Great (non-Japanese) stores for kaiju figures

[lhb412]

Already posted most of this in the Gamera Rebirth thread but I thought it deserves a separate thread where we can recommend shops that specialize in this stuff outside Japan.

So, I live in Huntsville Alabama and let me tell you about Replay Toys. The place opened like a year or so ago and always had a few kaiju toys knocking around (imports and US stuff). I got a nonposeable Banpresto Shin Ultraman figure there about a month ago. They've just expanded their little kaiju nook into what is now almost an entire wall in the back essentially aping the look of the kaiju section of a Japanese toystore. Amid a modest stack of SHMA boxes, bagged CCP mid-sized figures, and American Super7 and Mezco stuff is... pretty much the entire Bandai Movie Monsters series currently available, hanging on pegs just like in Japan. The entire line or at least the lion's share of the lines for Shin Godzilla, Shin Ultraman, Singular Point, KOTM '19, Godziban, Chibi Godzilla, and the currently issued classic figures: so Jet Jaguar, Daimajin, Gyaos '95, Legion Queen, Legion Soldier, Kiryu, Moguera '94, Megalon, KG '91, MechaKG, MechaG '92, both Gigans, Mothra '03... the only conspicuous absences I noticed were no Gamera '95/'96/'99 figs. BUT! Buuuut - they had the Gamera Rebirth figures! Yeah, before the show even airs! Rebirth Gamera is a really big Bandai figure. He dwarfs, for example, the Shin Ultraman figures.

Few other things mixed in through the rest of the store: SHFA of Rider 1 and Bandai's of the evil Riders from Shin Kamen Rider mixed in with the anime figures (next to the Bandai Movie Monster figures of the Eva units) and that deluxe, not visible joints Mezco Ultraman stacked with the other Mezco figures in that line. Also a ton of Universal Monsters (Neca, Mego) and if you've got a thousand to spare you can get a matching pair of Lee Dracula and Cushing Van Helsinki statues... seems someone in charge is a big monster fan!

[Benjamin Haines]

^ That sounds like a really cool store. There is nothing like that out here in the mountains. There used to be a comic book shop in this town where I was able to buy IDW's initial run of Godzilla comics as they were released. They also had rows of boxes with a ton of pre-owned comics for sale at super-cheap prices, and I was able to collect nearly every Dark Horse Godzilla comic from there! That shop also had lots of collectible figures for sale and some awesome statues on display including a full-size replica Predator, although nothing kaiju-related beyond the Godzilla comics. That shop closed in 2015.

[lhb412]

Update: some stuff has been bought (goodbye Chibi Godzillas, and apparently North Alabama loves Destroyah?!) but also new stuff has been added, with another Shin Zarab and Shin Gabora added, a second Mecha King Ghidorah, another Rebirth Gamera (after the initial 2 were bought) and a Gamera '99 added right as I was browsing! Also, some of the Ultraman and Kong stuff that was tucked into other locations in the store has been consolidated in this section

I had the Bandai MM Ghidorah '91 as a kid and this new one's paint job is a much shinier gold. I can still see, in my mind's eye, the more muted, less striking color of my old figure.

I made my first purchase: a CCP Godzilla '64 with larva Mothra biting his tail! It's a wonderful little figure. Has some brown accent colors. I didn't know anything about this line before I saw them, but they're stylized, retro sofubis at a smaller scale (about 4 inches). I'm thinking I've gotta get the CCP Hedorah (in a classic Hawaiian colorway!) next...

[lhb412]

Got my CCP Hedorah and WOW a bunch of stuff has sold! There's clearly a lot of fans around here. Talked to a worker and they said the plan is to keep the section freshly stocked!

[lhb412]

Man, even with a refresh about month ago where they got Showa Gamera and '19 King Ghidorah in stock this section keeps getting wiped out! Besides two Godzikun figures there's now no Movie Monster toys of Godzilla himself in the Godzilla section! There must be a lot of fans here!

[lhb412]

Almost all the Bandai MM's are gone. There's like 6 on the pegs. There's even more Mezco and SH Monsterarts things in stock, and those have been spread out to keep the section looking full. Also, a huge Banpresto Shin Ultraman in a box! It's over $300. Asked the owner if they're getting rid if the Bandai's, and he said no; they just haven't managed to get any new shipments from their supplier, and they really want Minus One figures.

Anyway, one of those 6 remaining MM was the Queen Legion and they finally marked it down (from $65 to $35) and I nabbed it. Already have one, but it's horn is severely bent and I've tried everything to reset it! Happy to have a figure of one of my favorite monsters that I'm happy with!