In 2016, TOHO released their first Godzilla film in over a decade. Shin Godzilla was their answer to the U.S. Godzilla reboot, which debuted in 2014. TOHO has rebooted Godzilla numerous times to ignore previous films, with the exception of the original. Nearly every franchise restart existed in a world where Godzilla attacked Japan in 1954. Shin Godzilla, however, was a complete break away from previous entries. In the film, there were no prior attacks by Godzilla, and this new version differed greatly from his predecessors. Shin Godzilla was portrayed as an ever-evolving creature, heavily scarred and grotesque. He becomes larger, more aggressive and more powerful with every new form he takes. In the films most devastating and surprisingly powerful scene, Shin Godzilla unleashes his atomic blast/energy beam attack. Starting off as full on fire breath, the attack turns to pure energy, and Shin Godzilla expels beams from his tail and dorsal fins, which utterly devastates Tokyo and finally reveals how powerful the creature is.
Last year, we reviewed the NECA Toys Shin Godzilla Figure, and a new variation of the figure is in stores now. We picked up the Atomic Blast Shin Godzilla 12″ Head-To-Tail Figure from sponsor Entertainment Earth. After the jump, you can check out my thoughts on the release, as well as a full photo gallery.
Related Entertainment Earth links: Atomic Blast Shin Godzilla, NECA Godzilla 1962, All Godzilla Merchandise
Atomic Blast Shin Godzilla 12″ Head-To-Tail Figure by NECA
Pros
- Lots of great sculpted details
- Decent articulation
- Beam effects don’t require a stand
- Paint work is really strong
- Can swap heads with previous Shin Godzilla
Cons
- An alternate head sculpt would be welcome
- Beam attack pieces are a bit plain
Overall
As with all previous Godzilla releases from NECA, due to licensing, this comes in a plastic clamshell packaging. The design uses the same artwork as all previous Godzilla releases on the front, with a single photo of Shin Godzilla on the back. This should be one of the final releases like this, as future Godzilla releases will begin to have unique packaging. The figure includes two energy beam effects pieces; One for his mouth and the other for his tail.
I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked the look of NECA’s original Shin Godzilla. By scaling the design down to work with a 6″ tall figure, a lot of the muddled aspects of the films creature design became more focused. With this release using mostly the same mold, the Atomic Blast version works quite nicely in figure form as well. The head sculpt here is all new, as are the energy beams. In the movie, as Shin Godzilla prepares to unleash his atomic blast attack, his jaw opens, and then splits in the center. It’s an unsettling look that’s captured pretty well here. However, when displayed without the beam attached, it looks a bit odd. I would have loved to seen an alternate head sculpt included where the mouth was less opened, or even the original head sculpt included with the paint updated to match the new color scheme. I will note, that you can swap heads with NECA’s original Shin Godzilla and it works just fine (See Image #18). Articulation is the same as that release. There’s decent range of motion in most of the joints, with no paint locking issues. Joints themselves were fairly tight.
What really sets this release apart is the new paint apps, which portray the glowing effects of his attack. The dorsal fins, the tail, and the head sculpt all have a mix of purple and pure white paint. There are some additional bits featuring just a touch of lightened purple or white paint to really sell the internal glowing effect. It’s pretty effective, with the only other solution being internal LED lights, which would have driven up the cost for sure. The energy beams are mostly white, with a very light purple wash over them. The overall design of the beams is ok, but I think they’ve be more interesting had the beam been a little less straight, and a bit more scattered near the end of the beam. The beam effects, though, do attach easily and don’t require a stand to be held in place. Watch out for a bit of paint rubbing off on the beam’s pegs.
For most fans, it’s going to come down to how much you like Shin Godzilla’s design and if you want an Atomic Blast version. It’s a very solid release with a very eye-catching paint scheme and it’s always nice to see effects pieces included with NECA Godzilla figures. See some highlight photos below and the full gallery after that.
CompaniesNECA
CharactersShin Godzilla
Scale6 Inch