I don't think it's a newsflash for anyone here that Godzilla: Final Wars is one of my least favorite Godzilla movies. I pretty much dislike everything about it. One of the many things I'm not a fan of is the "Gwar" look of the new Gigan design. It takes the sleek, classic look of the original Gigan suit and warps it into something else entirely. That said, I have a certain fondness for the Bandai and Marmit vinyl figures produced of this guy, mainly because the new design (while overdone as a monster suit) just looks incredibly cool as a toy.
Bandai 8" standard Gigan:
Bandai hit the ball clear out of the park with their first 8" FW Gigan toy, released shortly before the movie was released in 2004. It's an incredibly detailed figure that I couldn't imagine them being able to do just a few years earlier. The soft vinyl allows for all the various spikes and small details of the suit the be incorporated into the toy without the fear of anything being too fragile or dangerous to younger collectors. The metallic blue paint looks great, as does the intense red on the dorsal fins. The only moving parts on the toys are the legs, arms and front claws, which at the very least allow for the figure to be placed in a variety of interesting poses. This toy is probably the true highlight of the figures Bandai released for Final Wars, without a doubt.
Bandai 8" chainsaw Gigan:
Not long after the Japanese release of Final Wars, Bandai put out the Gigan figure again this time in it's upgraded chainsaw version seen late in the movie. A new head sculpt - with it's neck brace and larger horn and mandibles - and chainsaw claws were added to the body of the first figure, with everything else remaining exactly the same. As cool as this figure looks I have one huge complaint with it. The vinyl used here seems to be incredibly soft and the legs on my figure ended up doing the splits after several years of owning it, which is apparent in the photo below. The chainsaw claws also tend to make the figure top heavy, which doesn't help at all. Apparently, this figure was released in lower quantities than most of the figures in the Final Wars line which ups the price a bit on the aftermarket.
Banpresto 8" standard Gigan:
Not long after the release of the movie, Banpresto - a subsidiary of Bandai - put out their own Final Wars Gigan figure, released un-assembled and boxed as opposed to tagged like the Bandai toy. With the exception of the duller red used on the dorsals and a more compact pose, the two figures look very similar at first glance. But when comparing them a little closer it becomes obvious that the Banpresto sculptors dodged many of the smaller details that made the Bandai so good. The mouth is closed, the body has a slightly more simplistic sculpt and the tail is much stubbier and undetailed. In all, the Bandai is a far stronger figure with the Banpresto being a nice alternative if one is unable to find it.
Bandai 6" standard Gigan:
In 2005 Bandai officially re-released several of it's 6" Godzilla line, and shrunk down several figures previously only available in the 8" series. The standard Final Wars Gigan was one of them. A smaller, travel-size version of the larger toy, this Gigan streamlines things a bit (the mouth is closed and the claws don't turn) but is as close to an exact replica of the 8" figure as can be. It's worth pointing out that Bandai released an incredibly limited, clear red version of this figure that will probably set you back hundreds, if not a thousand of more if you're able to track one down. Additionally, this figure was streamlined some more and released in the US Bandai Creation line in 2006. But if you can find the original, pick it up. It's a much better toy.
Marmit Monster Heaven standard and chainsaw Gigans:
In 2005 Marmit, primarily a maker of toys based on the Showa-era of the Godzilla series, began releasing figures based on the Final Wars incarnations of the monsters. Along with Godzilla and Hedora, their earliest FW figures were both versions of Gigan. With the exception of stubbier tails, both of these figures go for a more accurate look than most Marmits do, and at first glance one would be forgiven for mistaking them for the Bandai toys if not for differences in paint. Both figures sport really great sculpts - especially for Marmit - and are made of a nice, hard vinyl so you're not going to have to worry about either of these doing the splits on you. As Marmit often does, these figures were released in a multitude of paint schemes. The figures I own are about double casted, with the chainsaw version painted the popular "death trigger" prototype colors. Both of these figures show up rather frequently on ebay, so they're not too hard to get for those who either really love Marmit figures, this particular Gigan style or want an alternative to Bandai.
Feedback is appreciated. Is there something else anyone would like to see me review?
