Godzilla (Model Kit on Card, ReAction Figures by Super7)

One day, while feeling defeated in my search for new Mattel dinosaurs at Target, I decided to peruse the adult collectables section. Being a dinosaur and animal collector first and foremost, I rarely leave this section with anything but also being a sci-fi and horror nerd, I still like to see what they’ve got. This time, I was surprised by an abundance of unique Godzilla and kaiju figures. Looking through them is a dangerous gamble as the line between dinosaur and kaiju collecting is a thin one and sure enough, I bought myself a Godzilla. I think it was the fifth or so time I was skunked at Target this year, so it was nice to finally leave with something new. Knowing I could review it here provided some extra incentive.  

The Godzilla I came home with is a peculiar one. Presented standing amongst a ruined cityscape, the tableau is almost entirely green, even the buildings! The only colors on the figure are Godzilla’s red and black eyes, red mouth, and white teeth and claws. Obviously, it was going for a vintage look, but why the limited paint apps? If only I had read the fine print on the back, I would have understood sooner why the figure was presented this way. The back of the packaging reads “From ToHo Production’s Famed Movie Series Comes…Godzilla: A Model Kit Inspired ReAction Figure”. It’s a model of a model! More specifically, it’s a model of the 1964 Aurora Godzilla kit. This would have been obvious to older or veteran Godzilla collectors but not to a novice such as me. For an interesting history of the Aurora Godzilla, click here.

Although I rarely keep packaging, I found the presentation here just as appealing as the figure itself, so I decided I would display it in the package. Still, if I was going to review it, I would need to take the figure out for photography purposes, so I carefully extracted it and in doing so kept the packaging as undamaged as possible. The cardboard backing depicts Godzilla strolling along, claws bloodied, with a burning city behind him. This artwork was originally done by James Bama and is the exact artwork that was depicted on the Aurora kit box.

The figure is not an exact replica of the Aurora Godzilla. There are some differences in the presentation of the buildings and no Godzilla nameplate like the Aurora kit has. Although entirely green to give it an unpainted look the actual kit was fuchsia colored with a metallic green version available in Canada. I probably wouldn’t have bought this figure if it was fuchsia colored so I’m glad it’s not 100% identical to the kit that inspired it. It’s also not completely accurate to Godzilla’s likeness in any of the films but that’s alright too. The inaccurate likeness was probably frustrating for collectors in the 1960’s though.

This Godzilla can be removed from his base and is articulated at the base of the neck and tail, shoulders, and hips. The damaged buildings on the base are way out of scale with Godzilla but again, it’s mimicking the Aurora kit. In texture and appearance it looks identical to the snap-together pieces you would find in the kit, which means it’s low on details.

I have no interest in trying to acquire, build, and display the actual Aurora Godzilla but it’s fun to have a miniature version of it in lieu of that. And although I’m not a kaiju collector this is the kind of kaiju figure that appeals to me the most. It’s small, retro, unique, and affordable! And this seems to be the theme with Super7 Godzilla figures, so I suspect I’ll be acquiring more of them in the future. This kit-inspired figure is available at Target but also available widely online. If you want something more faithful to the Aurora kit, Super7 also makes this same figure without any paint whatsoever and it comes in an actual box. The card backed version of the figure retails for about $20 while the boxed version costs slightly more.