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Are you a Godzilla fan?

The most useful ingredient in being a true Godzilla action figures collector is being a Godzilla fan yourself. Of course, it is also possible to become a collector for profit purposes, but that would make less enjoyable. So, if you like Godzilla, it is quite possible you own one or more Godzilla action figures, to start with.

But what makes a true collector? To start with, collecting action figures is not just a kids’ hobby.  Adults are into this hobby too, thus the money they are able to spend in getting the so desired item.  That is particularly true about Godzilla action figures just because Godzilla is worldwide known and has created “cult-type” audience. Godzilla has stayed alive and evolving for more than 50 years now, which easily land marks specific “eras” of his evolution .

The first known Godzilla action figures were made in the sixties by a company called Marusan.  These figures bear little resemblance to the screen Godzilla, but are considered by most true collectors the basis of their sofubi (Soft-vinyl character toys from Japan) as opposed to non-Japanese action figures.

This gives us the first criteria as of what makes a true Godzilla action figures collector.  There are collectors that only focus on Japanese Godzillas, other include other origins and model. Keep in mind that it is easier to find all kinds.   A true collector understands the difference.

There are many ways to start a collection. For example, it is possible to choose one era of Godzilla, such as 1960’s or 1970’s.  Also, a collection can be around vinyl toys only, die-cast only, or just plush toys.  The collection can be about Gozdilla only, or include his enemies too. In general, it is a good idea to become very familiar with the history and evolution of Godzilla since 1950. You will realize the different Godzilla action figures available reflect the different makeovers Godzilla has had during the last 50 years.

Once the above is done, you will be ready to decide what type of Godzilla action figures you are going to collect: from a certain era, as he looked in the first movie, in the 70’s or in the 90’s or all of them.

Then, dedicate time to find Godzilla toys.  Since Godzilla is a popular character, you might find it in retail stores.  Otherwise, search on websites and online stores specialized in action figures and toys. If possible, attend science fiction conventions.  They happen in different locations during the whole year and they gather a lot of Godzilla action figures vendors.  Please keep in mind that the different manufacturers of Godzilla toys have their own style which sets them apart.  The main companies are Bullmark, Marmit, Bandai, and Marusan; Bandai figures show more detail and look like movie Godzilla.

And finally, define your budget.  Of course, a true collector would be willing to pay a couple of hundred dollars or more for a unique vintage Godzilla action figure.  But that is because he or she is a rich collector.  So, again, always remember to stay within your budget because collecting Godzilla action figures can be expensive too.

Some links you might find interesting:

• Malnurtured Snay » Godzilla Haiku – Godzilla Haiku. Godzilla Must Go So You Cannot See The Depth Of His Loneliness.

• Australian Godzilla DVD Box Sets from Madman « SciFi Japan – Godzilla, King Ghidorah, Angilas, and Gigan face off in GODZILLA VS GIGAN, one of the films included in the new Australian Godzilla DVD Collections from. Madman Entertainment. Photo courtesy of Madman Entertainment. …

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Godzilla action figures and King Kong toys are popular representations of the two most famous, awesome, and mighty monsters in the whole world.  There is almost no person that has not heard of them.  Most fans start their contact with King Kong and Godzilla in their childhood.  That explains why they so dearly buy and collect Godzilla action figures and King Kong toys, and form clubs and fairs to share stories and memories.

The way these two monsters got their name is anecdotal too.  In the case of Godzilla, his original name was Gojira, which is a combination of two Japanese words: Gorilla and Whale.  The name was later romanized to coin the word Godzilla.  This name is the most popular and even the Japanese fans call their beloved monster Godzilla.  In the case of King Kong, its name was meant to have a mysterious tone. The creator of Godzilla was Merian C. Cooper, who always was attracted to words beginning with the letter K.  At the time he was working on his Congo Gorilla, a friend of his visited Komodoro island to meet the Komodoro dragons.  The stories his friend told him inspired him to use the first three letter of the word Congo and steal the K letter from the word Komodoro.  So, Kong was born with a mysterious sound included.  Its title, King, came after, when publicists believed the movie needed a two word name.

