S.H. MonsterArts King Ghidorah 1972

Last week I received my latest import preorder: SHMA King Ghidorah 1972. With this release, Bandai has now completed the line up from the film Godzilla vs. Gigan. Following this movie, Ghidorah made one final appearance in the Showa era, guest starring in the tokusatsu series Zone Fighter from 1973. He wouldn’t be seen again until 1991’s Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah.

The sculpt is very detailed, with lots of emphasis on the scales, making the patterns appear raised at some sections. Ghidorah is painted in a bright gold, with dark wash and highlights on the wings and throughout the body. The wings are a hard plastic, and the heads have that goofy look he had in the film. The eyes on my copy are painted decently, with only the middle head having a slightly derpy appearance. He looks just like he did in the movie. The figure comes solo, with no accessories. Some gravity beams would’ve been nice, but then the price would be even more expensive. You know Bandai; add an effect piece, and tack on an extra $20 - $50. Oh well. At least the figure came out looking good.

The articulation is really fantastic, and ultimately, what makes this figure worth it. The necks can bend in every direction without popping off. In fact, nothing on the figure pops off. The torso can twist and crunch, the legs and knees can bend and kick, the tails can curl, and the wings have pretty good range. One thing to note is that the jaw on the middle head opens wider than the other two, and the tongues are not on joints, so don’t try to move them, or you may risk snapping them off. Just like the other characters in the 1972 line, King Ghidorah’s engineering is top notch.

Another thing to note is that this figure is NOT the same as the third party release from several years ago. This one is better painted, sculpted, and can move much more smoothly. The wings on the third party figure are much more wonky, don’t stay on too securely, and their range is nowhere near as good as this one. In fact, I had to put some sticky tack in one of the wing joints to ensure it stays on better. The waist joint is also way better on this new one. The third party figure is still good for what it is, but this SHMA release is top notch.

S.H. MonsterArts King Ghidorah 1972 is another exceptional release from Bandai. They have been on a roll these last few years, putting out great looking kaiju figures with impressive engineering. Their prices have gone up, but thankfully, so has the quality. This will probably be the last new figure I get this year; Destoroyah is due to drop in late December, but I most likely won’t have it in hand until after the new year, so I’ll count him as a 2026 release. King Ghidorah is a nice way to end the year, ensuring that 2025 goes out on a high note.

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