When Godzilla X Mechagodzilla was released in 2002 Bandai surprised collectors by releasing brand new vinyl toys of Titanosaurus and Mechagodzilla 2. It was a smart move to use the new film to release toys based on the older Mechagodzilla movies. So when a sequel – Tokyo SOS – was released the following year fans eagerly looked forward to what new figures would be available. And patience paid off as Bandai released an almost perfect vinyl interpretation of Godzilla as seen in the original 1974 version of Godzilla vs Mechagodzilla.
And this toy was well worth the wait. From top to bottom the figure is just dead on accurate to the Godzilla suit seen in the movie. They nailed the sculpt on the face, which is full of personality and looks exactly how it did in the movie. The rest of the body captures the look of the suit just as well. The body and legs are appropriately thick and baggy, while the back fins look just as fat and puffy as they do on the suit. The big clodhopper feet are precisely rendered and the long thick tail looks great. I kind of like how they sculpted the tail resting flat on the gorund and not in any sort of raised position. It looks odd at first, but it definitely fits with the toy’s overall appearance.
Probably the coolest part of the entire toy has to be how the head is slightlytilted to the left. This is a perfect copy of the Godzilla suit used in the film, which also had a head that listed just a little to one side, as if it was just a little too heavy for the neck to hold upright. This incredible attention to detail gives the figure character it wouldn’t have otherwise. It’s a fantastic little detail that’s right up there with the suit flap on the Bandai Titanosaurus or the wrinkled legs on the Mechagodzilla 2 figure.
Even the paint job is absolutely perfect. The predominant paint spray is a dark gray color on the hands, feet, chest and head, which blends very well with the black vinyl of the toy and doesn’t look out of place at all. The back fins are sprayed silver, which is accurate since the fins on the Godzilla suit were colored the same way. The little painted details on the eyes and mouth add to the overall package.
The gatefold tag included with the figure is interesting, as the inside graphics weren’t updated to include any of the 2003 figure releases. In fact, the inside of the tag looks exactly as it did on the 2002 figures. The outside of the tag – of course – is brand new, with the appropriate pictures of the correct Godzilla, unlike the later tagged 1968 Godzilla, which depicted a picture of the 1973 Godzilla for some strange reason.
Several of the toys from the Movie Monster toy line were later re-released with single fold tags. So far I haven’t heard of anyone who either owns or has seen a single tag 1974 Godzilla figure, so it’s hard to tell if the figure was ever re-released after the initial shipments in 2003. However, parts of the figure were later recycled to create several new Godzillas in the 2005 Memorial Box set, including a disguised Mechagodzilla and the 1975 Godzilla. The ’75 version of Godzilla was later reissued in a Toy Dream Project Box set along with Titanosaurus..
The 1974 Godzilla suit continues to be a rather popular toy among collectors today and has a reputation these days for being somewhat hard to find. It’s definitely worth picking up if found for a decent price, as it’s really one of the very best Godzilla figures Bandai has ever done.