Beyond the funny stories behind their names, Godzilla and King Kong are time-proof characters.  But while Godzilla has a clear evolution of his physical look by means of his 28 movies, King Kong doesn’t have a clear evolution.  For example, Godzilla action figures can be collected using his appearance as criteria; King Kong toys, however, do not follow a clear trend. 

King Kong, the same as Godzilla, is a copyright character (currently mostly owned by Universal Studios), but its rights have not been well commercially exploited because such rights have been in dispute by too many people. This is probably the main one reason King Kong toys comes second compared to Godzilla action figures variety.

Nevertheless, King Kong toys and Godzilla action figures are here to stay.  The future of both is developing as we speak.

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There are 28 Godzilla films created by Toho, all of the in Japan. This does not consider the 1998 Hollywood movie, which shows a monster different from Godzilla that fans did not approve.  The third movie in the 28 list was King Kong vs Godzilla, and happened at a very interesting time for Toho (the Japanese company that created Godzilla) and Japanese children. 

At that time, Toho was thinking of giving its main character Godzilla a less terror-type mood. At the same time, the King Kong toys (which first appeared in US films in 1933) were becoming more popular among the Japanese children.  As a result, the film King Kong vs Godzilla was more a humor movie than a terror movie.  Unfortunally, when the movie was translated to English in Hollywood, as usually happens with Godzilla movies, the producers didn’t like the humor part and edited the movie in an intent to make a straight science fiction movie.

Regarding Godzilla action figures after this movie, there is interesting information.  As it is with Bandai, the figures are very realistic and similar to Godzilla film appearance (the Godzilla monster in the films were always an actor in a rubber suit).  When the movie The Return of Godzilla (1984) was announced in 1983 and the announcement started Bandai Godzilla line with 1962 Godzilla. 

1962 Godzilla (movie suit) vs 1983 Bandai King Kong vs Godzilla release	Rare Bandai King Kong action figure released in 1993

As it is common with Bandai’s Godzilla action figures, the sculpt was quite god.  Godzilla is bulky without looking fat, and they did a fair job in capturing the unique, almost frog-like face of this particular suit, though the eyes are a bit bland and the mouth could have been bigger. That appeareance was given to Godzilla by Toho to make him look less frightening.

As for King Kong toys, this character is among the hardest to find.  Good Hunt!

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2012 is not the end of the world, as stated by a Mayan prophecy.  Instead, 2012 is the year the world will see another Godzilla movie and a merchandising system as never seen before for this character.  Godzilla DVD, Godzilla blue ray and, of course, Godzilla Action Figures will flood the retail stores.

This is the case because Godzilla is world apart from any hero or antihero we have ever seen.   To start with, Godzilla is a Japanese character created by Toho Co. in 1954.

There have been 28 films by Toho and these films have made out of Godzilla a world pop culture icon.  Interesting enough, Hollywood has not been a key player for this to happen.  In fact, Hollywood made a very heavy edition of the first Toho film that kept no resemblance to the original film.  Godzilla fans did not approve such version.  It was until 1998 that Hollywood created a Godzilla movie (Godzilla).  Again, this time the film was not satisfactory to Godzilla fans.  In fact, the character seen in this film was called names, for example GINO (Godzilla only in name), Zilla, american Godzilla and so on.  Despite the complains, this film became a summer blockbuster that grossed $379 million worldwide.  A big share of this amount was generated by retailing of merchandise items, like Godzilla DVD or Godzilla action figures.  And if that happened in 1998, what are we to expect in 2012.  Toho did not express any congratulations to the 1998 Godzilla movie, but could not have been unhappy about the royalties!

This is what makes the situation even more interesting.  Toho and its Godzilla movies have set an standard expected by long-time Godzilla fans even today.  The Japanese Godzilla is not a computerized action figure (like it was the 1998 Hollywood movie Godzilla), Godzilla is performed by an actor wearing a suit.  And the cities Godzilla destroys are miniature cardboard cities.  Can you imagine Hollywood doing this today?

More important even is to know if Hollywood will respect the character this time.  In regards to this, Thomas Tull the chairman and CEO of Legendary Pictures (the Hollywood company that got the rights to make Godzilla) said:

Toho, in the voice of its president Hideyuki Takai said:

Godzilla fans can only hope for the best… and start looking for sneak previews of this Godzilla movie, or the Godzilla DVD graphic design, or the new Godzilla action figures.

