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S.H. MonsterArts Battra and Mothra Larva Set


A few weeks ago, I was browsing on the Mandarake site and came across some S.H. MonsterArts figures for sale. This Battra and Mothra set was available for a decent price, much cheaper than what it usually goes for on eBay, so I bit the bullet and hit purchase. I’ve always wanted a MonsterArts Battra and Mothra larva, so I couldn’t pass on these for such a good price.










Mothra resembles a basic brown caterpillar, with a segmented body, tiny blue eyes, mandibles for a mouth, and a three pronged tail. Toho was quite accurate in designing Mothra’s larval form, as many moths and butterfly caterpillars have simple designs, and then cocoon into these wildly colorful adults. There are some, however, that have more unique larval forms, and Battra fits this to a T. He has multiple legs running down to the end of his spiked tail, red spots and yellow marking running all across his black body,  and a spiked head with large red eyes. His mandibles are surrounded by four small antenna, and two large tusks on each side of his mouth. Battra has the more arresting design of the two.




The only accessories this set comes with is a silk “beam” that plugs into Mothra’s mouth, and a small stand to hold her up while shooting her silk webbing. This was her only weapon she had as a caterpillar (until that silly Rebirth of Mothra trilogy from the 90’s, where they gave her a ton of laser attacks, including one she shot from her body in her larval form). The solo release of the Battra figure came with a laser beam that he shot from his horn, but that is not included in this set. Mothra is small, whereas Battra is much larger, standing just as tall as Godzilla.




The articulation for Mothra includes a hinged mouth, where each jaw of her mandibles opens out. Each section of the body is articulated, allowing the segments to twist and pull in and out, a bit like an accordion. Battra has a hinged jaw, the four antenna around the mouth can move a bit, the 2 large tusks on the face are on ball joints and can turn a bit. The head and upper body are on a ball joints and can twist sideways, down and up. 


There is a plate on his back that’s on a ball joint and can be pulled out and down, allowing the head to look up, with the piece resting over the back of his neck so as to not break the mold. Four of his claws in the front are on ball joints and can twist around. And finally, his body is multi-segmented and can twist a bit side to side and upwards.










Both of these figures come from the 1992 film Godzilla vs. Mothra, where the giant moth is pitted against a dark version of herself, before they decide to unite against Godzilla, as they perceive him the bigger threat. The movie was the follow-up to Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah, and was not as financially successful as the previous entries. Which is why Toho’s decision to make a trilogy of films about Mothra seemed so ill conceived. Personally, I think the 92 film is fine, not as corny as the 91 movie could be. I also thought Battra was a cool kaiju, both the larval and adult forms.








The S.H. MonsterArts Battra and Mothra larva set is very nice. You get two monsters, plus a cool accessory for one of them. I’m happy that I was able to get it at a good price, and for being an older release, it is still solid. I’m also interested in getting the adult forms of those kaiju, but the way Bandai is going, I expect that they will re-release them in a special battle version sometime soon, so I will just wait.









 

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