As a lifelong Godzilla fan and collector, the pickings were kind of slim. In the 1970′s, we were treated to a Shogun Warriors Godzilla, which was pretty off-model, an un-articulated PVC that came with a playset, and the Aurora model, which was as articulated (not at all) as most offerings. We were teased by images of kids playing with Godzilla toys in the movies, but that was about it. Then came the glorious 80′s, which brought to market the Bandai Vinyl Collection. These 8" "action" figures were semi-articulated, and offered a wide variety of characters. This line would come to pass as the definitive toyline, which continues to this day in limited 6" releases. The 1980′s also saw the rise of the ultra-detailed Garage kit offerings.
But as time has passed, Bandai offerings have slowed to a trickle. There are fewer and fewer garage kit models, and it’s almost a national holiday when new Godzilla toys eek out on to the market place. Well, along comes Y-MSF and Raymundo Toys. These 6" vinyl figures fit in perfectly with your existing Bandai collection, and are available in very limited numbers at very few outlets, like Tempting Toys and BBTS.
Some of the characters offered are available for the first time ever, like Kumonga (Spiega), the giant spider, which hasn’t been made as a realistic looking toy in over 40 years! The Kong from King Kong Escapes also is a first-time-ever toy! Meca Kong is just cool, and is offered in two versions and two styles; open mouthed without bomb, and closed mouth with bombs. Also, he’s available in metallic-flake vinyl or painted silver, which flavor suits you best. Additionally, Y-MSF has been generous enough to give us an exclusive at their upcoming winter offereings, Oodako the giant Octopus (from King Kong vs godzilla), and the giant sea serpent from King Kong escapes, both available for the first time ever!
One last thing to share with you all, I’ve recently completed a major piece of model work, the Sakai Godzilla Vs. King Gidorah model which was a birthday gift from my wife and mother. I have spent over 200 hours assembling and painting, and I thought I’d share a few images of the finished work for you all. There are only 40 pieces cast in the world, so this very well might be your only chance to ever see one. Enjoy, and let’s talk soon folks!
Captain Collector, signing off!!
Did you add paint to the Kong pictured with Mecha-Kong? He looks a lot better than the one I had.
I’m hoping the recent three-figure repaint wave from Bandai Creation’s Godzilla line will be the first of two for this year, but I’m not holding my breath. I did pick up Rainbow Mothra, though; she’s really nice.
-JJJ
Wow, that model is beautiful. Nice work. Need to pick up that goofy Kong!
@JJJason – you are indeed correct, I painted that one for Y-MSF. I’ve done several paints for them, from time to time, but this one was early on, and wasn’t used for production. As time has gone on, their paint process has become much more refined, like with Kumonga. There have been a few times I have done custom painted figures (like that Kong) by hand in limited numbers (like 5-10 of each) for Tempting Toys’ customers. In the future, if you want a custom one, just ask Tempting Toys when ordering how much for one painted by Steve, and they contact me, no big deal.
It’s a shame most these figures are very, very expensive.
I believe they are in the $40-$60 price range, they vary. It’s not hard to understand when they make 100-200 of each figure, the production runs are very small. For a die-hard Godzilla collector such as myself, it’s well worth it. Additionally, there are generally only a few releases per year, so it’s not too hard on the wallet
The model, on the other hand, was limited to 40 castings, and cost over $1000 during the 5 days it was available.
Hey Capt! 1st of all, great to see another article from you! Been checking back on AFI for updates! 2nd, I know imports are a love of yours and it seems like its been forever when you’ve had the opportunity to write an import-oriented article, so I’m thrilled to see this. You turned my on to Tempting Toys and their offerings from Y-MSF years ago, and I’ve never been disappointed with the few Godzilla pieces I’ve picked up from them. In this day and age where SSC charges $90 for a basic 1/6 scale piece, $40-$60 seems like a bargain!
Awesome job on this, and great article!
As I currently understand it, the Octopus & snake may be a 2 pack. There also plans for other smaller characters to be done this way, I’m sure you can guess who. I’ll also have some exclusive images soon of some of their newest offerings. Looks like a plan may be coming together to finally offer the Gargantuas!!! I’ll be back with more news as it’s available to print.