Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire Soft Vinyl Figures from Mondo

 

     The best thing about Godzilla is that unlike my favorite space opera, whose toys I used to collect like crazy, they don’t just keep repackaging the same figures ad nauseam. Someone is constantly redefining what Godzilla and his cohorts look like so there are always cool things that I have to buy so my brain keeps releasing those happy little chemicals. The stress of finding somewhere to put them all could be a problem, but I refuse to let that sort of negativity in my life. Besides, I haven’t even begun to display them in the bathroom yet, so there’s still room.

   The folks at Mondo are releasing two new figures inspired by the upcoming Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire film that are totally beyond any movie tie in you’ll see for sale in a big box store. There’s a place in every collection for screen-accurate replicas, but these babies are a work of pure art. 

          Both figures are massive, with Kong coming in at ten inches tall and Godzilla just a hair over that, and limited to only 400 pieces. Kong isn’t as tall, be he does come with swappable arms and an axe, cause every diva needs their accessories (I’m team Godzilla, btw).They can each be yours starting tomorrow, Thursday, March 28th. They will retail for $190 each and can be had starting at noon central time from www.mondoshop.com.

Concept Design and Paint by Hector Arce. Sculpt by Hector Arce and Alex Brewer. Engineering by Tommy Hodges. Packaging Design by Jordan Christianson. Photography by Robert Howell. 

Space Godzilla from Mondo

    

     Adding the word "space" to most things will turn it into something impossible to take seriously. For example there's Space Force, the new branch of the military we somehow needed? You know you laughed when you heard about it because it sounds absolutely ridiculous. Space Godzilla could very well have followed the same fate, had he not been so killer looking. The dude has giant crystal shoulder pads like some reptilian linebacker and more jewels from head to toe than Elizabeth Taylor's estate sale. And he does all this while looking mean as hell, so how can you not absolutely love him? Remember when Jason from Friday the 13th went to space? Yeah, things could have turned out like that. 

     Mondo has been churning out some of the best Godzilla figures I've seen recently and they are set to debut the first colorway of Space Godzilla this Tuesday, February 7th at 12pm ct . Inspired by his look in the film, this version is limited to 400 pieces and will retail for $150 when it goes on sale at www.mondoshop.com.

Review: Shin-Cookiezilla from Bottleneck Gallery x Gabriel Marquez

    I can unequivocally, without question, assure you that this is the most ridiculously awesome thing I own.  Equal parts bad ass and absurd, Gabriel Marquez and Bottleneck Gallery have created the weirdest figure I have in my collection.  I love Shin Godzilla, and while my big takeaway from the movie was that a lot of bureaucracy is involved when responding to a giant murder lizard, I never would have connected him to everyone's favorite diabetic Muppet.  Luckily, I didn't have to do the hard work and just get to enjoy the end results.  

    This thing is a behemoth in every sense of the word.  I don't know why I am surprised literally every time by a toy's size even though all of them clearly state their measurements beforehand, especially when I work with rulers every day.  He stands nearly a foot tall and is made out of resin, which make this big boy a good sized piece of plastic.  It's been a long time since I've gotten a toy that could double as a weapon, and one well placed smack would be deadlier than any can of Twisted Tea.  

    Despite being a figure that doesn't take itself too seriously, the amount of detail packed into this thing is astounding.  We're talking a full on, high end, movie quality sculpt that would rival any official Shin Godzilla release.  I love the pose of his little arms, like he's beyond frustrated that his local store already sold out of the Lady Gaga Oreo's before he could get there.  There's so much pain, so much longing, so much hell that's about to be unleashed on whoever bought all the limited edition cookies.  

    By far though my favorite detail, which borders hilarity and night terror-inducing, is the face of Grover on his tail.  I don't know whether to laugh or to cover it with a blanket while I sleep, though I suppose neither is the wrong answer.  

    If you were unlucky enough to miss out on these fear not, because Bottleneck Gallery held some back for a second wave. Follow them on Instagram here for more info. And they have an entirely new sculpt they're working on with Gabriel Marquez featuring everyone's favorite flying insect which will be available soon.   

    As an aside, my cats usually love photobombing my toy photos whenever I do reviews, but they all kept a healthy distance from this one.  These are the same cats that tried to punch a snake to death when it slithered in through a previously unknown hole in the wall, so I assumed nothing scared them.  My money is on Grover looking a little too untrustworthy.  

Steiff's Godzilla Has Made It To American Shores

    Out of everything I collect, people are always the most surprised about my small cache of vintage Steiff.  Nestled in between designer toys, World's Fair momentos, and whatever other weird stuff that I find, are these amazing German stuffed animals that for some reason I am obsessed with.  The craftsmanship is impeccable and with the vintage ones I enjoy the fact that I can preserve an object that someone many years before me had loved.  See, it's not all sarcasm.  It is most of the time, but I have my moments of sentiment as well.

  I've been coveting this Godzilla since it was released exclusively in Japan some time ago and now it has finally made its way to America.  The King of the Monsters is available right now for $699.00 from http://www.steiffusa.com.  Oh, and you can save $100 right now by using the coupon code "Godzilla".

I Kinda Need This Godzilla Plush from Steiff

    Between my wife and I, we have a crazy amount of stuff that we collect.  One of my favorite things to hoarde is antique Steiff stuffed animals, which always shocks people.  It's not the mummified fetal pig, or the at home shock therapy device, it's the little German critters covered in mohair that leave everyone surprised.  I like things that have a story behind the object.  A few that I have were once owned by a young girl whose father bought them for her when she was in the hospital and she kept them next to her in bed until she recovered.  She would be in her 80's or 90's now if she is still alive and I feel like I am the caretaker of these objects that aided in her recovery.  It's rare that you get insight like that into the journey that something has had before you came upon it, and it's the stories that really make them worth beyond any monetary sum.  

    I don't own any of the newer Steiff toys, but I could be easily persuaded to change my collecting scope to add this Godzilla to my display case.  Does it get any more amazing than this?  They made 1,954 of these to coincide with the year the first movie was released and they will only be available in Japan to the tune of $500 each.  I don't know that I've ever spent $500 on anything other than something I could drive or live in and just the thought of doing so is starting to clog my arteries.  Let's pass the hat around and take up a collection.