I thought this might be an interesting topic to discuss one of the more intriguing, and best (while at the same time it can also be one of the most frustrating) Godzilla toylines out there....Marmit's Monster Heaven line.
Personally, I love this line. It's combines both stylized charm and amazing accuracy at the same time . In addition, the MH line has an outstanding selection/different variety of kaiju to choose from, and both these attributes set it apart from all the rest. Live most novice collectors, I was initially of the "Bandai only/everything not Bandai sucks" mold back in the 90s/early 2000s. Also, I had only come across Marmit's early Vinyl Paradise line, which I did not care for *at all*, so I always dismissed them. However, I had grown extremely frustrated by Bandai's limited selection/lack of variety of kaiju to choose from in their lines (and sadly, this is still as relevant as ever with Bandai today). Then I was introduced by Legion and other collectors photos of various MH figures, particularly the amazing MH Gigan figure, and that pretty much motivated me to take the plunge, and my wallet and I haven't looked back since
At last, kaiju that Bandai would never touch with their 8 inch line (notice I said *8* inch line) were finally in my grasp, such as Varan, Showa MG, Titanosaurus, the majority of showa Godzilla suits, majority of GFW characters, Ebirah, flying Hedorah, Rose stage Biollante, etc. etc.). In addition, they also covered nearlly all of same figures as Bandai's 8 inch line, and more often than not, the Marmit versions were superior than their Bandai counterparts (Gigan, Showa Rodan, Battra Larva, 68 Angilas, Megalon, King Ceasar, G2K, Orga, Destroyah, Biollante, etc. are just a few off the top of my head at the moment). From 2002-2007, this line was in fine form and other than a few occasional misses (I'm talking to you, MH Space G :puke:) , it was consistent in its quality and excitement, and the future always looked bright with this line.
Nevertheless, it's my opinion that things started to take a turn for the worse in 2008. It seemed that either A) Marmit hired new sculptors (I'm not the only one with this opinion) or B) decided to take a different stylistic direction and began focusing mostly on Heisei Godzilla and Millennum suits. Now, focusing on Heisei and Millennium G figures is all fine and dandy...except for the fact that most of them sucked...and I mean SUCKED ROYALLY (many of them look more suitable for their VP than the Monster Heaven). Their G93 Rado-Goji and G91 Ghido-Goji figures in particular are the reason the "puke" emoticon exists...just dreadful. Also, Marmit started the rather baffling habit of leaving some of the mouths of these figures uncarved with a solid piece of vinyl...it looks cheap, lazy, and flat out terrible (GMK Goji, Rado-Goji). Sure, Marmit has managed to hit a few some home runs with their G figure post 2008, such as their G95-Desu Goji (a great figure, but I'm not as infatuated with it as most are...I find it a tad bit overrated and like Hedorah, there are just way too many figures of this damn suit out there now) and their G2K figure (probably their best G figure post 2008), but to say their aforementioned heisei G figures along with their Millennium figures (sans G2K Goji) have been "lackluster" would be an understatement and perhaps too kind.
Also, Marmit's G-related output overall has tailed off dramatically. There were practically no new sculpts/releases in 2011 (and only 3 in 2010). It truly is a shame, as their most recent Orga figure proves that they are still capable of making some of the best, most exciting figures out there. Thankfully, I have been able to fill in the gaps of any short-comings from both Marmit and Bandai with the likes of Gigabrain, Marusan, and even Xplus...I'm all about my rag-tag collection
, and nearly all of my recent Marmit MH purchases have been mostly pre-2008 figures that I missed out on and have been on my wish list for awhile.
However, MH Orga gives me some hope than one day that MH line will return to its former glory days pre-2008. If not, then at least there's always Gigabrain
Anyways, what are your thoughts? Do you agree or disagree with my assessment?
- Oh yeah, and what are your favorite/least favorite MH figures?
- What would you like to see Marmit do in the future for the MH line?
- How did you get started/introduced to the MH line?
- What MH figures do you own in your collection? Please post pics as well!
Look forward to (hopefully) hearing some interesting thoughts/perspectives...