Godzilla Japanese Die Cast 7″ GD-98 1975 Mecha Godzilla – by BANDAI

5. Limited edition: This is another marketing strategy to increase sales.  It happens when a toy is produced in limited quantities despite there is still demand for such toy. 

This version of Godzilla was only manufactured through 2004, and is a very limited edition. By Toy Vault

9. Hollow cast: This term refers to metal figurines that are not solid.  With the hollow cast technique, the metal is poured into the die, and the sides will cool first. The excess molten metal is poured out, leaving a hollow figurine. This type of action figures are worth less.

Mattel Shogun Warriors line, 1978

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To collect Godzilla Action Figures is similar to collect any other kind of action figures.  In the action figure collector world, there are some terms common to each character.  It is possible you have had some encounters with these terms while buying any of your Godzilla Action Figures.  Let’s review a few of them:

3. Articulation:  This term refers to the degree and number of moving parts in an action figure.  For example, Bandai is known for giving its 6″ Godzilla Action Figures 6 point joints.

4. Assortment:  Assortment is a very important number for Godzilla Action Figures Collectors.  This number is given by the manufacturer and it is assigned to a collection of toys. This number is usually found in the package or box.  Since the number is very seldom imprinted on the action figure, it is a good advise to keep the package in good conditions. 

5. Blister pack:  This term refers to the package when it is a clear plastic shell to display the action figure.

6. Bendy/Bendie:  A bendie action figure has no limit in its articulations.  It is made out of a wire center covered with rubber or latex.  An action figure can have some “bendie” parts, or be a complete bendie.  Bendie Godzilla Action Figures are not too common, but can be found at auction sites. At least a Company called Imperial use to make, around 1975.

7. Carded:  A carded action figure is a toy that is still attached to the original cardboard backing of the box.  The term implies that the toy itself is in mint conditions. 

8. CNP: The term is used in the after market word and stands for ‘Complete No Package’, which means the toy is not in mint conditions.

10. C Scale:  In the collectors world, there is a famous scale that goes from C1 to C10.  C1 is the lowest collector’s rating, and means the action figures needs a complete restoration.  C10 is perfect toy: flawless mint condition, handled with kid gloves and kept in original packaging… this is the kind of Godzilla Action Figures every collector dreams about but that is quite hard to spot!

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As every Godzilla Action Figures fan knows, Godzilla fans form a “cult audience” that started more than fifty years ago, and is present worldwide. In the US, especially, Godzilla is so well known and popular for the masses, especially after the 1998 movie Godzilla.  It is also well known that true Godzilla fans are not too happy with US versions of their icon and prefer the “authentic” Japanese versions (in fact, the 1998 US Godzilla was called “Zilla”, thus implying it is not a real Godzilla).  The Japanese way calls for rubber suits and cardboard cities in the movies.  Thus, the Godzilla Action figures should look alike the movies characters.  This is very important, because merchandise like the Godzilla Action Figures represent a big business for movie companies.

However, there is also a call for US, Hollywood-type movies and toys that literally creates rivers of money.  The truth is that will all the new advances in special effects and easier worldwide movie distribution, it is virtually a fact that the there will more fans added to this cult audience.  

Toho Company, the creator of Godzilla, is well aware of that.  Nevertheless, they will never betray their faithful Japanese fan base who expects the hard and detail work of miniature sets.  As a result, there is a debate between both points of view, especially around the possibility of creating another Godzilla remake that opened the door to new Godzilla Action Figures.

What to expect then for future’s Godzilla Action Figures?  Up to date, the latest standard in Godzilla Action Figures is given by the 2005 Japanese movie Godzilla Final Wars, which arrived to movie theaters in celebration of Godzilla’s 50th anniversary and showing-off excitement and sound.  This movie ranked the action figures production up since reactivated people’s appetite for Godzilla action figures.  Either in adult collections or in children room’s display, these toys are today’s landmark.  While there are rumors of Godzilla remakes, there is no sneak previews of future Godzilla Action Figures.  So, it is a good time to check your collection and make sure you complete it with the latest toys.