 89 to go with the Biollante figure. They had previously released a larger version of their 89 known as Kou Kyou Kyoku version, which had the special features of light up dorsal spines and could make roaring sounds. This version, more in scale with the rest of their series, has no such features, just the lone figure. However, it is quite nice and was worth the wait.









This version of the King of the Monsters is wonderfully sculpted by Yuji Sakai, famous Japanese artist, sculptor and modeler. He accurately captured the likeness of the 1989 Godzilla, from his specific shaped and sized dorsal spines, to the lean face with dark eyes that rest atop a long neck. While NECA's attempt at the BioGoji suit was pretty good, the face on that one looked off, with white instead of a darker amber in its eyes, and a cutesy, cat-like expression. Sakai's talent lent well to this figure. It even sports his initials on the bottom of the left foot.





The paint apps on the figure are outstanding for the most part. The eyes came out very nice and both look in a forward direction (some past releases have suffered from eye placement that's off, giving them a derpy appearance). The dorsal spines are darker in the middle and gradually become lighter towards the ends. His fingernails and toenails have a nice amber color with darker shading as it gets closer to the foot. Even the inside of his mouth is nicely sculpted and painted, with all the ridges at the top inside of his palate. The teeth could've been painted a little better, but they're not awful, and he does sport two rows, which is accurate.






Godzilla's articulation is pretty good. His head and neck are on ball joints which allow his head to turn to the sides, tilt and look far down, though it can't look up much. His mouth is also on a ball joint and can open wide, with the tongue being able to lift a bit. He sports ball jointed shoulders and thighs, upper arm swivel, single jointed elbows and knees that also swivel, and a cut on his waist that can move forward and to the sides a bit. His hands and feet are also on ball joints that can turn and pivot a bit. And his tail sports multiple joints, allowing it to bend and curve in various positions. They also added an extra floating piece on each thigh, to help conceal gaps when posing the legs.








This figure, like the rest of the S.H. MonsterArts releases, is a bit smaller than the NECA versions. Tamashii Nations could've easily given us the same body as their Rebirth version with a few alterations, but no, they gave us an entirely new sculpt, which is welcome amid the sea of re-used sculpt repaints that exist in the line. 







S.H. MonsterArts Godzilla 1989 is an impressive figure. No overly loose joints, nothing popping off easily, solid from head to toe. Some collectors are harping that they didn't give us any accessories, like a beam effect, or even a Super-X II, which was a remote piloted vehicle that had a memorable sequence where it battled Godzilla at sea in the film. However, if you've collected other MonsterArts releases like I have, then any of the other beams that came with some of those figures could work for this guy, and I have plenty of extras laying around. I would say that this is one of their best Godzilla figures they've put out. Any fans of the 89 suit would be happy with this BioGoji. After a series of QC issues and missteps, Godzilla 89 is a win for Tamashii Nations.






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