The Godzilla Monsterverse is not optional in Mephitsu towers thanks to the passion and knowledge of my son who has embraced all of the various Godzilla eras and can tell you about the varying storylines from the Showa to the Heisei series and beyond. It was his fandom that led me to the review of a selection of NECA Godzilla figures - and he has assisted in the following, fact-checking and making sure I am aware of the backstory for each! Not bad at age 11.
After a series of blister-carded Godzilla figures spanning 2014 to 2018, NECA moved to a boxed Ultimate format in 2019 for all of its Godzilla products. The line was invigorated by the Godzilla : King of the Monsters movie, and that led to re-releases and new sculpts for many of the older Godzilla appearances.
The 2001 Godzilla from Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah : Giant Monsters All Out Attack, was one of the releases in 2019 and unusually was released first as the Atomic Roar variant before a standard release the year later.
As is the way with most Ultimate series releases from NECA, the box is fully enclosed and uses artwork from the original movie poster, including the Japanese text which is then subtitled in English underneath. The box front is an opening flap, held in place by Velcro, and once opened the figure is revealed as is an image of the figure on the inside of the front flap. The rear of the box uses the same logo for the movie, but we now see a couple of panels showing off more shots of the actual figure in a NECA diorama photo shoot. Under this sits a short synopsis for the movie, that reads.
"Possessed by the spirits of the dead, a vengeful Godzilla returns to attack Japan! An ancient mystic summons the kaiju's mightiest foes in an attempt to defeat Godzilla, but even together will Mothra, King Ghidorah, and Baragon have the strength?"
The box front is an opening flap, held in place by Velcro, and once opened the figure is revealed as is another image of the figure on the inside of the front flap. Once opened you are presented with the main figure and the tail as separate pieces. All the Godzilla figures need assembly this way and a small insert instructs you how to do this by soaking the tail in hot water first.
The 2001 Godzilla stands around 6-inches tall and measures over 12-inch from the tip of the assembled tail to his nose. The weight of the figure is quite striking, particularly if you are used to the Soft PVC figures often associated with Godzilla. The body is cast in a dark grey plastic with a texture that runs throughout and varies from a more scaled effect on his chest to a more bark-like effect on the legs. The spines are plugged and glued into the back of the figure and are of a softer construction.
A subtle lighter grey drybrush is applied across the body to enhance the skin texture. And on this 2001 Atomic Roar Godzilla we also have a very heavy-handed and liberally application of blue. The spines are coloured an electric blue to represent his powered-up mode. The other application is designed to be a glow from these spines and from the atomic roar itself. It works to a degree, but there are odd elements such as patches on the arms and legs that don't connect with the wider glowing area down his back.
Godzilla comes with an Atomic Roar accessory piece that is cast in a translucent blue with added touches of white added to add a glowing effect. It slots up into Godzilla's mouth.
Godzilla 2001 has a total of 21 points of articulation. This includes three joints on his tail, although only the end one adds any real movement. The legs are jointed at the hips, knees and ankles but their size really limits how much they can move also. The arms are much more mobile and feature articulated fingers as well as wrist, elbow and shoulder motion. There is some additional movement via the waist joint which allows the upper body to be swivelled and a further two joints in the neck support this further. We finish with an articulated jaw allowing Godzilla to be posed with mouth open or closed.
The 2001 Godzilla with its electric blue paintwork is not the most sought after of NECA's Godzilla figures but is a great example of what they did with the line from the sculpt, paint job, articulation and weight of the figures - to the very aesthetic packaging.
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About Me : As a child of the 70's and 80's I grew up in a golden age for action figures and in my youth bought and sold myself through collections of Star Wars, G.I. Joe (Action Force) and M.A.S.K. while also dabbling in He-Man, Transformers and Ghostbusters. Roll forward and I am now reliving that Youth with the action figures of today and am a collector and fan of the larger 6-8 inch figures from my favourite movie and TV licences - including the ones mentioned above, but also the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Doctor Who and the Aliens. I launched The Mephitsu Archives in 2015 with a view of creating a UK focused site or these figures where fans can pick up the latest action figure news, read reviews and get information on where to buy their figures and what is currently on store shelves. I hope I am delivering that to you guys...
action figures, reviews, review, articulation, godzilla, gojira, giant monsters all out attack, toho, neca