Skip to main content

S.H. MonsterArts Battra


I was browsing on Mandarake a few weeks ago and came across a listing for the SH. MonsterArts Adult Battra for a decent price. After reading the listing (used, complete in box and never displayed) and seeing the photos, I went ahead a pulled the trigger. The figure arrived earlier this week. Now that I have it in hand, I can say it was worth getting.










Battra is from the 1992 film Godzilla vs. Mothra (aka The Battle for Earth). This giant bug was known as the black Mothra, and was created by the planet Earth after an ancient civilization built a climate control device. Battra destroyed the device and then attempted to destroy the human race, before Mothra rose up to fight the deity, ultimately defeating it and sealing him in the Arctic Ocean. A meteor crashes into the sea and reawakens Battra, who rises once more to attack humanity, and soon enough engages in battle with Mothra, and then Godzilla. Anyway, Bandai did a great job recreating the adult flying version of this beast, from his red patterned black wings, to his spiked head, spiked talons, red compound eyes, and black and red patterned thorax and abdomen. The figure is painted fairly well, with the spikes on his head appearing to be translucent shades of yellow and orange. When held in front of the light, they really pop, as well as the eyes. Being a fan of both the insect and flying kaiju, Battra is one of my favorites from the Heisei era, and this accurately designed beast is now a standout in my collection.




For accessories, Battra comes with a stand and base. Painted black, the base has a red drawing of both Battra and Mothra that was shown in the film, with his name in English and Japanese. The cradle is designed to fit between Battra’s legs, so that the figure can rest securely on top of it. Honestly, that piece is a bit small, so you have to balance it just right so that the weight of the figure doesn’t cause it to collapse. I’m displaying Battra on the bottom layer of my shelf, as I don’t want to risk it accidentally falling from a high distance.












And now for the articulation. One of the concerns I had with purchasing this figure was that several reviewers had complained about the legs easily popping off. I was wary of that, especially after the Biollante figure turned out to be a QC nightmare with the vines falling apart with the just the slightest touch. Well I’m happy to report that my Battra doesn’t have that issue that some complained about. All the time I spent messing with it and posing for photos, and not a single leg popped off. Only once, when the figure fell off the base did one leg pop out, but I was able to easily insert it back into the ball joint, and it’s stayed on ever since. The legs are articulated at the base, at the “elbows”, and at the claws. They can fold in a bit, fold out, and be turned facing forward and back. The head can twist to the sides, look down, and his mandibles are on hinges that open and close. The wings are on a hinge and can raise up high and down, to duplicate those flapping wing poses. The smaller wings are on a separate hinge, and can open in a downward position. The abdomen contains several ball joints, allowing it to curl up and down. The kaiju wasn’t very expressive with his movements, so the figure does a fine job of capturing all his range.










Ultimately, this figure ended up being better than I had imagined. I had some concerns of him being so fragile that he would easily falls apart, so I’m happy to report that that’s not the case with this evil Mothra.  Considering it’s an older release, he turned out pretty solid, as did the larva set that I also scored off Mandarake earlier this year. Now I find myself pondering if I should purchase an adult Mothra or wait to see if they re-release one in the future, since they seem to be doing that with their older Heisei kaiju. I’ll have to ponder it further, but for now, adult flying Battra turned out a winner.









 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

S.H. MonsterArts King Kong '21

The next May pre-order to arrive is S.H. MonsterArts King Kong from the Godzilla vs. Kong film. I was psyched to get a highly articulated Kong from Tamashii Nations, and the great ape is finally here. Kong is a little shorter than Godzilla (just like in the film). The details of the sculpt are all well done. Tamashii Nations did a good job capturing his look well, from his hair covered body to a few scars on his chest. His faces, including his eyes and teeth on the open mouth head, as well as his axe, are all well painted. The only issue is that they seemed to have gone with a glossy finish, so he seems too shiny, especially on his face and chest. A duller matte shade would've suited him better. At least it would've kept him from looking like he over-moisturized. As for his articulation, he's quite flexible. His head is on a ball joint, ball jointed neck as well, ball jointed shoulders and thighs, upper arm cut, single jointed elbows and knees that go in further than 90 deg...
4 comments
Read more

Julie Darling (1983) / Them aka Hellmaster (1992)

From the YouTube channel 42nd Street Films Grindhouse, I watched this twisted thriller about a young girl with an unnatural and creepy fixation with her father, and her attempts to get rid of anyone who threatens to take away his attention. Julie has a strained relationship with her mother, causing fights and arguments with her. She seems to be disturbingly attached to her father Harold (Anthony Franciosa), who also seems to have a strained relationship with his wife, but appears clueless about his daughter’s creepy fixation with him. One day while he’s away, the mother is attacked and killed by a delivery guy. Julie, armed with a gun, watches the entire thing from upstairs, doing nothing to come to her aid. With the mother now dead and out of the picture, Julie is happy to have her father all to herself. Her newfound joy is shattered when Harold, who’s been having an affair with a woman named Susan, decides to marry this woman, inviting her and her young son to live with he and Julie....
Post a Comment
Read more

S.H. Figuarts Ultimate Ageis/Ultraman Zero Armor option parts set

Earlier in the week I received my S.H. Figuarts Ultimate Ageis/Ultraman Zero Armor option parts set. I was busy with work and doing other reviews, but I finally got around to checking these out. They turned out to be pretty cool option parts. Ultimate Aegis is a set of armor created by Ultraman Noa . My initial thought was that they may be a bit of a hassle to attach to the Ultras. They ended up being fairly easily to swap out and put on them. The only issue I had was with the large piece (Final Ultimate Zero) that Ultraman Zero holds. I was having trouble getting his arm peg into the fist (it’s attached to the piece). Then I realized that I had on his forearm with his bracelet, so I swapped out the regular forearm without the bracelet and it went in easily. For the ultimate Zero Sword, each hand piece comes with its own fists, a red (for X) and blue (for Zero). The top of the fist has a peg that attaches to the piece, and then you ...
4 comments
Read more