In November 2017, Bandai released a new set of netsuke and chibi-style kaiju, gashapon keychain figures (say that five times fast!). They have previously been releasing sets of various Toho movie monsters and Ultraman monsters in this netsuke style. I'll go over the last Toho movie monster set in a future review, but for now let's check these Godzilla ones out!
(promotional image source: https://hlj.com/product/BANN20128)
This set is all Godzilla, focusing on the more recent 2016 and 2017 incarnations. I'm a big fan of Godzilla and merchandise like this (small-scaled, chibi-style figures). Each figure is approximately 1.5" tall (1.5" long for the 2016 2nd Form). They are made of semi-hard plastic with a keychain ring installed for carrying around. I haven't tried to take one of the keychains out myself, but from some testing it seems possible. A few figures seem easy for it to remove, but others may cause more damage in their removal. For the sake of the figures and review, I left the keychain in. They aren't too distracting to me (if I get doubles in the future I may try it out though).
This set seems to be only available in Japan (like most gashapon sets). You can buy them from online retailers for a fairly cheap price. They retail for about 200 yen, and with only 5 in the set anything around ~$20 seems reasonable (shipping included).
The first figure is
Godzilla 1994. Pretty good choice to fill in this set in my opinion! They did a good job capturing his look, and you could imagine this to be the 1993 or 1995 design if you want. The tail curls around the back-side and helps support him on the ground. He's a pretty heavy figure for his size. Although his feet aren't flat with each other, he is sturdy on a flat surface thanks to the tail and weight.
The second figure is
Godzilla 2016 (2nd Form). This figure is wonderful in how it captures the details of the design. It is what originally sold me on the set! You can see all his teeth and gills, even the stubby little elbows. Like the other figures, his tail wraps around the back. It's also a slightly smaller figure, just like he is smaller in the movie. He sits flat on his feet and neck.
The third figure is
Godzilla 2016 (3rd Form). The tail once again wraps around the side. He's nearly the same size as the 2nd Form (see bottom of review for a comparison), which is mostly accurate to the movie. I especially like the sculpt around the neck and ribcage. He is in a neat dynamic pose and stands will on his feet and tail.
The fourth figure is
Godzilla 2016 (4th Form). This depicts Godzilla shooting his atomic breath and tail beam (I think). You can even see the detailed face on his tail exposing his 5th Form. He's larger in size than the previous two figures and has much detail in the mouth and tail. Honestly I wasn't looking forward to this one as much, but he ended up being my favorite! He stands sturdy on his feet and tail, with a slight lean back (to aim his beams).
The fifth figure is
Godzilla 2017. He is the most recent Godzilla design as of this release. I'm not too fond of this depiction of Godzilla, however this figure has since made me warm up to it. They did a really good job on the detail around his tendons and the pose. He's a little warped on the face, so I'll assume he's making a smirk. He is sturdy, but only is supported with his feet (so may tip forward if rocked too much).
Overall this keychain figure set is a great value and must-have for fans of Godzilla gashapon and chibi-style figures. I think they really covered their grounds for the latest Godzilla figures (except 2014, which I assume is a licensing issue). No Godzilla 2016 1st Form was included, though I think that was a wise decision (it's just the tail exposed from the water...). The 4th Form figure is great in that it kind of includes the 5th Form too with the exposed face on the tail. They did that clearly with intention, since the tail is separating from the figure unlike the other figures (meaning it's given more significance). Props to the people at Bandai who sculpted and designed that one!
I've included some pictures below that include comparisons to other figures in similar Bandai figure sets. Compared to the previous nestuke set, these figures are all slightly larger in scale. Compared to other Bandai chibi sets, these figures scale well and fit fairly well (besides the lack of color and subtle design focuses). This set will be displayed with the past Bandai chibi figures for sure. I hope you enjoyed this review! Catch you in the next one!
