S.H. MonsterArts Godzilla 2019
I was debating wether I should get the S.H. MonsterArts Godzilla 2019 figure or not because I already have the NECA figure. Yet, I kept looking at images and as you know I caved. I ordered it off of Big Bad Toy Store, had it shipped, and it arrived on Thursday. My first impression is that I am actually very happy that I got this figure. Having this Godzilla so articulated just feels so right when holding it in hand. I cannot stop playing with it. There are a few minor things that could be better, but it is hands down one of my favorite figures so far for this year.
Taking a look at the box first there is really nothing to brag about. It is pretty much your standard packaging for S.H. MonsterArts figures. On the front of the box you have a window for you to inspect the figure. Then, you have logos that say S.H. MonsterArts, Legendary Pictures, TOHO Co., the 65th Anniversary logo, Tamashii Nations, Bandai, and the Monsterverse logo on top. In frame, there is the picture of the figure from one of the promotional pictures with "Godzilla [2019]" in front of it. On the left side of the box, we have another promotional shot of Godzilla looking up with "S.H. MonsterArts Godzilla [2019]". On the back of the box, we have more promotional shots of the figure and information about the figure written in Japanese. On the right side of the box, another Monsterverse logo and Godzilla [2019]. On the top of the box, there is a small window to peer at the figure and Godzilla [2019]. On the bottom of the box, we have warning labels in Japanese saying, "Choking Hazard. Do not let kids swallow any pieces of the toy" and so on. Finally, there is the Bluefin sticker to know that this figure was imported from Japan and distributed was distributed by them as well as more hazard labels in English.
The S.H. MonsterArts Godzilla 2019 is very detailed with the bumps, ridges, grooves, and the scales. The paint job is sort of dull as most of the figure is covered in a charcoal grey color. Starting with the head, the eyes are really tiny, but it has yellow paint with a black dot for the pupils. There has been reports of eyes being misaligned making it look goofy from the front. I was sort of lucky that mine does not have that issue. The only problem with the eyes on mine is that one of them looks sank into the head just a little bit. Again, the eyes are so small that it's hardly noticeable. The teeth is sort of sloppy in terms of sculpt. The tops look too flat and even. It makes Godzilla look like he has human teeth. The rest of the mouth looks great looking gummy with the dark red or maroon color. From the bottom of the neck down towards the chest to the bottom of the tail there is this brown color to contrast with the charcoal grey seen through out the rest of the body. The nails on the fingers and toes are nicely detailed with lighter grey paint to make them look bone color. Lastly, the dorsal fins has a nice sculpt, yet I think a different color is needed here. Maybe a lighter shade of grey or possibly a silver/blue color to make his dorsal fins contrast with the rest of the body. Be careful when touching the dorsal fins. They are pointy and kind of sharp on a few of them.
Overall, Godzilla 2019 has a great sculpt, but the paint is sort of dull.
When it comes to articulation, the S.H. MonsterArts figures are known to be super posable with ball joints. You can have Godzilla looking straight up like he is roaring at the sky or about to shoot his atomic breath, have him dance to "Thriller" by Michael Jackson, or have him in a sumo pose. This figure is very expressive just from how Godzilla is posed. I would have liked a more posable tail. Usually on most S.H. MonsterArts figures the tail would be the best part for how posable it is. Some of them can be posable enough to have the tail wrap around and touch the nose of the monster. If you really want to swing his tail in the air then you need to some imagination for that to happen. Also, the joint where the head meets the neck has a large gap when turning his around. It is an easy fix to cover up the gap, but the neck piece should be a little bigger so the gap can covered up entirely.
For the past five years, when an S.H. MonsterArts figure is released the vanilla figure would come without any accessories until a version 2 was released with a new paint job and a beam effect piece and doubling the price than the predecessor. With Godzilla 2019, he comes with an alternate bottom jaw and an atomic breath effect piece. The alternate bottom jaw has a base for the atomic breath part to sit in. What you do is you remove the lower jaw from the socket in Godzilla's mouth. Next, you take the alternate lower jaw and you align the ball joint with the exposed socket. It is a snug fit, but you will know when the jaw is plugged in when you hear a snap and the lower jaw is aligned with the upper jaw. Last, you take the atomic breath piece and you attach it to the base and that is it. Godzilla is now ready to cause major mayhem and recreate the "call to arms" scene from the movie. If you have the S.H. MonsterArts Godzilla 2014 Spit Fire version you can use the atomic breath piece from that figure as well since it is the same accessory with a different paint job. Godzilla 2019 does not come with a stand, but if you have been collecting these figures you can use those as well.
Just to compare, here is the S.H. MonsterArts figure with the NECA figure. This isn't to show which figure is better as both figures has their strengths and weaknesses. For instance, the articulation on the NECA figure is simple and straight to the point, but it falls short feeling restricted at the head, neck, and abs where as the S.H. MonsterArts you can do almost anything you can think of. However, the NECA figure has a lot more details and paint than the S.H. MonsterArts. My only complaint about the paint on the NECA is that it can be a little too overpowering and the eyes just weirds me out. The S.H. MonsterArts costs around $60 where the NECA figure costs around $25. In the end, it's all a matter of taste and how much you're willing to pay for. I prefer the S.H. MonsterArts figure because it's more movie accurate than the NECA.
To end the review, here is a size comparison with any other figures you may have. As you can see, S.H. MonsterArts Godzilla 2019 is in the 6.5 inch scale. You can have him displayed with almost any figure in your collection whether that is with NECA, Revoltech, or any other S.H. MonsterArts figures.
Final Thoughts:
I love the S.H. MonsterArts Godzilla 2019 figure. I am very happy to have this in my collection. It looks very accurate to the movie and I love that he is super posable. The fact that it's priced around $60 and comes with accessories is not a bad deal at all. I think a shade of blue would really make this figure more eye catching rather than be mostly charcoal grey, but for $60 it's good enough.
Did you get the S.H. MonsterArts Godzilla 2019 figure? If so, is this one of your favorites or do you have a different opinion? If not, are you planning on getting this? Leave a comment in the comment section of your thoughts on this figure. If you want to help support my blog, click the donate button at the top of the page. Make sure to follow me on my Facebook and Twitter pages to stay up to date for more news, reviews, and discussions.