Monster Zero x SciFi Japan - Archive Only

Alright, I'm finally feeling up to continuing these Vinyl Figure Awards. I'm feeling better day by day thank goodness, and it's nice to know that I've still got another week off of work.

After this week there's only four more rounds to go. Went pretty quickly, didn't it? Round 45 goes to the 1960s version of Rodan, a version which is rarely depicted in vinyl form thanks to the popularity of the 1956 version over the versions seen in Ghidrah, the Three-Headed Monster, Monster Zero and Destroy all Monsters. There have been a small handful released over the years, though I don't own the Bare Model version. Bare Model hasn't really been a line I've been all that interested in collecting. Now if Gigabrain did a 1960s Rodan...

Anyway, on to the nominees:


First up is Popy's classic Rodan figure, released in 1978. Not really sure what film version this is supposed to be exactly, but it's definitely a 1960s Rodan, no doubt.



Released as a part of the Para Baby series, here's Marmit's 1965 version Rodan, released in 2003. It was released as part of a full wave of Monster Zero Para Baby figures, which included the 1965 Godzilla, the Controller and Miss Namikawa, an accessory set and even pack in reproductions of the P-1 and X-Sejin ship.



And finally here's Pilot Ace's 1960s version of Rodan, released in 2007. Although it was released in a Monster Zero themed set which included the 1965 Godzilla and the Controller of Planet X, this is definitely the 1964 Rodan seen in Ghidrah, the Three-Headed Monster. Why this figure has a 1971 copyright notice on it's foot is anyone's guess.

I like the Parababy. I can't put my finger on it but there's just something off-putting about the MH.

It was a tough choice for me between the Marmit and the Pilot Ace, but I ended up voting for the Pilot Ace for superior detail. To be honest, I don't care for any of the figures, but I felt the need to vote for something other than the Popy. It's one of those things I feel sorry for and wish just didn't exist, it's just so ugly.

Wow that Popy is terrible. I went with the Pilot Ace because I felt like the details were better.

I went Pilot Ace. It's a really decent figure; it has a good pose - none of these three have paint schemes I'm personally comfortable with, but the PA is the best from what I can see.

Tim

Not really crazy about any one of these particular figures.

Rodan is a kaiju whose showa incarnations (be it 56, GTTE, or MZ and DAM suits) have never really been done justice by any company.

I suppose for this one, I'll go with the Pilot Ace one...but it's nothing special. The parababy figure looks more like the baby Rodan hatching from its egg the first time in the original RODAN.

And I will admit that I have warmed up more to vintage figures (though still not ready to take the plunge and start collecting them yet). However, I do not like that popy Rodan at all. I cut Vintage figures alot of slack when it comes to accuracy....but this particular figure looks like Gyaos more than it does Rodan!

Congrats to all the winners of the forty fifth round, who all recieve special badges of honor: black Godzilla for third place, silver Mechagodzilla for second place and gold Ghidora for first place!

Dude, I was just trying to help. You said, "Why this figure has a 1971 copyright notice on it's foot is anyone's guess." So, why didn't you elaborate or state that you knew that the film was re-released in 1971? That's the only reason why I bothered to post an answer (I am sure that others who do not possess your knowledge would have welcomed the enlightenment of this information).

But I see that the crux of your lament is why the copyright would be 1971 and not 1964. That I can answer, but with a wonderful welcome like that, can you explain to me why I should bother? I'm not being "too sensitive", either -- I took your response to be flippant, especially with the sarcastic emoticon.

BTW, while the Rodan from MONSTER ZERO was the same suit employed in DESTROY ALL MONSTERS, the suit was overhauled by Teizo Toshimitsu's crew, as was King Ghidorah (the second time for the triple-threat, since it was originally built for GHIDRAH), so neither monster suit were exactly identical to their appearances in their respective first films. King Ghidorah in GHIDRAH, MONSTER ZERO, DESTROY ALL MONSTERS and GODZILLA VS. GIGAN, are all the same suit, but overhauled and modified from film to film -- and they all have their marked differences.