Releasing just in time for Godzilla: King Of The Monsters, NECA's Godzilla 2019 figure is the first to be released in the line. Many collectors are hoping if this is worth paying $27 over the S.H. MonsterArts Godzilla 2019 figure, which is around $60. Is it worth the price? Yes? No? Maybe? Let's take a closer look.
When it comes to the sculpt and paint Godzilla 2019 looks pretty much the same as NECA's Godzilla 2014 action figure. When they revealed the Godzilla 2019 figure at Toyfest in February NECA mentioned that they were using a completely new sculpt. While there are some obviously noticeable changes like the dorsal plates, the feet, tail, and the head everything else looks like nothing was changed. What I do like is the green and brown paint on this figure. It really brings out the details on the figure. Perhaps the brown could have been toned down on the dorsal plates, but that's just me. The dorsal plates is one of the most prominent parts of this Godzilla's design as it is using the same dorsal plates from the original 1954 version and NECA really did an amazing job sculpting them as it keeps drawing my eyes at that area. I do have one gripe about the paint though and that is on the face. It looks really off and this is the first thing you will notice when you inspect the figure before purchase. Instead of the eyes looking forward as they should the eyes are looking off to the side. I will be honest, it is not that bad of an issue on mine, yet I have seen worse on other people's figures. Some will have one eye looking up and one eye looking down, some have both eyes looking down, and so on. There is also a bit of paint bleed on the gums, but that is an easy fix.
When it comes to articulation, the first thing you really want to do right out of the box is heat up the joints with a hairdryer. Almost every joint you try to move will be stuck because the people at the factory just decided to put the figure together before the paint is dry. Also, if you force it then you will break the joint and you will not be happy about that. Lastly, the figure does come with instructions that you will need to dip the tail in hot water before attaching the tail. The instructions are not as accurate as it shows the detached tail being dipped into the water despite the actual tail having a ball joint. So you are gonna have to heat up the socket that the tail attaches to. Overall, the amount of articulation is about average at best.
Head - Moves up, down, side to side, and jaw opens and closes.
Neck - Can move up and down ever so slightly, but enough to allow a little bit of movement to twist the neck side to side.
Arms - Shoulders are on ball joints and can twist and turn; elbows can swivel 360 degrees and are on an hinge so you can have the arms can hang loose or retract closer to the body; hands have a swivel and a hinge as well.
Waist - Can move up and down and twist side to side ever so slightly.
Legs - The thighs are on a ball joint and can move smoothly without any restrictions; The knees are on a hinge so you can bend them open or closed; the feet are on ball joints so if you want to display Godzilla's stance like his appearance in the movie, you can do that as well.
Tail - Every segment of the tail are all on ball joints and there are 10 points of articulation from the base going all the way down to the tip. Not much posing action with it though. You can swing Godzilla's tail side to side, but not much up and down action. So if you want to display your Godzilla figure like he is swinging his tail up in the air then a little creativity is required.
When NECA released the Godzilla 1962 action figure, I gave the packaging a lot of praise. It had the poster from the movie and that it really looked nice overall. The box for the Godzilla 2019 action figure, however, looks really generic. There is the picture of Godzilla that you will find in all of the toy packaging on the front. It could be that this is just the standard design for the all of the packaging for the Godzilla toys, but it does not make me want to display the box. If it was a poster from the movie, then maybe that would be a different story. Opening the flap, there is a picture of the action figure on the back of the flap and a window showing you the action figure inside the box. On the left side of the box there is info about the movie. Then on the back, there is a picture of the Godzilla 2019 action figure with a list of other monsters that will be released in the future. A shame that NECA will not be doing King Ghidorah. Maybe they will reconsider and that depends on how successful these action figures are selling. Overall, the box is pretty generic and not really worth being displayed.
Godzilla 2019 does not come with any accessories at all, but this is because a repaint version (V2 as NECA calls it) will be coming with accessories in the near future. There is, however, a display stand that you can remove from the box and use as a backdrop. I think with some creativity you can find a use for it.
Final Thoughts:
NECA's Godzilla 2019 action figure is average at best. Despite the few detail changes in the sculpt and paint nothing new was really added. NECA could have experimented in new ways to improve articulation on this figure that could have topped their 2014 action figure. Instead, it suffers the same problems that the 2014 figure had. It's an alright Godzilla figure, but their 1954 Godzilla figure still comes out on top in my book.
What are your thoughts on NECA's Godzilla 2019 action figure? Do you like it? Do you hate it? Do you plan to pick one up or skip it? Let me know on your thoughts on this action figure in the comments section and make sure to follow me on my Facebook and Twitter pages to stay up to date for more news, reviews, and discussions.
Where to find this figure:
Amazon: https://amzn.to/2WZkv5y
Big Bad Toy Store: https://www.bigbadtoystore.com/Product/VariationDetails/84598