S.H. MonsterArts Anguirus 1972

One of my most anticipated figure releases of 2025 was finally delivered this last week. Godzilla's trusty sidekick, S. H. MonsterArts Anguirus (based on the 1972 suit). From the early video and photo reviews I had seen, he looked to have turned out a great figure. Now that I have him in hand, he absolutely is!

This Ankylosaurus is based on the suit that was introduced in 1968's Destroy All Monsters, and made subsequent appearances in Godzilla vs. Gigan (72), Godzilla vs. Megalon (73), and Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla (74). Anguirus was the 2nd Toho monster to ever appear on screen, dueling with the big G in 1955's Godzilla Raids Again. For the later films, he became Godzilla's buddy, helping him out in his various battles. I'm a bit surprised that it took Bandai this long to release Anguirus in the MonsterArts line, as he's one of the more popular kaiju, but better late than never. He's painted in a chocolate brown, with pale yellow on his various spikes, horns and teeth, all with a nice gradiant effect. The eyes were done via decals and turned out fantastic, giving him a realistic aesthetic. The sculpt is intricately detailed, with various scales and creases along the body. Just like Godzilla and Gigan 72, Bandai knocked Anguirus out of the park. He unfortunately doesn't come with any accessories. A breath effect for Godzilla might've been nice. But the figure turned out so great that I can overlook the lack of extras.

The articulation is where the figure really soars, the cherry on top that elevates this awesome release. Sporting multiple ball joints and cuts throughout the body, not only can he do the standard bipedal and crouching poses, but he can be placed in a variety of creative positions, helping to give him even more character. I had a lot of fun posing and messing with him, and all the joints are quite solid, save for a slightly loose right leg. However, it's not bad at all, and can still hold a pose well. And best of all? None of the joints popped off. His spiky shell (or carapace) is a loose floating piece that helps to cover any gaps in the torso cut, and does a good job of moving with the articulation and staying in place. Just like Godzilla 72, Anguirus is quite expressive.

S.H. MonsterArts Anguirus 72 turned out to be everything that I wanted and more. He looks great and moves well, what more can you ask for in a highly articulated figure? Considering that all three of the figures Bandai have released from Godzilla vs. Gigan have been exceptional, I'm very curious what their teased King Ghidorah 72 will end up like. They've been on a roll with these recent Showa figures, so let's hope they keep the momentum going with more high quality kaiju releases.

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